Miracle Summoner

"What's wrong with you all?"

Asuna finally noticed the strange behavior of Yuuki and the others. She turned around, puzzled, and asked.

In response, Yuuki and the others were visibly shaken.

"As… Asuna…?"

Yuuki took a step forward, looking at Yui and then Asuna, her voice trembling.

"So… you've already become a mom? I didn't know…"

With just one sentence, Asuna immediately understood what was going on.

"No… that's not it! You've got it all wrong!"

Asuna quickly waved her hands, shaking her head.

Unfortunately, no one was listening.

"I… I had no idea Asuna already had a child…!"

Jun looked completely startled.

"And such a grown child, too."

Tecchi appeared hesitant to speak.

"That's… amazing…"

Talken looked utterly embarrassed.

"I never expected it, Asuna… Your child is already this big."

Nori stared at Asuna with an odd expression.

As for Siune, after a moment of silence, she hesitantly asked:

"Um… Asuna…" Siune cautiously inquired, "How old are you this year?"

That question struck a painful chord in Asuna's heart.

"I'm… I'm telling you, you're misunderstanding!"

Asuna hurriedly explained, "I'm only 18 years old!"

By saying this, Asuna was trying to imply that at just 18, it was impossible for her to have a child that old.

However, the Sleeping Knights completely misunderstood her.

"Eighteen?" Yuuki exclaimed in shock. "You had a child this big at just 18?"

If she already had a child this grown, just how young had Asuna been when she gave birth?

Thinking about it, the group felt a mix of shock and admiration, gazing at Asuna with reverent eyes.

But that gaze only made Asuna feel exasperated.

"It's not what you think!"

Asuna felt utterly at a loss for words.

It wasn't that she didn't want to explain; it was just that the explanation was not straightforward.

Yui's true nature wasn't something easy to explain. To do so, she would have to dive into the entire complicated backstory of SAO, which would take forever.

Thus, apart from a select few—like Kirito, Leafa, and other close friends—everyone else merely assumed Yui was Rozen's Navigation Pixie, a rare and special intelligent type, without knowing her full history.

This included the members of Crimson Wing, who were equally unaware.

So, Asuna intended to use the same explanation to gloss over the misunderstanding.

But before she could, Rozen interrupted her.

"You've finally arrived. I've been waiting for you all."

Rozen stepped out of the kitchen, untying his apron as he walked, smiling at Yuuki and the others.

Seeing this, the group's attention quickly shifted to Rozen.

"Hello there, Rozen! We meet again."

Yuuki greeted Rozen energetically.

Soon after, Jun and Nori's eyes lit up as they rushed to Rozen's side.

"You… you're the Magus, right?"

Jun's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Wow! You're even more handsome than in the pictures and videos we've seen!"

Nori's eyes practically turned into hearts.

"So, he's the strongest player in ALfheim Online?"

Tecchi gazed at Rozen with a serious expression.

"And he's also Asuna's fiancé…"

Siune focused on a different point, her eyes full of scrutiny as she looked at Rozen.

"Hello! I'm Talken!"

Talken nervously introduced himself first.

Facing the varied reactions of the Sleeping Knights, Rozen simply smiled.

"Nice to meet you all. I'm Rozen. Please, just call me by my name."

As the host, Rozen introduced himself casually.

Under such circumstances, Siune stepped forward as the representative of the group.

"Sorry to intrude."

Siune politely bowed to Rozen.

"No need to be so formal." Rozen shook his head and said, "Since you're all friends of Asuna, that makes you my friends too. Treat this like your own home and relax."

As he spoke, Rozen exuded a laid-back attitude, with a faint, natural smile on his face. There wasn't a trace of pretense or forced politeness.

Many people know how to make polite small talk, but their true intentions often differ. Those with strong instincts or heightened vigilance can easily detect such falsehoods and remain guarded.

This was especially true for the Sleeping Knights. Despite their cheerful exteriors, they harbored strong vigilance and sensitivity due to their circumstances. They would easily see through hollow words and wouldn't genuinely relax.

So, Rozen deliberately adopted a relaxed and casual demeanor, conveying an atmosphere of ease to the Sleeping Knights, encouraging them to lower their guard.

And it worked.

Seeing Rozen's relaxed and easygoing nature, combined with his genuine words, the group unconsciously softened their expressions.

Yuuki was the first to approach Rozen, her excitement evident.

"Thank you so much for the map and intel! Thanks to them, we were able to find the boss room faster than anyone else and successfully defeat it. It's all thanks to you, Rozen!"

Yuuki expressed her heartfelt gratitude.

However, Rozen could detect a hint of relief in Yuuki's gaze, along with traces of fulfillment, regret, hesitation, and melancholy, though all these emotions were replaced by her unwavering cheerfulness and resolve.

Looking at Yuuki, Rozen couldn't help but feel the urge to sigh.

Ultimately, he suppressed it.

"You don't have to thank me. All I did was provide a map and some intel. The real credit goes to your team's skills and efforts."

Rozen's eyes swept over the members of the Sleeping Knights.

"You're all truly strong. There's no doubt about that, so don't sell yourselves short."

His words left the group feeling both embarrassed and proud.

However…

"Compared to the Magus, we're still far behind."

"Yeah."

"We've got a long way to go."

"When can we be as strong as you?"

"Stop flattering us."

Jun, Tecchi, Talken, Nori, and Siune all chimed in.

"Exactly! Rozen is the real deal; we can't even compare."

Even Yuuki admitted it.

But while they said these things, none of them truly cared about comparisons of strength. As long as they could enjoy their time in the virtual world, that was all that mattered to them.

Rozen could see that clearly, and it brought a smile to his face.

"Alright, enough of the compliments. The food and drinks are ready. Let's get started."

""""""Yeah!""""""

Yuuki and her group immediately raised their hands in a cheer.

And so, the celebration banquet began.