Creak—
Kirito and Asuna pushed open the tavern doors and stepped inside. This was the tavern of the Starting Town, crowded with players. Most weren't involved in dungeon runs—they simply hunted wild boars nearby for some Col, then spent their time drinking and indulging themselves here.
The two weren't here to join them. Scanning the room, they quickly spotted the person they were looking for. Exchanging a glance, they walked over.
The other players paid little attention to them. The pair were well-known in dungeon-running circles, but in Starting Town, most players had only heard of them, never seen them in person. Still, their impressive equipment drew a few extra glances.
"Sorry to bother you." Kirito and Asuna approached a corner table. A young man was sitting there, downing his drink in large gulps. Hearing Kirito's voice, he paused, swallowed the spicy liquid with two "gulp" sounds, and frowned at them.
"The famous duo has come here… for what?"
The two noticed his state and felt a pang of sympathy. Once part of a team, he had now fallen to drunken despair. If the previous incident had hurt him that much, bringing it up might wound him again. But there was no choice—they needed the truth.
"We want to know what really happened the day you were attacked," Asuna said. "We initially thought Lillian was the culprit, but now there are doubts…"
"Doubts?!" The young man snapped, slamming his cup on the table. "What doubts?! He killed people right in front of everyone—what doubts are there? I only hate myself for not being strong enough to get revenge!" He dragged a hand across his forehead. "Why is that damned guy so strong? Hundreds of people couldn't catch him… what could I have done alone?"
"Is that why you sell your equipment and drink yourself stupid every day?" Kirito asked, eyeing the rough cloth tunic he wore. "We also want to catch the culprit. But we need more information. Your help could make a real difference."
"…What do you want to know?"
"When you were attacked, did you see the person clearly? Was it really Lillian?"
"It had to be him. The straw hat, the huge sword…"
"Similar equipment could be obtained by others with intent. Anything else?" Kirito pressed. The young man frowned, thinking. After a moment, uncertain, he said: "He… seemed taller? And wearing black leather armor at the time… I… can't remember clearly…"
Black leather armor? Kirito and Asuna exchanged a glance. Both times they had fought Lillian, he wore reddish-brown leather. Color is not something easily misremembered. Could Lillian really change armor between fights? Unlikely.
"Anything else?" Kirito continued. "Deep down, you must have felt strange, right? You were there, saw how easily he evaded hundreds… If he had attacked you, would you even have had a chance to escape?"
The young man fell silent, gripping his cup as he thought. After a long pause, he said, "I did hear the guild master say something like, 'Was it all him?'… I don't know what that meant. But I still think it was him. If not him, who else?"
He ignored them after that, dismissing them. "That's all I remember. Leave now."
"Thank you. We'll catch the real culprit as soon as possible." Kirito said, signaling he no longer believed Lillian was the attacker. They left the tavern.
"Looks like we were wrong about him," Asuna said.
"Mm. Kibaou had a grudge against him before," Kirito noted, recalling the previous battle on the plains. "Maybe he tried to frame Lillian, but didn't expect Lillian would just kill him outright."
"What should we do now?" Asuna asked, feeling a bit embarrassed. Thinking about the harsh words she had said to Lillian before made her cheeks burn. Kirito sighed.
"I didn't add him as a friend either. Let's ask Argo. She seems to still be in contact with Lillian."
---
"Wow."
The three passed through the portal, climbed the stairs to the top, and opened the door. Outside, Yui gasped in amazement. Lillian held her hand to prevent a fall.
He looked up at the scenery himself. The fourth floor was vastly different from the third—mountains and valleys stretched like a spider's web. Rivers flowed through nearly every valley, merging in the south into a massive lake, breathtaking like a celestial pool.
"This is the 'Waterway' floor," Kizmel said. "Elves aren't particularly fond of this one."
"Mm."
This floor had mountains and water but few trees. Unsurprisingly, elves preferred forests. Lillian was also curious that Kizmel was moving freely with him. After completing the [Spider Queen's Fang] quest, the next part of the continuous mission required the sixth layer. Previously, he expected Kizmel to stay at the camp or go elsewhere. But she could move freely—a strong ally indeed. Yet he felt a persistent unease he couldn't shake.
"Lillian-nii, let's go to the big lake!" Yui tugged his hand, pointing excitedly. "It's so beautiful, let's see it!"
"Ah… okay."
Lillian glanced at his level—he had reached 20. Kizmel, as an NPC, didn't share experience, so the system treated the solo BOSS EXP as fully his. He had left other players far behind; even Kirito and Asuna were only level 15.
Level 20 in the fourth floor meant the outdoors was essentially safe, especially with Kizmel. Just then, Lillian received a message from Argo:
{Kirito and Asuna want to talk to you. They say it wasn't you who attacked Kibaou and the others—it was someone impersonating you.}
Lillian was surprised. How did they determine that? Did they investigate? If he could find the real culprit, he wouldn't let them escape.
{Okay. This afternoon then. Not now.}
Friday—it was almost the weekend. But for him, work never stopped.