Chapter 3
By the time they reached the forest road leading to Mondstadt, the protagonist had finally calmed down.
The white smoke faded. His hair slowly darkened back to normal. His body stopped bouncing like a defective slime.
"Ah," he sighed, stretching his arms like a normal human being again. "Much better. Gear 5 is fun, but it's exhausting. And loud. And reality complains a lot."
Paimon eyed him carefully. "So you can turn it off."
"Yeah. If I didn't, this world would probably kick me out for being annoying."
"…Paimon believes that."
The Traveler nodded silently, still trying to process everything that had happened since waking up in Teyvat. At this point, they'd decided that questioning reality too much was a waste of time.
That's when an arrow flew past them.
Thwip.
It landed perfectly at the feet of a nearby Hilichurl, pinning its shadow to the ground.
A voice followed, confident and cheerful.
"Don't move!"
A girl with long brown hair and a red outfit stepped out from behind a tree, bow already drawn. Her eyes locked onto the group instantly.
"Oh!" she said. "You're not monsters."
Paimon puffed out her chest. "Of course we're not! Paimon is—"
Amber's gaze slid to the protagonist.
She paused.
"…Why is that one smiling like that?"
The protagonist waved. "Hi."
Amber immediately aimed her bow at his face.
"Stay where you are!" she said. "You don't have a Vision, your clothes don't match any region I know, and your smile is deeply suspicious."
"That's fair," he replied calmly.
The Traveler stepped forward. "We're just passing through. We're heading to Mondstadt."
Amber relaxed slightly, lowering her bow but not fully. "I'm Amber, an Outrider of the Knights of Favonius. Mondstadt's had some… unusual incidents lately."
She glanced at the road behind them.
Right on cue, more Hilichurls burst out of the bushes.
Amber groaned. "See? Like that."
The Traveler readied their sword.
The protagonist cracked his neck. "Okay, but I promised myself I wouldn't overdo it."
Paimon blinked. "You promised who?"
"Me."
The fight broke out quickly. Amber fired precise arrows, the Traveler moved in with clean sword strikes, and the protagonist…
He picked up a Hilichurl.
Not violently. Just lifted it by the mask.
The Hilichurl flailed.
"Buddy," the protagonist said seriously, "have you considered a different career?"
He gently tossed it into another Hilichurl. They fell over like bowling pins.
Amber stared.
"…Was that martial arts?"
"Self-defense," he said.
One Hilichurl tried to ambush him from behind.
Without turning, the protagonist bent backward in a way no spine should allow, letting the club miss by inches.
Amber's eye twitched.
The Traveler finished the last enemy, breathing slightly harder than before.
"…You fight strangely," Amber said.
"Thanks," he replied. "I practice."
Paimon floated over to Amber. "He's weird, but he helped us!"
Amber sighed. "Mondstadt attracts all kinds, I guess."
She smiled again, bright and friendly. "Since you're heading to the city anyway, why don't we go together? I can escort you."
The Traveler nodded. "That would help."
Amber looked at the protagonist one more time. "But if you cause trouble—"
"I won't," he said. "Probably."
"…That's not reassuring."
As they walked toward Mondstadt's gates, the city finally came into view. Windmills turned slowly. Flags fluttered in the breeze.
The protagonist looked at the walls, the freedom in the air, and felt something stir deep inside him again.
Not power.
Curiosity.
"Interesting world," he murmured.
Paimon smiled. "Right? Mondstadt is amazing!"
Amber laughed. "Welcome to the City of Freedom."
Somewhere in the wind, a faint laugh echoed back.
And for once, the protagonist didn't laugh louder than it.