Chapter 377: Edelweiss: Hurry Up and Let Go of Me!
After dinner, the group set off and returned to the inn.
It was worth mentioning that the okonomiyaki from Moroboshi's family really was very delicious, so Luke ordered several extra portions, intending to bring them back for Edelweiss to try.
Also, judging from Edelweiss's condition when he left, this Valkyrie probably did not have much strength to go out for dinner.
Like when they went there, Luke and the others spent a little over ten minutes before returning to the inn.
After saying goodbye to one another, Luke returned to his room.
He pushed the door open, entered, took off his outerwear, and hung it on the coat rack by the entrance.
Only then did Luke speak somewhat helplessly to Edelweiss on the bed.
"You've already been lying down for an entire day. Are you still not planning to get up?"
"…No. Let me lie here a little longer."
Edelweiss's voice sounded weak, and her whole body lay limply on the bed in a delicate posture.
However, her gaze did shift over.
She looked Luke up and down, and when she did not see what she expected, Edelweiss unhappily turned her head away.
Luke looked at the sulking Edelweiss with some amusement.
Knowing what she was looking for, he walked to the bedside and took the okonomiyaki he had brought back out of his Portable Pocket, then placed it on the bedside table.
Then he saw Edelweiss's small nose twitch slightly before she moved closer somewhat embarrassedly.
Smack—!
Luke reached out and slapped away the fair little hand reaching over, then poked Edelweiss's forehead in annoyance.
"Don't you plan to take a bath first?"
"…B-But I'm hungry."
"Even so, you should clean yourself up first."
"You're the one who left those marks. I'm not even complaining, so what are you complaining about?"
"…You."
Looking at Luke, who had been blocked by her words, Edelweiss proudly raised her head.
For a moment, she felt that the pleading from last night was not quite so embarrassing anymore.
Of course, words were words.
Edelweiss still obediently sat up, preparing to go take a bath and clean herself.
But as her body exerted strength, it inevitably pulled at a certain lingering soreness.
The ache from within her body made her unable to stop herself from frowning.
"Does it still hurt?"
Luke, who caught Edelweiss's expression, sat down and let her lean against him for support.
Edelweiss gently leaned against Luke, then muttered at him in annoyance.
"Who do you think caused it?"
"I told you to be gentler…"
"…Sorry."
Luke did not intend to argue.
He merely looked at Edelweiss apologetically.
After all, he had indeed lost control a little last night.
He had held back for too long, and once someone with his physique erupted, it could be called impossible to stop.
Moreover, Edelweiss's physical constitution was much weaker than he had imagined.
This world's power system did not change the human body itself very much.
Even the Desperado realm did not improve physical ability by much.
Edelweiss's physical ability was already considered inhuman in the eyes of people from this world, but in the end, that was only the result of years of training and living on Sword Peak.
If all power enhancements were excluded and only physical ability was considered, she was actually inferior to Ouma, whose body had undergone mutation.
Her strength was mostly in her power and realm.
Although her physique was not poor, for Edelweiss herself, it was actually her weakest point.
It was not only Edelweiss.
Almost all Blazers in this world were like this.
Aside from people like Ouma or those with special abilities, a Blazer's physical ability generally remained at the level of a mortal.
Compared to martial arts masters among ordinary people who had tempered themselves through countless trials, ordinary Blazers might even be slightly weaker.
"What exactly is with your physique? Don't you ever get tired?"
Edelweiss was only complaining verbally.
She was not truly angry, but she really was a little curious.
After all, according to her understanding of the world, although her physical ability could not be considered the absolute strongest, it was definitely among the top tier.
And yet, even she had been ruthlessly suppressed by Luke on the bed, completely unable to resist.
Luke had actually held back last night.
Otherwise, Edelweiss suspected that she might not have been able to get out of bed for at least three days.
"Don't you know Kurogane Ouma?"
"You can think of my physical ability as a mutation of a different nature from his. That should make it easier to understand."
"He's more than one level below you."
Edelweiss rolled her eyes at Luke, but she did not intend to continue asking.
She knew that as long as she asked, Luke would definitely explain it to her, but Edelweiss was not in the mood right now.
At the moment, she only wanted to hurry up, take a bath, and eat something.
Solving her hunger was more important than anything.
So Edelweiss endured the faint ache in her body and prepared to get up and head to the bathroom.
But in the next instant—
"Kya—!"
Along with a startled cry, Edelweiss was lifted by Luke in a princess carry.
"W-Wait a second, what are you doing?"
"This position is embarrassing. Hurry up and put me down."
Luke ignored her struggling and walked straight toward the bathroom.
"What's there to be embarrassed about? Can this be more embarrassing than last night?"
"Th-That's not the same thing!"
"All right. You're having trouble moving right now, so I'll help you wash. Aren't you hungry? The sooner you finish bathing, the sooner you can eat."
"Eh?! W-Wait! I can wash by myself. H-Hurry up and let me go!"
In the end, the unwell Valkyrie still failed to escape Luke's clutches and was carried into the bathroom amid her startled cries.
…
"Wait a second, you don't even know how to give a girl a bath."
"Wa-wait! I get it, I'll stop struggling, I'll just tell you how you're supposed to help me, alright...?"
"Honestly, you're always bullying me..."
"Eh? Why are you so skillful at this?"
"H-Have you given other women baths before!?"
"A friend's child... I see, then there's no problem..."
"Kya! Wh-where are you touching!?"
"Wait... ah... wait, I'm not ready yet. I-I'll just help you using another method."
"Honestly, why are you so full of energy?"
"I-I told you not to move, and you're still... mmph..."
"I can wash myself, let go of me, let go of me!"
In the end, the unwell Valkyrie was unable to escape Luke's clutches and was carried into the bathroom amidst her startled cries.
…
A long time later, Luke finally completed the task of helping Edelweiss bathe and carried her out of the bathroom.
Looking at Edelweiss lying limply in his arms, Luke could not help sighing.
"Helping a girl bathe really is troublesome."
Hearing those words, Edelweiss wished she could directly cut him down with one sword.
This guy had gotten some kind of miraculous potion from somewhere.
Not only had it treated her soreness, it had also restored quite a bit of her stamina.
After confirming that Edelweiss's body was fine, Luke had teased her for quite a while before finally letting her go.
Otherwise, the bath would have been finished long ago!
Although she wanted to complain, Edelweiss could not muster even the slightest strength right now.
She could only rub her head lightly against Luke's chest and mutter softly,
"…Shameless jerk."
…
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