"Can you really kill people inside a safe zone?" Kaede frowned, looking at the scene before her, then looked up and froze.
Because Kaede saw two people: Kirito and her sister, Asuna.
"Eh? Xiao Kaede ?" At this moment, Asuna also saw Kaede.
The next moment, Kaede saw Kirito, who was next to Asuna, quickly jump from the window onto a roof, and then run off in pursuit of a man wearing a black robe.
"This sword... was it really shot from there?" Kaede picked up the sword with spikes that had fallen nearby, feeling a bit suspicious. She hadn't heard any movement above her head.
Even a thrown sword couldn't be completely silent; that was the balance of this game.
However, Kaede's gaze turned toward Kirito, where she saw Kirito take out three throwing knives and fling them at the Black-Robed Figure, only for them to be blocked directly by the system's protection feature. Immediately afterward, the Black-Robed Figure disappeared due to a teleportation crystal.
"Xiao Kaede, why are you here?" Asuna had already run down by this time, grabbed Kaede's hand, and asked.
"Sister, I came to help Kirito. He said he wanted me to help him with something when I had time." Kaede didn't hide anything and said, "Besides, the guild received the latest news that Laughing Coffin is active on this floor."
"What? Laughing Coffin?!" Asuna widened her eyes.
"What Laughing Coffin?" Kirito returned to this spot at this moment and was startled to hear Asuna's exclamation; they were just investigating the safe zone murder incident, how did it get dragged into Laughing Coffin?
"Could it be that the ones killing are Laughing Coffin?" Asuna couldn't help but say.
"No." Kirito shook his head and said, "The people in Laughing Coffin are all a bunch of mentally disturbed people. Compared to this method, they prefer to use torture to kill people, so it shouldn't be Laughing Coffin."
"That's true." Asuna also knew the rumors about Laughing Coffin; this indeed didn't fit their perverted style.
Hearing this, Kaede finally understood a little bit and couldn't help but look at Kirito, blinking her eyes.
"Could it be that the thing you asked me to help with wasn't about Laughing Coffin?"
"It's not." Kirito was stunned for a moment, then thought about the time it took for Kaede to leave and return, realizing what had happened, and felt a warmth in his heart.
"It's not..." Kaede frowned. If it wasn't, why did Heathcliff tell her these things? Could it be?
"Then what are you and Sister doing?" Kaede thought it would be better to ask clearly first.
"We are investigating the safe zone murder incident." Kirito said.
Asuna also nodded. "At first, when Kirito said that, I didn't believe it. But..." As she spoke, she looked at Kaede. To tell the truth, she still hadn't adapted to Kaede's transformation; her growth speed seemed to exceed her imagination.
Actually, this couldn't be blamed on Asuna. After all, Kaede's experiences were a bit bizarre; she had experienced a lot, but had not experienced the ways of the world, only judging good and bad based on first impressions and inner feelings of disgust, which led her to be in a state of extreme, dark innocence at the beginning.
And having stayed in sword art online for so long, although Kaede just followed Asuna's side, the most important social experience had been filled in. Her actual growth was only growth in one aspect, filling in her deficiencies.
Her experiences were sufficient, and combined with a slight understanding of social norms, it would be hard not to grow. As for why she kept pretending to be a little child, that was just because Kaede had been thinking about it wrong all along. After all, she had never experienced maternal love and thought that in front of a mother, she should be a child who never grows up, until that conversation with Asuna made her realize her mistake.
"Safe zone murder incident." Recalling Heathcliff's serious personality, Kaede felt that such a loophole shouldn't exist.
"That person just now didn't necessarily die." Kaede recalled the process just now and finally opened her eyes; she believed in her observation skills.
"Eh?" Kirito and Asuna were stunned.
"I was right below just now. At least I'm sure this sword wasn't shot by that Black-Robed Figure, and you didn't see it from above, but hidden beneath that flash of light was another glow. I think it should be the light of a teleportation crystal."
"But why would she do that?" Asuna also frowned. "And how was such an illusion achieved?"
Kirito and Kaede also fell into thought.
"According to what Kaede said, if that sword was stuck in her from the beginning..." Kirito's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Listening to Kirito's words, Kaede and Asuna also realized it at the same time.
"Durability!"
It could be said that everyone living in sword art online now would not be unfamiliar with this.
"Then..." Kirito took the sword from Kaede's hand, took out a worn-out piece of clothing from his item window, and stabbed it into it.
After a long while, the clothing turned into fragments with a flash of light, exactly the same as when a person's HP was depleted.
"It seems that's it." Kirito and Asuna both smiled.
But Kaede didn't. According to Heathcliff's personality, there was definitely some connection between Laughing Coffin and this incident.
"Kaede." Asuna called out.
"Kaede!!" Asuna called out again when she didn't get a response.
"Ah? Big sister, what's wrong?" Kaede finally came back to her senses.
"What are you thinking about?" Asuna asked.
"Nothing." Kaede was a bit hesitant; if she said it, Asuna might be in danger.
"Can't you even tell your big sister?" Asuna saw through it immediately.
"Er." Kaede opened her mouth, and finally, looking at Asuna's stern gaze, she hung her head and spoke her thoughts.
"According to what Kaede said, it is really quite possible." Kirito also narrowed his eyes.
"Laughing Coffin." Asuna clenched her fists. Even now, she didn't understand why such people existed, when they were all working so hard to clear SAO, wanting to liberate everyone from here.
"Right!" Kirito suddenly remembered something and ran up to the inn.
Asuna and Kaede looked at each other and followed.
"She's gone." Kirito said, looking at the empty room, "It seems her goal has been accomplished."
"Asuna, you seem to have registered her as a friend, right?"
"Ah, yes." Asuna also realized it, turned on the tracking, and found that this unit was moving.
"It seems to be true." This confirmation made Asuna sigh in relief. It was great that there was no way to kill inside the safe zone other than sleep PK.
"Then should we call for people?" Since he knew Laughing Coffin existed, Kirito didn't dare to be overconfident.
"No need. There shouldn't be many Laughing Coffin members here, and you can't call anyone right now anyway, except for that uncle." Kaede said.
"That's true." Kirito frowned, "Then, let's all be careful."
"Okay!"
"Um, big sister..." As expected, Kaede still didn't want Asuna to get involved.
"Don't even think about it!" With her hands on her hips, Asuna glared at Kaede. Although Kaede had changed so much, whenever she spoke to her, Asuna felt she could instantly see through what Kaede was thinking.
"Alright!" Shrinking her head, Kaede didn't object further.
Watching Asuna and Kaede with a bit of amusement, Kirito felt that Kaede would probably never be able to escape Asuna's clutches in this lifetime.
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