At that time, Estonia's regime had not yet transitioned, nor had it announced its entry into the League, and only five years had passed since Edelweiss had annihilated the 300,000 troops dispatched by both the Union and the League.
Therefore, Edelweiss was still being hunted by both the Union and the League, unable to return to her homeland, and constantly on the run to avoid their pursuit.
Although the two major powers couldn't do much against Edelweiss, she was still a wanted criminal. If she stayed in Estonia or elsewhere without caution, it would only attract the combined forces of the Union and the Alliance, dragging innocent people into the conflict. If those people were suspected of colluding with her and wrongfully accused, it was not something Edelweiss wanted to see.
Moreover, Edelweiss didn't want to resort to killing, so she chose to avoid conflict and aimlessly wandered the world.
Fortunately, the Rebellion provided her with funds, hiding places, and intelligence in an effort to ally with her, allowing her to evade the Union and the League's pursuits successfully.
Of course, there were times when Edelweiss got caught, but she always managed to break free with her strength, making the Union and the League increasingly wary of her.
Gradually, however, Edelweiss began to feel a sense of loneliness and desolation from this kind of life.
Unable to return home and unable to interact with others normally, Edelweiss wandered the world like a ghost, inevitably feeling lonely and desolate.
This continued for a full five years. Even Edelweiss' spirit began to waver, her vitality slowly draining, feeling like a walking corpse with no sense of purpose.
"Is there really a need to continue such a life?"
This doubt arose in Edelweiss' mind at that time.
Then, one day, she encountered someone.
Someone who would become inextricably linked to the rest of her life.
"Our meeting was very ordinary, just passing by on the street."
Indeed.
On a bustling street, Edelweiss immediately noticed something unusual about him.
"That young boy was wearing a black coat, but for some reason, his face was blurred, unrecognizable, and unforgettable."
"That young boy was clearly walking through the crowd, but for some reason, no one noticed him, nor did anyone perceive his presence."
"Like he was completely invisible, the boy wandered there."
"That appearance, was truly like a ghost."
Perhaps he used some ability.
Perhaps he used some method.
So, even with such conspicuous features, people didn't notice him while he walked through the crowd.
Only Edelweiss clearly locked onto his presence and noticed his appearance.
So, without much thought, Edelweiss followed him.
Following him led Edelweiss to the outskirts.
It was only then that the boy stopped.
"I say, following me this far and not coming out, you're a real stalker, aren't you?"
These were the first words Edelweiss heard from him.
Though the words were quite rude, to Edelweiss at that time, they were different.
In the past, people who met Edelweiss either showed hostility or fear.
Only this boy showed neither hostility nor fear, just casual indifference and a bit of curiosity.
Thus, Edelweiss stepped out, appearing in front of him.
To this...
"I didn't expect you to be so beautiful."
The boy spoke as if surprised and unexpected.
His words still carried no hostility or fear.
Edelweiss couldn't help but think.
"Maybe he doesn't know who I am?"
If he knew she was the world's most notorious criminal, even a three-year-old child would be scared to tears, wouldn't they?
Ignorance is bliss, Edelweiss thought.
With this in mind, Edelweiss introduced herself to him.
Edelweiss couldn't explain why she did that at the time.
Perhaps Edelweiss wanted to see if this boy would still be so nonchalant and curious after knowing her true identity?
However, the boy's reaction was completely beyond Edelweiss' expectations.
"Is that so."
The boy responded without any particular emotion.
Yes.
That was all he said.
Then...
"So, you're not a stalker but a kidnapper? The world's most evil criminal is planning to capture a child like me and sell me for some travel money?"
The boy playfully threw out these words.
At that time, Edelweiss felt a mix of anger and joy.
When Edelweiss explained that she was just passing by and noticed the boy's abnormality, so she came to check it out, the boy seemed to understand.
Unfortunately...
"This isn't a particularly amazing thing. If you have the skills, go ahead and break it."
Leaving those words, the boy turned around and left.
Watching the boy's departing figure, Edelweiss inexplicably followed.
From that moment on, Edelweiss' life changed.
Her journey was no longer dull or lonely.
Her wandering was no longer tedious or boring.
For some reason, the boy, like Edelweiss, had no fixed abode, wandering the world, and he knew various magical abilities. With these abilities, the two could openly enter cities, stay in inns, and appear in front of people without any issues.
Even though Edelweiss was the older one, she felt like a child being led around by the boy. They spent several years together, enjoying countless delicious foods and fun activities, allowing Edelweiss to experience entertainments she had never encountered before.
Edelweiss started to enjoy this life and could no longer be without the boy, who gradually grew older but whose face remained unclear.
Edelweiss once asked the boy his name, but to no avail.
Instead, the boy said this to her.
"Your name is quite a mouthful, let's just call you Edel."
Upon hearing this nickname, Edelweiss had only one thought.
"Quite cute."
From then on, Edel became Rozen's way of addressing Edelweiss.
Throughout their time together, Edelweiss could never see through the boy's true appearance or learn his real name. She was merely led around by him.
However, it wasn't all just fun. The boy seemed to be searching for something very important. Sometimes, he would show an unexpectedly serious and solemn expression. Although Edelweiss still couldn't see his face clearly, she could feel it.
But soon, this happiness was finally shattered.
In fact, at the beginning, Edelweiss never imagined that things would eventually turn out like this.
When she was with the boy, Edelweiss did worry about her being wanted and how it might affect him. However, relying on the various magical abilities shown by the boy, Edelweiss evaded capture time and time again, which initially reassured her but also made her slack off.
Where did she slack off?
It was forgetting to remind the boy about the potential troubles that could arise if he used his various abilities in public.
Unfortunately, both the Union and the League kept pursuing Edelweiss, and this attention extended to the boy who acted alongside her.
Even worse, even the Rebellion, with whom Edelweiss had dealings, took notice of the boy's uniqueness during this time.
Thus, the boy with multiple abilities and possibly multiple devices attracted the attention of the three major powers.
This stirred up the three major powers, and they sent people one after another to approach the boy—first through persuasion, then through coercion, and when those failed, they resorted to direct attacks.
Initially, Edelweiss was furious and ready to intervene personally to teach the intruders a lesson. However, the boy casually defeated all incoming threats with overwhelming strength.
Edelweiss was astonished and deeply impressed by this.
However, no matter how astonished or impressed Edelweiss was, when the boy displayed overwhelming power, his fate in this world was inevitably altered.
Powerful strength only attracts even stronger adversaries, and violence in the end can only be resolved by violence itself. Thus, one strong opponent after another appeared before the boy, only to be defeated by him.
Finally, in order to obtain the secrets the boy held, the three major powers went to extreme lengths—sometimes sending negotiators, sometimes assassins, sometimes scheming to frame him, and other times using everything around them to pressure him, even endangering a small nation, nearly bringing about its destruction. The boy resolved these situations with astonishing methods.
To protect that small nation, the boy even casually summoned hundreds of thousands of monsters, crushing and defeating the armies sent by the three major powers, thus gaining fame through his final battle.
This was a situation where even Edelweiss couldn't intervene.
If Edelweiss had intervened carelessly, the situation might have escalated uncontrollably.
Edelweiss could only watch helplessly as the boy faced all these trials, using his astonishing strength, intelligence, and strategies to resolve each one. In the end, he completely defeated the three major leaders, broke through the encirclement of the three major powers, and almost killed them all.
If the highest combat power of the three major powers, or even the backbone of the combat power, were annihilated by the boy in one breath, it would inevitably cause a huge distortion and destruction of the world situation, causing chaos in the world.
In order to avoid such a serious situation, in the end, Edelweiss personally spoke up and asked the boy to spare those people, so that they could survive.
As a condition, the three major powers no longer took action against the boy and withdrew their warrants, even canceling Edelweiss' warrant.
However, both the boy and Edelweiss knew very well that this was just a superficial promise.
Using powerful force to forcefully suppress can indeed work, but when the power is no longer feared, or when interests outweigh fear, people will still come after the boy.
The world is so big, with many people who are self-aware, many who are not, many who are smart, and many who think they are smart. Not to mention that foolish people will never disappear, and there are some who are forced for various reasons to act against the boy, which cannot be guaranteed not to happen.
In this situation, if it were herself, what would Edelweiss do?
Edelweiss began to consider this question.
And the answer was unexpectedly simple.
"I will disappear completely and never appear in front of the world again."
This was the best way.
Naturally, what Edelweiss could think of, the boy could think of as well.
In view of this...
"After being together for so long, we should probably say goodbye now."
After eight years, two years ago, the boy finally said this to Edelweiss.
Edelweiss was neither surprised nor unexpected, she just made one request.
"Fight me."
This was the first time Edelweiss showed hostility.
And the reason Edelweiss made this request was simple.
"If I win, wherever you go, I will go with you. You can't refuse."
This was the only reason Edelweiss proposed to fight.
If she didn't do this, Edelweiss couldn't ensure that the boy wouldn't leave without a word or wouldn't leave abruptly one day in the future.
At the same time, this was also Edelweiss's way of expressing her determination.
During these eight years together, although there were hardships and difficulties, these were the most fulfilling eight years for Edelweiss.
The boy was the one who rescued her from a destined lonely fate. Since that was the case, she would never allow him to become lonely.
In simple terms...
"If you're going to disappear, then let's disappear together."
This was what Edelweiss thought.
In summary, Edelweiss proposed a condition.
Then...
"Regardless of who wins or loses, neither of us is allowed to leave without a word."
If this condition couldn't be met, Edelweiss would not compromise.
Of course, this wasn't just a verbal agreement but a "vow."
As the world's strongest swordsman, Edelweiss's ability wasn't combat-oriented but rather a causality-interfering ability that governed contracts.
Anyone who made a vow in front of Edelweiss's inherent Device—〈Testament〉—would have the Vow's Stake driven into their heart, whether friend or foe.
Once the vow was broken, the Vow's Stake would tear apart the heart, taking the life of the one who broke the vow.
This was Edelweiss's only Noble Art—〈Rule of Grace〉.
Edelweiss made the boy swear with her in front of her Device.
The boy agreed.
However, Edelweiss did not expect that the omnipotent boy would have means to deal with even causality-interfering abilities.
One of his manipulated Beast Vassals happened to have the ability to sever causality.
Edelweiss's ability was useless against the boy. Moreover, the boy had divine protection, making him immune to any ability targeting his body.
Thus, in that battle, Edelweiss lost.
Not only did she lose in terms of strength, but she also lost in terms of strategy.
The boy left just like that.
And Edelweiss, to find him again, wandered the world alone for two whole years.
This was the past of Edelweiss and the most important person in her heart.
A past that almost no one knew, except for a very few people.