"Your strength is good. Although I don't know what your previous strength was like, after gaining the power of the Anemo element, even if you encounter Hilichurl or Hilichurl Brute in the wilderness, you won't be without the ability to fight back."
Although Lumine had lost most of her power, her past combat experience remained, allowing her to easily handle Hilichurl encirclements.
"Hehe~ Traveler is still very amazing. During this time when we had no food, Traveler would run to Hilichurl gathering places to snatch their food to eat."
...No, even so, you shouldn't have starved to unconsciousness. The food at Hilichurl gathering places should be enough for the two of you to eat your fill, right? Why were you still not full?
Girls don't eat much, and besides, the little creature... Paimon is so petite. How much could they possibly eat?
As soon as she heard this question, Lumine angrily glared at Paimon, who awkwardly turned her head away.
"Hmm? Do you eat a lot?"
"Hmph! She doesn't eat much at all, just a few times more than me. Every time she eats happily, but then I have to go hungry."
Once or twice was fine, but she did this every time, making her so angry that she wanted to throw Paimon directly into the pot and stew her to eat.
"This... this can't be helped, you know. I was so hungry, and seeing so much delicious food, I couldn't resist and just ate. And then, as I ate, there wasn't much left."
Lumine narrowed her eyes, looking at Paimon with a sinister gaze, her eyes constantly lingering on her arms and thighs, as if wondering where to start.
Paimon couldn't stand Lumine's gaze anymore. Her peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of a Hilichurl gathering place not far away, and she shouted.
"Traveler, look over there! There's a Hilichurl gathering place! And there's a treasure chest there!"
"What?! I'll go take a look!"
Upon hearing about a treasure chest, Lumine's expression immediately changed. Her eyes lit up as she looked in the direction Paimon pointed, pulled out the Dull Blade she had obtained earlier, and started fighting the Hilichurl guarding the treasure chest.
Looking at the extremely excited Lumine, Durandal blinked and said: "Here we go again."
The distance from where she met Lumine and Paimon to Mondstadt City wasn't actually far, but because Lumine always rushed towards any treasure chest she saw, it caused them to spend more time traveling.
"What a strange person. There's nothing good inside, so why is she so obsessed with treasure chests?"
"Every little bit adds up. Traveler and I don't have much Mora. When we arrive in Mondstadt, if we want to stay in a hotel and eat, we'll need Mora. Although the amount of Mora we find each time isn't much, accumulated, it's a considerable sum."
As she spoke, Paimon's eyes sparkled, looking like a little money-grubber, which made Durandal realize her other characteristic besides gluttony.
Regardless, Lumine had shown her her abilities. From what she had seen, she had the qualifications to become the 'hero' Venti had always wanted.
"Hey, Durandal. You're actually very powerful, aren't you?"
Suddenly, Paimon spoke the question that had been on her mind. When she saw Durandal, her instincts kept telling her that this person was very powerful, extraordinarily powerful.
"Why do you think I'm very powerful? I'm just an ordinary human passing by."
Ordinary humans wouldn't go to such places, nor would they walk with us for so long without showing any signs of tiredness. You know, even Paimon, I'm exhausted from flying for so long.
As she spoke, Paimon even put on an exhausted expression, leaning forward as if to lie on Durandal, but Durandal dodged her with a sidestep.
Paimon didn't expect Durandal to dodge and almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, she reacted quickly and lifted her body in time.
"What are you tired for? You're not like Durandal and me. You're always flying in the sky. You don't have wings, so which part of your body is tired?"
Lumine, who had just finished dealing with the Hilichurl and returned with the treasure from the treasure chest, happened to hear Paimon's words, couldn't help but roll her eyes and ask.
"Wuwuwu~ Phantom limb! Do you understand phantom limb? Although you think I'm not walking, my phantom limbs are very tired, and I just want to find a place to rest now."
"Oh? Is that so? It seems this Paimon is useless. Why don't we just cook her and eat her? As emergency food, it's time for you to serve your purpose."
"Paimon is not emergency food! I've said it so many times, Paimon is not for eating! Why do you always think about eating Paimon?!"
"Because Paimon looks delicious. Her body is fragrant and soft, and with seasoning, she would definitely be great."
"No, she's not!"
"Oh? So you're an ingredient?" Durandal, who had been observing, believed her. "I was curious what species you were, but I didn't expect you to be edible. I wonder what's the best way to cook you."
"Wait a minute! Don't listen to Traveler's nonsense! Paimon cannot be eaten!"
Seeing that Durandal believed Lumine's words and actually thought of her as food, Paimon panicked and quickly explained that she was not emergency food.
But no matter how she explained, Durandal didn't listen, wearing an expression of "How can I make her delicious?", which almost made Paimon cry. She looked indignantly at Lumine.
Lumine also realized that Durandal had taken her words seriously, so she quickly pulled her aside and explained.
"Actually, Paimon is not for eating. Don't take my words to heart."
"Why? Haven't you already considered her emergency food? If she's food, then isn't she for eating? I see her delicate skin and tender flesh. Although cooking her would be a bit troublesome, it should be good."
"Don't make such terrifying assumptions, Durandal. Besides, her skin and flesh are delicate now; even if you really cooked her, there wouldn't be much meat. Pigs are fattened before slaughter. Staring at her now is useless."
"Hey! What do you mean by that, Traveler!"
It started out fine, but why did it get weirder and weirder? What does it mean to fatten her up before slaughter? Was that your purpose for keeping me by your side?
"That's true."
Durandal nodded earnestly. With Paimon's size, there wouldn't be much meat on her. It would be better to fatten her up a bit before acting.
After confirming that Durandal believed her statement, Lumine returned to the sulking Paimon and whispered.
"Don't be angry. If I didn't explain it to Durandal this way, she definitely wouldn't let you off."
"You can just explain it to her properly. How could she not understand?"
Paimon suspected that Lumine was deliberately bullying her. Who would treat her as food? Wouldn't a simple explanation clear things up?
"Actually... Durandal seems a little different from ordinary people. Haven't you noticed?"
Lumine secretly glanced at Durandal, and after confirming she wasn't looking their way, she continued: "Most people would definitely hear that I was joking, but she actually took it seriously and even earnestly planned a menu. It's clear her way of thinking is different from ordinary people."
"Is there a problem with that? Some people's imaginations can also be extraordinary, can't they?"
"But do you think Durandal is a normal person? Look closely at her. Do you think there's anything about her that fits an ordinary person?"
"Now that you mention it, it does seem..."
Paimon fell into deep thought. She thought Lumine's words made sense. There were indeed many suspicious things about Durandal. Could it be... she had some unspeakable... "Then how do you think ordinary people should think?"
Just as Paimon and Lumine were deep in thought, a voice suddenly joined in. Because they were in the middle of thinking, Lumine and Paimon didn't notice the question and continued speaking based on it.
"Ordinary people's way of thinking is very ordinary, you know. Durandal's common sense seems very weak. I always feel like she doesn't seem to object to cannibalism."
"Oh? Lacking common sense? Is that what you think?"
"Yes, I am... Huh?"
Paimon realized something was wrong this time. She and Lumine tremblingly turned their heads, seeing Durandal looking at them expressionlessly, the sweat on her face increasing.
Durandal didn't seem angry; on the contrary, she was very interested in their conversation. Seeing that they didn't continue, she urged, "What? Keep talking. If there are any other problems, you can tell me."
"This... Ahaha~ Well, we're already very close to Mondstadt! We need to get there quickly today. Tonight, we'll sleep in a soft bed and never stay outdoors again!"
Lumine: "Oh~"
It was a very awkward way to change the subject. Durandal tilted her head, didn't ask further, but simply noted down what they had just said. She planned to ask Venti later about how to compensate for the lack of common sense.
Inside the forest near Mondstadt City, Paimon and Lumine were together counting their spoils from the journey. Besides the ingredients, they had collected quite a bit of Mora, which was the most important thing.
"Hmm, although it's not a lot, it's enough for a meal and a stay at an inn! Great, we finally don't have to stay outdoors anymore; we can talk about soft beds."
Sleeping outdoors was truly tormenting. It was uncomfortable, and they also had to worry about monster harassment, which meant they hadn't had a good night's sleep (except Paimon).
"Thank you, Durandal. When we get to Mondstadt, we'll go eat and repay you for that delicious fish soup earlier."
...No need, I still have things to do, so I won't go in with you.
If she went to Mondstadt, she would definitely be stopped and questioned by the Knights stationed outside. Besides, she had no intention of going in; after seeing them to the entrance, she planned to go back and discuss the next steps with Venti.
"Eh~ That's too bad. In that case, next time, we'll treat you next time."
The three ran towards Mondstadt City. As they were about to leave the forest, a small figure jumped down from a nearby slope.
The newcomer was about to speak, but when he saw Durandal behind them, his expression froze.
"Why are you here?"