35 The Dutiful Guardian Knight

Paimon tugged at the scarves of Aether and Peinana, flying into a corner with her back to Charles. Her expression was solemn. "The house is beautiful and very safe, but it must be incredibly expensive, right? There’s a high chance we can't afford it. What should we do?"

Peinana and Aether exchanged a glance, both knowing the house hunt was primarily for her sake, and quickly voiced their stance. "I don't mind. Honestly, my only requirements are safety and comfort; it doesn't need to be this big. I don't go out much, and I can handle the daily chores myself. One bedroom, one bathroom, a kitchen, and a living room would basically satisfy my needs. Paimon can stay with me, and we’d just need one extra bedroom for Aether. Even if we end up with more people in the household later—like if we bring his sister back, for instance—we could always buy a new house then. There’s no need to spend money unnecessarily. Besides, Aether still has to travel to other places; there might be even better places to settle down elsewhere."

Her logic was sound, and Aether also felt it was a bad investment, but the mention of bringing his sister home made his heart skip a beat. Even though she wasn't back yet, he could prepare her room in advance! Furthermore, Abyss Mages were everywhere; as the leader of the Abyss Order, surely his sister knew he was looking for her? Actions spoke louder than words. What if she knew he was constantly longing for a reunion and had even prepared a room for her, and she felt moved enough to come back and see him? And what if she found out he had "settled down" but hadn't prepared a room for her, and felt excluded, hurt, or sad? She was already so lonely in the Abyss; as her brother, how could he make her feel even more cold-hearted?

With that, the Traveler, who had previously been against the idea, had a sudden burst of resolve and made the decision on the spot. "No, we're taking this one!"

Peinana: "??"
Paimon: "??"

They both turned to look at him, their wide eyes filled with question marks. Peinana opened her mouth to speak but hesitated, and Paimon’s shocked voice rose in volume, "Traveler! Have you forgotten that we are actually broke?! Where would the money come from?"

Aether: "...Don't be like that. We aren't actually that poor; we’ve just been saving up."

The rewards for adventurers were decent, and he often found relic treasures and ley line chests while exploring the wild. The reason they lived so frugally was primarily because materials were expensive, and he was used to life in the wilderness, having no particular pursuit of luxury.

Peinana whispered a suggestion, "But we might move again later. This is only the first nation you've visited, isn't it?"

Aether hesitated, looking around, especially at the fireplace; he felt Lumine would really like it.

Peinana pressed on, tactfully advising, "If you can't decide, why don't we ask if we can rent this place first? That way, we don't have to pay a large sum upfront, and if we find something more suitable later, we still have a chance to change our minds. If you are set on buying it, you could set aside ten percent of every commission from now on as a house-buying fund. Isn't that better than draining all our resources at once?"

Aether thought about it and nodded in agreement, though in his heart, he was determined to buy it. Without a permanent place to call his own, he was merely a drifter. Even if his sister wanted to find him, she would lack a sense of belonging. If he had a permanent base, a "home," perhaps she would occasionally stop by to reminisce about a familiar scent. Even if she had her reasons for refusing to meet him, just coming and going in secret could grant her a moment of peace.

Seeing that he had finally come around, and fearing he might change his mind again, Peinana hurriedly pulled Paimon along to Charles and said with an embarrassed smile, "Mr. Charles, as you said, this house is very beautiful and suitable, but the price must be quite high, right? We might... not have that much money."

"Right!" Paimon chimed in, laughing awkwardly and shyly, "So, does the owner accept rentals?"

"Of course!" Charles replied heartily. "Whether you want a short-term lease, a long-term one, or to buy it outright, our boss doesn't mind at all!"

Peinana & Paimon: "Boss?"

Mr. Charles scratched his head. "Eh? Didn't I mention it? Haha." He laughed heartily and said, "The original owner of this house is Master Diluc! Our Master is the wealthiest man in all of Mondstadt. His assets are countless, and since money just sitting there can't be eaten, he invests it into various industries. Besides, our Master is also very concerned about Miss Peinana’s health. We can only be at ease if you live in a place he has personally vetted."

Charles thought to himself that it was no wonder he had been suspicious of his own attitude toward Master Diluc. He did not know that his master’s actions were far more serious than he imagined. Putting Peinana in a house of unknown origin—who knew what deadly secrets might be hidden inside? Only with things under his own control could Diluc be certain they were "clean." Therefore, when he learned that Charles had taken on the commission to find a house for Aether, Diluc had taken the task upon himself.

Hearing Charles's words, the expressions of Peinana and Paimon turned complex. Paimon whispered with a mix of jealousy and envy, "So rich..." Damn it! I'm so jealous.

"Indeed," Peinana sighed. The two exchanged a glance, and a steadfast friendship born of empathy and shared misfortune bloomed!

...

Diluc was very meticulous. Although he was a cold-faced executive, when he cared for someone, he was always thoughtful in a quiet, unobtrusive way. He did not lose touch with reality just because he "stood high." As the "Guardian Knight" secretly designated by the Anemo Archon, he was genuinely working to lower the survival difficulty for the "little princess" without leaving a trace.

The new house was fully furnished and uniformly decorated; it only lacked daily necessities to be move-in ready. Diluc hadn't cheated his friends in the slightest; for such a large and beautiful house, complete with furniture and decor, the monthly rent was only 500,000 Mora. Since staying at the tavern for a single night cost 50,000, 500,000 Mora was basically a steal.

For the unimaginably wealthy Mr. Diluc, money was truly unimportant. If spending a little could reduce trouble for Mondstadt, then the money was well-spent. And in a sense, lowering the survival difficulty for the "little princess" was equivalent to preventing potential trouble for Mondstadt.

Once the lease was confirmed, Charles returned to the tavern, Aether and Paimon went out to buy daily necessities, and Peinana stayed behind to clean the house. It was mostly quite clean, but she felt uneasy if she didn't wipe everything down herself.

As she was scrubbing a pillar with a rag, a "ding-dong" rang out from the doorbell. Peinana was startled, and before her mind could wander, she heard Diluc's voice at the door, "Is anyone there?"

"Ah, yes!" Peinana was both surprised and delighted, hurriedly wiping her hands to open the door. "Mr. Diluc! Haily! Please, come in!"

Outside the gate, Diluc stood at the front with his arms crossed, his expression indifferent. Behind him, Haily carried a large bundle in her arms, leaning out halfway and waving enthusiastically at her, "Hi~! Miss Peinana! Master Diluc and I are here to help! How are you? Did you miss the all-powerful Haily?!"

Diluc nodded reservedly. "Do you need help? If there are any heavy items, please don't hesitate." He studied Peinana, clearly sensing the vastly different energy about her compared to before. It had only been a day or two, yet her mental state was like that of a completely different person. He suddenly realized that, as fellow outsiders, the presence of the Traveler was truly important to this fragile "little princess."

...

Although he came from a wealthy family and had a refined upbringing, Master Diluc was not someone detached from the mundane world. Haily pulled Peinana up to the second floor, leaving Diluc alone downstairs. He scanned the room, slowly and elegantly unbuttoned his cuffs, rolled up his sleeves, and very naturally picked up the broom leaning against the wall.

When Aether and Paimon returned with pots, pans, oil, salt, sauce, and vinegar, they saw Diluc with his sleeves rolled up, revealing his toned forearms, sweeping the floor with a dustpan in one hand and a broom in the other. His delicate, handsome, boyish face remained deadpan, serious, and earnest regardless of what he was doing.

In short, he was exceptionally domestic and virtuous.

Aether: "..."
Paimon: "..."

Their relaxed, smiling expressions faltered, and they stopped at the doorway, staring at Diluc as if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight.