Chapter 353: Luke Gets Curious!
Luke had climbed all the way up here himself, so naturally, he had gained a direct understanding of the place where Edelweiss lived.
Although it was not too detailed, he had personally experienced it for the time being.
The scenery here was undeniably superb, but at the same time, it was an extremely dangerous dead zone.
Almost the entire mountainside was made up of cliffs, with very few places to stand.
There was not even any shelter on the mountain, and the wind was so strong it felt like blunt weapons slamming directly into one's body.
At the same time, the oxygen in the ultra-high-altitude environment was incomparably thin.
Even breathing was uncomfortable. This truly was not a place humans should live.
Only monsters like Edelweiss or Luke, whose bodies were gradually approaching the inhuman realm, could normally drink tea and chat in such an environment.
But to be honest, even with a small house built here, this location could not possibly be called comfortable.
Since he did not understand, Luke simply asked.
He looked at Edelweiss and said,
"Since you were looking forward to people visiting you, why did you build your home in a place like this?"
"You should know how difficult it is for others to climb up here…"
Luke's question made Edelweiss shift her wandering gaze back.
She looked at Luke, then finally sighed somewhat helplessly.
"I had no choice."
"Since you came to Sword Peak Edelberg, I assume you passed through Estonia, right?"
"Even if you were only passing through, you should have heard some rumors about me there."
"An international wanted criminal… Although things are no longer as fanatical as they were in the past, all kinds of people still come to trouble me for all kinds of reasons."
"You saw the situation in the village at the foot of the mountain, didn't you? If I built my home somewhere more convenient, there would probably be so many 'visitors' that I wouldn't even have time to rest."
"I don't hate challenges, but when it comes to opponents who aren't even worth drawing my sword against, I really can't bring myself to entertain them."
At this point, Edelweiss could not help sighing again.
After hearing her explanation, Luke nodded with deep understanding.
He had once experienced something similar.
Whether in Asterisk City or Orario, after Luke became famous, the moment he was recognized on the street, he would immediately become the focus of countless eyes.
The emotions contained in those chaotic gazes varied wildly.
In terms of feeling, it was truly unpleasant.
Clearly, Edelweiss's problem was far more complicated than what he had once experienced.
So from a certain point of view, building her home in such an isolated place was indeed something she had no choice but to do.
Moreover…
"Those people are not the guests I want to entertain either."
Edelweiss changed the topic.
Although her tone was still calm, Luke faintly heard a certain hidden meaning within it.
"People who cannot even withstand sword energy, cannot even reach the peak, cannot even cross that small trace of fate aura, and some who simply have no self-awareness at all."
"Such 'guests' are not qualified to receive my hospitality."
Edelweiss was indeed kind, but that did not mean she was easy to deal with.
Do not forget, no matter what, she was the strongest person known as the Peak of This World, and she was also the most evil criminal in the world, carrying hundreds of thousands of lives on her back.
Kindness was only relative.
It depended on the target.
Twin-Wings Edelweiss was not some weak person who hesitated over everything.
Those "trash" without ability, forget being entertained by her, were not even qualified to meet her.
The Desperado aura that covered the entire mountain together with her sword energy was precisely a so-called trial of "qualification."
Those who could not surpass even this fate, which seemed as thin as paper in Edelweiss's eyes, naturally had no connection to her.
As the strongest, Edelweiss possessed pride worthy of her status.
"I see. So that's why you don't have friends."
Pfft—!
A direct hit!
Luke's instinctive comment was like a sharp sword, directly piercing Edelweiss's heart.
Her complexion instantly turned incomparably pale.
Even her body, seated on the chair, began to sway slightly.
Unable to refute him at all, Edelweiss was directly sunk.
"Uu… A-Anyway, I don't have friends."
"Other than practicing swordsmanship, I don't know how to do anything. My only interests are eating and drinking, things with no feminine charm at all…"
"Heh. Those things people online call 'old maids' and 'leftover women' must be referring to someone like me, right?"
"I don't have any real social circle. Not only do I have no friends, I'm nearly thirty and still unmarried… I haven't even dated anyone…"
"Heh. Hehehe. Hahaha…"
As Edelweiss spoke, her mood began to become strange.
A heavy, gloomy aura filled the room.
Her gaze gradually drifted into the distance, and dry laughter continued escaping from her mouth.
Looking at Edelweiss like this, Luke felt awkward, but also sensed an inexplicable sadness.
It was almost as though if this topic continued, certain precious things inside Edelweiss's heart would disappear little by little.
Luke sat stiffly on the chair.
The heavy air pressed down on him, making him afraid to move.
To be honest, he really had not expected Edelweiss to care about this issue so much.
All this time, Luke had rarely interacted with older unmarried women.
In fact, if he had to name someone he had a fairly good relationship with, there was only Riveria.
However, although Riveria was also unmarried despite being rather old, she was an elf.
As a member of a long-lived race, if one calculated according to her own race's age, Riveria was actually still in the "young girl" stage.
She might also worry about romance and marriage, but in the end, it was only worry. It could not be considered anxiety.
Moreover, the lives of adventurers were very different from those of people in modern society, so they basically could not be used as a reference.
Because of that, Luke had no idea at all how sensitive a woman over twenty-five and gradually approaching thirty could be toward this kind of topic.
However, even if he did not understand, feeling the pressure in the air grow heavier and heavier, Luke knew he had to change the subject.
Otherwise, the pure-white woman before him might truly go berserk.
"S-Speaking of which, since you care about this so much, have you ever thought about what your requirements for your other half would be?"
"Eh?!"
Luke's skill level in changing the subject had clearly been maxed out long ago.
The moment he spoke, he instantly drew Edelweiss's attention.
She looked at Luke, thought about the question he had raised, then solemnly nodded after a while.
"Indeed… What you said makes sense. I never considered such an important issue before."
Clearly, Edelweiss had taken this matter to heart.
She lowered her head and began thinking with extreme seriousness.
The disappearance of the heavy atmosphere made Luke sigh in great relief.
However, while he relaxed, he also felt somewhat curious.
After all, he could not imagine at all what kind of standard someone as powerful as Edelweiss would use to choose her other half.
…
(PS: Vote for more chapters this week. If this fanfic reaches 100+ powerstones, I will increase the daily upload frequency. Also, don't forget to write a review!)
---
Read more than 20 chapters in advance:
patréon.com/tom22
Replace "é" with "e" on your web browser.
---
For Audiobook:
youtube.com/@animefic22