Chapter 280: Misunderstanding!
"…So Ikki and Stella really encountered a giant?"
Hearing Luke's question, Edelweiss silently sighed and said,
"You've already encountered me. Do you still not understand what is going on?"
"I cannot tell you their identities."
"But as for their purpose… you can understand it as them trying to test the strength of the 'Crimson Princess' and the 'Failed Knight.'"
This kind of thing was actually not difficult to understand.
Stella, as the person with the greatest magic capacity in the world, being tested by someone when the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival was about to arrive was a very normal thing.
The same was true for Ikki.
Although he was an F-rank knight, he could display actual combat power that was not inferior to an A-rank knight.
The rumor of the "Failed Knight/Worst One" transforming into the "Uncrowned Sword King/Another One" had already spread among the various schools.
For an unexpected dark horse like him, because there was little information about him, it was not difficult to understand why someone would test him before the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival.
And this was precisely the direction Edelweiss hoped Luke would understand things in.
Of course, the actual situation naturally would not be this simple.
Edelweiss's appearance had actually indirectly hinted at the identity of the mastermind behind the scenes.
However, although her relationship with the Rebellion could not be considered a secret, it was not something known to everyone either.
In Edelweiss's view, although Luke was shockingly talented, in the end, he was still a student knight at school.
He might not necessarily know these kinds of inside details about world power.
By hiding part of the information to guide his direction of thought, Edelweiss hoped that he would not get too involved in this matter.
With her here, as long as Luke could honestly wait until the Rebellion's plan began, Edelweiss had enough confidence to ensure his safety.
Originally, Rebellion's plan would not involve the lives of Hagun Academy's students.
However, just like the direction of their previous battle, Luke's choice always exceeded Edelweiss's imagination.
After listening to her description, he thought for a moment before saying,
"As expected, it's the Rebellion, right?"
Choosing to reveal that he knew the truth of the matter was the result he had arrived at after careful consideration.
Luke did not have the slightest interest in the Rebellion's objective.
The reason he had cooperated with Arisuin in acting was mainly to find himself a suitable opponent.
And the moment Edelweiss appeared before him, Arisuin—or rather, the Rebellion—had become useless.
Now that he had such a perfect opponent, Luke only needed to catch her.
As for what Rebellion wanted to do afterward, that no longer mattered.
Since it was something that did not matter, then taking it out to attract Edelweiss's attention and using it as a sacrifice to open up a topic was not a waste either.
Just as Luke expected, the instant Edelweiss heard the three words "Rebellion," her entire person fell silent.
For Rebellion, this plan absolutely could not be allowed to fail.
And having the plan exposed before it even began could be called the worst possible result.
Although Edelweiss had nothing much to do with this matter, the Rebellion had shown her kindness before.
So, she could not watch the plan fail and remained indifferent.
Edelweiss, who had fallen silent, tried her best to think of a solution.
She did not care about how Luke knew this matter had been pushed forward by the Rebellion. Compared to knowing the reason, the more important thing right now was how to make the boy not expose this matter.
But no matter how she thought about it, there was no good solution to this matter.
The simplest method was to kill him here.
However, setting aside whether Edelweiss, who currently could not use magic power and had difficulty moving, had the ability to kill him or not—
Even if she really could do it, after accepting his treatment, she would not be able to bring herself to make a move.
Before repaying this favor, Edelweiss could not attack Luke.
However, if she did not kill him, then when it came to making him keep quiet about this matter, Edelweiss could not find a workable method.
Ikki and Stella were Luke's friends. No matter how she thought about it, Edelweiss did not think he would stand on the Rebellion's side and help them deal with his own friends.
Unable to think of a method, she did not know how to respond to his words. In the end, she could only remain silent like this.
And after seeing Edelweiss's reaction, Luke immediately understood her concerns.
'A god-given opportunity!'
This was simply a perfect chance to establish a connection with Edelweiss.
Thinking this, a smile appeared on Luke's face.
He looked at the silent Edelweiss and said,
"I can guarantee that I won't mention this matter to anyone."
"But in return, I hope you can agree to one condition of mine."
"An exchange of conditions. A very reasonable proposal, isn't it?"
"…What do you want?"
Edelweiss spoke helplessly.
The instant she said this, it was basically the same as silently admitting that this matter was related to Rebellion.
But there was no other way. Who told her that the initiative was now in the boy's hands?
At the same time she spoke, Edelweiss had already prepared herself for him to make an outrageous demand.
No one would be polite with such a good opportunity.
Resources, money, status—as long as the price was suitable, Rebellion would definitely agree to Luke's request.
Of course, whether they would cause trouble afterward was another matter.
But Edelweiss, who had personally crossed swords with Luke, did not think ordinary trouble could stump him.
For a swordsman of this level, it was already something to be thankful for if he did not go looking for trouble with others.
However, Luke's request once again exceeded her imagination.
"I want you to accompany me…"
"Eh?!?!"
"No… y-y-y-you, w-wait a moment!"
"Isn't this a little too fast?? We only just met… I-I haven't prepared myself mentally yet…"
Luke's words directly hooked out the thoughts Edelweiss had finally managed to suppress earlier.
Those hands that had wandered over her body just now, that strange feeling she had never experienced before, once again surged into her heart.
Edelweiss, who had no resistance in this area at all, instantly became flustered.
For a moment, even her speech became somewhat incoherent.
However, his following words made her entire body stiffen.
"I want you to accompany me in a few more fights."
"It's rare to meet a swordsman as powerful as you. Having only one battle would be far too much of a pity."
"I can keep the Rebellion's matter secret. In fact, when necessary, as long as it isn't something against my principle, I can even provide some help."
"But as an exchange condition, we'll have a few more battles in the future… Hm? What's wrong?"
As he spoke, Luke felt that Edelweiss beside him seemed somewhat off.
Unable to understand, he asked her blankly,
"Did I say something wrong?"
"…No, you didn't say anything wrong. What you said makes a lot of sense."
"But, I really do want to cut you to death with one sword right now!"
(PS: I just feel like uploading more chapters today ^^ Vote for more chapters this week. If this fanfic reaches 250 powerstones, I will upload 5 more chapters next. So, hurry up!)
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