The Knights' hospitality

The Electro Cicin Mage felt she had to consider whether this was the only chance she would ever get.

This was a target personally designated by a Harbinger! Wasn't that more important than the Skyward Harp? Besides, her target looked so weak.

Remain a nobody, or become famous across the world?

And so, she struck.

Although this "Traveler" proved somewhat stronger than expected, the lightning still struck her squarely. That lash was powerful! Even the most seasoned debt collector couldn't have taken it head-on.

Seeing Lumine's panicked expression, the woman laughed with abandon.

When the cathedral bells rang, they would be ringing for her...

Dong-dong-dong-

Venti looked at the two girls before him, then at the Electro Cicin Mage being dragged along the ground like a dead dog, and slowly fell silent.

The woman's bodysuit was scorched black and torn. Only half her mask remained, dangling from her ear and exposing the mangled flesh beneath. Most horrifying of all was her left arm, which had been bent completely backward.

"...Did you kill her?" Venti asked very quietly.

"Oh, she's still alive~"

Why would I kill her? All she wanted to do was zap me with lightning. Honestly... it wasn't a big deal!

A couple of punches were enough.

"G-Gabrielina slammed her... into the wall, mmph!"

Under Gabrielina's gentle gaze, Paimon obediently shut her mouth and hid behind Lumine.

Drops of blood fell from the Electro Cicin Mage's wounds, blooming into dark red flowers on the flagstones. Yet the Angel remained spotless, smiling without a care in the world.

Venti keenly noticed that after just one trip into the basement, the girl who had looked rather listless had regained her energy. Even her eyes were sparkling.

What on earth had happened?

"...Venti, shouldn't we run first?" Lumine asked, looking toward the cathedral behind them with a slight frown.

"The noise from Gabrielina's fight must have alerted the knights. We don't have much time."

"All right, follow me!"

"What about this woman? Leaving her here would cause a diplomatic incident, wouldn't it?" Gabrielina casually swung the captive in her hand, scattering drops of blood everywhere.

"Then sorry for the trouble, but bring her along for now!"

Before he had even finished speaking, Venti vaulted lightly over the railing and leaped away into the distance.

"Lumine, Paimon, hold on tight."

As the footsteps of their pursuers drew closer behind them, Gabrielina dragged the woman over the railing and jumped down as well.

Lumine took her free left hand, while Paimon grabbed her hair in a panic.

Before Lumine could spread her Wind Glider, a rainbow-colored curtain of light flooded her vision like a tide. Space folded and unfolded in an instant. When her feet touched solid ground again, she found herself on the second floor of a tavern.

Their footsteps echoed across the oak floor, and they faintly heard a door closing downstairs.

"Hey~ Master Diluc, good evening, hahaha..." Venti's voice drifted up from below, without the slightest hint of panic. His tone was so cheerful that he sounded as though he had only come to beg for a drink.

"Could you give me somewhere... a little out of sight?"

Diluc stopped polishing his glass and considered for a moment. "If you want somewhere secluded, there are fewer people upstairs."

"But aren't you a Bard? You ought to choose somewhere lively."

"Ahaha, let's save the paid performance for next time. See you in a moment~"

With that, Venti hurried upstairs.

After watching him go up, Diluc returned to the bar.

"Keep an eye on them. That poet is suspicious. I need to go ask what's happening," Diluc told the bartender, Charles.

"'Them'? But only Mr. Venti came in just now," Charles asked in confusion.

The red-haired man said nothing, merely tapping a finger toward the ceiling.

"Heh, Mondstadt's 'security guards' are on their way..."

The moment Diluc finished speaking, the wind chime at the tavern entrance rang again.

"Ah, Master Diluc, have you seen anyone suspicious?" a plump knight asked breathlessly as he pushed open the door.

"What happened? Why have so many of you been dispatched?" Diluc asked with a frown.

"Haven't you heard, Master Diluc? Some thieves were so brazen that they actually targeted the Skyward Harp!"

Diluc raised an eyebrow and straightened, tapping his fingertips lightly against the counter. "Oh? How curious..."

"Indeed. The Skyward Harp is a treasure played by the Anemo Archon himself. Such precious cultural heritage-"

"Someone was actually stupid enough to steal something they couldn't sell. They'd have been better off robbing my wine cellar."

"..."

Perhaps the Anemo Archon himself, hidden upstairs, would have agreed with Diluc, but the two knights before him exchanged looks and ultimately didn't dare reply.

Given his standing and reputation, there wasn't much they could say.

"Oh, apologies for getting off topic. Unfortunately, I haven't seen anyone suspicious tonight," Diluc said, spreading his hands with a helpless expression.

"I see... Please keep an eye out, Master Diluc. Those foolish thieves seem to have fallen out among themselves, too. There were signs of a fight and large amounts of blood at the scene."

His eyes flickered slightly. After a brief silence, Diluc nodded to them.

"I'll keep an eye out."

"Ah, all right, all right. Thank you, Master Diluc!" the knight said gratefully.

They immediately hurried out of the tavern.

Watching the knights rush away, Diluc turned and looked toward the second floor.

"Would you like me to bring your drinks upstairs as well?"

"Hehe, sorry about that, Master Diluc..."

Venti poked his head around the bend in the stairs with a sheepish grin, then brought Lumine and the others down.

Diluc surveyed the group, his gaze finally settling on Gabrielina.

Even he, with his usual sour expression, couldn't help breathing a little more heavily at the sight of the humanoid object she was dragging.

Not that an ordinary person would have noticed any change in his expression.

"We meet again, Miss Gabrielina. It seems you've dealt with those tails?" Diluc said.

"Impressive efficiency. Much better than the Knights of Favonius! It would be even better if you didn't bring corpses into my establishment."

At Diluc's "praise," Gabrielina's ear feathers trembled gently, and she actually lowered her head as though embarrassed. "I'm not quite as amazing as you're making me sound... She's not with the ones from last night."

"Tails?" Lumine looked at Gabrielina in confusion.

"Oh, when I came here for a drink last night, two members of the Fatui seemed to be watching me."

"They... already had their eyes on you?" The girl frowned slightly, and her gaze toward the Electro Cicin Mage seemed to sharpen.

Diluc tapped his glass against the counter, the crisp sound drawing everyone's attention back.

"Allow me to introduce myself to our two new friends. My name is Diluc, and I own this tavern."

"He's the big~ boss behind the tavern!" Venti suddenly interjected. "He's very famous, you know. Incidentally, I'm quite fond of the Dandelion Wine he produces."

"Though most of the time, I can only afford it by the glass..."

"All right, let's get down to business." Diluc folded his arms.

"I just heard about the thieves from the guards."

"But let me say this first: I admire your nerve in trying to steal the Skyward Harp." The corners of Diluc's mouth lifted slightly.

"Because even if you're fools, you're the sort of fools that only come along once in a thousand years."

"That really stings..." Gabrielina casually tossed the unconscious Electro Cicin Mage beside the counter, as though discarding a worthless piece of trash.

"Wait, we didn't steal it! The real culprit is this Fatui!" Paimon stamped her feet anxiously in midair. "This Fatui! She tried to frame us, but Gabrielina brought her to justice right on the spot!"

"Exactly, exactly. They're the Knights of Favonius' rising stars. How could they possibly steal Mondstadt's sacred relic?" Venti immediately chimed in.

"Rising stars... Ah, so that's you."

Diluc's gaze moved between the two girls before finally settling on Gabrielina.

"...Are you serious?"

"I mostly wanted to keep her company." Gabrielina smiled at Lumine, who turned away in slight embarrassment.

"Ah..." Diluc sighed, fixing the two with an intense gaze. "You're travelers, yet you're willing to lend Mondstadt a hand in its time of crisis."

"It would be such a waste for people like you to join the Knights of Favonius."

"The Knights of Favonius... They're hamstrung and inefficient when it comes to Stormterror. And in diplomacy, they're weak and overly cautious toward the Fatui." Diluc looked thoroughly exasperated with their failings.

"Exactly! They've even dared to steal on the cathedral's sacred grounds, right beneath the Anemo Archon's feet!" Gabrielina clenched her fists and said fiercely.

"These aren't ordinary Fatui anymore. We have to hit them hard!"

Seeing Gabrielina itching to act, Diluc's mouth twitched sharply as certain "wonderful" memories involving a hammer rose in his mind.

He hastily cleared his throat twice, turned to fetch a length of hemp rope from behind the counter, and deftly bound the Electro Cicin Mage's wrists behind her back, securing them with a tight knot.

"...All right, I'd rather not dwell on that subject."

"It seems Master Diluc really dislikes the Knights of Favonius!" Venti teased from the side.

"Hmph... We simply follow different paths." Diluc gave Venti a cold glance and gestured for Charles to take the captive away.

He stood up and brushed the dust from his gloves, the tavern's candlelight casting flickering shadows across his red hair.

"I have my own hopes for this city of Mondstadt..."

Diluc turned and scrutinized the group. "Then answer my question. Even if the Fatui really were trying to steal the harp, why were you at the scene?"

"Do you really want to know? You might get caught up in trouble involving the Knights of Favonius," Venti warned.

But the moment Venti finished speaking, Diluc let out a contemptuous chuckle.

"...Heh. I'm not afraid of trouble. I'm trouble for the Knights of Favonius myself."

"Then, if I perform a tale of the Knights of Favonius, will you believe me?"

"That depends. I'll make my own judgment." The red-haired man stood with his arms folded, still composed and unruffled.

"Then, about my payment..."

"Pay off last night's debt first, drunkard."

Faced with that icy refusal, Venti could only give Lumine and Gabrielina an awkward smile and shrug.

He held out a hand to Lumine. "Could you lend it to me?"

The girl hesitated briefly, but seeing his earnest gaze, she finally took the Skyward Harp out of her pack.

She could clearly feel Diluc's gaze beside her grow more intense the moment the Skyward Harp appeared.

"Excellent! Now, please listen closely. Mondstadt's finest Bard and its finest instrument..."

He plucked the cool Starsteel Strings, and an ancient melody rang out. As with the song he had played beneath the statue, Mondstadt's finest poet began performing the history of Stormterror for Diluc.

A little while passed.

"That narrative poem just now... what exactly..."

After listening to Venti's song, Diluc lowered his head in thought for a while. When he raised it again, his brow was full of puzzlement. "Such an important secret. Why tell me all this?"

"Why indeed? Hmm, perhaps because the wind is changing direction!" Venti said, spreading his hands. "What do you think, Master Diluc?"

"Interesting... Give me some time. I can find a way to arrange the necessary contacts."

"You're not in any danger for now." Diluc looked at the group, resting a hand against his chin. "Those knights didn't even know what the suspects looked like... Heh, they even thought only one group was after the Skyward Harp."

"Let's do this. We'll meet here when the tavern closes. Leave that Fatui to me."