[One hour has ended.]
[Guiding…]
[This is the fifth life. You only have one hour.]
As he slowly opened his eyes, what he saw before him was the Knights of Mondstadt headquarters. He looked around this familiar place and quickly spotted Eula and Amber. He noticed that Eula was no longer being openly insulted by the people of Mondstadt, though things still weren't entirely good for her.
Amber, meanwhile, was working hard to prove herself, eager to officially join the Knights as soon as possible. Jean had also realized that Eula wasn't suited for city duties, so she assigned her directly to an aggressive unit outside the city walls, focusing on encirclement and suppression.
It was clear that Eula fit perfectly in that role. Time after time, she completed her missions brilliantly with her agile movements and unique sword techniques, earning unanimous praise from her team. Gradually, her teammates began to trust her and truly accept her. But inside the city, the patrol knights still held prejudice against her.
"I know the shackles of 'Lawrence' can't restrain your light."
"Eula, you must believe in the path you walk, and move forward without hesitation."
"If others can't illuminate you, then you must work hard to become your own light—shine for yourself."
Seeing Eula like this, Elliot smiled with relief. The once lost and helpless Eula had changed—she had become radiant and unwavering. In her own way, she was taking revenge on Mondstadt, the Knights, and the Lawrences. A special kind of revenge. A revenge that belonged only to her.
...
Elsewhere, after Elliot left, Amber had grown a lot. The mischievous, troublemaking little rascal she once was was gradually turning into a reliable knight. Elliot even witnessed her taking first place in the Flight Tournament for the first time.
Before that victory, she had tried to fly countless times but never dared to truly leap into the sky. That changed when Amber found an old book Elliot had left behind at home.
"What matters is not the strong wind, but courage. It was courage that made you the world's first birds of flight."
Reading those words, Amber realized she shouldn't wait for someone else's guidance—she should become that courageous bird herself, spreading her wings and soaring toward the sky. She took out the Baron Bunny that Elliot had given her and said solemnly, "There must be something in this world that only I can do—just like how Grandfather was the only one who could scare off the ancient god on his own."
The moment she understood that truth, a Vision bloomed with dazzling radiance at her waist.
"Little Amber has grown up."
Watching this scene from the side, Elliot smiled softly.
After obtaining her Vision, Amber pushed herself even harder. She wanted to prove that she was fully capable of taking on the role of a 'Reconnaissance Knight'. To that end, she trained diligently every day and worked hard to complete every mission Jean assigned her.
She often sought out Jean, asking again and again to be allowed on outdoor suppression missions. But because Amber was still very young, the older members of the Knights always gave her special protection. So these relatively dangerous missions were never assigned to her. Unable to change that but unwilling to give up, Amber continued doing everything she could to prove herself.
Later, she even won second and third place in the following Flight Tournaments.
Until one day, a suppression mission found itself short on manpower. With Amber insisting strongly, Jean finally made an exception and allowed her to join.
"Little Amber, stay right behind us. Attack only when there's an opening. Don't push yourself—your safety comes first." The uncle beside her said sternly.
After all, field missions weren't a joke—one wrong move could cost a life.
"I understand. I'll be careful," Amber answered seriously.
Soon, they reached a Hilichurl camp. Because no one had taken care of it for a long time, the camp had grown stronger and had been frequently threatening nearby merchants and travelers.
"The Reconnaissance Knight has already scouted the details. There are five Hilichurl Samachurls inside—two Hydro, one Anemo, and two Geo."
"And three different kinds of Mitachurls."
"First wave is ranged Bow attacks. Then we prioritize taking down the Samachurls. Don't attack the Mitachurls recklessly—leave them for last."
"Ready! Attack!"
At the order, the suppression mission began immediately. Everyone coordinated perfectly, and the first stage went exactly as expected.
The first burst of ranged attacks caught the Hilichurls completely off guard. Before they could defend, the Knights charged in, heading straight for the five Samachurls. Just as they thought the victory was already in their grasp…
An unexpected situation occurred.
A large number of special Hilichurls suddenly appeared—some wielding crossbows, others carrying small round shields. Most critically, four Blazing Axe Mitachurls burst forth at once.
"Damn it… Pull back! Don't get trapped inside!"
The sudden increase in enemies shattered their attack rhythm. What had been a plan to take the camp in one swift strike turned into a retreat as the Hilichurls pressed down on them.
Just as the Mitachurls charged forward, several flaming arrows struck them hard. Before the knights could react, more arrows followed, landing clean hits on all seven Mitachurls.
"Hey! You big lugs! I'm right here! Come get me!" Amber slid down from a tree, breaking away from the group as she glided toward an open area.
Almost instantly, the seven Mitachurls changed targets and rushed straight toward her.
"Amber, you—"
"Don't panic. Calm down. Trust her."
"But Amber's so small! Seven Mitachurls! This isn't something to take lightly! She'll get hurt!"
"Don't forget whose granddaughter she is."
Hearing that, the knight who had been panicking suddenly froze.
"Look at Eula. She was trained by Elliot. Other than Jean, who in the Knights could match her strength? And Amber is Elliot's granddaughter—how weak could she possibly be?"
Those words finally steadied everyone's hearts. They quickly regained composure, took down the remaining Hilichurls as fast as possible, and rushed to support Amber.
Meanwhile, Amber was relying solely on her own strength, using her agile movements to hold off the seven strongest Mitachurls in the entire camp.
After clearing out the rest of the camp, the group joined forces to finish off the seven Hilichurls Amber had pinned down.
This victory allowed Amber to shine brightly, turning the tide and helping the squad successfully complete the suppression mission.
"Little Amber, you have never once disappointed your grandfather."
Seeing Amber's brave performance, Elliot smiled happily.