Under the hazy moonlight, Eula was held in Stelle's arms, staring blankly at Stelle.
Their gazes met in the quiet night, Stelle's eyes filled with concern.
"Eula, are you alright?" Stelle couldn't help but ask.
"Are…are you really human?"
Although the posture between the two was very ambiguous, Eula's shock far surpassed other feelings, so much so that her first words blurted out were this.
It was unavoidable, after all, it was her first time witnessing Stelle's strength. Although she had heard that Stelle was the hero who saved Mondstadt and resolved the Dragon Disaster, she never thought Stelle would be this powerful.
Because she and Amber were entangled with other Hilichurls, she didn't see the entire process.
But her peripheral vision still caught a general idea.
That glowing electric bat directly shattered the Hilichurl Stonehide Lawachurl's hard stone armor, not to mention the thin layer of element shields on the Abyss Mages.
Those guys had no ability to resist whatsoever.
Under the huge aftermath, even their side was affected. Eula, who was closer to Stelle, was unprepared for a moment, and her attacking movements paused slightly.
Because of this one flaw, a Mitachurl's fist nearly landed on her.
Of course, Eula could completely react to an attack of this level, either choosing to dodge or block with her greatsword.
She didn't need to think much; her body instinctively made the movements. This was an instinct Eula had honed through countless real battles.
However, Stelle also seemed to possess a certain instinct.
Her reactions and movements were clearly much faster than Eula's, and the distance between them wasn't far either.
It seemed like only an instant before Eula was pulled into Stelle's arms, and several Mitachurls were smashed into ashes by the baseball bat in Stelle's other hand.
This led to the scene at the beginning.
"Eula!" Amber ran over from afar. Because of the distance, Amber's side wasn't greatly affected, and since the Mitachurls were all Siege Eula, the remaining ordinary Hilichurls couldn't pose a threat to her.
"Eula, are you alright?!"
Amber's voice brought Eula back to her senses. Only then did she realize she was being held in Stelle's arms. She quickly struggled to get away and turned her back.
"I, I'm fine... You, who needed you to save me? Damn it, I'll remember this grudge!" Eula said flustered.
But her tone was not as firm as usual.
Now she seemed to finally feel the softness of Stelle's body. They were so close just now that she seemed to smell Stelle's scent.
This feeling was so strange, a tingly numbness all over, like being shocked by a Slime.
"Uh, s-sorry..." Stelle awkwardly scratched her head.
She could actually tell that Eula was fully capable of handling that situation herself, and Eula's body had even made slight movements.
But there was nothing she could do; Stelle's actions were completely instinctive.
Perhaps suddenly doing that scared Eula.
"You don't need to worry, Eula is thanking you," Amber said with a smile, seeing this.
She understood Eula's current state very well. She had felt the same way when she first hugged Stelle.
"But... hmm? You two wait a moment..." Stelle was about to say something more, but suddenly her eyes narrowed, and she instantly pulled out her baseball bat.
She looked at a distant hilltop and forcefully threw her baseball bat towards it.
------
Tonight's camping trip couldn't continue due to this sudden turn of events.
Being surrounded by monsters, and even the appearance of a Hilichurl Stonehide Lawachurl, meant the Knights of Favonius had to be notified as soon as possible. It was still unknown what conspiracy the Abyss Order was brewing.
However, the gates of Mondstadt City were already closed, making it impossible to return immediately. They could only spend the night outside.
Fortunately, because they were not far from Springvale, the loud noises they made fighting the monsters quickly attracted the Knights of Favonius stationed in Springvale, as well as a few guiding hunters.
After understanding the cause and effect, the three of them were invited to rest in Springvale for the night.
"The Knights of Favonius outpost in Springvale doesn't have any spare rooms. Why don't you three make do at my house?" Mr. Duraf, who led the knights, said warmly to the three.
No spare rooms was only one reason; another important reason was that the Knights of Favonius stationed in Springvale were all male, and it wasn't very convenient for three girls.
Now, every household had already turned off their lights and gone to sleep, so it wasn't good to trouble others, which is why Mr. Duraf suggested they go to his house.
He still had a spare room, though only one.
"Actually, we're fine with sleeping in tents..." Amber scratched her head, a little embarrassed, and said to Mr. Duraf.
Anyway, they were originally here for camping; they just didn't expect such an accident.
"How can that be? You are the saviors of Springvale," Mr. Duraf quickly said.
Although he wasn't clear about the true purpose of those monsters, that number, even if they just passed through Springvale, would definitely cause a very significant amount of damage to Springvale.
"We're not saviors, and we didn't do anything; it was all Stelle's credit..."
"Regardless, please come to my house to rest for a night."
Mr. Duraf invited them repeatedly, and the three no longer refused.
And so—
"Eh?! How is it you?!" Diona looked at Stelle at the door in surprise.
"Diona?" Stelle also felt very surprised.
Diona in front of her was wearing a cute pink pajama, still looking a bit sleepy, as if she had just fallen asleep not long ago.
"Oh, right, Stelle, you don't know that Diona is Mr. Duraf's daughter, do you?" Amber also remembered that Stelle seemed to know little about Diona's family background.
"Hmm, I only knew that Diona's hometown is Springvale..." Stelle nodded, her gaze directed at Mr. Duraf's head.
He also had a pair of cat ears, but he didn't have a tail like Diona.
So, at first, she didn't associate Mr. Duraf with Diona.
"So you know Diona, how coincidental," Mr. Duraf smiled happily.
"Why are you here?" Diona visibly brightened, couldn't help but move closer to Stelle, and looked up to ask.
"Well, it's a long story," Stelle sighed.
"Alright, alright, you can chat later. Diona, quickly go get some water for the guests," Mr. Duraf said to his daughter.
"Ah, okay!" Diona reacted and quickly turned to go back into the house.
"You all come in quickly too. Please don't mind that the house is a bit messy. That..." Mr. Duraf spoke, then hesitated again.
"Actually, the bed in my spare room isn't very big. I originally thought one of you might sleep on the floor. If you're not used to sleeping on the floor, how about making do and sleeping with my daughter for one night?"
Mr. Duraf understood his daughter. If Diona hadn't shown that expression in front of Stelle just now, he wouldn't have made this suggestion, because Diona probably wouldn't have agreed.
But Diona seemed to really like this Grey-haired girl. It should be fine to discuss it with Diona later.
In the kitchen, Diona's cute cat ears twitched. Her ears could clearly pick up the voices of her father talking to the others.
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