"What is it?" The Instructor asked gently.
"It's about Noelle!" Ryan replied.
"Is it about that 'fair sweeping' you mentioned again?" The Instructor chuckled.
"Yes!" Ryan nodded.
"You think we're going too far, violating the Dao of the Knights!" The Instructor asked again.
"Yes!" Ryan nodded firmly.
"Sit!" The Instructor sat on a box, motioning for Ryan to sit beside him and look opposite.
The others suppressed their curiosity, wanting to strain their ears to listen.
But the repeated calls of Noelle from that side, and the sound of swords hitting wood all around, drowned out the conversation.
The Instructor's sudden glare made them immediately abandon the thought.
The Instructor scanned the trainees and slowly said, "We don't stop her because Acting Grand Master Jean instructed us to let Noelle do safe things as much as possible."
"The busier she is in the city, the more it represents the concern our Knights of Favonius have for her!"
Ryan fell silent.
In the game, it was already explained, and having read Noelle's personal story, he understood!
He understood, but he truly felt this approach was ridiculous.
The Instructor recounted Noelle's past stories.
"Once, she heard that an Adventurer was trapped in Dragonspine. Disregarding all warnings, she packed her gear alone and went by herself to rescue him."
"The blizzard that day was so fierce, devouring all traces. Not to mention finding the person buried by the white snow, even finding a safe path up the mountain was extremely difficult!"
"However, under such circumstances, Noelle still persisted in her search and finally found the Adventurer, who was almost frozen stiff, in a cave at the base of the mountain, and carried him back."
"Hungry and cold, her cotton clothes soaked, completely exhausted, she collapsed from exhaustion upon her return and suffered a high fever for three days and three nights, unconscious. Everyone in the Knights of Favonius was restless with worry for her."
The Instructor sighed, "Noelle is too kind, so kind that she disregards her own safety!"
"There are too many similar incidents. When the Dragon Calamity occurred, she even prepared to go alone to fight Stormterror!"
"Therefore, for her safety, Captain Kaeya of the Cavalry Captain, Spindrift Knight of the Reconnaissance Captain, and all of us, follow Acting Grand Master Jean's instructions to keep her at the Training Field."
"We arrange tasks for her that consume a lot of time, so she isn't idle and doesn't leave the city!"
"At least, until the Dragon Calamity ends, the overly enthusiastic Noelle cannot leave our sight."
With a familiar pat on the shoulder, the Instructor smiled at Ryan:
"If you can change this Damselette's nature, Acting Grand Master Jean will thank you. However, if you are not confident in persuading her, you must not let her be idle."
"As for…"
"Those who gave Noelle orders usually have failing grades and have a long way to go before becoming official Knights."
After the Instructor's explanation, Ryan sat on the wooden box for a while.
He no longer paid attention to the Claymore Training Field over there.
He put all his energy into practicing his swordsmanship.
He currently had no confidence in persuading Noelle to change her character!
Or, if Noelle could be so easily influenced by others' words, would she still be the Noelle he cherished and liked?
A Damselette who could obtain a Vision naturally had her own persistence, a belief that surpasses countless ordinary people.
Forcing lessons upon her would only invite dislike, right?
The afternoon passed quickly.
By dusk, the twilight covered the grounds below the city walls.
One by one, the trainees threw their weapons into the wooden boxes, kicked the wooden stakes by their feet, and swaggered off, scattering in all directions.
Cat's Tail Tavern, Angel's Share, Good Hunter… their figures would appear there.
On the messy Training Field, the whirlwind maid quickly made her appearance.
Ryan sheathed his sword and helped move the wooden stakes in the field to make it easier for Noelle to clean.
After a flurry of activity.
"Noelle, do you want to go to Amber's house for dinner?" Ryan saw that she always forgot the time when cleaning and neglected to eat, so he invited her.
"Senior's house?" Noelle put down the last box, a little moved.
But she quickly shook her head.
"I still need to go back to the Knights of Favonius to clean the Knights of Favonius's dormitory. Although Senior Amber isn't living there, it still needs to be clean."
"And Acting Grand Master Jean's carelessly placed romance novels, Senior Kaeya's casually discarded special eye patch, Klee's secretly hidden bombs in the corner… all… need… organizing!"
Noelle, dazed from exhaustion, suddenly jolted awake, covering her mouth.
What had she just said?
Had she mistaken Ryan for a member of the Knights of Favonius? Even so, a qualified maid would not casually reveal others' privacy.
Having vowed to become a Knight, she could not make such a low-level mistake.
"I truly still need to cultivate!"
She nervously stared at the red rose in her left gauntlet, which symbolized "keeping secrets" in Mondstadt, reminding herself to keep secrets.
"I… I'm sorry! Don't tell anyone what I just said!"
"I… I'm leaving!"
Noelle's face turned red, and she awkwardly fled, running away at a speed faster than usual.
Ryan couldn't even stop her.
In terms of strength, he was still no match for this Damselette?
Recalling the secrets of the Knights of Favonius, he gripped his sword, patted the sawdust and dust from his clothes, and prepared to return to Amber's house.
Stepping onto the street, a shiver ran down his spine.
Around the corner, Noelle, who should have run away, subconsciously picked up a heavy Claymore and leaned against the wall.
She was struggling with how to make Ryan forget her words.
"Huh!" Ryan glanced out of the corner of his eye, looking straight ahead, pretending to be oblivious, "What did Noelle say just now? I didn't hear anything!"
He took quick steps and left, speechless.
He hadn't expected that the gentle and kind Noelle would also have thoughts of murder and ambushing someone?
It seemed that Acting Grand Master Jean reading romance novels was indeed an extraordinary secret.
The latter two, in comparison, weren't big news.
Noelle heard Ryan's words and didn't feel relieved at all. It's over! It's over!
Acting Grand Master Jean! Senior Kaeya! Klee!
I'm sorry!
The Claymore clanged as it fell to the ground.
Ryan ran back to Amber's house, drenched in cold sweat.
Pushing open the door, a Damselette with blue hair, white at the tips, stood leaning against the corridor, wearing an apron and a chef's hat, with her arms crossed.
"What kind of collaboration outfit is this?"
The thought flashed and disappeared, Ryan exclaimed in surprise: "Why are you here?"
Eula snorted, raising her chin: "Why can't I be here?"
"Amber and I knew each other before joining the Knights of Favonius. Amber's grandfather is my Instructor. In terms of relationship, Amber and I are much closer than you are!"
"I can walk through Amber's house with my eyes closed and still be more familiar with its layout than you."
Whence came this competitive spirit?
Ryan's expression was gloomy as he defended himself: "I mean, is the Reconnaissance Captain so idle? Isn't it because of the Dragon Calamity that a bunch of monsters have gathered outside, wanting to attack the city? How do you have time to be here?"
"My sword is colder and faster than you think!" Eula picked up a small dining knife and twirled it between her fingers, "Your tragic experience upon arriving in Teyvat was purely your bad luck for not meeting me!"
"Whispering Woods is not my defensive area!"
"Since you're back, let's have a cooking competition today!"
"Lest I keep holding a grudge against you!"
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Thank you for following the story this far.
If you want to read the later chapters in advance, I've uploaded more chapters to Patreon.
You can find them here: [patreon.com/Greyhounds]