After bidding farewell to the Five Yakshas, Caelg continued his journey home.
Last time, he had left Liyue in a hurry.
Now that he was walking these lands again, the scenery felt especially refreshing.
Towering mountains, cascading waterfalls.
Small bridges over flowing streams, quiet homes tucked among trees.
Birds crossing the sky, ancient trees standing tall.
Villages in the distance—
—and something lying motionless by the roadside.
"…Huh?"
Caelg froze.
"Why is there a dead body on the side of the road?!"
He rushed closer.
A woman lay there, wearing a wide blue witch's hat, blue boots, and a distinctly familiar outfit.
"…Wait. This is—"
He lowered his voice.
"Mona?"
Sensing someone nearby, the woman weakly shifted her body and, with a dry, cracked voice, forced out a single word:
"Hun…gry…"
Then her head tilted to the side.
She passed out.
"—HOLY SH—"
Later
"Woaaah! So good! So good!!"
Mona devoured the pork in front of her like a starving beast, completely abandoning all dignity.
Caelg could only watch with mixed emotions.
Mona was famous for her professional integrity—
which also meant she was usually broke.
According to her, she had been looking for food when she simply collapsed from hunger.
She had almost starved to death.
Honestly, he had no idea how she even survived long enough to meet the Traveler in the original timeline.
To be fair, Mona wasn't actually poor in assets—
she just spent all her money on expensive astrology equipment.
Or maybe it was her master's fault.
Watching Mona cry tears of happiness while chewing pork, Caelg broke out in cold sweat.
"Hey, slow down. I still have plenty left…" he said helplessly.
"How could I?!" Mona replied with her mouth full.
After swallowing a chunk, she continued:
"I haven't eaten properly in three days! And this is the best pork I've ever had in my life! Are you a chef?!"
"…You could say that," Caelg nodded.
"I work at Wanmin Restaurant."
"Wanmin Restaurant…"
Mona nodded knowingly.
"That explains everything."
She glanced at him.
"Judging by your strange outfit… you're not some kind of mage, are you?"
He already knew the answer, but decided to play along.
"No idea. Is astrology really that amazing?"
"Of course it is!"
Mona puffed out her chest proudly.
"It can observe destiny itself—reading constellations through the stars!"
"Ohhh, impressive," Caelg clapped politely.
At that moment, Mona stood up.
"Right. I don't even know your name yet."
"My name's Caelg."
She placed a hand over her chest solemnly.
"My name is Astrologist Mona Megistus.
If that's too long, you may simply call me Mona."
"…Yeah, that's definitely too long."
He repeated it perfectly anyway, then shook his head.
"I'll stick with Mona."
Mona's eyes widened.
"You remembered my full name on the first try?! Your memory is incredible!"
"Heh… it's nothing," Caelg scratched his head.
(Definitely not because I've heard it countless times before.)
Mona leaned back against a tree, patting her slightly bulging stomach with satisfaction.
"This… this is the happiest meal of my life."
She looked at him seriously.
"I can't just accept charity. I have professional ethics.
This time was an emergency—but next time, absolutely not."
"So, as compensation—
I'll give you one free divination!"
Caelg instantly broke out in cold sweat.
"N-no need, really. These were leftovers anyway. You helped me by finishing them."
His destiny?
He'd died once already.
If Mona saw that, she might actually faint for real.
But Mona waved him off.
"No excuses. I always keep my word."
"Besides," she smiled confidently,
"you're curious about your fate too, right?"
"No no no—seriously, I advise you to stop."
"Done."
"…Huh?"
A watery astrological disk had already formed in front of her.
"Let me see…"
Caelg covered his face.
"…I'm doomed."
The Revelation
Mona adjusted the star chart, fully focused.
Then—
Her pupils shrank violently.
Her entire body stiffened.
The image before her was eerily simple.
Past.
Future.
Fate.
All shrouded in thick mist.
Only four words remained, burning clearly in the center.
Agarest.
Mona's hands trembled.
She slowly turned to look at Caelg.
He sighed helplessly.
"I told you…"
"…Y-you're the Dark Archon—Agarest?!"
Mona's worldview shattered instantly.
Agarest had fallen five hundred years ago!
There was no way the stars could be wrong.
Which meant—
The man in front of her really was Agarest.
Seeing Mona completely frozen, Caelg grinned mischievously.
"Well, I originally didn't want to expose my identity…
but now that you know…"
He stroked his chin, pretending to think.
"Looks like I'll have to silence you forever."
Mona's face went pale.
"K-kill… kill to keep it secret?!"
Her body shook uncontrollably.
A Dark Archon.
A top-tier god.
There was no escape.
"I'm dead! I'm totally dead!
Master—farewell!!"
She was already drafting her last words.
Then—
"Hahahaha—!"
Caelg burst out laughing, slapping his thigh.
"This is hilarious! You actually believed me?!"
Mona froze.
"…Eh?"
Only then did she realize he was joking.
She almost collapsed from relief.
Just now, she had eaten heartily, chatted happily, and joked around with a god.
A Dark Archon.
That alone—
She could brag about it for the rest of her life.
Caelg looked at her calmly.
"Alright. Just don't tell anyone about this."
"I won't! Absolutely not!" Mona said instantly.
Then she hesitated.
"…Um… can I go now?"
"Nope," Caelg shook his head.
"You're heading back to Liyue Harbor too, right? Come with me."
"If you pass out from hunger again, that'd be troublesome."
"…Oh."
Mona nodded obediently.