Genshin Impact, I, a mere mortal, cannot accompany you to the very end.

And so it goes, in a never-ending cycle.

Kiyono had no complaints about this kind of life. He had lived to this point as an ordinary person, so it was only right that he fulfill his duties, and he enjoyed it.

This time, the system sent him to Mondstadt, so something must be going to happen there.

In his previous life, he was also in Mondstadt. He died at a young age, likely suddenly on the battlefield, when Kiyono Raimei's body was not even fully developed.

Could it be that this trip is to resolve some hidden danger left over from the last one?

[Quest: Become a Knight of the Knights of Favonius]

[Reward: Memory fragment retrieval (no side effects)]

The system also assigned the task to Kiyono.

Reading memory fragments without any aftereffects should be quite useful. There's no need to worry about losing oneself, and it can make his swordsmanship level increase rapidly.

“I’m going to Mondstadt now,” Kiyono said. “My first small goal is to become a knight of the Knights of Favonius.”

"Knights of the Knights of Favonius?" Paimon, who had already finished the grilled fish, exclaimed in surprise upon hearing Qingye's words, "Paimon knows, Paimon knows, those knights are the elite of the elite!"

After saying that, she looked at Qingye with a suspicious gaze and asked, "Old Zongzi, are you sure you can do it?"

"It was supposed to work."

Kiyono had gotten used to the nickname; this little flying creature was actually quite interesting.

"But my dinner was eaten by some emergency food, and I'm so hungry and have no energy."

“Wow, don’t blame me!” Paimon exclaimed.

Kiyono was indeed very hungry. He had been adrift at sea for a long time and was still carrying the lady's injuries. Now, even speaking felt like there were ice crystals in his mouth. He searched his pockets and pulled out two frozen biscuits—the ones that the old man had left for him.

It's frozen solid, just like French bread.

It feels even harder than a divine cutter.

"Do you want some...?"

At that moment, Ying suddenly said something.

She held up the sea bass in her hand; half of the plump sea bass had been neatly bitten away, but the other half of the meat was still hanging on it, untouched. Seeing Qingye's surprised look, the girl quickly explained:

"...I've rinsed my mouth, it's very clean!"

"And I didn't get to bite into any of the other meat!"

Indeed, there was no bite. The fish was half gnawed, half spiky bones and half fresh, plump flesh. If someone saw it, they would think it was some kind of performance art.

Having lived a life of hardship, Ying felt ashamed even though the fish was caught by Qingye, who didn't get to eat any of it. Even a girl with the most basic moral principles would feel ashamed.

Another reason is that if Qingye really starves to death, who will go fishing next?

And seeing him eating hard biscuits while soaking wet, Ying felt inexplicably uneasy.

She swallowed hard, trying not to think about the smell of the sea bass, and closed her eyes as the little girl offered it to Kiyono's face.

“I’m suddenly thinking…” Kiyono said, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"What are you thinking about?" Ying asked.

“If I didn’t eat anything but frozen biscuits, and gave you all the good food, and then starved to death on a miserable rainy night, and before I died I trembled and said, ‘Firelight, Paimon, you must live well,’ wouldn’t you feel ashamed for the rest of your lives?”

"..."

“We’ll happily dig up your body,” Paimon said.

"So, that's what I'm saying, Ying."

Kiyono Raimei put the frozen cookies into the fire, and the flames melted them. He rubbed his hands together.

"Here's the fish, just take it and eat it. You don't need to worry about anything."

This inexplicable feeling of guilt... We're all no good, and I won't go hungry. I only gave you the fish because I wanted to."

"Why do you want to give it to me?" Ying asked.

"I don't know, then why did you want to give me back half of it?" Kiyono asked, munching on a cookie.

Volume 1: Chapter 41 The Teetering Castle Keep

House Gunnhildr is one of the oldest knightly families in Mondstadt, and they have been protecting the city since the first epic was written.

As the rightful heir and eldest daughter of the Gunnhildr family, Jean has the duty and responsibility to continue the family's glory.

Moreover, she is now the vice-commander of the Knights of Favonius.

The Knights of Favonius have all had great and upright vice-captains throughout history. For example, there was the 'Young Wolf' Lord Rustan, who defended Mondstadt with his sword five hundred years ago and was buried in the mouth of a poisonous dragon. She grew up listening to stories of these heroes.

She cannot dishonor the honor of the Knights' Vice-Grand Master.

From the time she could remember, this young girl had etched honor into her heart. Inheriting the will of the Knights and protecting Mondstadt forever was the cause she pursued throughout her life.

She is still practicing her sword today.

The warm morning light shone through the huge stained-glass windows, illuminating the stone pillars of the ancient hall. The magnificent murals appeared even more dreamlike under the diffused light, and the young girl wielded her sword in the bright sunlight.

A slender, one-handed longsword, shimmering with tiny specks of golden light, swept through the air in a smooth, even arc. Qin was slightly out of breath, her fitted knight's robes swaying with the wind from the sword, and fine beads of sweat clung to her collarbone. Rather than wielding a sword, she seemed to be dancing, swaying with the morning breeze.

Scattered sword light was everywhere – on the glass, beside the stone pillars, and in the murals.

'West Wind Sword Technique'

This is a great sword technique.

It abandons the clumsiness and sluggishness of traditional knight's greatswords, adopting a light and agile pace. Legend has it that Prince Rustan, who created this swordsmanship, was able to cut through a falling downpour with his sword.

Qin believed she could not reach such a divine level.

There was always something lacking, something missing, but she could never find that breakthrough point. She lacked a spark of inspiration.

She was never a genius; all she possessed was diligence, more diligent than anyone else, and only in this way could she catch up with the geniuses.

But sometimes, hard work alone is not enough.

"call--"

She sheathed her sword, and the sword light that filled the hall vanished with it. She then let out a soft breath.

I'm exhausted, but today is just the beginning.

There are still many things to deal with.

Qin straightened her clothes, took off her soaked robe, and changed into a knight's outfit. The pure white fabric clung to her delicate and firm skin. She tied her long golden hair tightly with a ribbon, patted her cheeks in front of the mirror, and breathed a sigh of relief.

The executor of the Fools is coming.

Qin wasn't impressed by these high-ranking executives.

Mondstadt is a free city-state, but Winterfell is known for its tyranny and domineering nature. They enjoy using diplomacy to put pressure on other countries.

The arrival of these fools is surely ill-intentioned.

She frowned, just then a slightly noisy sound came from outside the hall.

Qin suddenly realized that these past few days seemed to be the time for the reserve knight order to recruit new members.

She had been so busy dealing with the fools these past few days that she had completely forgotten about this.

However... she was slightly annoyed. Why was it so noisy?

In Jean's eyes, a knight should not only have knightly skills, but also knightly manners. What kind of decorum is this, making a ruckus?

Even the slightest lapse in composure would tarnish the honor of the Knights and the glory of our fallen heroes.

For example, the great young wolf Lord Rustan could not possibly be so noisy; a knight must be humble, noble, and have lofty ideals.

-

"Name."

"Wind Whisper".

"age."

"I think... I'm sure it's sixteen."

"sixteen?"

The knight in charge of registration looked up with a suspicious look in his eyes. Was this boy really only sixteen years old?

To be able to do this at sixteen...that's incredible.

Today is the day the Reserve Knights are recruiting new members, and the method used is very simple: a martial arts selection.

The silver-haired, purple-eyed boy in front of him looked as docile as a little wolf, but the knight uncle dared not forget his previous performance. He had single-handedly taken on more than a dozen people, saying things like, "Weak, weak, I want to fight ten of them," and all his opponents fell to the ground in a flash.

"Uh..."

The middle-aged man was at a loss for words. He paused, looked at the documents Qingye handed him, and asked:

"You must be a citizen of Inazuma. Could you tell me why you joined the Knights? You must have come all the way to Mondstadt with lofty ideals, right?"

Mondstadt is an open and free nation where everyone is eligible to join the Reserve Knights, even foreigners. However, the Reserve Knights differ from regular knights; the former can be joined simply by meeting the required ability, while the latter requires an examination.

This period lasts roughly three or four years, and only those who have proven their pure character are qualified to be awarded the honor of knighthood.

...Can I say that I came here to infiltrate?

Kiyono was somewhat embarrassed.

The documents he's submitting are all forged by the Pillar State's Office. According to the records from the Society's Envoy, he should now be under orders from "Your Majesty the Pillar State" to be sent to Mondstadt as a spy for Inazuma...

But he still possessed pure and noble ideals.

"I'm starving to death."

He patted his stomach with a bitter expression. "I heard the Knights of Mondstadt provide meals."

This is true. Ever since he was caught by Ying, the three of them traveled together to Mondstadt, enduring wind and rain and sleeping in the open. When he was hungry, he would go fishing, but he was always unlucky. The fish he caught were not enough to fill his teeth. He was hungry three times and full only once. If he continued like this, he might really have to hold Ying and Paimon's hands tremblingly and say, "Ying, Paimon, you must live well."

Fortunately, they finally made it to Mondstadt.

Once inside the city, the two rascals started running around. In order to complete the task assigned by the Order of the West, he went straight to the Knights of the West.

This is the first time I've heard such a ridiculous reason.