Chương 1618: -1599- Disappeared? Don't know?
Rozen's return was filled with both nostalgia and surprise.
After all, from Rozen's perspective, he had been away from this world for over a decade—not just the two years others thought he was trapped in SAO, nor merely the two months he had disappeared.
Returning after decades, Rozen couldn't help but feel nostalgic seeing his family in this world again. Despite his normally composed mindset, he couldn't suppress a faint sense of longing and melancholy.
But beyond his sentimentality, what surprised Rozen more was that SAO had already been cleared.
When he left this world, Rozen had thought he hadn't defeated Kayaba Akihiko, let alone cleared the game, and believed that the people he knew were still trapped in SAO, unable to escape.
Only now, from Kirito's explanation, did Rozen learn that he had already defeated Kayaba Akihiko, freeing the players trapped in SAO.
As a result, two months ago, the players who had been imprisoned in SAO had returned to their families, including Kirito.
This made Rozen feel both relieved and worried.
The relief came from knowing that SAO had been cleared long before he left, and there was no longer any need to worry about the people he cared for still fighting in the game, their fate unknown.
Originally, Rozen had prepared himself to save Kirito and the others on this return trip, but to his surprise, they were already back, which allowed him to let out a breath of relief.
As for his worry, it was about Yui.
"I wonder how Yui is doing," Rozen thought with some concern.
In the wake of the game's clearance, Yui, the AI in SAO, might have encountered unforeseen complications.
If Yui was affected by the game's clearance and something went wrong, that would be a big problem.
Therefore, Rozen had already made up his mind to find Yui and figure out a way to bring her out of SAO.
For his adopted daughter, Rozen was truly invested.
There was no way Rozen would leave Yui's situation unattended.
But before that, there were still many things to be taken care of.
For example, he needed to explain his inexplicable disappearance to his family after their reunion.
One of the reasons there were police officers present was precisely because of this.
The death game orchestrated by Kayaba Akihiko had already caused a nationwide uproar.
With a thousand players trapped in the virtual world and many of them dying, the country couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
It was said that after the SAO incident, the Ministry of Internal Affairs set up an emergency response team to manage and carry out rescue operations for SAO.
Unfortunately, over the course of two years, the team had practically accomplished nothing.
Kayaba Akihiko's servers were not only difficult to hack into, but even if they could break in, there was no way to ensure that his protective protocols wouldn't be triggered, which might lead to the brains of a thousand players being "cooked" at once.
In such circumstances, no one dared touch SAO's servers recklessly, and there was no technology advanced enough to resolve the confinement brought by full-dive, leaving the nation helpless.
Thus, the only thing the emergency response team could do was transfer the victims to facilities with advanced medical equipment to maintain their vital signs.
Beyond that, they were able to release only a few player records to the public.
Thanks to this, coupled with testimonies from survivors after their awakening, the authorities knew that Rozen played a crucial role in the SAO incident. He wasn't just the leader of the clearing group, but he also provided protection for many players. Kayaba Akihiko, under the ID Heathcliff, was even defeated by Rozen, leading to the liberation of all the players. This had long drawn the attention of the higher-ups.
However, Rozen disappeared without a trace for two months following SAO's completion, only to reappear today in a hospital ward, discovered by a nurse.
Given this, not only were the hospital staff alarmed, but the nation's leaders as well, leading to the arrival of police officers and related personnel.
Now that Rozen had reunited with his family, they naturally wanted to question him.
And Rozen cooperated.
But...
"I don't know why I disappeared either."
Rozen gave a straightforward answer.
He told everyone that he had no recollection of the two months he'd been gone. After defeating Kayaba Akihiko and being freed from SAO, he woke up and found himself in the present moment.
As for what happened in the interim, he had no idea.
This left everyone astonished, looking at each other in confusion, with some even expressing disbelief.
If that were true, even if Rozen had been kidnapped before he woke up, he had been bedridden for more than two years, with his body sustained by intravenous feeding the whole time, without ever consuming solid food. His physical condition should have deteriorated to the point where even walking would be difficult.
In fact, Kirito had undergone grueling rehabilitation for two months, and many other SAO players were still unable to be discharged from the hospital.
Yet Rozen, on the other hand, was full of energy, bouncing around like nothing had happened, showing no signs of having been unconscious for so long.
Naturally, this led to suspicion.
But that was irrelevant to Rozen.
"Anyway, when I woke up, this is how I was. I don't know anything else. I'm just as surprised."
Rozen stuck to this explanation.
In the end, the officials left, unable to get anything more out of him.
Only the Kirigaya family remained, sharing in the joy of their reunion.
"To be honest, when I found out you were missing, I had no idea what to do. The thought that you might never come back made me hate myself. I kept asking why I didn't rush in and face Kayaba with you back then."
Kirito was visibly regretful.
Looking closely, you could see dark circles under his eyes, and his body, still weak from incomplete rehabilitation, looked much thinner than before. His complexion was pale, a clear sign of his poor health.
And this was the result after two months of recovery.
Now, Kirito could be discharged from the hospital and return home, but he had been extremely worried about Rozen all this time. It seemed the last two months had not been easy for him.
If even Kirito was like this, it was no surprise that Kirigaya Midori and Suguha, who had been separated from Rozen for two years, were in a similar state.
"Please, don't scare me like this again. I don't think I can handle it."
Kirigaya Midori's eyes turned red once more as she spoke.
Suguha had been teary-eyed since the beginning, tugging on Rozen's arm and refusing to let go.
This both surprised and comforted Rozen.
Before entering SAO, Suguha had become distant from him and Kirito, far from the close relationship they had as children, acting more like strangers.
But now, Suguha seemed to have returned to her clingy childhood self, saying nothing, just holding Rozen's arm as if afraid he might disappear again, a sight that was truly heart-wrenching.
"Didn't I come back?"
Rozen responded softly to them all.
This ordinary concern and familial love moved Rozen, and he patiently comforted everyone.
Afterward...
"Kirito."
Rozen looked at him.
"Do you know how everyone else is doing?"
Rozen started asking about the others.
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