There was no obvious change on the surface.
Her smile remained just as radiant as ever.
Yet Edward could sense that something deeper had shifted.
Elysia seemed to prefer the outside world.
She preferred the company of others…
anyone except him.
By the time she was eleven, Elysia could already wander around town on her own.
Even though it was her first time venturing out alone, she appeared more familiar with the small town than Edward did.
She greeted everyone she met with cheerful warmth.
She seemed close and familiar with every stranger.
In contrast, her relationship with Edward felt slightly more distant than the ones she shared with those strangers.
The breeze was gentle, the sunlight warm and pleasant.
The ground in the rural town, a mix of dirt and stone, still carried the dampness from the previous night’s light rain.
The air held an earthy scent.
Dew on the flower petals stirred in the breeze, releasing a delicate, elegant fragrance that danced along with the wind.
“Good morning~?”
The lovely girl greeted the people by the roadside.
Her adorable face wore a flawless smile, bright like a fresh flower in bloom.
So petite and beautiful, even strangers who did not know her could not bring themselves to be cold toward her.
They returned her greeting with kind blessings.
It was a harmonious scene.
The townsfolk, who normally would not bother greeting passersby, seemed moved by her abundant warmth.
She was truly like an elf…
like a fairy.
Simply standing there, her pure and flawless heart was enough to keep anyone from harboring negative thoughts.
Even malice seemed to melt away from the depths of people’s hearts.
Except for the boy who stood neglected in the distance.
The boy standing there received no glances, let alone any attention.
It felt utterly impossible for anyone to notice him.
Even though he was only a few steps away from the girl, it was as if an invisible barrier had formed between them.
Why did it feel so strange?
Had he done something wrong?
Why had she suddenly become unwilling to stay by his side, or even walk together with him?
When she turned twelve, Elysia spent more and more time outside.
She even began having meals at the orphanage occasionally.
Had he done something wrong?
Had he hurt her feelings in some small way, or made her unhappy?
Yet her eyes revealed nothing.
If there truly was a problem, why could she not simply tell him directly?
Whatever the issue was, they could fix it if she spoke up.
But Edward knew nothing.
He could only watch as things continued this way.
At thirteen, for Elysia’s birthday, Edward gave her a bouquet of flowers and a fairy tale book along with the cake.
He had bought the book especially because he believed she would love the beautiful Elysian Realm described in its pages.
Searching for a beautiful Elysian Realm also matched the way they had first met in the forest.
He hoped it would serve as a sincere apology.
The next day, the girl who had long been undecided about her name finally announced it to everyone.
It was the ultimate goal recorded in the story, matching the Elysian Realm and symbolizing purity and beauty.
Elysia.
At fourteen, Edward spent most of the year with Elysia.
In the season when the spring snow melted and flowers bloomed, she stood at the church entrance offering freshly picked flowers to every passerby.
In the warm, sunny season, Elysia would go to the orphanage to help the children weed the orchard, looking forward to a bountiful harvest.
In the season of falling leaves, Elysia learned to create stories.
She would press colorful leaves into pictures and weave them into tales she read aloud to everyone.
In the silver-white winter landscape, she drew musical notes in the snow and softly sang ballads in the winter forest.
The girl was like a gift from the forest.
No one knew where she had come from or why she was there, but everyone accepted her.
Her innocent, artless smile always touched the softest parts of people’s hearts.
Her pure, unrestrained kindness was welcomed by almost everyone.
No one could harbor darkness or evil when faced with such genuine goodwill.
Only Edward felt confused.
He kept wondering if he had done something wrong that caused her favor toward him to drop.
Although she still acted sweetly in front of him, Edward always felt that her pink-blue eyes rarely focused on him anymore.
As time passed, it seemed to happen less and less.
She preferred going out more and more.
It must have been his imagination.
After all…
Elysia always gave him that sweet smile, and his feelings for her could never be simply described as sibling affection or friendship.
After all, he had been the first person the girl ever saw.
They had always been playmates, often spending time together not long ago.
There was no way their relationship could have become worse than the one she shared with complete strangers.
Or could it?
He could not be sure.
That smile of hers seemed to be for everyone.
Even first-time vendors and the fishmonger by the roadside received the same warmth.
There was no difference based on familiarity.
If everyone liked someone and you were the only one who merely did not dislike them, that was essentially a form of dislike.
Emotions were essentially a form of selfishness, a special difference from others that could only be obtained.
This was something he had once read in a book.
[Option 3: Of course, you must get along well with those you were once forcibly separated from and couldn’t say goodbye to.
Make up for past regrets, become friends with them again, and once again experience a quiet, peaceful life.]
Edward successfully greeted everyone and made friends with the entire town.
No one could dislike this fairy-like girl, not even the most stubborn elders who usually hated children.
===
Those dreamy eyes gazed upon the small town and every person she had come to know there.
As for Edward…
he was like a stranger.
There was nothing extra for her to care about.
No matter how she observed, she could not find anything unusual.
Her talent was limited to a slightly special level, and he did not exist in her memories at all.
During the time she lived in the small town, there had been no one named Edward.
Time was very limited…
extremely scarce.
The girl wanted to make up for the promises she had been unable to fulfill because she left too early.
Using the perfectly integrated simulator, she intended to compensate for those past regrets.
It had not been a conscious choice to leave back then, although she had already begun thinking about seeking her own Elysian Realm.
But the girl at that time had still been a bit naive and too young.
She would never have left in such a way.
However, when the organization arrived, the precursor to what would become known as the Flame-Chasers, the girl realized that her presence would bring disaster to the small town that deserved to remain peaceful and happy.
She could only choose to bid farewell to her friends, her caring teachers, and the orphanage that had taken her in.
This involuntary, unwilling departure would eventually leave a mark of regret in her life.
Even if she returned on her later journey, she would not be able to recapture the same feeling she once had.
Promises made in the past had gradually blurred with the passage of time.
Old memories had also begun to distort.
Now, she had finally changed all of that.
In the Valkyrie training simulator, she once again experienced her past life in the small town and met those familiar, intimate people once more.
All her past regrets had now been made up for.
“This time…
let’s leave early.”
This time, the girl could finally face her inner desire to depart.
She was not forced, and she had no unfulfilled wishes left behind.
After making up for her regrets, the past was no longer a burden that slowed her steps or a rope that bound her with reluctance.
It had become a driving force instead.
Reluctant to leave yesterday, yet willing to embrace the future.
At fifteen, Elysia suddenly wanted to travel.
She even tried to hide it from Edward, planning to leave secretly on her own.
Luckily, he could not sleep that night and happened to see the girl jumping out of a second-story window.
[Option 1: Choose to let Elysia leave.
A free flower should not be imprisoned, nor can anyone imprison her…
Elysia, please be happy, okay?
How can I live without you?]
[Option 2: Stop Elysia from leaving alone and tell your parents.]
[Option 3: My parents are the people I respect most.
Your departure will make them sad…
I need more money.]
“Is there any need to hesitate?”
Edward unhesitatingly chose the third option.
Option one would waste the only important advantage he had at the start.
Even if he inherited the shop when he grew up, he would still be nothing more than an ant in the face of future disasters.
If he chose option two, he would likely waste all his favorability, and the world would collapse even faster.
It would be better to travel the world together.
But…
had Elysia left at this age in the original timeline?
===
The cold night wind blew, rustling the treetops.
The eerie airflow wrinkled the pure white hem of her clothes.
Edward stood still, draped in a black cloak.
His blue eyes beneath the hood were slightly averted.
Being discovered while trying to leave alone always carried a hint of embarrassment.
Elysia found herself somewhat afraid to meet the boy’s gaze.
Strange…
Originally, she should have been able to bluff her way through anything.
So why was she specifically afraid to look directly into Edward’s eyes?
In fact, she should not have been unable to hide it from him.
Yet she had deliberately slowed down and made a small sound the moment she stepped out of the room.
Perhaps it was this inexplicable emotion that had prevented her from successfully slipping away.
What could it be?
As she stood there in confusion, Edward’s voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts.
He did not complain.
He only expressed his hope to leave the small town together with her.
Travel with him?
How could that be?!
Elysia’s first thought was to refuse.
It was not out of unkindness, nor did she harbor any negative feelings.
The flawless girl would not refuse a request made out of genuine concern.
It was just…
not quite suitable.
This world was not safe.
Aside from densely populated urban areas, some remote, uninhabited places were prone to disasters known as Honkai.
If it were only travel, she could protect Edward.
In remote areas without civilization, they would at most encounter lower-tier Honkai Beasts.
Even in big cities, Emperor-class Honkai Beasts were still extremely rare at this time.
Unfortunately, this was not a simple trip.
More than travel, it was about finding people or things that would have a huge impact on the future, in order to rewrite the outcome in advance.
It would inevitably lead to dangerous situations…
situations where even she might not be able to protect him.
But this time, there were no options to refuse.
On the screen, there would usually be at least an agree or disagree choice by this point.
Yet now it was empty.
She could only continue watching the scene play out.
“Wh-why can’t I choose?”
Her pink-blue eyes almost spun in circles.
She could only watch as she playfully fawned over the boy and agreed to his request.
For Edward’s request, how could she refuse something so utterly reasonable?
They had never been separated from each other, not even for a single day.
“Since you put it that way…
then I’ll gladly rely on you.”