Episode Title:
Murder in the Safe Zone.
Episode Description:
On the 56th Floor, Asuna proposes a plan to lure a boss into a village, but Kirito opposes the idea since it may involve the deaths of non-player character villagers. On the 59th Floor, Kirito persuades Asuna to rest and relax in a field one afternoon, and she later repays him with dinner at a restaurant for watching over her. Their dinner is interrupted when they hear a scream, and they rush outside to a church, where a player named Caynz has been hanged from a noose and impaled with a spear before dying. As Kirito and Asuna investigate the murder, they deduce that there may be an unknown player killer, and they learn that Yolko and her boyfriend Caynz were formerly members of a now-disbanded guild called Golden Apple. They find out from a merchant owner, Agil, that the spear was forged by Grimlock, who is the husband of Griselda, the leader of the Golden Apple. Griselda was killed six months ago while attempting to sell a valuable ring she obtained from defeating a boss. After realizing that Grimlock may be the suspect, Yolko is abruptly killed by a knife thrown through the window.
