"Actually, he didn't really do anything wrong. It's just that he did something outside the scope of his duties. His intentions were good, but he was unlucky and ended up exposing his superior's money-power dealings, which led to him being suppressed.
Originally, he was supposed to be promoted to squad leader, but not only did he lose that opportunity because of this, he was even reassigned to patrol duty in the wilderness.
I think... maybe it's exactly because of that experience that he now refuses to do anything outside his official duties. The higher-ups assigned him to patrol, so he patrols. As for saving travelers? Sorry, that's not in the job description."
Paimon said, "That's... that's way too ridiculous!"
Kaeya sighed, "Yeah, I was shocked when I heard about it too. As the captain of the cavalry, I've clearly been incompetent."
Jean added, "Exactly. That's why I'm planning to find some time soon to properly reorganize the Knights, to prevent more of those corrupt, power-abusing scumbags from appearing again.
Of course, Kaeya, as the captain, you'll also need to take responsibility for what's happened under your command."
Kaeya exaggeratedly said, "I feel deeply ashamed—and also very grateful that Acting Grand Master Jean is giving me a chance to atone for my failures."
Zephyr said, "...Are you two performing a rehearsed act?"
"What are you talking about? I'm being sincere about admitting my mistakes. Speaking of which, Jean, I actually discovered two Knights with questionable character just the other day."
"More? Two of them?" Jean frowned.
"It's Swaan and Lawrence—the two who guard the front gate of Mondstadt."
"Swaan and Lawrence? I remember them. What did they do that crossed the line?"
"According to a very reliable source, the two of them love bullying little kids. And they especially like capturing the pigeons on the bridge."
"Bullying children? Kaeya, are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"I'm not. This intel is absolutely solid!"
At that moment, Zephyr couldn't take it anymore and interjected, "How can you slander them like that?!"
"Oh? Blond girl, do you have some higher wisdom to share?"
Jean cleared her throat and said, "Kaeya, this girl is our Honorary Knight now. Show some respect."
"Understood!"
"You don't mean to tell me your intel came from Timmy, right?"
"Wait—how did you know?!"
"How did I know? I could figure that out with my toes. Amber, you didn't mention this to Jean?"
Amber looked a bit guilty and said, "I meant to, but then things came up and I forgot..."
"Ugh, alright then."
Zephyr said, "You can't blame those two entirely for this."
"What do you mean by that? Wait—do you know them?"
"I met them when I first arrived in Mondstadt."
Kaeya added, "Oh really? I also heard they specifically asked you to help them turn all those pigeons into Sweet Madame. That true?"
"It's true, but there's a reason for that."
Jean said, "Alright, tell us everything from the beginning."
Zephyr explained the whole story from start to finish. As the tale went on, everyone's expressions gradually turned... strange.
Kaeya even covered his nose and said, "No wonder I kept smelling pigeon droppings every time I left the city. I thought the pigeons were just doing their business on the bridge... but it turns out it was..."
Jean sighed and said, "Sigh… if that's the case, then we really can't put all the blame on them. Alright then, Kaeya, go to the Knights of Favonius and request funding to build two small pavilions at the city gates. That should help prevent something like this from happening again."
"Leave it to me," Kaeya replied, then hurried off in a rush.
Amber said, "Jean, you didn't mention how much funding Kaeya should request."
"Oh, right, I forgot… well, Kaeya should know the proper limits. A few thousand Mora at most should be enough."
Zephyr muttered, "I'm more worried the slacker-in-chief will embezzle a few hundred thousand…"
"You're overthinking it. Kaeya's not that kind of person."
Suddenly, the door burst open with a loud bang, and a red blur rushed inside.
"Dun-dun-da-dun! Spark Knight Klee of the Knights of Favonius, reporting in!"
Jean held her forehead. "Klee, how many times have I told you to knock before coming in?"
Klee stood with hands on her hips and declared, "Klee didn't break anything today, so Acting Grand Master Jean can't scold me!"
Paimon muttered, "You sound a little too proud of that…"
Klee turned and exclaimed with surprise, "Huh? Big Sis Lumine and Paimon? You're here too!"
As soon as she said that, Zephyr's heart sank. Oh no.
Sure enough, Jean raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh? Klee, you know them?"
"Of course I do! Last time, it was Big Sis Lumine who helped me—uh."
Klee instantly clapped her hands over her mouth, but the guilty expression on her face was impossible to hide.
"I knew it!"
"Klee, we'll set aside your punishment for now. Let's first talk about this Honorary Knight young lady. It seems we'll need to temporarily suspend your honorary credentials. Based on your answers, there's even a chance you might have to take a trip to Mondstadt's confinement chamber."
"Ehhhhh?!"
Paimon panicked. "No way! Paimon don't wanna go to the confinement chamber!"
"Ahem, I was referring to the Honorary Knight, not you."
"Whew… that's a relief."
Zephyr blinked. Why not Paimon?
The reason was simple: Jean hadn't seen Paimon involved last time. Paimon had flown too fast and, being small, completely escaped Jean's notice.
And given Jean's personality, there's no way she'd blame someone uninvolved—well, someone possibly human-like… but regardless, in Jean's mind, Paimon had human rights, so of course she wouldn't hold her accountable.
"Paimon!" Lumine glared at her.
"Uhh… even if you look at Paimon like that, it's no use. As the old saying goes, human nature is inherently selfish. You can understand Paimon, right, Traveler? Right? Right?"
Just then, a confused voice chimed in beside them.
"Jean, why are you arresting Big Sis Lumine? And Paimon was totally with us last time too!"
"Gah…" Paimon's voice cut off sharply.
Jean's sharp gaze turned to Paimon. Paimon broke out in a cold sweat and said, "Uh, Acting Grand Master Jean, l-let me explain…"
Zephyr quickly stepped in, "Jean, this is all a misunderstanding! Let me explain."
So Zephyr recounted the events—but of course, he trimmed out all the parts that were unfavorable to himself. And, as an accomplice, also conveniently omitted anything that would implicate Klee.
Klee was overjoyed and kept repeating, "Big Sis Lumine is a good person! Big Bro Zephyr is a good person!"
Amber leaned over and whispered, "Klee, Big Sis Lumine is now Honorary Knight Big Sis."
"Really? Honorary Knight Big Sis is amazing! Honorary Knight Big Sis is a good person! Sis Amber is a good person too!"
//END
---
But such nonsense wasn't enough to fool someone as experienced as Jean. She crossed her arms, fell into a brief silence, and instantly grasped the crux of the matter.
"So, what you're saying is... you tricked Klee into signing a slave contract?"
"Why would you interpret it like that?!" Zephyr panicked. "First of all, I didn't trick her—she signed it willingly! And second, it's not a slave contract… Well, if I think about it carefully, maybe it's kind of close? No! It's called a pact! It enhances the strength of the one who signs it!"
"Oh really? Well, I personally think it's better not to enhance Klee's strength. She already causes enough chaos and trouble as it is. If she gets even stronger—say, ends up like her mother—I don't even want to imagine the consequences."
"Uh…" That made a lot of sense. He had no words to refute it.
Klee puffed up her red cheeks in protest, "Mama didn't cause trouble! Mama is a legendary adventurer that everyone respects! She only accidentally blew up a mountain during one of her adventures. It was totally an accident! Jean, you're not allowed to talk bad about my mama!"
Paimon was stunned. "She accidentally blew up a mountain during an adventure!?!?"
She turned a bewildered and shocked look toward Jean. Jean could only nod helplessly.
"No way…"
"So, you see what I mean now, right?" Jean continued. "Klee may be small, but she's already showing signs of becoming just like her mother, Alice. If you really let her grow stronger… the consequences…"
"But… she already signed the pact."
"Which is exactly why I have a headache."
In truth, Zephyr had never planned to take Klee to another world. For one, his team already had two elite Pyro users—adding a third would mess up the elemental balance. And second, Klee was just too young. Taking her on adventures across worlds might end up creating traumatic memories. So from the start, he had no intention of bringing her along.
But would Zephyr ever admit that so easily? Of course not. What he thought in his heart and what he said were two completely different things.
"Klee is a powerful ally to me. Asking me to give her up? Impossible! Unless… Jean, you're willing to replace her and join my team."
Sudden reversal.
"Me?" Jean looked genuinely surprised.
"That's right!"
After all, Jean was a noble Anemo user and would perfectly pair with Lumine to form a double Anemo team—no more energy recharge issues. Plus, she was an elite healer. Once her burst skill activated, her healing was off the charts.
And… this was also a form of petty revenge for all the times Amber kept nagging him about Jean. Heh, pulling Jean into his team and making Amber's most respected person his own teammate? Delicious.
Whether Jean accepted or rejected him, Zephyr had already mentally prepared himself.
What he didn't expect was that Jean neither agreed nor refused. Instead, her face turned slightly red, and she gently bit her lip with a flustered expression.
He was dumbfounded on the spot. What… what's with this reaction?
Maybe Jean noticed her own inappropriate reaction, because she quickly turned away and said, "Give me some time to consider." With that, she shooed everyone out of her office.
??? Zephyr's mind was full of question marks.
"What just happened?" He had mentally prepared himself for a yes or no. But this? This he was not ready for.
He looked down and asked, "Klee, do you know what's going on?"
Klee tilted her head and said, "Klee's not sure either… hmm, maybe it has something to do with the novels Jean reads?"
"Novels? What kind of novels?"
"It's called Melancholy of the Maiden Vera."
Melancholy of the Maiden Vera?
Amber gasped. "Isn't that a romance novel?!"
"Wait, Jean reads romance novels? Klee, are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"No, no! Klee is absolutely sure! One time Klee went to play with Jean, and as soon as I walked in, I saw her panicking and trying to hide a book she was reading.
Klee was really curious, so I pretended I had gotten into trouble again. While Jean came over to scold me, I snatched the book and ran off! Hehe!"
Klee looked so proud, like she'd just accomplished some incredible feat.
Paimon commented, "Such a rascal!"
Amber asked curiously, "And then? What happened next?"
"Then Klee ran away, of course! Klee was super curious about what kind of book made Acting Grand Master Jean so obsessed. But there were way too many words in it, and Klee didn't recognize a lot of them. Most of it didn't even make sense to Klee…"
Amber said, "That's normal, Klee. It's totally fine that you couldn't understand it… But still, I can't believe Jean actually likes that kind of novel… Hehe, knowing Jean's little secret is kinda awesome."
A strange thought surfaced in Zephyr's mind. "Wait… could Jean have misunderstood and thought I like her?"
Although, to be fair, he did like Jean—but it wasn't the kind of "like" most people would assume.
He was just… tempted by her looks.
Though, that kind of temptation could easily evolve into genuine affection too.
Paimon said, "Now that you mention it, that really could be the case."
Zephyr pondered. It really was possible. Everything that just happened could easily be interpreted as him having feelings for Jean, but being too embarrassed to say it out loud. So instead, through Klee's connection, Jean gradually got to know him. Then with Amber awarding him the title of Honorary Knight, Jean slowly let go of her initial misunderstandings about him.
If Klee hadn't suddenly butted in, and he'd just kept pushing the angle… maybe he really would've gotten Jean to join his team.
But precisely because Klee jumped in, Jean must've realized something.
Still, all things considered, the outcome was looking good. Judging by her reaction, there was a high chance Jean would eventually agree to join.
"Honorary Knight, Klee promised to go fish-blasting with Dodoco today—wanna come with us?"
"Sure!"
Suddenly, Klee's expression changed. "N-no, wait! Klee just remembered something—Klee better not go fish-blasting after all.
Klee should go hide and lay low for a bit. Honorary Knight Sis, Klee suggest you do the same."
Then whoosh! she vanished.
"Hide?" Zephyr's heart sank. "Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this?"
Paimon added, "Funny. I was thinking the exact same thing."
"Could it be that Klee caused trouble again?"
"But didn't she just say she didn't cause any today?"
"Maybe she meant yesterday?"
"…"
Paimon said, "You know what? Maybe we should just get out of here."
Zephyr thought for a moment. "No way! I don't believe Jean would actually have the nerve to arrest me!"
"…"
Paimon muttered, "Ahem. If you think about it… Klee caused the trouble, she'll take the punishment. We had nothing to do with it, right?"
"Yeah, you're right!"
But Amber, being the responsible one, said, "You two stay here. I'll go find Klee and figure out what she did this time, then maybe I can help plead her case to Jean."
"Amber, you're so kind," Paimon said.
With that, Amber hurried off, leaving just Zephyr and Paimon behind.
"By the way, I've always been curious about the second floor of the Knights' Headquarters."
In the game, the second floor of the Knights' building was always off-limits.
"What are you planning? This is the Knights of Favonius, you know. If you act suspicious, they'll arrest you on the spot."
"What a joke. I'm the Honorary Knight—how could I possibly be a suspicious person?"
Still, he started walking toward the staircase to the second floor.
"Hey!"
Thud!
Suddenly, he hit something—like an invisible wall that blocked his path.
//END
---
"Whoa!"
Zephyr was stunned. "Isn't this just like the invisible walls from the game? Why is it still here?"
Oh, right. This world did have mages—like Lisa and Mona. So having a barrier or two made perfect sense.
"It makes sense, sure," he muttered, "but I really wanna go upstairs. What do I do?"
Paimon said, "Stop wandering! There's clearly a barrier here. The second floor must be something important—maybe it's where the Knights store their treasure… Wait. Treasure?"
It was as if Pandora's box had been opened inside her mind—Paimon was instantly lost to temptation.
"No, no! That would be a crime! This is the Knights of Favonius! Stealing from them? Paimon don't wanna die!"
Even as she said that, her sparkling eyes turned toward Lumine.
"Hey! You're saying one thing, but your actions say another. Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Because Paimon was thinking… maybe the Traveler could go check the second floor first. If there's a treasure vault, we can split the loot fifty-fifty. And if she gets caught—well, that has nothing to do with Paimon. Ehehe."
Zephyr silently raised a single finger. "That's low, but… you've given me an idea. If the stairs are off-limits, no problem—you can fly, can't you?"
"Eh…?"
"If anyone's stealing, it's Paimon. What's that got to do with me, the Honorary Knight?"
And with that, he grabbed Paimon and, before she could react, hurled her up toward the second floor.
"Ahhh! Traveler, that's not fair!"
Thud!
Paimon smacked into the floor above with a loud bump.
"Oww! That hurt!"
"Paimon's legs are broken! Paimon can't move! Paimon won't recover unless Paimon eat a hundred Sweet Madames!"
Just then, the office door opened, and Jean walked out with an exasperated look.
"I thought you two left. Why are you shouting inside the Knights' building?"
Paimon's voice came to a screeching halt.
"Paimon, don't play dead. I can see you."
"Uh…"
Zephyr shamelessly said, "Jean, I was just trying to point out a flaw in the Knights' barrier system. It's incomplete. Look—there's a barrier over the stairs, but you can still fly up from outside."
"Tell me, do normal people usually know how to fly?"
"As you can see, abnormal ones do."
Jean rubbed her temples.
Paimon floated back down, rubbing her head and pretending to be innocent. "Um… we didn't mean any harm. We were just curious about what's on the second floor."
Jean replied, "There's really nothing special up there—just a few resting rooms. The only reason there's a barrier is because the treasure vault is there. I never expected anyone to bypass it like this. I'll speak with Lisa later about upgrading the barrier."
"Well then, thank you for your help, Miss Honorary Knight."
"No need to thank me—helping others is my passion."
"…"
Paimon scratched her head and asked, "What about these rooms on the first floor?"
"These are all offices. That side is the library. And the room in the far corner… is Klee's personal confinement room."
"Wait—personal confinement room?!"
Paimon was shocked. Klee was so amazing, she actually had her own private detention cell!
"Do you need anything else? If not, I'll get back to work."
"Actually, I'd like to check out the library. Is that okay?"
"Of course. Feel free to explore the library. If you want to borrow any books, just speak to the librarian, Lisa."
"Got it."
…
Acting Grand Master Jean returned to her office.
Paimon asked, "Librarian Lisa… the librarian can cast barriers too?"
At that moment, Zephyr's emotions became a bit complicated—he was about to meet Lisa, the woman he both loved and hated.
Back in the day, Lisa had been his main DPS in his Elemental Mastery team. She once dealt an impressive 300 Electro normal attack damage. But even with 1000 Elemental Mastery, Overloaded reactions could only do around 14,000 damage. Compared to nuke builds like Mona's, that damage was pitiful.
And the devs never bothered to buff her either. Elemental Mastery builds were just doomed to be bottom-tier.
With mixed feelings, he stepped into the library—it felt like stepping into a completely different world.
Rows upon rows of books, spiral corridors, ornate European-style decorations and furniture—it all made the place feel less like a library and more like an art museum.
Zephyr was in awe. This library was hundreds of times bigger than it was in the game, and far more majestic, far more luxurious.
"Wow! It's so beautiful!" Paimon gasped in admiration.
Zephyr originally wanted to look for Lisa, but his attention was immediately drawn to the sparkling glint of the books on the shelves.
"This book can be collected! And this one too! Wait—all the books here can be collected?!"
He was ecstatic. Unlike in the game, where maybe one book per shelf could be interacted with, now almost every single book—hundreds per shelf—could be added to his inventory with a simple tap on the screen.
He went wild collecting books!
Even though he probably wouldn't read most of them, he just loved the thrill of hoarding them all!
Suddenly, a figure approached.
A hand gently rested on his shoulder. From under a violet hat, a charming face appeared, smiling sweetly.
"Little cutie, what are you doing here?"
"I'm collecting books~"
"Oh, I see. So people are calling stealing something noble like 'collecting' nowadays?"
Zephyr's face turned red. "Stealing?! What are you talking about? This is the noble pursuit of a scholar! I'm simply taking unclaimed books from the shelf. How could that be considered stealing?"
The librarian paused to seriously consider his words… then nodded.
Zephyr turned to Paimon.
Paimon stammered, "Uhh… Paimon kinda thinks that's still stealing."
"By that logic, all the books I took in the game were stealing too?"
"But the characters in that game were just NPCs—they didn't have thoughts of their own."
"Aren't you from the game world too?"
"Paimon's getting mad now!"
Lisa said with a soft smile, "Miss Honorary Knight, seeing as you're also a fellow scholar, if you return the books now, I'll pretend this never happened."
Paimon blinked. "Eh? How do you know the Traveler is the Honorary Knight?"
"Hehe~ For a witch like me, there's not much in this world I don't know."
Reluctantly, Zephyr returned all the books from his inventory and checked Lisa's character info.
> Librarian Lisa
> Graduate of the Sumeru Akademiya—once-in-two-centuries genius
> Level: 35
Zephyr was slightly stunned. Level 35—that was the highest level person he'd seen publicly in Mondstadt so far. Even higher than Acting Grand Master Jean.
But after reading the description, "once-in-two-centuries genius of the Sumeru Akademiya," it made more sense.
What he didn't know was—Lisa was just as shocked by him.
"Books disappearing and reappearing out of thin air… could this little cutie possess space-type magic?"
"Hello~ I'm Lisa, librarian of Mondstadt. And you, little cutie, what's your name?"
//END