Genshin Impact Simulation: Starting with Melsin's Friend

Chapter 376 Interlude

The reception that evening ended abruptly due to the unpleasant meeting between the Winter Ambassador and the Grand Master.

That night, you had that nightmare again.

This dream was clearer than any I'd ever had before; you could hear viscous liquid dripping from the rusty railings, slowly settling into a limp mass on the moss.

The air was thick with the stench of decay, a mixture of preservatives and alcohol, and your headache intensified.

Memories are no longer ethereal clouds; their shattered, sharp edges pierce your senses.

Then, the black flames reignited.

It burned down the rusty iron railings, and charred bandages lay scattered on the ground, like arms stretched out in resentment.

The black flames instantly engulfed everything.

[Surrounded by flames, yet there was no burning or scalding heat; instead, a chilling cold that seeped into the very bones.]

The delirium in my mind grew wildly like weeds, reason vanished, delirium ensued, and a primal desire for destruction devoured everything.

Hatred is like an inextinguishable fuel for anger.

Blood splattered, staining the yellowed bandages crimson.

【Walk. 】

[Hurry up.]

【Go quickly! 】

You can't see or hear anything clearly, you only know to hold onto the hand you're tightly clasped and keep running forward.

The hand was neither warm nor soft, wrapped in heavy bandages, like holding a piece of lifeless, rotten wood.

Keep going! Even if the nightmare is just around the corner.

Let's go! Even if the road ahead is long and seems endless.

Until, a dark flame coiled around your wrist.

[In the instant you were falling into the abyss once more, you saw her clearly for the first time through your blurring vision.]

[Those were such beautiful eyes, hidden behind the bandages.]

[Illuminated by the black flames, it shone like a translucent purple agate, yet remained so dark that its true color was unfathomable.]

You wake up from another nightmare.

This time, however, you wake up not in your own room when you fell asleep, but in the West Wind Cathedral.

[Jin and Barbara each hold one of your hands.]

Barbara was crying, her face as pale as a harp.

Clearly, you're trapped in a nightmare once again, unable to escape, and unable to even hear the calls from the outside world.

The tense atmosphere in the room seemed to have worsened compared to the time Amber had witnessed it.

[Your mother Frey and father Simon stood in the doorway, discussing something with serious expressions, but you couldn't hear them.]

You wanted to say something to comfort them, but after thinking about it, you silently swallowed the words that were already on the tip of your tongue.

The priest at Westwind Church prescribed you double the dose of sedatives, the same kind you received last time.

Looking at the capsules, half green and half purple, in the glass bottle, you recalled the purple eyes from your dream.

But...who exactly is she?

Your head started hurting again, and you gave up on remembering.

Whether to call it fortunate or unfortunate, this incident has brought a temporary halt to the days-long arguments at home.

Frey and Simon seemed to have reached some kind of tacit understanding to avoid upsetting you with unnecessary arguments.

So this is how it was solved?

[You think this while taking your medication one day.]

[And Barbara, under the guise of providing care, brazenly moved into your room and started sleeping on the floor.]

[They claimed that the nuns at West Wind Church had a duty to care for the sick, and novice prayer ministers were no exception.]

However, most of the time the little girl sleeps in the bed, while you, the patient, sleep on a makeshift bed on the floor.

[Therefore, the novice priestess was dismissed by Simon after only a few days for disturbing the patient's rest.]

Qin no longer asks you to handle official documents for her. Every time you enter her room, the first thing she does isn't to put away her open romance novel, but rather the official documents on her desk.

You spent the remaining months of the year under such almost meticulous care.

The tranquilizer worked very well, and slowly, the recurring nightmare finally stopped haunting you at night.

Everything seems to have returned to normal.

The Knights' missions include patrolling, exterminating monsters, and the Grand Master's increasingly insane swordsmanship training.

[I spent time with Amy at the library, taught Noelle swordplay, and brought some little surprises for Jyn and Barbara on the way home.]

[A spicy drink, or a romance novel.]

[The situation with Amber has changed a bit; sometimes, a dinner for two turns into dinner for three.]

Meanwhile, the number of times your name appears in a noblewoman's ledger increases exponentially.

[Note by Earl Rabbit: It's not that slow.]

You and Amber are ranked first and second on the list respectively, and you lead the third-ranked person by a significant margin.

[P.S. Earl Rabbit: The gap isn't that small.]

And so, the new year arrived silently amidst this peaceful, routine, and tranquil life.

At ten years old, the year was still peaceful and uneventful.

With your exceptional swordsmanship, you and Diluc quickly earned the respect of all the knights in the Order.

The young and passionate Diluc, no matter how demanding or tedious the mission, his enthusiasm never seems to fade, and his sword always seems ready to strike.

As Mr. Kripps praised it:

"Well done, you're a true son."

"Belief" burns just like that, fervent and enduring.

Your personality is the exact opposite of Diluc's.

[You avoid the Knights' missions whenever possible, especially the usual quests to find lost cats and dogs; you're never around.]

[Even if you can't escape, you will end the mission in the swiftest way possible, leaving no room for trouble to arise.]

But on the battlefield, your sword will always be sharp and precise, and your squad will always be at the top of the leaderboard.

If Diluc is a blade bathed in sunlight, then you are a dagger hidden in the darkness.

This combination also appeared five hundred years ago.

Their names are "Lion of Light" Erendel, and his second-in-command, "Young Wolf" Rustan.

Grand Master Falgar criticizes your extremely improper work attitude, because only one person is allowed to slack off in the Knights' office at any given time.

You've touched all the fish, so what am I supposed to touch?

This resulted in you still being unemployed when Diluc was promoted to captain of a cavalry squad.

However, nominally, they belong to the Grand Commander himself.

There are still many girls who have feelings for you; by now, they could probably circle the statue of the wind god more than five times.

[Her Highness is in a bit of a hurry; the risk of the knights of the Dark Night Sanctuary being abducted by other lords has risen sharply.]

[He's been spending more time in the library for no apparent reason, and when he's reading, he always likes to sit close to you.]

At the end of the month, the library was awarded MVP.

The little maid remains a well-behaved junior, but her tendency to always give in to requests shows no sign of correcting itself.

[You're having a headache. Besides, some mean-spirited people are always taking advantage of her kindness to make pointless jokes.]

[For example, Mr. Loser, oh, now it's Loser squared, because he lost again this year.]

But the words of reproach, though on the tip of his tongue, were always swallowed back by the girl's bewildered reply, "There are seniors here."

Let's take her out for some pancakes.

We can talk about these things when she's a bit older.

The adult world isn't so wonderful.

[Also, do the pink roses embroidered on the girl's cuffs seem to be a little more numerous than the day before?]

[Besides secrets, there seems to be something else that cannot be spoken of that keeps one's mouth shut.]

Actually, she understands everything.

With senior colleagues around, there's nothing to worry about.

Amber is very confident about her childhood friend relationship.

As long as I live, you will all be my concubines.

[She was the first one to arrive. As the saying goes in Yaedo's novels, "Blue-haired guys are often losers," but she's not one of them.]

She clung to Mu Feng longer than anyone else.

[Yura: ?]

[Holding a grudge +1]

As for Barbara, the little girl was very unhappy.

[After her brother's time with her has been divided up once, there's hardly any left. If this continues, she'll start crying and throwing a tantrum again!]

Isn't having a well-behaved and adorable younger sister enough?

Sometimes, seeing Barbara's pouty, resentful look, you'll subconsciously check if the food closest to you has been accidentally laced with a lethal dose of chili.

[And one more thing, Earl Rabbit: It wasn't an accident.]

[On the self-cultivation of a brother complex.]

So, you "willingly" devoted your last spare time to helping your younger sister practice singing.

[World-famous painting, "The Piano Performing Official Duties"]

Two more years passed, and she turned twelve.

This year has been a turbulent one.

……