After surviving the horde of Hilichurls and the Abyss Mage, we set off toward the city. Every now and then, I caught myself staring at the way Lumine's hair fluttered in the wind. Since we were relatively close to Mondstadt already, the rest of the walk didn't take long.
I noticed they were hungry, so I bought a few snacks for the two of them and headed toward the Cathedral. I knew exactly who could heal me. Still, I didn't think I needed healing that badly. Judging by Lumine's reaction earlier, the damage must've been serious—yet I could still function normally. Maybe Dvalin's tear had increased my pain resistance more than I'd thought?
"You seem to know the city pretty well, Kane. How long have you been here?"
Lumine asked while taking a bite of the sandwich in her right hand.
Truth was, I didn't know the city well at all. I just constantly checked the map, so even places I'd never been felt familiar.
"I haven't been in the city very long. Maybe two weeks?"
In reality, I was quite sure it had been less than that.
Paimon's eyes widened as soon as she heard my answer, her surprise mirrored by Lumine.
"Two weeks?? Then where were you staying before that?"
…
…
I didn't know what to say. I tend to freeze in situations like this, and it makes me want to tell the truth.
I took a deep breath and answered.
"I'm from a distant land. …A very distant one."
A distance where the concept of distance itself becomes meaningless…
Since my answer was vague, neither of them pushed further. I understood Lumine not insisting, but the fact that Paimon didn't pry felt… odd.
We continued talking as we walked and soon arrived at the Cathedral. I told one of the guards I needed healing, and after paying him 10,000 mora, he guided me to a room inside. Turning healing into a paid service felt… interesting. I suppose capitalism works everywhere.
I pushed the door open and stepped inside. Standing there was a petite girl with a sweet face, bright blue eyes, and a striking figure. Her blonde hair matched the cute skirt she wore. Barbara was right in front of me. When she noticed me, she approached with a gentle smile.
"Welcome, sir. Do you need healing?"
"Yes. I was injured on my back. Do I need to take my armor off?"
Barbara moved behind me to inspect the wound.
…
…
But for some reason, she didn't respond for several seconds.
"What's wrong?"
She took a deep, steadying breath before answering.
"…Sir, how did you even make it here with a wound like this?"
Was it really that bad?
"My friend reacted similarly, but since I can't see my own back—and I'm not feeling much pain—I honestly don't know what the issue is."
Barbara quickly grabbed one of the mirrors from the wall and held it behind me. I looked at the mirror in front of me, seeing my reflection showing the reflection of my back.
…
…
…
Shit. What the hell happened? The wound was nearly charred. I could clearly see it was several centimeters deep. …This was actually serious.
"…Yeah, I see it now. But this is a third-degree burn. It's dead tissue. Healing won't fix that."
Barbara seemed surprised by my technical knowledge.
"I didn't expect you to know that, sir—but don't worry! We just need to remove the burned tissue. …Yes."
I understood exactly what that meant. I was about to be writhing in pain. Why would anything ever go smoothly for me?
"I can see where this is going."
I wrapped some cloth around the handle of my axe and placed the handle in my mouth. Hopefully it would be enough to muffle the screams.
Barbara left the room and came back a few seconds later with a guard.
"This will hurt, sir. But you'll be fine soon."
Now that I think about it, did Barbara always sound this mature—HOLY SHIT—
Guard guy was literally carving the burned flesh out with a knife!
I bit down on the axe handle with everything my jaw allowed. It hurt. It hurt so much.
…But after a few seconds, the pain vanished. Then a warm, gentle energy washed over my back. I could feel new living tissue forming where the dead tissue had been. Barbara touched the newly healed area, and I flinched slightly—her hand was cold.
"Looks like the procedure was successful. I'm very glad, sir!"
I spit the axe handle out and turned to Barbara as the guard disposed of the charred piece that had been sliced off.
"Thank you. I have a feeling I'll need your help again in the future. Your name is Barbara, right?"
I asked as if I didn't already know. The guard slipped out of the room.
Barbara smiled brightly.
"Yes, sir! My name is Barbara. And yours?"
"You can call me Kane. Please don't call me 'sir,' it makes me feel old."
Barbara giggled. "Alright then, Kane. May Lord Barbatos bless you!"
She really did feel like an idol. Anyway… Someone else was waiting for me. After saying goodbye to Barbara, I left the Cathedral. Lumine and Paimon were waiting outside.
"I'm back. Did anything happen while I was gone?"
"Nope. We were just enjoying the view, Kane. The city looks so beautiful."
You have excellent taste, Lumine—the city really is stunning. We kept talking casually, as if we'd known each other for years. Paimon seemed slightly out of the conversation, but she didn't seem to mind. I began asking Lumine the things I'd been curious about.
"By the way, Lumine. After you put up that poster for your brother… what will you do? I doubt you'll find him immediately. It could take days. Do you have a place to stay?"
Of course she didn't. Asking questions I already knew the answer to made me feel like I was playing chess.
Lumine pressed her fingertips together, realizing she'd forgotten something important.
"…It completely slipped my mind. Hahaha…"
Maybe you're not the type to plan ahead, Lumine. But that's fine. I'm the opposite—
…out of necessity.
"If it's alright with you, you can stay at my place. It's not big, but it'll do."
Her eyes sparkled, and she grabbed my shoulders. …How is she already this strong? Or am I weak?
"Seriously?? Thank you so much, Kane!"
You're welcome, but… doesn't staying in the same house as a man bother you? Do you not see me as a man, as a threat?
…
…
"H-haha, you don't need to react that strongly. But there's only one bed right now. We'll have to buy another one."
I hadn't built the house very large. I'd need to expand it eventually.
Lumine froze slightly at my words. Knowing what she was about to say, I answered before she could.
"And no, you're not a burden. Let's go buy you a bed."
She sighed softly and agreed. Good girl.
Paimon seemed tired of flying and landed on my shoulder.
"Is that comfortable, Paimon?"
"Yes! Paimon doesn't know why, but Kane's shoulders are bigger than anyone she's ever seen!"
Of course they are. Why would I train all that time for nothing? My height might not match the tall, slender men of Teyvat, but my broad frame stood out like a foreign species here.
I chuckled.
"If you like it, you can rest there anytime, Paimon."
Paimon made a happy little sound that clearly meant "okay!"
After a while, we reached a furniture shop.
"Pick any bed you like, Lumine."
I had plenty of mora from hunting and commissions. I could afford to be generous.
"Alright then."
She didn't seem used to this kind of treatment. Didn't Aether treat you like this, Lumine? With a smile like yours, it should be easy to find someone willing to do much more. Whatever.
After thinking for a while, Lumine chose a white-framed bed. The price was 15,000 mora—the same as my shield. Felt strange, but I didn't question it.
I handed Lumine the light mattress and carried the heavier frame myself. It wasn't very heavy—maybe around ten kilos—but its size made it cumbersome.
"Hey, Kane."
Lumine called out.
"Yes?"
"Why are you so kind to me?"
Interesting. …A little late to ask, but at least you have some awareness, Lumine.
"Isn't it simple? We met in the forest by coincidence. We watched each other's backs. And for some reason, I feel like there's a natural harmony between us. Why wouldn't I be kind?"
Lumine seemed satisfied, giving a small "Ohh, I see."
Right—just as we were nearing the city gate, I remembered my armor had taken massive damage.
"Lumine, before we leave I need to stop by the blacksmith."
"Okay. You are carrying the heavy part, after all."
She smirked playfully. But little do you know, Lumine—I love lifting heavy things.
The sound of hammer striking metal grew louder as we approached Wagner's forge. I set the bed frame down and called out:
"Yo!"
Wagner noticed me, stopped working, and shook my hand.
"Kane! How's it going, man?"
We'd been talking daily for the past week—doing business, chatting. We'd gotten close.
"Bad news, Wagner. Somehow this armor couldn't withstand the Abyss Mage's flames. The fire dealt heavy damage to my back."
I tried removing the armor, but it took more effort than usual. Must be another side effect of Dvalin's tear. After struggling a bit, I finally got it off and placed it on the table. Since I wore nothing underneath, my upper body was exposed. I could feel the stares around me. Lumine included.
"Oh…"
Lumine looked away. Paimon flew off my shoulder and landed on hers.
"Kane, it's like you were hiding a machine under your shirt! Hahaha!"
…Since I'm not used to compliments, I didn't quite know how to respond.
"…Haha. Just a normal body."
Paimon jumped in.
"No! Paimon is sure Kane's body is NOT normal!"
I was certain I heard Lumine mutter "Exactly."
Guys… this conversation isn't productive. It doesn't help anything…
"That little flying thing is right. Anyway, let me check the—WHAT THE HELL?!"
When Wagner looked at the back of the armor, there was a massive hole melted straight through it.
Even I couldn't understand how it had taken that much damage. The fire-resistance rune must've failed completely.
"You survived this?!"
"Well, as you can see, I'm standing here."
Lumine stepped forward.
"See? I told you the wound on your back wasn't normal, Kane. But you dismissed it because you said it didn't hurt."
Wagner nodded in agreement.
"You took this kind of damage and felt nothing? …You must be missing a few screws. Anyway, this armor shouldn't have taken damage like that. Come back tomorrow. I'll craft you something that won't fail you."
Right—almost forgot.
"By the way, Wagner, get your best sword ready. The blonde lady behind me needs a good blade."
Lumine, who had been talking with Paimon, glanced at us and sighed. She was slowly getting used to me.
"This one should do."
Wagner handed me a single-handed sword with a blue hilt and white-silver engravings.
I examined it. I wasn't an expert, but it felt good. I offered it to Lumine.
"It's yours now."
…She looked into my eyes for a few seconds before taking the sword. After testing a few swings, I could tell she liked it.
"Thank you, Kane."
Still smiling, I replied:
"You're welcome."
We said goodbye to Wagner and headed home—
or rather, our home.
We placed the new bed in an empty corner of the house. Though honestly, there wasn't much empty space left.
"Did you build this house yourself, Kane? It feels really isolated from the city."
"I did. Do you like it?"
"I do. It's not architecturally impressive, but you clearly built everything you needed."
A critique, huh? I liked that.
Paimon flew around inside, grabbed a Valberry from the table, and ate it without a second thought.
"If you'd like, we can take care of the missing-person poster tomorrow. It's been a long day."
Lumine stretched out on her bed, arms reaching up before she let out a small yawn.
"Yawn… Yeah, I agree. It's been exhausting."
The sun had only just begun to set, but we really were tired. Remembering my upper body was still bare, I threw on a shirt.
"Oh, by the way—tomorrow we should get you some clothes. You don't have any spares, do you?"
Lumine averted her gaze.
"It's really not necessary… These clothes are valuable to me."
I know.
But if I have to see you in the same outfit every day, I'll get bored on your behalf.
"That's even more reason to get new ones. You need to protect those clothes. How will you do that in a fight?"
My words seemed to make sense to her.
"…That's reasonable."
"I'm always reasonable."