The Eclipse Tribe camp was a wreck.
After clearing the remaining hilichurls, Kaeya was visibly exhausted—he dropped onto the ground and sat there, breathing hard.
Kaito glanced at him.
Kaeya's level had risen to lv14.
He'd spent the entire fight sprinting around, climbing watchtowers to deal with archers—no wonder he was drained.
Razor had reached lv16.
Noelle had been lv16 when she returned from Stormbearer Mountains, and now she'd climbed again—lv17.
As for Klee…
after breaking the Abyss Mage's shield early on, she'd spent the rest of the battle blowing up huts.
Sometimes hilichurls chased her—
but once she tossed a few bombs behind her, no one dared follow.
The valley was nothing but ash.
She'd blown things up so thoroughly that not even a proper wooden frame remained.
"Kaito, I'm going back to the Meat Tribe," Razor said sincerely as he sheathed his heavy sword. "Next time you come to Wolvendom… I will treat you to meat."
He hesitated, then added awkwardly, "But… not as tasty as your home."
"Go," Kaito said with a nod.
"Bye, Razor! Next time I'll come play with you too!" Klee waved enthusiastically.
Razor immediately looked pained.
He liked playing with Klee—he did—
but Klee also always brought trouble.
For a moment he didn't know what to say.
Kaito smiled slightly.
"Klee, leave one bomb here," he said. "The kind that explodes the moment we get back to the Sword Cemetery."
Klee's attention snapped into place instantly.
Razor exhaled in relief.
He gave Kaito a grateful look, then slipped away without a sound.
"Klee needs to adjust it!"
She sat on the ground, pulled out a bomb and some tools, and began tinkering while humming.
Kaeya saw that and immediately scrambled up and retreated far, far away.
"Kaeya-gege, what are you doing?" Klee tilted her head.
"Keeping watch," Kaeya replied shamelessly.
Everyone in the Knights knew one thing: Klee's bombs never blew up Klee.
"Done!"
A little while later, Klee sprang up happily and placed the bomb beside one corner of the Pyro totem.
Then she sprinted away on her little legs.
"Brother Kaito! Kaeya-gege! Let's race!"
Kaeya's heart screamed danger and he bolted after her.
He even shouted back, "Boss Kaito—run! It might explode!"
"…."
Kaito had no choice but to follow.
But Kaeya had clearly been tricked.
By the time they reached the Sword Cemetery again, nothing had happened behind them.
It really had just been a race.
"Klee is first! La-la-la~! The biggest bowl tonight is also Klee's!"
Klee skidded to a stop by the pond. Her backpack swung up from inertia, then slapped back down.
Dr. Livingston heard the commotion and rushed out of her grove camp—
then froze, startled by what she saw.
She hurriedly gathered her pack as if preparing to flee.
"Did the Eclipse Tribe hilichurls… and the Abyss Mage chase you out?" she blurted anxiously.
"And… someone was lost? That white-haired boy…"
"…?"
The three of them stared at her.
Then—
BOOM!
A massive explosion thundered from the direction of the Eclipse Tribe camp.
At the same moment, the final layer of wind barrier around the Sword Cemetery began to thin…
until it vanished completely.
What remained was the crossed deadwood at the center—
and beneath it, the Sword Cemetery itself: a raised patch of land in the middle of the pond.
"?"
Dr. Livingston's brain stalled.
"You… unlocked the mechanism in the Eclipse Tribe camp?"
"Yeah," Kaito answered.
"Then why were you running so fast?"
"Klee wanted to race."
"…And the white-haired boy wasn't killed?"
"Why are you cursing Razor?" Kaito stared at her. "He left earlier. Didn't you see him?"
Thud.
Dr. Livingston's pack slipped from her hands. She sank onto the ground and let out a long breath.
"…Whew."
"You scared me to death," she said weakly. "The seal wasn't unlocked before, then you came running back and someone was missing—I thought something happened."
"…You think too much," Kaito said, deadpan.
Kaeya waded into the pond up to his knees, moving with clear caution toward the exposed Sword Cemetery.
At the center of the raised stone, a greatsword—fully crusted with rust—was embedded upright.
All around it, the small mounds were packed with broken blades and corroded swords, some leaning, some half-buried.
"These are standardized weapons," Kaeya said after examining them.
The cemetery held both one-handed swords and claymores.
But judging by the shapes and make, they were clearly from the same batch—mass-produced military issue.
Only an organized force would carry weapons like this in such numbers.
An adventuring party's weapons would vary wildly based on personal preference.
"This place really was a battlefield against monsters," Dr. Livingston murmured as she leaned close to examine a blade carefully.
"And the identities of those warriors…" She lifted her eyes. "They may very well have been Knights of Favonius."
"Seems likely," Kaeya agreed.
"Since Mondstadt established the Knights, foreign armies have never been permitted to station here."
"Even the Fatui today are only a delegation. They can't bring military equipment."
"That's why their teams rely on ordinary guards, a few Debt Collectors, and Electro Cicin Mages."
Kaeya swept a hand toward the field of blades.
"So if we follow the logic—an organized force that could've been here… is basically only Mondstadt's own armed institution: the Knights of Favonius."
Dr. Livingston, ever the careful scholar, shook her head.
"We still need further verification. When we return, I'll look for historical diagrams of Knights-issued weapons and compare them."
"Where's the treasure?" Klee asked, already climbing along the slanted trunk up to where the two giant logs crossed in midair.
The broken hollow section up there was shallow—clearly nothing was hidden inside.
"Relics are usually buried," Kaito said.
Klee immediately pulled out a bomb.
Dr. Livingston nearly had her soul leave her body.
She waved both hands frantically. "N-No! Don't! This is precious cultural heritage—don't destroy it!"
"I'll excavate!"
"You all just… watch."
She ran back to her camp and returned with a shovel.
She wasn't letting outsiders dig here.
"Fine," Kaito said, not arguing. "Then we'll leave it to you."
She was the one who wanted to preserve the site.
Kaito and the others only cared whether there was treasure.
Dr. Livingston dug carefully, terrified of damaging something. It was obvious this would take time.
"I'll watch," Kaeya offered immediately.
He needed to serve this "lord" properly—
otherwise, the next time something like this happened, he wouldn't even have the face to ask for help.
Kaito nodded and returned to the grove camp.
Noelle was crouched by the fire, waiting for the water to boil—completely unguarded, relaxed.
This was Dr. Livingston's hanging stove setup: two forked branches driven into the ground, a wooden bar laid across, and a pot suspended over the flame.
From where Kaito stood, his angle caught a glimpse of how tired she looked up close—dust on her scarf, sweat at her brow…
Noelle had been paying attention to him the whole time.
When she noticed his gaze drop, a flush spread across her cheeks.
"Boss Kaito… would you like some tea?" she asked softly.
She didn't try to hide.
She only shifted her eyes away, heartbeat suddenly fast, heat rising under her skin, a fine sheen of sweat forming on her forehead—
just like the last time she'd helped around the restaurant until late.
"Not thirsty," Kaito said, clearing his throat. "Just focus on dinner."
He'd been caught.
He turned and lay down in the tent instead, closing his eyes to rest.
Noelle glanced at the tent and looked… slightly disappointed.
I still need more training, she thought.
If I could be more natural, I wouldn't make things awkward.
If I'd acted more professional… would he have looked less awkward?
She hesitated, then decided, I'll ask Lisa later.
Lisa could be scary sometimes—
but she was a reliable senior.
Night slowly settled over Dadaupa Gorge.
Klee couldn't catch lizards in the dark, so she ran back and fell asleep quickly.
After dinner, Dr. Livingston rested briefly—then returned to digging.
The raised patch of land had been completely cleared flat.
The piled dirt and weeds were pushed aside.
She slid her shovel carefully back into the soil—
Clack.
It hit something.
Kaeya, lounging against the giant deadwood, straightened instantly.
"That… doesn't sound like stone," he said.
Dr. Livingston's eyes lit up. She used the shovel to probe around the spot, confirming the shape—then resumed digging.
Kaeya woke Kaito.
Noelle was awakened too and followed, curious.
Only Klee kept sleeping, snoring softly.
About half an hour later—
an ancient rectangular box emerged from the pit.
Its surface was smeared with mud.
Dr. Livingston put on gloves and brushed the dirt away.
"This is… a rosewood case!" she gasped.
Kaito's gaze tightened.
Even the body of the Holy Lyre was made of rosewood.
A case like this—made to hold something—
what could be inside?
"Open it," Kaito said.
"I need to get tools," Dr. Livingston said cautiously.
Even if it was likely a relic left by old Knights of Favonius, her life still mattered. If there was a trap inside—
she'd be finished.
"No need," Kaito said. "Noelle."
"Yes. Leave it to me."
Noelle understood instantly.
"Geo shield—up."
A Geo shield formed around her.
She jumped down into the pit, steadied the case, and opened it.
A blinding teal light burst from the seam—
and as the lid lifted, the glow flared like a peacock spreading its tail, illuminating the entire Sword Cemetery.
When the light faded—
Kaito opened his eyes and saw a longsword lying quietly inside.
The blade was slender and elegant, its edge and tip radiating a soft green-blue glow.
The spine was silver-white.
And from guard to pommel, the design resembled the wings of a silver hawk—protecting the wielder's hand within its embrace.
Kaito's eyes flashed with pure delight.
"The Aquila Favonia."
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