"Yoruko-san!" "keep an eye on him." "Stop!" "Damn it!" "Teleporting?" "Where's he going?" "Damn it..." "Illusionary Avenger" "You idiot!" "What were you thinking?" "Well?" "What happened?" "It was no use." "He teleported away." "The system protects the inns." "I was certain she'd be safe here." "Damn it." "That robe was Griselda's." "It was Griselda's ghost..." "She's come for revenge on us all!" "Why couldn't a ghost PK in town?" "That was no ghost." "The two safe area murders have to work using some logic that involves the system." "They just have to." "Was that black robed figure really the ghost of Griselda-san?" "Seeing those two deaths happen in front of me makes me wonder if it could be true." "that's impossible." "A ghost wouldn't need a teleport crystal." "A teleport crystal..." "What is it?" "it's nothing." "Here." "You're giving it to me?" "What else would I be doing?" "You think I'm showing it off or something?" "then thanks. so you should eat up before it disappears." "Y-Yeah." "This is really good." "When did you make this?" "Didn't I say its durability was about to run out? so I prepared these this morning." "I guess you are in charge of the Knights of the Blood Oath attack teams." "anyway?" "It wasn't for sale." "It isn't from a store." "too. you could've put this up for auction and made yourself a lot of money." "got it?" "What's wrong?" "That's right..." "That's it!" "What?" "What did you just figure out?" "I..." "We... never actually saw a thing." "We just thought we did." "But we really saw something else." "There never was a weapon or any kind of logic that would allow killing within the safe areas!" "1)}Floor 19:" "Cross Hill" "Griselda..." "The only way I can survive is with your forgiveness." "I'm sorry..." "I'm so sorry!" "Griselda!" "I never imagined this would happen!" "Really?" "Really?" "Really?" "What did you do?" "Schmidt?" "I..." "I only... and the note told me to..." "Who told you?" "Who told you to?" "Grimrock?" "too?" "Who?" "Who gave you these orders?" "I-I honestly don't know!" "The note just said to bind the crystal to the room and then to put the crystal in the guild's shared storage..." "And?" "That was all I did!" "I never meant to get her killed." "Believe me..." "Please!" "Schmidt." "Th-They're alive?" "!" "they're alive." "Both Yoruko-san and Kains." "B-But... player HP won't just drop." "But an object's durability will." "Like with that sandwich." "Kains's armor was pierced by that spear." "not Kains's HP." "what fell apart was... just his armor." "Kains teleported away." "The effect was incredibly similar to that of someone's death." "But it's still different." "Then Yoruko-san..." "The dagger was already in her the whole time she spoke with us." "The entire time?" "Remember... she never turned her back to us." "she kept an eye on her equipment's endurance. had stabbed her." "Which means the person in the black robe..." "I'd lay good odds that it isn't Grimrock." "It's Kains." "Those two must have realized that they could use this method to fake their own deaths." "And their goal was to draw out the one responsible for the ring murder." "They acted out their own deaths to create an illusionary avenger." "They must have already been somewhat suspicious of Schmidt." "don't you?" "on Floor 19." "just outside the town." "I see." "Let's leave the rest up to them." "Our role in this case is finished." "R-Recorded?" "So that's how it is." "You cared that much about Griselda." "did you?" "O-Of course not..." "Believe me!" "True..." "The rare weapon I bought let me clear but..." "Paralysis?" "One down!" "Are these guys..." "This is a big catch." "A Holy Dragon Alliance leader." "Laughing Coffin." "then... what shall we play?" "boss... and only the winner survives!" "you killed the survivor anyway." "boss." "All right." "Let's get started." "Guess I made it just in time..." "So what will you do?" "I have backup on the way." "You want to fight thirty people from the lead group?" "Let's go." "Yoruko-san." "once everything was over." "But I can't expect you to believe me." "Kirito... but how did you know that those three would attack here?" "I didn't." "I just thought it was a possibility." "Kains-san..." "Yoruko-san." "You asked Grimrock-san to make those two weapons." "he didn't seem willing." "He said he wanted to let Griselda-san rest in peace... he finally forged them for us." "but the reason he opposed your plan wasn't for Griselda-san's sake. would attract sufficient attention for someone to take notice..." "I only realized it thirty minutes ago." "We ended up falling for Yoruko-san's plot..." "But I don't really mind." "Yeah." "Hey." "What would you have said when a super-rare item like that dropped?" "Hmm..." "Part of the reason I play solo is to avoid those situations." "it would belong to the one it dropped for." "That's the rule." "no one knows what drops for whom unless someone volunteers it." "that's the only way. marriage in this world has real meaning." "right?" "Everything you might have hidden until then... you can't hide it anymore." "Shared storage is quite a pragmatic system." "as well." "Hey..." "What?" "Have you ever gotten married?" "No..." "That's not what I meant!" "You were just talking about how it's romantic and plastic..." "No one said that!" "It's romantic and pragmatic." "Pragmatic..." "It means practical." "Practical." "Practical?" "Marriage in SAO?" "Isn't it?" "doesn't it?" "The common storage." "What?" "Common storage... what happens to the items?" "Item storage is shared." "what happens to their items?" "Are you talking about Griselda-san and Grimrock-san?" "if one of them died..." "Wouldn't everything go to the other?" "Which would mean the rare ring in Griselda-san's storage... not in the killer's." "The ring wasn't stolen?" "it was stolen." "Grimrock stole the ring from his own storage." "Grimrock..." "He sent that memo?" "And he killed Griselda?" "he probably didn't do it personally." "He likely left the actual murder to a red player specializing in such things." "No... then why would he have helped us?" "Didn't you explain the whole plan to him?" "This was his chance to bury the entire thing forever. so he could kill you all at once." "So that's why..." "That's why that murder guild was here. he knew them from when he hired them to kill Griselda-san." "That's horrible..." "I found him." "We can ask him for the details." "everyone." "Grimrock-san..." "Did you..." "Did you really..." "Grimrock?" "Why did you need the money your own wife?" "Money?" "Did you say money?" "It wasn't for the money." "I had..." "I had to kill her..." "While she was still my wife." "too." "the perfect wife... submissive..." "We'd never had a single fight. she changed." "Only one of us was overcome with fear from being trapped in a death game..." "Me. than she had in the real world." "I had to accept it..." "That the Yuuko I loved was gone." "Thus... where murder is legal..." "And who could blame me?" "You killed your wife for that?" "That's more than reason enough." "detective." "Once you've found love and are about to lose it." "Grimrock-san." "You didn't feel love for Griselda-san." "You only wanted to possess her!" "could you leave this man to us?" "All right." "Hey... and then you discovered what would you think?" "Maybe that I was lucky... it means you already right?" "too..." "W-Wouldn't that be great?" "fine." "I'm hungry." "I didn't get to finish my meal earlier." "Y-Yeah..." "I've been away from the front lines for two days..." "I'll have to go back to work tomorrow." "I want to clear this floor this week." "What?" "Kirito-kun..." "Want to friend me?" "right? it's inconvenient that we can't talk to each other." "But I'm a solo player..." "I didn't say you had to party up with me." "you should make some friends." "D-Do I?" "but..." "Think about it while we go eat." "let's get back to town." "Y-Yeah..." "Next Time:" "The Temperature of the Heart"