Sword Art Online ー The Cloaked Swordsmen

Chapter 4 - The Little Nephenthes

"Let's go, lead the way Kirito"

I said as Kirito nodded, before sprinting for a house at the very back of the village. Over there, an NPC stirring a pot in the kitchen, turned her head and spoke.

"Good evening, travelling swordsmen, you must be tired. I would offer you food, but I have none right now. All I can give you is a cup of water."

"That is fine."

"That is fine."

Kirito and I said, in a loud and clear voice as the NPC poured water from a pitcher into what seemed like old cups and set them down on the table in front of us, While we sat on chairs and chugged it.

The woman smiled briefly, then turned back to the pot. she claimed she had no food, but it seemed like she was brewing something up in the pot.

"How long will this take? We're in a hurry..." I whispered toward Kirito who flashed an awkward smile.

"Shut up and wait a second, it should happen any time now." Kirito whispered back.

As Kirito and I waited an uncomfortable amount of time where none of us talked, eventually the sound of a child coughing came from the closed door to an adjacent room.

The woman slumped sadly. After several more seconds, a golden question mark appeared over her head at last. It was the sign of a quest. Kirito promptly asked,

"You see? ....Is there a problem?"

"Yes, what can I do to help?"

Hearing the phrases to accept the quest the woman turned slowly, the question mark flashing.

"Traveling swordsmen, it is my daughter..."

Sparing the boring NPC monologue, apparently, her daughter was very sick, so she tried herbs from the market, which were used as ingredients for the soup, but that did not help, so her only choice was to try a medicine harvested from the ovule of the carnivorous plants ーthe <Little Nephenthes> in the western forest.

I sat and patiently waited out the very long speech, punctuated by various gestures until she stopped talking at last, and a task updated on the quest log located on the left side of my vision.

We accepted the quest, before darting out of the house. Then, the little platform in the center clearing chimed the hourly melody that was common to every town in the game.

"It's seven o'clock.... I wonder what's happening in the real world, right about now?" Kirito raised a question, with a complicated, but anxious look.

"Hmm? Well, they haven't removed your NerveGear off, so they might have heard Akihiko Kayaba's warning and... taking it seriously."

"Yeah and the fact that you are still alive in Aincrad meant that at the very least yourー" Kirito spoke, but I quickly cut him off,

"Don't even try to say it Kirito, let's just go."

"R-Right i'm sorry..." Saying so, Kirito hung his head a bit as a deafening silence followed.

What he was about to say was quite reasonable, but I doubt my mother would care enough about that...

Ayatoー my little brother on the other hand, might be next to me worrying.

"In any case, we need to get stronger. We have to be able to protect ourselves, even when we're not together. Any ideas?" I asked but was taken aback by what came out of my cousin's mouth opening my eyes wide.

"...I'm sorry for worrying you, Mom...I'm sorry, Sugu. I know you hate these VR games and look what's happened now..."

Kirito muttered and it seemed as if even he was surprised by his own words. Upon that, I put a hand on his shoulder and asked,