Knight of Favonius

"Phew... it finally left..." Paimon let out a long sigh of relief as she watched the teal speck of light gradually disappear into the sky.

"Aaaah!! Why did it run away!?"

In stark contrast to Paimon's relief, the smile on Gabrielina's face instantly froze.

Her golden eyes stared at the empty sky in disbelief. The black swords floating around her shook violently with her anger, clashing together in a piercing metallic clang.

"...Gabrielina, how about we first..."

"Lumine! Wait... go back first!"

"W-what are you going to do?"

Gabrielina spread her wings to their fullest extent, and black energy rapidly coursed through her feathers.

"I'm going to make sure it learns today... what it means to give as good as you get!"

Whether Gabrielina was truly angry or not, she was certainly making enough of a commotion to break the silence of certain beings lurking in the shadows.

A breeze gently blew through, bringing a tenderness utterly unlike the earlier storm wherever it passed.

[You two... honored guests from afar, could you let this child go for now?]

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice rang out.

"W-who's talking?" Paimon huddled beside Lumine's head, cautiously looking around.

Of course, she could see no one, not even in the wind gently circling them.

[...I can't show myself just yet, but we will meet later. I promise.]

After saying that, the unfamiliar voice gave no further reply.

Paimon and Lumine did not know who it was, but Gabrielina did.

Not only that, thanks to the Elemental Corridor, she could even sense that he had not left at all. He was still hiding in the currents of wind nearby.

...If I suddenly disappeared, would he freak out on the spot?

"...Gabrielina?" Paimon ventured, watching the angel gradually settle down.

"Hm?"

"Are we going down?"

After glancing at the swords circling her, Gabrielina grabbed the longest one. Her fingertips brushed lightly over its spine, passing across the reflection of her golden eyes.

"...Let's go down. We'll listen to him." The angel waved a hand and flew over to Lumine. "Lumine, haven't you noticed you've been floating up here for a long time?"

At Gabrielina's words, the girl seemed to suddenly come to her senses.

She had been hovering high in the air for over ten minutes with nothing but her Wind Glider, when earlier, simply gliding down to the square had left her panting for breath.

"Gabrielina, do you mean... he's helping me?"

"Maybe. Anyway..." The angel pursed her lips in displeasure. "Anyway, that cowardly dragon is long gone."

"Cowardly"...?

Lumine looked at the swords poised to strike beside Gabrielina, then recalled the sight of her stopping the dragon with her bare hands. She silently wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.

Soon, with the angel accompanying her, the girl glided back to the square using her Wind Glider.

The moment she landed, Amber came rushing over and grabbed Lumine tightly by the shoulders.

"Are you two all right? I saw, uh..." Before Amber could finish, she noticed the dense ring of swords around the angel.

She suddenly realized that while Lumine had been swept into the whole thing by accident, this lady had not.

She flew up there herself! Maybe she was going to...

"Like them? Want one~?"

"No, no..." Looking at the cold gleam of the blades, Amber hurriedly waved her hands.

I'm an archer. It's not like I can shoot a sword, right?

Just as Gabrielina was about to force one on her, a sudden round of clapping came from the distance.

A dark-skinned man wearing an eyepatch slowly emerged, his steps unhurried and his expression that of someone who had just enjoyed a good show.

"I'd heard some time ago... that there was a traveler who looked a lot like Lord Barbatos. Now, though, I'm quite certain you aren't the god himself."

The man stopped a few meters away, his lone eye meeting Gabrielina's gaze, his scrutiny and wariness plain to see.

"After all, with so many weapons around you, miss, it looks as though you're going for the kill. Are you our guest, or..."

"Kaeya!?"

Amber cried out in surprise, interrupting Kaeya's little routine.

Gabrielina did not think it mattered much, though. The guy's complexion was so dark she could not make out any change in his expression anyway.

She was ready to take a jab at him.

"Kaeya, you're just in time. Stormterror has started attacking inside Mondstadt. We..."

"Hold on, Amber."

Kaeya abruptly interrupted Amber and carefully studied the two unfamiliar girls, though his gaze lingered far more on Gabrielina than on Lumine.

"There are still people here who haven't been introduced."

"Ah... right. This is Kaeya, the cavalry captain of our Knights of Favonius."

After explaining that to the two of them, Amber turned back to Kaeya.

"These are travelers from afar: Gabrielina, Lumine, and Paimon."

After listening, Kaeya studied the two girls closely. Lumine met his gaze with a very polite smile, but Miss Gabrielina was another matter entirely.

...She picked up a sword, a long, slender one-handed blade.

"Hey, handsome~"

Kaeya apparently had not expected her to open with that. He glanced at the silent Amber beside them, then pointed at himself.

"Me?"

"Of course. There's clearly no other male here." The girl turned the sword's hilt toward Kaeya and held it straight out to him. "A little gift to mark our meeting~"

"Oh~ Thank you, beautiful lady. To what do I owe the honor?"

"Don't mention it, Mr. Cavalry Captain. Amber said she didn't want it..."

A cold breeze swept past at just the right moment. Kaeya's eyebrow twitched, and the sword in his hand suddenly felt like it weighed a ton.

"...Since she normally uses a bow, I figured it would be more suitable for you~"

"Haha, I see."

Seeing that Kaeya did not seem particularly inclined to speak, Amber hurriedly continued introducing the two girls and their backgrounds.

"Miss Lumine came to Mondstadt to search for her brother, and Miss Gabrielina... is her traveling companion."

After hearing Amber's introduction, Kaeya slowly let out a breath.

"So that's how it is. Welcome to Mondstadt, though it's unfortunate you've arrived at such a terrible time..."

Looking at the girl before him, Kaeya spoke with a fair measure of genuine feeling. "I understand the pain of being separated from family, Traveler."

"It's all right..."

"No need to be polite! Once we've resolved the dragon crisis, we'll certainly help you. Besides..."

Kaeya shifted his gaze toward the angel beside them, who was counting her remaining weapons.

"With such a powerful, capable friend by your side, you're sure to find him."

Kaeya sighed softly and looked up at the still somewhat gloomy sky.

"In any case, the citizens you protected all witnessed your battle against the dragon just now. The Acting Grand Master is very interested in you and would like to speak with you at the Knights' headquarters."

Lumine glanced at Gabrielina, who made an unfamiliar gesture. It probably meant... she agreed?

"All right, no problem."

"Then please follow me!" Kaeya led the way, twirling the black sword in an elegant flourish.

Lumine jogged over to Gabrielina's side, and the group followed Kaeya deeper into Mondstadt.