Sword Art Online
Aincrad Side Stories Chapter 1.2: The Black Swordsman (Aincrad 35th Floor, February 2024) Part 2

Part 2

“...I'm sorry.”

The boy clad in black clothing said again. Silica shook her head and tried desperately to stop her tears.

“...No... I was... being stupid... Thank you...for saving me...”

She managed to force just that out as she stopped herself from crying.

The boy walked over to her slowly and knelt down in front of Silica before asking hesitantly.

“...That feather, does it have an item name by any chance?”

Surprised by the unexpected question, Silica raised her head. She wiped her tears and then turned her gaze over to the feather.

Now that she thought about it, it was strange that only the feather had remained. Be it monster or human, beings of this world usually left nothing behind after they died, not even their equipment. Silica hesitantly reached over with her hand and clicked on the surface of the feather with her right index finger. The half-transparent window that appeared showed its name and weight.

«Pina's Heart»

Just as Silica was about to start crying again after seeing this, the boy stopped her.

“Wa-Wait-Wait. If a heart item is left behind, then you can revive it.”

“What!?”

Silica raised her head sharply. She stared at the boy's face with her mouth half open.

“It's something that was discovered not too long ago, so there are still lots of people who don't know. There's a dungeon in the northern region of the forty-seventh floor called «The Hill of Memories». It's quite hard despite its name... but they say that the flower that blooms on the top of it is a familiar revival ite—.”

“Re-Really!?”

Silica shot up and shouted before the boy had finished talking. It felt as if hope had flooded her chest, which had been filled with sorrow. But—

“...The forty-seventh floor...”

She muttered and sagged her shoulders. It was twelve floors above this level, floor thirty-five. It was definitely not a safe area for her.

Just when she turned her disheartened eyes to the floor.

“Hmm—”

The boy in front of her said in a bothered voice.

“I could go get it for you if you give me the expenses and some pay, but they say that the flower only shows up if the beast tamer who lost their familiar goes...”

Silica smiled at the surprisingly kind swordsman and spoke:

“No... I'm happy with the information you gave me. If I work hard to raise my level, someday I'll be able to...”

“Well the reason you can't do that is, they say that you can only revive the familiar within four days after it was killed. After that, the item's name will change from «Heart» to «Remains»...”

“What...!”

Silica couldn't stop herself from shouting.

Her level was forty-four right now. If SAO were a normal RPG, the floor of the dungeon would be the suited difficulty for a player with the same level. But since it became a crazy death-game, the safe area would be about ten levels below the player's.

In other words, to explore the forty-seventh floor, she would need to reach level fifty-five at the very least. But no matter how she thought about it, it was impossible to gain over ten levels in just three days... no, two days if she took away the time she needed to clear the dungeon. She had just managed to get to where she is now by diligently going on adventures.

Silica dropped her head as despair took over her once again. She picked Pina's feather up from the ground and hugged it gently to her chest. Tears appeared as she resented her stupidity and powerlessness.

She noticed the boy stand up. She thought he was leaving and that she should at least say goodbye, but she didn't have the energy to open her mouth any more—

But suddenly, a half-transparent system window appeared in front of her. It was a trade window. When she raised her head, she saw the boy manipulating another window. Items began to appear one by one in the trade section. «Silver Thread Armor», «Ebon Dagger»... They were all equipments that she had never even seen before.

“Errm...”

When she opened her mouth hesitantly, the boy explained casually:

“These should cover for about five, six levels. If I go with you I suppose it'll be fine.”

“What...?”

Silica stood up with her mouth slightly open. She couldn't tell what the boy was thinking, so she looked directly into his face. But because of the SAO system, all she could see was his HP bar; she couldn't even figure out his name or level.

It was hard to tell how old he was. His equipment was entirely black. The force and calmness that radiated from him made it seem like he was several years older than her, but the eyes that were covered by his long bangs appeared somewhat innocent, and the feminine facial lines gave him a slightly girlish look. Silica asked carefully:

“Why... are you being so kind...?”

To tell the truth, she was more wary than anything else.

Up till now, a couple of male players who had been much older than her had tried to gain her love; she had even received a proposal once. To Silica, who was only thirteen, these experiences brought her nothing but fear. She had never received even a confession in the real world.

Inevitably, Silica had started to avoid male players that seemed to have those sorts of interests. Besides, «there's always a motive behind sweet words» was common sense in Aincrad.

The boy scratched his head again, as if he were short on answers. He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it once again. After that, he turned his gaze and then muttered in a small voice:

“...Well, it's not like this is a manga... I'll tell you if you promise not to laugh.”

“I won't.”

“It's because... you look like my sister.”

At this really manga-like answer, Silica couldn't stop herself from laughing. She blocked her mouth with her hand, but she couldn't stop the laughter that was bubbling up.

“You, you said you wouldn't laugh...”

The boy had a hurt expression on his face and sagged his shoulders as he went into a sulk. That made her laugh even harder.

—He's not a bad person...

As she laughed, Silica decided to trust the kindness of this boy. She had already resolved herself to die once. If it were for saving Pina, there was no reason for her to hold back.

Silica bowed and said:

“I hope we get along. You saved me, and even offered to do something like this for me...”

She stared at the trade window and then put in all the Col she had. There were more than ten pieces of equipment that the boy had offered, and all of them looked like rare items that you couldn't buy from shops.

“Well... I suppose this is too little, but...”

“No, you don't have to pay. They were spares anyway and this coincides with the reason I came here...”

While he talked about something that she couldn't understand, the boy pressed the OK button without receiving any money.

“Thank you. Really.... Oh, I'm Silica.”

As she said her name, she half-expected the boy to be surprised by it, but it seemed like he didn't know it. She felt put out for a second, but then she remembered that it was this side of her that made her end up like this in the first place.

The boy nodded slightly and offered his right hand.

“I'm Kirito. I hope we get along.”

They shook hands.

The player called Kirito took out a map of the Wandering Forest from the pouch that hung from his belt. He looked for an area that was linked to the entrance and then started walking. As she followed, she put Pina's feather against her lips and muttered in her mind.

Just wait, Pina. I'll revive you soon...

The living area of the thirty-fifth floor had a pastoral, farm-like feel with its white buildings and red roofs. The village itself wasn't all that big, but it was the main adventuring area for the middle level players right now, so there were quite a few people walking around.

Silica's hometown was Friben Village, which was situated on the eighth floor; but since she hadn't bought a house, staying at any inn in any village wasn't really all that different. The most important thing was how the food served there tasted. Silica liked the cheesecake that the NPC cook here made, so she had been staying here since two weeks ago when she began adventuring in the Forest of Wandering.

As she lead Kirito, who was looking around as if everything fascinated him, a couple of players whose faces she knew began to strike up a conversation with her. They were trying to get Silica to join their party after hearing the rumor that she had left her old one.

“Erm, well... thank you for the offer, but...”

She bowed as she refused the offers in order to not make them feel bad. She then glanced at Kirito, who was standing beside her, and continued:

“...I'm going to party with this person for a while...”

What!? Really!? The people who surrounded Silica said sullenly and stared at Kirito suspiciously.

Silica had seen a bit of Kirito's skill; but when you looked at the black swordsman just standing there, he didn't seem all that strong.

He didn't have any expensive equipment on —he didn't wear any armor and only had an old and worn-looking long coat on top of his shirt— all he had was a single simple one-handed sword; he didn't even have a shield.

“Hey, you—”

The tall two-handed sword user who had tried the hardest to get Silica to join walked over to Kirito. He opened his mouth as he looked down upon Kirito:

“You're a new face, but you shouldn't cut in line. We've had our eyes on Silica for quite a while now.”

“Well I didn't know; things just ended up like this somehow...”

Kirito scratched his head with a troubled expression.

He could at least argue a little, Silica thought with a little discontent, and then she spoke to the two-handed sword wielder:

“Erm, it's something I requested. I'm sorry!”

Silica bowed low one last time and then walked away as she pulled at the end of Kirito's coat.

“I'll send you a message next time~.”

Silica walked quickly, wanting to get away from the waving crowd, which still wouldn't completely give up on her, as fast as possible. She cut across the gate plaza and into the main street.

When they finally couldn't see the players anymore, Silica sighed and looked up at Kirito.

“...I-I'm sorry. For making you go through all this trouble.”

“It's fine.”

Kirito answered with a slight smile as if it didn't worry him at all.

“Silica-san is pretty popular.”

“Please just call me Silica... It's not because I'm popular; they're just trying to get me in their party as a sort of mascot, really. But... I thought that I was special... and went into the forest by myself... and ended up...”

Tears began to appear naturally as she thought of Pina.

“It's alright.”

Kirito said in a calm voice.

“We'll definitely bring Pina back, so don't worry about it.”

Silica wiped her tears and smiled at Kirito. Strangely enough, it felt like she could trust the words of this person.

Finally, they could see a two-story building to their right. It was the inn that Silica used often: «Weathercock Tavern». Now that they had arrived, Silica realized that she had led Kirito here without saying anything.

“Ah, where's your home, Kirito-san?”

“Oh, it's on the fiftieth floor.... But it's too much of a bother going there now, so I suppose I'll just stay here for the night.”

“Ah, okay!”

Silica was excited for some reason and clapped her hands together.

“The cheesecake here is really good.”

She was just about to lead Kirito into the inn by pulling at his coat when four players came out of the shop next to them. They were the party members whom she had hunted with for the past two weeks. The male players that appeared first didn't see Silica and simply headed for the plaza, but the female player at the end looked back and Silica met her gaze reflexively.

“...!”

It was the face that she didn't want to see the most right now. It was the spear wielder that had been the cause of the fight which had made Silica quit the party. She was going to just walk into the inn with her head bowed low but...

“Oh, isn't it Silica?”

The spear wielder called out, so Silica didn't have a choice but to stop walking.

“...Yeah.”

“Ho~, you somehow managed to get out of the forest. That's a relief.”

The player named Rosalia, who had her deep red hair in wild curls, said with a lopsided smile.

“But you're too late. We've already distributed the items.”

“I said I don't need them! —I'm busy right now so goodbye!”

Silica tried to end the conversation, but it seemed that the other side didn't have any intention of letting her go just yet.

“Oh? What happened to that lizard?”

Silica bit her lip. You couldn't put familiars in your inventory or entrust it to another person. In other words, there was only one reason why it wasn't there. Rosalia most probably knew that too, but she continued on with a slight smile.

“Oh, by any chance...?”

“It's dead.... But!”

Silica glared at the spear wielder.

“I'm going to revive Pina!”

Rosalia, who had been smiling with great satisfaction, widened her eyes. She even gave a low whistle.

“Ho, so you're going to the «Hill of Memories»? But can you get through it at your level?”

“She can.”

Kirito declared even before Silica could answer. He hid Silica behind his coat as if to protect her.

“It's not that hard of a dungeon anyway.”

Rosalia looked up and down at Kirito with a blunt stare and then scoffed:

“You're another one that fell for her? You don't look all that strong.”

Silica started shaking with fury. She looked downwards as she tried to hold her tears back.

“Let's go.”

Kirito placed a hand on her shoulder, and then Silica began to walk towards the inn.

“Well, good luck.”

Rosalia's laughing voice sounded behind her, but she didn't look back.

The first floor of «Weathercock Tavern» was a huge restaurant. Kirito got Silica to sit down at a table and then walked over to the front counter where a NPC was waiting. After he finished checking in, he clicked the menu on the counter and then quickly returned.

As soon as Kirito sat down on the other side, Silica opened her mouth to apologize for making Kirito go through such an uncomfortable situation because of her. But Kirito stopped her by raising his hand and then smiled.

“Let's eat first.”

The waiter brought two steaming mugs over just in time. The cups in front of them were filled with a red liquid; a mysterious aroma rose from them.

“To the forming of our party.”

They clinked their mugs together at Kirito's toast. Silica then took a sip of the hot liquid.

“...Tasty...”

The smell and sour-sweet taste was similar to the wine that her father had let her try a long time ago. But Silica already had a go at every drink offered in this restaurant over the past two weeks, yet she couldn't remember trying this one.

“Erm, what is this...?”

Kirito smiled before he answered:

“You can bring bottled drinks with you to NPC restaurants. This is an item that I had called «Ruby Ichor». If you drink a cup of it, it will increase your dexterity by one point.”

“It's-It's really precious...!”

“Well, it's not like alcohol gets any better if I keep it in my inventory, and I don't know that many people so I don't have many chances to drink it...”

Kirito gave a silly shrug. Silica laughed and then took another sip. The somehow nostalgic taste slowly softened her heart, which had hardened because of the many sad things that had happened this day.

After she finished drinking, Silica held the cup to her chest as if she still longed for its warmth. She then turned her gaze downwards to the table and said quietly:

“...Why... do they say such mean things...”

Kirito's expression turned serious as he put his cup down and then opened his mouth.

“Is SAO your first MMORPG?”

“It's my first.”

“Oh right— In any online game, there're many players whose personalities change when they wear the mask of their character. There are people who become kind, as well as others who become evil... They called it roleplaying in the past, but I think it's different in SAO.”

Kirito's gaze sharpened.

“Even though we're in such a difficult situation... Well, it's impossible for all the players to work together at clearing the game. But there are too many people who enjoy watching others suffer, stealing items— and even those who kill others.”

Kirito looked straight at Silica. There seemed to be a deep sadness behind his anger.

“I think that the people who commit crimes here are total garbage back in the real world as well.”

He almost spat this out. But then he noticed that Silica was cowering slightly, so he smiled and apologized:

“Sorry... I'm not even in the position to talk about others myself. I hardly ever help others. I even— caused my companions to die...”

“Kirito-san...”

Silica realized that the black swordsman sitting in front of her bore a deep scar within him. She wanted to console him, but she resented the fact that words were too shallow to convey what she wanted to say. Instead, she unconsciously grasped Kirito's hand, which was clenched on top of the table, with both of her hands.

“Kirito-san is a good person. You saved me.”

At first, Kirito was surprised and tried to pull his hand back, but he soon relaxed. A soft smile appeared on his lips.

“...It seems I ended up being comforted. Thanks, Silica.”

Just then, Silica felt a painful feeling, as if her heart had constricted. Her heartbeat sped up for no reason. Her face felt hot.

She pulled her hands away quickly and pressed them down on her chest. But the aching didn't stop.

“What are you doing...?”

As Kirito leaned forward over the table, Silica shook her head and managed to smile.

“It-It's nothing! Ah, I'm hungry!”

After they had eaten their bread and stew, with some cheesecake for dessert, it was already past eight. They decided to turn in early in preparation for going to the forty-seventh floor tomorrow. The two went upstairs to the second floor, where there were countless rooms on either side of the wide corridor.

The room that Kirito had rented was, by coincidence, next to Silica's. They bid each other good night with a smile.

As soon as she entered her room, Silica decided that before she got changed, she would practice some combos to familiarize herself with the new dagger that Kirito had given her. She tried to concentrate on the weapon, which was slightly heavier than the one she was used to, but the aching in her chest made it hard to.

After she somehow managed to chain five blows together, she opened her window, unequipped her gear, and then got into bed in her underwear. She then tapped on the wall to bring out the pop-up menu and switched off the lights.

She felt a heavy weariness all over her body, so she thought that she would be able to fall asleep easily. But for some reason, she felt even less drowsy than usual.

Ever since they had become friends, she had always gone to sleep with Pina's soft body in her arms, so the wide bed felt somewhat empty. She tossed and turned for a bit before she gave up on sleeping and sat back up. She kept looking towards her left— where the wall that was connected to Kirito's room stood.

She wanted to talk some more with him.

She was surprised at herself as she thought of this. This person was a male player whom she had known for less than a day. She had avoided male players up until now, but why did this swordsman she knew nothing about keep appearing in her mind?

She couldn't explain her own feelings. When she glanced at the clock, which was at the bottom of her vision, it was already ten. She could no longer hear the footsteps of other players from her window, only the sound of a dog barking in the distance.

'Well that doesn't make any sense, so let's just sleep.'

She thought that in her mind. But for some reason, she got out of bed and stepped lightly onto the floor. After telling herself that she would only knock and wave her hand, she opened the menu, chose the cutest tunic she had, and put it on.

She took a few steps in the candlelit corridor. Then, after hesitating for a few dozen seconds in front of the door, she knocked twice.

Normally, all doors should shield sounds off, preventing the voices in conversation from leaking out. However, that restriction was lifted only after knocks, for thirty seconds, and Kirito immediately called out a reply, and opened the door.

Kirito, in a simple shirt with his weapons unequipped, looked at Silica and spoke while giving a slight stare of wonder.

“Huh? Is something the matter?”

“Well—”

Silica just realized that she hadn't prepared a reasonable excuse for coming and was flustered. 'I just wanted to talk' simply sounded too childish.

“Well, that err— Ah, I wanted to know more about the forty-seventh floor!”

Fortunately, Kirito didn't suspect anything and simply nodded.

“Okay then. Should we head downstairs?”

“No, well— If it's alright, in your room...”

She answered without thinking and then quickly added:

“Be-Because, we shouldn't let anyone else hear precious information!”

“Erm... well... yeah, you're right. But...”

Kirito scratched his head with a slightly uncomfortable expression, then...

“Well, I suppose it should be okay.”

He muttered, then opened the door properly and took a step back.

Of course, Kirito's room was the same as her own: a bed on the left, plus a tea table and a chair a bit further in. That was all the furniture there. A lantern mounted on the left wall let out an orange glow.

Kirito offered the chair before he sat down on the bed and opened a window. He manipulated it quickly and called out a small box.

The box that had been placed on the table had a small crystal ball inside. It shone under the light of the lantern.

“Pretty... What is it?”

“It's an item called the «Mirage Sphere».”

When Kirito clicked on the sphere, a menu window appeared. He manipulated it quickly and pressed the OK button.

As soon as he did this, the sphere began to project a bright blue light, and a large spherical hologram appeared. The image seemed to be the entirety of a floor in Aincrad. It showed the villages and every single tree in great detail, and was completely different from the simple map that could be found on the system menu.

“Uwaa...!”

Silica stared numbly at the half-transparent map. It almost seemed like it could show people walking around if she kept gazing at it.

“This is the living area, and this is the Hill of Memories. You have to go past this way, but... there are some strong monsters around here...”

Kirito pointed here and there as he explained the geography of the forty-seventh floor without pausing. Silica felt warm just by listening to that calm voice.

“And if you cross this bridge you can see the hi...”

Suddenly Kirito stopped talking.

“...?”

“Shh...”

When she raised her head, she saw that Kirito's expression was hard and that he had a finger on his lips. He glared at the door with a sharp gaze.

Kirito burst into action. He jumped off the bed at lightning speed and opened the door.

“Who's there...!?”

Silica could hear the sound of running footsteps. She ran over and looked outside from under Kirito's body, where she saw someone's shadow running down the stairs.

“Wha-What is it!!?”

“...I think he was eavesdropping.”

“What...? But you can't hear anything past a wall right?”

“You can if your eavesdropping skill is high enough. Although... there aren't... all that many people who would train this skill...”

Kirito closed the door and returned to the room. He sat down on the bed with a pondering expression on his face. Silica sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around herself. She was overwhelmed with an inexplicable feeling of fear.

“Why was the person eavesdropping...?”

“We'll find out soon, probably. I have a message to send, so could you wait a bit?”

Kirito smiled slightly before he put the crystal map away and opened a window. He started moving his fingers on top of the holographic keyboard.

Silica curled up on his bed. A distant memory from the real world came back to her. Her father was a reporter. He was always in front of an old PC, typing something with a serious expression. Silica liked to watch the back of her father as he did that.

She didn't feel afraid anymore. As she watched the side of Kirito's face from behind, it felt as if she were enveloped in a warmth that she had forgotten for so long. Before she knew it, her eyes had closed themselves.