It didn't take him long after leaving the Angel's Share to change out of his bartending attire and into his Darknight Hero getup. He had some intel that a small group of Abyss Mages were conspiring against him, which in itself wasn't a huge deal to him. Afterall, this was hardly the first time that Abyss Order made plans to destroy the Darknight Hero, and he'd fought and killed countless mages before. They were hardly the worst enemy he'd faced before, even if they were a great nuisance.

The difficult part about all of this was keeping the Knights of Favonius out of it. It was easy enough for him to discover what the Abyss Mages' plan was, so there was the chance that the knights heard about it too. He respected Jean and her hard, dedicated work as the acting grand master, but that didn't change how he felt about the knights as a whole. If they found out about this and got involved, they'd only get in the way.

Ever since rumors of the mysterious vigilante dubbed the "Darknight Hero" started floating around Mondstadt, the Knights of Favonius started keeping an eye out for him. They didn't trust him, and Diluc knew they were worried that he, as the Darknight Hero, would one day prove a threat to the city. The knights also worried that the Darknight Hero would take away their credibility-after all, if a vigilante was getting rid of most of the crime in Mond, what was the point of having the knights? The citizens might lose trust in them.

The knights weren't completely wrong to worry either. The majority of them were incompitent, in Diluc's mind. Sure, maybe they could hold off an attack of hilicurls or slimes, but if a real threat appeared? Only a handful would actually be able to defend the city.

Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Kaeya Alberich was included in that handful. He could certainly hold his own and was a formidable opponent. Diluc certainly had his issues with Kaeya, but at least the knights were lucky enough to have him in their ranks. And perhaps that was why he'd been so short with Kaeya earlier; he was worried the other suspected him and would try to follow him. As annoying as Kaeya was, he was clever. Diluc doubted the other knights had a clue about the Darknight Hero's true identity, but Kaeya…Well, he was bound to have his theories, at least.

Anyway, once Diluc fastened his bird mask to his face, he prepared to head out. He wasn't sure of the exact location of the Abyss Mages, but he had reason to believe that they would be found somewhere among the outskirts of Springvale. If that was the case, he had to hurry, lest any innocent villagers wandered into the mages' clutches. There were supposed to be a couple of knights stationed near the village, but the average knight most likely wouldn't fare well against a mage. This was his problem to deal with, and he didn't want anyone else to get caught up in the Abyss Mages' scheme.

By now it was dark out. The sun had set and the cover of the night sky made it easy for Diluc to get to Springvale unnoticed. His time spent around Mondstadt prepared him for the art of stealth. Nowadays, it was rare for someone to even catch a glimpse of the Darknight Hero. His trail of flames left behind could be seen, but he moved too quickly and too silently for anyone to see his face, regardless of the mask. Diluc ignored the rumors for the most part, but he knew that some debated whether he was even real or whether he was just a fairytale. He wouldn't be surprised if the knights supported that theory, or even encouraged it. It was better for them if the Darknight Hero remained a tall tale so that more trust and faith was placed in the knights.

Diluc wasn't doing this to be popular or well known anyway. He was more than happy to be ignored. Honestly, his job would be easier if no one knew the "Darknight Hero" existed.

"Don't get yourself into any trouble now~!" Kaeya called after Diluc as he promptly left his tavern. But the door was already shut before the words could carry outside.

Charles gave him an odd look. "What do you mean by that? Is Master Diluc in some sort of trouble?"

Kaeya shook his head and took a sip of his Death After Noon. "Oh nothing," he said lightheartedly. "Besides, if there is any trouble, I have no doubt that Diluc can handle himself."

Charles sighed. "It's always odd seeing you two interact these days. I remember how close you and Master Diluc were back when you were kids. You used to do everything together."

"Yes, well…Things change, unfortunately." Kaeya folded his arms and rested them on the bartop. Things really were so much more simple back then. Even though he was sent to Mond as an unwilling spy, he wholeheartedly considered Diluc a brother, just as Crepus had been his father. Even now, despite the great rift between them, Kaeya still did.

The thing was, he wasn't sure Diluc did.

"Do you think the two of you will ever reconcile?" Charles asked, sounding almost hesitant to voice the question. Probably because the bartender would never dare to ask it to Diluc.

Kaeya went silent. He sipped his drink again, then carefully set it down in front of him. He stared down at the table, thinking long and hard about what should have been an easy question to answer. "I don't know," he finally admitted, turning his head to look wistfully out the window of the tavern door. It had been so long, and the hurt and pain they caused each other wasn't something they could take lightly. Kaeya wanted Diluc back as a brother…He wanted that more than anything right now, but until he felt like Diluc wanted the same…He wasn't sure anything would change. For all he knew, trying to reconcile with Diluc would only end up opening old wounds and make things even worse between them.

It was…It was safer to just keep things the way they were now. At least they acknowledged each other every now and then, instead of blatantly ignoring each other or breaking out into a fight every time they caught gaze of the other.

Things weren't great between them, but they could be a lot worse. They had, at one point, been much worse.