"Stelle, aren't you a little too heavy-handed…?" Amber looked at the groaning figures lying on the ground and said to Stelle hesitantly.
She could tell that Stelle had held back her strength just now, but even so, these people's arms were bent at a terrifying angle, making Amber break into a cold sweat.
In this situation, it seemed their arms might be completely useless.
If they handed them over to the Knights of Favonius like this, it would be hard for the two of them to explain. It wouldn't be good if the Knights of Favonius determined they had used private torture on prisoners.
Especially that Monster Bird, he was truly miserable.
Although Amber really wanted to teach that Monster Bird a lesson, she had no intention of taking his life.
"This, this can't be entirely my fault… Uh, I mean, at least not entirely my fault, right? I didn't expect them to be so weak." Stelle rubbed her head, speaking a bit sheepishly.
She had already restrained herself, only appearing intimidating, and didn't intend to use much force.
But these people were even more vulnerable than she had imagined.
She had struck according to the standard for fighting Mitachurls, after all, these guys should be stronger than ordinary Hilichurls, and they looked quite sturdy.
Who knew that a single swing of the bat wouldn't be the same story?
Especially that Monster Bird, because he didn't participate directly in the fight and tried to escape during the chaos, Stelle paid special attention to him.
Now…
Stelle glanced at him.
He was quiet, not screaming like his companions.
He was only breathing in, not out, looking like he wouldn't last much longer.
"Sigh, never mind. I'll just give these guys some simple treatment… Amber, do you have any rope left?" Stelle turned to Amber and asked.
"Mm, I do." Amber took out several ropes they had just confiscated from behind her.
Stelle took them and immediately began to tie the men up securely, completely disregarding their current injuries.
After they were all tied, she stepped back and extended her hand.
"Imperishable Ire!"
After a snap of her fingers, the injuries on the men's bodies visibly improved, and even their bent arms returned to their original positions. Their groans gradually subsided.
Aside from Monster Bird still being unconscious, there seemed to be no major issues.
"Alright, let's quickly go notify the Knights of Favonius," Stelle clapped her hands, smiling contentedly, then said to Amber.
Her Imperishable Ire was a divine skill that forcefully raised HP; it could even heal the wounds of gods, let alone a few mortals with only superficial injuries.
"Mm!" Amber nodded.
She did carry something to notify the Knights of Favonius, but it was a distress signal.
As long as it was launched into the sky, the nearest Knights of Favonius members would rush over. Although using it here felt a bit wasteful, there was no better way right now.
After tidying up the scene, including the unfortunate ones outside who had been knocked out by the explosion, Stelle and Amber specifically found a small cart used for cargo in their camp and pushed the group out.
A moment later, as Amber launched a fiery red arrow into the sky, a small squad of knights quickly arrived.
Seeing the group of people tied up and piled together at the scene, they also looked dumbfounded.
"This is Monster Bird; he must be strictly guarded… though he won't wake up anytime soon," Amber said to the leader of the knight squad.
"Yes! We will definitely not let him escape!" The knight nodded, then looked at the two in surprise. "You two are truly amazing; you managed to capture Monster Bird's entire gang in one fell swoop."
"It's nothing, really, it's all Stelle's credit…" Amber awkwardly rubbed her head.
She turned her head to look at Stelle, who was somewhat idle and lost in thought not far away, and couldn't help but smile.
"In any case, I'll leave it to you to transport these guys back. We'll also report to Acting Grand Master Jean later."
"I understand. May the Anemo God protect you," the knight saluted Amber, then led his squad members away, escorting the Monster Bird gang.
"Hmm, I didn't expect the capture operation to go quite smoothly." Stelle walked over to Amber, watching the knights depart, and couldn't help but exclaim.
Originally, she had thought that Amber's sudden proposal for a capture operation would be fruitless, since Monster Bird had already run an unknown distance when they went to investigate.
Even if there were some traces of Anemo element on the artifacts that could be used for tracking, it was still a matter of pure luck.
Stelle had even suggested using Acting Grand Master Jean's method, which was like a form of metaphysics.
She didn't expect the final outcome to be good; those guys were ultimately captured by them in one fell swoop.
Looking at it this way, Acting Grand Master Jean's method was really effective.
"Hmm~" Stelle couldn't help but stretch.
It was almost afternoon now, and she and Amber hadn't eaten yet; they should go back soon.
"Stelle…" After all the knights had left, Amber suddenly called Stelle's name softly.
"What's wrong?" Stelle turned around in confusion, looking at Amber.
But she didn't expect Amber to directly pounce into her arms, making her stumble slightly.
Then, Amber stood on her tiptoes.
"Hmm…"
A long while later, their lips finally slowly parted.
"I like Stelle the most," Amber's small head was buried in Stelle's chest, her voice muffled.
"Why say that all of a sudden?" Stelle licked her lips, then asked with a smile, while also reaching out and hugging Amber, returning her embrace.
"Because I just like you so much. Hmm, I feel like Stelle is a gift from heaven," Amber said earnestly, looking up at Stelle's face.
The experiences of today, combined with the time they had spent together, made her fall even more deeply for Stelle. She truly didn't know what she would do if Stelle ever left her.
"Stelle, please don't move out, okay? Just stay at my place," Amber proposed her previous idea to Stelle again.
"This…" Stelle hesitated for a moment. In truth, there was no longer any compelling reason for her to move out.
After all, Mr. Goth had stood her up first.
"If Stelle really feels uncomfortable, you can pay me rent," Amber tightly hugged Stelle's waist, looking at Stelle pitifully.
"Alright." Stelle finally nodded.
Since Amber said so, she would continue to stay at Anber's.
"Then, how much rent do you plan to charge me? I don't have much money, you know," Stelle asked Amber, looking down.
"Hehe, I don't want money. Stelle just needs to every night…" Amber stood on her tiptoes and leaned close to Stelle's ear, whispering something.
…
Stelle knew this girl had no good intentions.
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