As one of Mondstadt's pillars of power, the Knights of Favonius occupied some of the best real estate in the city—second only to the Cathedral.
A three-story stone stronghold with an underground library and a loft at the top. In all of Mondstadt, only the Cathedral matched it in sheer presence.
Kaito wasn't a Knight…
…but he was someone recognized by both the Acting Grand Master and the Church—an unusual case that had been granted a special-issued Favonius weapon.
Inside Headquarters, that kind of recognition carried weight.
"Boss Kaito?"
The two Knights on gate duty brightened the moment they spotted him.
"Do you need the Knights' help with something?"
"I'm looking for Kaeya," Kaito said. "Is he in?"
"Captain Kaeya?" one of them replied. "Yes—first floor. He's talking with Wood."
They both placed a hand to their chest in salute and stepped aside.
First Floor Hall
Kaeya stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall as he spoke with Wood—the Knight assigned to watch the confinement room.
Kaeya—the Cavalry Captain on paper—had short indigo hair, tanned skin, and an effortless swagger that made him look like trouble even when he was doing nothing.
Open-collared white shirt under a blue jacket. Blue-and-white cape. His Vision hung from his belt. Black trousers and tall boots.
The whole look said: relaxed, confident, and dangerous in a charming way.
In Mondstadt, his popularity was legendary.
The only man who reliably rivaled him was probably Diluc—purely because Diluc had money and that brooding "don't talk to me" aura.
Kaito lifted a hand. "Ice-Walking Adeptus!"
Kaeya's expression cracked instantly.
"…Boss Kaito," he sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead, "I've asked you so many times—please don't call me that."
Then he flicked his bangs back with dramatic flair.
"And why am I the only one honored with a nickname personally bestowed by you? Shouldn't Acting Grand Master Jean get that privilege first? I'm just a minor nobody."
If any Mondstadt girls were present, that hair flip alone would've been lethal.
Kaito chuckled. "Calling yourself a 'minor nobody'? That's very you."
He nodded to Wood. "Rough day?"
Wood's face tightened. "Don't even start."
Kaito glanced toward the confinement room. "Klee's in there again?"
Wood looked like he'd aged five years. "Jean locked her up. Apparently she… went fishing again."
In Mondstadt, the rivers and lakes were public resources. Destroying them—by any method—was explicitly against the Knights' regulations.
But Klee needed to test bombs.
She couldn't blow up mountains—what if a wildfire started?
So she threw them into the water.
Which meant…
There were always fish.
So Klee always got in trouble.
And Wood always got stuck guarding her, living in constant fear that she'd "experiment" in confinement and—
BOOM. There goes Headquarters.
"I'll talk to Jean," Kaito said. "I'll keep Klee occupied for a while."
Wood's eyes actually went wet. "I'm moved. Truly."
Kaito quietly took one careful step away from him.
Kaeya watched, amused.
"So," he drawled, "did Boss Kaito come here just to rescue Wood's sanity?"
"Of course not." Kaito's smile thinned. "I came for you."
"Oh?" Kaeya straightened and gave a theatrical salute. "To be of service to Mondstadt's pride—my honor."
"Save the poetry." Kaito didn't bite. "I need the Knights to start moving civilians."
Kaeya's brows lifted. "Moving… civilians?"
It didn't fit.
His intelligence network hadn't picked up any large Abyss Order movement. No Fatui scheme big enough to justify panic.
Kaito's tone turned flat and serious.
"If nothing changes, Stormterror is coming."
Kaeya's gaze sharpened. "Do you have informants?"
Kaito looked at him like he'd asked something ridiculous.
"Do you really think an informant is faster than a dragon in flight?"
"…Fair." Kaeya exhaled, then frowned. "But you know how this works. If we mobilize the city without a convincing reason, the Knights might follow orders—but the people will demand an explanation."
Even if rank-and-file Knights only needed commands…
Mondstadt's citizens needed trust.
Kaeya studied him. "What's your basis?"
Kaito didn't answer right away.
He couldn't exactly say: Because the story is about to start and Dvalin's about to lose it.
Instead, he raised his hand.
A tight sphere of Anemo gathered in his palm—whispering, spinning, and controlled with unnerving precision.
Kaeya's eye narrowed.
Kaito's voice dropped.
"The wind."
Meanwhile — Statue of The Seven Plaza
"Ta-da!" Amber announced proudly, holding her gift up like a trophy. "This is it—the Wind Glider!"
"Outriders use it for quick movement," she said brightly. "And a lot of Mondstadt citizens love them too."
"I brought you here so you could see how useful it is."
Paimon clapped like a proud parent. "That's such a sincere sales pitch!"
"Well, duh." Amber grinned. "The wind is Mondstadt's soul."
"The wind…" Lumine murmured.
She fitted the glider onto her back and lifted a hand, feeling the breeze rolling in from beyond Cider Lake—clean, cool, steady.
Then Kaito's earlier words echoed in her mind again.
Watch the wind.
Lumine's eyes shifted upward.
"…The wind direction?"
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