Chapter 100: Shamelessly Feasting on the World's Strongest's Food!t
After entering the Interdimensional Gate, Torajirou Shiro's field of vision expanded rapidly.
Clouds surrounded him, and the horizon spread out at the very edge of his sight.
"Don't let me catch the creator of this gate, or I swear I'll kick her ass with my boots!"
Along with Shiro's oath, his body began falling from an altitude of over ten thousand meters.
Fortunately, being both an adventurer and a Blazer gave Shiro extremely high resistance to cold. Otherwise, he would have frozen into an ice block while falling.
After using magic to descend for several minutes, Shiro finally saw a place where he could land.
It was a mountain peak that pierced straight into the sky. From halfway up the mountain and above, the scenery was a field of silver-white snow. Aside from a small wooden cabin, there was almost nowhere to stand on the mountain, as the entire surface was made of sheer cliffs and steep walls.
The air was also incredibly thin. It was hard to imagine what kind of person would choose to live here.
Shiro prepared to land in front of the cabin and ask its owner where this place was.
But the instant he approached the mountain peak, every hair on his body stood on end, and cold sweat unconsciously soaked his back.
An overwhelming pressure rushed toward Shiro. Only after getting close did he realize that a clear, heaven-shaking sword intent surrounded the mountain.
Just as Shiro hesitated over whether he should continue approaching, the cabin door opened.
"Stop there. If you continue forward, there will only be death."
A clear voice like a silver bell entered Shiro's ears and drew his gaze over.
White hair fluttered in the wind. Her silver-gray eyes seemed able to see through another person's thoughts with ease, and her features were perfectly arranged. Her skin was smooth like cream, and beneath her slender jade-like neck, her white clothing was spotless.
A beautiful woman stood gracefully in the heavy snow before the cabin, almost like an elf.
At this moment, facing the stranger who had suddenly intruded, her expression faintly contained some distress. Her fine brows furrowed slightly, and when she saw that Shiro did not react, she emphasized once more in a soft, beautiful tone.
"Abandon those foolish delusions and leave."
Although Shiro did not quite understand what she was talking about, he would never look down on her.
He could not tell where her center of gravity was from any of her movements. He had only ever seen that vague, untouchable feeling from the old man before.
Even so, he had not forgotten the reason he chose to land here.
"Um... could you tell me where this place is? I think I might be a little lost."
It was an extremely clumsy excuse.
Unexpectedly, the other party actually believed him.
"Really? That's unfortunate…" She murmured, her tone carrying a faint trace of sympathy.
Then, her pretty face turned slightly red, and she moved aside to open a path, inviting Shiro into the cabin.
"Please, have some. Take as much as you want. If it isn't enough, there's more here."
After having Shiro sit down on a chair by the dining table, the woman put on heat-resistant gloves and took an apple pie out of the oven. She served it together with tea, and the room filled with the sweet fragrance of baked fruit.
Shiro used the knife and fork in his hands to gently cut off a small piece of apple pie and put it into his mouth.
Rich milky fragrance and the sweetness of fruit burst across his tongue. The sweetness of the apple, the crispness of the crust, and the faint spiciness of some unknown ingredient intertwined, bringing Shiro an extremely satisfying taste experience.
Only after seeing Shiro's satisfied expression did the woman sit down somewhat awkwardly and speak to him.
"I'm very sorry. Since normal guests rarely visit this place, I subconsciously assumed you were an enemy. Hahaha..."
No, I think that's entirely because of where you live.
Who would climb above eight thousand meters to drink tea in a place filled with sword aura that makes people feel like they'll die just by looking at it?
Shiro silently retorted in his heart while looking at the woman in front of him.
She seemed to be a little naturally airheaded. Setting aside why she had built a home in this hellish place, would an ordinary person really invite someone as suspicious as him into their house?
Then again, perhaps this was also confidence in her own strength.
The terrifying sword intent that had echoed across the mountain earlier was very likely released by her. Someone like this definitely could not be an unknown nobody.
Shiro put down the teacup in his hand and gave his name.
"Thank you for the hospitality. The apple pie is delicious. By the way, my name is Torajirou Shiro."
Hearing that Shiro was very satisfied with her masterpiece, the woman also smiled brightly and gave her own name.
"Edelweiss."
After hearing the woman's name, Shiro, who had been enjoying the delicious food, stiffened in place. Only one thought remained in his heart.
Damn.
He had once heard the name Edelweiss from Torajirou Nangou.
[Twin-Wings] Edelweiss.
Fourteen years ago, she had single-handedly interfered in the war between the two major powers of the world, the League and the Union. Relying on her swordsmanship, she annihilated more than three hundred thousand soldiers from both sides and became known as the most evil criminal in the world.
In the eyes of the world, Edelweiss stood alone at the end of the path of the sword, atop an unreachable peak.
At the same time, Shiro finally understood where he was.
This was probably the territory Edelweiss had once taken from the Union, the highest peak in the world—Edelberg.
After learning her identity, he suddenly felt that the teacup on the table was a little too hot to hold.
Was this really something the current him was allowed to drink?
But after thinking about it from another angle, he had actually barged into the home of the world's most evil criminal all by himself and shamelessly feasted on her food.
What was going on?
You're pretty amazing, aren't you, Torajirou Shiro?
He started to admire himself a little in his heart.
"What's wrong? Does the apple pie not suit your taste after all?"
The change in Shiro's expression looked to Edelweiss like dissatisfaction toward her dessert. She nervously took out paper and a pen from a nearby table, preparing to write down Shiro's comments.
"No... how should I put it? You seem a little too excited. It doesn't really match the image I had in my mind when I heard the name Edelweiss..."
What kind of criminal would excitedly invite a stranger into her house for tea and dessert the moment she saw them?
"Eh?"
Edelweiss's expression froze, and her gaze unnaturally drifted into the distance.
"Is it really that obvious? Actually, my hobby is making desserts. I also really like seeing people eat the desserts I make. It's rare for a normal guest to visit, so I got a little excited..."
Ever since Edelweiss began living here, people came every day to try to take the title of world's greatest swordsman from her.
Although she herself had no interest in that title, there were always people in a hurry to die.
Shiro could be said to be the first person she had met in years of living alone who had come to her door without looking for a fight. It was only natural that she could not quite suppress her emotions.
"Normally, I don't have any friends who come to visit either... and at my age, I still haven't gotten married... hahaha..."
"In any case, thank you for your hospitality. As a return gift, please take this."
Seeing that the topic was about to turn in a dangerous direction, Shiro hurriedly stopped her from continuing. He took a tear-shaped fruit that looked like candy from his Gift Card and handed it to Edelweiss.
This was Crystal Candy, the same kind of fruit Ais had once given him in the Dungeon.
Although it was not the same piece, Shiro had found the taste good, so before coming back, he had purchased many rare foods of this type.
Since Edelweiss seemed to like desserts, he thought this would make a good gift.
Sure enough, Edelweiss's eyes lit up the moment she saw this fruit she had never seen before.
"Eh? Where did you get this fruit? Can it still be purchased? Is the production volume high?"
Looking at the rapid-fire questions Edelweiss threw out, as well as the way she stared at the Crystal Candy as if she had seen a priceless treasure, a bold idea suddenly appeared in Shiro's mind.
…
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