Diluc furrowed his brows. Though he was usually stoic, his expression now clearly showed a trace of irritation.
He took off the Night Owl mask, intending to tuck it into his coat pocket, but the person across from him quickly covered his eyes and shouted, "Don't do that, Night Owl! I'll respect your privacy!"
The specially made mask was crushed in his grip and flung into Cider Lake.
That guy had called him "Diluc" the moment he opened his mouth—though he corrected himself right after...
"You already recognized me, didn't you?"
His identities as the Darknight Hero, Night Owl, and Diluc had all been seen through. That damn mask was completely useless.
That was the real reason he was angry.
"Ehehe... Since Master Diluc is being so honest, I'll show some sincerity too." Victor Wang dropped the act and tugged off his own hood.
Seeing that he still had a mask underneath, Diluc couldn't help but feel he'd been outdone. "You said you're leaving Mondstadt. What do you mean?"
"I'm going to seek treatment. I want a day to come when I can stand in the sunlight without needing to hide under a cloak."
"Didn't... didn't Venti already help treat you?"
"That's why I can show my face now. But anything beyond that—he's out of options."
"...I see. The organization had a major operation planned in Mondstadt, and we're short-handed... Looks like we'll have to drag things out a bit longer."
"A major operation?"
Diluc glanced toward Mondstadt's main gate. The guards hadn't returned yet, but they should be back soon—those slimes wouldn't hold out long.
"If you want to know, follow me to Angel's Share—after I take care of a personal matter first."
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
At first, Guy only heard the rustling of squirrels dashing through the bushes outside the side gate and paid it no mind.
A while later, the scent of scorched vegetation wafted in on the breeze. Sensing something was wrong, he went out to investigate and saw several Slimes clustered by the left side of the gate, bouncing in toward the wall.
Most of them were Cryo Slimes, but there were also Pyro Slimes. Every bounce through the ankle-high grass left a trail of charred earth in their wake.
Guy wasn't some pushover—he'd started physical training at 8, learned swordsmanship at 10, and became a squire at 16.
Even if surrounded by five or six Hilichurls or facing a solo Pyro Mitachurl, he could hold his own. Taking down these sluggish little Slimes? Easy.
He drew his sword and started slashing, all while dodging their bounces. Cryo Slimes were no big deal, but if a Pyro Slime touched his Knights of Favonius uniform, it'd definitely get scorched.
Maybe I should let one burn a hole in it—use it as proof of my hard work?
But... Come on... what kind of knight gets hurt fighting tiny Slimes? That's just embarrassing.
He aimed his longsword at a nearly split Pyro Slime, slicing through its gooey, elastic body cleanly in two.
Even so, the split Pyro Slime kept bouncing. Guy had to strike it again, dividing it into quarters. Only then did it begin to swell—then explode. He was already out of range.
A few small Slimes? No pressure. They barely dropped any usable gel.
If I bring this back to Dad, what'll he say? That all our family honor is built on fighting Slimes?
No, no—at the very least, I should be fighting Hilichurls. But stationed here at this gate, where Hilichurls can't even cross, what chance do I have?
Mondstadt was built on an island in the middle of Cider Lake. The monsters on the island had long been cleared out. Hilichurls, who couldn't swim, could only use the main bridge.
If only Hilichurls could swim... But no, no—if that ever came true, forget it. Why would I ever wish for monsters to evolve?
Guy shook the ridiculous thought from his mind.
Still, the Hilichurls couldn't reach this spot, but Slimes kept popping up. Strange. They couldn't swim either, so they must have formed naturally due to dense elemental energy. But last time the Honorary Knight used "Elemental Sight" to scan this whole northern wildland—there wasn't any concentrated elemental energy at all.
"Sigh..."
From the small grove ahead, more leaf-rustling noises came. Guy thought, Come on, at least send a few Huge Slimes, or I won't even have a reportable record.
As he got closer, his first instinct was to rub his eyes. Second—pinch his arm. Third—retreat.
"Quick, quick! Get the night guards and all patrols over here!"
"Emergency! Slimes are attacking the city!"
"Call everyone! I'm not joking!"
Slimes may be weak individually, but in numbers—they were trouble.
Soon, all the knights who had been monitoring the Darknight Hero or watching for Abyss Order activity were summoned. Even the main gate guards came running.
When they saw the horde of Slimes glowing in all colors under the night sky, most of them were overwhelmed.
Those who knew the deeper story were already wondering: Is this the work of the Abyss Order?
"All Vision holders—please push into the enemy ranks and handle the larger Slimes. The rest of us will form a human wall to hold off the small ones!"
Most of the knights present were from Kaeya's cavalry unit, with Huffman being the most senior. He gave the orders, and no one objected.
The four Vision users took their positions, weaving through the Slime-covered field in search of worthy targets.
Wearing a silver chestplate and matching iron boots, her usual puffy shorts replaced by a pleated skirt and her bare legs now hidden under thick tights—Ellin wasn't used to the new gear, even after a month.
The one thing that hadn't changed was her sheathed wooden sword.
"I want to help take down the large Slimes!"
Guy tried to dissuade her. "Don't be reckless! You don't have a Vision!"
"Let her go. She's capable enough."
"B-but..." Huffman had spoken. Though Guy still didn't quite trust Ellin, he silently readied himself to support her.
Ellin unsheathed her wooden sword and dashed forward. Her three-foot sword aura cleaved small Slimes clean in half as she carved a path toward the nearest large one.
Facing a large Pyro Slime, realizing her sword wasn't long enough to pierce through, her aura suddenly extended by another foot—like a transparent blade lengthening from the wooden tip—stabbing deep into the Slime's body.
Unbothered by pain, the Slime charged at her with its vacant, googly eyes.
With the sword still lodged inside, Ellin spun midair. The large Slime, like a peeled apple, was sliced into pieces, leaving a "core" in the center. Then it self-destructed.
But Ellin had already moved on to her next target—a large Cryo Slime.
Cryo armor? Think you can stop my sword aura?
Let's find out!
Guy, who had been watching Ellin closely, stared in disbelief. She's cutting down large Slimes like I do with small ones. Are all rookies monsters now?
Even Sidney, silently racking up his own kills, glanced her way. This girl, praised by both the Head Instructor and Captain Kaeya, was quickly closing the gap between them.
Through Kaeya, he'd already learned the Head Instructor had been controlled by some damn Battle Technique Hunter. One day, if I can save the Head Instructor... I'll make sure he sees—I'm the best!
It took about ten minutes to eliminate all the Slimes. The knights slumped to the ground or leaned against trees to rest. Huffman clapped a hand on Guy's shoulder plate.
"This really was a crisis. Good thing you caught it early—you'll definitely be commended."
"Yeah... It was my duty as a gate guard," Guy replied distractedly, still shaken by Ellin's performance.
He had trained in sword aura too—but still couldn't manifest it. Maybe I should calm down and really focus my training while on gate duty...
"Everyone, back to your posts. The other gates might still need us!"
Wiping sweat from his brow, Huffman hadn't forgotten his original task throughout the entire ten minutes. But with the Honorary Knight standing in for him, hopefully... nothing went wrong.
Sigh... Handing off your work to someone else—no matter who it is—always leaves you uneasy.
"Cavalry unit—move out! If the Abyss Order strikes from another direction, we'll need to handle it."
After a clatter of armor, the tired but victorious knights slowly dispersed.
Ellin and Sidney exchanged a look.
"So where do we go now? Climb back in through the second floor?"
"What else?"
"Captain Kaeya's going to corrupt his entire squad at this rate. I swear, I have to get transferred to Captain Jean's unit before that happens!" Ellin shook her fist in frustration.