Jean left the Knights of Favonius headquarters, changing into casual clothes. She planned to use this evening to thoroughly investigate the rumors about Barbara, to determine whether they were baseless or held some truth.
"Brothers, cheers! Five of a kind!"
"I once hunted the Boar King of Dragonspine. Don't you doubt me!"
"Your wife won't let you out for drinks again, huh? Ah, marriage is really..."
Jean pushed open the door and entered the Angel's Share. As the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, burdened with the responsibilities of managing a group of overgrown children, she rarely had time to visit a tavern for relaxation.
She had come here tonight because the bustling crowd made it easier to gather the information she needed.
"Bartender, another Death After Noon," Kaeya, already somewhat drunk, leaned on the bar and ordered another drink.
The bartender tonight wasn't Charles but Diluc, who expressionlessly swatted Kaeya's hand off the bar before swiftly mixing a Death After Noon and placing it in front of him.
"Drink up and get out," Diluc said coldly.
"Hahaha, no way. It's not often I find you behind the bar. I can't miss this chance to have a few more drinks," Kaeya laughed heartily. Hearing this, Diluc silently turned around, pulled out a cloth, and began polishing his Favonius Greatsword, clearly preparing for something.
"Is this how Kaeya usually acts?" Jean, who had taken a seat in a secluded corner, covered her face. She had never seen Kaeya like this before. Honestly, it was quite damaging to the Knights of Favonius' image.
"Wait, didn't I send Kaeya out to clear out monsters?" Jean suddenly remembered. While they were at Stormterror's Lair to rescue Dvalin, the Abyss Order had launched an attack on Mondstadt using monsters.
Although the Knights had repelled the monster army, some stragglers still lingered around Mondstadt, and many obstacles left by the attack remained uncleared.
She had clearly assigned Kaeya to eliminate the monsters, so why was he here at the Angel's Share, getting drunk?
At this thought, Jean's face darkened. I've been working myself to the bone handling Mondstadt's affairs, finally squeezing out some time for personal matters, and you dare to skip your mission to drink here?
With that, Jean stood up and walked toward Kaeya.
After finishing polishing his sword, Diluc turned around and noticed the approaching figure. A faint smile appeared on his lips as he stowed his Favonius Greatsword back into his Vision. This left Kaeya, who had been preparing to flee, utterly confused.
Has this guy changed? He's not going to cut me down?
"It seems I won't need to intervene. The person who can deal with you is here."
Hearing Diluc's words, Kaeya suddenly felt a hand grip his shoulder—and it wasn't gentle. The grip was strong enough to make his shoulder ache.
He stiffly turned his head to see Acting Grand Master Jean, who should have been working, standing behind him, radiating a dark aura.
"J-Jean, what a coincidence," Kaeya forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. He had planned to push his mission onto a junior Knight and enjoy a night of drinking, but he hadn't expected to run into Jean. This was a disaster.
"Captain Kaeya, don't you owe me an explanation?" Jean smiled kindly, but her clenched fists were already cracking.
"Acting Grand Master, I'm sorry! It's my fault!" Kaeya immediately backed down. After all, he was in the wrong, and someone as meticulous as Jean wouldn't be easily fooled. Admitting his mistake was the best course of action.
"Since you've admitted your mistake, I won't punish you too severely. Let's just dock three months' salary as a warning to others."
Jean's words struck Kaeya like a bolt of lightning. He wasn't the type to save money, living paycheck to paycheck. The next few months would be tough.
Seeing Kaeya's reaction, Jean nodded in satisfaction. The punishment seemed to have worked.
"Stop pretending to be dead. Go finish your mission!"
Kaeya was promptly kicked out of the Angel's Share to complete the mission he had neglected.
"Acting Grand Master, what brings you to the Angel's Share?" Diluc picked up a wine glass and mixed a non-alcoholic drink for Jean.
"Thank you, Senior Diluc," Jean accepted the drink, took a few sips, and then answered Diluc's question.
"I'm here to investigate something. Have you heard any rumors lately, Senior Diluc?" Jean didn't hide her intentions. In her heart, Diluc was completely trustworthy.
"You're asking about the rumors concerning Deaconess Barbara, aren't you?" Diluc immediately understood Jean's purpose and got straight to the point. After all, he was one of the few who knew about Jean and Barbara's relationship.
"That's right, Senior Diluc. Please, I need to know," Jean set down her glass and bowed slightly.
"I've heard the rumors, and from what I know, there's a high chance they're true."
"Really?!" Jean felt her heart skip a beat, her emotions momentarily spiraling out of control. After taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she resolutely asked, "Senior Diluc, do you know who that person is?"
"I think you should ask Barbara yourself—as her sister," Diluc didn't answer directly but suggested that Jean approach Barbara personally.
"I..." Jean fell silent, unsure how to face Barbara.
Seeing Jean's hesitation, Diluc shook his head. "I don't know who that person is either, but I've heard he has silver hair. That might be a starting point for your investigation."
Diluc pointed Jean in a direction, as he hadn't investigated the matter deeply himself. After all, the rumor had only surfaced recently, and they had been busy dealing with the Stormterror crisis.
"Silver hair? Thank you, Senior Diluc." Having obtained the information she needed, Jean downed her drink and left the Angel's Share.
Diluc watched Jean's retreating figure and sighed. He had a pretty good idea of who Barbara's crush was—it was likely his new superior, Yun Fan.
But this wasn't something he should interfere with. Matters between his superior and his junior's sister were best left to them. In this matter, he was merely an outsider.