Genshin Impact: I'm The Envoy of Snezhnaya
Chapter 334: Debate Club
The well-behaved and considerate Noelle was the kind of person who naturally inspired concern wherever she went.
Diluc, for example.
Although his interactions with Noelle were mostly limited to brief encounters during banquets held at the winery, the sight of this small girl carrying two barrels of wine by herself had gradually caught his attention.
At first, he was simply worried that his father's carefully stored fine wine might be ruined by accident.
But when he tried to take one of the barrels from her hands, he finally realized something.
This girl was genuinely strong.
From that day on, Diluc began to pay attention to this unusual maid within the Knights of Favonius.
Yet today, after leaving the Knights' headquarters, he happened to see that same maid leading the Ausbilder toward the plaza in front of the Favonius Cathedral.
This was bad… very bad.
Diluc knew all too well that letting such a pure and simple girl walk around with the Ausbilder was basically the same as putting a piece of prime meat straight into a wolf's mouth.
If he weren't worried about alarming the surrounding civilians, he would've liked nothing more than to casually fling out a giant firebird to solve the problem on the spot.
Relying on the tracking skills he had honed while traveling across the Seven Nations, Diluc silently slipped into blind spots where neither of them could see him, tailing them from a distance.
"Although it's unlikely that your pet cat would appear in the plaza," Noelle said, "I still recommend taking a look."
"..."
The moment Diluc heard that, he immediately understood why the Ausbilder had managed to rope Noelle into this.
A pet cat?
Wasn't that referring to him?
He'd rushed to inform Jean about the Ausbilder's arrival, only to end up giving the Ausbilder an opening to pull something like this.
The matter involving Noelle would have to be discussed with Jean later.
After quietly following them to the plaza, Diluc also overheard their conversation about the bard.
In Diluc's memory, the Ausbilder's expression hardly ever changed—he always wore that deceptively friendly smile.
But when the topic turned to that strange bard, Diluc clearly noticed something different.
The Ausbilder's smile disappeared.
Not faded—vanished entirely.
Just what kind of bard could provoke that kind of reaction from him?
Could it be… that the person the Ausbilder was looking for was that bard?
The possibility seemed very real.
Silently committing the traits the Ausbilder mentioned to memory, Diluc decided to have people search the city later for anyone matching that description.
After that, he continued following the pair as they wandered around the city—so thoroughly that they even checked the graveyard behind the Favonius Cathedral.
They circled the city walls as well.
By the time the sun began to set, a slightly anxious Noelle finally gathered her courage.
"I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Bai," she said. "I wasn't able to help you find your pet."
Strictly speaking, failing to find the cat wasn't her responsibility at all.
There was no contract between them, no employment arrangement—Noelle had helped Bai Luo purely out of her own goodwill.
Even so, the failure of the search left her feeling deeply dejected.
If Bai Luo hadn't shown any sign of sadness himself, she probably would have sunk into gloom for several days afterward.
"Don't be like that," Bai Luo said gently, looking at the metallic-sheen headpiece atop her head. "You did very well. I'm quite satisfied with this trip."
"If you don't mind," Noelle continued earnestly, "tomorrow I'll submit a bounty request to the Adventurers' Guild. As for the reward… I'll pay it myself, as compensation for this failed search."
"..."
Miss, being well-behaved is a good thing, but being too well-behaved? That's how you end up getting taken advantage of.
Originally, Bai Luo had planned to give her a task that could never truly be completed, just so she'd have an excuse to slow down and get some proper rest.
He hadn't expected it to backfire like this instead.
At this rate, if the cat wasn't found, this girl clearly wasn't going to give up.
"By the way, Noelle, you have a Vision too, right?" Bai Luo asked.
"Yes! The recognition of the gods is encouragement to me," Noelle replied earnestly. "But I'll work even harder so everyone can be even more satisfied!"
Mentioning her Vision did lift her spirits a little, though only a little.
"Then… can I take a look at your weapon?" Bai Luo continued.
Vision holders usually had their own weapons. That trick where it whooshed into existence out of nowhere—like how a certain short food was born knowing how to fly—was practically instinctive.
Noelle should have one too. The only question was… what kind.
Bang—
A heavy spiked club appeared in Noelle's hands and slammed straight into the stone bricks of the city wall.
If the wall hadn't been solid enough, the bricks probably would've cracked on the spot.
"Sorry," Noelle said sheepishly. "Normal longswords tend to chip and break after just a few uses in my hands. So before Master Wagner finished customizing a proper greatsword for me, I've been using this as a substitute."
She held the wolf-toothed mace, her expression faintly embarrassed.
No matter how you looked at it, the weapon really didn't match her image.
As if remembering something, Noelle hurriedly added, "Please don't underestimate this mace! Whether it's pounding laundry like a washing mallet, or helping Miss Sara adjust heavy stones when repairing her stove, it's extremely convenient. I like it a lot."
…Well, in a certain sense, it was perfectly suited to her.
"Mind if I borrow it for a moment?" Bai Luo asked, extending his hand.
"Of course, go right ahead."
The mace was one of the most common two-handed weapons on the market—cheap and unremarkable.
And Noelle never once considered the possibility that Bai Luo might steal it, so she handed the club over without hesitation.
"Good grief, this thing's heavy," Bai Luo muttered, lifting it experimentally. "I'd really have to hold back if I were hitting someone with this."
It took him a while to adjust to the weight.
He knew perfectly well that this weapon wasn't as simple as Noelle made it sound, it was likely an oversized mace Wagner had specially made for her while preparing a more suitable weapon.
"Please don't say things like that," Noelle said seriously. "This isn't something you should hit people with."
She had no suspicion at all, only gently trying to dissuade him from dangerous thoughts.
But Bai Luo suddenly pointed into the distance, as if he'd spotted something.
"Look! My cat!"
"Where?!"
Noelle's eyes lit up instantly, and she turned around without a second thought.
The moment she did—
Bai Luo showed absolutely no mercy.
He raised the mace, took a sharp step forward, and charged toward a corner of the city wall. The mace howled through the air as it came crashing down on a red-haired man who had been tailing them the entire time—just about to intervene and "save" Noelle.
Diluc: "???"
Until the moment his consciousness completely faded, Diluc still couldn't understand it.
How had the Ausbilder noticed him that quickly?
And how had he managed to land that blow so precisely on his head?
Weren't you aiming for Noelle?!
. . . . .
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