Chapter 28: Escape
"Who goes there?!"
The sudden turn of events left Paimon so shocked her mouth hung wide open.
Silence—
A teasing smile curved the lips of the girl in purple as she pressed a finger to them, gesturing for quiet.
Jean was instantly furious and alarmed. As expected, the Fatui's ambitions had not died. They had actually sent a Cicin Mage to steal the Holy Lyre der Himmel.
If only I could move right now…
Lumine's breathing quickened. She leapt forward alone, trying to seize the Electro Cicin Mage before her.
But the other woman merely twisted her slender waist slightly. In the blink of an eye, she dissolved into a streak of lightning and vanished, effortlessly dodging Lumine's strike.
Lumine lunged—yet the Cicin Mage simply flickered into a flash of violet light and disappeared.
"Hey, someone's here to steal the Holy Lyre—"
Just as she was about to step out of the room, the Cicin Mage called sweetly toward the main hall, then waved at Su Han and the others.
A disdainful smile tugged at Su Han's lips. Boundless spiritual pressure poured forth, crashing down upon her.
The Cicin Mage, who had been about to flee, turned deathly pale and collapsed to the ground with a thud.
"I-Impossible!"
Terror filled her eyes as she hastily erected an Electro shield, bracing for the attack she expected.
But the blow she anticipated never came.
Su Han walked up slowly and whispered in her ear, "I am Su Han. Leave at once. This is Lady's will. I will rendezvous with you shortly."
At the same time, the crushing spiritual pressure enveloping her dissipated entirely.
Granted a reprieve, the Cicin Mage didn't dare say another word. In a panic, she activated [Blink] and vanished from the scene.
Su Han, meanwhile, wrapped an arm around Acting Grand Master Jean's waist. In an instant, his figure disappeared as well, leaving behind only a single sentence echoing in the empty chamber.
"Lumine, remember the plan."
"Hey! Take us with you too!"
Paimon stomped angrily in midair. Lumine could only press a hand to her forehead and sigh.
"Stop right there! What are you doing? Hand over the Holy Lyre!"
The first Knight of Favonius to arrive pointed his sword at them.
"This is bad—run!"
With a whoosh, Paimon dove straight into Lumine's arms, urging her to get out of there.
Without hesitation, Lumine moved. Her figure was nimble and swift as she lightly vaulted past the knight and dashed into the fog-filled main hall.
Paimon: "There's someone ahead—avoid him!"
Lumine: "No need to dodge. Watch this—hiya!"
Her long, slender leg cut through the air with fierce momentum, sweeping toward the man's neck.
Perhaps the thick fog had obscured his vision; he failed to dodge in time and took the kick squarely. With a dull thud, he collapsed unconscious.
"Easy. One down."
Lumine let out a small breath of relief, a hint of pride rising in her chest.
But when she leaned closer to look, the knight she had knocked out was none other than Hoffman, who had rushed over to check on the situation.
Lumine: "…"
Paimon: "Pfft—just run!"
Fortunately, most of the Knights of Favonius had their vision obscured by the fog, leaving them flustered and disoriented. Naturally, fewer of them managed to chase after Lumine.
"See you!"
Lumine shoved the cathedral doors open with force and stuck her tongue out viciously at the pursuers behind her.
"Waaahhh—"
"We've been spotted! Run!" Paimon shouted to Venti not far away.
Sure enough, a crowd of clueless Knights of Favonius poured out behind Lumine. The only person who could have explained the situation—Hoffman—had already been knocked unconscious by her.
Venti, who had been sitting on the railing, idly swinging his silk-clad legs, suddenly turned around.
"Huh?! This way—quick!"
Lumine didn't think twice. She hurriedly followed Venti as they leapt down from the cathedral's railing, spreading their Wind Gliders and weaving through the air with deft flying skills to evade the knights in pursuit.
"Quick, over there! There's a tavern ahead—we'll hide inside for now."
A tavern?
Why a tavern?
There was no time to question it. Seeing how familiar Venti seemed with the route, Lumine pushed the door open and rushed inside.
—
Mondstadt, Angel's Share.
Bartender Charles presented the account book to the tavern's true owner. "Master Diluc, this week's earnings are all here."
The red-haired young man named Diluc gave a slight nod. "The recent storm has indeed taken a toll on business."
Charles sighed. "Yes… Hopefully this rough patch passes soon."
"Oh, right. I have a finely crafted talisman here—pawned by a traveler from out of town. Would you like to take a look?"
As he spoke, Charles took out the Mojin talisman Su Han had pawned and handed it to Diluc.
Diluc accepted it and examined it carefully. "Impeccable workmanship. Smooth to the touch. I've never seen anything quite like it. It could fetch a million Mora."
Just as he spoke, the tavern doors were thrown open.
Turning to look, they saw a green-clad bard and a blonde girl enter, accompanied by a floating pet.
Charles: "Customers, it's half past two in the morning. The tavern is closed."
Venti waved his hands. "No, no, Boss. We… need a slightly more discreet place."
Diluc glanced at them, understanding flickering in his eyes. Calmly, he said, "Second floor."
Venti scratched his head with an awkward laugh. "Ahaha, wonderful. We'll head up first—see you in a bit—"
Diluc: "Keep an eye on them. That bard is suspicious. I'll go ask about the situation."
After watching them hurry upstairs, Diluc instructed Charles.
Charles blinked. "Uh… ask who?"
Diluc: "Mondstadt's 'security.'"
Not long after, two knights pushed the tavern doors open, panting heavily as they questioned Diluc.
Knight Ott: "Master Diluc, have you seen those two thieves?"
Diluc: "What happened? Why mobilize so many people?"
Knight Miles: "Haven't you heard, Master Diluc? Two thieves actually dared to set their sights on the Holy Lyre!"
Diluc let out a faint scoff. "Oh? How curious."
Miles: "Right? The Holy Lyre is a treasure personally played by Lord Barbatos the Anemo Archon. Such a precious cultural relic—"
Upstairs, Venti scratched his head. "Uh…"
Diluc crossed his arms over his chest and said flatly, "Someone foolish enough to steal something that can't even be sold… They'd be better off robbing my wine cellar."
Venti nodded frantically in agreement.
Ott: "…"
Miles: "…"
Diluc: "Ah, apologies. I digress. A blonde and a green-clad fellow… I believe they went that way."
He casually pointed in a random direction.
Miles: "Alright, alright—thank you, Master Diluc!"
After thanking him, the two knights hurried out, shutting the tavern door behind them.
Diluc turned to Charles. "You can head back and rest."
"Yes, Master Diluc."
Once Charles had also left, Venti quietly slipped downstairs, sneakily swiping a bottle of chilled Dandelion Wine from behind the counter.
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