10

Asuna and I ran pell-mell for the safe area established about midway through the labyrinth. I felt like we drew the attention of more than a few monsters during our dash, but I didn’t have the wherewithal to care.

We leaped into the safe room and collapsed to the floor, our backs against the wall. After catching our breaths, we turned to each other, and…

“Pfft!”

A laugh came bubbling up from my chest. It would have only taken a second to check my map and confirm that the giant demon never left its lair, but I couldn’t stay still long enough to bother.

“Ha-ha! Wow, that was quite an escape!” Asuna laughed, sprawled out on the floor. “I don’t think I’ve run that hard in years. And that was nothing compared to you!”

“…”

I couldn’t deny it. She giggled at the consternation and embarrassment on my face for several moments, until eventually her mirth subsided.

“This doesn’t look like it’ll be easy,” she murmured pensively.

“I agree. It’s only got the one greatsword, but I bet it has all kinds of special attacks at its disposal.”

“We’ll need plenty of tanks for the forward line so we can just keep switching members.”

“I’d want at least ten fighters good with a shield…but for now, all we can do is observe its style and plan a strategy around that.”

“Shields, huh?” She cast a meaningful glance at me.

“Wh-what about it?”

“Are you hiding something from me?”

“What do you mean…?”

“It doesn’t make any sense. The greatest advantage of using a one-handed sword is the ability to pair it with a shield. But I’ve never seen you put one on. In my case, it slows down my rapier, and some people refuse to equip them for style reasons, but your case is different. It’s suspicious.”

She was correct—I was hiding something. But I’d never shown it off in front of others before. Not only was skill information an important lifeline, but the revelation of my secret was likely to further isolate me from everyone else in the game.

But, I thought, maybe it wouldn’t be the end of the world if she knew…

Just as I was about to open my mouth, she spoke.

“Well, whatever. Prodding someone about his skills is impolite, after all.” She laughed. My window of opportunity closed, I shut my mouth. Asuna’s gaze flicked to her clock and her eyes went wide.

“Oh my gosh, it’s already three. Ready for a late lunch?”

“What?” I perked up. “Is it homemade?”

She shot me a smug look, opened her menu, removed her white leather gloves, and materialized a small picnic basket. There was at least one excellent advantage to teaming up with her, I thought, but she stopped me short with a glare.

“…What are you thinking?”

“N-nothing. Can we eat now?”

She pursed her lips but took out two large paper wrappings from the basket anyway, handing one to me. I hastily unwrapped it to find a circular sandwich crammed with cooked meat and vegetables. It smelled fragrant, a bit like pepper. Suddenly I felt ravenous and stuffed it into my mouth without a word.

“Mm…that’s good,” I said honestly, after a few more bites. It looked similar to the foreign-seeming food that the NPCs served in Aincrad’s restaurants, but the flavoring was different. The thick, sweet-and-salty taste reminded me of the Japanese-style fast food I’d eaten constantly before my two-year stay in SAO. I continued silently scarfing down the sandwich, tears of nostalgia threatening to spill down my cheeks.

I swallowed the last bite, gulped down in one go the cold tea Asuna handed me, and heaved a sigh of satisfaction.

“How’d you make this flavor?”

“A year of training and study, and a full analysis of all seasoning ingredients available in Aincrad. This one’s gurogwa seeds, chèvre leaves, and calim water.”

She pulled two small bottles out of the basket, pulled the plug out of one, and stuck her finger inside. It emerged covered in a truly bizarre thick purple substance.

“Open your mouth.”

Nonplussed, I obediently opened my mouth, and Asuna flicked the tip of her finger. The tiny drop that landed in my mouth was stunning.

“It’s…mayonnaise!”

“Now, this one is avilpa beans, sagu leaves, and wula fish bones.”

I suspected that last one was used as an ingredient in antidote potions, but the droplet landed on my tongue before I had time to confirm it. This one was an even greater revelation than the previous. It was pure soy sauce flavor. In a fit of joy, I grabbed Asuna’s extended finger and jammed it in my mouth.

“Aaack!” she shrieked. Asuna glared at me as she pulled her hand away, then laughed when she saw my slack-faced expression of bliss.

“That’s the sauce I used for the sandwich.”

“Incredible. It’s perfect. You could make a fortune selling this stuff!”

To be honest, I felt like these sandwiches were even better than last night’s Ragout Rabbit stew.

“Y-you think so?” She smiled shyly.

“Wait, don’t do that. There’d be none left for me.”

“Oh, don’t be so greedy! There’ll be plenty for you if I feel like it…” She trailed off. She leaned just enough that our shoulders brushed. There was a pleasant silence, and for a moment it almost felt like we weren’t in the middle of a perilous dungeon.

If I could eat this food every day, I might just change my mind and move to Selmburg…right next to Asuna. I was nearly about to say this out loud when a troop of players in rattling armor walked through the door from the lower floor. We instantly sat up and separated.

The moment I saw the leader of the six-man group, I sighed with relief. It was a familiar katana-wielder, the person in Aincrad I’d known the longest.

“Hey, Kirito! Long time no see.” The lanky fellow noticed me and strolled over for a greeting. I stood up and faced him.

“Oh, it’s you, Klein.”

“Geez, don’t act so glad to see me! And you’re actually with someone for…once…?”

When he saw Asuna, who had quickly arranged her belongings and stood up, his eyes went wide beneath the ugly bandanna.

“Well, I’m guessing you’ve already met at the boss strategy meetings, but I’ll introduce you anyway. This is Klein, from the Furinkazan guild. And this is Asuna from the Knights of the Blood.”

Asuna gave a little nod, but Klein stood frozen, his mouth now as wide as his eyes.

“Hello? Say something. Are you lagging?” I elbowed him in the ribs, and he finally shut his maw, giving her an extremely courteous bow.

“H-hello, miss! I’m K-K-Klein, age twenty-four, single!”

I elbowed him in the guts harder this time. But before Klein had gotten all the words out of his mouth, the other five members of his party shuffled over and began introducing themselves all at once.

The members of Furinkazan knew one another from before SAO. Klein had seen to it that they all survived their trials and had raised them into one of the more important forces advancing player progress through the game. He had shouldered the weight that I shrank away from two years ago and bore it splendidly.

I swallowed the lump of self-disgust that rose in my chest, turned to Asuna, and said, “A-anyway, they’re not half bad, as long as you ignore their leader’s villainous looks.”

Now it was Klein’s turn to stomp on my foot. Asuna bent over, chuckling at our bickering. Klein gave her a sloppy, flushed grin, then grabbed my arm and pulled me aside, speaking in a low but murderous tone.

“Wh-wh-what does this mean, Kirito?”

I struggled to come up with an answer, so Asuna sidled up with one prepared.

“I’ll be partnering up with him for a while, so it’s nice to meet you,” she said in a clear voice. I was stunned. It isn’t just for today? Klein and his friends vacillated between disappointment and jealous rage. Finally, Klein cast a beady eye on me and growled through gnashing teeth.

“Kirito, you rat…”

Just as I was slumping my shoulders with the resignation that I wasn’t going to get out of this easily, a new set of rattling and footsteps from the same doorway told of a new set of visitors. Hearing the rigid discipline of their march, Asuna brushed my arm, worried.

“It’s the Army, Kirito!”

I turned to the entranceway with a start to see the same squad of heavily armored soldiers that we witnessed earlier in the forest. Klein raised a hand, and his comrades retreated to the wall. The soldiers entered in the same two-row formation, but it was not as crisp as before. They looked sluggish, and the bits of their faces that could be seen beneath the helmets were heavily fatigued.

The squad came to a halt on the other side of the safety zone. The man in front gave the command to be at ease, and the other eleven clattered to the floor with an incredible din. He turned to us without a second glance at his subordinates.

Upon closer look, his equipment was slightly different from the others’. The plate armor was of finer make, and his breastplate was the only one that contained a crest meant to symbolize the full shape of Aincrad.

The man stopped in front of us and removed his helmet. He was quite tall. I’d put him in his early thirties, with short hair and a square face; thick eyebrows; small and sharp eyes; and a thin, disapproving mouth. After an imposing gaze, he turned and spoke to me, as I stood the farthest forward.

“I am Lieutenant Colonel Corvatz of the Aincrad Liberation Army.”

That last part came as a surprise to me. I’d thought “The Army” was just a nickname that others used. When did it get appropriated into their official title? And he was a lieutenant colonel, to boot. I gave him a brief, “Kirito, solo.”

The man nodded, then continued imperiously. “Have you already cleared the area?”

“Yeah, we’ve mapped out everything up to the boss’s lair.”

“Good. I’d like your map data.”

I was momentarily taken aback by his matter-of-fact tone, but Klein lost it altogether.

“Wh-wha…? You think we’re just gonna hand it over? Do you have any idea how much work it takes to map a labyrinth?” he bellowed. Maps of unfinished areas were a valuable resource. Treasure hunters who sought unopened chests would pay a fine price for that information.

The man raised an eyebrow at Klein’s outburst and jutted out his chin.

“We are fighting for the liberation of all players, including you!” he barked. “It should be your duty to share your information with us!”

It was sheer arrogance. The Army had barely bothered to help clear floors in the past year.

“Wait just a second…”

“Why, you shameless…”

I had to hold out both hands to stop Asuna and Klein from converging on the man.

“I don’t mind. I was going to release the data once I got back to town anyway.”

“Oh, c’mon, man! You’re being too generous!”

“I don’t treat map data like a business opportunity.”

I opened a trading window and sent the man named Corvatz my map. He accepted it stone-faced, said, “Your cooperation is appreciated,” without a shred of appreciation, and turned on his heel. I called out to his back.

“I wouldn’t bother the boss right now if I were you.”

Corvatz barely turned his head.

“…That decision is at my discretion, not yours.”

“We just took a look at it earlier, and it’s not the kind that a half-size raid can tackle. Besides, your soldiers look pretty wasted to me.”

“My men aren’t weaklings, to complain about a simple march!”

Corvatz put extra weight on my men, but the exhausted warriors sprawled out on the floor didn’t seem to share his camaraderie.

“Back on your feet!”

They slowly climbed up and re-formed into two rows. Corvatz took his spot at the fore without sparing us a second glance. He raised and lowered his arm, and the twelve readied their weapons and resumed the march.

While their HP appeared full, the tense battles of SAO left invisible strain on its players. Our real bodies weren’t budging an inch back on the other side, but the fatigue we felt here would not disappear without sleep or relaxation. From what I could tell, the Army soldiers weren’t used to battle on the front line, and they were at their limit.

“Do they know what they’re doing…?”

The Army squad disappeared through the exit farther up the tower, and the measured footsteps faded out. Klein was too concerned for his own good.

“I mean, they’re not just going to charge right into the boss lair…”

Asuna looked worried. Something in Corvatz’s attitude suggested that they were taking a risk that was downright reckless.

“Should we at least check on them first?” I suggested. Even Klein’s party nodded in agreement. “Who’s too concerned for his own good now?” I grimaced to myself, but my mind was made up. I wouldn’t sleep well that night if we left now and found out later that the group never returned.

I checked my equipment and was preparing to leave when I heard Klein whispering to Asuna behind my back. At first I was exasperated, but that turned to surprise when I listened to what he was saying.

“So, um…Asuna? Er…how should I say this? I know he might not deserve it, but be good to Kirito, will you? Even if he is a introverted, grumpy, battle-obsessed idiot.”

I spun around and yanked hard on Klein’s bandanna.

“Wh-what are you talking about?”

“Oh, come on.” He rubbed his stubbled chin, head tilted. “I mean, you’re actually teaming up with someone now. Ensnared by feminine wiles or not, it’s still progress.”

“I-I’m not being seduced!”

I noticed that Klein, his party, and even Asuna were all grinning at me, so I had no choice but to clamp my mouth shut and turn around. I even heard Asuna assure Klein, “I’ll take good care of him.”

I beat a hasty retreat through the doorway, my boots clacking on the stones.