Chapter 308: Back to the Knights (2-in-1 Chapter) [Bonus Chapter]

Mondstadt, Sucrose's Laboratory

After buying breakfast at Stone Gate's morning market, Nolan enjoyed his meal and even bought a portion for Mona. However, finding her still fast asleep, he had no choice but to teleport back to Mondstadt by himself.

Fischl was already off on a task for the Adventurers' Guild, so he teleported to Sucrose's lab instead.

Just as he arrived, she was about to head out to grab breakfast, so he offered her the food he'd originally bought for Mona. After all, it would go cold if left for too long.

"What kind of porridge is this?" Sucrose asked, sitting in a chair next to her workbench and unwrapping the thick paper bag.

Inside was a green bamboo bowl, and when she lifted the lid, a fragrant steam rose up, filling the room with its aroma. The porridge, filled with various seasonings, looked inviting.

"It's a Liyue specialty— I think it's called 'Three Treasures Porridge,' or something," Nolan explained, smiling as he sat close beside her on the same chair.

"Um, please don't sit so close…" Sucrose murmured, blushing as her glasses slipped down slightly. She shifted to the side, awkwardly balancing on the edge of the chair with half her seat hanging off.

Such a tease! He always knew how to fluster her.

"Sit in front of me; I want to hold you," Nolan said, wrapping his arms around her waist and leaning in to whisper in her ear.

"Alright…" she whispered softly.

Since they were already dating, she supposed a little closeness in private was normal. Still, in public, she remained as shy as ever.

Sucrose stood up, moving to sit at the front edge of the chair. Her short, ruffled skirt barely brushed against Nolan's legs.

He gently held her by her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder, breathing in her soft, clean scent.

With her legs modestly together, Sucrose shyly began to eat her breakfast, taking small, dainty bites.

Soon, she finished her breakfast with a quiet little hiccup, then leaned back into his arms.

"Um, alright… If there's nothing else, I'd like to get started on my work," she murmured, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

"Fine, but give me a kiss, and I promise I'll leave you to your work," Nolan said with a playful grin, setting his condition.

Sucrose's cheeks reddened, her soft lips slightly pursed. "Alright… but just a quick one."

Though she still felt a bit shy, she had kissed him many times by now, so taking the initiative wasn't too hard.

Leaning in, Sucrose quickly pecked his lips and pulled back right away.

"There, that's done." She buried her face in the crook of his neck, her voice a soft murmur.

"…."

Nolan felt a bit let down. That wasn't exactly what he'd meant by a kiss.

Well then, guess I'll have to make her regret teasing me.

With a smirk, he pulled her closer, his hand resting gently on her stomach while the other traced down her thigh.

"Eek!"

Sucrose's face scrunched as she tried to squirm away, only to find her legs pinned.

That mischievous jerk.

After a few failed attempts to wriggle free, she sighed and relaxed, surrendering to his embrace.

Watching her cute, twitching green ears, Nolan moved in without hesitation, capturing her lips once more.

This time, Sucrose reciprocated slowly.

After a few moments, she lay back in his arms, panting softly, her usual strength sapped.

A small pout formed on her lips as she turned away from him.

While kisses with him always filled her with warmth, they also left her body feeling strange, overheated, and weak, needing a while to recover.

In such moments, she often found herself daydreaming, almost wishing they'd take things to the next level.

This was progressing way too quickly—she wasn't ready for such thoughts yet!

Nolan could see Sucrose wasn't quite prepared for anything more. But after so many times of just kissing, he figured they were probably close.

Maybe next time he'd invite her over, and things might naturally progress.

With a hopeful smile, he entertained the thought.

"Alright then, Sucrose, I'll leave you to your work," he said, grinning as she finally caught her breath.

"Hmph! Not so fast—you've delayed me this whole time. You have to help me with my work to make up for it," she said, still holding onto his neck.

Kiss and dash? Not so easy!

Nolan quickly sensed that Mona was still sound asleep in the "wonderland."

Well, since that was the case, he might as well spend some time with Sucrose.

Lately, her research on a healing salve had hit a bit of a wall. But their little moment together seemed to have sparked some new inspiration.

She wanted to try separating the healing effects and growth-boosting properties of the salve.

He suggested enhancing each element separately, aiming to complete the two project goals that way.

Of course, this wasn't easy, and by the time Nolan noticed that Mona was starting to wake up and found an excuse to leave, the project had only shown slight progress. However, with Sucrose's skills, she'd likely have more substantial results in about a week.

Sucrose didn't hold him back from leaving, either; for now, she didn't really need his assistance.

Besides, his help often came with a little too much "distraction."

---

Streets of Mondstadt

Walking along the cobblestone streets, Nolan found a secluded spot, opened a "gate," and stepped into the "Wonderland."

Mona blinked her eyes open, still half-asleep, yawning as she glanced around.

Though she was surrounded by a vast sea of stars, the space felt empty—there was no one else here.

Wait.

Where was Nolan?

Just as Mona wondered this, the "door" opened in front of her, and a familiar figure stepped in.

"Whew, you! I thought you'd abandoned me and run off," Mona said, rubbing her eyes and visibly relaxing.

"Uh… why would I do that?" Nolan noticed a trace of reproach in her gaze for some reason.

Strange.

He couldn't recall doing anything that might have upset her.

"Oh, by the way, we've already arrived in Mondstadt!" he said, deciding not to overthink it. After all, girls could sometimes have these sudden moods.

"We're already here? How long did I sleep for? That's impossible!" Mona said in surprise, getting to her feet.

"Just one night," Nolan explained briefly, mentioning how he'd transported them.

"Oh, so that's one of your abilities. Then why didn't you say so before? I wouldn't have had to endure all that wind!"

Mona crossed her arms, looking at him with mild annoyance.

"Well, we'd just met yesterday, remember? But that was my bad—I shouldn't have held back from my master. As an apology, I'll share this ability with you!"

Nolan chuckled awkwardly and summoned a golden "Waymark," handing it over to Mona.

"Really?" Mona's eyes widened in surprise. Maybe he was more generous than she'd thought. "So, tell me honestly, do you have a thing for me?"

With hands on her hips, she recalled the vision she'd had last night of their fates intertwining and decided to address it directly.

"Huh? Why do you ask that?" Nolan was taken aback by her perceptiveness.

"Because… well…" Mona bit her lip and confessed her discovery about their shared fate.

"Oh? Is that right?"

Nolan didn't know much about astrology, but he figured she might be misunderstanding something. Then again, it was a misunderstanding he didn't mind.

Nolan could tell that Mona didn't seem opposed to the idea of becoming his destined lover.

Maybe he should be open about his feelings; it might just help move things along between them.

"Well, if you've noticed, I won't deny it. So… what do you think, Mona?"

Nolan sighed, then looked at her with a hopeful expression.

"Hmph, that depends on how you behave! If you're good to me from now on, I might be open to it," Mona said, feigning calm despite her shyness.

Even if fate had intertwined them, she wanted to make sure he'd treat her well in the future. A little test was only fair.

"Of course! I'd rather neglect myself than ever be bad to you."

Score!

Nolan couldn't believe how quickly things had turned around, and before he knew it, he'd instinctively pulled her into a warm embrace.

"Hey, idiot, what do you think you're doing? I haven't agreed yet! How shameless!" Mona scolded, pressing her hands against his shoulders to push him back, glaring at him with her hands on her hips.

"Ahem, here, take this," he said, quickly passing her the "waymark" to change the subject.

"Hmph! Much better!"

Mona took the golden orb, and as she prepared to ask how to use it, it suddenly disappeared into her palm, and she immediately understood her new ability.

[Mona Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 280 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.5 (200/500)]

Now that they had arrived in Mondstadt, Mona figured it was best to retrieve her master's box as soon as possible.

Better to avoid any potential complications.

Everything else can be discussed later.

After a quick freshening up, Mona dressed and followed Nolan out of the "Wonderland."

They found a restaurant in town for breakfast, after which Mona summoned her water divination bowl to locate her master's friend's successor.

Nolan followed her through Mondstadt's winding streets until they arrived at the Knights of Favonius headquarters.

"This is it! My divination tells me if we wait here a bit, the 'successor' will show up!" Mona said with confidence as she looked at the Knights' building.

This seemed likely.

Nolan nodded to himself; after all, if Klee wasn't sneaking out, she was usually around the headquarters.

"Instead of just standing here, why don't we go inside and have a look?" he suggested, turning to Mona. "I know the people here well, so I'm sure I can help you find who you need."

"Alright, that could work." Mona nodded in agreement.

Just as Nolan was about to push the door open, Mona grabbed his arm. "Wait, I can feel her getting closer! I'm starting to see her clearly—a girl, wearing a hat, with yellow hair, and not too tall!"

Mona turned around, spotting a small girl bouncing toward them. She pointed and said excitedly, "That's her! Could it be she sensed my presence and arrived at just the right time? Truly worthy of my master's old rival's successor!"

"Hmm? Do you need something, Miss Starry Hat?" Klee asked with a curious tilt of her head as she approached the headquarters.

Then, noticing Nolan, she broke into a wide smile. "Hey, it's the Honorary Knight! Long time no see! Are you here to visit Klee today?"

"Yes! And here's a lollipop for you," Nolan said, holding it out to her. "This lady here has some questions—could you help her out?"

Knowing Mona was here to see Klee, Nolan had bought a lollipop for her earlier, guessing it might make things smoother.

"Yay, a lollipop! Thanks, Honorary Knight!" Klee cheered as she took the treat with both hands and then turned to Mona. "Ask me anything, Miss!"

"Hold on—shouldn't an astrologist like you already know why I'm here?" Mona asked Nolan, puzzled.

Wait a second, if this girl was truly her master's rival's successor, wouldn't she already know something so basic?

"Astrology? What's that? Is it tasty?" Klee looked up at Mona with a quizzical expression.

"What?!" Mona's eyes went wide. Could her divination have been wrong? Was she searching for someone else entirely?

She was full of questions.

"Alright, enough standing around out here. Let's go inside and talk," Nolan suggested, smiling at both of them.

Once they were in the main hall of the Knights' building, they found Captain Jean busily working in her office. Deciding not to disturb her, Nolan led Mona and Klee to the library.

Miss Lisa was away, so they sat in a cozy spot, allowing Mona and Klee to discuss things at length.

Klee, a quick learner, soon understood that Mona had come to retrieve a strange box that Klee's mother had left for her.

She had planned to fill it with her own "treasures" and hide it somewhere outside, but seeing that this lady needed it, she decided to give it back.

Klee nodded and dropped her backpack on the table before running off to fetch the box.

A black book, along with a few red Dodoco-shaped bombs, rolled out of her slightly opened bag.

Nolan's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly reached over to secure the bombs.

If one accidentally detonated, damaging the library, he wouldn't be getting out of here easily. Lisa would make sure he learned all about the wonders of electrotherapy!

Mona, waiting for Klee, started to get a bit bored and casually picked up the black book that had fallen out, flipping through it idly.

Nolan hesitated but ultimately decided not to mention that this book was the real item she was looking for.

So, as expected, events unfolded just like the original story:

Klee returned with the box, which turned out to be empty. When a nervous Mona asked where the contents were, Klee said that the book in her hand was what she needed.

Realizing the truth, Mona let out a cry of despair.

Having read her master's diary from her younger years, she felt there was no way she could face her master again. Surely, she'd be killed if she returned!

Left with no other choice, she decided to stay in Mondstadt for a while to lay low.

To this, Nolan could only be very pleased.

(End of Chapter)

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