The next morning, after bidding a reluctant farewell to Diona, the three set off on the road back to Mondstadt.
Amber's demeanor was as usual, cheerful and lively as ever. Although they had to quicken their pace to return to Mondstadt City sooner, she still stayed close to Stelle, chatting with her from time to time, occasionally letting out pleasant, bell-like laughter.
Eula, on the other hand, was a little silent on the way. Stelle could feel her occasionally stealing glances at herself and Amber, but when she turned her head, Eula would immediately look away.
This made Stelle feel a sense of unease.
Could it be that she had some strange effect on Eula last night?
"Amber..." Stelle hesitated, wanting to ask Amber something, but since Eula was right there, she couldn't be too obvious with her words.
She was both conflicted and hesitant, truly not knowing how to say it.
"It's exactly what you're thinking," Amber, however, immediately saw what Stelle was struggling with, and so she gave her answer with a smile.
At least in her opinion, yes, Eula had definitely started to develop some feelings for Stelle.
Perhaps it was because Stelle had saved her last night. With Stelle's constitution and Eula being so close, it would be hard for her not to be affected.
Of course, it probably also had to do with their previous relationship, which made Eula curious and led her to gradually learn more about Stelle.
But no matter what, the signs were there. Amber estimated that if Stelle took the initiative, she might even be able to win Eula over tonight...
"I, what should I do..." Stelle felt like crying but had no tears, asking Amber for her opinion.
It wasn't irreversible yet. After all, it was just a hint. As long as she kept her distance from Eula, it should be fine.
But would Eula be willing to keep her distance?
If she actively avoided Eula, would it make Eula sad?
After all, Eula's identity was very special, and there weren't many people in Mondstadt City who were willing to accept her... at least not yet.
If Stelle herself showed an attitude of wanting to distance herself from Eula, would it make Eula overthink things?
To be honest, Stelle didn't want to hurt the girl's feelings.
"Just let nature take its course, it's fine," Amber comforted her.
She didn't mind having another Eula anyway. In fact, if her good friend could also be with Stelle like her, it would be a happy ending for everyone.
The only problem was that Stelle might not be enough to go around... Ah, there's no helping that.
"What are you two talking about in riddles?" Eula frowned, unable to help but ask them.
They weren't whispering, so she could naturally hear them.
She just didn't understand at all.
"No, nothing..." Stelle gave an awkward smile. She naturally couldn't tell Eula about this directly.
...Eula looked at Stelle with a scrutinizing gaze again, but she didn't persist for long before blushing and looking away.
She didn't press the matter further.
The few of them fell into silence again, making the atmosphere along the way a little strange.
Fortunately, Springvale was not far from Mondstadt City, and the journey quickly ended.
It would be great if they could use the Teleport Waypoints, that would save a lot of time.
Unfortunately, they couldn't. She didn't know why, but this thing called a Teleport Waypoint seemed to only be usable by her and Lumine at the moment, at most Paimon could be brought along.
Other people couldn't even be brought along for the teleportation.
"Let's hurry to the Knights of Favonius. We need to report this to Acting Grand Master Jean quickly," Amber said, turning to the two of them after entering the city.
"No need to rush. The Knights stationed in Springvale reported the situation early this morning. She probably already knows," Eula said slowly, signaling Amber not to rush.
"Then we should also go see Acting Grand Master Jean early. She might be waiting for us to return."
...Eula nodded and said nothing more.
Aside from work, she actually didn't really want to meet the eldest daughter of the Gunnhildr family.
The feud between their two families had been mentioned before. Although she didn't care about those things, having heard about it since childhood, she couldn't help but want to compete and test herself against the other party.
But every time she saw Jean, it was as if she was punching cotton, and all her momentum was dispelled by the other party.
This frustrated her greatly.
And Stelle, at this moment, was also a little hesitant like Eula. Her reason was much simpler.
After all, yesterday she and Jean had... played a bit too much in that office, which made her a little worried that when she saw Jean today, she might be kept again under some pretext and have her energy absorbed.
But no matter what they both thought, it was only right and proper for them, as the eyewitnesses of last night's events, to explain their opinions to Jean.
So, led by Amber, they walked together towards Acting Grand Master Jean's office.
-----
"Stelle, you're here." Jean was indeed waiting for them early, and when she saw Stelle, a happy smile appeared on her face.
"Good morning, Jean," Stelle greeted a little unnaturally, but to avoid Eula noticing anything amiss, she quickly changed the subject, "About last night..."
"I already know about this. I never expected such a large number of enemies to appear," Jean sighed slightly, her brows furrowed.
"However, regarding the origin and purpose of that group of enemies, I probably have an answer."
Jean revealed news that greatly surprised the three of them.
"Really? What exactly happened?" Amber asked curiously.
"Hmm... how should I put this? Have you heard of Mondstadt City's Darknight Hero?" Jean looked up at the three and then asked.
"Isn't that just an urban legend?" Eula frowned, unable to help but ask.
"No, the Darknight Hero truly exists, and the Abyss Order even considers him a major threat and has already declared war on him," Jean shook her head and explained.
"Last night, the Darknight Hero was attacked by a portion of the Abyss Order. I suspect that those you encountered were also forces dispatched by the Abyss Order to deal with him."
"Is that so...? Then, Acting Grand Master Jean, you must know who the Darknight Hero is, right?" Amber looked at Jean curiously. She was very interested in that Darknight Hero.
"Yes, this matter is thanks to the Honorary Knight. However, the Darknight Hero himself wishes for his identity to remain confidential, so I apologize, I cannot tell you."
"I see... Wait, Jean, you and Lumine... met?" Stelle suddenly caught very important information from what Jean had just said.
"Yes, we... had a simple chat this morning," Jean's face still held a gentle smile, but a hint of shyness seemed to appear in her eyes.
Although the meeting was short, and because Paimon was present, they spoke more cryptically.
But she still shared and discussed many "anecdotes" about Stelle with Lumine today, focusing on the "bright spots" of Stelle, and so on.
In short, the conversation was very pleasant, and both expressed that they would definitely try it later.
Whether it was making Stelle do it, or doing it to Stelle.
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