5

So I may not have given level-ups enough credit before, because after the mission yesterday, I've grown astronomically. Not just strength, but stamina and alcohol tolerance as well. I did not feel tipsy even after drinking an entire barrel, and I easily outlasted Venti without difficulty.

I'm not sure if this was intentional on my mother's part, to make growth this absurd, but I'm not complaining. I'm only level 22, and if the past video games I played were anything to go by, this doesn't even qualify for mid-game tier.

Though, in all honesty, I've only barely been here, so I don't think I've met the heavy hitters of this world just yet. Unless this universe is that low-level, I should keep an eye out for worthy foes. The chicks here are very attractive, and the drinks and food are actually good, so hopefully, I get the whole package and have a fun fight.

But if that doesn't turn out to be the case, then oh well. It's also fun to be the overwhelmingly dominating force. Making whole kingdoms and empires be scared of little ol' me will always be endlessly amusing.

So after the whole Treasure Hoarder thing, Venti and I – as well as the entire tavern – partied until everyone passed out. Some due to alcohol, others from exhaustion, and one from getting fucked silly. It was great.

…It's also very unlike my mother to send me to this wonderful world without a catch, so I'm still expecting a tragic end to my fun here at any moment, but I digress.

I didn't feel anywhere near as bad as I felt the first time I got drunk once I woke up, which is a huge plus. My pain tolerance is very high, yes, but that doesn't mean I don't find it unpleasant. I'd take a slight headache over a terrible migraine any day.

I woke up fairly late, unsurprisingly, and thought I'd go get my money for that mission, then probably try to get some commissions outside the city so I can level up some more, or find a good fight. I glanced at some of those hunting missions last night and saw some supposedly big ones like "Cryo Regisvine spotted in Dragonspine!", whatever a Regisvine is, with a huge bounty on it.

Sure, I can't actually take that quest, because I can't find it on the board right now, meaning someone already took it, but I know the location, so what's stopping me from going there to kill it anyway? I'm sure that'll elevate me a few ranks in the guild. They already know I'm no pushover. Probably gonna annoy them a bit, though, but who cares? I'd be doing them a favor after all.

Assuming I catch up to whoever took that commission before they finish it.

"Oh, Mr. Amamiya. Ad astra abyssosque!" Katheryne greets me with a polite smile. "How can I be of service?"

"And ad… whatever you just said back, Miss." I wave. "Thought I'd stop by to get my rewards since I have nothing else going on. And maybe take some more commissions."

"Ah, of course." She nods. "After some consideration, we've calculated the amount to be around 350,000 Mora per member. How much would you like to withdraw?"

So 1,400,000 overall, nearly triple the expected amount. That seems a lot more than what it was worth, but maybe recovering these Visions was important. Either that or the Fatui are heavily overestimated. I'm not complaining, but almost a million and a half for that seems like an overreaction.

"Withdraw? You have some banking system I didn't know about?" I raise a brow.

"Somewhat. Once you're a high enough rank, the tougher commissions will give you more Mora than you can carry." She clarifies. "So here at the guild, we'll save your money for you."

"Makes sense." I nod. "Well, I'm not in a hurry to buy anything, so keep it. Do you think there's a suitable commission for me now? The last one did bring me up a rank or two at least, right?"

"As a matter of fact, you've been elevated to rank 16." Her smile widens, making me blink in surprise. "However, due to the nature of our ranking system, you will not be able to take any more commissions until you clear a certain trial."

Oh, sixteen? Maybe that quest was as important as it sounded. That's enough to take some lesser monster-clearing quests.

I'm getting there alright. This adventuring thing is easy.

"Oh, right, you did mention that before. Some trial after every five ranks." I respond. "So what happens now? Do I have to do three trials or what?"

"That was supposed to be the case, however, I was approached by the Knights of Favonius a few hours ago." She answers. "Essentially, you'll have to duel one of the captains and impress them. If you do well enough, you will not need to do any other trial."

Already making their move? Well, I suppose that would happen eventually, especially after I showed off in front of that Lawrence chick yesterday. She'd have given their grandmaster a report, heightening their chances of doing something about me.

That isn't exactly a bad thing for me. If anything, it's just more amusement and fun all around. Seeing them run around like headless chickens trying to make sure I don't suddenly turn out to be some dangerous enemy is incredibly entertaining.

To them, this duel is them gauging my full strength to see if I'm a threat or not, but to me, it's just a humorous game.

And I'm willing to play.

"Oh? They find me that interesting?" I chuckle. "S'pose I should bring my A game to them, then. So where should I be going for this duel? And what time?"

"Behind the Knight's Headquarters." She says. "Approximately three hours from now. You'll be facing Ms. Eula Lawrence."

Around sunset, then, and against the same chick from yesterday. They did say she was one of the brightest in the Knights, and she did pretty well against those bandits yesterday so that should be fun. Hopefully.

"That so? Well, have some monster-hunting commissions ready for me when I get back." I say casually.

"Of course." She nods politely, my attempt at impressing her going over her head.

I blink in slight surprise but pretend that nothing is wrong. Hmm, weird. No outward reaction at all, almost like she didn't get the implication. Either she's really dense, which is very unlikely considering her position, or…

I've chalked it off as nothing before, but something's off about this chick. Everything about her looks fine. Nothing weird to see, her energy signature is normal too, but I've lived long enough to trust my intuition for these situations.

Intriguing.

"By the way–" I change the subject. "Did Lumine stop by?"

"She did," Kathy confirms. "She's taken a few jobs outside the city, mostly hunting. She should be back before nightfall if everything goes smoothly."

"Thought as much," I respond. "Was nice talking to you, Miss. See you in a few hours, probably after the trial."

Katheryne waves goodbye as I walk away, giving her one last interested glance before moving on. Something's definitely odd about her, and now I'm too curious to let it go. I should keep an eye out and see what I can figure out later.

But for now, I might just explore the city. I have enough time to look around now, and I never got the chance to do that before. I have only been to what, three places? Church, Knight's Headquarters, and some random clothing store.

As I head towards the market to find anything interesting, a sudden gust of wind freezes me in place. I turn around, looking directly at the giant explosion in the distance outside the city, smoke covering the sky. What the hell was that? An enemy attack?

I wasn't the only one who noticed it, but everyone else just… didn't pay it any mind. Hell, some people are either looking over in amusement or annoyance, before getting back to what they were doing.

"Poor kid." I hear a civilian say. "The Grandmaster most definitely noticed this one. She'll get another detention for sure."

"Good." Another scoffs. "What were they thinking letting that child lunatic make dangerous bombs?"

So this is some regular occurrence caused by a child no less? Random explosions like this? Well, color me interested. It's not too far away from the city, so I can check it out and probably be back for the duel in time.

With that, I walk towards the big cloud of smoke outside the gates, hoping to find another source of amusement.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

– Klee –

She'd done it now, letting off an explosion that big so close to the city right after being let go from her previous detention. Jean was going to be very mad at her and take her toys away for a whole month again. She was so so screwed.

But it wasn't Klee's fault this time. She only went out for some fishing like usual, but then a slime leaped at her from the brush next to her and startled her, so she accidentally used her super-powered bomb instead. She's innocent this time, honest!

But then she'll be asked why she brought said bomb with her on a fishing trip, and that'll get her punished again because she didn't know why she did, and Klee doesn't like lying. Her mommy told her to never lie, so she never did.

"Auuuh…" Klee whined while on the verge of tears, hiding behind a tree. "Why did this happen? Klee was just hungry."

The knights had probably seen the explosion and now they were going to send someone to bring her back, and Klee couldn't just run far away from them. She didn't want to get lost again. But she also didn't want to get another detention and have her stuff taken away.

What should she do? How can she convince them to not put her in confinement? She had just wanted some fishies, that's it, but now she'd gotten herself in a lot of trouble again. It was that slime's fault, not hers. She shouldn't get punished for this!

…But she still blew up an entire hill near the lake, so she was still at fault. Klee wasn't a bad girl, she didn't want to be so troublesome for Jean, so she should take responsibility. That's what good girls do, right? That's what Lisa told her anyway.

Klee then paused as she thought about her situation more.

Maybe Jean would forgive her if she said sorry. Like very very sorry, not just regular sorry. Klee didn't mean it after all, not like all those times before. And maybe she could tell Lisa to help her convince the grandmaster. She always went easy on her, and would even sneak in some candy whenever Klee was in confinement.

With this new ingenious plan in mind, Klee felt more confident and stood up, dusting off her skirt as a slightly nervous but determined look took over her face. Lisa also said that saying sorry means she has remorse, so Jean can't be mad at her when it wasn't even her fault in the beginning, right? Right. Clearly, that's how it works.

If Klee showed how sorry she really was, then Jean wouldn't take away her toys and bombs, and then she'd get to enjoy her fish in her style. Nothing's better than fish cooked with the intense heat of a village-wiping explosive.

Klee then turned around and walked by the tree, only to bump into something and fall on her rear with a yelp. She rubbed her nose and gazed up at a tall, smiling man with black hair and red eyes looking down at her.

"Hello." He greeted her calmly as she blinked a few times. "Were you the one that caused that explosion just now?"

"I-It wasn't Klee's fault!" She quickly said, her previous anxiety overpowering her newfound confidence. "T-there was a slime and- and it started Klee so she threw her strongest bomb at it– she didn't mean it!"

"Shh, it's alright, you're not in any trouble." He said, kneeling to her level. "But do be careful next time, alright? You don't want to hurt yourself and worry your parents."

"Oh…okay…" Klee blinked, not expecting a reserved response. People would usually get mad at her for letting off a huge explosion like that. "...Are you a knight, mister?"

"Nah, I'm not stuck up enough for that." He chuckled as she tilted her head in confusion. What does 'stuck up' mean? "I'm an adventurer."

"Like Benny!" Klee gasped. "But Klee never saw you before. What's your name?"

"Crimson." He answers. "And yours is Klee, right?"

"Yup!" Klee stood back up. "The Knights of Favonius Spark Knight, Klee!"

Crimson paused.

"You're a knight?"

"Yup!"

"At your age?"

"Yup!"

"You must be very talented if that's the case." He praised and patted her head, making Klee beam at him with a grin. "But what's a knight doing here and why is she blowing up a hill?"

"W-well, you see, Klee got hungry and wanted to do some fish blasting, cuz they taste really good." She explained, still nervous, but the presence of the adventurer made her feel more relaxed. "But then, some nasty slime jumped on Klee, and then she used her strong bomb instead of the normal one."

"I see."

"And now Klee is in big trouble." She continued. "Jean is going to put her in solitary confinement again, but maybe if Klee says sorry, she'll forgive Klee?"

"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way," Crimson responded, crushing her hopes instantly. "If sorry was enough, then Klee would've never gotten in trouble before, right?"

That was a good point.

"What should Klee do?" She whined and put her hands over her face, nearly sobbing. "She doesn't want to be punished."

"Hmm… you know, maybe I can help with that?"

"Huh?" Klee gazed up at him. "Really?"

"In my experience, letting people cool off before apologizing to them makes said apology a lot more effective." He explained. "So if you see Jean now, she'll be mad, but if you give her time, she won't be mad anymore, and she'll probably forgive you."

"Oooooh." Klee's eyes sparkled. "That's so smart! But what can Klee do now?"

"Well, how about we hang out for some time?" Crimson said, turning around and giving her his back. "The knights are on their way here to get you, so let's scram before they catch you. Come, get on."

"Oh, okay!" Klee nodded and climbed up on his shoulders. "Where are we going?"

"Anywhere you want." He responded.

"Let's go to the mountains!" Klee pointed in a certain direction. "The giant dragon used to live there, but now it's filled with Ruin Guards! Klee wants to test out her new gunpowder on them!"

"Aye aye, captain," Crimson crouched. "Hold on tight."

Klee did that, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck as he suddenly dashed forward. Klee almost lost her hat from the unexpected speed as she tightened her arms even more. She slowly opened her eyes and saw they were several feet off the ground. Crimson would leap forward every time he landed, going over very long distances in seconds.

"Wooow! You're soooo fast!" She exclaimed with an excited giggle. "Weee!"

Klee enjoyed the winds and high-speed traveling, never expecting anyone to be able to run and jump as fast as this. Not horses or even blimps were this fast. She didn't know this adventurer very well, but he must be very strong if he can move even faster than Jean.

Maybe he's from a different region? Lisa told her that there were very talented adventurers in Sumeru. Maybe he came here for a visit? Well, whatever it is, Klee liked him. He's taking her on a trip and helping her avoid another confinement, so he must be a good person.

"So where are we going exactly?" He asked with a raised voice, leaping once again.

"Over there!" Klee pointed at the huge canyon downwards. "There are a lot of monsters n' stuff! Maybe we'll find some treasure, too!"

With that, Crimson jumped down carefully, going from a cliff to a tower. It had barely taken them a few minutes to reach their destination when originally, it would've taken a carriage an hour or two.

Crimson landed on the bridge right in front of the entrance to the Stormterror's Lair, gently putting Klee down. She quickly rushed forward, excited to explore the place, before being stopped by her newest friend.

"What about the dragon?" He asked. "Is it still there?"

"Nope! It's gone now. Lumine and Jean beat it up." Klee answered, grabbing his hand with her tiny ones. "C'mon, let's go already!"

"Easy now." He said, following her. "You don't want to trip and fall."

Klee led Crimson into the huge former dragon lair. The massive tower in the distance surrounded by Anemo power was dazzling enough, but the surroundings were nothing to scoff at either. It was the ruins of a once great city before the Anemo Archon took over the region long ago.

The Anemo barrier made it clear that they couldn't exactly make it to the tower, but that was fine, she could explore the other ruins. With her hand still grabbing onto her new friend's, Klee hopped a few steps away, getting down from the bridge and landing on the grass.

Her excitement was clear to see in her bright smile, as she finally got the chance to explore the Stormterror's Lair. Klee was never allowed to be here, even after Stormterror left. Jean always told her that it was too dangerous for her, even though she was also a knight. Klee didn't really get it, she could handle a few Ruin Guards and Hilichurls, but she obeyed nonetheless. She didn't want to make Jean sad or angry.

But now she had her adventurer friend with her here, so it was fine, right? Adventurers are really cool and strong, like Benny and Fischl. Also, Crimson was a grown-up, and grown-ups always know what to do, right? She just had to listen to what he says and they'll be fine.

Suddenly, Klee flinched as a group of slimes leaped at the two from the bushes, but this time she did not resort to her most powerful bomb like before. Five of them were seemingly attracted to her more than the adventurer.

"So these are the slimes you were talking about?" Crimson said, looking interested. "They're mixed with elemental energy. Neat."

"Yup!" Klee pouted, the Vision on her backpack shining brightly. "They're jerks! They always ruin Klee's fishing trips!"

"Oh?"

"But no worries! Klee can beat them up easily!" She puffed her chest and readied her catalyst, the spellbook appearing and floating next to her.

As the slimes approached them, Klee took out a bomb from her backpack and threw it at them, quickly following that up with a tiny spark created by the power of her Vision. The explosion pushed the two a few steps back and completely burned the grass under them, Klee not quite expecting the strong reaction.

Klee blinked a few times, looking a little confused but ultimately satisfied with the results. She might've used a medium-sized bomb, but the slimes were completely vaporized, and that's all that mattered. Granted, she was saving those for stronger targets, but it's fine, she can make more later.

Seeing them literally turn into nothing was worth it.

"A little over the top, don't you think?" Crimson said, chuckling in amusement. "I don't think you needed to use that much power. Nothing left of the poor things."

"Ehehe…" Klee giggled sheepishly. "Klee used the wrong bomb again."

"Don't worry your pretty head about it." He said, patting her head. "That was a nice explosion just now. If I rate it, I'd give it a solid seven out of ten."

"Really?!" She looked up at him with sparkling eyes. "Do you also like bombs?!"

"I'm not boring, so yes." He nodded. "I've made my own fair share of explosives too, y'know."

Klee gasped in shock and surprise. No way, could it be? Had she finally found a kindred spirit?! After these long 8 years of her existence, had she finally found someone who shared her love for explosions?! And not only did he like them, but he made them too?!

"Wow, that's so cool!" Klee's red eyes shone brighter, instantly viewing the older man as someone more than just a friend. He is… an even closer friend. "What kind of bombs do you make?!"

"Stuff that can take out all of Teyvat in one brilliant explosion." He grinned, making her gasp again. Could such a thing even exist?! "Or how about one that can extinguish every star in the night sky?"

"No way! Can you show Klee?!"

"Well, my stuff is back in my home, somewhere very far away from here." He responded, making her pout. "But maybe one day I'll even show you how to make them."

"Promise?"

For a moment, Klee noticed him hesitate, but she did the best puppy eyes expression she could muster, and eventually, he relented with a sigh.

"I promise."

"Yay!" Klee hugged his leg, beaming at him brightly. "Crim-Crim is the best!"

As Crimson crouched to pat her head, Klee noticed a yellow glow behind him, and her eyes widened as the Ruin Guard unleashed a volley of rockets at them. She was about to warn him, but he suddenly wrapped his arms around her smaller frame to protect her as every single projectile made contact with his back.

She was used to the loud noise of huge explosions, so Klee recovered quickly but was very worried for Crimson. That wasn't something to be shrugged off– to get hit directly by multiple rockets from a Ruin Guard would usually kill even Vision Wielders.

But to her surprise, he did shrug it off, simply standing back up, rolling his neck, then looking back at the approaching Ruin Guard. With his clothes being torn, Klee saw the black scale-like substance on his back as it slowly 'retracted' back into his skin.

"Rude." He said, not one sign of annoyance. His smile never even left his face. "Sneaking up on us like that."

"It's a Ruin Guard!" Klee pointed out, rushing in front of him. "Don't worry, Crim-Crim! Klee will beat it up for you! Nobody hurts Klee's friends!"

"It's fiiine, it picked up a fight with me, so I get to handle it." He responded, stepping forward. "This is an adventurer's work after all."

Crimson casually walked towards the large machine with his hands in his pockets, no weapon or anything in sight. Klee looked forward to what he'd do next but was worried when the Ruin Guard began to spin its large arms around as Crimson did not show any signs of getting in a defensive position.

To her shock, even as the arms spun faster and faster, Crimson completely stopped the machine in its place as he blocked the attack with one hand as if he was an immovable pillar, then grabbed it firmly, and with one swift movement, ripped off its arm, throwing it to the side.

"What a sorry excuse for a machine." He mocked with a scoff. "Whoever made you should be embarrassed."

Then, right before her eyes, Crimson vanished in a burst of speed, reappearing in front of it and shoving his hand into its big glowing eye. With little to no effort, he ripped out the core and jumped back as the Ruin Guard fell down, destroyed.

"Woah…" Klee breathed in awe, looking at the adventurer in admiration. "That was so coooool!"

"Was it?" He asked, looking back at her.

"Yes! You beat it so fast and-and with no weapons!" She said. "You're so strong!"

"Heh, well, I'm glad to have entertained you." He threw the Ruin Guard's core away. "Let's go now. The treasure won't find itself."

"Kay!"

Jean was going to be so amazed when Klee told her about her new friend. She'd never seen anyone defeat a Ruin Guard like that, ever, not Benny, grumpy Diluc, or even Jean herself! He was like, the most awesomest adventurer ever. They'd never believe it.

Oh, she couldn't wait to tell everyone!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

– Crimson Amamiya –

I acknowledge I may have a soft spot for children, so when I saw Klee dreading the knights back there, I thought I'd take her mind off it. I have a lot, and I mean a lot of siblings, and in my big family, I'm the eldest. That is if you don't count Carmine being born a few minutes before me.

So I have a lot of experience dealing with all kinds of kids. Whether hyperactive, shy or anything in between, it doesn't really matter to me. Of course, most of my siblings grew up to be insufferable asshats, which is a shame because they were very adorable when they were young. Not all of them are like that, thankfully.

Mom does spoil them a bit too much, but it's not something a little humbling doesn't fix.

Also, kids are funny because they're usually very stupid too, and I got my fair share of amusement back there in the dragon's lair. I don't know what these knights were thinking by giving her access to dangerous explosives, or the fire god of this world giving her a Vision, but I'd be a hypocrite if I criticized them.

I also used to give kids cosmic weapons for a laugh or two, though, I don't think we actually share the same intentions. Maybe the fire god, but definitely not the knights. They seem too uptight and moral to be giving kids bombs for the hell of it.

I have to admit, though, for a child, Klee is very gifted in combat and explosive making. She's what, seven? Six? A toddler being able to take down a few of those Ruin Guards on her own is a fairly impressive task.

And her bombs seem well made too. Very good quality. Maybe the knights are cultivating her talents for the future, which then I'd understand. Stifling the growth of talented individuals is never wise.

I've also made sure to get someinfo about the knights from her. Not really enough or that useful, but vaguely knowing about the personalities of the higher-ups is still good to keep in mind. Lisa, Jean, Sucrose, Albedo, and Amber seem to be the people who'd usually take care of her.

I might like kids, but I'm not going to stop exploiting them. I'm not exactly planning to hurt her or the knights after all, so is it really that bad?

Klee did seem to speak fondly of her colleagues and Jean, who is the 'acting' grandmaster of the knights, as the actual grandmaster is out for an expedition and won't be returning for possibly years.

At the very least, she's treated nicely there too. And that is good to know.

I'll admit, she has very easily charmed me, which isn't an easy feat. Maybe I was a little too off-guard there, but oh well.

After exploring the dragon's lair for a few hours, clearing it of monsters, abandoned machines, and treasures, Klee began to quickly lose energy. She's been running around nonstop for a very long time. She hasn't even stopped to rest for a moment.

And I did benefit from this trip too. I've already reached level thirty, got a lot of weapons from treasure chests – which I proceeded to break on every enemy we faced – and information.

So once the sun began to set, Klee was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion, but her smile never left. She fell asleep as soon as I held her in my arms, so I carried her back to the city while making sure to sneak by the knights.

With how nervous they are around me, it might not be a good idea to be spotted with Klee, who they're looking for everywhere, at least not when I'm still outside the city. Instead, I was going to deliver her directly to their doorstep. That'll ward them off for a bit.

I'd mess with them more, but I have that duel I need to get over with, so maybe next time. Lucky for me, there were no guards around the main door, so I easily slipped in.

As I'm about to open the door, someone on the other side beats me to it. A well-dressed woman with blue eyes and blond hair tied in a ponytail blinks as she sees me, then spots the sleeping Klee in my arms and gasps.

Huh… she looks oddly familiar. Beautiful, yes, but I feel like I've seen her face before, recently too.

"Jean, yes? I believe she belongs to you." I say. "She did speak very fondly about you."

"I- Yes, but where did you find her?" She quickly asks, stepping towards me. "Is she alright? What have you done to her?"

"Relax, she's just exhausted." I roll my eyes as she takes the sleeping child away from me. "Anyone would be after hours of running around destroying Ruin Guards."

"What?" She turns to me and looks at me sharply. "Where have you two been?"

"Stormterror's Lair."

"Wha– are you out of your mind?!" Jean growls, struggling to keep her voice low. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?!"

"No?" I raise a brow. "Maybe? I mean, the dragon pissed off to nowhere, so what's the problem?"

"That place is infested with monsters." She narrows her eyes. "And you thought bringing a child there is a good idea?"

"She wanted to go there, and I'm not exactly the most knowledgeable about Mondstadt around here." I shrug. "Plus, she can take care of herself. She's fine, isn't she?"

She did not argue with that, instead giving me a judging look before going back inside with a scoff.

Damn, not even a 'thank you' for bringing her back? Granted, I am deliberately being a dick to them, but wow. At least show some gratitude, lady.

"By the way, when's the duel about to start?" I ask without missing a beat, keeping the door open with my hand. "It should be around now, right?"

Jean stops and glares back at me.

"Wait in the backyard for Eula." She answers. "She'll be with you in ten minutes."

Sheesh, she's moody. Nothing like the Jean Klee talked about. I think she should smile more– that frown doesn't look very nice on such a pretty face.

Eh, I'll get her smiling soon enough, though, admittedly, the bitchy look has its own perks, especially when you break it into tiny little pieces.

I smirk as the door closes on my face, getting one last glimpse of Jean's back as several mischievous ideas form in my head. Something tells me I'm going to like messing with her especially. Because if there's one thing I'm very good at that isn't related to alcohol, it's being insufferable.

Heh, maybe I'm not so different from my siblings after all.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

– Eula Lawrence –

She didn't know how long she'd spent waiting for this buffoon to make his choice, but it was already starting to annoy her greatly. He'd had time to make a decision before she arrived, but no, he chose now to decide his weapon of choice.

Eula's glare sharpened more with every passing minute as her opponent looked at the wooden weapons, a hand on his chin and eyes squinting, seemingly deep in thought. She didn't know if he was this indecisive or if he was only doing it to be annoying, but if it was the latter, she had to admit, he's succeeding.

Even the audience around them, who were looking forward to this duel, was starting to get upset. Jean was one of the few who didn't show an outward reaction, looking as stone-faced as she was when she arrived.

Jean did tell her about the earlier incident– about Crimson apparently taking Klee to Stormterror's Lair and back like it was a picnic. Initially, she was angry, and she still was, but then thought about it more and realized that he somehow took her there and back in such a short timeframe.

When she spotted Klee's explosion earlier, she knew that the Spark Knight was fairly close to the city, but then she somehow ended up there, played until she passed out, and somehow got back immediately.

It did make her question the validity of Crimson's claim. He's either lying, or he found a way to go there and back in the span of at most half an hour. If it was the former, then he'd done something to Klee, and if it was the latter… well, she didn't know what to think. Did he have some sort of vehicle he was hiding?

And there was the fact that he snuck by every knight looking for Klee and walked straight to their headquarters, which was alarming enough by itself. Jean was most definitely shaken, as much as she wanted to hide it.

No matter. What Eula also knew is that she'd beat him to the ground, and make sure he didn't inconvenience the knights anymore.

…Once he chose his weapon, that is.

"Could you hurry it up?" Eula clicked her tongue. "It's been fifteen minutes."

"Hmmm…." He scratched his chin, then nodded, as if he had finally chosen. "I have decided."

Eula rolled her eyes. Finally.

To her surprise, he did not take the wooden spear he'd been ogling for a while. In fact, he did not pick up any weapon and instead walked straight back, completely unarmed, and his hands in his pockets.

"What are you–"

"None of the weapons here suit me." He shrugged, cutting Eula off. "I'm actually very good with my hands, you see."

Was he doing this on purpose?

Crimson's smile widened ever so slightly as he looked directly into her eyes.

He was doing it on purpose.

She'd make him pay for it. Who did he think he is? Even if he was unusually strong, some no-name adventurer thinking he could just make a fool out of them all ought to get punished.

Eula tightened her grip around her wooden greatsword and narrowed her eyes.

"So you have chosen, then?" She asked, struggling to keep her cool.

"Yup."

She didn't know why he was super casual about this, not even getting in a stance or tensing a single muscle, but this admittedly angered her a lot. Was he looking down on her? Didn't he know who she was?

She would definitely make him pay for this disrespect. She swore it on the Lawrence name.

"Are both duelists ready? The first to fall on the ground loses." Jean asked the two, and both nodded. "And begin!"

Eula immediately charged at her opponent, heated from his display of arrogance, and swung her sword at him. With hands still in his pocket, Crimson only ducked under her attack and continuously dodged every one of her strikes. He'd sidestep and backstep, but never counter or block.

He was incredibly fast, much faster than even her. It shocked her as well as everyone watching. Eula has seen him fight– He was a brute tearing apart everything in his path while not even bothering to dodge as much as he was right now.

And he certainly did not show a fraction of the complete grace he was displaying in their duel. It was, as much as she hated to admit it, praiseworthy. She didn't know if even she could pull off something close to this. Not a single movement was wasted.

Not once did he look worried as he danced around her. The casual and infuriating smirk did not even twitch as evaded every swing of her greatsword. What angered her even more, though, was his apparent refusal to attack back.

It's like he was content with just dodging until she tired herself out, just to make her look like an amateur to every single person watching.

This only frustrated the knight even more as she failed to land a single hit. She gritted her teeth, growling in rage and embarrassment as he laughed at her seemingly futile attempts. Her Vision responded to her emotions, and she unleashed a powerful gust of ice toward him, freezing everything in its path.

Crimson wasn't able to dodge this one as the Cryo power engulfed him, making Eula smirk in satisfaction. She doubted that it had put him down, but it should slow him down, so she quickly rushed forward and swung her sword with all her strength. She would finish this right now.

To her utter shock, as she entered the cold mist that covered him, Crimson casually stopped her attack by grabbing the wooden sword. For one instant, Eula saw pitch-black scales covering the man's skin before a punch in the stomach knocked the wind out of her. The noise of her sword breaking was damning enough, but for a single attack to bring her to her knees?

She coughed violently as she regained her ability to breathe, gasping and panting. The icy mist cleared, and to her shame, everyone saw her in this embarrassing position. Holding her stomach in agony, unable to get back on her feet.

There was nothing but deafening silence. Everyone looked at them in pure and utter shock. Even Jean was stunned, not calling off the match there and then.

"So…" Crimson cleared his throat as he looked at the stupified spectators. "Does this mean I win?"

"A-ah…" Jean quickly regained her composure. Mostly. "Y-yes. The winner is Crimson Amamiya."

"Ah, that's good. More Adventurer ranks." He nodded to himself in satisfaction before looking at Eula, who was still on the ground and extended his hand. "Good fight. You're quite skilled, I'll admit. Had me on my toes there."

Eula did not accept it as she bit her lips in shame, on the verge of tears, and simply stood up and walked away. She couldn't believe it. How was she defeated so easily? By some nameless clown? He didn't bother to take her seriously– it was no glorious or close fight.

He treated her like a petulant child throwing a tantrum. A single attack was all it took to bring her down. Really? It felt like all those years of training had gone down the drain. He didn't have a Vision, nor was he even armed.

…Arms…

As he went inside the knight's HQ, Eula understood why she lost. It wasn't because he was better than her. That was just preposterous. Clearly, the gap in skill isn't that vast. What made her lose was obviously the weapon.

First, she wasn't very used to the weight of a regular wooden greatsword. It was far lighter than what she was used to. Plus, it was made of wood. Of course, it'd break against someone with so much brutish strength. She simply didn't expect her weapon to be very brittle.

She would've won that duel if she had her actual weapon. That's probably why he didn't take any weapon– he knew they'd break on him. Wooden weapons were a liability, and he saw that while she didn't.

That's it. That's why she lost. She was clearly much more powerful than him.

So sure, he might enjoy this hollow victory for a bit. Jean and the other knights could accept the outcome, too, but her? Not one bit. She'd never accept a loss as stupid as this.

She'd get her revenge on him eventually.

And that was a promise.