With the dragon's departure, the storm and swirling dust finally subsided.
Icy mist rippled through the air, and countless shards of ice rained down...
The houses were battered, and the streets were a mess.
Countless people stared blankly at the departing dragon, not knowing what to say.
"The Eastern Wind Dragon is gone! The disaster is over!"
Only after a long while did the people come to their senses and turn toward the girl standing atop the Statue of The Seven's head, wearing a bear nightdress and fuzzy slippers.
That icy arrow had stunned everyone!
It was that girl who had driven off the Eastern Wind Dragon, saving the city and countless lives.
"Ohhhh!!!"
"Ellin, you're amazing!!!"
"Ellin! Number one in the world!!"
Looking at the gallant white-haired girl standing atop the statue with a great bow in hand, Fischl was so excited she nearly fainted. She stood at her window, cheering for Ellin!
To the countless citizens, Ellin, who had driven off the dragon and saved their city, was an undisputed hero!
With Fischl taking the lead, more and more citizens began chanting Ellin's name.
"Ellin! Ellin! Ellin!"
For a time, the cheers of countless citizens sent Ellin's name ringing throughout Mondstadt City.
Hermann, in particular, was so excited that his aging face flushed bright red!
As her father, he was filled with pride at his daughter's achievement. He waved his hands and shouted Ellin's name over and over, like a fan cheering at a concert.
"She actually did it!"
"Incredible. Perhaps a new dawn is about to break over Mondstadt City!"
Jean and Diluc stood together, quietly watching the girl amid the cheers and adoration of countless citizens, their faces showing both amazement and relief.
Yet the girl atop the Statue of The Seven paid no attention to the cheers. Under everyone's gaze, she leaped high into the air, caught her Slime Bra, and tucked it against her chest as though terrified someone might see it.
After jumping down from the statue, she seemed to remember something, grabbed a few more things from the ground, and ran straight home without another word.
"Hey! Ellin!"
Jean reached out, hoping to stop Ellin and thank her, but Ellin ignored her completely. She jumped over the railing and was gone in an instant.
"Ah... does she dislike having so many people watching her?"
"Well, I'll visit her in person to thank her once we've dealt with the storm damage." Jean shook her head helplessly.
Diluc, standing beside her, reacted differently.
Usually so stern and unsmiling, he now wore a rare hint of a smile.
"She saved Mondstadt City, yet cared nothing for fame or glory..."
"Strong, beautiful, yet modest and humble... what an interesting woman!"
What Jean and Diluc didn't know, however, was that Ellin hadn't hurried away out of modesty.
She simply found it far too embarrassing to have so many people see her holding a Slime Bra. All she wanted was to grab it and hurry home.
And honestly, if you walked down the street carrying a Slime Bra, you'd probably suffer more than just public humiliation. The police might even arrest you as a pervert.
Though, of course, nobody in this world knew what a Slime Bra was.
This incident was destined to enter Mondstadt City's history books, yet neither its current residents nor its future generations would ever know the truth about Miss Ellin, the hero who had driven off the dragon and saved Mondstadt City.
She hadn't attacked the dragon to save the city, nor had she wanted to become a hero.
The only reason she had attacked it was that it had swept away her Slime Bra.
The dragon departed, and the storm subsided.
As Acting Grand Master, Jean personally went to the front lines to direct reconstruction, repairs, and the treatment of the injured.
The streets soon bustled with citizens voluntarily helping the Knights of Favonius clear the roads, repair houses, and carry away the injured.
All at once, Mondstadt City became a hive of activity.
Meanwhile, amid the bustling crowds, a bard wearing a green hat with white trim and a green cape put away his lyre.
He was the one who had brushed aside the dragon's Anemo Bombs, torn through the storm engulfing Ellin, and parted the dust obscuring her vision.
"Well, well, to think such an interesting child has appeared in Mondstadt City. How wonderful."
With a mischievous smile, the bard walked against the flow of the crowd and left Mondstadt City, heading in the direction the dragon had flown.
Even when the Anemo Archon neglected his duties, he still protected his beloved people in his own way.
In the blink of an eye, seven days had passed since the dragon's attack on Mondstadt City.
Reconstruction and repairs in Mondstadt City were largely complete.
Just a day earlier, Jean had finally visited Ellin in person to thank her for driving off the dragon.
"I'm very sorry. I had to organize the reconstruction efforts, and a delegation from Snezhnaya led by a Fatui Harbinger arrived in Mondstadt City at the same time. With so much work waiting for me, I've only now found the time to come and thank you in person."
"Thank you for everything you've done for Mondstadt City and its people. Your deeds will be recorded in Mondstadt's history forever!"
After setting down her gift and exchanging a few pleasantries with Ellin, Jean hurriedly said goodbye and left. Clearly, she still had plenty of matters to attend to.
"Being Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius really isn't easy..."
Watching Jean leave, Ellin couldn't help sighing.
Looking out the window at Mondstadt's streets, which had mostly returned to normal, Ellin sighed helplessly.
She had barely left the house over the past seven days.
Having driven off the dragon and saved Mondstadt City, she had become the city's hero. Whenever she walked down the street, everyone greeted her respectfully.
Ignoring such friendly greetings would seem rude, but answering them one after another was exhausting for Ellin.
A few days earlier, she had taken a stroll through the streets, and merely responding to everyone had left her mentally and physically drained.
Of course, that wasn't why she didn't want to go out. Given her personality, she hardly cared what others thought of her.
If answering everyone was too tiring, she could simply ignore them. They could judge her however they liked; she didn't care.
What truly irritated Ellin was the people who had come to her door over the past few days to propose or arrange marriages.
Yes, marriage proposals and matchmaking!
As mentioned before, when someone was too outstanding, no one dared entertain any improper thoughts about them.
But when someone was perfect beyond all reason, they could also make others lose their minds.
Ellin was already exceptionally beautiful, and her strength was extraordinary.
The sight of her standing atop the Statue of The Seven and driving off the dragon with a single arrow had burned itself deep into the hearts of countless men in Mondstadt City, leaving them infatuated with her.
Indeed, Ellin was outstanding, and countless men knew they weren't worthy of her. But their feelings for her were so intense that they overcame their sense of inferiority.
"I'm not worthy of her, sure, but what if I'm the chosen one? What if I get lucky, and Ellin just happens to like my type?"
"I won't lose anything if I try and fail, but if I don't try, I'll regret it for the rest of my life. After all, what if it works?"
With that mindset, parents bearing lavish gifts to arrange marriages and young men seeking to propose had crowded Ellin's home for seven straight days, driving her entire family up the wall.
"Mr. Hermann, please reconsider! Our son truly loves your Ellin. Please give it some more thought!"
At the shouts from downstairs, Ellin finally snapped.
"Take your stuff and get the hell out!"
She kicked the would-be matchmaker out the door, then threw the gifts after him.
Fuming, Ellin stepped outside. Without a word, she charged into the long line and began punching and kicking everyone who had come to propose or arrange a marriage!
The crowd descended into chaos, with screams ringing out one after another.
A dozen minutes later, gifts lay scattered everywhere. The parents and young men, their faces bruised and swollen, huddled trembling beside the wall, no longer daring to approach Ellin's front door.
"Get the hell out!"
"I'm never marrying anyone, got it?"
"If you come to my house talking about marriage or proposals again, I'll cut down every last one of you!"
Standing at her doorway with her sleeves rolled up and the Skyward Blade in hand, Ellin snarled at them.
"Get lost! All of you, get the hell out!"
"Anyone still here in three minutes is getting cut down!"
"Ahh! How can you act like this?!"
"You're not ladylike at all! I don't like you anymore!"
A young man of about twenty shouted from the crowd.
Ellin marched over and kicked him.
"Fuck you! Who gives a damn whether you like me? Say one more word, and I'll break your legs!"
"Get lost already!"
Seemingly cowed by Ellin's ferocity, the crowd of suitors and matchmakers instantly scattered in every direction.
Meanwhile, on a rooftop somewhere in Mondstadt City...
Diluc watched the white-haired girl standing at her doorway with a blade in hand, an inscrutable smile on his face.
"Hmph! What an interesting woman!"
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