Oz had completely given up on translating. He looked up at the sky with a resigned expression that clearly said, This is getting troublesome.
Kael Arclight raised a brow, a teasing smile playing on his lips as he looked at Fischl's flushed face. "What's wrong? Didn't you just say you wanted to follow me every day? Getting shy now?"
"T-Thou... Thou shalt not speak such nonsense!"
Fischl slapped her hands over her face. Her golden twin-tails trembled with the intensity of her emotional turmoil.
"Such impudent actions... this is surely a trial of fate! I... I merely—"
"Hmm?"
Kael leaned in slightly, prompting her.
"—Merely... Merely...!!"
Fischl stammered for a solid ten seconds before she abruptly spun around, squatted on the ground, and buried her head in her arms. "Uuu... I know not what words to speak...!!"
Oz flapped his wings and sighed. "She means she is so shy she might faint."
"..."
Kael looked at the small, crouching figure of the Prinzessin with a helpless expression. He sighed softly.
Fischl was always overwhelmingly chuunibyou, no matter the situation.
But to think...
She's this easily flustered?
Kael rubbed his temples, intending to say something to calm her down.
Suddenly, Fischl shot up from the ground. She placed her hands on her hips, desperately trying to project an aura of "I am completely calm," despite her face still burning red. She loudly changed the subject.
"Ahem! We... We have achieved the objective of this expedition!"
"It is time to return to the Adventurers' Guild and claim the rewards for our glorious deeds!"
Oz commented wistfully, "My Lady means the mission is done, and we should head back."
"Aren't we collecting the loot?"
Kael smiled faintly.
Oz froze in mid-air.
Right. Almost forgot the loot.
The weapons of the Hilichurls, especially that massive Fire-Axe, were valuable materials. The camp would also have stockpiles—radishes, cabbages, monster materials like horns or masks. Even if most of it had been shattered by the blast, whatever remained was worth Mora.
Oz immediately flapped his wings and flew toward the crater.
Fischl stood there, patting her cheeks vigorously to cool them down. Once she felt sufficiently composed, she briskly followed.
Though the tips of her ears remained stubbornly pink.
Watching her run over to scavenge through the wreckage, Kael let out a small laugh.
He looked down at the tube of reinforcement balm in his hand, his eyes flickering with thought.
This really is good stuff.
He needed to re-evaluate this item. As far as he knew, the reinforcement balm wasn't limited to just Ice. If he could mass-produce this... or find other elemental variants...
While Kael pondered the possibilities, time slipped by.
With Oz flying overhead and Fischl crouching on the ground, they efficiently stripped the Hilichurl camp of anything valuable. The harvest was substantial. Not only did they clear a dangerous stronghold, but they also gathered a significant amount of monster materials and even some rare ores exposed by the explosion.
"My Lady indicates that this mission proceeded with exceptional smoothness," Oz chirped happily as he deposited a horn into the bag. "She is highly satisfied!"
Fischl was beaming. Her mood had clearly soared.
She turned to Kael, her golden eye shining with excitement. She grabbed his arm, almost unable to contain herself.
"Thy martial prowess and stratagem have truly won the admiration of this Prinzessin! Since we have already purged the evil from this land, why not strike while the iron is hot? Let us continue to cleanse the sinners hiding in the darkness!"
Oz translated: "She means she's having too much fun and wants to go find more Hilichurls to kill."
"..."
Kael glanced at the over-excited girl and shrugged. "Fine. I actually have a few other ideas I want to test. Let's do another lap."
For the rest of the afternoon, Kael and Fischl roamed the perimeter of the Whispering Woods. They hunted down smaller Hilichurl outposts while Kael used the Bio-wave Probe to sweep for resources.
Valberries, Windwheel Asters, even precious Crystal Chunks...
The efficiency of the probe meant their haul far exceeded what any ordinary adventurer could hope to find in a week, let alone a day.
As the sun began to dip toward the horizon, they finally decided to head back to Mondstadt.
Kael was satisfied.
Over the last few hours, he had tested the [I Also Want to Help] skill repeatedly. By applying it to the arrows Fischl generated, he confirmed it could consistently output massive damage.
However, it still wasn't as effective as the bombs.
While the Electro energy became more violent and destructive, Fischl's conversion of energy wasn't quite efficient enough to match the sheer area-of-effect devastation of Klee's explosives. It was a pity, but a useful data point nonetheless.
As Kael walked, lost in his analysis, Fischl suddenly stopped.
She looked down at her legs and froze.
"...What is it?"
Kael noticed her pause and turned to look.
His eyebrows raised slightly.
Fischl's stockings had become a disaster zone.
She wore an asymmetrical style—her right leg encased in a full black stocking, her left in a garter stocking that left a section of her pale thigh exposed.
But now, the stocking on her left leg was shredded. Branches and brambles from their trek through the dense woods had torn numerous holes in the fabric. It looked messy and, frankly, quite wretched.
Fischl blinked blankly, shock written in her eye.
"My... The dignity of the Prinzessin..."
Oz chimed in: "She means her stockings are torn. What should she do?"
"..."
Kael looked at her silently. How exactly was she moving around to get them torn up that badly?
Fischl recovered from her shock and frowned.
Then, with completely natural movements, she reached into her small backpack and pulled out a fresh, unopened pair of stockings.
And then—
She handed them directly to Kael.
"Thou! Hasten the replacement!"
Oz translated: "My Lady means: Help her change her stockings."
"..."
Kael stared at her, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"Are you serious?"
Fischl nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. There wasn't a trace of embarrassment on her face. She looked at him with an expression that said, Is this not logical?
"Since we are comrades-in-arms, marching together toward destiny, it is only natural that thou shouldst assist the Prinzessin in renewing her battle attire!"
Oz translated: "She means it's inconvenient for her to change them herself. You do it."
"..."
Kael fell silent for three seconds. He looked at her with a complicated expression.
"This isn't the first time, is it?"
Fischl stiffened slightly. The tips of her ears turned pink again.
She turned her head away in a huff, crossing her arms. "Ahem! The battles we face allow for no distractions! My royal etiquette need not be bound by the trivial rules of the mortal world!"
Oz chuckled. "My Lady means: You've helped her change them before, so doing it again now is fine."