Episode Five: Murder in the Safe Zone

3/6/2024 - Floor 56

Rays of sunlight filtered into the cave, dimly illuminating the numerous players. At the center of the cave was a large stone table with a map of the dungeon and land around it. Around the table were the commanders of various guilds. All of which were a part of the assault team.

Members whispered among themselves, concern emanating from the crowd. I glanced at the map, having absolutely no idea what was happening.

Well, not entirely true. I could tell this was the meeting in regards to a boss. I could recognize players from the Divine Dragon Alliance, as well as a few familiar faces. Klein and Asuna most importantly.

The vice commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath slammed her hand on the table, garnering everyone's attention. "Lure it to the village! That's how we get the boss."

Many of the players let out a noise of surprise, skeptically looking at one another. Asuna's eyes scanned the room; it was as though she were daring someone to speak up.

When her attention landed on me, her brown eyes narrowed, already prepared to rebuttal whatever auto!Kirito would've said.

Me on the other hand? I couldn't remember what Kirito said in the show, nor how important it was. I really didn't have context for the situation, so I could only give Asuna a neutral look.

Despite my response, or lack thereof, the vice leader spoke up. "Do you have a problem with the plan?"

"Who, me?" I pointed to myself, briefly glancing behind me. Asuna's unamused stare only hardened, but I was able to get a smirk out of Klein. "Not really, no."

"Really? Then why don't I believe you?" Challenging me, Asuna crossed her arms. Her guildmates impassively stood behind her, not reacting in the slightest.

Shrugging, I hummed out an 'I-dunno', taking a peek at the map. "I mean, sure, the plan sounds reasonable. But don't you think there may be consequences to this method?"

The fencer's lips twitched, her gaze remaining firm. "Are you saying that the NPCs will actually care? It's not like they're real, breathing people."

"Hardly." I motioned my hands in denial. The amount of eyes on me began to weigh down on my shoulders. It'd been a long time since I'd spoken in front of this many people. "But it wouldn't be surprising if the Cardinal system had events put in place for situations like this. I'm just saying."

"Your concerns are noted, but we've failed this boss once already. Under my command, I'll make sure we clear it this time. Do you understand?" Some of the players behind me shifted nervously.

I sighed, nodding my head. "Crystal."

X X X

Walking away from the cave—boots against grassy ground—I stopped mid step when Agil called out to me. "Hey, what's with you guys?"

Turning around, I watched the blacksmith leisurely approach. Rolling my eyes, I ran my hand through my hair. "I couldn't say. Maybe it's just poor chemistry."

"No kidding. You guys are always going at each other- and not in a good way." Standing beside me, Agil gave me a solid nudge. I couldn't help but smile along.

"It's just like that. It is how it is, as they say."

X X X

4/11/2024 - Floor 59

Laying in the grass with my hands behind my head, I relaxed. It was, after all, the optimal time to do so. Aincrad's nicest season, one could even say. The cool breeze, the warm sun, the perfect balance provided by the shade of the tree.

"What are you doing?" Grass crinkled beneath Asuna's feet as she approached me.

Glancing up at her, I quickly averted my gaze, knowing I was moments away from disaster. "Relaxing."

"Relaxing, huh? Everyone's working their butts off to clear the dungeon." The vice leader leaned forward, head hanging over my own. Her eyebrows tightened as she glared down at me. "Even if you're a solo player, you should take this more seriously."

Maybe I could, but the next jump could happen any moment now. So I'll take my chances and relax while I can. Especially since the next event is so much less… consequential.

Actually, I should try and plan it out now while I-

"Are you even listening to me?" Reaching out, Asuna pinched my cheek, immediately grabbing my attention.

I swiped at her fingers. "Yeah, yeah. I heard you." Before I could make contact, the fencer pulled her hand back.

"I'm just taking the time to decompress," I explained. "It's just as important to be in a good state of mind. Not just prepared physically."

Puffing air from her nose, the vice leader put a hand on her hip, turning her eyes in the direction of several players passing by. Side by side, they shared a joke neither of us could hear. But we could hear their laughter.

"Even so, every day spent here is another lost in the real world." Subtly changing the topic, Asuna brought forth another argument.

Trying to give a nod, it only came out as an awkward bob of the head due to my positioning. "True."

Gawking at me, Asuna wasn't able to continue the conversation, surprised at my willingness to agree with her.

Anyway... This episode should be covering the murder in the safe zone. Course, it wasn't an actual murder, but simply smoke and mirrors. With that in mind, I could probably 'solve' the mystery by the end of the episode.

Then again, I can't quite remember how the next episode went. Something to do with Laughing Coffin, a ghost, and John Lennon- wait, that last one's from the abridged series.

All that's left-

X X X

Slowly standing, I wiped the sleep from my eyes. At some point, I must've fallen asleep without realizing. Not the best place to doze off, but Asuna was righteous enough of a person to keep an eye out for me.

Looking down, I caught sight of the aforementioned fencer, sleeping on her side. Her hair was splayed out and her breathing was soft. She looked fairly relaxed.

Huh? Bunching my brows together, I ran a hand through my hair. Why did she fall asleep?

Not that auto!Kirito is any better, but still.

"Oh damn, would ya look at that." Three players from the Divine Dragon Alliance passed by, snickering to each other. "Taking a nap in the middle of the day."

"Some people sure got it easy."

"Couple of lazy losers, man."

As soon as they came, they were gone, leaving Asuna and I alone.

X X X

Sitting cross legged on the stone wall, I stared out into the evening sky. The sun sat on the horizon, scattering oranges and reds.

"Ah-" I nearly fell off the wall, caught off guard by the chance of position. Sighing, I rebalanced myself, letting my legs hang off the edge.

A light, girlish sneeze sounded behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I found Asuna returning to the waking world, a piece of grass stuck to her cheek.

The girl sent bleary glances side to side, drool hanging from her mouth. She looked completely lost, a vacant expression on her face.

Then, finally, she realized that I was there. As her eyes met mine, the fog cleared from her head. Jumping to her feet, Asuna gripped her blade, eyes narrowed and teeth clenched.

In return, I merely raised a brow and gave a small wave.

The girl stared a bit longer before letting go of her sword and returning to a neutral stance. Though the orange rays from the sky hid it well, Asuna's face was red as a tomato.

Taking a deep breath, the fencer tilted her head, obscuring her eyes with her bangs. "You get one meal."

"Huh?" I dumbly responded.

Standing to her full height, Asuna cleared away any embarrassment and looked away with her eyes closed.

"One meal. All you can eat, my treat." She faced me again, countenance restored to its mildly irritated glory. "Then we'll be even, deal?"

"Uh, sure?" It had been a while since I last had a proper meal. As in, more than just cheese cake and a piece of buttered bread.

X X X

Taking a drink from my cup, I rested my chin on my palm, doing my best to ignore the eyes watching us. We were in a simple little restaurant on the 57th floor. Nothing to write home about. However, Asuna wasn't the vice leader of the biggest guild in Aincrad for nothing.

"That's Asuna from the Knights of the Blood Oath!" A man attempted to whisper, failing miserably.

Giving the man a frantic hush, his teammate leaned in. "Really?"

"Yeah, they call her the Lightning Flash."

"Who's the shady looking guy dressed in black."

Bruh.

I glanced down at my coat self consciously. I would've changed out of it, but I never had the chance to do so.

"Well, anyway." Eyeing me from the side, Asuna spoke with minor apprehension in her voice. "Thank you… for today."

"Uh, yeah." I was definitely missing something. Sure, sleeping out in the open could be dangerous in the sense that you could be humiliated-

Oh, wait! Opening the menu is hand gestured. Ah… I remember now. You can initiate duels with sleeping players and kill them. Yeah, that's a reasonable thing to be concerned about

Then why was auto!Kirito, or Kirito for that matter, sleeping outside?

Clenching her fists, Asuna glared at the table. "If only the menu could differentiate between conscious and unconscious movement. Isn't that a huge design flaw?"

"It is. If I had to guess, had the game been running as the developers intended, the Cardinal system would've patched it out a long time ago." I idly noted that there was music playing in the background. I supposed it was a case of diegetic music, if this were a scene in the anime.

"You've mentioned it a couple times before. The Cardinal system." Asuna clasped her hands in a relaxed fashion, taking her mind off the last topic. "I understand that it's some kind of management system, but what exactly does that mean?"

Humming, I mulled over the question, slowly slumping back in my chair. "It pretty much runs the active workings of SAO, both things the players can and can't see. Like fixing bugs, but also running and creating quests."

"Creating quests? Isn't that something the developers would do, not some administrative computer?" Confusion leaked into Asuna's voice as she thought about the ramifications of AI made quests.

"Aincrad's too massive for it to be developer's alone. Not only that, but the Cardinal system also makes sure the gameplay is balanced. It really has full-"

A shrill scream echoed through the city.

Asuna was already past the table before I could get out of my seat. She grabbed my wrist, pulling me along. "Come on!"

X X X

We reached an open space, a large crowd of players standing together. Above them all, hanging from a rope, was a player in full plate armor. In his chest was a dull red sword lined with large hooks.

Running up further, Asuna took initiative and ran inside to cut the player down. I stood and watched, knowing he would 'die' long before that.

Leisurely walking forward until I was underneath the man, I waited just in case Asuna actually cut him down.

All was for naught when the man began screaming in pain. He clutched the sword and stared at the sky, a mad look in his eyes.

Then he went limp, head hanging low. He burst into particles. The killing sword hung in the air, taking a few moments to register that the player was gone before dropping to the floor.

Catching the blade, I saw Asuna reach the balcony of the building. "There's no one inside, the room's empty!"

Right. So how should I proceed with the investigation?

X X X

"So, what do you think happened?" We stood in the room where the supposed murder started. Rope was affixed to a post in the middle of the room. Asuna stood with her arms crossed, pondering my question.

Sighing, she uncrossed her arms and glanced outside. "There's always the obvious… There was a duel and the other guy impaled the victim with the spear. Then he put a noose around his neck and pushed him out the window. Wouldn't you say that sounds about right?"

This is a spear?

I held the offending weapon in my hands. It was short enough to be classified as a long sword and the handle had enough room for three hands. But then again, what did I know?

"That would be the first thing that comes to mind."

"But you think otherwise, don't you?" I blinked, affixing my gaze on Asuna. She was serious as always, but revealed nothing of her thought process. The fencer wasn't wrong, so I didn't bother denying.

Pursing my lips, I nodded my head. "There were no signs of a duel taking place, so this'll be a bit less cut and dry than that."

"But it had to be a duel." Asuna played devil's advocate, frowning as she examined the weapon of murder. "This is a safe zone and a player died. There's no other explanation."

Murmuring from the crowd outside picked up again. The vice leader grimaced. "Or maybe not… But either way, we can't ignore this. A player takes huge risks going outside of a safe zone. If there's really another way to PK in one, then nowhere will truly be safe."

Grunting in agreement, I stuck the sword in my inventory, having grown tired of holding it. By habit, I tried cracking my fingers. When nothing happened, I covered it up by stretching my hands.

Either ignoring or not noticing my troubles, Asuna continued. "Looks like we won't be going to the front lines anytime soon." Pushing herself off the wall, she walked up to me, flat heeled shoes clacking against the floor.

"Listen," Asuna extended her hand, offering it to me. "You're going to work with me until we solve this problem. Until we do, there won't be any time for napping, okay?"

I grinned at her attempt at levity, reciprocating the gesture and grasping her hand. "But a small price to pay for mystery solving."

X X X

"Listen up, did anyone see what happened before that player died?" Asuna and I walked before the crowd and I took initiative. "If you did, please speak up!"

Players spoke among themselves, a cacophony of confusion. As they spoke, the crowd slowly quieted when no one truly knew what happened. That was, until a young deep blue haired player stepped forward, silencing the crowd.

Her hands were brought to her chest and her back hunched. She timidly stood in front of Asuna, eyes turned down.

"Sorry, I can imagine how frightened you are." Asuna spoke empathetically, sorrowfully smiling at the girl. "Could you tell us your name?"

The girl quivered, giving a short nod. "Sure… My name is Yolko. I- I knew him. The player… His name is Caynz—we used to belong to the same guild. Anyway, we came here together today. We were going to have dinner somewhere in town. But we got separated in the plaza!"

Quiet tears ran down her face as she shut her eyes, the memories flashing through her head. I had to give it to her, she was a convincing actor.

"I looked around for him- I saw him hanging from that balcony and-" She quickly covered her mouth, suppressing a sob. Asuna reached out and held her arm while gently brushing her hair.

Putting her full attention on comforting the girl, Asuna spoke quietly. "Was there anyone else up there?"

"For a second there, I'm not sure." Her words were muffled as she spoke through her hands. "Maybe for a moment, I think I saw someone behind Caynz."

When Yolko slowly lowered her hands, Asuna asked another question. "And this person, have you seen them before?"

The player shook her hair, humming out a negative. I watched carefully, trying to see if there were any cracks in her façade. Alas, I was no master interrogator, so I noticed nothing.

Asuna glanced at me, motioning with her eyes towards the player. If I had to guess, she was asking or telling me to ask my own questions. I closed my eyes, pretending to be in thought. After a second, I looked at Asuna and shook my head.

X X X

Standing outside of the Yamahya Lodge, Yolko gave us a small bow, speaking softly. "Thank you for walking me back. Sorry if it's out of your way."

"No worries, but we'd like to talk to you again tomorrow. If you're feeling up to it." Asuna spoke softly as well, but there was a strong clarity to her voice. It carried with a unique charisma that even a distraught girl like Yolko had to listen.

Again, excellent acting on her part. "Okay…"

With one last bow, Yolko closed the door to the lodge.

"Okay!" I stretched my arms above my head, letting out a yawn. "How do you want to take things from here?"

Asuna began walking down the road and I followed next to her. "We go for the only lead we have. If we can find out where the spear came from, it might lead us straight to the killer."

"That makes sense. So, off to find someone with an appraisal skill?"

The fencer stopped in place, arms crossed. "I've got a friend who has it… but she's really busy these days. I don't think she has time to help us, being a weaponsmith."

"Gotcha." I paused, considering what happened in the episode. Then a figurative light bulb appeared over my head. "I guess we're in luck. I just remembered a friend who happens to have just what we need."

Standing there, satisfied that I'd played my role, I waited for the next jump cut to occur. The cool breeze of the night brushed through my hair.

"So…? Aren't you going to lead us there?" Asuna stared at me with an unreadable look. And not the standard poker face, but an expression that I couldn't quite pinpoint. It was almost like she was scrutinizing me, but not in an irritated or hostile manner.

"I thought I'd just-"

X X X

A dissatisfied player walked out of Agil's shop, disappointment in his gait. "Thanks my man! Come back anytime."

He waved back at the item merchant a listless mumble. "Yeah, whatever."

Stepping into the shop, I was greeted with a relatively small space. Knick knacks on the shelves and other items tastefully placed around the room. Behind the counter, digging through some boxes, was the man himself.

"Business is booming, I take it." I spoke with the highest amount of sincerity, knowing that regardless of his business practices, players still went to the man.

"No way." Straightening up, Agil looked at me with a grin. "Kirito!"

I walked up to the counter and so did Agil until we were face to face. Or, face to chest, from my point of view.

"You know it. Buy cheap and sell cheap. That's my motto." Agil brought up a fist. Naturally, I had to return it. We lightly bumped fists, camaraderie shared between men.

That's what I assumed Kirito felt. This was probably my third time speaking with the man, so I couldn't really comment.

I heard a couple steps behind me. Before I could even bring Asuna in, Agil grabbed me by the neck and pulled me over the counter. My stomach laid flat on the hardwood surface while my legs flailed over the edge. It was probably quite the sight.

Groaning in surprise, I pushed against the counter. The item merchant was strong and his leverage stopped me from slipping away.

"What the hell has gotten into you?!" Agil kept his voice down to a harsh whisper. Ironically enough, when you whispered things, it was generally louder than just speaking quietly. "You're supposed to be a solo player, man! What are you doing hanging around with Asuna?!"

When he started to grip harder, I tried tapping his forearm. It didn't really matter, since breathing wasn't actually needed in SAO, but it was the principle of the matter.

"I thought you two hated each other's guts! Straight up- what's the deal?"

X X X

"His HP dropped to zero in a safe zone? You sure it wasn't a duel?" The three of us sat around a small table. It was the bedroom behind the shop, evident by the clothes drawer and bed next to Agil.

Coughing, I reflexively took out a deep breath, oxygenating absolutely nothing. "Woah, you okay, man?"

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry." Clearing my throat, I dismissed the worried gaze from Asuna. "We would've assumed as much, but there was a distinct lack of duel congratulations. And in the span of time it occurred, there probably wasn't enough time to run away without being noticed."

Giving me one last glance, Asuna continued after me. "And we can rule out a sleep PK. He was walking with Yolko before it happened."

"Pretty much. So we've been keeping the verdict on hold. Next thing is talking with Yolko again, but in the meantime, this needs looking at." I gestured towards Grimlock's spear sitting on the low table.

Agil, without a word, picked up the weapon and accessed his menu. It took a brief moment and then the appraisal ended. "A player made this."

Asuna's attention returned tenfold. "Who was it? Can you tell?"

"Grimlock. Never heard that name before." The merchant's eyes navigated his appraisal screen, checking every detail. "It's not one of the top blacksmiths, that's for damn sure. As far as I can tell, there's nothing special about this."

"Yeah, but it's something to go on, right?" Asuna examined the spear, as though trying to appraise it through visual means only.

I guess this wouldn't be an appropriate time to ask what a robot dinosaur is doing in Aincrad.

Keeping the reference to myself, I listened as Agil caught something interesting. "Looks like it's got an item name too- you'll love it. Guilty Thorn. Kinda fits, dontcha think?"

He handed the blade back and I took it gingerly. With one last look, I put the sword back in my inventory. "Thanks a bunch, Agil. I think this'll help us out a lot, one way or another."

"No worries, my man. Just doing what I can."

X X X

4/12/2024

The morning bell rang from a distance, indicating it was 8 O'clock. Asuna and I sat at the table of an empty restaurant. The same one as yesterday in fact. Across from us was Yolko, the girl from the day before.

"So, uh, Yolko," Asuna started. "We were wondering if you knew the name Grimlock."

Yolko's pupils shrunk as she let out a startled gasp. Quickly calming down, she nodded. "Yes. I have… Actually, until a few months ago, he was in a guild with me and Caynz."

Throwing me a glance, Asuna indicated it was my turn to say my piece. "Uh, right. So. That blade we recovered yesterday. Looking into it, we discovered that Grimlock was the one to craft it."

The blue haired player clasped her hands over her mouth, suppressing another gasp.

"As of now, this is our only lead on the situation. If you know something, it'd help tremendously." Pushing the conversation along, I recalled that there would be a quick exposition dump.

Yolko spun her tale, illustrating the events and downfall of her guild. It seemed quite tragic. And it was, but for far different reasons.

Yeah, I think I remember everything now. The ring was definitely a red herring. Grimlock needed an excuse to have his wife killed, hence the selling of the item.

And his whole reason for killing his wife? Because she 'felt' like a whole different person. Or something dumb like that.

"But to this day, I still don't know how she died." The player was downtrodden, having to dig up such sorrowful memories.

I already knew who the culprit was, but I couldn't recall how he actually did it. It didn't really matter for the time being.

Thumbing her chestnut hair, Asuna put on her thinking face. "This wasn't an ordinary PK… Griselda would've had no reason to leave the safe zone with a rare item and sleep PKing wasn't widely known six months ago."

"But what we do know," I interjected, guiding the conversation. "Is that the one responsible was likely after the item."

"Yes." Glancing off to the side, Yolko continued the train of thought. "Meaning that the killer was among our guild."

We sat in silence. I could see my own reflection from the cup of water in front of me. Kirito looked so young. It was to be expected of a 15 year old. Technically 14, since that's when his body was last scanned.

I looked away, sighing. "Could you tell us more about this Grimlock person?"

"I guess for starters—he was Griselda's husband. Not in real life though, just the game." Yolko reminisced, rubbing her sleeves with her hands. "Griselda was a powerful swordswoman. She was beautiful and smart. Grimlock was kind. I can't remember a day he wasn't smiling. They really were a great couple."

The girl slumped in her chair. "But if Grimlock's the one doing the killing- he's probably going after the three guild members who voted against selling the ring."

"Caynz was one of the three who wanted to keep the ring…" Yolko looked side to side before checking over her shoulder. "I was the other one."

The vice commander exhaled, nearly jumping in her seat. I remained impassive, trying to piece together how I'd handle this.

"Who was- Who's the third person?" Asuna smoothed her skirt, composing herself and sitting a bit straighter.

"Schmidtt. He was the third person. Last I heard, he was on the front lines with the Divine Dragon Alliance." The blue haired player provided.

Asuna hummed, mulling over the name. "Schmidtt. Schmidtt… Ah! He's the leader of the defense team. An exceptional lancer as well."

"Wait- do you really know Schmidtt?!" Placing her hands on the table, Yolko's eyes bored into Asuna. "I need to see him right away. Could you please take me to him? If he's on the front lines, he probably hasn't heard about the murder. He needs to know. Before…"

I took a sip of water. It was kind of odd tasting. As in, it didn't taste like anything. Grimacing, I set the glass down.

"Don't worry, we can help." Asuna subtly nudged me, sending a millisecond long glare. "I know someone in the Dragon Alliance. He'll help us out. We'll visit their HQ."

"Thank you so much!"

Well, that's that. I guess I just have to stop Yolko from faking her death, somehow explain how I know Grimlock killed his wife, and then confront said killer to get the truth. All in all?

It sounds like a pain.

X X X

Droplets of water trickled down the roof tiles. It was completely overcast, gray clouds suffocating the sky. Asuna and I walked down a relatively clean alleyway, having just escorted Yolko to her inn.

"So, how do you think a murder happened in a safe zone?" Asuna posited the question that was on her mind since the beginning of the situation. Even more so, now that Griselda's death was revealed to us.

"With Griselda's case, there's not enough information to really determine anything. Frankly, it'd be easier to assume she ended up outside of a safe zone and died there." I plainly remarked, bringing my knuckles to my chin. "Caynz, on the other hand? There really is no conceivable way for a PK to have occurred in a safe zone like it did."

"Really? Are you sure it wasn't a case of using a new method of PKing, or bypassing the system?" Asuna countered, matching my pace step for step. It certainly helped that she was a centimeter or two taller than me.

"We could be looking at this the wrong way."

Asuna furrowed her brows. "Wrong way? How else would you explain the death of a player?"

"Uh-" I scratched the back of my head. "I'll get back to you on that."

"What's that supposed-"

X X X

Standing near the door, I watched as Schmidtt nervously tapped his foot. Yolko sat across from him, her back to the window. Asuna stood across from me, hovering next to Schmidtt.

"And that's what killed Caynz. And you're sure about the spear. Was it really Grimlock's?" The frontliner's voice was low and gravelly. Serious to the extreme.

Yolko gave Schmidtt a slow nod before looking him in the eyes. "There's no doubt."

The lancer got to his feet, waving his arms in confusion. "Then why did he wait six months to kill him! Unless… Could he have stolen the ring?! Do you think it's possible he killed Griselda after all?"

As the Dragon Alliance player fell back into his seat, I slowly started shifting over to the window. Very, very slowly.

Despite my amazing subtly, Asuna gave me a raised brow. I ignored her, pretending to have all my attention on Schmidtt.

Slamming his fist on his thigh, the lancer grumbled to himself. "Does Grimlock want to kill the three of us because we didn't want to sell the damn ring?"

"Maybe Grimlock made the spear for someone else in our guild." Yolko proposed. She was about to proceed, but then she noticed that I was slightly closer than before. Her face tightened and a drop of sweat ran down her chin. "O-or maybe Griselda's come back from the dead to get her revenge."

Gaze darting between myself and Yolko, Asuna scowled, mouthing at me to cut out whatever I was doing.

"Huh…?" Schmidtt, unaware of the happenings around him, only stared in shock as Yolko spoke.

"A player can't kill another player in a safe zone. But something else, like a ghost, could." I was getting closer. I couldn't quite see her back yet, but I would soon be at an angle that any attempts at faking a murder would be impossible.

While Schmidtt was gagging in shock, Yolko got to her feet, attempting to angle her back away from both Asuna's and my view.

"I couldn't sleep at all last night. So I stayed up thinking." Yolko's speech increased in pace and her breathing became hurried. She tried to move around the chair she was sitting on but awkwardly got caught on its leg. "I-it was everyone's fault!"

She jerked her foot, but that only moved the chair. Asuna sent her a worried look while Schmidtt's eyes followed the noise. Yolko gulped. "Everyone in the guild is guilty! Griselda's blood is on all our hands!"

The blue haired player finally untangled her foot from the leg of the chair. She let out a quiet breath, and returned her focus to Schmidtt as she backed away. Dramatically covering her eyes Yolko shouted with despair. "Our fate was sealed when that ring dropped- we shouldn't have voted! We should've done whatever Griselda wanted!"

I could tell she briefly forgot about me, judging by the wide eyes when she bumped into me.

Yolko squeaked in shock, frozen in place. Asuna finally spoke up, stomping her way over to me. Her voice was brought to a harsh whisper. "What are you doing?!"

"This." I reached behind Yolko and pulled the hidden dagger from her back.

The entire room was completely still. Not a word was spoken.

Yolko paled as she stared at the dagger that was once in her back. Schmidtt raised his brows in absolute confusion. And Asuna's face turned red as she grabbed me by the collar.

Her focus was not single minded however. She glanced at both Yolko and myself, finally breaking the silence.

"Explain."