Kaito made his decision in seconds.
"Lumine, Amber—you two head back to the city. I'm going on ahead."
Lumine tugged lightly at his sleeve. "Can't we come with you?"
"No." Kaito didn't sugarcoat it. "This is something you shouldn't be involved in."
Both he and Diluc had ties to Mondstadt's underground network. With outsiders present, things got messy—fast.
"…Okay," Lumine said, clearly disappointed.
Paimon crossed her arms, still annoyed. "So you're going to chase that rude red-haired guy?"
Kaito said casually, "That 'rude red-haired guy' is the richest man in Mondstadt."
"WHAT?!" Paimon's eyes went wide. "He's richer than you?!"
Kaito nodded. "By a lot. I only have Good Hunter. He owns an estate outside the city, a tavern inside it, and holds the biggest share of Mondstadt's wine trade."
He added, just to make it sting, "Wine is Mondstadt's main export."
Paimon's bravado collapsed instantly.
"…So you're saying he basically controls most of Mondstadt's money?"
Kaito shrugged.
Paimon swallowed and physically shrank midair. "Then we… definitely can't afford to offend him."
She lived by a strict code: bully the weak, fear the strong, and—above all—stay alive.
Then she drifted over and patted Amber like a consoling saint.
"Sorry, Amber…"
Amber waved it off. "It's fine. Master Diluc has always been… cold toward the Knights. It's a long-standing thing."
Then she straightened, eyes earnest.
"But he's a good person. I'm sure of it."
Paimon coughed, then nodded magnanimously. "F-Fine. I'll… generously forgive him."
No shame. Not a single drop.
Kaito pulled a ring of keys from his System Inventory and handed them to Lumine.
"If you need somewhere to wait, go to Good Hunter. I closed early—Sara should've stocked plenty of chilled food. If you're hungry, warm it up."
Lumine nodded. "Okay."
They separated.
Kaito slipped into the trees.
Amber, Lumine, and Paimon watched until his back vanished into the shadowed grove—then turned toward Mondstadt.
A moment later, Diluc spoke without turning.
"Boss Kaito… not going to keep playing escort for the Knights' girl?"
Kaito spread his hands. "Amber's doing her job. Can you stop talking like your tongue was forged in poison?"
Diluc's lips curved faintly. "I'm simply concerned. Spend too much time around the Knights and you might catch their slow habits."
He sighed, theatrical as ever. "That would be a tragedy for Mondstadt."
"Right. Of course." Kaito narrowed his eyes. "Our honorable Darknight Hero."
"Tch." Diluc clicked his tongue—annoyed, but still composed.
Kaito fell into step beside him. "So what's the situation?"
"Stormterror's attack… there are traces of an Abyss Mage behind it," Diluc said. "You should've noticed something inside that temple."
"I did," Kaito replied. "That 'dragon influence' stone wasn't something Stormterror placed himself."
The top chamber doorway was too small for even a claw.
And a dragon stripped of reason wouldn't design a setup like that.
Diluc's voice cooled further.
"If my information is correct, the Abyss Mage is still inside one of the other temples. They didn't evacuate in time."
Kaito's expression tightened.
Right—the Wolf temple.
And if it was an Ice Abyss Mage…
Kaeya was in real trouble.
Cryo against Cryo. The mage's shield would drink directly from the leylines. Kaeya would lose a war of attrition.
"We move." Kaito suddenly picked up speed.
Diluc matched him. "What's wrong?"
"Kaeya went in alone," Kaito said.
Diluc frowned, but stayed rational. "Kaeya isn't weak."
"If it's an Ice mage, he's in hell," Kaito snapped back.
Diluc's eyes narrowed.
"…That's true."
A Cryo shield fed by leylines would bleed Kaeya dry.
"And you," Kaito added, "running in solo. What if it's a Pyro mage?"
Diluc didn't hesitate. "I crush it before the shield comes up. No breathing room. No chant."
Kaito sighed—because that was exactly the kind of answer Diluc would give.
Stubborn. Confident. Unshakable.
And honestly?
That iron will was exactly why nobles and commoners alike saw him as an uncrowned king.
Night had fully settled over the wilds by the time they reached the ruins beneath Thousand Winds Temple.
Ahead—
the Temple of the North Wind Wolf stood with its doors already open.
Kaito and Diluc exchanged one look—
then sprinted inside.
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