Fischl lifted her chin, purple eyes flicking sideways at Kairo. She gave a delicate little cough, trying very hard to sound like this was destiny and not because she just didn't want to be left behind.
"But, as the fated consort of this Prinzessin, since Kairo has been summoned forth… I, too, am naturally obliged to accompany him!"
Kairo: "…"
Kaeya: "…"
Kaeya stared at her for two seconds.
Then he smiled — that half-teasing, half-I-know-exactly-what's-going-on smile.
"Of course, no problem, Miss Fischl. Let's all go together."
So the "slow afternoon date" that Kairo and Fischl had planned… was instantly upgraded into "go to the cathedral and deal with aftermath stuff."
The afternoon sun was already softer, gold spilling over Mondstadt's red-tiled roofs. A breeze slid down the street, lifting a couple of fallen maple leaves that twirled behind the three of them.
Very soon, under Kaeya's lead, Kairo and Fischl stepped into the Favonius Cathedral.
The moment they entered, they saw them.
Jean.
And Barbara.
Jean, Acting Grand Master — as always, standing ramrod straight. Blond hair lit like honey in the cathedral light, blue eyes calm but… worried. She was clearly anxious about the Traveler.
Beside her was a girl like a piece of sunshine.
Barbara.
Deaconess of the Church of Favonius, Mondstadt's most beloved idol, and official "please return the Holy Lyre" person.
White church dress, gold trims, blue ribbons, pure white stockings, light heels; twin ponytails the same shade as morning light, carrying a gentle, almost hymn-like aura. Her eyes were a clear sky blue — soft, grateful, a little nervous.
The moment she saw Kairo and Fischl, Barbara's eyes widened slightly, then she trotted over with that bright, idol-tier smile.
"Mr. Kairo, Miss Fischl — welcome."
She pinched her skirt and offered a proper church curtsey. "I'm very happy to see you."
"Kairo."
Jean also exhaled a little when she saw him. "Sorry to trouble you. The Traveler ran into… something. She still hasn't woken up — and the situation is a bit special."
"Special?" Kairo raised a brow.
That shouldn't be right. By his script, Lumine should've just been knocked out.
Jean nodded, then turned slightly so Kairo could see Barbara better. "Let me introduce again — this is Barbara, the one in charge of retrieving the Holy Lyre on behalf of the Church."
"Mhm…"
Barbara nodded, hands together before her chest. Her blue eyes shone with sincere thanks.
"Mr. Kairo, Acting Grand Master Jean already told me. The dragon disaster is over… and you played a big part." Her voice was soft, warm, a little awed. "So — on behalf of the Church — thank you for what you did for Mondstadt."
As she bowed…
a string of system text suddenly scrolled across Kairo's vision.
[With the whole 'little Belobog drama' finally wrapped up, even though you didn't personally witness Bronya becoming the new Supreme Guardian, you do know this: to keep people's faith in the title 'Supreme Guardian,' Bronya decided to hide Cocolia's death and publicly declare: 'Cocolia sacrificed herself to seal the Stellaron.']
[Bronya will lead Belobog forward; Seele is willing to be her blade; Pela will remain at Qlipoth Fort to support her… and to stay in touch with you.]
[Pela has already heard from Bronya how much you helped the Trailblazer seal the Stellaron. She's very grateful.]
[In the face of Pela's gratitude, you choose to…]
[Option 1: Become lovers. Since Pela is grateful, why not go with the flow and start a 'secret lover' relationship? On the surface you're just partners, but in private… maybe something deeper? (Reward: Broken Horn of the Frost Stalker. The Silvermane Guards occasionally hold timed hunts — whoever brings back part of a monster's remains wins. This icy horn must have been a prize from one of those. Minister Bova, this isn't a snow antler, and no, it doesn't go above the hearth.)]
[Option 2: Make her your subordinate. Use the truth about Cocolia as leverage and ask Pela to become your private intel officer in Belobog, feeding you information while keeping Bronya's rule stable. (Reward: "Snow-Country Adventure Tales," a hugely popular folk fantasy novel collection that has apparently been banned in Belobog.)]
[Option 3: Keep it at nodding-terms. Accept her thanks calmly, don't ask for anything, just keep it as allies and friends, watch over Belobog together. (Reward: Pela's Path-Power branch skill — [Icepoint Shot]: deal Ice DMG equal to 50% of ATK to a single target.)]
Kairo: …"Grass."
Of all things — an option to turn Pela into a secret lover?
He looked at Barbara bowing to him so earnestly… and fell silent.
Yeah. Option 1 was… tempting on paper. But that was the kind of thing that needed time, atmosphere, and, well… not right in front of the Favonius Cathedral's Deaconess.
Option 2? Meh. A banned storybook and an intel line he didn't urgently need? With his current toolkit, intel from Belobog wasn't exactly priceless.
But Option 3?
A free Path skill, right now.
He'd just seen how stupidly strong Bronya's [Combat Redeployment] was. A clean, long-range, single-target, ice-type active skill to slot into his kit right away?
No contest.
Get stronger first. Date later.
And besides… if he really wanted to date, Mondstadt was full of pretty girls. It wasn't like the system was his only bridge.
So he picked.
Without hesitation, he smiled at Barbara and waved it off. "You don't have to be so formal. I just lent a hand."
"Oh, you really can't say that!" Barbara shook her head quickly, twin ponytails swaying, her smile getting even brighter. "That 'little help' of yours saved all of Mondstadt!"
The panel refreshed again.
[You chose to accept Pela's gratitude without asking for payment and to maintain the relationship as allies.]
[Congratulations! You've obtained Option 3 reward: Pela's Path-Power branch skill — [Icepoint Shot]. Deal Ice DMG equal to 50% of ATK to a designated single target.]
A cold, precise power flowed into him.
It wasn't violent like the Destruction path, nor was it lingering like Harmony. It was neat, sharp, like a winter file etching a rune on his bones. It sank into blood, marrow, even spirit.
Kairo lifted his right hand behind his back, testing.
The temperature in front of his fingers dropped.
With a thought, a faint ice-blue point of light condensed at his fingertip, forming a slender, pure ice bullet. The chill coming off it felt like it could freeze even air currents.
[Icepoint Shot] — unlocked.
Kairo curled his fingers.
The ice bullet disintegrated noiselessly, breaking down into a cloud of crystal dust, dissolving back into elemental frost. Not an explosion, not melting — a clean, technical disassembly. That level of control was even better than some of the skills he'd gotten earlier.
"Nice…" Kairo murmured. "This one's handy."
On the side, Jean's brows drew together.
…Why did it suddenly get cold?
Barbara shivered, yanking her sleeves in. "So cold! But it's so sunny outside…"
Fischl's eyes narrowed at Kairo. That little chill just now… was that him?
Kaeya also slid him a quick glance, eyes thoughtful.
Jean cleared her throat. "Alright — let's look in on the Traveler first."
Kairo nodded.
They walked deeper into the cathedral.
Fischl, of course, walked like she was inspecting a sacred site. "Even the outworld voyager hath fallen? Hmph. Truly, strings are being plucked in shadow."
Very soon, they reached the rest room.
Inside — Lumine was already awake, fingers rubbing her temple. Paimon fluttered around her like a worried pom-pom.
"Ah, Kairo! Jean! You guys came!"
Barbara let out a breath of relief. "You're awake. Good. Does anywhere still hurt? Earlier when I healed you, I felt a strange energy in your body — I think it's what knocked you out."
"I'm fine." Lumine shook her head. "Just a bit of a headache."
"You need rest," Barbara insisted.
"I will," Lumine said… and then immediately: "Where's Venti?"
"You mean the bard?" Barbara tilted her head. "Mm… it's hard to say he's 'fine.' He woke up first, but my healing didn't work on his injuries at all. I've never seen a patient like that. He just said, 'This is normal' and wanted to leave the cathedral…"
"I think he's healthy, but… there's something I can't treat." Barbara looked genuinely bothered.
"Leave? Where did he go?" Paimon asked.
"To 'the symbol of Mondstadt's heroes' — that's what he said right away," Barbara answered. "I wanted to stop him, but Jean said to let him go."
Jean nodded. "I did. We don't need to keep him. After all…"
She didn't finish; she didn't need to. Only the people here knew Venti = Barbatos. Barbara didn't. Jean wasn't going to expose him.
Lumine and Paimon exchanged looks and nodded. Right — he was the Anemo Archon. He'd be fine.
Jean's expression turned grave again. "You said it was a Fatui agent, and a woman. Then it should be one of the Eleven — La Signora. But since she left no trace in the cathedral, we can't accuse the Fatui officially."
"It's okay." Lumine shook her head. "I'll handle it."
"Then rest. I have to go back and… deal with today's fallout." Jean looked at Kairo. "Thank you again."
She left with Kaeya.
The moment they were gone, Lumine turned to Kairo. "Kairo, can you help again? I want to go to Windrise now."
"Sure."
Kairo reached out casually and tapped her with a Path buff — [Ripple].
Speed, mobility, flow — Lumine's eyes lit up. The fatigue on her face faded a bit and she straightened up at once.
"Hey, don't get up yet!" Barbara panicked. "Honorary Knight, you really should rest!"
"It's alright, Miss Barbara." Lumine smiled at her. "I know my body best. And I really need some answers."
She waved to Kairo, nodded到 Fischl, and — with Paimon — left the cathedral in a hurry.
Kairo watched her go.
Outside, the sun still shone on a peaceful Mondstadt.
Inside, everyone knew:
this "peace" was the kind you only got after a god got slapped, a Gnosis got stolen…
…and a certain MC just quietly picked "Pela friendship route" for the free skill.
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