Chapter 351: Pastry Chef Edelweiss!
"…"
Stare—!
"W-Why are you staring at me…"
Stare—!
"Does it look strange when I dress like this after all?"
Stare—!
"D-Don't look anymore!"
Stare—!
"…"
Stare—!
Whoosh—!
Clang—!
The clear sound of crossed swords echoed across the empty mountaintop.
Edelweiss, who had grown more and more embarrassed under his gaze, realized that Luke was not reacting no matter what she said.
Out of sudden shame and irritation, she directly materialized her Device, Testament.
But she did not use her full strength.
As the platinum longsword in her hand transformed into a streak of sword light, Edelweiss let out a soft shout filled with both dissatisfaction and shyness.
"Just how long are you going to keep staring?!"
Luke, meanwhile, summoned Starfall Sword completely on instinct and blocked Edelweiss's strike.
His accumulated training and extremely rich combat experience allowed him to stop an ordinary attack even while he was dazed.
Some things had long since been carved into his bones.
However, Edelweiss had never truly intended to attack Luke in the first place.
This strike successfully pulled him back from his distracted state.
Silently putting away Starfall Sword, Luke looked at Edelweiss, who had also withdrawn her Device and still had a trace of embarrassed anger on her face.
He opened his mouth awkwardly, unsure of what to say.
There was nothing to explain, because he really had stared blankly.
Edelweiss truly was beautiful, but that was not the entire reason Luke had frozen.
More than that, it was the contrast and conflict between the ethereal, almost goddess-like air around her now and the impressions she had left during their previous two meetings.
The impression Edelweiss had left on him was extremely deep, but it had not been beauty.
It had been strength.
Ultimate strength.
Two meetings, two battles.
Although they had spoken a little after each battle, on such miserable battlefields, Luke had never had the leisure to carefully observe Edelweiss's beauty.
After all, even though both battles ended in his victory, the pressure Edelweiss gave him was not something that could be underestimated.
Luke was not careless enough to leisurely appreciate someone's outfit while facing an opponent known as the world's strongest.
Forget everything else.
Just the terrifying aura spreading around her was enough to make anyone dismiss any strange thoughts.
Under those circumstances, aside from caution and the thought of going all out, it was difficult for any other thoughts to arise.
But this time was different.
This third meeting was also the first time they had met for a reason other than battle.
With a little less vigilance and a little more composure, Luke now had more room to care about things outside of fighting.
Although…
He had cared a little too much.
Rubbing his forehead awkwardly, Luke hesitated for a moment, then decided to change the subject.
"Uh… I came to deliver your things."
"Your coat and the food were all with me before, right? I promised to bring them over to you back then, so I came."
"…And you told me to come find you at Sword Peak when I had time."
Of course, Edelweiss noticed Luke rubbing his forehead.
Although they had not met many times, she had still remembered this habit of his.
People had all sorts of small habits.
Touching their nose, touching their hair, covering their face, scratching the back of their head, and so on.
But this was Edelweiss's first time seeing someone like Luke, who reached up and rubbed his forehead.
It was almost as though something was there, and the instant his mood changed, his hand instinctively went to touch it.
Feeling that it was a little novel, Edelweiss naturally remembered this action.
Through this action and the tone Luke used when speaking, she very easily guessed what Luke was thinking right now.
This immediately reassured Edelweiss.
Knowing that the other party was also a little embarrassed like her, she instead calmed down.
With a faint smile, Edelweiss turned sideways and cleared the doorway.
"Don't keep standing outside. Come in first."
…
Edelweiss's little house was not large, but it could not be called too small either.
Luke followed behind her and stepped through the door.
After only a few steps, he arrived in the living room.
After being guided to sit on a chair, Edelweiss walked to the side and brought over a pot of tea and two cups, placing them on the table.
"Luke, you're from the East, right? I heard that when friends visit each other in East, drinking tea is quite common."
"I also prepared some tea leaves. Try them."
Looking at the tea leaves, which were clearly different from those common in Europe, Luke did not know whether he was overthinking it, but he felt that Edelweiss might have specially prepared them to entertain him.
After all, although tea was popular in Europe too, the types and styles of tea were quite different from those in Eastern countries.
Normally, very few northern Europeans would keep Eastern tea leaves at home.
And this tea…
It had clearly been prepared in advance.
'Just when did she notice me?'
A trace of doubt flashed through Luke's mind, but he had no intention of digging into it.
After accepting the tea Edelweiss poured for him, Luke took a sip and planned to handle the "proper business" first.
The main purpose of this trip was still to return the things that had temporarily been placed with him to Edelweiss.
Visiting or chatting over tea could wait a little.
However, just as Luke was about to take the coat and food out of the Portable Pocket, he saw Edelweiss turn and walk away.
At the same time, her slightly apologetic voice rang out.
"Um, Luke, sit there and have some tea first. Wait just a little for me!"
As a guest should follow the host's lead, Luke, who was a little confused, gave a reply and stopped what he was doing.
He sat there drinking tea while watching Edelweiss hurriedly put on an apron.
Edelweiss glanced at the timer somewhat nervously.
After discovering that the timing was just right, she immediately sighed in relief.
Putting on thick heat-insulating gloves, she walked to the other side and reached out to open the iron door of the old brick oven.
Then, as Edelweiss took something out of the oven, the rich aroma of baked fruit instantly filled the entire room.
"Mm, it baked perfectly."
The freshly baked apple pie released a mellow and tempting fragrance.
The caramel-colored surface of the pie was also extremely appetizing.
Very satisfied with her masterpiece, Edelweiss happily nodded, placed the freshly baked apple pie onto a plate, and carried it to the table in front of Luke.
It was not only apple pie.
Edelweiss also successively brought over desserts such as cakes and cookies, quickly filling the entire table.
"Sorry for making you wait."
"Here, don't be polite. Hurry and try how it tastes."
"Apple pie is most delicious right after it comes out of the oven. I also added the honey you gave me. This is the dessert I'm most confident in."
"Eat as much as you like. There's more if it isn't enough. I made a lot, so don't worry about running out."
…
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