The next several days passed peacefully.
With the dragon crisis resolved and the Fatui conspiracy crushed, Mondstadt entered a rare period of calm.
Lory's life returned to its familiar rhythm:
Waking each morning from soft, fragrant arms,
Reporting to the Knights of Favonius (on the days he wasn't slacking),
Teasing the rigid and upright Jean,
Enjoying afternoon tea with Lisa,
Stopping by the Church to check on Barbara,
and in the afternoons supervising Noelle and Eula's training.
Sometimes he would stroll with Klee, greeting Amber or Fischl as they passed.
The only problem…
was that with Mona's arrival, the population of the manor had exploded.
Fischl, Noelle, Eula, Mona, Lumine—plus Oz and Paimon.
The liveliness rose exponentially.
Fortunately, Master Crepus had indeed been generous—his gifted estate was large enough to house this many girls.
And among all of them, Mona was living the happiest life.
Because so many people now lived in the manor, Raiden Makoto no longer cooked—leaving all meals to Noelle.
Mona therefore enjoyed:
—three full, delicious meals a day,
—a top-grade laboratory and equipment,
—and the opportunity to consult Lory on academic questions whenever she wished.
In short: a new-age freeloader.
Of course, after a week, guilt caught up with her.
She began paying rent and helping with cleaning to avoid being kicked out of such a paradise.
A quiet month passed.
During that time, Lory repeatedly searched for traces of Rosalyne.
But there was nothing—no clues at all.
Only through astrology did he determine she had already left Mondstadt.
What puzzled him was her lack of initiative.
She knew he was alive—she should even know roughly where he lived.
Yet she never came looking for him.
Had she abandoned the past entirely?
Forgotten everything?
He wasn't sure.
But since she showed no desire to meet, Lory wasn't in a rush either.
Their paths would cross eventually.
Lost in thought, he arrived at the training grounds of the Knights.
A large group of knights had gathered, watching the duel taking place in the center with deep fascination.
Lory did not interrupt—he simply observed.
The battle between the two girls was intense.
Eula's Lawrence-style claymore technique—elegant, rhythmic, aristocratic—contrasted sharply with Noelle's forceful, full-power swings.
Both wielded greatswords, yet their styles could not have been more different.
The interesting part?
Noelle, who had been at a disadvantage at the start, now completely dominated the duel.
Her tachi, the Ame no Habakiri, remained sheathed at her side, yet every strike she delivered with her greatsword was infused with Flying Heaven Sword Style footwork—sharp bursts of speed that forced Eula to defend desperately.
Barely blocking a draw-cut, Eula attempted to counter, but—
Clang!
Noelle slid along the same trajectory and slammed the scabbard forward.
"Twin Dragon Flash!"
A two-stage battou technique designed to overcome the weakness of the draw slash.
This was Noelle's first time successfully using it.
It worked beautifully.
Caught completely off guard, Eula's blade was knocked from her hands, and the gleaming edges of Noelle's sword and tachi framed her on both sides.
"…Haa. I lose."
Eula admitted defeat gracefully—light, cheerful, unbothered.
"But because I lost due to Lory's special training… I'll remember this grudge."
Noelle panicked, waving her hands.
"I-It's just luck! Once you receive the Imperial Arm's power, I won't stand a chance!"
She was still unused to Eula's "I'll remember this vengeance" catchphrase, even knowing it wasn't literal.
After a month of daily meetings, the two had grown close and learned each other's quirks well.
Eula retrieved her greatsword, stretched, and nodded toward the dispersing crowd.
"Alright, let's head back."
Her every movement carried the effortless grace of a noble-born swordswoman.
Noelle admired her deeply.
As they chatted and walked out of the training grounds, they finally noticed Lory standing in the shade.
Noelle immediately brightened and ran over to greet him.
Lory nodded and smiled faintly.
"I saw the entire battle. Both of you have progressed greatly. Soon, you'll be ready for more advanced sword techniques."
"What about me?"
Eula lifted her chin—proud as a swan, direct as always.
Lory stroked his chin, studying her.
"I think you're ready as well. Tonight, you can attempt to absorb a portion of the Imperial Arm."
Eula froze—eyes widening, breath catching.
"Wh-what should I prepare?"
From Lory's explanation, ingesting the Imperial Arm's Essence of the Demon was extremely dangerous.
Most who attempted it died—exploding on the spot.
A rare few could drink only a sip and still gain tremendous power.
Of course Eula wanted to grow stronger.
But she feared one thing more than death:
Letting Lory down.
"It's simple," Lory replied.
"When you take it, don't wear too many layers. The cold aura will spread across your body. I'll monitor the process, so don't worry too much."
This… did not calm Eula down.
If anything, it made her more nervous—because Lory had teased her earlier by exaggerating the danger.
Noelle, however, spoke with bright confidence:
"Once you master the Imperial Arm's power, Eula, you'll definitely surpass me!"
Lory agreed silently.
The Ice Imperial Arm was monstrously strong.
Its previous wielder—a woman with long ice-blue hair—had demonstrated its true terror:
Facing a million soldiers alone
plus more than a dozen Imperial Arm wielders—
she still stood unbroken.
If she hadn't chosen to die,
none of them could have defeated her.
Of course, that required drinking the entire jar.
In many ways, Eula was similar to that woman:
Raised through hardship,
unyielding,
proud,
absolutely unwavering in her chosen path,
fiercely protective of the ones she cared for—
…and possessing just a tiny bit of romantic naïveté.