Chapter 321: Who Do You Think This Is All Because Of?!
The battlefield Edelweiss had prepared was an open space.
However, although it was an open space, it was not completely empty.
Scattered trees grew here, and there were also many remnants of buildings.
After briefly looking around, Luke could not tell what this place had originally been used for, but he could at least tell that it had been abandoned for a very long time.
Seeing the faint sword marks left around the area, Luke asked Edelweiss with some interest,
"Is this your training ground?"
"…Not really. I've just occasionally come out here to clear my head recently."
When Edelweiss answered Luke, her tone sounded a little strange.
Luke silently looked around at the sword marks again.
'What a unique way to clear your head…'
After muttering that in his heart, Luke hesitated over whether he should ask.
To be honest, he was quite curious about what could make this pure-white swordsman come out here to "vent" from time to time.
But considering this was only the second time they had met, they could not exactly be called close. It was not very convenient to ask a question related to personal privacy.
Even so, Luke was still a little worried.
From the messy sword marks around them, he could easily tell Edelweiss's state at the time.
Rage, dissatisfaction, irritation, unrest…
Although Luke had only fought her once, that was already enough for him to understand what kind of person Edelweiss was through her sword.
These negative emotions should have been very difficult to appear in someone like her.
That obviously abnormal state made Luke unable to stop himself from worrying.
'Could it be some kind of aftereffect from the soul injury last time?'
Mental and soul-related matters had never been Luke's strong point.
The mental side was relatively better. As his sword intent and Sword Domain gradually grew stronger, he could not be called skilled in the mental field, but he was not completely ignorant either.
If it were a mental issue, Luke could still help.
But the soul was completely different.
Although Luke now had a weapon born from the manifestation of his soul, unlike before, his understanding of the soul was still close to nothing.
If Edelweiss had truly suffered some aftereffect because of that soul injury, Luke would not only be unable to help, but would also feel extremely sad because of it.
After all…
What a perfect opponent.
If a flaw appeared in her, Luke would feel so terrible he might die.
With that thought in mind, he ultimately could not help probing.
"I heard getting angry often isn't very good for the skin…"
"???"
After hearing Luke clearly, Edelweiss froze in place.
For a moment, she failed to understand what he meant.
But immediately after that, when she noticed Luke's small movement of glancing at the sword marks around them, as well as the confusion and concern flickering in his eyes as he looked at her, Edelweiss understood.
The instant she understood, a visible blush spread across her face.
However, this time, it was not because she was embarrassed.
It was because she was angry!
Boom—!
A massive wave of sword energy suddenly appeared.
At the same time, her angry voice rang out.
"Who do you think this is all because of?!"
Edelweiss's voice was clear and beautiful, as pleasant to the ear as a song.
The anger carried in her words even weakened her sacred, untouchable aura slightly, replacing it with a faint hint of pouting.
However, Luke currently had no spare attention to appreciate Edelweiss's rare expression.
Compared to her moving voice and beautiful figure, the sharp sword energy that appeared out of nowhere was terrifying in the complete opposite way.
In her anger, Edelweiss held nothing back with this strike.
That silent, lightning-fast sword swing was like a true flash of light.
After only a single flicker, sword energy appeared out of thin air and attacked Luke.
Although Edelweiss's sword swing made no sound, the sword energy's movement was anything but quiet.
The violent sword energy instantly closed in on Luke, leaving a huge and vicious trail along the way.
Slash—!
The sound of something being cut rang out.
What had been cut apart was that fierce sword energy.
The Starfall Sword was drawn in an instant, and under the effect of its "cutting" ability, Edelweiss's anger-filled strike was casually dissolved by Luke.
However, there was no joy on his face.
Even the smile he usually wore had disappeared at this moment.
"…S-So it really was my fault."
Luke's mood seemed somewhat low.
He had clearly heard every word Edelweiss said when she swung her sword just now.
The thought, 'So it really is because the soul injury from before left behind aftereffects,' instantly fixed itself in his mind.
"What is your current condition like?"
'Will it affect our battle this time?'
That second half was what Luke truly wanted to ask.
However, no matter what, Luke was not foolish enough to ask that directly.
Simply asking about the other person's condition was enough.
That way, he could both show that he cared and smoothly obtain the information he wanted.
Perfect!
This was something he had learned from Ikki.
Apparently, it was called "a high emotional intelligence way of asking questions."
Luke originally did not believe it, but looking at Edelweiss's reaction now, it seemed to really be useful.
Otherwise, why would she have stopped?
Indeed, Edelweiss had stopped.
Her left hand, which had been about to release a second strike, paused in midair.
She looked at Luke with some hesitation.
'Why does he look so down?'
'C-Could there be some hidden reason…?'
"My condition is fine… Something of this level is not enough to have any real effect on me."
After hearing Luke's question, Edelweiss hesitated several times before answering him.
Luke's change made her feel as though there might be some misunderstanding here.
"At most, it only made me a little irritated."
Actually, thinking back on it, it was not really a big deal.
During this period, Luke had indeed been using the Rule of Grace to tease her mind, but just as she said, something of that level was at most irritating. It could not be called an actual effect.
If there truly was some reason behind it, and Luke had no choice but to trigger the Rule of Grace so many times…
As she thought about it, Edelweiss suddenly wondered whether she had made too much of a small issue.
That was true too.
If it were someone else, there was no way she would pay this much attention.
It was only because Luke had once defeated her that she paid him special attention.
For a powerhouse at Edelweiss's level, understanding her own heart was something she could do as easily as raising her hand.
Almost instantly, she thought things through.
'Perhaps someone related to the plan has been frequently coming into contact with him recently.'
'Right, I heard there were some unexpected issues with the plan. It seems someone might have betrayed Rebellion.'
'Maybe the traitor came into contact with Luke?'
As she thought this, Edelweiss's mood slowly calmed down.
Once again, she returned to being the sacred and awe-inspiring peak of this world.
On the other side, Luke was also relieved after receiving Edelweiss's answer.
Since it would not affect their battle, there was nothing to worry about.
His fighting spirit rose again.
His battle intent boiled once more.
However, after this interruption, Luke remembered something extremely important.
He rubbed his forehead somewhat awkwardly, paused for a moment, then spoke to Edelweiss.
"Right, um… actually, there's something I want to ask you."
"Your Noble Art is called Rule of Grace, right?"
"The effect of that skill for training is just too good. The vow has already expired as of now, so if possible, let's make another vow."
"???"
Edelweiss stared blankly at Luke, her entire body stiffening in place as her thoughts came to a complete halt.
…
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