Inside the Angel's Share, armored Knights of Favonius raised their glasses, drinking heartily to apple cider and dandelion wine. Though the first floor only offered these two beverages, it did nothing to dampen the knights' excitement.
"Wonderful! Stormterror's finally dealt with—tonight I can actually sleep well."
"Right, right! The Honorary Knight truly lives up to their reputation, and Acting Grand Master Jean is every bit a Gunnhildr—I almost see traces of Lady Vennessa in her."
"Get out of here with your 'Lady Vennessa' talk. You're barely forty—what would you know about Lady Vennessa?"
"Why talk about all that? Drink up, drink up!"
The cheerful clinking of glasses made the atmosphere increasingly lively. Charles watched the apple cider splashing onto the floor with heartache. Rich as his master might be, this was no way to squander money. At this rate, it was simply wasteful.
Creak~
The tavern door swung open as Su Bai pushed through. The knights inside caught sight of Eula behind him and froze momentarily, their expressions turning somewhat unnatural.
"What's she doing here?"
"Does someone from the Lawrence clan even deserve to be here?"
"Who are those people with her? Never seen them before. Lawrence clan lackeys?"
"Tch. Ruins the mood."
Whispers and murmurs filled the air. Eula, who had been in quite high spirits coming to the tavern with Su Bai and the others—Yae Miko had even promised to give her a miko outfit along the way—hadn't expected this kind of reception upon entering.
Her heart felt bitter. She should have known better than to think she belonged at an occasion like this. Caught up chatting with Yae Miko, she forgot to ask exactly how many people would be attending.
Feeling the hostile stares of the knights, and not wanting Su Bai and Yae Miko to be viewed through a biased lens because of her, Eula took a small step back, wanting to flee this place.
This girl, who had never retreated a single step before any powerful monster, now stepped back—for the sake of her friends, so they wouldn't be implicated, so they could continue living peacefully in Mondstadt.
"Diluc, your guests here seem to have quite the problem with my friend. Should I leave?"
Su Bai's fox eyes narrowed slightly. Behind him, Yae Miko matched his expression perfectly. If Yae Miko didn't know Eula, that would be one thing. But Eula was now someone Yae Miko had accepted, and she wouldn't simply watch her get bullied.
"No, Su Bai, you don't need to leave. If anyone should leave, it's them."
Diluc stood at the counter, polishing a glass. The spotless surface reflected the cold gleam and disappointment in his eyes. Beside him, Charles, who had worked at the tavern for many years, felt his heart skip a beat. He knew his master was angry now. His only prayer was that a fight wouldn't break out—the Knights' Acting Grand Master was still upstairs on the second floor.
"Master Diluc, what do you mean by this? Were we wrong?"
"Yeah, yeah! These strange characters might be spies from other nations. I say we arrest them and interrogate them properly!"
Several knights, flushed with drink, shouted loudly, as if they might actually try to take Su Bai and the others away. A fruit knife flashed briefly in Su Bai's hand. He'd already accomplished what he came to Mondstadt for—he wouldn't mind teaching these knights a lesson before leaving.
"It seems I wasn't clear enough. The ones who should leave are you."
Diluc gently set down his glass. A surge of Pyro energy erupted around him, his face illuminated red by the flames, utterly expressionless. Charles wisely kept his mouth shut. Knowing Diluc, if he tried to intervene now, those dead-fish eyes would bore into him for quite some time.
With a flash of flame, the loudmouthed knights were hurled bodily from the Angel's Share. The other knights stared in shock. 'Holy—he actually threw them out?!'
"From now on, within the Angel's Share, I don't want to hear any negative remarks about Lady Eula."
"Since Lady Eula is a friend of my friends, I choose to trust my friends."
Diluc laid down this rule with a stern expression, granting neither the knights nor the Knights of Favonius any face. Charles listened with a pounding heart, genuinely fearing retaliation from the Knights later.
What Charles underestimated was Diluc's influence over Mondstadt. After all, Diluc had long controlled Mondstadt's economic lifeline. Perhaps only Ningguang, the Tianquan, could claim to surpass his wealth.
"Hehe, I think Master Diluc's rule here is excellent! Another bottle of apple cider for me!"
In a corner, Venti, face flushed red, downed his apple cider in one gulp. He knew something of this girl Eula and could sense her deep love for Mondstadt. But in this situation, even he was powerless.
"Little one, don't mind those drunkards' words. You need to learn to be a bit more enlightened like me."
"Enlightened?"
It was the first time Eula had heard this term. Yae Miko's eyes grew slightly distant, as if recalling something, before quickly returning to normal.
"Slowly come to understand it, little one. The path ahead of you is still long~"
Venti accepted the apple cider Charles handed him and happily poured himself a glass. He'd already told Lumine they needed to return the Skyward Harp tomorrow. Once his Gnosis was gone, he could finally travel freely through the six nations. Hmm, Liyue first—go see old Morax.
"Haha, seems I missed quite the show. Lord Su Bai, why are you still standing here? Everyone upstairs is waiting for you."
Sensing Diluc's Pyro energy, Kaeya—Diluc's apparent rival on the surface—set down his glass, grabbed his sword, and headed downstairs. He wanted to see who was bold enough to cause trouble at Diluc's establishment.
Upon arriving, he found Diluc facing off against the knights, his cold expression unsettling even Kaeya, his sworn brother. 'Who the hell pissed off Diluc? Just wait—I'll make their life miserable.'
Though internally cursing whichever knight had angered Diluc, Kaeya maintained his signature smile as he invited Su Bai and the others upstairs.
"Such a scheming individual, just like that little one, Kamisato Ayato."
As she passed Kaeya, Yae Miko murmured softly in Su Bai's ear. Su Bai nodded in agreement. This smiling fox Kaeya definitely required constant vigilance.
"Diluc, aren't you coming upstairs with us?"
"Not yet. I need to keep an eye on that bard and see just how much he drinks."
Su Bai blinked. Wasn't tonight's banquet free? Why did he need to watch Barbatos? Had he misunderstood? Sensing Su Bai's confusion, Diluc explained quietly:
"The drinks at the banquet are only free for Knights of Favonius members and my friends. As for that bard... he falls into neither category. So, you understand."
Su Bai shot Venti a sympathetic glance. Poor Barbatos would probably be working off his debt here for quite a while. Hmm, maybe in a few days he could come watch Venti busk here—and even tip him an apple cider.
Oblivious to his impending fate, Venti noticed Su Bai looking his way and raised his glass in a silent toast before downing another full cup of apple cider.