Chapter 103: Leafa Is Not Your Possession
"So this is Sylph territory, Sylvain?"
"It's huge."
"That's right. This is our Sylph capital, Sylvain, also known as the Emerald City."
Hachiman and Kirito looked around continuously, clearly amazed.
Normally, players of other races entering a capital would risk being attacked, but thankfully, since they were accompanied by the well-known player Leafa, they didn't run into any trouble.
Hachiman and Kirito whispered to each other outside of Leafa's hearing range.
"This place is completely different from towns in SAO."
"This is what real fantasy should look like."
"Huh? What were you two just saying?"
Hachiman quickly tried to cover it up. "Oh, nothing. We were just admiring how beautiful this city is."
"That tower in the center seems like the tallest one."
"That's the Wind Tower. For long-distance flight, you have to take off from there to get enough acceleration."
"There are lots of smaller towers around too. Can you walk between them?"
"Yeah, those are skywalks connecting the towers. You can walk freely across them."
"I see. That's incredible..."
"The Spriggan' capital is modeled after ancient cities, right? Is the style that different?"
That question made the two of them flustered—they had never been there, after all. Hachiman answered vaguely, choosing his words carefully. "The scale is about the same... just a bit more plain."
"Is that so? I'd really love to see it sometime. If there's a chance, can you take me there?"
"Uh, yeah. If there's a chance."
"Then I'll count on you."
Leafa smiled as she said that. Hachiman and Kirito felt a bit guilty, but from inside Hachiman's pocket, Yui seemed to have sensed something and whispered to them quietly:
"Papa, Kirito-oniichan, as long as we get close enough, I can navigate, so don't worry."
"...As expected of Yui."
"We don't know if we'll get the chance, but that really helps."
"Leave it to me!"
They figured the chance likely wouldn't come—if it ever did, it would be after everything was over.
But at least now, they didn't have to betray Leafa's expectations, and both of them quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well then, let's go get you some equipment. I'll take you to the shop. What's your budget?"
"Ah, don't worry about the budget for now."
Leafa froze in surprise upon hearing that.
"You two must be rich! Saved up a lot before the sleep, huh?"
"Something like that."
"Then I'll take you to the top-tier equipment shop."
"Thanks, Leafa."
"You're Yukino's friends, right? That means you're my friends too. No need to thank me—helping friends is natural."
"Still, let us thank you."
"Is that so? Then I won't hold back."
The three of them walked together to the equipment shop.
Being guys, Hachiman and Kirito were naturally excited in a place like this, commenting on the different gear and enthusiastically selecting equipment.
Leafa seemed to enjoy looking at gear too, happily joining their discussion.
"Have you two made your choices? You can try swinging the weapons at the testing ground over there. Want to give it a go?"
"They have that kind of service? What do you say, Kirito—try the feel of it?"
"Sure. If it doesn't feel right in actual use, that'd be a problem."
"Let's go, then."
Leafa led them to a plaza attached to the shop.
"Feel free to test the weapons. I'll be waiting in the armor section."
"Sorry to keep you waiting. We'll be quick."
"It's okay, Kirito-kun. Choosing a weapon takes time—you've got to find one that suits you best."
Leafa said that and returned to the shop.
"Let's try them out."
"Even though I picked weapons similar to the Elucidator and Dark Repulser, I need to try them for real... Let's see how Starburst Stream feels without system assist."
"No one's watching right now—if you're going to try a custom sword skill, now's the time. If someone saw you using an original sword skill, it might cause trouble."
"..."
Back in the day, Kirito had practiced hundreds—thousands—of sword skill initiations without relying on system assists, just to improve his swing speed.
Thanks to that, his body still remembered those techniques.
Kirito fluidly executed the movements of Starburst Stream.
"Awesome... as expected of Kirito. All good?"
"There's no sword skill system in ALO, so the key is stringing together normal attacks smoothly and reacting based on the enemy's movement."
"No attack bonus, though. How's the feel?"
"The weapon's balance is excellent. Feels nostalgic."
"Almost no discomfort compared to back then."
"How about you, Hachiman?"
"I don't care much about weight. As long as my left-hand weapon is heavy enough to block attacks, I'm good."
"Settling on that dagger?"
"Yeah. But Kirito, isn't your weapon a bit too big?"
"Couldn't be helped. Choosing by weight meant going with a larger size. As long as I manage the reach, it's fine."
"I see, but that means you can only carry one sword?"
"I'll make do. I'll prep the other sword from storage before battle."
Kirito paid and stored one sword in his inventory, carrying the other on his back.
"You both chose so quickly—it seems your instincts haven't dulled."
"Thanks to muscle memory. Let's go find Leafa."
"Got it."
After regrouping with Leafa, they moved on to armor selection.
The two of them prioritized mobility and color over appearance, quickly settling on all-black gear.
"You both picked black armor."
"Well, Kirito aside, I chose it for practicality. I'm basically an assassin type."
"An assassin, huh..."
"You saw how I fought earlier, right?"
"Didn't see too clearly, but yeah, it looked like you struck from the shadows."
"Kirito's more of the face-to-face brawler. So I guess black is just his personal taste?"
"Yeah."
"...Can't deny that."
.
.
.
"Now that we're all geared up, how about visiting the Wind Tower?"
"Sure, I want to try flying."
"Don't be scared of heights, boys."
"You hear that, Kirito? Don't chicken out."
"Look who's talking."
"Ehehe, this way."
Led by Leafa, the three ascended the Wind Tower. At the top, a breathtaking view awaited them.
"Whoa, this view is incredible."
"The Emerald City... it truly lives up to the name."
"It's our pride and joy!"
"It's worth being proud of. Hm?"
"What's up, Hachiman?"
"Someone's coming this way."
Hearing that, Kirito and Leafa turned toward the stairs. At first, there was no one in sight—but soon, several male players came into view.
"Amazing—you noticed them from that far?"
"Just one of my specialties."
"Leafa!"
"Recon? Sigurd, you guys came too?"
Apparently, these were acquaintances of Leafa. Hachiman and Kirito nodded politely and stepped aside.
"So you were here, Leafa."
"Heading out for a hunt, Recon?"
"Yeah, something like that."
"Hey, Leafa, you turned us down and now you're hanging out with Spriggan?"
Leafa was angered by that tone and was about to explain when Sigurd cut in:
"You're part of my party. Stop acting on your own."
"—!"
Sensing the tension, Recon hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "L-Leafa, will you be able to join the hunt tomorrow?"
"Sorry, I'll be guiding these two again tomorrow."
At that, Sigurd yelled at her in irritation: "Don't screw around. Just shut up and follow my orders!"
Even the usually gentle Leafa had reached her limit and was about to argue— —but Kirito suddenly stepped between them.
"Kirito-kun, it's dangerous. Get back!"
"It's fine."
After calming Leafa, Kirito looked Sigurd straight in the eye and said:
"You're the one who needs to back off. Leafa is not your possession."