"Hello, is this the Knights of Favonius training ground?"
Seeing the young man's handsome face and deep, captivating eyes, the two girls froze for a moment before reacting.
Noelle and Eileen hurriedly stood up, hastily dusting off their skirts.
"Ah... Senior, I'm sorry!"
"We were a bit spaced out just now and didn't hear you!"
The two girls bowed in unison to apologize, but Guixu stopped them with a slight wave of his hand.
Guixu smiled and said dismissively, "No need to be so formal. I'm not with the Knights of Favonius, just someone passing by."
"My name is Guixu. And you are?"
Guixu waved his hand casually, a gentle breeze sweeping the dust off the steps before he sat right down.
For someone dressed in such luxurious attire and exuding such noble poise to sit so unceremoniously on the stone steps created a contrast that left the two girls momentarily at a loss.
Yet even in such a casual sitting posture, he could not conceal his innate noble bearing.
Is this big brother a noble from Mondstadt?
Why have we never seen him before?
Not daring to be presumptuous, the two girls cautiously sat down beside Guixu and introduced themselves.
"My name is Eileen. I'm... a future knight who hasn't joined the Knights yet."
"My name is Noelle, a maid and aspiring knight of the Knights of Favonius."
The two girls stated their names one after the other, though Eileen spoke in a very soft voice, as if lacking confidence.
Guixu paid no mind to these details, instead smiling as he looked the two girls over. Eileen wore a practical training outfit that left her slender, straight legs bare, while Noelle wore a hybrid attire resembling both a maid's uniform and knightly gear, complete with a maid's dress, arm guards, and light boots.
Atop her head rested two bright red decorative roses, which accented Noelle's short white hair to perfection.
"I see. So both of you want to join the Knights of Favonius in the future?"
"Of course!"
The two girls replied in unison, but their enthusiasm immediately deflated.
"Except we don't seem to have what it takes."
"Why is that?"
Guixu was somewhat curious. He felt that both girls had decent physical fitness, especially Noelle, whose inner strength hardly seemed human.
Coupled with that abundance of Geo elemental energy, had he not been in Mondstadt rather than Liyue, he would have taken her for the illegitimate daughter of those two fellows, Morax or Azhdaha.
While Eileen wasn't quite that outrageous, her physical conditioning was still very good; with proper training, passing a simple knightly examination shouldn't have been a problem at all.
Why would the two of them claim they lacked the capability?
Could the recruitment standards of the Knights of Favonius have risen to such heights?
Immersed in their disappointment, the two girls failed to notice the puzzlement in Guixu's eyes and continued pouring out their circumstances.
"Because no matter how long I practice, I'm still a long way from the standard of a full-fledged knight."
"Yeah, I've failed the official knight exams several times in a row, too."
Eileen rested her head despondently on her knees, her voice trailing off.
Beside her, Noelle's normally enthusiastic and energetic face darkened slightly as well.
It was enough to make anyone want to offer comfort.
Naturally, Guixu offered a few words of consolation, but once he started, he couldn't stop.
The two seemed to have been holding in their emotions for a long time, and for some reason today, upon meeting Guixu, they couldn't help but let it all out.
Guixu showed no impatience, sitting quietly and listening to the girls' grievances to the end.
Though he didn't quite understand the intricacies of a woman's heart, he understood human nature quite well.
He could tell that these two girls were not like the arrogant, ignorant rabble out there, which was why he quietly listened through their complaints.
Over the past couple of days, while wandering around in stealth, the people of Mondstadt he had encountered were genuinely aggravating.
Though as a god, he didn't care about such trivialities, he understood how excessive the behavior of most people in Mondstadt could be toward ordinary folk.
That was why Guixu held such a favorable attitude toward these rare, good-natured individuals within his foolish Anemo Archon's realm.
And he couldn't really be blamed—the contrast was simply too stark.
After listening, Guixu nodded and pondered for a moment.
"I think I understand."
"Have you ever considered that the reason you can't pass the exam might not be a lack of strength?"
"Not because our strength isn't enough?"
Eileen and Noelle raised their heads in confusion, not understanding what Guixu meant.
Weren't the exams for ordinary members of the Knights of Favonius a test of one's strength?
Aside from perhaps checking whether one's record was clean, could there be other requirements?
Seeing the expressions on the two girls' faces, Guixu guessed they were likely still rather naive about the world.
He weighed his words and said, "I don't know the specifics of Eileen's situation, but it's very likely due to her age."
"And as for you, little Noelle..."
Guixu looked at Noelle, and seeing her waiting nervously for his evaluation, he sighed and said,
"It must be because of your personality."
"Because of my personality?"Noelle was quite puzzled. How could her own personality possibly affect her Knights of Favonius examination?
Beside her, Eileen seemed to understand something after hearing Guixu's words. She glanced quietly at Noelle and said nothing.
Guixu made no attempt to conceal anything, instead explaining the reason to the innocent young girl.
"Judging by what you just described, the reason you keep failing the Knights of Favonius examination is likely because your personality is too simple and kind, making you easily deceived and manipulated. Since members of the Knights of Favonius cannot avoid dealing with such matters, your examination cannot pass."
"Besides, this is probably what Jean and the others intend, as a way to protect you."
Although Guixu was unsure whether Jean knew about Noelle's situation, given Noelle's strength, under normal circumstances it would be impossible for her to fail the examination. Therefore, the conclusion required no guessing.
"Wh... why is it like this!?"
Hearing Guixu's explanation, Noelle grasped his meaning, and her eyes instantly turned red. So the reason she couldn't pass the examination was because Acting Grand Master Jean hadn't approved it?
Although she understood that it was meant to protect her, she still couldn't understand why things had to be this way.
Clearly, everyone in town was so nice!
Even though helping everyone in Mondstadt every day left her exhausted, seeing their smiles made her truly happy.Why should such a wonderful opportunity end up making it impossible for her to become an official knight?
Guixu looked at Noelle, who was on the verge of tears before him, and felt a twinge of discomfort in his heart.
After all, he did not know whether staining this pure, blank-slate girl with the colors of the world was right or wrong.
Yet seeing her obsess over such a matter in a way that simply wasn't worth it, Guixu had no choice but to tell her everything.
Sooner or later, she had to grow up anyway; rather than letting her be hurt by the outside world later on, it was better to help her mature ahead of time.
"Noelle."
"Mm~"
Hearing Guixu call her while shedding tiny pearl-like tears, Noelle held back her weeping and raised her head.
Guixu reached out to gently wipe away Noelle's tears, then affectionately stroked her head.
"There are some things you are still too young to understand, especially since you have remained so pure under the protection of Jean and the others."
"But you will have to grow up sooner or later, so I am going to tell you these things now. Whether you can accept them or not, you must take them to heart."
Feeling the warm fingers dry the tears from her face and hearing Guixu's gentle admonition, Noelle was momentarily dazed.
Yet, coming to her senses and feeling somewhat embarrassed, she still listened earnestly to Guixu's words."First of all, regarding those people you hold in such high regard—in truth, many of them are not actually kind or good people at all."
"They smile at you, and even when some of them act impatient and come looking for you, it is simply because you are someone who helps them for free and expects nothing in return."
"To them, you are nothing more than a convenient, readily summoned tool. Because you are so innocent and kind, you never refuse, no matter how poorly they treat you."
"They know this, too, which is why they accept your help with a growing sense of entitlement and even take it for granted."
"Because they understand that the next time they call your name, you will come running just as quickly to help them."
"H—How could that be...?"
Guixu looked with a trace of pity at Noelle's incredulous expression. Harsh though his words were, they fell far short of the reality shared by the vast majority of foolish ordinary folk out there.
One could see it clearly enough in the affairs of the Knights of Favonius. Even during his brief, hurried glance when he last visited the Knights, everything he saw consisted entirely of trivial, petty matters.
And yet such trivialities required the acting grand master, Jean, to handle them personally.
That alone showed what Mondstadt's prevailing social climate had become.
Not to mention how Noelle, acting as free labor, was treated.
Had it not been for her superhuman physical stamina, she probably would have collapsed eight hundred times over.
Hearing the truth for the first time, Noelle wore a dazed expression. Memories churned through her mind, and the sorrow that had once been masked by the sight of everyone's smiles came rushing to the surface.
She had gone out of her way to help out of the goodness of her heart, only to be resented for arriving too slowly...
She had run herself ragged from place to place, only to nearly be branded the culprit who lost someone's belongings...
She had braved a downpour to deliver something for someone, only to fall sick with a fever, while that person cared only about when their cargo would arrive....
....
Stripped of the rose-tinted halo of happy smiles, one incident after another stood starkly exposed within Noelle's memory.
Like a succession of knives plunging ruthlessly into her heart.
It hurt...
Yet it was all too real.
"Noelle..."
Seeing Noelle in this state, Eileen worriedly took her hand. Though neither of them had managed to pass the examination, Noelle's problems seemed far more severe than her own.
Besides, she had witnessed firsthand Noelle's daily routine and the attitude of the people of Mondstadt.
It was exactly as Guixu had said.
The cruel reality left Noelle's mind reeling, her gaze losing focus.
"So, is that really how everyone sees me...?"
....