My SAO adventure is wrong, as expected

Chapter 61: The Bet with Heathcliff

Asuna went to the Knights of the Blood' headquarters to talk with Heathcliff.

Kirito seemed to have gone to Agil's shop, and Hachiman waited outside for Asuna. After a while, Asuna came running out in a fluster. "Hachiman-kun, it's bad! The guild leader said he wants to duel you!" "Huh?"

After asking carefully, it seemed that Heathcliff told Asuna, "If you can defeat me in a duel, I will agree to let you leave the guild." "In any case, the leader said for you to come to his room." "Got it."

Hachiman entered Heathcliff's room and cut straight to the point with his first words. "Are there conditions for leaving the guild? Isn't that a personal freedom?" "I understand what you're saying, but for us, this also involves certain risks. I can't just say 'go ahead' so easily." "Well, I guess I can understand that..."

"Leader, I'm not trying to quit the guild. I just want to keep some distance temporarily to think about some things... "Of course, I understand that. The real purpose of this incident is for me to fight Hachiman-kun equipped with that weapon. Since the last time I saw it, I've been very interested in that weapon. So, I'm only using this incident as an excuse to achieve that."

"You're unexpectedly a battle maniac."

Hachiman began to consider what to do. While thinking it over repeatedly, he noticed a contradiction.

'In the last battle, I didn't make the shield manifest as a weapon, so why does that guy insist it's a weapon? I remember the other day, too, he assumed it was a weapon from the start without any doubt.

No matter how you look at it, it should just be a small shield worn on the arm.

Although it did have a name, even knowing the meaning of that name, no one would assume from the start it was a weapon. That means...'

Hachiman shuddered at the conclusion he came to. 'Could it be that Heathcliff is Akihiko Kayaba? Though hard to believe, that's the only conclusion I can draw. After all, I initially thought his eyes looked very similar.'

With this suspicion, Hachiman started seriously thinking about what to do next. "Hachiman-kun?" "Hachiman-kun, you've been thinking for quite a while. Have you come to a conclusion?"

Having gathered his thoughts, Hachiman once again confirmed Asuna's leaving-the-guild condition with Heathcliff. "If you can beat me in a duel, I agree to Asuna-kun leaving." "There are no other conditions attached to that?" "Ah, of course not." "Understood. I accept this battle."

Asuna was at a loss, but Hachiman's next words shocked her. "But the opponent isn't me — it's Kirito." "What did you say?"

Heathcliff looked at Hachiman with a baffled expression and asked back, "You said 'if you can defeat me,' but didn't specify who?" "Oh, that's right. I did say that." "Well, you could call that sophistry, but as a trade, I want to make a proposal favorable to you." "Go ahead and say it."

"If Kirito loses, I will join the Knights of the Blood as Asuna's guard and adviser." "Hachiman-kun!?" Asuna let out a nearly desperate scream. "Oh?" Heathcliff watched Hachiman with great interest.

"One more addition: since this will spread quickly, I'm telling you beforehand, Kirito has a unique skill called Dual Blades. Dual Blades vs. the Holy Sword — let the Knights of the Blood host the duel. If they charge an entrance fee, they should earn considerable pure profit."

"Finally, even if Kirito loses, please give Asuna a day off. She needs time to prepare to move in with me." "Oh wow, congratulations on that."

Asuna, who couldn't follow the conversation, instantly blushed at those words. "You've received the report from Kuradeel, right? Though I don't know how that guy reported it, knowing your style, you must have investigated the facts. So I'm just here to handle the aftermath." "I see... I really apologize about him. To show my apology, I'll accept all your proposals."

"Negotiation settled. We'll leave for now and contact you once the time and place are decided." "Understood. I'll arrange it quickly."

After leaving the room, Asuna asked Hachiman: "Hachiman-kun, why make such a proposal? To that extent..." "We'll talk later, Asuna. Call Kirito and Argo to my place immediately."

Hearing the unusual tone in Hachiman's voice, Asuna stopped asking further. Once the four gathered at Hachiman's house, he explained the reason. "Here's the deal — I want Kirito to fight Heathcliff instead of me." "I don't mind..." "Hachi, be honest and explain the whole story, too." "The whole story?"

Asuna looked confused. Hachiman nodded and continued. "My guess may be wrong, but be prepared to hear this: Heathcliff may actually be Akihiko Kayaba." "What did you say!?" "Eh? Leader is...?"

Hachiman explained everything that happened just now and the earlier events. "But just this alone may not be enough reason, right?" "That's right, so I made several conditions. First, if Kirito wins, Asuna's wish is simply fulfilled." "Sure." "And if Kirito loses, I join the Knights of the Blood to observe Heathcliff from within." That way, we might find more evidence. Finally, by watching your battle up close and feeling your strength firsthand, even if the Dual Blades skill gets exposed, no one will dare attack you again."

"Hachiman-kun... to think you considered all this in such a short time..." "But Hachiman, I still don't quite understand some parts..."

Hachiman stopped Kirito's question. "Before explaining that, let me talk about the relationship between me and Akihiko Kayaba."

Kirito nodded heavily, clearly curious. "Actually, I met Mr. Kayaba once, shortly before the beta test started."

Hachiman then told Kirito the story of meeting Kayaba and how he got trapped in SAO. "I see, no wonder I initially felt Hachiman knew the game and battle knowledge so well — there were many mysterious things about him. I never pressed him, but now I understand." "Argo and I already knew some, but hearing it for the first time is still surprising." "That makes it more believable."

"It's possible." "I've wondered — is Kayaba really satisfied with the current state?" "What do you mean?"

Kirito began to share a suspicion he had. "Hachiman, suppose you are Kayaba, observing the world you created, right? Maybe there are cameras or some kind of image mechanism to watch key points, but do you think that's fun?" "If it were me, that'd be super boring."

Kirito nodded in agreement with Argo's words. "The best way to truly feel your efforts is by entering the game yourself, experiencing things with other players." "Right, that feels more real than just looking at external data."

"At that moment, I suddenly thought: Could Kayaba be somewhere in this world disguised as a player, watching us?"

The four agreed this was a very likely theory. "So why designate me as Heathcliff's opponent?" "Well, assuming we continue aiming to clear all 100 floors, do you think that Heathcliff would obediently remain as a player until the end?" "What do you mean?"

"Having someone who knows the entire game help clear it is like a kind of concierge service. He probably wouldn't do that. He might fake dying midway, or..." "Or?" "He might even set himself up as the final boss. That's what I think."

"The leader is the final boss."

This statement made the three fall into deep thought. "You can't rule that out completely." "If that's the case, the last person standing before him will probably be you, Kirito." "Oh?"

"Exactly. I don't get along well with Heathcliff, and I doubt I'll grow much more in the future. Old habits from being a test player run deep, and I think Heathcliff is the same. Knowing too much actually..." "Yeah, knowing too much can make your thinking rigid."

Argo agreed. "But you're different. I think you have infinite potential. So I hope you can truly feel Heathcliff's strength in this fight, then figure out how to surpass him. Consider it a plan for the future."

"Hey hey, Hachiman, you're expecting too much from me." "You've set a very high bar, little Kirito." "Even if I lose, it's okay." "Kirito-kun, do your best!" "Now I feel even more pressure..."

"I hope Argo will gather intel on Heathcliff assuming he is Kayaba." "Got it, I'll help for free on this, no business involved."

Later, they received contact from Heathcliff.

Since the newly opened 75th floor has an arena, the duel was officially scheduled there for the next day.