When Ellin snuck back into Angel's Share through the second floor, everything looked just as they'd left it—the three of them still upstairs, the usual crowd downstairs. Huffman had already returned before her... no, there was one more person.
Wasn't that Victor Wang? He came to drink?
"...So, the Abyss Order only sent Slimes after all?"
"How impressive. The Knights should just switch professions and start a slime-cleaning home service—might even be more useful than what they do now."
The red-haired Master Diluc had always had a sharp tongue for the Knights of Favonius.
"Please, Mister Diluc, there's no need to mock us..."
Huffman turned to glance at the two Honorary Knights seated at the bar. In addition to the white knight from before, now there was a black knight. Huffman coughed behind Lumine and made his way toward the back of the tavern.
Catching the signal, Lumine exchanged a glance with Diluc. At his faint nod, she hopped off her stool and followed Huffman.
"So? Did Mister Diluc leave earlier?"
"Nope."
"Hm... So, Captain Kaeya isn't always right."
"Maybe. Everyone makes mistakes."
"Thanks for your help."
After exchanging a few quick words, the two split up.
"Mister Huffman, your dandelion wine. Drink it and head home early. Please give my regards to the Knights of Favonius."
"No need. I'm heading back to report now. This glass is for you." Now that the Abyss Order's assault was over, there was no need to keep watching Diluc.
After Huffman left, Diluc finally served Lumine and Paimon their long-awaited apple cider.
"It's late. Finish your drinks and head home. Angel's Share is closing early tonight."
"Huh? But there are still so many customers!"
Diluc gave Paimon a sidelong glance and shook his head slightly. "They're not customers."
"Ehh?! Not customers?!"
Paimon suddenly had a bad feeling. She pinched Lumine's cheek. "Does that hurt? Don't tell me... all these people are just my imagination?!"
"Paimon—"
Before Lumine could retaliate, a voice came from the side. "If they're not customers... then they must be actors, right?"
Diluc looked slightly surprised to see Kaeya, but didn't respond to the question.
"Kaeya?! What are you doing here?"
"Just picked a quiet spot to enjoy the show."
And it wasn't just Kaeya—Ellin and Sidney followed behind him.
Paimon and Lumine both stiffened. What they thought was a flawless undercover act had been completely exposed.
Lumine sat upright, quietly sipping her cider like an ostrich trying to hide from reality.
Paimon scratched her head, panicked, and asked Kaeya, "Wait... you've been here the whole time?!"
Victor Wang, too, was surprised to see Ellin and Sidney here.
Kaeya had once told others that he suspected Diluc was the Darknight Hero, but he never exposed him. So why bring others this time?
"That alibi performance was simply amazing—more intoxicating than the wine."
Though he was answering Paimon, Kaeya's eyes stayed locked on Diluc.
Diluc folded his arms, his expression cold as ever, eyes narrowed. "And? You going to report this to the Knights?"
Victor Wang had a feeling Diluc was getting annoyed.
"Hahaha... Come on, you know me—I'm not into tattling." Kaeya shrugged and added, "I just wanted to see what you're capable of. As expected... you never disappoint."
Sidney stood stony-faced behind him, rivaling even Diluc's stern demeanor. Ellin, however, eyed Kaeya suspiciously—If it were "for fun," he totally would tattle.
"I don't need to prove anything to you."
"Of course not. But what surprises me most is... you accepting help from others."
"Sorry, we're closed. Time to leave."
Diluc clearly didn't want to argue. His eyes returned to the bottles, and his tone was cool.
"All right, all right. I don't need wine to be entertained tonight. But before I go, just one more thing to say."
"Make it quick."
Kaeya smiled, his lone gray-blue eye sweeping across Lumine and Victor. "With so many allies at your side, Diluc... I feel strangely reassured."
Diluc definitely wasn't amused. He responded with a quiet grunt from his nose.
"Captain Kaeya, what are you guys talking about? I don't get it," Ellin finally blurted.
"Ellin, haven't I told you? You should learn from Sidney. If you don't understand, just stay quiet and observe."
Ellin rolled her eyes. If it were Captain Jean, she'd explain everything clearly. Jean's the best!
Kaeya walked to the bar, slung an arm warmly over Victor Wang's shoulder, and offered a cheery farewell. "Wishing you all a splendid night. Until next time."
He patted Victor once and led Ellin and Sidney to the door.
As she passed, Ellin met Victor's eyes and gave a subtle nod.
Sidney paused briefly at the threshold. "Victor..."
"Hm?"
"...It's nothing."
He had considered telling Victor about the Battle Technique Hunter—but thought better of it. After all, the man was just the Honorary Knight. Close, yet distant.
They hadn't shared the same wild training. Their bond with the Head Instructor might not be as deep.
And the enemy... was strong.
Besides, Kaeya hadn't even told Ellin—because Victor didn't have a Vision.
Victor followed up naturally, "So you've been officially assigned? Kaeya's unit?"
"Yep. Both Ellin and I were placed in the cavalry squad."
Now that they're under Kaeya's watchful eye, if anything's off, it'll come out. No need to worry too much. Sidney could ease up now.
"That's good. What about Duke Sharon and the others?"
"Duke and Boyce are with city defense. Elsa joined the guerrilla unit. Sharon... she's now part of the Knights of Favonius HQ guard corps. Everyone's doing well."
"The Chief Instructor—"
Sidney shook his head, cutting off the topic, and stepped out of the tavern.
"Whew~"
Lumine and Paimon let out a breath of relief. They'd been worried Kaeya would expose them.
"Look how calm Victor is. We should learn from him!"
"Paimon, maybe not this kind of sneaky calmness," Lumine said as she tugged Paimon away like a mother steering her child clear of a bad influence.
"Lumine! That hurts my feelings!"
"Just kidding."
Diluc took a sip of dandelion wine and said, "Thanks for your help. I'm used to working alone, but having your support tonight... wasn't bad. If you need anything in the future, come find me."
That was mostly directed at Lumine and Paimon.
"But it really is closing time. Drink up and head out."
"Mhm! We'll get going, then."
After they left, Diluc turned to the other "customers" on the first floor and declared, "Dismissed."
With practiced efficiency, the group cleaned up their tables and filed out of Angel's Share.
"Now," Diluc said, turning to Victor Wang, "let's talk about what you were interested in. The organization is always transparent with intel. This operation's not some classified secret—even if you're not joining."
With the underage guests gone, he poured Victor a dandelion wine as well.
Victor had tried it once before—smooth, but with a powerful aftereffect. Still, it was free and it was late, so why not?
"To the north of Mondstadt Island and the smaller islets scattered in Cider Lake, Slimes often appear for unknown reasons. At first, it was just a nuisance at the side gate. But when it became frequent, a member posted a request for assistance.
"Upon investigation, we believe that in the absence of any elemental focal point on land, the Slimes may actually be emerging from the lake itself.
"There might be something hidden beneath the lakebed—either a special leyline node... or a god's corpse."
Victor pondered this. He'd received similar commissions in the game, involving Slimes at the side gate and odd elemental dust on the lake's islands.
"But... Slimes can't swim, right?"
"That's the only strange part.
"But when there are enough of them, a few will always form close to the surface.
"Today, by using elemental-rich bait at the side gate to lure the Knights, I confirmed the theory. With the right lure, we can control their spawn locations.
"We'd been reluctant to test it before—too disruptive. But thanks to the Abyss Order and the Knights, we finally got our window.
"Now we can begin exploring the lakebed."
He paused, then continued, "Long-term submersion, pressure resistance at unknown depths, emergency adaptation—this mission can only be done by someone with a Vision.
"Cider Lake is vast. Vision bearers are rare. So yes—one more person really does make a difference."
The "one more person" was, of course, Victor Wang.