Rise of a Pretender Chapter 6

…

…

[ Astel (Estel) POV ]

“You can't be serious, Estel! You want to fight that giant Primo Anemovishap alone with Lumine!?” Paimon exclaimed loudly in surprise as Estel slowly turned around to look at her with the iconic blank Bronya Face.

“... That is what I just said, yes.” He responded with a dull tone, clearly unamused with the unneeded repetition from Paimon, ignoring the absurdity of his own request.

Lumine didn’t verbally disagree, probably understanding where Estel was coming from. It was definitely against the rules of the Ascension Trial to ask for external aid, after all.

“B-But… look at that thing!” Paimon floated in front of Estel and pointed towards the soaring Primo Anemovishap, her face clearly anxious simply because of the beast’s presence. “This trial surely isn’t worth risking your life for!”

“... Never should’ve become an Adventurer if you’re so afraid of death,” Estel replied calmly before ignoring any other protests as he grabbed the hilt of his emerging greatsword and unsheathed it from the Hydro Circle holding it. “... Let’s go, Lumine.”

“L-Lumine?” Paimon turned to look at her friend nervously before gaping as she saw the blonde traveler grasp her new blade curiously before sighing and nodding.

“Let it be, Paimon. Estel has a point.” Lumine smiled at Paimon sheepishly. “We didn’t come this way just to fail the trial because the enemy we knew was big turned out bigger.”

“Wise words.” Estel agreed with a blank nod, making Lumine turn to him with an exasperated-

B-Bronya Face?? 

“This is truly a John Impact moment,” Estel exclaimed with furrowed brows of seriousness as Lumine looked at him in confusion.

“... Are you sure you don’t wish for aid?” Eula finally spoke while addressing Estel, a frown that one could mistake as concern on her lips. “None would dare scold you for seeking aid against such a foe. Not on my watch, at the very least.”

“... Thank you for the offer, Miss Eula.” Estel nodded his head gratefully but didn’t turn back. “... Honestly speaking, I’m glad this Anemovishap turned out so large.”

“Eeeeh!? You are??” Paimon repeated, earning a less intense and more exasperated look from Estel.

Forever a broken record, it seems. Nothing will change that.

He was being truthful, though. Astel could feel his buzzing moderately at the sight of the Anemovishap, something it hadn’t done against any other enemy since coming to Teyvat.

From that, he could tell that this Primo Animovishap was going to be somewhat challenging for him if he used his seven elements and Wackiness.

If, that is.

Astel, as Estel, can currently only use Hydro in front of the trio of girls. He could sneak in a bit of teleportation and other abilities, but he cannot openly utilize his full arsenal.

Such a disadvantage… Just thinking about it almost made him salivate on the spot!

He didn’t, though, as he was too professional to do such a thing. Ehe.~

*GROAAAAAAAR!*

Another loud roar echoed across the sky before the group could finish their banter. The Primo Anemovishap turned its gaze towards the group, likely sensing the concentration of Elemental Energy from Estel, Eula, and Lumine despite being so far away.

Within moments, gales of intense Anemo sped through the air and slashed through all obstacles in their way toward the group. Eula and Estel dashed out of the way, with Lumine doing the same after grabbing Paimon first.

“Waaaaaaah! What’s such a Vishap doing here anyway!?” Paimon screamed and complained as she was dragged by Lumine, letting out an ‘oof’ as she was thrown towards Eula by Lumine.

“Many Anemovishaps have been displaced from their homes by the emergence of Stormterror. This one is no exception despite its power, it seems…” Eula replied solemnly to Paimon as she grabbed the little fairy by the cape and helped her balance herself.

Estel tuned the unlikely duo out and turned to Lumine, choosing to focus on the anticipated fight rather than Paimon’s incessant complaints.

“... I’ll bring it down. A vishap of this power is smart enough not to land voluntarily.” Estel calmly explained his plan to Lumine as the two dashed towards the roaring Vishap, earning a nod from the girl.

“How will you bring it down though?” She asked in confusion as Estel simply grunted before a Hydro Circle his size appeared at his feet and engulfed him immediately before disappearing alongside him. “H-Huh!?”

Above the clouds, where the Anemovishap expected no one, he appeared.

“I’m gonna go even higher… I’m pissing on the Vishap! How do you like that, Neuvillette!?” Astel yelled with a smirk now that he could not be seen or heard by Lumine or others, his eyes flashing with the powerful purple glow of their natural form. As he spoke, Hydro swiftly gathered between his hands and condensed with concerning intensity. 

As Astel moved his hands down below his belt while aiming at the confused Anemovishap’s head, the concentrated Hydro could no longer be held back as it burst onwards from its shackles and shot down at the giant vishap’s head!

*BOOOOM*

With a confused roar, the Anemovishap was shot down to the ground by a beam of condensed Hydro big enough to envelop its entire head.

“Pffft…” Astel couldn’t suppress his laughter at the somewhat drenched yet not very hurt Anemovishap, admiring his ‘handiwork’ like one would after pissing in the sand and drawing pictures. “Alright… Here we go.”

The amusement faded from his face alongside the glow in his eyes as Astel reverted to Estel. He easily grabbed the floating hilt of his Royal Greatsword before plunging, clearing impossible distances in an unreasonable amount of time as he shot down.

*SSSSLINKK*

*GGRRAAAAAAAAUUUHH!!??*

The Primo Anemovishap roared in pain as Estel’s plunge punctured its right wing, the enormous appendage flailing momentarily before collapsing to the Vishap’s side, motionless.

“Take this!” Lumine exclaimed as a cyclone of Anemo shot out towards the fallen Anemovishap, impacting its side and…

Causing it little to no damage, as the Anemo creature was quite resistant to the element. Lumine flushed in embarrassment at her failed attack as the Anemovishap turned its head towards her in confusion.

Despite its pain, the Primo Anemovishap released what seemed to be mocking laughter before roaring in bewilderment and pain as the previously harmless Anemo attack suddenly cut through its durable hide and actually hurt it.

“Swirl,” Estel calmly ordered, his hand upturned as the Hydro energy he had infused into the Anemo hurricane turned it into a violently swirling typhoon. Unbeknownst to the Vishap or Lumine, his Anemo energy was mixed with Lumine’s to strengthen the attack while disguised by her own Anemo energy and his elemental signature in his Hydro energy.

A Hydro Circle appeared at his feet and engulfed him once again, apparating him away just in time to dodge the gale of Anemo that shot out all around the furious vishap and the aftershock of the swirling typhoon’s dissipation.

“... Good attack.” Estel praised as he reappeared next to Lumine, causing her to twitch twice in reaction to his appearance and ‘compliment’.

“... Thank you.” She responded sullenly, not having time to snark back. “How did you- No, not the time.”

“We’ll have time to talk after-” Estel was interrupted mid-sentence as he kicked Lumine to the side before suddenly being slammed by the furious vishap’s tail.

His body flew through the obstructing foliage and air for over a hundred feet before smashing into a tree, indenting it with his shape.

“Estel!!” Lumine called out in shock from a fair distance, her voice barely reaching Estel’s ears as his head fell weakly and his hair covered his eyes and face.

…

*BzzZzzz..ZZzzzZ…ZZZZzZZZZZzZZZZZZZZZZ!*

Behind the veil of his long, white hair was a fiercely grinning Astel with pulsing purple eyes glowing with delight. The buzzing inside his mind increased drastically as he was attacked, a pleasant ringing engulfing his head as his relatively unharmed body dislodged itself from the bark of the tree he smashed into.

The first major hit he’s endured in Teyvat…

“Ehehe…” Astel giggled ominously as his slightly sore body landed on the ground, his eyes glowing with delight and joy as he jumped a few times on each leg to enjoy the aching and buzzing properly. 

He stretched his arms a few times and extended his hand to grab the greatsword as it reappeared from where he lost grip of it before swinging down at what seemed to be nothing.

*POP*

*BOOM*

*GROAAAAAAAAAAUR!*

‘Estel’ appeared above the Anemovishap’s neck mid-swing, his greatsword cutting through just the first layer of feather and skin before an explosion of Anemo interrupted his attack and engulfed both him and the vishap as the beast roared in outrage at the unexpected attack.

“Estel!?” Lumine exclaimed in shock as she barely managed to evade the Anemo eruption. Her eyes widened at the sight of Estel, who was still out and about after that direct hit.

“... What’s with that look?” Estel asked expressionlessly from behind Lumine as she suppressed a jump and turned to look at him with exasperation and concern. “The Anemovishap’s neck has too much Anemo energy concentrated around it. Only attack it at a vital time.”

“I- Okay…” Lumine opened her mouth with a thousand questions on her lips, but she only managed a small assertion as she sighed and twirled her blade in hand while facing the vishap. “... What’s the plan?”

“Kill it till it's dead,” Estel responded expressionlessly while running an orb of Hydro down his blade to clean it from the dirt and blood.

“Got it.” Surprisingly, she didn’t complain about the lackluster plan, smiling softly as her blade danced with infused wind. 

The two slashed forward with their respective blades as two slashes of Anemo and Hydro shot forward, meeting halfway and swirling together as a single giant X of Hydro Swirl elemental energy impacted the side of the Anemovishap.

The beast roared angrily at the pain from the attack, opening its mouth and turning to the two with an alarming level of Anemo gathering between its maw.

Estel quickly picked a baffled Lumine up in a princess carry as a Hydro Circle engulfed the two seconds before an Anemo Breath not dissimilar to Estel’s earlier Hydro ‘Piss’ Beam pulverized the ground they previously stood on.

*POP*

“... I genuinely can’t tell what you’re doing with that Circle,” Lumine commented blankly, likely sensing the simplistic and abnormal Hydro Circle Astel was using to cover up his Wackiness when teleporting around.

*POP*

“Sorry,” Estel spoke while teleporting the two again from the path of another Anemovishap Breath attack, appearing quite lax despite the dangerous attacks from the cornered and frenzied beast.

*POP*

“No, that wasn’t- Oh, you meant for picking me up…” Lumine rolled her eyes and began snarking before suddenly realizing what Estel meant with his apology. She blushed slightly in shame before huffing and shaking her head. “My ego isn’t that fragile, you know?”

“I did not mean to suggest that. I hope your not-fragile ego is as unharmed as you are currently.” Estel replied expressionlessly even as he jumped out of the blast radius of the remaining wisps of the Anemo Breath attack with Lumine in his hands.

“Your words and actions have kept my ego and myself safe and unharmed, thankfully.” Lumine gritted out sarcastically while landing on her feet once Estel let her down, an imperceptible pout on her lips as she sulked.

“Heads up.” Estel cut through their banter and raised a finger gun into the air, firing a powerful beam of concentrated Hydro from the tip at the airborne Anemovishap diving towards them after it jumped with all its strength at the duo.

Lumine quickly dashed to the side while Estel stood his ground while blasting the Anemovishap as it cut through the pressurized Hydro Cannon with its elemental energy until finally reaching Estel.

*BOOOOOOM*

The tip of the Anemovishap’s Claw hovered inches away from Estel’s finger gun as their respective Elemental Energy clashed equally, a testament to the Primo Anemovishap’s power at being able to keep up with Estel.

Yes. The Vishap being able to keep up.

“Ah.” Estel acknowledged and nodded as he noticed the Anemo spheres gathering at the Anemovishap’s sole remaining wing before firing towards him, his face the epitome of calm as he was forced to disengage from the clash by jumping back, only to be slammed into the air by a remarkably familiar tail.

As if attempting to initiate some unbreakable combo in a Tekken game, the Anemovishap immediately opened its mouth with Anemo gathering between its maw while aiming at Estel’s ‘prone’ form in the air.

Estel prepared to teleport, only to be dumbfounded as he felt an unfamiliar pair of arms wrap around him in the air and pull him out of the path of the Anemovishap Breath.

“Sorry.~” Lumine apologized cheekily as she carried Estel’s much larger form through the air without any visible struggle or strain, blinking as she saw the Anemovishap immediately turn towards their prone forms in the air with its mouth open and preparing another breath.

“It was expecting me to teleport,” Estel explained helpfully as Lumine smiled bitterly and braced herself for impact while closing her eyes.

… He had plenty of time to teleport but not enough to make a Hydro Circle. It’d be hard to explain why he could teleport without it, but there wasn’t much of a choice, as Lumine would get hurt if he didn’t do anything.

Estel calmly thought of his situation even as he watched the incoming breath attack approach. He had few options, all with different disadvantages. He simply had to pick his poison.

Eventually, he decided. He easily moved out of Lumine’s arms while keeping one around her to shield her from the impact while raising the other at the Anemovishap.

As he sighed and raised his hand, a chilling breeze emanated from his palm as he prepared to defend against the incoming Anemo attack with a Cryo Barrier, only to pause at the very last second.

*ZVYYOOOM*

“Haaah!” A familiar voice cried as a powerful Cryo attack shot past Estel and collided with the incoming Anemovishap Breath, blocking the attack completely and allowing Estel to land safely with Lumine.

As Lumine reopened her eyes, she blinked in surprise as she saw the familiar (enviable) figure of the Knight Captain, Eula Lawrence. 

“To request for me to sit out of this fight, yet still endanger yourselves carelessly and almost get hurt…” She began with a harsh tone and a glare before stabbing her greatsword into the ground. “I will not forget this slight against me. Mark my words; I will have vengeance!”

“Miss Eula…” Lumine began, only to be interrupted as Eula scoffed.

“But nothing. As the Knight Captain of the Reconnaissance Company, I have a duty to act against any rampaging beast. I will not fail my duty because of the request of two adventurers.” She responded harshly while glaring at Lumine as the blonde recoiled slightly at the surprising hostility.

“... External aid unrelated to the adventurers taking a trial will not affect their grading.” Estel quoted exasperatedly as Lumine blinked and turned to look at him in surprise before turning back to see Eula huffing and looking away in embarrassment.

“That is that, and this is this,” Eula replied with annoyance filling her voice as she hurled her blade out of the ground and readied it against the agitated Anemovishap, who didn’t seem too keen on allowing them their sweet time to converse.

“Your assistance is appreciated, Miss Eula.” Estel calmly thanked Eula despite inwardly pouting at being unable to fight the Primo Anemovishap without external aid.

Lumine didn’t count! She was not yet strong enough to breeze through this fight as she only had 1/7th of her power unlocked, and her only available element was Anemo… which the Anemovishap was quite resistant to. 

Now, if she touched a Geo statue of the seven for just a moment, she’d immediately become strong enough to breeze through this fight without a problem…

That’s why Estel was inwardly pouting, as Lumine’s aid wasn’t big enough that it would make this fight any less challenging. On the other hand…

*ZZSSSSSSsSsSSSsSsST!*

“Freeze to the core!” Eula demanded with a cry as she swung her greatsword, the slash sending a powerful wave of Cryo at the Anemovishap as the cold energy flew through the air at impressive speeds.

The attack struck true, impacting the roaring beast as its scales were frozen and chipped by the powerful Cryo energy. The Anemovishap flapped its remaining wing to knock away the remaining Cryo and stumbled for the first time, appearing more subdued now with the appearance of Eula on the battlefield.

At its peak, it could easily fight off Eula for hours. But Astel disabled one of its wings early on and damaged it quite a lot, leaving it weakened against the pristine Eula. Ignoring the fact that Estel was still standing, things were already looking quite grim for the beast.

“By the way… I sensed something odd earlier.” Lumine began to speak while turning to Estel with furrowed brows, but she was interrupted as the cornered Anemovishap lashed out with an Anemo Breath attack directed at the three of them.

Lumine quickly dashed to the side, but Estel moved to Eula’s side instead and placed a hand on her back.

POP

The pair vanished amidst another Hydro Circle, reappearing above the distracted Vishap’s nape. The slightly surprised Eula didn’t falter despite her sudden relocation, immediately capitalizing as she raised her blade up high and slashed down.

BOOOOOM

A sweatdrop slowly slid down the side of Eula’s forehead as her widened eyes stared at the volatile Anemo energy clashing against her Cryo-infused blade, the energy releasing from the clash more than strong enough to knock her away… If not for a Hydro shield that suddenly emerged to guard her.

Estel stood behind her in complete silence, his dull eyes hiding a burning fascination as he studied the powerful Cryo and Anemo applications clashing barely a few inches away from him. 

He was perfectly aware of the powerful defense mechanism the Anemovishap’s nape had. Still, he chose to move Eula there anyway to better study her Cryo application from a close distance.

He could keep her safe from any injury, and it was easily excusable as it was the most effective way of defeating the thing considering how easily Estel was keeping the volatile energy at bay.

Eula gritted her teeth as she pushed her blade down harder while infusing more of her Cryo power and physical energy into the clash now that she no longer needed to worry about the backlash, her blade digging deeper and deeper into the Anemovishap’s defense despite the Anemovishap’s desperate outrages and flails.

“For putting me into such a situation… Mark my words, Estel, I will have vengeance!!” Eula roared as she pushed her blade further down, finally digging into the beast’s flesh.

However, before she could celebrate her successful victory, the Anemovishap raised its head and began gathering a concerning level of Anemo between its maw that would undoubtedly hurt it and whatever else was near it in a kamikaze-like fashion.

“Estel!” Eula exclaimed, turning to Estel with alarm before blinking in confusion as he placed his hand on the hilt of her weapon and continued pushing the weapon further rather than teleporting them away.

“Kill it till it’s dead.” Was Estel’s only explanation as he narrowed his eyes in a certain direction, making Eula turn and gape as she saw the previously unseen Lumine suddenly appear in the sky with a floating boulder soaring alongside her.

“Begone!” Lumine cried before hurling the Anemo-infused boulder at the Anemovishap’s head, her seemingly weak and thin arms launching the boulder with shocking strength and speed.

Not all went to plan, however, as she missed the Anemovishap’s jaws and managed to hit the top of its head… right where Eula and Estel were standing close to.

*BOOOOM*

“Oops-”

“MARK MY WORDS YOU TWO, I WILL HAVE VENGEANCE!” Eula’s roar interrupted Lumine as the impact almost blasted her away. The only thing keeping her safe was Estel’s Hydro shield, and her grip on her greatsword kept her from losing her balance.

“I concede!” Estel immediately retorted, raising his right hand and forming a concentrated orb of Hydro on the beast’s neck as Eula let out an angered scream of frustration before punching at the concentred Hydro orb with a Cryo-infused fist.

“Heads up,” Estel called out to seemingly no one before his vision went blank as the three volatile elements of Anemo, Hydro, and Cryo collided. “ALLAHU AKBAR-”

*BBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM*

…

…

“-tel? Estel?? Are you okay!?” The annoying- familiar voice of Paimon called out to Estel as he slowly opened his eyes, narrowing them slightly due to the sunlight shining above. He glanced around in a ‘daze’ for a few seconds before looking up at Paimon with a blank stare.

“... Paimon.” He greeted simply, sitting up like nothing had happened and inspecting his surroundings.

The landscape was… not terribly destroyed. There was a new clearing now in the area they had fought, but there wasn’t much damage except for a few places that were hit by the Anemovishap’s attacks and Estel’s flying body.

“Whew! Paimon was worried that you wouldn’t wake up. You were super tough on the battlefield, so Paimon was surprised when Miss Eula carried you back over her shoulders!” Paimon breathed a sigh of relief and quickly explained in her usual yapping fashion, but Estel wasn’t bothered about it this time as it was for his sake.

“... It took quite a bit of energy to deliver the final blow alongside Miss Eula while also shielding the two of us from the resulting explosion,” Estel explained calmly while closing his eyes, getting a gasp of realization from Paimon as she nodded enthusiastically.

“That makes sense! Wow, you three did so well against that big dragon!” Paimon exclaimed wondrously while taking Estel’s hand as he got up, not really contributing much to that action.

“Vishap, not dragon.” Estel corrected with an exasperated sigh. “The three of us would not have made it out had it been an actual dragon.”

“Huh? How would you know how strong actual dragons are?” Paimon asked in confusion before blinking as Estel turned away, making her look in the direction he turned. “Oh! Lumine! You’re back!”

“Paimon.” Lumine greeted, eerily similar to how Estel had a minute ago as she walked alongside Eula towards Paimon and Estel. “... I’m glad you’re awake, Estel.”

“You too.” Estel returned with a nod before pausing. “... I mean, I’m glad you’re okay.”

Paimon tried to hide her laughter by moving behind Lumine, but she was doing a terrible job, considering how her little feet kept kicking the air in delight. Lumine and Eula simply smiled in amusement, with the latter’s smile a lot more imperceptible.

“... I should thank you for your assistance in defeating that Primo Anemovishap so quickly, Estel. Even though I would have needed several hours to defeat it decisively, you managed to disable it and help finish it within minutes.” Eula spoke formally as she stared at Estel with furrowed brows, barely holding them back from twitching as he slowly moved to hide behind Lumine with Paimon.

“I concede.” He repeated the same words he spoke before the final attack, blinking innocently at Lumine as she turned to him exasperatedly for hiding behind her.

“I concede first! Take him, not me!” Lumine grabbed Estel’s shoulder and pushed him forward while hiding behind him instead, making Eula groan and facepalm in exhaustion.

“... Just stop. I won’t attack either of you, I promise on the name of the Lawrence Clan.” She eventually conceded herself with an exasperated sigh as the two stopped fighting to push the other in front, with Paimon as the ultimate victor as neither of them tried to hide behind her due to her small size.

“... So, no vengeance?” Estel asked with a blink before leaning forward for some reason, his eyebrows raising in… an almost mocking way, or so they would’ve thought if not for his blank eyes.

Despite that…

“As if! Mark my words, you two. I will have vengeance for the slights you both have inflicted on me!” Eula gritted her teeth and declared her desire for vengeance again righteously, making Paimon squeak and hide behind Lumine and Estel, who began trying to push the other forward again. “Stop pushing each other!”

“I was injured more by the Anemovishap, so you should defend me,” Estel argued as he stared blankly at Lumine, making her gasp and frown as she crossed her arms.

“You wouldn’t have been able to defeat it if not for my timely intervention, so you should defend me as thanks.” She countered firmly while narrowing her eyes, ruthlessly ignoring Estel’s ‘injuries’ from the Anemovishap. “Plus, that’s merely an issue of incompetence on your part.”

“Remind me who it was that I pushed out of harm’s way when I was first hit by the Anemovishap?” Estel asked rhetorically as Lumine suddenly remembered how Estel was hit in the first place, making her flush and grit her teeth in realization. “A skill issue indeed, just not on my part.”

“... Fine.” Lumine eventually gave up as she found no other argument she could make. She technically owed Estel one after he saved her from the Anemovishap’s attack, so she could take one for the team.

“... Are you two ignoring me?” Eula asked but fell on deaf ears as Lumine took a deep breath and stepped forward towards her.

“I will accept my fate. Kill me, if you must…” She extended her arms out in preparation for Eula’s ‘attack’, closing her eyes as Paimon gasped in horror and jumped behind Estel to further increase the ‘tension’ of the scene.

“You will die braver than most, hero.” Estel reassured Lumine as she faced her death, reaching behind him to gently console Paimon by patting her head as she ‘wept’ for Lumine’s inevitable departure.

“Lumine, no! Who will Paimon travel with now that you’re gone!?” Paimon wailed sadly, forgetting the fact that Lumine hadn’t died yet and almost ruining the entire thing with her acting, if not for Eula’s sudden outburst as Eula stomped on the ground and turned around furiously.

“Enough of this! I already said that I wouldn’t be attacking either of you, damn it!” She exclaimed angrily before stomping off, leaving Lumine and Estel to blink owlishly for a few seconds before the former quickly ran after her.

“Hey, wait! You still need to enact your vengeance upon us!” Lumine called out as she walked behind Eula, keeping up with her despite the Knight Captain’s angered pace.

Estel and Paimon turned to each other and blinked before quickly chasing after the two, quickly catching up with Lumine and following after the stomping Eula with a flushed face.

“To deprive me of my much-deserved Vengeance... Mark my words. Vengeance will be mine!” Estel exclaimed while copying Eula’s mannerisms as ‘good’ as he ‘could’, ‘failing’ to properly match her tone as her statement sounded a lot more ridiculous than when she said it.

Paimon burst out laughing at Estel’s words and began spouting gibberish while wheezing, finding Estel’s desire for vengeance after Eula didn’t inflict vengeance upon him very hilarious, apparently. Lumine shared that amusement, smirking playfully as she stared at the bewildered Eula, who paused her march because of how astonished she was.

“You- I- What?” Eula was positively flabbergasted at her catchphrase being stolen like that, unsure of what to say at this point as she couldn’t double (triple?) down by demanding vengeance again.

“Estel is right. If you do not inflict your Vengeance upon us, we will have our Vengeance…” Lumine nodded seriously while placing a hand on her hip confidently, a smirk on her face as Eula turned to her in aghast, unable to believe that she would be double-teamed like this.

“... You are both unbelievable,” Eula stated tiredly as Lumine and Estel both preened, the former appearing much more smug while the latter simply smiled. 

“... Fine.” Eula eventually decided after a second of contemplation, sighing as her face gained a slightly red hue on her face.

Lumine and Estel’s eyes widened as Eula suddenly summoned her blade into her hands and pointed it toward the two of them, a flush on her face as she gritted her teeth.

“... To answer for the slights you both have inflicted upon me…” Eula slowly gritted out as her Cryo energy began leaking out of her. “You two-”

…

“...st be… m… ien..s…” She mumbled under her breath with a voice too low for either of them to hear, the energy gathering around her dissipating suddenly as she lowered her head to hide her face from the duo.

“...?” Estel tilted his head.

“... What?” Lumine voiced her and Estel’s confusion before quickly raising her hands in surrender as Eula raised her blade again with renewed vigor while gritting her teeth.

“Next week!” She declared with a glare, making the two nod despite not knowing what they were nodding to. “Good Hunter! Afternoon! Understand?”

“Yes, ma’am!” Estel and Lumine both hollered obediently, raising their hands in a salute after they saw Paimon doing so next to them.

“Good!” Eula nodded in satisfaction and began walking away again, this time with a lot more finesse as she didn’t angrily stomp towards her destination.

“... Wait, what did you do to the Vishap’s body?” Estel suddenly asked with a blink as Lumine turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

“You care about its body?” Her puzzled question was returned by a blank stare, making her flush in confusion at what she was missing.

“That was a Primo Anemovishap’s Body. Some of its parts are worth millions.” Estel elaborated exasperatedly as Lumine froze and gaped, her flush increasing as she tried ignoring the furious glare of the floating fairy behind her.

“... I buried it somewhere in the forest.” She admitted sheepishly, regret filling her face as she turned in the direction she buried it and tried to remember where she had placed it.

“... All that, and for what?” Estel asked himself tiredly while staring up at the sky, making Lumine look down in shame as she couldn’t even snark back after what she’d done.

“... Ahem. Ignoring that, I could’ve sworn I sensed something earlier before Eula saved us.” Lumine started curiously before pausing as she saw Estel’s tired face looking at her exasperatedly. “Never mind, you probably don’t remember after you fell asleep.”

What Lumine didn’t know was that Astel had actually already taken the body after she buried it while he was ‘asleep’, and his currently exhausted disposition was nothing more than an illusion!

That’s right! Estel was never actually asleep!

He could take down a Primo Anemovishap like that without breaking a sweat; he just didn’t want to appear too competent, or he’d get some glances, especially because of how foreign he looked.

Unlike Aster, who had a more friendly and bright temperament and face, and Astel, who was quite handsome and radiant as well, Estel appeared more cold and refined in a different way than his other appearances. While no one would mistake Astel for a Snezhnayan if he took off his winter clothes, it would not be unusual for someone to assume that of Estel.

In other words, Estel did not want to be mistaken for the ‘Fatui Harbinger’ that the Knights were on the lookout for… It just so happened to actually be him, except he isn’t a Fatui Harbinger.

There were other reasons for him to act like he was unconscious, but Astel couldn’t care enough to gloat about them in his mind. 

“... I believe we should have successfully passed our Ascension Trial with this, yes?” Estel asked rhetorically, exhaustion clearly tainting his voice as Lumine chuckled amusedly.

“No, I think we still need to collect 5 sweet flowers first.” She joked with a smirk as Paimon groaned next to her, and Estel simply smiled.

“Perhaps that’d be a nice change of pace…” He mumbled thoughtfully before shrugging, not noticing Lumine’s aghast expression.

“C-Change of pace…? Have you not been gathering flowers and materials all this time…?” Lumine asked with shock as Estel raised an eyebrow and shook his head.

“No. I refused to do any gathering or delivery commissions without exception. I’ve only been killing monsters…” Estel stated coldly while narrowing his eyes as Lumine laughed nervously, understanding the reason for Estel’s reputation a bit more now.

“Ah… I see.” Lumine muttered wryly while staring at the ground with blank eyes. Eventually, she recovered with a sigh and looked up at Estel curiously, wanting to ask something but choosing not to out of respect.

“Paimon is confused! Why are you so set on killing monsters?” Paimon asked innocently without noticing how Lumine facepalmed next to her, having no tact or consideration as usual of the floating fairy.

“... It’s a long story,” Estel replied awkwardly, not elaborating further and leaving Lumine and Paimon to suffer in anticipation.

“... We have a long road ahead of us, you know?” Lumine eventually pointed out, her curiosity beating her desire to not touch any sore subjects that could make Estel uncomfortable.

“... I’d rather not get into it,” Estel stated expressionlessly as he turned to look at the two with blank eyes that were unlike his usual exasperation, appearing a lot more genuine and making the two cringe back a little. “... However, if it’ll sate your curiosities…”

They both immediately perked up, looking at Astel with curious eyes as he continued staring blankly despite the rising anticipation of the traveling duo.

“... I fight to get stronger so that I can kill someone and… protect a few people.” Estel unceremoniously explained without giving too much detail and without any theatrics, suppressing a smile at the distraught looks on the duo’s faces as he failed to offer any interesting information.

“... I suppose it would be rude to ask for more details, huh?” Lumine asked with a pout while not pushing too much, knowing she had already gone too far, asking for the life story of the person she had only known for a few hours.

“Hm.” He didn’t verbally deny or confirm her question, only staring blankly at her as the answer was quite obvious.

“Are you both done chatting back there? I’d like to return to Mondstadt before nightfall.” Eula suddenly called out from ahead of the duo as she looked back, her previously sharp eyes a little softer despite her earlier outburst.

“Yes, ma’am!” Paimon quickly saluted and flew forward, catching up with the seemingly disgruntled Knight Captain as Lumine and Estel followed, walking alongside her at a decent pace.

…

…

“... This is certainly a peculiar situation you’ve both found yourselves in.” Katheryne calmly spoke from her booth as she stared at the impatient Eula tapping her foot, turning to Estel and Lumine with her usual smile.

“Paimon apologizes for the trouble…” Paimon sulked as she apologized, floating a little lower near the ground as Katheryne simply chuckled and shook her head.

“It’s not that. Usually, assistance from an outstanding figure such as Miss Eula Lawrence would invalidate your Ascension Trial. Still, due to her insistence and the knowledge that your foe was actually a Primo Anemovishap rather than a normal one, the issue is no longer one of ‘Did they pass the trial.’” Katheryne explained patiently as Paimon perked up while Lumine’s eyes sparkled at what seemed to be good news.

“That suggests that there’s still an issue.” Estel words were like a bucket of cold water on Paimon and Lumine’s hopes, pointing out the fault in Katheryne’s words as she slowly nodded her head.

“Yes, but the issue lies somewhere else,” Katheryne confirmed before quickly elaborating. “Your Ascension Trial was meant for you to advance to Bronze rank… However, your feat of defeating a Primo Vishap should easily place you in Gold or even Crystal.”

“What!?!” Paimon exclaimed in shock as she heard how high they’d be placed for defeating that Anemovishap.

Quick context on Adventurer’s Guild rankings because they don’t use numbers in the real world:

Wood 

Stone 

Copper – Lumine & Paimon

Iron – Estel

Bronze 

Silver 

Gold 

Crystal 

That’s basically how the rankings go. They obviously don’t reflect personal strength, as Estel would easily be in Gold, while Lumine would probably be Bronze or Silver with only one element. Any more, and she’d easily be Gold or more.

Astel would easily be Crystal though, teehee.~

Estel hummed outwardly while suppressing his smug gloating inwardly as he waited for Katheryne to continue, knowing that she couldn’t easily place them in the highest ranks just like that.

“... Having said that. Unfortunately, I do not have the jurisdiction required to place you at such a high rank, even if you show more than enough prowess to deserve that rank.” Katheryne revealed regretfully as Paimon groaned and shrunk down in disappointment, the amazement in her eyes fading as the easy promotion she desired did not come.

“... However?” Estel urged her to continue, making Paimon perk up while Lumine turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

“However, you both are not the only individuals to have achieved a feat beyond your rank in the past and thus, I am allowed to offer you a promotion of two ranks rather than one should you complete the Ascension Trial.” Katheryne explained with a brighter smile as Lumine blinked. “... As you have just completed the Ascension Trial, you both can advance twice in rank.”

“MORAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” Paimon celebrated without hesitation while raising her arms into the air, gaining an exasperated look from Lumine and an amused one from Katheryne.

“Silver…” Estel muttered thoughtfully for a few seconds before shrugging uncaringly.

Honestly, he couldn’t really give a fuck. He was only ascending to get access to more powerful monsters, and Iron already gave access to plenty.

… Though usually, you’re supposed to scout in those missions, but who’s gonna complain if he does a little extra and defeats them?? He was just a bit ‘clumsy’ and alerted the monsters… and had to defend himself.

He supposed having legal access was good, though.

It wouldn't have stopped him either way. Katheryne probably knew that, which was why she didn’t make any fuss at their promotions. 

“Congratulations, Estel, Lumine, Paimon. I welcome our newest Silver and Bronze Adventurers.” Katheryne smiled brightly and welcomed the trio, bending down to bring three new trinkets from her booth before handing them to each of them.

“Can I take that commission for that Vishap Den now?” Estel immediately asked as he grabbed the Silver trinket. 

Before Katheryne could respond, something hit the back of Estel’s head and knocked him forward slightly as he turned around to see an exasperated Eula.

“... Do not forget about my plan to enact my Vengeance next week, fool. Carelessly throwing your life away will not do when I have yet to complete my revenge.” Eula scolded angrily while putting her blade away, having used the blunt edge to smack the back of Estel’s head.

“Ok.” Estel nodded, planning to wait 10 minutes until she left to ask the same question again. 

Seeing how Katheryne was looking at him, she knew it too. Eula was not the first to try and get Estel to take a rest…

“Lumine! We should head to Good Hunter right now to celebrate our promotion!” Paimon excitedly declared, grabbing Lumine’s hand and pulling her as Lumine smiled softly and nodded.

“Care to join us, Estel, Eula?” Lumine turned and looked at the other two before she left, blinking in surprise as they shook their heads.

“I must return to my subordinates in my division soon. I have no time for pleasantries…” Eula explained while looking away, not wanting to admit her true feelings on the matter.

“I need to return to my teacher and inform her of my promotion.” Estel gave an excuse himself as Eula and Lumine both blinked at the knowledge of him having a ‘teacher’.

“Ah, is that not the one who sends you on so many commissions without aiding you in any way and using all of your Mora, Estel?” Katheryne asked exasperatedly as Astel inwardly burst out laughing while Estel simply nodded like she said nothing wrong.

“Yes. She will likely be happy with my promotion… Possibly.” Estel paused. “Hopefully…”

“... I’d love to meet your teacher sometime, Estel.” Lumine slowly spoke with narrowed eyes, not realizing her grip on Paimon was becoming a little too tight.

Was she worried Mona was taking advantage of a fellow Outlander to make Mora? 

Damn. Hopefully, this will not negatively affect Mona in any way in the future.

Teehee.~

“... Indeed.” Eula nodded to Lumine’s words and then nodded again as Lumine and Paimon finally left, turning around to go herself after giving Estel a nod as well.

“Wait.”

Before she could exit the building, however, Estel suddenly stopped her. She blinked and turned around, finding Estel looking at her with slightly furrowed brows.

“... Is something the matter, Estel?” Eula asked in confusion, unsure of why he was suddenly so tense.

“... Miss Eula. Your Swordsmanship is very beautiful.” Estel spoke seriously despite the compliment in his words, confusing Eula even more at his intentions.

“I’d like to challenge you to a duel.”

…

…