– Lumine –

Having finally left the freezing environment of Dragonspine, Lumine stretched her limbs with a satisfied groan. The journey to the statue near the winery wasn't so bad. They didn't encounter any monsters on their way there, strangely enough, but she wasn't going to complain. She didn't even have a sword to defend herself because it broke against that Regisvine.

That reminded her to get a new weapon soon. She had the money for it, so maybe it was about time to get a blade of a better quality than the one she had. Good weapons were unsurprisingly expensive, so it was nice to know that she could afford one.

Lumine glanced at Crimson, who was walking beside her, as another thought came up. Then again, it might not be so bad to also learn how to fight without a weapon. Sure, he had the physical prowess of a dragon, but perhaps it was possible to reach that level of strength too? She didn't want to be so helpless without her sword.

Seeing him completely annihilate an amped-up Regisvine with his bare hands, not even bothering to use the sword strapped on his back, impressed her greatly. That display of strength wasn't something you saw every day.

Granted, Lumine's full power, before being defeated by that Mystery Goddess, was far beyond that, but then again, according to his word, his full power was locked as well, so who knew how powerful he really was?

On an unrelated note, she was mildly annoyed that Crimson didn't bother to wake either of them up and chose to stay awake the entire time, but in his words, dragons don't really need to sleep a lot. His statement was supported by the fact that he seemed completely unbothered by the fact that he stayed awake for over twenty-four hours.

So Lumine let it go for now, though, appreciating this sacrifice of his. She needed the rest after a hard battle like that.

"Here we are," Paimon said. "That's the statue. All you have to do is touch it."

"And that will give me similar wind powers to yours?" Crimson looked at Lumine. "That sounds a little too easy, no?"

"It does, but it's how I did it. Honest." She replied.

"Do you know why it blessed you?" He asked, slightly intrigued. "There must be some kind of an explanation."

"We don't really know. It just happened." Paimon answered for her.

"Hm…" Crimson turned to gaze at the statue before approaching it. "Well, I suppose there's no harm in trying."

As Lumine, Paimon, and Fischl stepped to the side, the latter very excited to see something that only happened once in a lifetime, Crimson put his hand on the statue and waited for it to… do nothing. A whole minute passed, and nothing happened.

Lumine and Paimon looked at each other in confusion. If he was telling the truth, and he probably was, then Crimson's otherworldly existence should at least get the statue to react somehow, right? Perhaps her own unique existence got the statue to react, and he couldn't.

"I don't feel any different," Crimson said after a moment. "...Is this supposed to be it or did I do it wrong somehow?"

"I don't know," Lumine said truthfully. "You should feel power coursing through you right about now. I don't–"

Finally, the statue reacted as it lit up. However, unlike with Lumine, this response was far, far more violent, as a gust of wind pushed all of them back. Lumine grabbed her floating companion before she flew away as the wind got stronger and stronger until a twister formed around the statue. Barely opening up her eyes, Lumine saw that even Crimson was struggling, his hand still on the statue.

After a few seconds, the raging tornado summoned by the statue seemed to focus on Crimson alone, trying to push him off, and eventually, it did, launching him back and into a few boulders and trees until he was lying face-first on the ground.

The winds settled down soon after, prompting Lumine and Fischl to rush for Crimson. She didn't know what the hell just happened and why the statue reacted so violently, but that didn't matter right now, as she checked up on him.

"Are you okay?!" She asked in genuine concern as he slowly stood back up.

"If this was your idea of a prank–" He started with a quiet tone, dusting himself off.

Lumine was worried she offended him in some way and was ready to apologize profusely to him, but to her surprise, he didn't look one bit bothered. If anything, he looked fairly amused, as if he found this entertaining.

"Then I have to say, that was clever. You got me." He said. "But I'm warning you, starting a war with me is foolish. I'm undefeated in being annoying."

"What? No, that wasn't supposed to happen." Lumine denied it as the rest of the group caught up.

"It wasn't?" He blinked. "I assumed you omitted some information intentionally to see something like this happening to me."

"W-why would I do that?!" She was shocked at the accusation, not knowing why he thought she'd hurt someone else on purpose.

"Because it would be funny. Though, I suppose I'm too used to my siblings pulling these kinds of stunts. You don't strike me as the type to do something like this, now that I think about it." He said, looking back at the statue. "Regardless, whatever that was, the statue clearly does not like me very much."

"Maybe that's its way of giving you powers?" Paimon theorized.

"No, I don't feel any different than before." Crimson shook his head. "If anything, that was its way of rejecting me."

"Why would it do that?" Fischl questioned, foregoing her usual way of talking.

Crimson shrugged, seemingly as lost as they were.

"There's no point in staying here any longer." He continued, not at all upset. "I would've loved some wind powers to play around with, but oh well."

Fischl squinted and hummed, looking somewhat suspicious.

"Sorry." Lumine sighed.

"Oh no, it's not your fault. This was my idea after all." He waved it off, patting her head. "Besides, I don't necessarily need it. My own physical strength is enough for me."

Lumine's face reddened, still not used to how physical he was with her sometimes. She barely knew him, but Lumine would be lying if she said she didn't find him attractive. Plus, she appreciated his relaxed nature. It's like he didn't let anything bother him, even being flung through a couple of boulders didn't annoy or hurt him.

She had to admit, she envied that trait of his, but Lumine had to worry about her brother who was in god knows where.

– Crimson –

After that admittedly funny incident, we headed straight back to the city seeing that all of us were finished with our jobs outside. Seeing the statue not like me was slightly sad, but that was to be expected once I felt the energy around it.

It recognized my divine essence, and even though I don't fancy bloodshed or killing like most of my kind, that doesn't change the fact that I've killed far too many to count. I'm not exactly a benevolent god, which translates to how you're viewed by things like this. The power surrounding the statue didn't 'dislike me'.

It feared me.

Telling the girls that would likely make them a bit more cautious and concerned, and I don't want that, so I played ignorant. Dislike and fear go hand in hand most of the time anyway, so I technically did speak the truth.

Now, of course, the statue itself isn't conscious. It's more of a 'pylon' of magical energy, but when you have enough magical energy in one place, it gains a level of sentience. When I touched the statue, this cluster of magic felt my divinity and immediately tried to push me away.

And since I lacked my magic, or the ability to use it anyhow, I couldn't exactly force it to submit and hand over its wind power to me, so it managed to resist. Intriguing. Had I chosen the other perk tree, I might've successfully stolen the statue's power.

But I'm still happy with my overwhelming physical advantage. As I said once, I enjoy fighting with fists and blades rather than hurling fireballs or the like. I bet Carmine chose the magic side– she's much better at it than I am anyway.

I should focus on leveling up more until I unlock my wings. If I'm fast enough to shorten a six-hour journey to mere minutes on foot, then getting them back will make traveling the world a trivial matter. But in hindsight, I suppose that can wait as well. I haven't had enough fun in Mondstadt yet, and I have all the time in the world.

"Thank you for the help again, Mr. Crimson." Barbara smiles at me as I put the brooms back into the closet. "I know cleaning isn't as exciting as hunting and its pay isn't as high either, but it's nice of you to spare some time to help around."

"Of course. You don't need to mention it." I nod. "Most hunting commissions were already taken anyway."

Once we reached the city, we quickly separated after getting our pay from Katheryne. Lumine immediately headed to the blacksmith to get a new weapon, saying she plans on taking another quest soon, not even bothering to rest after our long trek here. How diligent. It's almost inspiring.

But personally, I have done enough work for now. Plus, I have a lot of money that I'm not putting to good use at the moment. Food and drinks are good, but I have enough to do more than just that.

I wonder if I can buy a house with what I have. Getting my own private residence should be a priority I think. It doesn't have to be an extravagant mansion or whatnot, so expenses aren't a problem. As long as I can sleep without paying someone anymore for a room, I'll be satisfied. Then again, I could also probably build a house outside the city, but that's too much boring work.

I'll check when I have time.

"I see. Well, thank you regardless." She beams at me. "I would've done it myself, but I've been getting busier with other things lately."

"Good thing you have me around, then," I respond. "If you have any other tasks you want to be done, just put them on the board and I'll help as soon as I see them."

"That's too kind of you, but wouldn't it be better for you to take other jobs?" Barbara voices her concerns. "We don't exactly pay a lot of Mora."

"Seeing you is more than enough to make up for it," I say with a wink.

My flirting attempt seems to be successful as she blushes, twirling her hair with a small smile. She's adorable, and I do mean what I said, but admittedly, I do have an ulterior motive this time. Nothing too bad, I wouldn't dare hurt someone as delicate and lovely as her unless I had to, but there is something I've noticed about Barbara.

I realized it the moment I saw her a few minutes ago too. She feels similar to Jean, however, their Visions are different, and those nearly mislead me into thinking it was nothing noteworthy until I focused on my other senses. Primarily smell.

With one as strong and trained as mine, I was able to easily piece it together. They're definitely related, and considering their ages are not that far from each other, perhaps from three to five years, I'm guessing they're sisters or cousins. Their scents are nearly identical. I suppose that's why Jean looked familiar the first time I saw her. The resemblance is there.

So why is that important? Because I decided to be annoying to Jean, and getting along with her sister ought to be one hell of a way to do it. Seeing me around Barbara when she's this wary might give her a heart attack, but it's too funny not to do it.

And who knows, it might get her to do something stupid, which would be all the more entertaining to me. She would've been a lot less stressed if she wasn't so paranoid. Though then again, I was the one who started this.

But she's also been kind of rude, so I feel no remorse.

"Well, it's been good talking to you again, Barbara," I say, walking away. "Let's meet again soon, yes?"

"Actually, are you free at the moment?" She asks.

"I am." I stop and nod. "Anything else you need?"

"Well, I still have some errands I need to do, mostly getting groceries." Barbara fidgets nervously. "I thought maybe you would like to join me? You don't have to of course, but it'd be nice to have you around."

"Oh, I'd love to," I say slightly enthusiastically as I feel the eyes of the knights boring into my back even harder.

Barbara's face reddens further as I offer her a hand, but so does her smile widens as she takes it, which only strengthens the hostile vibe from the knights watching me. I resist a laugh as I lead Barbara to the market, imagining the troubled look on their Grandmaster after she gets informed of this.

It's like I don't have to put in any effort at all. Everything simply falls into place and aligns itself with my plans. I'd say this is my mother's doing, but she's not the type of person to make anything easy. I'm just lucky. Seducing several goddesses of luck must've played a part in this.

…Though, it's wise at least to keep my guard up a little just in case. Mother probably has something in store for me and I won't like it.

– Barbara –

The first thing she noticed when she took his hand was how strangely cold it felt. She didn't expect it considering the welcoming aura around him, though, it wasn't freezing either. If anything, it felt fairly comfortable.

Barbara enjoyed Crimson's company. His relaxed and warm character was something she very much appreciated. Sure, she had only met him very recently, and they hadn't even spent that much time together, but so far, there wasn't anything that put her off.

His kindness and effort in helping her take care of the church regardless of the pay definitely made her very grateful. She'd clean the entire place whenever she could, but now being the Deaconess, she had too many responsibilities of higher priority so she couldn't do that as much anymore.

Which made her feel terrible. She had promised to take care of cleaning duties, and now she was falling short of that. It was the main reason she bothered to put a notice on the board for adventurers on days she couldn't do it by herself.

And twice in a row, it was the same person who bothered to do the job for her. She wasn't complaining, but Barbara was slightly confused at his willingness to do something that's relatively boring for little to no pay. It's not like he was doing it to see her, he only said that to be polite of course.

And he continued to be so by carrying all of her groceries, insisting that 'an elegant lady' shouldn't be doing any kind of menial work. Barbara didn't agree with his comment – she was no Jean after all – but it made her heart flutter all the same. He had a way with words, that much is certain.

Praise wasn't exactly a rare occurrence, especially not considering her idol gig. She'd get a lot of compliments from her fans, but this one felt more personal than what she was used to. Whether it was to butter her up or not, she still enjoyed it.

"You said you were new here, right?" Barbara started as they walked back to the church, prompting him to nod. "Can you tell me where you came from? Your last name makes it sound like you're from Inazuma."

"Well, no, but Inazuma does sound similar to my homeland the more I hear about it." He answered. "Would you believe me if I said I come from beyond the stars, though?"

"It wouldn't be the first time I heard of it." She responded. "What is it like?"

"Hmm, well, compared to Teyvat, my world is far more technologically advanced." He said. "We have flying vehicles capable of crossing any distance in an instant, towers and buildings that could be seen from outer space, colorful and bright cities that never sleep."

"Wow…"

"No greed or hunger, free of criminals, and everyone is happy living there. A perfect utopia you could say." He continued. "I know it's hard to believe, and you might think I'm exaggerating things, but that is the truth."

"No, I believe you. It must be nice living in a world free of problems." Barbara said earnestly. "But if that's the case, then why did you come to Teyvat?"

Crimson paused for a moment, seemingly finding a way to phrase his next sentence.

"A change of scenery was in order, I suppose. Seeing the same thing and doing the same routine for so long can get tiring." He replied, his smile returning. "I haven't explored anything in years, you know. And so far, I've been enjoying my time here quite a lot."

Barbara could relate to that. For one, she had always wanted to go to Inazuma at some point. She even begged her father when she was a child to take her there for a vacation, and her desire to go to Fontaine grew astronomically once she got her Hydro Vision. She loved Mondstadt with all her heart of course, but as he said, a change of scenery sounded nice.

"You're so lucky. I've always wanted to travel to other kingdoms, much less different worlds." Barbara said. "But I have my responsibilities here and I can't just abandon them. I'd be too worried to even have fun."

"Can't you get yourself a replacement until you come back?"

"Yes, but I've only had my position for only a year, and I have four years left before I could even consider the idea." She sighed deeply.

"I see, though that does mean you're invaluable to the church." He said, trying to cheer her up. "Tell you what; once those four years are behind us, how about I take you to my homeworld?"

Barbara whipped her head at him, surprised at the offer.

"Really?"

"More than that, I'll take you to all the worlds that are worth visiting. It will be the biggest voyage you'll ever experience." He squeezed her hand gently. "What do you think?"

"That sounds wonderful!" Barbara's bright smile widened, her heart skipping a beat as she noticed the small gesture.

"Then it's settled." Crimson nodded. "Four years is a long time though, so in the meantime, let's get to know each other better."

As she agreed, a sharp voice cut through the nice and warm atmosphere, making Barbara flinch slightly. The two turned to look at the culprit, seeing Eula with her blade pointed at Crimson, an unusually aggressive scowl marring her face.

Behind her, though, was a concerned Amber.

"You." She growled, glaring at Crimson. "I demand a rematch."

"Eula..." Amber sighed.

He blinked, and so did Barbara. She had no idea what was going on at the moment– Did something happen between them that she never heard about?

"Hmm, I refuse."

"Wha– what do you mean you 'refuse'?!" She snarled.

"Can't you see I'm busy at the moment?" He responded coolly. "I'm helping this lady here do some errands."

"I-is everything okay?" Barbara asked nervously.

"There's nothing to worry about." Crimson waved it off with a casual smile. "Some people are simply very rude. Come, let's keep moving."

It was strange seeing someone so refined and graceful as Eula this upset– usually the blue-haired woman wouldn't let anything get under her skin, no matter how many words of mockery were thrown her way. Seeing her mad at Crimson, who was nothing but a sweet gentleman made Barbara a little concerned.

"Sure…"

"Eula, he's clearly busy. Let's just stop this–"

"Don't you walk away from me!" Eula ignored Amber, getting in front of the two. "You owe me another duel!"

A duel? Barbara thought, slowly coming to the realization of what had happened between them. She had heard of Eula losing a duel pretty badly to a beginner adventurer but thought they were just baseless rumors to make fun of the Lawrence girl because Barbatos knows how many of those kinds of statements spread.

But if she was this upset at Crimson, who was a new adventurer, and demanding a rematch, then it all lined up. She glanced at the man holding her hand with newfound respect. Eula was no pushover, so for someone to defeat her in battle must also be very powerful.

"Do I? First time I've heard of it." He raised a brow.

"Yes. I was plainly at a disadvantage with my choice of weapon." She said, gripping her blade tightly. "Clearly that's why you even managed to keep up with me. But now I have this, so we'll be even."

For a few moments, Crimson was silent. He didn't utter a single word, content with just looking at the blue-haired woman with a blank look. The atmosphere almost got awkward until he turned his head to Barbara, deciding to ignore the knight, whose face twitched in annoyance.

"Here's some trivia about my homeland." He smirked as he pointed a thumb at Eula. "We call this sort of loser behavior 'Coping and Seething'."

Amber snorted in amusement before quickly clearing her throat in fear as Eula's face reddened in embarrassment. Barbara wanted to scold him for calling her a 'loser', but that would make her a hypocrite because she also found it kind of funny.

She wouldn't laugh in front of the Reconnaissance Captain though. That wouldn't end well for anybody.

"Oh really?! Then how about we see you prove it!" She gritted her teeth, her growl sounding deeper. "Or are you too scared to face the true me?"

"Eula, please," Amber begged. "This really isn't worth it."

"Hmm…" He paused to think about this for a moment before shrugging. "Very well, consider me convinced. I suppose I can waste some time around. Just wait for me in the same place we fought before."

"Excellent." She smirked. "You'll regret picking this fight with me, Adventurer. Vengeance will be mine."

Eula then sheathed her blade and promptly walked away.

"I picked this fight?" Crimson muttered, scratching the back of his head with a confused look.

"I'm very sorry about her." Amber apologized with a slight bow. "She didn't take the loss very well."

"I can imagine," Barbara responded. "Don't worry about it, though. It isn't your fault, to begin with."

"I suppose not." She sighed again, glancing at Crimson. "Please don't take it the wrong way, Mister. She's a good person at heart. Just very stubborn."

"It's fine." He rolled his eyes. "I fully understand where she's coming from. If anything, I find this amusing."

"At least one of us is enjoying this," Amber said. "I'll leave you to what you were doing before. I'll see if I can at least convince her to drop it."

With that, the brunette went after her friend, leaving the two alone.

"Are you going to be okay?" Barbara asked in concern.

"Of course. Even if I somehow lose, it's only a harmless duel." He said.

"If you say so." She relented quickly. If he beat her once, he can do so again, right? "But if you get hurt, promise to tell me so I can heal you."

For a split-second, Crimson hesitated.

"I'll tell you if I get hurt." He nodded, making her smile. "Let's keep moving. We're only a few minutes away from the church."

With that, the previous friendly air around them returned as Crimson continued telling her stories about his homeworld.

Barbara never noticed how her grip on his hand tightened as he squeezed.

– Amber –

She knew that Eula was technically her superior, but it was still her responsibility as a friend to prevent her from doing anything reckless. She overheard some of the Acting Grandmaster's worries about Crimson and realized that he could still be a threat despite being proven innocent by Lumine.

So when she saw her friend rushing towards possible danger, the urge to stop her acted up. True, Amber didn't quite understand how he could be dangerous when he hadn't done anything to warrant such a reaction from her superiors. He was a polite and understanding man from what she'd seen so far, but presumably, they knew better.

She couldn't possibly let Eula put herself in danger like this, especially for a somewhat stupid reason.

Eula wasn't exactly the most popular person in the Knights of Favonius. Sure, she was revered as a Captain– seen as the only person that could actually defeat Jean in a fight, but due to her background, nobody wanted to approach her. Everyone hated the Lawrence Clan and their tyranny before they were overthrown, and most of Mondstadt still showed aggression toward anyone with that name.

Of course, Eula was nothing like them. True, she might be a bit arrogant and haughty sometimes, murmuring something about 'vengeance' or whatnot whenever slighted, but she was a good person at her core. It was why Amber got along with her in the first place.

Get past all those threats of revenge, and you'll see a very sweet lady who is in desperate need of friends.

But her pride could blind her very easily. Eula thought too highly of herself, and now that she'd convinced herself that Crimson beating her was a mere fluke, she wouldn't rest until she brought him down and asserted her superiority.

Seeing how he toyed with her the first time, Amber thought that won't be happening any time soon, but she didn't have the heart to tell her that, so instead, she'd settle with trying to convince her that he isn't worth her time.

"C'mon, you know this isn't exactly a healthy way to use your break, Eula," Amber said as the two sat on a bench, waiting for the blue-haired woman's opponent. "We could be training or taking a walk around the city."

Eula didn't answer verbally. However, her frown deepened slightly, making Amber grimace.

"How about we stop by Cat's Tail for a beverage or two?" She offered. "Having an ice-cold drink oughta make you relax."

"Drinking on the job?" Eula glanced at her companion with a raised brow.

"I never said anything about alcohol." Amber corrected herself. "Maybe some fruit punch? Oh, with Moon Pie on the side."

She pursued her lips at that, making Amber think she'd made some progress.

"Sounds nice, doesn't it?" The brunette grinned.

"It does." She agreed. "But I know what you're trying to do, and I refuse to be tempted."

"Aww…" Amber groaned, her hopes dashed away in an instant.

"I'm not resting until I prove that I'm better than that random ruffian." She scoffed, her scowl returning. "My integrity and honor are on the line, and I refuse to be bested again."

"Barbatos, help me." Amber prayed, covering her face in exhaustion.

"I'll have vengeance on you for this trick you tried to pull."

What trick?! She screamed internally, holding her tongue. I'm trying to help you damn it!

She loved her, but by the archons, she could be insufferable.

Eula suddenly stood up, prompting Amber to do the same as she noticed Crimson approaching them. Her friend's angry glare worsened as the red-eyed man waved at them with a smile.

Kill me, please. Amber thought, feeling defeated.

"Hmph, took you long enough." She said, unsheathing her greatsword. "Now pick a weapon and face me."

"Hold on now, I never said I accepted the duel." He responded, freezing them both.

"Wha–"

"I only said I'd meet you here." He cut her off. "If you want another fight, how about we make this a bit more interesting?"

"What? What do you mean?" Eula narrowed her eyes.

"Simple," Crimson said. "The winner gets to demand anything from the loser, and the loser has to listen no matter what."

Several alarms went off in Amber's head as he said that, and she was about to urge Eula to refuse this obvious trap before Crimson continued.

"Of course, there are limits to this. I can't ask you to leak confidential information about the knights, or demand that you spend a night of passion with me for example." He clarified, making Amber relax a little. "More of the little things like money or a drink at the bar. Doesn't that sound far more interesting than a regular boring duel?"

"...It does." Eula agreed.

With how tense the air between them was, Amber had somewhat of a difficult time interjecting and saying something as Crimson led the conversation.

"I knew you'd see it my way," Crimson smirked. "Then if I win, I want all the money you were given from the little Treasure Hoarder hunt we went on."

"And if I win, you'll leave Mondstadt and never come back," Eula replied.

That was one way of getting rid of a possible threat. Very straightforward, but if he actually did keep his word, then this was a prime opportunity to protect the city. According to the higher-ups anyway. Amber still couldn't see the threat. He seemed like a genuine person.

Well, that little 'interesting' idea had her worried a bit, but if it was some harmless demands like money, then that's fine… right?

"Fair enough." Crimson shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. "Then I suppose we can begin?"

Eula glanced at Amber with determined eyes and nodded at her. The Outrider got the silent message and resisted a deep sigh, making a distance between them before signaling for the two opponents to begin.

Eula charged first, this time far more careful and focused than their first battle. Her swings were sharper and faster, but so was Crimson, as he weaved and dodged gracefully. However, unlike last time, he had a focused frown on his face and fought back, throwing a few punches whenever he saw an opening.

Her friend struggled to evade his fists, but whenever a hit landed, she didn't simply keel over. She grunted as a punch made contact with her shoulder, pushing her back a few meters as Crimson rushed at her.

When he said he was a martial artist, he was not kidding, it seemed. He knew how to use his weight and had perfect balance and footwork. If his ability to dodge impressed her, then the way he countered everything Eula threw at him was even more amazing.

Just who was he really? What kind of life did he lead, to get so skilled?

At the very least, this duel didn't seem as humiliating as the last time they fought. Eula was keeping up much, much better than before. Yes, she was still on the back foot, but did her weapon really make that much of a difference?

A few more minutes passed, with the gasping Eula using every ounce of her power to land a single solid blow, but nothing seemed to be working. She seemed too slow in comparison to Crimson, who didn't seem one bit tired.

With a battle cry, Eula charged at Crimson, summoning her Cryo power before swinging her sword. He simply crouched a little in response, not wasting any movement, and slapped her blade away as she was about to hit him before throwing a punch directly at her face.

He stopped his fist before it made contact, an inch away from probably knocking her out. Both girls were frozen, and Amber shook it off before declaring him the winner. She wasn't shocked that Eula lost– more like, she didn't think the fight would be as exciting as this.

Too bad nearly nobody saw this duel.

As Crimson retracted his fist, he smiled.

"You've gotten better. I guess you really do want me out of here." He chuckled. "But it's my win once again."

Eula gritted her teeth, her hands balling into fists as she said nothing. Amber has seen this face before, and it meant that she was on the verge of crying, so she approached her as Crimson started walking away.

"Drop the money on Ms. Kathyrine." He waved. "I'll go check up on it in a few hours."

Once that was said, he left. Eula didn't move from her position for quite a while, and Amber couldn't quite know what to say.

"E-Eula–"

Her friend then silently picked up her blade and walked away. The Outrider was about to try to comfort her, tell her it was a much closer bout than last time, but to her surprise, it wasn't shame or humiliation that was on Eula's face.

But burning, unrelenting determination.

– Crimson –

On my way to that duel, I was thinking of ways to mess with the blue-haired knight, and I think it was obvious what I wanted to do.

Keep her interested in fighting me as I break down her defenses little by little. She's too uptight, so humiliating too much will just make her too depressed to try again. Giving her the idea that she has a chance– a crumb of it if you will…

That'll just make her more determined to beat me, and in turn, make it easier for me to seduce her. I love women like her because they're usually easy to make addicted to you if you know what you're doing.

So I made this duel a lot less one-sided. True, I still won relatively easily, but this gave her a benchmark of some sort. She'll keep trying, and every time she does, I'll hold back a little more to make it seem like she's making progress, but never truly give her the win until she's mine.

Of course, my orders will very slowly become demanding as well. If she does not follow one of them, then I'd simply refuse her next duel, and by the time that happens, she'd think she's very close to defeating me.

Seeing her so desperate is both adorable and hilarious, so I'm willing to do all the tediously subtle work. It can take a while, especially when I can simply regain my magic eventually and force her to obey me, but that's no fun at all. I'm lazy, yes, but some shortcuts are just too boring for me to care about.

Plus, I've grown out of doing those methods a long time ago because it always made Carmine a little upset with me whenever she heard about it, and I'm a model twin brother you see.

But enough of that. As I said before, I wanted to check out this district to see if there's a place I can get for myself, and looking through the prices on the sign in front of each place, I see one fairly cheap compared to the other residents here, but with a very obvious reason.

"I wanted to rent this place out at first, but with the magical seal on the door, I can't get much out of it." The old owner sighs, shaking his head. "It's better off getting sold."

"For five hundred thousand?" I raise a brow. "That's a little too cheap, no?"

"It's a small place. There are only three rooms and one bathroom there." He responds. "A bedroom, a living room, and a magical laboratory. Without the seal, it'd be barely over a million Mora."

That's small? Well, for a family, it is tiny – the magical laboratory notwithstanding – but for a single person like me? It's perfect. This city is fairly wealthy though, on the surface anyway. There weren't a lot of beggars and homeless people I saw, and I'm certain I already explored the whole place.

"You said it has been five years since it was sealed, yes?" I ask, prompting him to nod. "Couldn't you have found someone to break the seal"

"I tried, and everyone I hired said it was too complicated." He shakes his head again. "Some genius mage enchanted it for some reason or another. I believe it was the previous owner, but I can't be too sure."

"I see." I hum. "Do you mind if I take it off your hands, then?"

"A-are you sure, young man?" The old man looks at me in surprise. "You can't exactly bust your way in either."

"That is how magical seals work, yes." Well, not all of them. You can brute force through a magical seal if you're strong enough. "But I'm sure."

"Well, if you say so." The old man relents quickly. Money is money after all. "Meet me in Angel's Share so we can hash out the details."

"Of course. See you there."

With that, the old man gives me a smile and leaves, making me look at the house with pride. It's no palace or space vessel, but I'm strangely proud of myself. I've never actually bought a home before. I had people build works of wonder for me out of love and/or fear.

As for the magical seal, well, mother did say I'll be able to see Carmine again eventually, and I know my sister well enough. She most likely took the magic perk tree, so she'll be able to immediately break the seal because draconic magic is a cheat code to life. Worst case she can't come over and gives me an artifact to do the job instead.

Getting her some food from here will ensure her cooperation because goodness knows how much she loves eating.

…I miss that gluttonous nerd.

I'm a bit looking forward to writing his interaction with Carmine because writing someone who is tired and used to his bullshit sounds funny.

I've gotten a review that this story is pretty low-tension and yes, I know that. It's intentional.

Like I said, this is not a plot-heavy story. It's just me practicing slice-of-life for the most part.