As night fell, Oz arrived at Good Hunter Restaurant right on schedule.However, what greeted his eyes was not Su Bai and Eula, who were supposed to be waiting, but a strange white-haired creature slumped in a chair—and a blonde girl he had never seen before.
"Lumine, Eula's cooking is so good," Paimon said with lingering satisfaction. "I wonder if she'll treat us again next time we meet."
(Eula's cooking really is excellent—rumor has it that the rations of her Reconnaissance Company are the best in the Knights of Favonius.)
"Paimon," Lumine replied calmly, "that dinner was clearly made for Su Bai. You're the one who ate most of it in the end."
"Hmph! You ate a lot too, you know!"
Exposed so bluntly, Lumine's face flushed red. She immediately grabbed Paimon's chubby cheeks and started kneading them.
Paimon tried to resist, but she was far too full—just moving felt exhausting—so she could only let Lumine do as she pleased.
"Oh? Looks like I came at the perfect time," a voice called out. "Oz, didn't Fischl come with you?"
Su Bai emerged from the corner of an alley, a sheet of paper in hand. Earlier, at Fischl's house, she had insisted she would be joining them tonight.
Judging by the situation now, she was probably grounded.
Sensing Su Bai's confusion, a hint of very human awkwardness appeared on Oz's raven-like face.
"Miss Fischl broke a table," Oz explained. "She is currently… receiving instruction at home. I'm afraid she won't be able to come tonight."
"Huh?! A talking raven!"
Paimon nearly jumped out of her skin.
Lumine also cast Oz a wary glance, but seeing that he clearly knew Su Bai, she didn't dwell on it.
"By the way, Su Bai," Paimon asked, "where's Eula? Didn't she go gathering intel with you?"
Ever since tasting Eula's cooking, Paimon's favorability toward her had skyrocketed. Seeing only Su Bai return, she couldn't help but ask.
"Did you two get separated in Mondstadt?"
"No," Su Bai replied. "She was suddenly summoned away by a Knight of Favonius. Seems there's some trouble involving the Lawrence Clan that needs her attention."
He then handed the paper to Oz.
"Oz, take a look at this. I drew it based on eyewitness descriptions. Just search for the person in this drawing later."
Oz studied the paper carefully.
To convey such an abstract figure using such minimalist lines—Lord Su Bai's artistic skill truly ran deep.
Still… did such a being really exist on the continent of Teyvat?
As Oz squinted at the "person" on the paper, Paimon floated over and peeked at it.
"Eh? Su Bai, what kind of weird monster is this? Why is it so ugly?"
"What monster?! That's the Darknight Hero!" Su Bai protested indignantly. "I drew it based on multiple descriptions! Even if it's not exact, it's at least seventy or eighty percent accurate!"
Paimon handed the drawing to Lumine.
Looking at the impossibly abstract image, Lumine found herself torn between criticizing Su Bai's drawing skills—or feeling sorry for Oz, who was supposed to find someone based on this.
"Then I shall take my leave," Oz said.
Before he could take flight, a surge of intense Pyro energy exploded at Mondstadt's eastern gate. Flames and shockwaves lit up the night, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
Watching the lingering Pyro energy dissipate in midair, Su Bai narrowed his eyes slightly.
"That level of Pyro isn't any weaker than Hu Tao's. Looks like Mondstadt isn't lacking hidden powerhouses."
At the eastern gate, Diluc Ragnvindr was locked in combat with a Cryo Abyss Mage, wielding his great sword of Favonius steel.
Because the battle was taking place within the city, Diluc refrained from using his full strength to avoid causing panic among civilians. As a result, the fight dragged on.
Eager to end things quickly, the Abyss Mage dismissed its shield entirely. Dense Cryo energy flooded the area, forcing Diluc to evade constantly.
"Looks like our Darknight Hero could use a little help," Su Bai remarked.
"Who's there—?!"
Before the Abyss Mage could even reform its shield, a finely crafted fruit knife pierced straight through its chest.
With a shrill scream, the Abyss Mage disintegrated into ash.
"Thank you," Diluc said, emerging from the smoke.
The swordsmanship of the Ragnvindr clan emphasized wide, powerful strikes. Against agile enemies like Abyss Mages—especially while holding back—it was indeed troublesome.
"No problem," Su Bai replied. "Though I honestly didn't expect you to be the Darknight Hero."
"Yeah! Yeah!" Paimon chimed in.
"Master Diluc is the Darknight Hero? He looks nothing like Su Bai's drawing!"
She held the sketch up and compared it to Diluc from every angle, failing to find even the slightest resemblance.
"Ahem… don't mind the details," Su Bai said awkwardly.
"I just drew a rough outline based on what people described."
Diluc glanced at the drawing—and nearly choked.
The thing on the paper… was that really how the people he saved described him? By the Archons, it looked more like a hilichurl than a human.
"'Darknight Hero,' huh?" Diluc muttered. "Is that my new title?"
He rolled his wrist, then effortlessly evaporated the water and ice on the ground with Pyro.
"Hmm, but that name sounds kind of lame," Paimon said seriously.
"Paimon thinks Master Diluc deserves a new nickname!"
"How about—Master Diluc, the Righteous One!"
Diluc shot her a deadpan stare.
Were these two here just to provoke him? He'd almost had expectations for the nickname, too.
"Anyway, thank you, Su Bai," Diluc said.
"The commotion likely drew the Knights of Favonius. Let's talk more at Angel's Share."
"Nope. Absolutely not," Su Bai replied immediately.
"Your tavern's feng shui clashes with my fate. I don't want to end up locked in a Knights' confinement room again."
An awkward expression flickered across Diluc's face. After a moment's thought, he extended a different invitation.
"Su Bai, Lumine—if you're free tomorrow, you're welcome to visit Dawn Winery.I had someone keep an eye out for Dvalin's Tears. There should be news by now."
"And our grapes are quite good as well. You're welcome to try them."
Those words hit both of them squarely.
Su Bai loved fruit of all kinds, and Lumine was nearly driven mad by the search for Dvalin's Tears. After days of searching places rich in Anemo energy, she hadn't found a single drop.
"Oh, one more thing," Diluc added.
"Please keep my identity secret—especially from the Knights."
"Huh? Why?" Paimon asked innocently.
"Someone as strong as Master Diluc doesn't want to join the Knights?"
"The Knights?" Diluc snorted. "They're not even as reliable as Su Bai."
With that, he turned and left, leaving behind three utterly confused figures—and Oz, who wasn't sure whether he was even needed here.
"We should get going too," Su Bai said. "If we stay any longer, we'll really get boxed in. The monsters outside the city gates can be left to the Knights—perfect cover for what just happened."
His fox ears twitched. He could already hear numerous approaching footsteps.
Thanks to Oz's aerial reconnaissance, Su Bai and Lumine managed to slip away flawlessly.
But no one noticed—
Not far from the scene, a white-haired nun stood silently, staring at Mondstadt's eastern gate. After a long while, she murmured softly:
"Even if you are Diluc Ragnvindr… the honor of being the Anemo Archon's most devoted believer will not be taken from you."
As her words faded, a Geo Vision streaked across the sky and landed before her.
She grasped it firmly, her gaze resolute.
Perhaps the Church of Favonius also needed power of its own. Only then could they protect the honor of being Barbatos's most faithful followers.