WARNING: This story includes mature and sexual elements. Readers, proceed at your own discretion.

Chapter 14: The Goddess's Journey to Centoria

Zakkaria was one thing after another. From the tournament to the theft case to the utter deus ex machina thing that happened, to meeting Yuuki and pursuing a relationship with her… Suffice it to say, he'd had enough of excitement for a lifetime.

And knowing his luck, there were plenty more down the lane.

The good and the bad. Which one outweighed the other, he didn't know. For certain, the unexpected surprise of reuniting with Yuuki and then becoming her boyfriend was a happy one. But on the opposite end of the spectrum, he was now being hailed as a hero of Zakkaria (thankfully, Yuuki got more attention than him, but his contribution in Harry Antinous's capture did not fail to shine the spotlight on him), he had to witness a town getting blasted to bits by his friend, and also he has a second girlfriend.

Oh, didn't he just say that making Yuuki his girlfriend was a good thing? It certainly was, but that didn't mean it didn't come with headaches, questions about how the heck things lead up to this moment, and sex.

Yeeaah… They hadn't been able to see much of each other after the first time for anything meant for the bedroom. Busy as he was preparing for the end of their service, and Yuuki overseeing her duty as House Asuka's leader, they made time to simply meet each other out on the streets or in the mess hall, chatting with Eugeo and Medina ever present.

At least things became peaceful ever since the Antinous incident. He hadn't really been able to gleam much about further details behind that, though there were talks between the leaders of each empire and the church's pontifex herself to discuss policies and the general safety of the citizens. That was reassuring.

And then, after so long, the day had finally arrived.

The chief had called them to his office to discuss the completion of their quota, deeming them worthy of moving on to Centoria. Kirito was admittedly excited at the prospect, even if a little part of him was already beginning to grow forlorn for this town. And that impressed him just how easy it was to get attached to a single place and its people.

Just as Rulid had won his heart, he knew he would remember Zakkaria for a long time; both the good and the bad.

And now, dressed in his armour and with his sword strapped to his waist, Kirito patted himself down before moving to the training hall. The rest of his friends were already present. "So," he said, drawing their gazes to him. "Y'all ready?"

"We are."

"Ready as ever can be."

"Mmhm. Lead the way, Kirito-kun."

Nodding back, he pushed open the doors, taken aback by the sight of all the other guards standing in rows upon rows within the large space. They were clad in their metal, all firm of posture and not a single one looking out of place. And on the stage at the fore, the chief guard awaited them. Off to the side behind him, Yuuki met his gaze, smiling happily as she waved at him.

Gulping, he marched forwards with his friends in tow, nodding to a couple men and women he passed—some he had worked alongside, some he had trained with, and so many more who had given him advices he would take to heart—before finally coming to a halt before the chief. The four of them stood side-by-side, turning around to face the crowd.

He remembered being there for the previous batch's 'graduation ceremony', as some people put it. Two people instead of his group of four; two boys who looked both proud yet tearful, accepting the chief's words and support with their heads held high. And he, alongside the crowd, had chanted their names as a farewell.

The chief told him it was something of a tradition. A way to congratulate and celebrate the trainees' contributions to their town and wish them luck on their future endeavours. It was a simple thing, but no less endearing.

The chief guard stepped forwards so that he stood in a row with them, meeting each of their gazes before nodding. "Kirito, Eugeo and Asuna of Rulid Village, as well as Medina. It has been made clear to me that the four of you have done your duties amicably, and that you have served Zakkaria incredibly well. In fact, you've done us a greater service in saving the Human Empire from such harrowing crimes, and for that, our gratitude will never be enough."

It was enough. More than enough. Personally, he was just relieved that no one had to suffer from a couple of nobles' actions. It was now up to the authorities to handle the aftermath and the recovery.

"And so, I, Dolan, chief guard of Zakkaria, hereby acknowledge your skills and diligence, and shall grant each one of you a recommendation letter to take the entrance exam into Centoria's North Centoria Imperial Sword Mastery Academy," his arms snapped into a salute. "I wish you luck and fortitude, young swordsmen!"

The hall erupted with noise when every single guard saluted at the same time, feet stomping on the ground in perfect synchronicity. Even Yuuki whooped and cheered, ignoring formality in favour of making it loud.

This entire scene reminded him of that day, when he stood in the crowd, cheering those trainees off. And to be standing in their places now, being on the receiving end, almost overwhelmed with emotion as he gritted his teeth. "Yes sir!"

There was nothing keeping them there. They had officially been granted permission to leave, but Kirito couldn't find it in himself to go right away, wanting to exchange final words with some of the guards and even see some of the civilians he knew of. Even Yuuki had told them that she would be heading back home to discuss her duties in her absence, her decision in wanting to join them to Centoria having been made abundantly clear from the start. Surprising, but it would make it more fun to have her along.

And, as expected, today was nothing but emotions after emotions. Seeing people again and telling them that he'd be leaving today was so hard, but their departure were with smiles and promises to meet again someday.

It was hardest dealing with children, as expected. The kids back at the orphanage had been so reluctant to part with him and Asuna, and the kids here were no different, begging him to stay in their town. Of course, promises of his return were met with enthusiasm, and many of them excitedly hoped that he'd end up becoming a kickass swordsman. Hah. For them, he would certainly strive for just that.

By the end of it all, Kirito was sitting on a bench in a little plaza with his back to a white-marbled fountain. Noon came and shone down upon him, but it was fortunately not a hot day. People walking by waved at him when their eyes met, and he simply smiled back and returned the gesture, taking in some comfort in how friendly they were with him.

'It's a shame, but this was always meant to be one stop in a big journey. Our real destination comes after this.'

Truth be told, enrolling in a school in a brand new world was still making him feel all kinds of emotions. Particularly the ones that ran along the lines of 'oh god, no', 'you cannot be serious', and 'this sucks'. But if it enabled them to get into the Central Cathedral, where all the answers he sought lay, then he was willing to go through the motions all over again.

And potentially be made the butt end of all jokes in class.

He groaned at the thought. His IRL classmates were thankfully amicable with him, though it was obvious that none of them were that close with him as he was with his own little circle. Through Yuuki's addition, that changed a little, but he still retained a bit of his standoffish, antisocial self. Here's hoping that his time here doesn't go that badly.

"Kirito!" He perked up, lifting his gaze from his shoes to meet the smiling grin on Eugeo's face. Medina, Asuna and Yuuki were trailing behind him, the two goddesses chatting with one another. "We're all good. You?"

"Yup. But we've got one more stop to make."

"Who?"

"The Woldes," he said, standing up. "Come on, it'll be a quick one. It'd be a shame not to say our goodbyes to them."

Saying that they were happy to see them again was underestimating it. And things had gotten a little tearful near the end after they'd told them that they would be moving to Centoria. The twins refused to let go of Asuna, and Yuuki and Medina were quick to thank the adults for giving them temporary shelter, much to their amusement and joy.

A part of him had wondered if their group could have gone a night staying at their place for the night, but that was unfortunately off the table. His group had troubled the Woldes plenty enough. It was better to get on the road as soon as possible.

And so, with Zakkaria far behind their backs, the group headed southwards. A massive tower of ivory stood erect for all to see, clouds drifting in the blue parchment and the winds carrying promises of adventure and… schoolwork… guh…

"So," Yuuki asked, skipping ahead of them and twirling around to talk to them. She was dressed in something much more suitable for long travel, with a short skirt, a shirt and a tunic over it. "We'll enrol into the Sword Mastery Academy on the fourth month, right?"

"That's how it is, yes," similar to Japanese school years, then. He was surprised that this world didn't assign special names to their months, like some videogames he knew of. "The trip shouldn't be too long, though I worry about where we'll stay."

"Again, it always comes down to that, huh?" Kirito chuckled, the others joining along. "Sheesh. It'd be much simpler if we could just buy a house, don't you think?"

"Oh, sure. Buy a house in the single biggest city. I'm sure that's not expensive."

"Well, between three broke teenagers and two nobles, I think we've got relatively good chances."

"Don't expect me to chip in in the slightest," Medina rolled her eyes, a faint smirk on her face. "My family isn't exactly well-off to begin with, so our only best chance would be Lady Yuuki. But we are not taking advantage of her kindness!"

"Ehh, it wouldn't be a problem."

"It most certainly is!"

"Nah, nah, it's fine. We'll just do as we did and find someplace in the city that's willing to house us five. Maybe two different homestays if necessary for both boys and girls."

"Actually," Asuna interjected, smiling. "I might know someplace we can stay at in the meantime."

"Oh?" Kirito quirked a brow. "How so?"

"Hmmhmm. Well, you'll have to wait and see."

Seriously, what was with her and being all mysterious and suspense-inducing? She must be having a lot of fun out of this, especially when it came to poking fun at him. He distinctly remembered her saying that, only for Sinon to bomb Zakkaria.

But, as always, he was powerless to do nothing anything but shrug it off. There was just no denying how convenient it would be to have a place to stay while they wait for their registrations to complete. Eugeo and Yuuki didn't hold such doubts, showcasing awe at her preparedness, which she preened at, while Medina nodded appreciatively.

Shaking his head, he looked off into the distance—towards the great cathedral that towered over every other building within the circular wall, the light of the sun peeking out of it and sending bright rays all across the empire. A magnificent architectural construct that was proof of humanity's achievements with magic and labour.

And yet, looking at it, he felt a silent sense of uneasiness. Why was something like this built? What were the people within the Axiom Church like? Why did it feel to him as if it was purposedly designed to exude a vainglorious and sinister aura?

Well, whatever it was, that was their destination. And they were going to get there, no matter what.

"Alright, guys. Let's get moving."

Here's hoping that the journey goes well. Heavens know that he could use less surprises.

As expected, a trip to Centoria on foot wasn't going to be a quick one. And, considering how they'd only departed in the afternoon, it didn't take long before night befell them, darkness encroaching upon the wild lands as they reached what felt like the midpoint of their journey.

Kirito sighed as he dropped onto the ground, their makeshift campfire crackling away as he fed it lumber and leaves. Positioned over the fire was a simple metal pot, of which Asuna and Yuuki were tending to in the process of making some simple vegetable stew. Medina and Eugeo were a little further away, practising their sword swings side-by-side.

Before anyone assumed he was taking this opportunity to slack off… well, that was a little off the mark. Oh, he certainly sought to rest a bit, but that was because he'd already been busy scavenging for materials for the fire. Plus, he was the one who volunteered to draw water from the river and prep the materials, so he felt like he deserved a bit of a break.

Pulling out a paper map from his rucksack, Kirito spread it open on the ground in front of him and traced his finger along the route they were taking. He wasn't the best at approximation, but by mere guesswork, he had a feeling this would take at least four days to reach Centoria. That was more or less the time they needed to get to Zakkaria from Rulid, and since that distance was equivalent from Zakkaria to Centoria, the math checked out.

'I don't know if we'll be making any pitstops like we did with the Woldes, though I highly doubt it. There aren't any other frontier towns or farms built around here, so we should be fine.'

He was more curious on where Asuna meant when she told them she had an idea of where they could bunk in once they reach Centoria. Being the city, the costs of living there was expected to be much higher than the village and town they'd been in thus far,

Knowing her, perhaps she and Yuuki had already planned ahead and rented a place out for them. It seemed so in-line with the way they operate that he was honestly a little terrified. But he'd appreciate whatever they could get.

He hummed once more, falling deeper into his thoughts. It was nice to have reunited with both Asuna and Yuuki, but he still hoped to see the rest of their friends. Having narrowly missed the opportunity to see Leafa again was especially frustrating, but hey? At least they'll end up meeting again at some point, whenever that may be.

'If I have this right, the ones who'll be enrolling in the Swords Mastery Academy are me, Eugeo, Medina, Asuna and Yuuki. Will Leafa join as well, considering that she's also a sword-wielder? Then where does that leave the others?'

He had no doubt that they'd be able to look after themselves. They'd been doing well enough on that front for some time now, so he wasn't too worried. But it would have been nice if they could have gotten into the academy together.

But this world had a strange obsession with swords. Like, he'd looked into the four major academies in Centoria, and literally all of them were swords-focused. Like, what? Do people not use other weapons in this world as well? Were swords the norm here?

Kirito's thoughts were broken by a firm cough. Jolting a little, his eyes snap in the direction of the sound, finding Asuna staring at him amusedly.

"Someone's deep in thought," she teased, making him laugh softly.

"You could say that. Been thinking about the academy, our friends, this world and its people being total suckers for swords…"

"Aren't you also technically a sucker for swords? I don't see you using any other weapons."

"Swords are cool," he harrumphed, making her giggle. "Like, I get that it can't exactly break something like a mace could, but come on! Swords are just so much cooler."

"Based on what evidence?"

"Statistically-wise, if we take only popular media into account like television, movies, anime, comics and all that jazz, you'll know for a fact that the protagonist is almost ninety-five percent guaranteed to use a sword in a world of appropriate setting. Medieval, fantasy, magic-esque…"

"Selection bias at its finest."

"Shush. You tell me if you've seen any shows where everything takes place in everyday Japan, and you see the person bust out a sword."

"I'm sure there are some out there," she was being dismissive, not even giving into his rebuttal. He rolled his eyes in response. "But I'll agree with you on this world seemingly prioritizing swords above all else. Centoria, its capital city, have four entire academies all named Swords Mastery Academy. If that isn't favouritism, I don't know what is."

"No kidding. But we've already seen archery and knights with spears during our time in Zakkaria. Guess they're just not as common."

"Perhaps."

"And hey, is dinner ready yet? I think Eugeo's hungry."

Footsteps behind him drew his gaze to his best friend, whose expression was deadpanning. "Don't use me as an excuse for your hunger," he said, propping himself down below him.

"Okay, fine. I think Eugeo and I are hungry."

"You think you're hungry?" Sweat-dropped Eugeo. Asuna simply laughed again. "Well, I can speak for myself, and I'm certainly famished. We hadn't eaten anything heavy since we left Zakkaria, and with how late it's gotten, it'd be nice to get something filling."

"No worries, Eugeo-kun. It'll be done soon. Just a little more."

"Of course, I can wait."

"That wasn't aimed at you."

At the knowing looks the two of them shot at him, he scoffed back. "So that's how it is. Alright, sure. Gang up on me. I don't mind."

"Snrk. You're just too easy, Kirito."

Try as he might, he couldn't help but feel a crack of a grin on his face. That only widened with Yuuki's return, her joy infectious enough that he couldn't keep his saltiness no matter how hard he tried. Medina showed up last, thanking Asuna for the meal before dropping beside Yuuki, all of them now grouped around their fire and enjoying a bowl of stew.

These trips they'd had—first from Rulid to Zakkaria, and now to Centoria—never fail to remind him of his days back in Aincrad. When camping out in the wilderness was normal, and the excitement of adventure had never failed to draw him in, almost taking his mind off the fact that they were in a life-or-death situation and that one misstep could be his last.

It wasn't any different here, even if he'd end up waking back in… wherever the hell Asuna told him he was. But the idea of leaving Eugeo and Medina behind was certainly upsetting, and he wanted to see things through to the end.

At least, with the company they had, he had a good feeling that everything was going to be fine.

Okay, so, there was something to be said about this world. And that was to say that it was grand and expansive in a way that not many other virtual worlds he had ever visited could hope to replicate.

Not to say that Aincrad hadn't been incredible. And exploring Alfheim had been fun too. But Underworld? Well, this was a vast world of wilderness with the occasional sites of civilization sprinkled left and right, and travelling all around by foot really served to highlight just how massive it felt.

That really nails the difference in feel compared to moving between places by portals. Here, in a world where transportation was still very rudimentary and limited solely to land (barring the Integrity Knights who have dragons to fly with), moving around like this puts into perspective just how tiny they were, and made the journey all the more meaningful.

For three days they travelled. On his own, he could have only imagined just how peaceful yet boring it was, for which he was thankful that he had his friends with him. There was never a moment where loneliness killed him (something he didn't miss from his Aincrad days), and just having them to talk about things made it all the better.

It also helped that all of them just gelled together. Yuuki was a no-brainer, considering how friendly she was with everyone, as was Asuna. Eugeo was too nice for anyone to hate him. And while Medina was a little standoffish, she was a good person, and she really liked Yuuki. And he was…

Well, he was the antisocial kid. No one should have looked at him and thought themselves, 'Man, he'd be a good friend'.

But hey, he's been lucky enough to have somehow found some good friends. And he'd be a damned idiot if he didn't do his best to keep the team together.

Of course, there wasn't much to do in that regard. Again, everyone here were already friendly with each other, so the idea that any single one of them would end up arguing with one another or something was just improbable. The only possible way it could happen was if he and Medina butted heads, but even that sounded funny in his head. He just couldn't see it happening.

For three days they travelled until, eventually, they reached the end of their trip, and yet again he was blown away by how grand Centoria was despite all the stories he heard.

"Remember how I called Zakkaria huge? I take it back. Now this? This is massive."

Eugeo and Yuuki didn't argue with him. If anything, they looked just as enamoured, green and red eyes wide as they took in the majesty of the city before them. And let it be known that this may not have the most beautiful design compared to some other towns from 'ALO', but by the goddesses it was something special.

The thing about this particular city that really caught his attention when compared to other towns he'd ever seen was how heavily secured it was. The circular wall towered to the very sky, with the Central Cathedral further beyond going even higher. This was a kind of structural design that made it seem like the person behind it had a very basic yet intricate vision of what they wanted the city to look like.

Stepping through the gate, North Centoria wasn't anything particularly impressive, though it had its specific divisions according to its functions and residents. Each building was a pristine white that sparkled under the light of Solus, and the bustling nature reminded him that this wasn't a Rulid situation. This was like going from Hayakawa in Yamanashi to Tokyo. He had never felt more like a bumpkin than now.

"If I'm not mistaken, the districts are numbered by one to ten, starting from the inner parts towards the periphery. The outermost districts are the residential districts for the regular citizens. The further in we go, the closer we slowly enter the more important locations—housing area for the nobility and the imperial government area, for example."

"Is that so?" Asuna hummed, sounding interested. "Say, where would shops typically be located?"

"I would assume the eighth or below. Hopefully we could get a map."

True that. Centoria wasn't the capital city of the Human Empire for nothing. Considering that it's got four quadrants and they'll probably spend most of the coming two years hanging around the northern city, which in itself was already pretty sizable, it'd be nice to have something to rely on to navigate the place. At least for the first couple of days, maybe.

Still, he supposed this entire world couldn't really compare to IRL since there wasn't complete continents with their own countries. This entire place was just the Human Empire separated from the rest of the world, which he assumes is Dark Territory land, so there was no knowing just how greater the complete land space truly is.

And, from what he could tell, there were no obvious oceans. It was just one big landmass, which was a bit of a shame. He wasn't the biggest sea guy by any means, but even he could appreciate the neatness of water. Maybe there was an ocean outside of the Human Empire.

Walking down the street and passing across countless people, Kirito took in the structure. Compact and lined up in rows to maximise space, with only the main road leading towards the centre fairly wide, he rather liked this style of house planning. Something about it was just very… comfy, for a lack of a better term.

Humming as he took in the sights, he looked back to Asuna, only to notice her wander from the group to approach a local. The old lady in question seemed particularly surprised by her appearance, though the smile on her face told him that there wouldn't be any problems there.

"Oh, so we walk until we reach the seventh district, then head west from the main road? Alright then. Thank you!"

"Where are we heading to?"

"The shop of a guy named Sadore," Kirito answered Medina. He patted the branch he slung on his back, drawing her gaze to it. "This here is the topmost branch taken from the Gigas Cedar. We were given this right before we left our village, and the previous tree cutter told us to bring this to this Sadore person. Supposedly, he could fashion it into a sword."

"Is that so? Sounds difficult. People typically fashion practice swords out of wood. It's just not as durable or strong as metal is."

"That may be the case for most woods, but the Gigas Cedar was one of a kind. And if this was taken from that tree, I've got a good feeling that whatever sword it'll become might just be special indeed."

The old lady's words proved true, and in no time soon did they come upon a simple-looking shop building. The exterior was nothing to write home about, constructed out of basic stone and with a little sign hanging above the door.

Knowing that trying to force all five of them into the store would just make things extremely cramped inside, he opted to head in with Eugeo, the girls more than willing to chill outside in the meantime. A simple shop interior greeted them, with an assortment of weapons hung up on the walls for all to see, polished to a shine. He didn't see an obvious furnace or anvil, though he guessed that would have been in a separate room, similar to Lisbeth's old smithing shop back in Aincrad.

Their eyes shifted to the man sitting behind the counter, eyes closed and arms crossed in what was obviously a sign that he was dozing off. Kirito grimaced. Waking up an old man (well, Sadore didn't look that old, despite his grey greying hairs and balding head) was never a fun prospect, and he dreaded the possibility of a telling-off. Still, it would be pointless to have Eugeo be the one to wake him up when he was technically the customer.

Steeling himself, he walked over to the counter, speaking in a soft voice. "Um, excuse me. Sadore, sir?"

No response. Well, that was a shame. He'd been banking on the man being a light enough sleeper to wake up to his first call. Since that didn't work, he'd need to go a little louder.

"Sadore, sir!" He called out a little firmly.

"Mmrgh… Gha-huh?! What?!" Oak brown eyes shot wide open, the man flailing his arms about as his heads snapped left and right before finally settling on him. Confusion eventually settled into a calm, though he was still a little frazzled. "Aah… Shoot. Sorry 'bout that, kiddo. Didn't expect to fall asleep on the job," he wiped his lips with the back of his gloved hand. "So, what'cha need?"

"Uhh. I want a sword," his wording got him an elbow to the side. "I mean, I'd like to put in an order to make a sword."

"That so? Well, sure. Just let me know what kind of measurements you're hoping to—"

"About that!" He wilted a little under the man's stare for cutting him off. Before he could say anything else, however, Kirito quickly stepped forward and settled the branch on top of the counter. "We're from Rulid. Eugeo and I, I mean. And we knew this guy. Garitta."

"Huh? That old fool? Hah!" He barked out a laugh, a grin finally coming onto his face. "To think he's still kicking. That's good to hear."

"Right. And he sent us your way. Told you to give you this."

Unwrapping the cloth covering the thick branch, Kirito stepped back, allowing the man to examine the branch more closely. Those eyes were firm, studious. Years of experience and studying had made him adept at examining the materials he would have to work with, and Kirito was a little impressed.

Even though he hadn't said anything, the boy had a feeling the man knew what he was staring at. It didn't hit him at first, but eventually it did, and the way his eyes went wide as his mouth did was almost funny.

"Wait a minute… T-This is…"

"Yeah," he nodded. "We took this from the very tippy top of the Gigas Cedar."

Eugeo snorted. "Tippy top…"

"Shut up, man," he hissed back. "Eugeo cut the tree down, and Garitta told us to bring this branch to you. He said you could turn it into a sword."

"I… Well, could is a real big jump. I've never exactly tried making any swords—good swords, mind you—from any kinds of tree. They're usually meant for practice swords."

"Right. But it's you we're talking here. And Garitta seems real certain that you've got what it takes," Kirito met the man's gaze once more. "Please. Can you turn this into a sword?"

"I… I will," he nodded after a moment of silence. "This has been a personal dream of mine for literal years. To finally have this opportunity… well, I'll be damned if I don't give it my utmost."

"Thank you. That would mean a lot to me."

"Still, don't expect this to be finished any time soon. It might take a while. By my estimation, I'd give it around half a year or so. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if it would take a whole year to finish up."

Oof. That was a long time. But even he was aware of how tough the Gigas Cedar wood was, this one more so since it was the branch that got to absorb the most amount of resources from Solus's light. In that essence, a year seemed almost too good, considering how literal centuries were spent trying to cut it down in the first place.

Settling on word of promise to come check in the next year, as well as payment after the job was done (and he really needed to figure out that part; he couldn't exactly bank in on Yuuki's generosity every single time, no matter how much she wouldn't mind), the two teenagers eventually left the shop to reconvene with the rest of their friends, who awaited the news with anticipation.

"It'll be done," he said. "Though it's likely to take a year."

"A year?" Medina parroted, surprised. "How tough was that wood?"

"It's the Gigas Cedar. Trust me, that thing is no joke. I still can't believe Eugeo managed to cut it down."

"We," the boy corrected. "We cut it down."

"Bro, you were literally the one who cut it down with the Blue Rose Sword. You landed the last blow!"

"And that was made only possible thanks to your teaching, Kirito. It's a team effort."

He rolled his eyes at that. "Sure, why not. In any case, we need to start looking for a place where we could live. We don't need to rush getting into the academy. We still have a window of time to settle that, so we might as well focus on looking for a place to stay at—which brings us to Asuna."

"Yep! I've just the place. They might be a little busy right now, but I'm sure they'll be fine to have us on over."

So whoever they were must be working at the moment, huh? Well, he sure hoped they wouldn't be intruding too much. Asuna must have notified them ahead of time to prevent any surprises, but if they were busy, he supposed they could take a walk around town, get some food in them and take in the sights.

With Asuna taking the lead this time, she directed them to a different part of the district, almost on the other side of the city. The streets were no less bustling, on account of students being out and about and people off on their jobs and whatnot.

It always did feel like, in medieval worlds, people were more often seen in the streets and generally feeling more present than anything else. It wasn't something he could accurately put into words, but he supposed that was just the thing about medieval worlds; without cars and the like, people would obviously have to walk.

Thankfully, for their sizable group, it was no trouble to reach their destination, which was almost similar to the other shop buildings. A two-storey building with a Crayola yellow paint, a nice-looking balcony from the second floor that offered a view of the streets below, and a chimney sticking out of the roof, pumping faint traces of smoke. The front door was bright and welcoming, the sign on the door flipped to 'Closed'.

"Guess they're not in," Kirito hummed. A bit of a shame, though nothing they could do about it.

"Oh, no, I'm pretty sure they're inside already," Asuna said, making him quirk a brow. She grinned back, then moved to the door, testing the knob. It wasn't locked, proving her hypothesis. "Well, let's go in already."

"Eh? Asuna, wait—"

She didn't wait for him to finish before she pushed the door open, stepping inside with no care in the world. Perhaps inspired by her blasé attitude, the other teenagers followed after her, Kirito being the last one to take a look around and pray that any outsiders wouldn't take they were breaking into someone's shop.

Sighing, he followed after his friends, stepping into the comfy shop interior and finding an assortment of weapons put up on display or in glass cases. So this was a blacksmith's store as well? That meant the chimney from earlier was likely connected to the forge to channel any smoke out.

The boy paused to think. Who had Asuna contacted to ask for board and room?

The answer came five seconds later, when the muffled sound of footsteps climbing stairs came from the back. The door swung open, revealing a girl covered in soot and ash, yet it failed to blemish her appearance in his eyes. If anything, she looked professional, the wide smile she beamed at them more than proof.

"Hello, and welcome to Liz's Forge! How can I—"

"Huh? Liz?"

The words slipped from his mouth the moment the name was spoken, and as his eyes fell upon the pink-haired girl behind the counter, expression momentarily frozen in a smile before it slowly shifted into surprise, Asuna and Yuuki giggling and the other two perking up in curiosity, his hand found his face as a groan broke free from his lips.

How does Asuna keep getting away with catching him off-guard like this? It's so unfair…

Author's Notes:

Finally, I'm back home! And finally, we're in Centoria!

To be fair, I've been home since almost two weeks ago. But got busy with exams coming the week after my return from my programme, and now I've got the chance to kick back and do other shiz, writing included.

Updated because it said 'Chapter 9', not 'Chapter 14'.