Miracle Summoner

"You should go."

When these words suddenly came out of Rozen's mouth, everyone present fell silent.

"This…"

Kirito, Leafa, Lis, and Silica were stunned.

"Wha… what?"

The other players, including those from Crimson Wing, were also shocked.

"Papa?"

Yui was even more astonished.

"Huh?"

Asuna froze on the spot.

Then—

"Huhhhhhhhhhh!?"

Asuna's startled voice echoed across the hill.

"Ugh!"

Yuuki was completely taken aback.

There was no helping it; Asuna's reaction was just too intense.

But it was understandable.

After all, Rozen's words essentially meant one thing.

"Are you… are you asking me to leave the guild, Rozen!?"

Asuna looked at Rozen with a gaze full of disbelief.

Rozen laughed dryly and shrugged.

"It's only temporary. What's the big deal?"

Rozen's tone was quite relaxed.

"But… but…!"

Asuna seemed about to protest.

However, before she could, Rozen interrupted her.

"I know you don't want to leave the guild, not even temporarily, but judging by Yuuki's demeanor, what she wants to accomplish might be incredibly significant. I think it wouldn't hurt for you to get involved, even for a little while."

Rozen turned his gaze to Asuna and smiled faintly.

"Don't overthink it. Things aren't as serious as they seem. It's not like I'm handing you over to someone else. Besides, how could I possibly give away such an amazing vice-leader? Not to mention, you're my fiancée. How could I ever drive you away?"

Rozen's words calmed Asuna down a bit.

"Fiancée?"

Yuuki, standing nearby, widened her eyes and alternated her gaze between Rozen and Asuna, her expression full of curiosity.

As for the others, they looked as if they had seen this all before.

Many people were aware that Asuna was Rozen's fiancée. Even if they didn't know, seeing Rozen and Asuna's relationship made it clear that they shared an extraordinary bond.

In ALfheim Online (ALO), there was also a marriage system, and Rozen and Asuna had already married in-game. Given that they were almost inseparable and many guild members had met them during Rozen's offline gatherings, their relationship was well-known among the players in ALO.

Since Yuuki had only recently transferred to ALO, she was well aware of Rozen's reputation but hadn't known about his fiancée, which naturally piqued her curiosity.

Then—

"You want to challenge Yuuki too, don't you?"

Rozen patted Asuna on the shoulder and spoke.

"Why not give it a try and take it as a chance to clear your mind?"

Rozen seemed determined to encourage this.

"But…"

Asuna still looked a bit reluctant.

In response, Rozen interrupted her once more.

"No 'buts.' Right now, it's just about challenging her. Whether you win, or if she even considers inviting you, is still uncertain. Who knows? She might not even find you worthy enough to join her team. That's entirely possible."

Saying this, Rozen cut the conversation short.

"Anyway, just give it a try."

With that, Rozen directly pushed Asuna forward.

"Whoa!"

Asuna stumbled several steps and nearly fell over.

For a player who had almost all her stats allocated to Strength, Rozen's push was no joke. If Asuna weren't also highly skilled, she might have been sent flying.

Asuna ended up stumbling to stand in front of Yuuki.

Yuuki began examining Asuna curiously, her bright and cheerful smile still on her face.

"Asuna-san, are you sure you're ready to challenge me?"

Hearing this, Asuna couldn't help but turn to look at Rozen. What she got in return was his encouraging smile.

Seeing this, Asuna knew that Rozen truly wanted her to challenge Yuuki.

Finally, Asuna puffed out her cheeks ever so slightly before turning back to Yuuki with a somewhat reluctant smile.

"Well… I'll give it a try."

Asuna had finally decided to go for it.

"Okay!"

Yuuki clapped her hands, but instead of issuing a challenge immediately, she turned to Rozen and tossed the Holy Sword in her hand toward him.

"Here you go, big brother!"

Hearing Yuuki's lively and cheerful voice, Rozen chuckled softly, stretched out his hand, and caught the heavy sword, returning it to its sheath.

By now, Yuuki had taken out a backup weapon from her inventory and materialized it.

It was another slender one-handed sword, this time with a predominantly purple hue that matched Yuuki's hair and outfit quite well.

"Though it's a backup weapon, its performance isn't much different from the one big brother broke. Don't underestimate it."

Yuuki said this and then opened her menu to send out a duel challenge.

Seeing this, Asuna took a deep breath and selected the duel mode on the challenge request that popped up in front of her, initiating the countdown for the duel.

Both of them assumed their stances, ready for battle.

All the spectators focused their attention on the scene, their chatter ceasing.

At this point, Kirito approached Rozen's side.

"Why are you suddenly encouraging Asuna to challenge Yuuki?"

Kirito appeared puzzled by this.

In fact, everyone seemed to share the same question.

It wasn't just that Asuna was the vice-leader of Crimson Wing. Even temporarily, it didn't seem right to let her be subject to another guild's invitation. Moreover, the challenge itself didn't seem to hold much meaning.

If the goal was to obtain Yuuki's original eleven-hit sword skill, Mother's Rosario, Rozen had already acquired it. If he wanted to share it with Asuna, he could simply reproduce and teach it to her. There was no need for Asuna to challenge Yuuki.

So aside from satisfying curiosity and competitiveness, the duel seemed pointless.

Rozen, of course, understood this well, yet he still encouraged Asuna to challenge Yuuki, which was puzzling.

But Rozen naturally had his reasons.

"You noticed it too, right? What Yuuki's guild is trying to accomplish holds extraordinary significance."

Instead of answering directly, Rozen posed a question.

"…"

Kirito nodded silently without saying a word.

And so—

"I think Yuuki's way of living might inspire Asuna in some way."

Rozen's gaze remained on the battlefield as he spoke.

"Asuna seems to be dealing with some personal troubles lately, and she doesn't seem willing to let me know about them. If that's the case, having her interact with Yuuki—or even Yuuki's guild—might not be a bad thing for her."

That was why Rozen encouraged Asuna to step forward and challenge Yuuki, even if it meant temporarily leaving the guild.

"Of course, whether it works out remains to be seen."

Rozen crossed his arms as he said this.

"I just hope everything turns out as I hope."

With these words, the duel began.

The clash between the two girls unfolded in the most intense and exhilarating way possible.