Happy New Year!

Entering new year,

Hopefully your minds stay clear

By not drinking beer.

Ok, that's lame. At least I didn't post a lame picture.

I posted Two!

To the left is what Kuroge Wagyu beef looks like, and the right is the source. Those of you who are rich enough might be feasting on this this year!

To usher in the new year, I think I'll put up some Rondo too.

Rondo of the Transient Sword

Part 15

There was no doubt about it.

Yesterday night, when I followed the blacksmith Nezuha to the bar, this was the leader of the five men, his friends, who were waiting at the bar. Despite his humourous appearance, i couldn't forget those sharp eyes of his when he noticed signs of eavesdropping and ran out of the store looking for me. I looked at the player standing beside the onion head, intending to check them out, but it did not seem that they were comrades of Nezuha who were at the bar.

"Why…… Is that guy……!?"

Overhearing my quiet mumble, Asuna glanced at me with questioning eyes. At her gaze, I pointed in the direction of the rear of the battlefield.

"Over there, do you know the names of the three people in the reserve team? In particular, the person in the middle wearing the bassinet. "

"Ba, Bassi……? Isn't that, a net for babies to use?"

"Heh? N,No…… The helmet with the pointed top and the beak-shaped visor is called the bassinet……"

"Fuun……I wonder if it's a different spelling. Oh, not being able to check a dictionary in this world at times like this is frustrating. I wonder if someone made one."

"Well, It's not like it is impossible to recreate an English to Japanese Dictionary by hand……. If it is something like a simple encyclopedia, that fellow Argo said there was a plan to find volunteers to help with it…… wait, that's not it."

Rerailing after I almost lost the topic, I pointed to the back of the basin again.

"The middle of the reserve group, the one with a little rounded body, have you seen him before?"

"I have."

As Asuna nodded lightly, I stood rigid momentarily. Turning my neck quickly, while looking closely at the rapier user's face closely I asked many questions rapidly.

"W,when did you see this? Where? He, who is he?"

"The time, is yesterday morning. The place, where he is standing right now. While scouting the «Bullbous Bull», he came along. His name…… If I'm not wrong, O.....Orlando-san or something, I think."

"Orlando……? Previously it was a knight, now we have a Paladin-sama……"

While I muttered, Asuna raised her eyebrows; What are you going on about?

The main battlefield was filled with noise as usual, while I watched the state of the three men patiently waiting in the rear, I explained while speaking quickly.

"That Orlando, is the name of a knight who served Emperor Charlemagne of France. He was an invincible hero who held the Sacred Sword Durandal. "

"Knight…… Ah, I see."

Asuna's words were as if they were satisfied with something, so it was my turn to tilt my head. The rapier user's fingers extended, and pointed to the right of the onion headed paladin Orlando, at a small framed two handed sword user.

"During self introduction, that man introduced himself as Beowulf. That is, certainly, a legendary English Hero, right? Then, the spear user on the opposite is Cú Chulainn-san. Here too, is a somehow familiar name……"

"Ah-…… That is also the name of a legendary hero. I think its Celtic."

I added some supplementary information, and Asuna shrugged without any change in her expression, saying the clincher.

"Those people, seem to have determined their guild name before any others. It is called the «Legend Braves»."

"……Is that so……Un……Uu――――n!!"

I gave a long groan. I couldn't think of any other reaction to give.

Of course, you can freely give an avatar in an MMO all kinds of names…… No, free as long as it does not violate the governing body's established ethics code. Naming themselves after knights and heroes, and a guild name «Legendary heroes», is absolutely not a problem at all. In other words, it would be unusual for those kind of names not to be taken and are left unused.

However, as the avatar integrated into the VRMMO is fully your own, I couldn't help feeling that they were quite courageous.

Even so――. Their naming was a sign of their pride. In these worlds, they would try to live up to the names of the heroes. You could laugh that it was because of the «Mistakes of youth», but no one could do that now. That was because Orlando, Beowulf and Cu Chulainn these three people, at this time, were standing majestically just behind the front line raiding party in the death game of SAO. If we were to compare their distance to mine, there is a difference of two hundred meters.

" … … Those people came to join the frontline player's raid meeting in Marome Village yesterday, and said that they wanted to do it together."

Without waiting for me to ask, Asuna muttered.

"Lind-san checked the status, their level and skill proficiency was below the average of most raid groups, but their equipment were strengthened quite well…… Although it was impossible to join the front line immediately, being in the reserve was enough. Since I wasn't participating, I did not ask for those people for their reasons of coming here."

"……I see……. That is how it is……"

While nodding slowly, i looked at the three heroes with a lot of mixed feelings.

I still haven't told Asuna yet, that he is the blacksmith Nezuha's comrade…… In other words, based on the situation I saw at the tavern, Nezuha might be a part of the «Legend Braves». Although «Nezuha» isn't the name of a knight or a hero, that was because he wasn't a combat specialist but a producer class.

Furthermore, I could deduce something else from that.

Neither Asuna nor i recognized that name, in other words this three did not participate in the first floor's boss raid, but the reason they were able to catch up to the front line players…… That is……――.

"Bullllomo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-U!!"

Suddenly, a very loud roar resounded, and my sights went within the basin. Soon, a second "Oy oy" came out from my mouth.

The reason was, both the blue and green subtly different teams of Lind and Kibaou, had clumped together in the middle of the basin. Somehow, the cow boss Bullbous Bow did not know which party was the target, and the Wagyu beef began charging left and right, colliding with everything in its path. The shield bearing tank's stance was off―― Heavily Armed warriors took a longer time to recover from Tumble―― so they were not yet in a defensive stance.

"It's dangerous……!"

Asuna whispered sharply,

"Dash to avoid the attack!"

My voice shouldn't have been heard, but Kibaou and Lind finally waved their right hands, the light and middle armored members, eight of them, scattered in various directions.

However, they just did not make it in time――.

The rampaging bull passed through the gap between the shield wielding warriors that had just got up, and targeted the two people up ahead with its four horns. As it's head moved up vertically, the two people were sent flying up high upwards.

"…………!!"

Asuna and I held our breaths at the same time. When they fell down from the middle of the sky, I was expecting the two avatars to fragment into shards, but―― it seemed fortunate that the pasture below did not give any further damage, and the two people got up after a few bounds. However, the mental impact was considerable, as they couldn't get to their feet steadily.

Lind quickly waved his hand―― Probably an instruction for them to retreat and use a recovery pot―― At the same time Kibaou looked at the back of the battlefield and brandished the sword in his right hand.

At the time the cow started its dash back towards the depths of the basin, the names of the two were dropped, and the same number from the reserve players moved to the front to replace them.

The bassinet wearing paladin Orlando, and the two handed sword armed Beowulf. They ran a few meters, then hesitantly stopped. But right after that, Asuna and I heard the war cry from the top of the summit where we were hiding in, as they began running forward.

Orlando took a round shield that was hidden up till now from the left side of his waist with his right hand and extended it outward. The black steel one handed sword that he vigorously pulled out, was definitely the same type as the sword strapped to my back―― The semi rare quest reward available only on the first floor, the «Anneal Blade».