I, Noelle, Persuade With Reason! [14]

“Huff, huff—so hot! Noelle, can I eat it now?”

Holding a freshly cooked mushroom-and-chicken skewer, Klee blew eagerly, her small nose twitching at the delicious scent. She couldn’t wait any longer.

“Careful, don’t burn yourself.” Noelle glanced up the hillside, noting it was quiet again—the Hilichurls had probably been cleared out.

Sure enough, Amber and Lumine soon emerged, carrying an assortment of loot: one weapon, two carrots, and three cabbages.

“Wow, smells amazing!”

Eyes closed, Paimon floated blissfully toward the aroma, nearly tumbling into Lynn’s cooking pot before Noelle grabbed her just in time.

“Little glutton, here—take this. Wait, it's hot, let it cool first!”

Unable to resist, Paimon immediately bit into the steaming skewer. Tears sprang to her eyes from the burn, and she bounced frantically mid-air.

Klee watched sympathetically, glancing down at her own now-perfectly edible skewer. With a reluctant sigh, she bravely extended her skewer toward Paimon, mumbling softly:

“Um...Paimon, if you’re hungry, you can eat mine first.”

“Really? Ah...never mind, I'm not hungry!” Despite drooling visibly, Paimon maintained her dignity as "emergency food"—she couldn't snatch a child's food.

“Well, okay then,” Klee immediately returned to eating happily, leaving Paimon watching enviously.

“Noelle~ I want one too!” Amber squeezed in beside Noelle, eyes glued hungrily to the pot.

“Here you go.” Noelle handed her a skewer, gently patting Amber’s head.

Who’s left?

Noelle turned toward Lumine, raising another skewer invitingly.

Unexpectedly, Lumine hesitated, eyes fixated on the food yet stammering shyly, “Ah, it’s okay, really…”

Confused at first, Noelle quickly realized something and reassured her: “Don’t worry—I won’t pat your head.”

Instantly relieved, Lumine dashed forward, gratefully accepting the skewer.

She was worried about that? A bit silly, but adorable. Noelle chuckled quietly and picked up another skewer for herself.

A pitiful voice suddenly came from behind:

“Um...since you used my pot, can I have a bite too?”

They’d completely forgotten Lynn!

Noelle quickly turned, warmly inviting Lynn to join in.

...

Minutes later, everyone was contentedly full. Three skewers remained, so Noelle wrapped them up for Jean and Lisa.

After bidding Lynn goodbye, the group headed back to Mondstadt.

Crossing the bridge, they spotted Timmie, still fuming about the earlier pigeon incident and glaring at Amber.

Noelle paused, smiling sweetly as she approached him.

“Little cutie, still upset? Don’t be angry~ Are you hungry? Here, this is fresh from the grill, and super tasty!”

Patting Timmie’s shoulder soothingly, Noelle took a skewer from the box and handed it to him.

Amber and Lumine exchanged wary glances, sensing something was off.

With a small grunt, Timmie reluctantly accepted the skewer. Under Noelle’s expectant gaze, he quickly devoured it.

After eating, Timmie’s mood improved. Though he forgave Amber, he still sternly reminded her:

“Don’t shoot the pigeons on this bridge again, understand?”

Noelle smiled sweetly, pulling out another skewer.

“Of course. Want another one?”

Timmie couldn’t understand why this nice big sister treated him so well. Maybe he really was just that cute.

Tempted by the aroma, Timmie reached out for the second skewer. As he took another bite, Noelle suddenly clapped her hands dramatically.

“Oh no! I just remembered something really important!”

“Huh?” Timmie paused, mouth full.

“I forgot to tell you—the mushroom-chicken skewer you’re eating…is actually made from pigeons that Amber shot earlier.” Noelle carefully watched Timmie's reaction.

Sure enough, upon hearing this devastating revelation, Timmie froze in horror, the half-chewed meat still in his mouth. His eyes welled with tears as he looked from the skewer to Noelle, his lower lip quivering.

“Pigeons are adorable… How could you eat them?” Timmie’s voice trembled, close to sobbing.

“I'm sorry! Please don’t cry, it was my mistake. Here, give that skewer back, I’ll throw it away,” Noelle quickly offered, struggling to suppress her laughter and feeling guilty as soon as he teared up.

But, to her astonishment, Timmie didn’t return the skewer. Instead, with a tragic expression, he swallowed the bite in his mouth—and defiantly took another huge mouthful.

Did I just traumatize him into madness? Noelle thought, bewildered.

“If you don’t want it, please don’t force yourself!” Noelle pleaded earnestly.

“I know...but…sniff…pigeon meat…is just…so tasty, I can't stop!”

Timmie cried openly as he finished the entire skewer, even letting out a satisfied burp at the end.

“Eh?” Noelle stared, utterly baffled.

Timmie stared blankly at the empty skewer stick in his hand, tears streaming down his face, yet still smacking his lips greedily.

To make matters worse, Noelle hadn’t closed the food box, revealing the last aromatic skewer still inside, enticing Timmie relentlessly.

“You…alright?” Noelle was genuinely concerned he might break down entirely.

“Waaaah…I’m fine…big sister, um…could I maybe have one more?”

In the end, Timmie succumbed completely to temptation. Even through blurred tears, his appetite overwhelmed him.

“Uh, here,” Noelle quickly handed him the final skewer.

Wiping his tears away, Timmie took it gratefully, chewing slowly and savoring each bite. Gradually, his sobs quieted, and he stopped crying altogether.

After a moment of silence, Noelle cautiously asked, “Would you want more next time?”

Blushing and stammering, Timmie finally admitted shyly under Noelle’s gaze, “Yes…”

All’s well, Noelle sighed with relief.

“Then, make sure to keep feeding the pigeons every day, alright?” she reminded mischievously.

“…Okay,” Timmie reluctantly agreed after hesitating.

Chuckling softly, Noelle packed up the box and prepared to leave. Only then did she notice Lumine and Paimon staring at her oddly.

“Noelle, are you actually a demon?” Paimon asked curiously, hiding timidly behind Lumine.

“I bet demons wouldn’t even be this ruthless,” Lumine murmured softly, clearly shaken.

Barely arrived and already frightened by a local of Mondstadt—thank goodness Lumine hadn’t met Xiangling, Liyue’s culinary daredevil, who would surely traumatize her for a century.

Amber, on the other hand, was utterly delighted, clinging cheerfully to Noelle’s arm, staring affectionately at her face.

Only Klee remained adorably clueless. “Did he cry because it tasted so good?”

Noelle smiled softly without explanation. After this brief, unusual episode, the group finally entered Mondstadt.

---

T/N: holy shit they broke Timmie

This is a fan translation of 我，诺艾尔，以理服人！ by 暗香浮动 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!