Aincrad 2

  “Yeah, let’s get it over with. Come back into the workshop.”

  We proceeded through the door in the back of the storefront, where the thunking of the waterwheel became much louder. I hit the switch on the wall, starting up the bellows to push air into the furnace. It began glowing red almost at once.

  I placed the ingot into the opening, then turned to Kirito.

  “You wanted a one-handed sword, right?”

  “Yep. Thanks.” He sat himself into the round guest chair.

  “Coming right up. Just so you know, the quality will be affected by random variables, so keep your expectations reasonable.”

  “If it’s a failure, we can always go get another ingot. We just need to remember a rope.”

  “A really, really long one.”

  I chuckled, thinking about the preposterous drop down that shaft. Inside the furnace, the ingot was getting good and cooked. I reached in with the tongs and pulled it out onto the anvil.

  After grabbing my smithing hammer off the wall and configuring the menu, I gave Kirito one last glance. He nodded silently. I smiled in response and raised the hammer high over my head.

  The powerful swing caught the glowing metal square, and a clear, pure clang! echoed off the walls, red sparks flying everywhere.

  In the chapter of the game’s reference materials dedicated to Blacksmithing, the only detail offered about this step is, “Strike the ingot a number of times, depending on the type of weapon being created and the rank of metal being used.”

  That could be interpreted to mean that the player’s skill has no bearing on the act of hitting the metal with a hammer, but given the nonstop trading of whispered rumors and secret techniques in SAO, most people strongly believed that the precision of the crafter’s rhythm and a strong will would indeed affect the final result.

  I considered myself a rational, levelheaded person, but months and months of practice led me to give credence to this theory. When I made a weapon, I shut out all other information, focusing entirely on the hammer in my right hand, striking firmly with a mind free of all distractions.

  But…

  This time, amid the clanging of the metal, my mind was whirling with a number of conflicting thoughts.

  If I performed this job properly and made a satisfactory weapon, Kirito would take it back to the front line, and it was unlikely I’d see him much after this. Even if he did come back for maintenance and sharpening, it would be once every ten days, at the most frequent.

  But I don’t want that, screamed a silent voice within me.

  I’d been starving for human warmth—in fact, it was because I was lonely that I hesitated to get close to any specific male players. I was afraid of that loneliness turning into love. And it wouldn’t be a real romance, just an illusion of chemicals and data created by this virtual world.

  But when I felt the heat of Kirito’s hand last night, I realized it was that hesitation itself that was this world’s thorny trap. I am me. I’m Lisbeth the blacksmith, and also Rika Shinozaki. It’s the same for Kirito. He’s not a character in a game; he’s a flesh-and-blood human being. Which means my burgeoning feeling of attraction to him must be real, too.

  If I forge a sword that meets his satisfaction, I’ll tell him how I feel. I’ll tell him I want him to stick around, to come back to this house every day after his adventures in the labyrinths.

  As the ingot was pounded into shape and took on a greater shine, the emotions within me solidified into certainty. My feelings spilled out through my right hand, flowing into my hammer, and from there, the sword that was taking shape before my eyes.

  Finally, the moment came.

  Somewhere between 200 and 250 strikes, the ingot suddenly emitted a much brighter shine than before. The glowing rectangular shape morphed before our eyes, lengthening from both ends and sprouting a protuberance that was likely to be the hilt.

  “Whoa,” Kirito murmured in wonder, hopping up from the chair to watch. Within a few seconds, the object was fully generated, and a new sword rested on the anvil.

  It was a beautiful weapon, very beautiful. For a longsword, it seemed a bit on the fragile side. The blade was thin, but not as thin as a rapier. The entire thing seemed just a tiny bit translucent, as though it had inherited that characteristic from the ingot. The blade itself was a brilliant white, while the hilt was a bluish silver.

  One of the sales pitches for SAO claimed that it was “a world in which a player’s sword represents him,” and indeed, there is a vast variety of weapons in the game. A list of the unique weapon names among all the categories would number several thousand.

  Unlike in a normal RPG, the variety of different weapons grows as they rise in rank and power. Low-rank weapons might have bland names like “Bronze Sword” or “Steel Blade”—and there are countless examples of them scattered around SAO—but the finest weapons currently in use in the game, like Asuna’s “Lambent Light,” are one-of-a-kind.

  Naturally, there are other rapiers with similar characteristics, whether player-made or dropped by monsters. But they’ll all have different names and shapes. That’s how high-level weapons bewitch their users—becoming trusted partners, a piece of one’s soul.

  The name and shape of a weapon is determined by the system itself, so even the one crafting it doesn’t know what it will be ahead of time. I picked up the glittering sword with both hands—and was shocked by its surprising weight. This weapon would require a strength stat at least as high as Kirito’s Elucidator. I put my knees into it and hefted the sword up to my chest.

  With my right hand cradling the hilt of the sword, I awkwardly tapped it with a finger to bring up the pop-up menu.

  “Let’s see, it’s called the Dark Repulser. I’ve never heard of it, so I’m sure it’s not listed in any of the weapon indexes yet. Here, try it out.”

  “Thanks.”

  Kirito reached out and grabbed the hilt. He lifted the blade easily, as though it weighed nothing at all. He fiddled with the equipment mannequin inside his menu and targeted the white sword. This meant the system officially recognized the new blade as properly equipped, displaying the new parameters for the player’s perusal.

  But Kirito ignored the numbers and closed the menu. He took a few steps back and swung the blade back and forth.

  “Well?” I asked, unable to wait. Kirito stared at the sword silently for a few moments—then broke out into a wide grin.

  “It’s heavy. Nice sword.”

  “Really? Hooray!”

  I raised my fist in triumph. Kirito returned the salute and we bumped fists.

  It had been a long time since I’d felt this way. It was the same way I had felt when customers praised the ramshackle weapons I had sold in my roadside display in my days down around the tenth floor—the moments that I’d been glad I was a blacksmith. It was a feeling that I’d gradually forgotten, when my skills became good enough that I began selling to high-level players.

  “I guess it’s all just a matter…of how you look at it…”

  Kirito tilted his head, curious of my self-absorbed murmuring.

  “Er, n-nothing. Anyway, shall we go somewhere to celebrate? I’m pretty hungry,” I announced, loudly, to hide my nerves. I pushed Kirito’s shoulders from behind, trying to guide him out of the workshop—when I was struck by a sudden doubt.

  “…Hey.”

  “What?”

  Kirito looked over his shoulder. His black sword was still slung over his back.

  “You originally said you wanted something as good as this sword. I can tell the white sword is a very nice weapon, but it doesn’t seem that different from your looted sword. Why do you need two similar swords?”

  “Ahh…”

  Kirito turned around to face me, clearly grappling with what to say.

  “Well, I can’t explain the full details. But I’ll tell you if you promise not to ask any further questions.”

  “Why so cryptic?”

  “Here, stand back.”


  He had me back up against the wall of the shop, then drew the black sword from its scabbard, still holding the white sword in his left hand.

  “…?”

  I couldn’t tell what he was going to do. He’d been fiddling with his equipment screen, but the system only recognized the sword in his left hand as being his equipped weapon. Having another sword in his right hand wouldn’t help him out in the least. In fact, it was more likely to disable his sword skills because the system would detect an irregularity in his active weapon.

  Kirito spared a single glance at my baffled face, then took on a battle stance, right sword forward, left sword back. He crouched, and an instant later—

  Red visual effects burst outward, coloring the entire workshop for a moment.

  Kirito’s swords shot forward in an alternating pattern faster than the eye could follow. Shba-ba-ba-bam! He didn’t hit anything, but all the objects in the room trembled with the force of the air.

  That was very clearly a Sword skill, recognized and aided by the game system. But…I’d never heard of any skills that used two swords!

  Kirito stood up silently after he finished his combo, which seemed to have at least ten different blows. He snapped both of his wrists forward, returned his left sword to the sheath on his back, and then gazed at me. My breath hitched.

  “That’ll do. I need a sheath for this sword. Can you fashion something for me?”

  “Uh…s-sure.”

  How many times had this Kirito managed to shock me? I should have been getting used to it by now. I decided to hold off on the questions and touched the wall to bring up my workshop’s home menu.

  The shop storage was full of various supplies, so I scrolled through the list until I found a bundle of scabbards I’d bought from a fellow craftsman. I picked out one finished with black leather that seemed a good fit for the sword on Kirito’s back, and I pulled it out of the menu. My studio logo was printed on the finish, nice and small. I handed it to him.

  Kirito snapped the white blade into the sheath and placed the entire thing in his window screen. I thought he might just leave both of them equipped, but apparently not.

  “Was that…a secret?”

  “Yeah, kinda. It’d do me a solid if you didn’t tell anyone.”

  “Aye-aye.”

  A player’s skill information was his lifeline. If someone didn’t want you snooping, you had to obey. But more importantly, the fact that he’d considered me worthy of seeing his secret in action filled me with delight.

  “So.” Kirito placed his hands on his hips and looked at me. “That finished up our deal. How much do I owe you?”

  “Uhh, erm…”

  I bit my lip for a moment—then spoke what I’d been feeling in my heart.

  “I don’t need any money for it.”

  “…Pardon?”

  “Instead, I want to be your personal blacksmith.”

  His eyes widened slightly.

  “What…do you mean by that…?”

  “When you’re done with an adventure, come here for maintenance. Every day. From here on out.”

  My heartbeat was racing now. Was it just a virtual effect, or was my real heart racing just as quickly? My cheeks were hot. My entire face must have been bright red.

  Even Kirito, he of the effortless poker face, blushed and looked down when he realized what I meant. He’d always seemed older than me, but that simple gesture made him feel the same age, or perhaps even younger.

  I summoned my courage and took a step forward, taking hold of Kirito’s hand.

  “Kirito…I…”

  I’d shouted the same words at the top of my lungs when we burst out of the dragon’s lair, but now that I was saying them face-to-face, my tongue wouldn’t move. I stared into Kirito’s black eyes, willing myself to put the feelings into words, when…

  The door of the workshop slammed open. I let go of Kirito and leaped away.

  “Liz, I was so worried!!”

  The visitor shouted and raced inside, barreling into me with a massive bear hug. Long chestnut-brown hair danced through the air.

  “A-Asuna…”

  She leaned in close to my stunned face, glaring, then proceeded to tear into me.

  “None of my messages reached you, I couldn’t find you on the map, none of the regulars knew where to find you—where the heck did you go last night? I even went to Blackiron Palace to make sure the worst hadn’t happened!”

  “S-sorry, sorry. I just got stuck in a dungeon…”

  “A dungeon?! You?! By yourself?!”

  “N-no, with him…”

  I glanced over Asuna’s shoulder. She spun around, saw the black swordsman standing there awkwardly, and froze in place, her eyes and mouth open wide. Then, her voice a full octave higher than usual—

  “K-Kirito?”

  “Yes?!”

  Now it was my turn to be shocked. I turned to look at Kirito, who was just as stock-still as Asuna. He cleared his throat lightly and raised a hand in greeting.

  “Hi, Asuna. It’s been a while…if two days counts as a while, I guess.”

  “Y-yes…you startled me. So you decided to visit. If you’d just said something, I would have joined you.”

  She clasped her hands behind her and smiled shyly, the heels of her boots clicking on the floor. I noticed the spots of pink on her cheeks…

  And understood everything.

  It wasn’t coincidence that Kirito came here. Asuna had recommended my shop to him, as she promised me she would. He was the boy she had a crush on.

  Oh my God…What should I do?

  The words spun in circles throughout my head. It felt like all the warmth of my body was flowing away, escaping out of my toes. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t find the proper outlet for how I felt…

  Asuna turned back to me and chirped, “He wasn’t rude to you, was he, Liz? I bet he gave you some ridiculous request.”

  She looked briefly puzzled. “But, wait…does that mean you were with Kirito last night?”

  “Um…listen…” I forced myself forward, grabbing Asuna’s hand and pushing the door open. Before we walked out, I turned around and spoke quickly and professionally in Kirito’s direction, careful not to look directly at him.

  “Just a minute. I’ll be right back…”

  I pulled Asuna out into the storefront, shut the door behind us, and wove through the shelves of inventory to the front door.

  “W-wait, Liz, what’s going on?” Asuna asked, clearly baffled, but I kept heading for the main street, my pace quick. I couldn’t be around Kirito another moment. If I didn’t escape the workshop, I was afraid I’d take it out on him.

  Asuna seemed to realize the gravity of the situation, as she followed without another word. Finally, I let go of her hand.

  We went into the east-facing alley across the street, where there was a small open-air café, almost hidden beneath a tall stone wall. There were no other customers there. I picked out a table in the corner and sat down in the white chair.

  Asuna took the seat across from me and peered into my face, clearly concerned.

  “What’s the matter, Liz…?”

  I flashed her a big smile, trying to summon all of my energy. It was the same easy smile I always used when we chatted about silly rumors.

  “That’s him, isn’t it?” I crossed my arms and glanced at her.

  “H-huh?”

  “The boy you like!”

  “Oh…” She looked down, her shoulders hunching, then nodded. Her cheeks were pink again. “Yeah.”

  I widened my grin, trying to ignore the sudden lance of pain that shot through my chest.

  “Well, he certainly is very strange.”

  “Did Kirito…do anything to you?” She looked worried. I gave her a hearty nod.

  “He certainly did. Within two minutes, he’d broken the nicest sword in my shop.”

  “Oh no…I’m so sorry…”

  “It’s not like it’s your fa
ult, Asuna.”

  The sight of her apologizing, hands clasped together, only made the throbbing in my heart worse.

  C’mon, Lisbeth. You can do this…just a bit more.

  I did my best to keep my smile going.

  “Well, anyway, the properties of the sword he wanted required a very rare type of metal, so we had to go to an upper floor to find it. When we got there, we fell into a trap that was pretty tricky to get out of, and that’s why it took a while to get home.”

  “I see…So even if you’d tried to send me a message, it wouldn’t have reached me…”

  “We probably should have invited you along. I’m sorry.”

  “No, I was busy with guild work anyway…So did you make the sword?”

  “Yep, all done. I never want to undertake such a bother of a job again, though.”

  “You’d better make sure you get a nice hefty price tag out of it!”

  We laughed together. I wrung the final words out, still holding that smile.

  “Well, he’s kind of weird, but he’s not a bad person. I hope it all goes well for you, Asuna.”

  It was as far as I could get. The last word trembled out of my lips.

  “Um, yeah. Thanks…” Asuna nodded, peering into my face, her head tilted in curiosity. I vigorously stood up before she could see what was threatening to well up behind my eyelids.

  “Ah, crap! I forgot that I promised to stock up on some stuff. I need to go down and pick it up!”

  “Huh? What about the store…What about Kirito?”

  “You handle him, Asuna! Thanks!”

  I turned on my heel and dashed away, waving to Asuna over my shoulder. I couldn’t turn around to face her.

  Once I’d run far enough toward the teleport gate square that I couldn’t be seen from the café, I turned the corner to the south. I ran straight for the corner of the town, in search of a place I could be alone, my mind in tumult. When my vision blurred, I wiped my eyes clean. Over and over.

  The next thing I knew, I was standing before the wall that surrounded the town. There was a line of evenly spaced trees planted along the gentle curve of the wall. I stopped in the shade of one of them, clutching the branches to stay upright.

  “Sng…sob…”

  The sounds escaped from the depths of my throat. The tears I’d been trying hard to hold back spilled forth, forging lines down my cheeks.