Chapter 1 part 3: Mond(3)

On the way to Mondstadt, many things happened.

We encountered the “Statue of The Seven Winds,” and Lumine gained the ability to wield elemental powers there.

Paimon hypothesized that finding all the “Statues of The Seven” would grant access to such powers.

In the forest, we came across a peculiar boy trying to converse with something that looked like a dragon.

Lumine gained something else there—an ominous gemstone that glowed with a sinister red light.

Just looking at it, I, someone without any powers, felt it was dangerous even to approach.

Lumine, sensing the danger, issued a temporary “no-approach” order to me. I was sad.

Anyway, apart from that, we went through a series of events, not all of which were smooth sailing. But I’ll skip over those details for now.

At present, I was silently observing a new figure who appeared before us.

Filling my field of vision was a girl with a striking red hue. Her brown hair danced in the breeze as she jumped off a cliff, her amber eyes scanning us with caution.

She seemed to ponder something for a moment, muttering “Hmmmm,” before suddenly standing at attention. Her arms moved into a crisp, diagonal salute.

“May the Anemo Archon protect you! I’m Amber, of the Knights of Favonius.”

“Knights of Favonius?” That must have been the organization behind her peculiar salute. Amber continued, her gaze openly skeptical.

“You don’t seem to be citizens of Mondstadt.”

“Mondstadt.” Finally, it seemed we were near Mondstadt. Tears almost welled up at the thought that our long stretch of living outdoors was nearing its end.

However, Paimon seemed more focused on addressing the suspicion being directed at us than celebrating our arrival. Waving her short arms in alarm, she exclaimed:

“Calm down! We’re not suspicious people!”

“All suspicious people say that.”

Amber’s half-lidded eyes fixed on us, the doubt in them unmistakable. At last, I felt the awkwardness of the situation and scratched the back of my neck.

Why so touchy? Is Mondstadt’s situation not very good lately?

The strange standoff dragged on a little longer than was comfortable until Lumine stepped forward. At the sight of her, Amber flinched.

Until then, she had merely observed us like any other suspicious strangers. But upon seeing Lumine step forward, her reaction shifted—she was clearly startled. Well, Lumine is very beautiful.

It felt as though the world had suddenly brightened. Her soft blonde hair reflected the sunlight brilliantly.

“Hello, my name is Lumine. And this here is Siu.”

“Lumine? Hmm, definitely not a local name. And this one here—”

Amber, still recovering from Lumine’s gentle yet commanding voice, adjusted her posture and fixed her gaze on me, scrutinizing every detail.

“Black hair, black eyes… and that name. Are you from Liyue? Then, what’s this floating thing?”

Referring to Paimon as a “floating thing” was rather rude, and an immediate protest burst forth: “A floating thing? How rude!”

But Lumine paid no mind. Calmly, she answered:

“Emergency food.”

“Hey!”

In an instant, Paimon, now dubbed “Emergency Food,” let out a piercing scream. She remained as noisy as ever, this self-proclaimed guide. Around that time, I let out a deep sigh and stepped forward.

“Anyway, we’re travelers, not suspicious people. Seriously, calling a couple of wanderers suspicious when they’ve done nothing wrong? It’s normal to find travelers lingering around near a city.”

“Th-that’s… I’ve made a mistake unbefitting my rank as a knight. I mean, um, oh, honorable strangers.”

I stifled the urge to grumble about how one could offer ‘honor’ to strangers they’d just met. The more pressing matter was understanding the situation. Come to think of it, Mondstadt is one of the seven nations of the Teyvat continent, an important hub. Yet, there had been an odd lack of people nearby—far too few for a place of its scale.

Moreover, the wind felt unusually harsh, almost menacing. Initially, I thought it was because this was the domain of the Anemo Archon, but looking at it now, it felt downright eerie. Mondstadt was supposed to be a warm, free-spirited city.

If even a Mondstadt local was acting this cautious, there must be something serious going on.

“No need to bother with unnecessary formalities. I’m just curious if there’s some kind of trouble. Honestly, we’ve only just started traveling, so we don’t know much.”

“Unnecessary formalities? But it’s in our knightly manual.”

Amber muttered with a faintly sulky expression, but I neatly ignored her.

They say men are wired to listen to pretty women even when they’re spouting nonsense, but my heart had been thoroughly trained by Lumine. Sure, Amber was undeniably attractive and had a bubbly charm, but compared to Lumine? No contest.

…Probably.

“Hmm. Alright then. So you’re travelers, huh? The thing is, there’s been a ferocious dragon sighted near Mondstadt recently, making it dangerous. If you’re heading to Mondstadt, I can escort you.”

A dragon? My thoughts immediately went to the boy and dragon we had seen earlier.

Could it be the same one?

If so, it meant we had encountered the very creature throwing Mondstadt into panic—a chilling prospect.

…No, probably not. For the sake of my sanity, I decided to believe otherwise.

While I sorted out my thoughts, Lumine, who had been bickering with Paimon, spoke up again in her ever-beautiful voice.

“You mentioned being a knight just now, didn’t you? Knights must have duties, right?”

“Well, of course, but… this is something I can do while escorting you. Also…”

Amber’s gaze briefly flickered toward me. It seemed to carry a vague message, something like, “I still don’t fully trust you.” But having already been called out once, she didn’t voice it directly.

This dragon seemed to be a genuinely serious threat.

If it weren’t, there would be no reason for such vigilance. Perhaps, beyond the dragon, some external force was also threatening Mondstadt?

Still, it was all conjecture for now. Given that we were in a ‘prologue,’ it was likely that events were already underway.

As I mulled over the situation, I suddenly felt a wave of fatigue.

Yeah, this wasn’t the most important issue right now. With the city so close, why waste time standing around? I just wanted to get to the city and rest. There were things I wanted to do there, too.

“Honestly, I don’t know if we need an escort, but since there’s talk of dragons, we might as well accept her help, right?”

When I directed the question to Lumine, she closed her eyes thoughtfully before nodding lightly.

“Well, if that’s what Siu thinks.”

With Lumine agreeing, there was no room for further debate. Nearby, Paimon seemed to be chirping something like, “What about me?” but I decided to ignore her altogether.

“Then, please guide us, dear Outrider Knight. By the way, what is this mission of yours?”

Amber, who had been listening to our conversation with a satisfied expression, suddenly spoke as if she had forgotten something.
“Oh, it’s nothing major. Just clearing out a Hilichurl camp or so.”

Hilichurls. I pictured the strange humanoid creatures with fur-covered heads.

Judging by the fact that they could use tools, they seemed to have some level of intelligence, but I remembered that they were no match for Lumine’s sword skills.

If it was just that, I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal, but I couldn’t help feeling a twinge of unease as I cautiously said,
“Um, just to make it clear… Lumine is quite skilled at fighting, but I’m just an ordinary person with no abilities. So, please be careful not to drag me into anything dangerous.”

“Of course! Don’t worry, a Knight of Favonius would never harm a citizen.”

Amber confidently thumped her chest as she reassured me, and Lumine also gave a slight, reassuring smile as if to say everything would be fine.

Watching their reactions, I felt an odd sense of unease grow within me.

This always turns out badly, doesn’t it? But that only happens in novels, I convinced myself.

I pushed away the sprouting seeds of anxiety in my chest, smiled faintly to show trust, and nodded.

***

“Phew, damn it.”

Flinch. Both girls trembled at my words.

Of course, those two were none other than Lumine and Amber, who had been boasting confidently just moments ago.

There was another person trembling, but in a different way. That person was Paimon.

Paimon’s body was shaking as she suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter.
“Pfft, haha, kya-ha-ha-ha! Siu, Siu turned into a charcoal stick!”

And she wasn’t wrong.

My already loose shirt and pants had been burnt through in spots, leaving holes, and my hair was puffed up as if I’d been hit by a bomb.

Moreover, my exposed skin, including my face and arms, was smeared with soot and ash, making me look like a defeated soldier straight out of a war movie.

Here’s what happened:

Lumine and Amber had located the Hilichurl camp and launched their attack, which went well at first.

Lumine’s swordsmanship was so impressive it even surprised Amber, and Amber took out the Hilichurls with her flaming arrows from a distance.

But the problem began when Lumine started using elemental powers.

The wind element carried the flames, causing them to scatter.

It was a breathtaking sight, to be honest—Lumine’s figure dancing within the swirling vortex of fire was something you’d want to capture in a magazine spread.

But admiration aside, as the flames expanded, their fierce intensity caused Amber to rain down a barrage of flaming arrows, which rode the wind and brought the fire straight toward me.

The tongues of flame licking through the grasslands weren’t the kind you could avoid unless you could fly like Paimon.

And this was the result.

I wasn’t seriously injured, but it was undeniable that I’d been through a mortifying experience.

While Paimon, who was usually the target of my teasing, laughed her heart out at my predicament, the two responsible parties couldn’t say a word.

Especially since they had made bold promises not to worry just moments before.

So, with no choice but to continue as a walking charcoal stick, I made my way to Mondstadt’s city gates, while Lumine and Amber cautiously followed, stealing glances at me.

Paimon, as expected, was trembling, trying to suppress her laughter as she watched the scene.

However, having reached Mondstadt’s gate, it seemed Amber could no longer endure the awkward atmosphere. She was the first to break the silence.

She hesitated uncharacteristically and spoke.
“Um, oh… O noble and esteemed traveler?”

I glared at her with cold, unimpressed eyes. Amber flinched again but continued in a more pleading voice.
“Uh, well… I’m sorry! I didn’t realize the power of the Anemo element would be that strong.”

Next was Lumine. Taking advantage of the moment my gaze shifted to Amber, she quietly moved closer to me. In her characteristic sweet voice, she began to soothe me.
“Siu, I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t know the wind element would have such power. Look, your clothes are all burnt. Are you hurt anywhere? What should we do?”

As Lumine made a tearful face, honestly, it felt like cheating.

I let out a deep sigh as if resigning myself.

In truth, it wasn’t something to get so angry about.

This happened because I couldn’t participate in the battle. They had placed me in a safe position, so it was possible she hadn’t been able to pay attention to where I was during the fight.

Besides, I wasn’t seriously injured, and they had done their best to keep me in a secure place while they fought.

Though they were a bit overenthusiastic and used too much power, it wasn’t anything unbearable for someone receiving free protection.

Even so, I maintained my sour mood for a reason.

“Then, Amber, do me a favor.”

“Huh? Oh, of course! A Favonius Outrider always repays their debts. Whatever it is, just say the word!”

Amber’s face brightened immediately, as if relieved to finally repay what she considered a debt of gratitude.

Was it just my imagination, or did her headband seem to perk up?

Amber was truly a good person. And I was a bad guy for taking advantage of such a good person.

“Lend me some money.”

“Uh? Sorry, could you say that again?”

“Lend me some money.”

Amber pretended not to hear me and probed further, but my follow-up response was as calm as if I were making the most reasonable request in the world.

“Don’t worry; I’ll pay it back soon.”

I glanced at the group, who were all staring at me in a daze.

Lumine was dumbfounded, Paimon’s eyes were wide as if asking what on earth I was saying, and Amber looked like she regretted speaking carelessly and was now on the hook to lend money to a near-stranger.

Looking at them, I couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.

“It’s to start a little business.”

“A food business,” I thought. It didn’t seem like a bad idea.

To be continued.