-416- The anticipated arrival

Time flew by, and without realizing it, several days had passed.

It had been a full two weeks since Rozen announced his vacation and began living a secluded life on the 22nd floor.

During these two weeks, the first week was with Rozen and Asuna living together, while the second week involved Rozen, Asuna, and Yui forming a family together. From a societal perspective, this was a significant leap.

For the three of them, this transition was profound.

Rozen, a recluse who had never even had a girlfriend, was now living with a beautiful, gentle, and skilled young woman.

Asuna, who had been receiving an elite education within her family, was now part of an unconventional family.

And Yui, who had only existed for two years and had been kept isolated from others, had become a part of what seemed like a typical family of three. It was indeed an unexpected turn of events.

However, all three of them found great contentment in this life they were building together.

Rozen, in particular, enjoyed having a charming and capable young woman who cooked and took care of him like a wife. He also cherished having an adorable and intelligent daughter who called him "Papa" every day.

While it had taken some getting used to initially, he now relished every moment.

Every night, the three of them would sleep in the same bed, sharing warmth, discussing small matters, topics, and stories before drifting off to sleep together, creating a peaceful and harmonious environment.

As Argo would put it, "Living the good life."

Despite its simplicity and tranquility, their life held deep meaning for them. However, they all knew that this kind of life couldn't last forever.

Recently, Asuna had been hearing Rozen muttering a phrase repeatedly, "It should be about time." She knew exactly what he meant.

It's simple, the clearing of the 75th floor.

It had been two weeks now, which was quite an adequate amount of time for clearing a floor. On average, clearing a floor took around ten days, with minor variations occurring every ten floors or every twenty-five floors.

The 75th floor was a high-difficulty floor, just like the 25th and 50th floors, and its challenges only grew greater.

However, compared to the past, the clearing group had grown significantly, and they now had unique skilled players like Kirito. Considering the danger, it shouldn't be too extreme before the floor's boss.

Although the news mentioned some setbacks, overall, there were no casualties, making it a fortunate situation.

Now, after two weeks, the clearing group, with their current strength, should have already found the boss room on the 75th floor. Asuna thought about it but didn't bring it up.

Yui, after recovering her memories, no longer seemed clueless and appeared to have guessed something, but she didn't bring it up intentionally. The three of them continued to enjoy a wonderfully memorable life together.

Until one day...

A notification icon flashed in front of Rozen, who was sitting on the couch reading a newspaper. It was a message from someone.

"...."

Rozen stared at the icon for a moment, as if sensing what the message contained, without opening it immediately. Even without opening it, Rozen knew what the message was about.

He looked ahead of him.

Yui, who had been leaning against the couch, was fast asleep.

Saichou and Hanachou, too, were resting against Yui, peacefully asleep.

The sight of an adorable girl sleeping soundly with two butterflies was like a beautiful painting, and it made Rozen smile involuntarily. He reached out and lightly touched Yui's cheek.

"Umm..."

Yui, in her deep sleep, furrowed her brows slightly and rolled over, muttering something in her dreams.

"Papa... Mama..."

Her soft call escaped her lips, and her serene expression seemed incredibly content as she slept soundly.

Just watching this scene, Rozen felt that his life was truly worthwhile.

"I've come a long way down this irreversible path..."

Rozen chuckled and extended his hand once more. This time, it wasn't to touch Yui's cheek but to open the message that awaited him.

As he expected, the message contained the following:

"The boss room on the 75th floor has been discovered."

The sender of this message was Kirito.

And at the end of the message, there was a sentence that conveyed regret clearly.

"There have already been casualties."

Seeing this, Rozen's expression hardened, and he fell silent.

At this moment, Asuna emerged from the room.

"Rozen..."

Asuna, coming out of her room, wore a heavy expression on her face. Upon closer inspection, she was holding a half-finished piece of clothing in her hand.

It was a garment she was making for Yui.

Since Yui had always worn the same white dress, Asuna had decided to handcraft a new outfit for her. She even added the "Sewing" skill to her skill slots and, after several days of practice, had gained enough proficiency to start working on it today.

Unfortunately, this particular outfit was never going to be completed.

From Asuna's expression, it was clear that she had received a message from the guild members as well.

In fact, Asuna had long been mentally prepared to return to the frontlines sooner or later.

However, those words in the message would weigh heavily on anyone who read them.

"Is this the first time there have been casualties?"

Asuna couldn't help but speak, her voice filled with sorrow. Aside from the players fighting all over Aincrad since the 1st floor, when Rozen had been leading parties to clear floor bosses, there had been no casualties during the boss battles.

Except for the severe consequences brought about by Kibaou's unilateral decision on the 25th floor, no one had lost their life during these boss fights.

Now, after a year and a half, there had been casualties again. This happened while Rozen had temporarily left the front lines.

"The members in our guild keep urging me to bring you back as soon as possible."

Asuna smiled faintly but with a tinge of bitterness. Rozen sighed too.

It wasn't possible for him to feel completely unaffected by the fact that there had been casualties due to his absence.

However, he didn't believe his departure was a crime; that would be an unwarranted self-condemnation.

But one thing was certain.

"We need to return to the front lines."

Rozen made this decision with a calm tone. Although Asuna found it regrettable, she had long prepared herself for this.

However...

"What about Yui?"

Asuna posed this difficult question, leaving Rozen in a quandary.

"Papa... Mama..."

Yui lay on the couch, still murmuring their names.

Rozen and Asuna exchanged glances, both falling into silence.