"Honorary Knight and Mr. Venti, hello. I'm Barbara, the deaconess assigned by the church to retrieve the Holy Lyre," the lively, golden-haired, twin-tailed girl greeted them with a genuine smile.
Barbara was already aware of these matters. Recently, due to the divine decree, her status in the church had skyrocketed. As a result, she was now in charge of retrieving the Holy Lyre.
"Though I may not be as qualified as Acting Grand Master Jean, I still want to thank you for your contributions to Mondstadt. On behalf of the Church of Favonius, I offer you our sincerest gratitude," Barbara bowed gracefully, performing an elegant deaconess's salute.
"Miss Barbara is so beautiful!" Although they had met before, Paimon couldn't help but marvel. Unlike Lumine's heroic and spirited demeanor, Barbara was elegant and cute, evoking a sense of endearment.
"Thank you, Paimon," Barbara smiled politely.
"Indeed, but our lovely and graceful Barbara already has someone in her heart," Venti teased with a mischievous grin, causing Barbara's cheeks to flush slightly.
"Huh? Oh, right! I remember now, bard, you issued a…"
"Ahem…" Venti coughed twice, signaling Paimon not to reveal his identity. After all, he knew his believers well. If Barbara found out he was Barbatos, the consequences…
Understanding Venti's hint, Lumine grabbed Paimon and covered her mouth, turning her words into muffled noises.
"Pfft, so salty! Traveler, did you not wash your hands?!" Paimon struggled free, spitting and looking disgusted, only to be met with Lumine's murderous glare.
"So, who is the person Miss Barbara has set her heart on?" Paimon swallowed nervously, cowering under Lumine's gaze.
"Ugh… stop talking about it! We're here for business. Please hand over the Holy Lyre!" Barbara, her face red, quickly changed the subject. She didn't want to dwell on this topic.
"Alright, alright," seeing that the subject made Barbara uncomfortable, Venti and Lumine decided not to press further.
"Here you go, the Holy Lyre," Venti took out the freshly restored lyre from his storage space. The strings, previously broken by the Abyss Mage, were now perfectly repaired, with no trace of damage.
"The bard is really amazing," Paimon remarked.
"Mhm, alright. On behalf of the church, I'll take the Holy Lyre… huh?" Barbara smiled as she accepted the lyre, caressing its strings like a treasure. Suddenly, her expression changed, and she let out a surprised sound. Even Lumine seemed to notice something was off.
"What's wrong?" Venti asked nervously, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
Did they notice something? Venti hadn't actually repaired the Holy Lyre. Instead, he had cast an illusion on it to cover up the damage. After all, the Holy Lyre was just a lyre he had used in the past. It wasn't worth expending divine power to repair.
Barbara didn't respond. She continued to run her fingers over the lyre until she reached the previously damaged area. She blinked, her light blue eyes like clear lake water, as a golden feather floated onto the surface, creating ripples.
Hum—
A gentle force flowed from Barbara's fingertips onto the Holy Lyre, followed by the sound of glass shattering. The illusion on the lyre was broken, revealing its true state.
"This…" Venti's mouth hung open. He hadn't expected his illusion to be broken so easily. Where did that leave his dignity as the Anemo Archon?
While Venti was shocked, Lumine looked at Barbara with a complicated expression. She recognized the power Barbara had just used—it was the same "Fenghuang Down" that Yun Fan had bestowed upon her.
Why does Barbara also have this 'feather'? What is her relationship with Yun Fan? Could it be that the person acknowledged by the Anemo Archon is Yun Fan? If that's the case, how does Yun Fan see me? Did he ask me to go ahead so he could stay in Mondstadt with Barbara?
In that moment, countless questions and thoughts flashed through Lumine's mind. She felt a dull ache in her chest, as if she had lost something important.
"Uh, I can explain. Hehe!" Venti said awkwardly, trying to lighten the mood with a small joke. But it didn't seem to work on Barbara. The atmosphere grew heavier, making him even more embarrassed.
At this point, he wished he could crawl into a hole. Having his illusion broken in front of others was too embarrassing—no, too humiliating for a god!
"Sigh… Lord Barbatos, there's no need to explain. The Holy Lyre is your possession. You have the right to do as you please with it," Barbara exhaled and shook her head, speaking honestly.
"You know my identity? I didn't mean to hide it from you, it's just…" Venti scratched his head awkwardly. After all, among everyone, Barbara was the only one who didn't know his identity. On the surface, it did seem a bit unfair.
"I understand. Yun Fan has already told me. I don't blame you, Lord Barbatos."
"That's good," Venti sighed in relief. He had thought he might lose a devout believer.
She calls him 'Yun Fan' so casually? Lumine's expression darkened. It seemed her earlier guess wasn't wrong. But no, she and Yun Fan were just travel companions. She had no right to demand anything from him. Who he chose to be with was his own right.
Lumine might not have realized it yet, but somewhere along the way, she had developed feelings for Yun Fan.
Was it when he effortlessly defeated Stormterror? When he agreed to become her travel companion and help her find her brother? Or when he gave her the 'feather'?
She couldn't quite pinpoint it herself. She only remembered that the first moment her heart skipped a beat was when Yun Fan had 'kidnapped' her.
"Since the Holy Lyre has been returned, we'll take our leave now," Lumine said, her mood low. Without waiting for a response, she turned and left.
"Huh? Traveler, wait for me! Wait for Paimon!" Paimon, Lumine's little companion and emergency food, quickly followed.
"Well, in that case, I'll take my leave too," Venti chuckled and left the Cathedral of Favonius, leaving Barbara standing alone, looking somewhat 'lonely.'