Outside Whispering Woods, the group paused beneath the moonlight.
Lumine tiptoed closer to Jiang Chen and whispered into his ear.
"Why did Noelle come with us?"
She glanced back.
Under the pale moonlight, a girl in rose-colored knight armor followed several steps behind them.
A huge claymore rested across her back—completely disproportionate to her slender figure.
The faint fragrance from the girl drifted over with the cool night breeze.
Jiang Chen replied quietly:
"Didn't I say before? Noelle can be a little too enthusiastic sometimes."
He had predicted this.
That was why he intentionally bought one extra set of adventure supplies when asking Noelle to prepare them.
Lumine tilted her head slightly.
"I thought she would escort us to the forest and then go back…"
"Isn't it dangerous for a girl to walk back to Mondstadt alone at night?"
She had been thinking about this the whole way.
Maybe at some customary escort point outside the city, Noelle would finally turn around.
But two hours had already passed.
They had reached the forest edge—
and Noelle still hadn't left.
Now Lumine was even starting to worry about Noelle's safety on the way back.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly.
"Didn't you notice I prepared five sets of adventure equipment?"
"We still have one more person meeting us ahead."
"With you, me, Barbara, and Noelle, that makes five."
He glanced sideways.
"You didn't think one of those sets was for Paimon, did you?"
Lumine blinked.
"…Wasn't it?"
Jiang Chen shrugged.
"If anything, Paimon is one of the adventure tools too."
"For example… emergency food."
Lumine suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hey! You two!"
Paimon flew back angrily, stomping the air.
"I heard that! You were talking bad about me!"
"Apologize right now and compensate me with… food!"
Jiang Chen spread his hands.
"Emergency food isn't an insult."
"It means Paimon has an important use—life-saving even."
"…That actually sounds reasonable."
Paimon frowned.
Something felt wrong, but she couldn't pinpoint it.
"Fine! I'll forgive you this time!"
Then she zoomed ahead again.
She planned to scout for treasure chests—
and secretly keep them for herself.
Lumine turned back to Jiang Chen.
"So the fifth set really was for Noelle?"
"Yeah."
"But… you never invited her."
"That's the part where her enthusiasm comes in."
Jiang Chen raised his voice slightly.
"Noelle!"
He called to the maid knight who had been guarding the rear of the group.
"Please take care of our safety along the road."
"Yes!"
Noelle immediately responded.
"You can leave everything to me!"
Then she suddenly froze.
Her cheeks turned slightly red.
"Wait—Boss Jiang Chen… what exactly did you ask me to do?"
"I didn't quite hear…"
Her attention had been focused on the rear security of the group.
"…."
Lumine blinked again.
Jiang Chen calmly repeated:
"I said the road safety is in your hands."
"Yes!"
Noelle answered with absolute determination.
"Leave it all to me!"
She resumed guarding the rear like a sworn oath.
If Jiang Chen hadn't been walking in front, she would have been guarding all directions simultaneously.
Jiang Chen leaned closer to Lumine and whispered:
"See her determination?"
Lumine nodded repeatedly while secretly glancing back.
"When I asked her to buy adventure supplies," Jiang Chen continued,
"it was already decided she would come along."
"Noelle believes that if she helps prepare for an adventure…"
"Then she must also take responsibility during the adventure—and afterwards."
"Her mission is to make sure everyone returns safely."
Lumine was stunned.
Meanwhile, Barbara leaned over from Jiang Chen's other side and whispered to Lumine.
"In Mondstadt now, almost nobody dares ask Noelle for help with adventures."
"If they do, Captain Kaeya will scold them badly."
Barbara and Noelle were close friends who often drank tea together.
"But Big Brother Jiang Chen is an exception."
Barbara said proudly.
Before, people invited Noelle on adventures simply to use her strength.
But Jiang Chen bringing her along was actually taking care of her.
Normally Noelle stayed in Mondstadt helping everyone nonstop.
She appeared wherever someone needed help.
She enjoyed that life—
but she also never truly left the city.
Sometimes Kaeya secretly assigned her strange tasks just to protect her.
During the recent dragon disaster, for example.
To prevent Noelle from rushing into danger, Kaeya gave her countless small errands.
So she remained busy in the city the whole time.
Just then—
A scream came from the front.
"AH! It's you!!!"
Paimon's voice echoed.
The group rushed forward, worried she had encountered danger.
But the next second her tone became excited like she had discovered treasure.
"The richest man in Mondstadt!"
Paimon had found a super treasure chest.
Ahead—
Leaning casually against a tree stood Diluc, arms crossed over his claymore.
He glanced sideways at the floating emergency food beside him.
"In the wilderness at night, shouting that loudly…"
He said calmly.
"Do you want the hilichurls to wake up and capture you for dinner?"
The wind rustled through Whispering Woods.
Leaves trembled.
A flock of startled birds suddenly burst into the sky.