"Why can't you pay a little more attention to me?"
Kaede walked aimlessly down the street. The gazes from around her were already nothing to her, and now it was even harder for her to care about them.
Since that day, she often walked alone like this. Initially, Asuna was worried, but after seeing that Kaede wasn't going to the labyrinth areas, she felt relieved and even thought it might be a good thing.
"Is clearing the boss really that important?" A hint of doubt couldn't help but rise in Kaede's heart.
"After the game is cleared, will I really... still be here?"
Indeed, the reason for Kaede's constant resentment wasn't just that Asuna's attention was mostly on clearing the game, but also a significant part was rooted in fear.
What was she afraid of? Kaede feared that her mission in this world was to clear SAO, and when they finished, she would have to leave. She didn't want to leave Asuna—she didn't want to at all. She even had an extremely selfish thought: she wanted them to stay in SAO forever.
That way, they could be together forever.
However, although she stayed by Asuna's side and was unwilling to think through problems herself, she knew this was impossible. Asuna's real-world body wouldn't be able to take staying here forever. But... but... Kaede looked at the sky. She just wanted to stay with Asuna as much as possible. Was that thought wrong?
Suddenly, a person knelt directly in front of her, interrupting her thoughts.
Instantly, Kaede's eyes turned cold as she looked at the person blocking her way. When she saw that the person kneeling before her was a middle-aged man with eyes full of despair and tears streaming down his face, she was momentarily stunned.
"You are the legendary flower of strategy, right?!" the man asked.
"Yes."
Immediately, a glimmer of hope appeared in the man's eyes, and he slammed his head onto the ground.
Thud!
Kaede could even hear the sound of the heavy impact against the ground.
"Lady flower of strategy! Please, I beg you, punish those people! Punish the members of Titans Hand! Lady flower of strategy! Everything is gone, all the equipment is gone, and everyone died because of it."
Kowtowing repeatedly, the man's voice was incoherent, and his words were already becoming unclear.
However, Kaede wasn't interested. Ignoring the kneeling man, she lifted her leg to walk away.
But in the next moment, the man lay flat on the ground, his tears hitting the pavement.
"I beg you! Lady flower of strategy!"
"Let go!"
"I beg you!"
"Why should I help you?" Kaede looked down at the man from above.
"Shouldn't you punish the bad guys?" The man was stunned.
"That's not a reason. Tell me, why should I help you?" Kaede looked at the man. Her heart was already full of troubles, and now she had run into this.
"I... I have nothing left, everything was... stolen." The man released his grip, falling into utter despair. This wasn't the real world. Right, there were no laws here, no one to help them.
"Then, what about your life?" Kaede's irritation grew.
"I have it!" Suddenly the man's eyes lit up. He looked at Kaede—normally he would have been terrified by her gaze and looked down, but now he stared straight into her eyes and said, "If you want it, take it! As long as you, as long as you can punish those people!"
"Is it worth it?" Kaede's heart seemed to calm down slightly. Although she didn't understand, this feeling...
"It's worth it." The man closed his eyes.
"Then, so be it." After saying that, Kaede walked toward the teleportation gate.
"Thank you, Lady flower of strategy!" The man kowtowed once more in the direction Kaede was walking.
"Titans Hand?" Kaede closed her eyes. This was the first time she was handling something on her own.
She had always followed behind Asuna, leaving all the thinking to her and just doing what Asuna said. She had even become unwilling to think for herself while staying by Asuna's side.
But that didn't mean Kaede couldn't think for herself.
Unlike others, she was the third-in-command of the Knights of the Blood Oath. It was impossible for her not to use the resources available.
Soon, after obtaining the information she wanted from the Knights of the Blood Oath, Kaede set out on her own.
"Acting alone at last? It seems that's not quite it." Heathcliff watched Kaede walk into the distance, his hands crossed under his chin, thinking.
If he had been a bit wary of Kaede at first, he wasn't anymore; instead, there was a hint of pity.
But now, he suddenly had expectations for Kaede again. As long as she grew, she shouldn't be much weaker than that guy.
"Grow up quickly!"
Arriving at the designated location, Kaede walked alone on the road. This was the primary area of activity for Titans Hand. By now, Kaede had changed out of her Knights of the Blood Oath uniform and was wearing ordinary casual clothes.
According to the data, those guys shouldn't let a weak girl like her pass by.
Wandering around the area, Kaede observed her surroundings. Slowly, a cold curve tilted the corners of her mouth.
It seemed those guys really couldn't stay idle; so many of them had come so quickly...
But, was she—just a weak girl—really worth such treatment from them?
"Hmm? It seems that's not it?" Kaede looked with some confusion at a little girl with tears in her eyes, dodging monsters nearby. Their target seemed to be her.
Had they found another target so soon?
Kaede seemed to be smiling, yet not smiling. The chaos in her eyes grew deeper, and her already messy heart turned chillingly cold.
Glancing in the direction the girl went, Kaede thought for a moment and followed. When it came to hiding and lowering one's presence, she, who was essentially a rat in the corner, was even better at it.
She watched the girl's figure, which didn't give up even when exhausted by the monsters' attacks.
Kaede's heart, well, remained unmoved; she just watched indifferently.
Finally, Kaede saw the girl reach a very beautiful flower and pick it. At that moment, the people around also began to move.
Was the goal that flower?
"It's you!" The girl saw the people constantly emerging from the forest and her eyes widened.
"Yes, it's us!" A woman in the lead licked her lips, looking greedily at the flower in the girl's hand. "Now, please obediently hand over the flower in your hand, and we might even spare your life."
The woman narrowed her eyes. She had only been following out of boredom, not expecting the girl to actually find that flower.
"No!! This is for reviving Pina." The girl held the flower to her chest, speaking with a look of determination.
"Then, don't blame us!" The woman smiled; if anything, this suited her better.
"Another one who doesn't value their life." Kaede didn't understand. Clearly, one's own life was the most precious thing; why were they all so foolish?
"Anyway... I won't be!" Completely unaware that she had set a flag for herself, Kaede walked out.
"You are!" The girl initially thought Kaede was one of them, but seeing the woman's startled expression, she couldn't help but ask.
"Me? I'm just accepting a request left by someone using their own life." Kaede spoke indifferently, her hands moving in the air.
With one step, the Knights of the Blood Oath uniform appeared on her body. With another step, that Tachi appeared in Kaede's hand.
Finally, Kaede walked to the girl's side and looked at the people opposite her, narrowing her eyes.
"All of your people should be here now, right?"
"You!" The woman looked at Kaede's uniform and gritted her teeth, saying, "You're just a weak girl. Even if you're from the Knights of the Blood Oath, so what? If you all die, they won't know anyway."
"Weak girl?" Kaede looked at the woman indifferently. She didn't bother to argue, because with her current appearance, no one would believe her even if she said she was a boy. So, she had never refuted it, and she wouldn't now.
"Then, let you all try the blade of the weak girl in your eyes." A smile suddenly appeared on Kaede's face—a smile of release.
The girl couldn't help but take a few steps back, distancing herself from Kaede.
"Go! She's just one person!" Seeing her somewhat hesitant subordinates, the woman roared!
...
On Asuna's side, she looked at Kirito lying on the grass, feeling a bit dissatisfied.
"You, is that why you called me out? Just to watch you sleep here? If you put all your energy into clearing bosses instead of slacking off here, maybe you could have climbed a few more levels!"
"As I thought." Kirito sat up and sighed.
"Huh?" Asuna looked a bit puzzled.
Kirito looked at Asuna, "As I thought, the first thing you say when you see me is about clearing bosses!"
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