I'm a Sword Master in Sword Art Online

“Mite…” Asuna looked at her usually calm and composed friend in surprise.

“Let’s go too!” Silica and Yuna said in unison.

Although Stoleya didn't speak, she nodded silently.

Mochizuki Kaede looked at Sana: "Let's go together, it's always safer with more people."

Sana bowed deeply: "Then I'll leave it to you all."

She pushed up her glasses, her voice suddenly becoming firm: "Let's take a shortcut!"

Before she could finish speaking, Sana had already rushed out of the church. The short sword at her waist swayed with her running, followed closely by Mochizuki Kaede and Asuna, who was holding Yui, with Mito and the others quickly following behind.

They traversed the woods surrounding the church and rushed into the streets of East Sixth District. Sasha skillfully navigated the alleyways, taking the shortest route. As they passed the backyards of several NPC shops, the alleyway ahead was completely blocked by a group of players clad in uniform black heavy armor—the tax collection force of the [Army].

Without hesitation, Sana rushed forward. Her sudden appearance caused the army players to turn around and reveal malicious smiles.

"Hey! Isn't this the shelter's caregiver?" the leading man called out in a sarcastic tone.

"Release the children immediately!" Sana's voice trembled slightly with anger, her slender fingers clenched into fists.

The man spread his hands exaggeratedly: "Don't put it so harshly~ We're just teaching these kids the rules of survival."

He turned to his companion and winked: "After all, paying taxes is every citizen's duty, right?"

"That's right, that's right!" The other army players burst into laughter, their shrill laughter echoing through the narrow path.

"Silver! Cain! Mina! Are you all alright?" Sana called out to the back of the human wall.

"Teacher! Save us!" a girl cried out.

"Don't be afraid! Just give them all the money they want!" Sasha quickly reassured them.

“It’s no use… teacher…” This time it was a boy’s hoarse voice.

"Hehe..." one of the army players chuckled, "The 'taxes' you owe can't be settled just by paying money~"

“Exactly!” another army player exclaimed. “According to the rules, we have to hand over all the equipment!”

Asuna instantly understood the true intentions of these tax-collecting troops: they wanted to humiliate the children in the street and force them to remove all their equipment, including their underwear.

An unprecedented rage ignited in Asuna's heart.

Sana was equally enraged. She stormed over, looking as if she was about to give those soldiers a good beating.

"Get out of the way immediately! Otherwise—"

"Otherwise what?" the leading man interrupted her. "Does the nanny intend to personally 'compensate' us?"

He deliberately emphasized the word "compensation," which elicited lewd laughter from his accomplices.

Within the safe zone of the starting town, the crime prevention system prevents all players from directly harming others, but it has also become a shield for these people. They exploit this feature to block roads with human walls and carry out this despicable blockade.

But their plan failed.

Mochizuki Kaede and Mito exchanged a glance, then simultaneously bent their knees and exerted force. With astonishing agility and strength bonuses, the two soared into the air like arrows, easily clearing the heads of the dumbfounded army players.

"What—?!" Before the exclamation of the military players could even finish, Mochizuki Kaede's black trench coat drew a sharp arc in the sunlight, and Mitt's purple ponytail swept past like a shooting star. The two landed lightly on the encircled open ground, stirring up a cloud of dust.

In a corner of the open space, three children, all under fourteen years old, huddled against the wall, wearing only thin underwear, with their forcibly removed equipment scattered at their feet. Their terrified eyes lit up the moment they saw Mochizuki Kaede.

"It's alright now." Mochizuki Kaede crouched down, her voice gentle. "Put your gear on."

. . . .

Thank you to [Twilight Town on the Edge] for the monthly pass!

Chapter 184: Yui's Abnormality

"Hey Hey hey!"

A player whose equipment was clearly superior to the other heavily armored players, and who looked like the team leader, suddenly shouted sternly.

He drew his broadsword from his waist with a "whoosh".

"Who are you people? How dare you obstruct the military in the performance of its duties?" He deliberately slapped his palm with the flat of his blade, his voice full of provocation. "Want to come to headquarters with me for a proper talk? Or just settle this outside the circle? Hmm?"

Asuna calmly handed Yui to Silica, her hand already gripping the elven sword; the next second—

Suddenly, the sword flashed with a dazzling emerald light, striking the captain's face with a speed too fast for the naked eye to perceive. The tip stopped precisely millimeters from his nose, the force of the blows whipping up all the stray hairs on his forehead. The captain's eyes widened, his legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.

At the same time, Mitt's purple scythe swept across with arcs of purple light, forcing an entire line of army players to retreat repeatedly.

“This, this is…” A military player stammered, unable to utter a complete sentence.

Mitt's eyes flashed with a cold light: "Want to give it a try?"

The entire alley fell silent instantly.

The soldiers, who had been so arrogant just moments before, now looked like chickens with their necks being choked, staring in terror at the group of people in front of them.

"If you're so eager to fight, why bother going outside the circle?" Asuna's voice was as cold as ice. She slowly walked towards the captain, who was slumped on the ground, her elven sword gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

As the sword technique was unleashed, another blinding emerald light flashed. The captain's body was sent flying like a rag doll, crashing heavily against the alley wall. Although the system's protection kept his health bar perfectly still, the excruciating pain from the impact was undeniably real.

"Don't worry, your health points will not decrease."

Asuna looked down at him, her chestnut hair flowing behind her: "But I will continue until you learn what respect is."

The captain stared in horror at the girl who resembled a vengeful goddess, his lips trembling uncontrollably. Within the safe zone, while weapon attacks wouldn't cause any real harm, the impact and pain from swordplay remained undiminished.

"Eek—Stop, stop..." The captain let out a scream that was not human, crawling backward on his hands and feet. "You bunch of useless trash...stop her!"

The soldiers, regaining their senses, hurriedly drew their weapons, only to be blocked by Mit's scythe and Mochizuki Kaede's lightning blade.

For the next three minutes, screams from the military players echoed through the alley. Dazzling skill effects exploded one after another. Although there was no actual damage, the mental pressure of being hit by high-level sword skills repeatedly caused these military players, who usually acted arrogantly, to completely break down.

When everything calmed down, only a few exhausted army players lay sprawled on the ground; the rest had long since fled. The captain was completely limp, too weak to even stand.

Asuna sheathed her rapier and turned around to find Sana and the children who had come from the church all standing there, frozen in place. The red-haired boy was the first to recover, jumping up excitedly:

"That was amazing! The older sisters and brothers were like heroes! This is the first time I've ever seen such a spectacular battle!"

The children cheered and swarmed around her, chattering excitedly about their admiration. Sana clasped her hands together in front of her chest, a relieved smile on her face.

Just then, Yui, who had been quietly standing beside Silica watching everything, suddenly looked up.

She released Silica's hand, gazed blankly at the sky, and slowly raised her small right hand—

"Everyone...everyone's hearts..."

Her voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible.

"Yui?" Silica looked down in confusion. "What's wrong?"

Yui's actions immediately caught the attention of Mochizuki Kaede and the others, who quickly gathered around. Asuna crouched down to Yui's eye level and asked, "Yui, did you remember something?"

The little girl's brows furrowed, and a look of pain appeared in her obsidian-like eyes: "I...I don't live here...I've always...always been alone...in a very, very dark place..."

Her voice trembled more and more, then suddenly—

"Ugh! Ahhh—!"

Yui tilted her head back and let out a scream.

At the same time, Asuna heard a strange electronic noise, like the noise of a system malfunction. Even more terrifying, Yui's slender body began to tremble, and abnormal data streams appeared around her, an anomaly never seen before in SAO.

"Yui!" Asuna pulled the girl into her arms, feeling her stiff body trembling. "Mommy's here! Don't be afraid!"

Yui's cold little hands gripped her clothes tightly as she cried out, "Mommy... I'm so scared... Mommy...!"

This strange situation lasted for several seconds before gradually subsiding.

When Yui finally calmed down, everyone looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock and confusion.

Mochizuki Kaede gently stroked Yui's hair; the little girl had already fallen asleep, exhausted.

……

The church hall was filled with the cheerful laughter of children. More than twenty children sat around two long tables, their plates piled high with fragrant bread, fried eggs, and vegetable salad.

"Minai! Pass me some bread!"

"Hey! Pay attention to your food, you're going to spill the soup!"

"Teacher Sana! Jin stole my fried egg!"

"Nonsense! I clearly traded carrots with you!"

Mochizuki Kaede and her companions sat with Sana at a round table a little further away, watching the lively scene.

"I didn't expect there to be so many children," Mochizuki Kaede said softly.

“It’s like this every day.” Sana shook her head helplessly, but her eyes behind her glasses were full of tenderness. “No matter how I discipline her, she can’t calm down.”

Asuna looked at Sana's profile: "You really like children."

A smile appeared on Sana's face: "In the real world, I've already completed my education credits at university. Students not listening to teachers—hasn't that always been a problem? That's why I was so passionate about changing the status quo of education back then, but after coming here, I realized..."

Her gaze swept over the playful children: "It's these children who are supporting me. Perhaps this kind of relationship is the most natural."

“I understand how that feels.” Asuna nodded, gently stroking Yui’s head beside her. The girl was intently eating pudding with a spoon when she felt the stroke and tilted her head back, giving Asuna a sweet smile.

A warm feeling welled up in Asuna's heart. Unlike the feeling she had when she was with Mochizuki Kaede, this warmth was more peaceful and serene, like being gently wrapped in soft feathers.

Asuna still felt lingering fear as she recalled what happened in the alley. Although Yui's sudden fainting spell only lasted a few minutes, and she seemed normal after waking up, the strange situation was still worrying. From Yui's fragmented memories, she neither belonged to the town of origin nor had she ever had a guardian.

What exactly happened to this enigmatic girl?

Asuna made a silent vow: no matter how long it took, she would stay by Yui's side until the child regained her lost memories. There would definitely be a way.

Just as she was stroking Yui's hair and lost in thought, Mochizuki Kaede put down her teacup and said, "Miss Sana."

"Hmm?" Sana looked up, her eyes behind her glasses asking a question.

"Regarding the [military]..." Mochizuki Kaede's voice was low, "In my memory, although they were tough, they at least maintained basic order. But those people just now were practically thugs... When did this change begin?"

Sana thought for a moment and replied, "About half a year ago, I noticed that their behavior gradually changed. Some people started to extort money under the guise of taxation, while other members were trying to stop this behavior. The internal divisions within the [military] are becoming more and more obvious, supposedly because of a power struggle at the top."

. . . .

Thank you [Ren2099] for the monthly pass!

Chapter 185: The King of Fang's Conspiracy

Mochizuki Kaede nodded: "It's inevitable that there will be disagreements in an organization of thousands of people, but if we allow the army to commit the atrocities they just committed in the alley—"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly looked up at the church door: "Someone has come, alone."

"Huh? There are guests at this hour...?" Sana was interrupted by a series of knocks on the door before she could finish her sentence.

As she walked over and opened the heavy door, a female player dressed in an army uniform stood outside. The children in the hall instantly fell silent, their little faces showing unease.

Sana immediately turned to the children and gave them a gentle smile, then said as if to reassure them, "Don't be afraid of this person, she's my friend. Please continue eating."

The children immediately relaxed, and the restaurant returned to its lively atmosphere. The female player followed Sasha to the round table and gracefully bowed as she was invited to sit down.

“This is Miss Yuriel,” Sana introduced. “She seems to have something to discuss with us.”

The woman named Yuriel looked around at everyone: "Nice to meet you. I am Yuriel from the Aincrad Army."

Her voice was steady and powerful, a stark contrast to the previous military players.

When she heard Mochizuki Kaede and the others announce their names as the "Golden Rule," Yuriel's eyes suddenly widened: "So it's the 'Golden Rule'... No wonder they were able to subdue that group so easily."

Asuna's vigilance instantly increased: "So, you're here to question me about what happened with those army players earlier?"

“Quite the opposite.” Yuriel shook her head gently. “I’m here to thank you. You’ve done so well.”

This unexpected answer left Asuna speechless for a moment. Yuriel straightened her posture and said, "I apologize for coming here today, but I have an important matter to ask of you all."

"Ask us?" Mochizuki Kaede asked, puzzled.

Yuriel took a deep breath: "Please allow me to explain from the beginning. The current [Army] was formed by the merger of the original [Aincrad Liberation Army] and the [MMOToday] guild. The actual person in charge now is the former vice president, Ya Wang."

When she mentioned this name, the corners of her mouth tightened involuntarily: "But in the beginning, our president was Sinka."

Yuriel's expression suddenly became complicated: "Sinka... he never intended to turn the [Army] into the autocratic organization it is now. He just wanted to distribute the essential resources for survival, such as intelligence and food, fairly among all players..."

Mochizuki Kaede had also heard about this. The initial ideal of the [Army] was to obtain stable profits and distribute them under the premise of ensuring safety through large-scale team hunting.