"Griselda-san was a powerful swordswoman. Beautiful. Intelligent."
"Meanwhile, Grimlock-san was a kind man who was always smiling. They made a great couple, and they loved each other."
Memories of the couple flashed in her mind. Griselda's valiant figure on the battlefield. Grimlock's serene and kind smile during guild meetings. And the smiles they would shoot at each other when they thought no one was looking.
"If Grimlock-san is the perpetrator of yesterday's murder, he must be after the three who opposed selling the ring."
She hesitated for a moment, before continuing.
"The two of the three were myself and Caynz."
"Who is the other person who voted against selling the ring?"
Kirito asked.
"A tank named Schmidt. I hear he's now with the front-line guild, the Divine Dragon Alliance."
Asuna glanced towards Yuuji.
"Yuuji…"
"Ah, I didn't expect one of Diavel-san's subordinates to be involved in this."
Yolko immediately perked up at Yuuji's words.
"You know Schmidt?"
Yuuji nodded.
"I'm friends with his guild master. And we've met a few times during raids."
"I see…"
Yolko clenched her hands on her lap and leaned forward.
"Can you arrange for me to meet with him? He probably hasn't heard about what happened. And what happened to Caynz could happen to him…"
Yuuji nodded.
This was a good chance, Yuuji thought. He seemed to be Yolko's goal from the very beginning.
"Yes. I will contact him through Diavel. Can we meet again at your inn?"
"Alright."
After escorting Yolko back to her inn, Yuuji, Asuna, Kirito, and Sachi made their way to a cafe near the Teleportation Plaza of Marten.
He had contacted Schmidt through Diavel and he had agreed to come upon hearing Yolko's name. He would arrive in a few hours after finishing his hunt and returning to his guild base to report.
"Hey, Yuuji… What do you think Yolko-san wanted…?"
Kirito asked. His voice pierced the misty silence of the quiet town right after the rain had stopped.
Only the sound of their footsteps against wet cobble stone resounded along the alleyway they were walking through.
"To put an end to this long overdue tragedy… Perhaps."
Yuuji shrugged. His fingers intertwined with Asuna as they walked closely in rhythm with each other.
"One way or another… They'll have to put this behind and move forward."
The rest of their walk was spent in silence until they arrived at the cafe, and chatted about anything other than the case.
--------------------------------X--------------------------------
A tall man in full silver armor with dark blue leather and clothes underneath entered the room lit in the orange-red hue of the afternoon sun.
Upon entering, his eyes naturally drifted to the man in white-red hood standing to the side of the room.
"Schmidt-san. It's nice to see you. Thank you for coming over."
He nodded politely.
"It's you, we're talking about. Of course I'll come. And… I didn't you to know Yolko as well."
His gaze shifted towards the familiar blue-haired woman sitting on the couch at the other side of the coffee table.
She had never been the energetic one. But even then, he never saw such a grim expression on her face before.
Then, his gaze wandered towards the three other individuals as well.
"Eh? The Flash? And the Black Swordsman as well…"
He didn't recognize Sachi, but given her proximity to Kirito, it was easy to tell that they were together.
What shocked him was Asuna and Kirito's presence.
Asuna smiled softly, though that too soon disappeared as quickly as it surfaced.
"It's nice to see you again, Schmidt-san. Please, take a seat. We have… plenty to talk about."
"...Alright."
Schmidt sat down on the couch, opposite of Yolko.
"Yolko… It's been a while."
He let out a small smile that hid beneath it stories he didn't want to visit again.
"It's been a while… Schmidt."
And Yolko also returned a small, tired smile.
"So… What do you want to talk about?"
"...Something happened, Schmidt. Caynz is dead."
Silence fell. And only now did Schmidtd truly understand the gravity of the conversation they were about to have.
Yolko told him everything. What happened yesterday. The inner area murder. Caynz's death. What killed him.
And by the end of it, Schmidt began tapping his foot, a nervous tick Yuuji and Asuna had always made a note of and told Diavel whenever they were about to go on a raid.
"So… You're not lying? Caynz was really killed with Grimlock's weapon?"
"I'm not."
Schmidt shuddered.
He snapped his head towards Yuuji. His eyes begged him to say otherwise.
Schmidt, and many others, had developed a certain habit after spending numerous meetings and battles with Yuuji. During uncertain times, they would turn towards Yuuji, because he would always have the answer to help them.
This time was no different.
But this time, Yuuji nodded, putting the final straw on his back.
"Why would Caynz be killed now?!"
Schmidt shot up to his feet. His voice raised in panic. Sweat flowing down his back.
"Did he… Did he steal the ring? Was he the one who killed Griselda?!"
The shock and confusion erupted first. Then, fear and anxiety hit him next.
"Does Grimlock plan to kill all three of us who opposed selling the ring? Is he after you and me too?"
Schmidt fell back down to his couch, his armor rattling at the movement, filling the silent room.
"It could be another member using a spear Grimlock-san made for him. Or… it could be Griselda-san's revenge. Only a ghost could possibly kill someone at an inner area."
A breeze blew into the room through the opened windows right behind Yolko.
It was a warm breeze. Still carrying the heat of the morning sun. But chills ran down Schnmidt's back.
"Yolko-san…!"
Asuna moved swiftly towards Yolko, preparing her arms around her to catch her if she were to fall, as she slowly raised up to her feet.
"I was up all night… Thinking."
Her eyes were wide. Her body, trembling like a leaf.
Then, she exploded.
"In the end, all of the members were responsible for her death! When that ring was dropped, we never should've voted! We should've just let Griselda-san decide!"
Yolko stumbled, stepping back slowly towards the opened window. Every step resounded through the room with a heavy, eerie echo.
"Grimlock-san was the only one who suggested that we let Griselda-san decide. So, he has the right to take revenge on the rest of us… To avenge Griselda-san."
"You're kidding me… Why now…? Why now, six months later?! Are you fine with this, Yolko?! Are you fine with being killed mysteriously like this?"
Schmidt trembled in his armor. The rattling of his steel plates echoing in the room.
And when he shot up, Yuuji appeared before him in a blink of an eye, standing between him and Yolko.
It was a clear message. Do not do anything stupid that would require Yuuji to subdue him. Because both of them knew, even unarmored and unarmed, a fully armed Schmidt would never be able to pass Yuuji.
It was then that something changed in the room.
Yolko stiffened. Her eyes wide in shock.
Schmidt was first to notice it. Asuna was second.
Yuuji turned towards Yolko to notice it third. Then Kirito and Sachi.
All eyes were locked on Yolko's figure as she stumbled and turned around, revealing a thorned blade dug into her back.
She fell out of the window and landed onto the cobble stone streets with a heavy thud.
Yuuji run towards the window to look down, and saw with his own eyes, Yolko shattering into digital particles of light.
But, his gaze didn't linger.
Up on the roofs, a few distance away, was a man in black cloak.
"Take care of Schmidt-san!"
"Yuuji!"
"What's he doing?!"
He leapt out of the windows, ignoring Asuna and Kirito's shout, and jumped from roof top to roof top with uncanny speed.
The cloaked man immediately turned to run. But Yuuji's speed was beyond his expectations.
By the time he began running and leapt onto the nearest roof, Yuuji had shortened the distance by half.
"Kuh!"
He immediately used the Teleportation Crystal he had readied previously, precisely for moments such as this.
He could already hear the tapping sound of light footsteps getting closer and closer.
He muttered the name of his destination and floor.
But just as the teleportation crystal began to activate, he swore he could feel his presence right behind him.
And the last thing he felt, just before the teleportation crystal teleported him elsewhere, was a brief touch on his back, and he was gone.
--------------------------------X--------------------------------
"Hiiiiiee!"
A high-pitched yelp surprised Yuuji as he opened the door and returned into Yolko's room.
It didn't belong to Sachi, Kirito, or Asuna.
His eyes immediately went towards Schmidt as he trembled inside his armor, clutching his head with both hands.
"Did he escape?"
Yuuji nodded at Asuna, lifting up the throned dagger left behind when Yolko's body disappeared for all to see.
"He had a Teleportation Crystal ready. I was just a fraction of a second late."
A disappointment, for sure. But perhaps… it's for the best.
Catching him now wouldn't resolve the core of the problem.
"That robe belonged to Griselda…"
Schmidt's voice trembled as much as his rattling armor. He was drenched in cold sweat, even more so than during a floor boss raid.
"That was Griselda's ghost! She's here to take revenge on all of us!"
"Haha… A ghost could easily PK at an inner area, right…? Ahahahaha-!"
Yuuji let out a silent sigh.
He approached Schmidt slowly. His soft footsteps drowned out by his manic laughter.
"Schmidt-san… Please take a rest. We can escort you to the Teleportation Plaza if you want us to."
Yuuji placed a hand on his shoulder armor, and his laughter halted abruptly.
"...No. I'm fine… I'll go…"
He stood up, and made his way out of the room slowly. Lifelessly. His every step heavy as it echoed in the now silent room.
The door closed once more. And now, only Yuuji, Asuna, Kirito, and Sachi remained in the room of the woman who was now gone.
Yuuji let out an audible sigh as he took off the hood of his cloak.
"Asuna… did you see it?"
Kirito and Sachi turned towards her, awaiting her answer with bated breath.
"I did."
Asuna nodded.
"I didn't get a full view of it, but that dagger was already on her back while we're talking."
It was difficult for Asuna to fully get herself behind Yolko since she was consciously trying to hide her back from everyone in the room.
Even when she stumbled towards the window, she never even turned around, making sure her back was never seen.
It was only thanks to her sharp perception did Asuna catch a glimpse of the same dagger Yuuji was now holding when she pretended to steady her.
"Then it seems you're right… They're using the trick you showed last night in Agil's place."
Kirito recalled the shocking revelation Yuuji showed them last night when he suddenly stabbed a pair of bracers out of nowhere.
The bracers held for a few moments as Grimlock's sword, the Guilty Thorn, was planted into it.
Then… it shattered. Just like the way Caynz and Yolko's bodies shattered into digital particles of light.
Yuuji nodded.
"They're disguising their "death" by using an item's destroyed animation that looks similar to a player's death animation. And when it shattered, they'd teleport using their prepared Teleportation Crystal."
All items in Sword Art Online possessed a parameter called "durability". It measured how much an item has been used. A parameter similar to hit points, but for items.
Food items would naturally lose their durability over time and shatter once they reach zero and are considered "spoiled". It would also disappear if it were to fall on the floor and be unfit to eat.
While for equipment, their durability would decrease with use and if they were to take damage.
Caynz's armor shattered when its durability reached 0 after taking damage from Guilty Thorn. And when it did, he teleported away, giving it the impression that he died, his body shattering into particles of light.
The same happened with Yolko.
The thorned dagger had always been on her back, slowly decreasing the durability of her clothes and equipment. And when the time was right, she stumbled to the windows, letting herself get "stabbed" by the dagger thrown by the "perpetrator" on the rooftops before falling to the ground.
"That means… Yolko-san must still be alive, right?"
Sachi asked, arms wrapped around Kirito.
"She is. So is Caynz."
Yuuji nodded at her, then turned towards Asuna.
"Asuna, you've added Yolko-san as a friend, right?"
"Mm. I did this morning so we can arrange today's meeting, just as you asked me to."
"Good. Then, we can track her."
"Hm? What are we going to do? Are we going to confront them?"
Kirito turned towards him questioningly, but Yuuji shook his head.
"After hearing her story and seeing Schmidt's reaction, I'm sure Schmidt-san was related to Griselda's murder, which would explain his fear."
"She and Caynz must have used the flashy display of "murder in inner areas" to cause fear and questions, and attract people like us who'll try to investigate, and help her get to Schmidt. They must want him to take responsibility, somehow, and avenge Griselda's death…"
Given how dearly and highly Yolko talked about Griselda, she must've been a good leader to be beloved by at least some of her guild members. Enough for her death to shatter the entire guild into pieces.
Caynz must also feel the same way. So the two teamed up to root out the one other person against selling the ring, and take their revenge.
"They must be confronting Schmidt-san now… But that's not why I wanted to go to her location."
"Then why…?"
Yuuji walked slowly towards Asuna and took her left hand, lifting them up.
The ring on her ring finger, as well as his on his left ring finger, glimmering in the afternoon light.
"When players marry each other… Their inventory would be shared."
"That means… If Griselda-san died, the ring wouldn't fall to the culprit's hands… But Grimlock's."
A devastating realization fell upon the room as their hearts sank.
"C-Could it be…?!"
Kirito's voice trembled, barely containing the shock within him while Asuna and Sachi were stunned in disbelief.
"...It's just a guess. I personally don't understand why someone would even think of killing their own wife, even in game, for something so stupid. But if it's true…"
Yuuji clenched his fist as his eyes landed one by one on Asuna, Kritio, and Sachi.
"He might be planning to erase all traces of his crimes."
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AN: I hope you guys enjoy this chapter~! Please comment your thoughts~! I would love to hear what you think about it~!!!!
Also, if you'd like to read additional chapters ahead and get a pdf version (Light & Dark), please feel free to check out my at patr_eon.com/verglasx ~!
Thank you~!