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"Honorary Knight?"
Lumine tilted her head, genuinely confused. She'd only just arrived in Mondstadt—yet somehow she was being handed a title that sounded… official.
Kaito answered casually, as if he were explaining a menu item.
"It means you get status and benefits," he said, "but when things go bad, you're expected to step in."
"That sounds amazing!" Paimon said instantly.
Kaito shrugged. "Which is unfortunate, because things are bad."
Jean's fingers tightened slightly on the edge of her desk.
She could hear the implication clearly.
This wasn't praise.
It was a warning.
"Kaito," Jean said earnestly, "this is the greatest authority I can grant without approval from the Grand Master."
Her voice stayed steady, but Lumine caught it—the strain behind it.
Jean wasn't asking because she wanted to.
She was asking because she had to.
Lumine's gaze flickered to the window.
Outside, Mondstadt looked lively again—vendors calling, Knights patrolling, citizens laughing like yesterday's disaster had already been turned into a story.
But that normalcy was thin.
Like a bandage over a wound that hadn't stopped bleeding.
"I know," Kaito replied calmly.
Jean's shoulders eased—just a little.
Until he added:
"But I still refuse."
Silence fell so hard it felt physical.
Paimon's mouth hung open.
Lumine blinked, then instinctively glanced at Jean—half expecting her to explode.
Jean didn't explode.
Her eyes widened slightly, then narrowed—like she was forcing herself to stay professional.
"…May I ask why?" she said, quietly.
Kaito's gaze stayed steady.
"The Knights aren't yours," he said. "The real authority belongs to the expedition force outside Mondstadt."
Jean's jaw tightened.
"And the Church still holds its leash," Kaito continued, unhurried.
That line hit deeper than Lumine expected.
Jean didn't deny it—because she couldn't.
The Cathedral was a pillar of Mondstadt.
Barbara was beloved.
And the Church's influence could soften crowds—or turn them.
It wasn't a chain you could see… but it was a chain all the same.
"This title binds more than it protects," Kaito said. "I won't wear chains wrapped in honor."
Jean lowered her eyes for half a second.
Not because she was ashamed—
but because she understood exactly what he meant.
To the Knights, "Honorary Knight" was gratitude.
To the Fatui, it was a label.
A label meant leverage.
And leverage meant pressure.
"…So that's your final answer?" Jean asked.
"Yes," Kaito said simply.
Paimon covered her mouth, whispering to Lumine like she'd just witnessed a public execution.
"Jean looks really sad…"
Lumine felt it too.
Not sadness like tears—
sadness like someone holding a crumbling wall with bare hands, and realizing help wasn't coming.
Jean took a slow breath, then straightened again.
If she couldn't recruit him… she still had to protect Mondstadt.
Even if it meant swallowing disappointment.
But then—
Kaito's expression softened, just a fraction.
"That said," he continued, "I'll still help—if you ask."
Jean froze.
Her head lifted slowly, like she wasn't sure she'd heard him right.
"…You will?" she said.
Kaito nodded once.
Jean's shoulders loosened in visible relief—as if she'd been holding her breath since yesterday.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
And for the first time since they entered the office, her voice sounded less like an Acting Grand Master…
…and more like a tired woman who had been forced to act strong for too long.
Kaito raised two fingers.
"I have conditions."
Jean didn't hesitate.
"Please."
"First," Kaito said, "I want a Favonius Warbow."
Jean blinked, then nodded after a brief calculation.
"That can be arranged. We have stock in the armory, and if not—Master Wagner can forge one."
Paimon's eyes sparkled.
"A free weapon?!"
Jean ignored the floating creature and kept her gaze on Kaito, like she was afraid he'd vanish if she looked away.
"Second," Kaito said, "I want Barbara released from church duty. Temporarily."
Jean's expression shifted instantly.
Not refusal.
Concern.
"She's overworking," Kaito added, voice flat. "And she's too low level to keep doing mass healing without burning herself out."
Jean's fingers pressed to her temple.
Barbara was beloved by the people. If she collapsed, it wouldn't just be a personal tragedy.
It would become another crack in Mondstadt's morale.
Jean nodded.
"She's safer with you than collapsing from overwork," she said quietly.
Paimon leaned toward Lumine and whispered loudly, like she was narrating a play.
"He negotiates like a villain."
Kaito didn't react. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Lumine.
"You'll accept the Honorary Knight title."
"Eh?!" Lumine stiffened. "Me?!"
Jean's eyes widened again, now confused.
Kaito spoke as if it were obvious.
"Yes," he said. "Someone from Mondstadt needs to stand in front."
Lumine's heart skipped.
In front…?
Kaito's meaning clicked into place in pieces:
If he accepted the title, the Fatui could point at him as "the Knights' hidden blade."
They could claim Mondstadt was relying on an outsider with unknown origins.
They could twist it into propaganda.
But Lumine—
Lumine had already fought the dragon in public.
The citizens had seen her.
The Knights could call it gratitude.
The Fatui would find it harder to frame as "a secret weapon."
Jean slowly understood.
Her eyes sharpened, and the tension in her posture changed shape—no longer desperation, but sudden clarity.
"…You're protecting the Knights," she said.
Kaito didn't deny it.
He simply said, "The Knights need a face the city can accept."
Lumine swallowed.
She didn't like politics.
She didn't like being used as a symbol.
But she understood something even more important:
Jean wasn't trying to trap her.
Jean was trying to keep Mondstadt from bleeding out under diplomacy and disaster.
Lumine looked at Jean.
Then at Kaito.
Then—very softly—she nodded.
"I accept."
The relief on Jean's face was immediate.
Not exaggerated.
Not performative.
Just real.
"Thank you," Jean said again, and this time there was no stiffness left in it at all.
The ceremony was brief—but formal.
Not because Mondstadt loved pomp.
Because symbols mattered right now.
Inside the headquarters hall, several Knights gathered—Amber included, standing straight with pride like Lumine had already become family.
A small parchment was prepared.
A seal stamped.
A short oath spoken.
Jean stepped forward, voice solemn.
"By the authority of the Knights of Favonius—
I name you Honorary Knight of Mondstadt."
Lumine accepted the document with both hands.
The seal was warm from the wax.
And the weight of it felt heavier than paper should.
Paimon floated in a circle above her head like a tiny, celebratory balloon.
"Honorary Knight Lumine! Hehe—sounds powerful!"
Lumine didn't know whether to laugh or panic.
So she did neither.
She just held the document tighter.
Afterward, as they left headquarters, Kaito walked in silence.
His mind was already moving.
Levels.
Survivability.
Team composition.
No margin for error.
The Fatui were pushing openly now.
Which meant their next move wouldn't be subtle.
Lumine glanced at him, wanting to ask something—
But Kaito suddenly spoke first.
"Paimon."
"Yes?" she chirped, still riding her excitement.
"Keep calling a name while we walk," he said.
Paimon blinked.
"Huh? Okay!"
She cupped her hands like a street announcer.
"NOELLE! NOELLE! NOELLE—!"
Lumine stiffened.
Why would he—
A calm voice answered behind them.
"…I'm here."
"AAAA—!!"
Paimon screamed and dove straight into Kaito's arms.
Lumine spun around.
Behind them stood a silver-haired maid in armor, a greatsword resting calmly at her side.
Noelle blinked politely, posture perfect.
"You called?"
Kaito smiled.
"Perfect timing."
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