Well?
You want to fight, too?
I'll pass.
My magic skill will reach 900 soon.
I'd rather not incur a death penalty.
Smart...
What about you, miss?
I'm good, too.
Next time, I'll win.
I'd prefer not to fight you one-on-one, either.
Captive Queen
Hey, what are these flames?
Shh... They're Remain Lights.
Their minds are still there.
So what should I do now?
Thank you? Run away?
Or fight?
Personally,
I see myself as the hero who just saved the princess.
Crying and running into my arms would be a good start.
Are you stupid?!
I was just kidding!
That's right!
You can't do that!
Hey, stay out of sight...
The only ones who can hug Daddy are Mommy and me!
D-Daddy?
Oh... Well, this is...
Is that a Private Pixie?
Y-Yeah, something like that.
Fine, but why is a Spriggan wandering around here?
I-I got lost...
Your territory is way to the east!
Is it even possible to be that lost?
You're so weird.
Anyway, I should thank you.
Thanks for saving me.
My name is Leafa.
I'm Kirito.
This is Yui.
So, Kirito-kun...
What will you do now?
If you'd like, I could buy you a drink as thanks.
Well?
That would be nice.
Actually, I was looking for someone who could tell me some things.
Like what?
About this world, and especially about that tree.
That tree?
The World Tree?
Sure.
I've been playing this game a long time.
There's a neutral village to the north.
It's a bit far, but let's fly there.
Isn't the town called Sylvein closer?
You really don't know anything, do you?
That's Sylph territory.
So?
That means you can't attack Sylphs in their territory,
but they can attack you.
They wouldn't just start attacking all of a sudden.
And I have you with me, Leafa-san.
Just call me Leafa.
If you insist, it's fine.
But I can't guarantee that you'll survive.
Then, let's go.
You can fly without an assist controller?
Yeah, what about you?
I just recently learned how to use this...
There's a trick to flying on your own.
Turn around, and don't use your controller.
O-Okay.
Can you tell where I'm touching you?
Imagine virtual bones and muscles spreading
out from here, then try to move them.
Virtual bones and muscles...
Like that!
Just like that.
Try the same movement again, but stronger.
Oh, crap!
Daddy!
Kirito-kun, you okay?
Make it stop!
I'm sorry, Daddy!
That's hilarious...
This is great.
It is, right?
You've got good instincts.
Now, follow me.
Okay.
Go slow at first.
We can go faster.
Is this the fastest we can go?
Don't blame me for whatever happens.
I can't go on...
You might be the first other person who can handle this speed.
Sylph Territory, Sylvein January 20, 2025
We're here.
We'll land at the base of the central tower.
Kirito-kun, do you know how to land?
I don't...
Um...
Sorry!
It's too late.
Good luck!
Y-You're kidding me!
That was horrible, Leafa.
It's okay. I'll heal you.
Wow, so this is magic?
Only Undines can use high-level healing magic.
But that's a really important spell, so you should learn it, too.
So different races get different bonuses?
What are Spriggans good at?
Treasure hunting and illusion magic, I guess.
Neither of those is much use in battle.
So this is a Sylph town?
It's pretty.
Isn't it?
Leafa-chan!
You're okay!
Oh, Recon.
You're great, Leafa-chan.
A Spriggan?!
It's okay.
He saved me.
This is Recon,
my friend.
Hi, I'm Kirito.
Nice to meet you.
No... No, no, no!
Are you sure about this?
He isn't a spy or anything, is he?
It's fine.
He's a little too dim to be a spy.
That's mean.
Sigurd and the rest
saved you a seat at the usual tavern.
Oh, okay.
I'll pass today.
You aren't coming?
No, I promised Kirito-kun a drink for saving me.
See you later!
W-Wait...
Leafa-chan...
Was that your boyfriend?
Your lover?
N-No!
He's just a party member.
You seemed pretty close, though.
I know him in real life.
He's in my grade at school.
But that's all!
Anyway...
Thanks for saving me!
They were pretty aggressive...
Are group PKs like that common?
Salamanders and Sylphs don't get along, to begin with.
But an organized PK like that is pretty new.
I'm sure they'll start trying to clear the World Tree soon.
About that.
I'd like you to tell me about the World Tree.
You said something about that.
But why?
I want to get up there.
I think that's true for all the players.
That's ALO's grand quest.
What do you mean?
You know how you're limited in how high you can go?
And no race can fly continuously for more than ten minutes...
But the first race
to reach the Floating City atop the World Tree,
and hold an audience with the Fairy King Oberon,
will be reborn as an advanced class known as Alfs.
And they'll be able to fly as much as they like.
I see.
That does sound nice.
How do you get to the top of the World Tree?
The base is a big dome.
You can reach the Floating City from there.
But the NPC guardians that defend the dome are really powerful.
They're that strong?
The game's been around for a full year.
Would you believe no one's beaten the quest yet?
Everyone must be missing a key quest.
Or it's set so that one race can't get there by themselves.
You have good instincts.
Everyone's searching for a
missed quest as hard as they can right now.
But if it's the latter, no one will ever clear it.
No one?
Because it makes no sense!
Why would you help another race with a quest
if only one can clear it?
Then, does that mean it's impossible
to reach the top of the World Tree?
I think so.
But you can't just give it up.
Not once you see how fun it is to fly.
Even if it takes years, someday...
That's too long!
Daddy?
I'm sorry.
But I need to reach the top of the World Tree.
Why is it so important?
I'm looking for someone...
What do you mean?
It's not easy to explain.
Thank you, Leafa.
That information helped a lot.
Wait.
Are you going to the World Tree?
Yes, I need to see for myself.
It's crazy...
It's far, far away, and there are a lot of strong monsters.
Sure, you're strong, but...
Then, I'll take you there!
But I couldn't ask that of someone I just met.
Do you know how to get there?
What about the guardians?
Well, I'll think of something.
It's fine.
I've already made up my mind!
Fine.
Um...
Can you log in tomorrow?
Y-Yeah.
Then be here at 3:00 PM.
I have to log off.
You can use the rooms upstairs to log out.
See you tomorrow.
W-Wait!
Thank you.
Then, I'll take you there!
He was a weird guy...
Kirito-kun, huh?
This is goodbye until tomorrow. Right, Daddy?
I'll be back soon, to see you again.
Um...
Can I sleep next to you until you log out?
Yeah, sure.
Let's save Asuna,
and buy a house somewhere again, okay?
It sounds like a dream,
living with you and Mommy again.
It isn't a dream.
I'll make it real soon.
Goodnight, Daddy.
I love that look of yours more than anything, Titania.
The one where you seem about to cry.
I want to freeze it and hang it on a wall.
Then, go ahead.
You can do whatever you like, right?
You're a system admin.
You're so cold.
Have I ever touched you
when you didn't want me to, Titania?
Stop calling me that weird name.
My name is Asuna, Sugou-san.
You're ruining the fun...
In this world, I am the Fairy King Oberon.
The ruler of ALfheim, whom all players regard with awe.
And you are my bride, the Queen Titania.
Isn't that enough?
When will you open your heart to me as my bride?
It's hopeless.
The only things I have to give you are disgust and hatred.
That's all.
You're very strong willed.
But you know...
Lately, I've been thinking
it might be nice
to take you by force.
Stop it...
It was a joke.
I told you that I won't force myself upon you.
It won't be too long
before you start to want me.
Are you insane?
You won't be talking like that for long.
There are tens of thousands
of players enjoying this game right now.
But they don't understand the true value
of the full-dive system.
By expanding the brain's control regions,
it's possible it could control thought, emotion, even memory.
No...
They wouldn't allow that!
Who wouldn't?
Many nations are already researching it.
But human experiments aren't easy things to perform.
But one day, I was watching the news, and I discovered
ten thousand perfect test subjects!
Kayaba-senpai was a genius, but a fool.
To prepare such a splendid vessel,
and be satisfied using it for nothing
more than making a game.
It wasn't hard at all to adjust the routers
to grab a few players when they logged out.
And as a result, I got three hundred test subjects of my own!
In just two months, my research has taken great strides.
The technology to implant new objects into human memories,
using them to induce emotion is almost complete.
You're lying.
My father would never allow that!
The research is being performed
in secret by a very small team and myself.
Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to sell it.
Sell it?
A certain American corporation
is eagerly awaiting its completion.
I'm going to sell it at a high price.
And RCT, too, someday.
I won't let that happen.
Once I return to the real world,
the first thing I'll do is alert the police.
You're in the same position as the other subjects.
If I wanted, I could alter your memories, too.
I'm on my way.
Wait for orders.
But I don't want to turn you into a mere doll.
I hope you're a little more
submissive the next time we meet,
Titania.
Farewell, then.
Save me, Kirito-kun...
Next Time: To the World Tree