"Messenger from beyond the heavens, shall I dispatch my retainer to guard you? He shall ward off the darkness." Fischl turned to Star, shy yet resolute.
She feared for Star's safety; that Fatui Harbinger had clearly marked her.
"Retainer?" Star glanced around Fischl and settled on Oz.
Surely Fischl meant Oz; she'd seen no one else.
"Yes, milady, at your service," Oz nodded to Star.
Though surprised Fischl would offer, Oz, ever loyal, would never refuse.
"Er, no need… I pack quite a punch myself," Star chuckled, declining.
Oz might scout, but as for combat, what threat could a tiny lightning crow pose?
"Our lineup's already solid—let's keep it!" Paimon chimed in hastily.
"Hmph, Fischl, doubting me? I'm plenty strong; with me around Star can't come to harm," Mona huffed, arms crossed.
Star might not need guarding, but if she did, Mona trusted herself to handle it.
"None are more reliable than you, Miss Mona, and Her Highness fears for your safety as well," Oz interjected, though Mona only harrumphed.
"No need; your situation's more dangerous. If anything, I'd like to protect you two."
"Fischl, Mona—you're the best," Star said with a smile.
Their wish to shield her touched her… even if she'd likely end up protecting them instead.
"W-why say that…" Mona flushed at the simple praise.
"O-of course!" Fischl stammered much the same.
"I'll protect you too, Star," Lumine pouted, taking Star's hand.
"You're always wonderful, Lumine—every way there is," Star answered warmly.
"R-really… I'm glad you think so," Lumine blushed, catching the undertone.
Mona understood as well; cheeks pink, she cast a curious glance at Lumine.
The Honorary Knight, how exactly did he satisfy Aether in other ways…? She was also a bit curious.
"Cough, anyway, let's deal with the new trouble first. The astrolabe shows that a new giant meteorite has landed." Mona coughed lightly, then said to the group.
"A new meteorite? Where is it?" Aether immediately asked.
"It should have landed near Falcon Coast. We'd better hurry over there before the Fatui react." Mona looked at her astrolabe again, then said to the group.
The others naturally had no objections. They all got ready and headed towards Falcon Coast.
----
Falcon Coast. The landscape here had been completely changed by the meteorite.
It wasn't far from where they were just now, and they hadn't seen any trace of the Fatui on their way here.
It seemed those guys hadn't been able to pinpoint the meteorite's landing site yet, or perhaps they hadn't even noticed this meteorite at all.
Their group was standing on a cliff beside Falcon Coast, looking down at the giant meteorite.
Indeed, as Mona said, this meteorite was much larger than the ones they had seen before. Fortunately, it landed in an uninhabited area like Falcon Coast, otherwise, it might have had a huge impact on people's lives.
"Good thing we weren't late. While the Fatui aren't here, let's go take a look." Mona observed for a moment, then said to the group.
The others also nodded, then prepared their Wind Gliders.
From here to the bottom, flying down was clearly the fastest way. If they went by land, it would be a very long detour.
However, Mona saw their actions and just froze in place.
"You, you plan to just fly down?!" Mona asked the group with a strange expression.
"Yes, if we look for another way, it will waste a lot of time." Paimon nodded and replied.
Then, he looked left and right at Mona, observing her somewhat unnatural expression.
"Could it be, Mona, you don't have a Wind Glider?"
"Y-yes…" Mona sighed helplessly. How could she afford something like a Wind Glider? Usually, only Adventurers would carry one of these, but Mona was just an astrologist.
She usually practiced with her master and rarely traveled far.
She naturally rarely used something like a Wind Glider, and even if there was some place she couldn't cross, she could completely cross it with her own power.
For example, earlier, she instantly teleported the group away from the Fatui Harbinger.
Normally, Mona could solve this height with her own abilities.
But the problem was that transferring the group earlier had consumed a lot of her stamina. Now, even if it was just her, she couldn't use her element power anymore.
No way, she didn't know why transferring Aether was so exhausting. It could be said that Aether had almost completely drained her hydro element.
"It's okay, I'll carry Mona down." Aether patted his chest and volunteered.
"You carry me? But aren't Wind Gliders not allowed to carry people?" Mona's cheeks flushed when she heard Aether say this, but then she remembered the laws about Wind Gliders in Mondstadt she had seen before.
"It's only forbidden in the city. Outside, no one will care."
Aether was very confident in his flying skills now. Carrying someone was no problem at all.
No matter what, he couldn't possibly fly into the sea.
"If you're worried, I can carry you too." Lumine saw Mona still hesitating and couldn't help but add fuel to the fire.
"No, no need!" Mona immediately refused Lumine's suggestion.
Anyway, taking a detour was definitely not an option now, and if she didn't let someone carry her, there seemed to be no other way.
Although it was a bit embarrassing, Lumine was, after all, a member of Aether's big house, and Fischl probably wouldn't think there was anything wrong with two girls like this…
Hmm, there's nothing to be embarrassed about.
Mona finally made up her mind and walked to Aether's side with a blush.
Under Fischl's somewhat envious gaze, she let Aether pick her up.
"Mona, you really need to eat properly from now on." Aether gently bounced her, then couldn't help but say to Mona.
Mona was incredibly light, as if he was holding a soft ball of cotton, but the feel was much better than cotton, and she smelled nice too.
He just felt that Mona's weight should increase a bit; she was too light now. It was obvious she didn't eat properly to save money.
"I, I know…" Mona could feel the warmth of Aether's palm, and it even seemed like she could hear Aether's heartbeat.
This princess-carry pose was still a bit too embarrassing for her, making her bury her head in Aether's shoulder.
However, her action only made the atmosphere between the two of them seem even more off.
Fischl on the side couldn't help but sigh, regretting why she had taken out her Wind Glider so quickly.
She had only experienced Aether's embrace once before, and never since.
She really wanted him to hold her again…
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