I, Noelle, Persuade With Reason! [5]

As the Wolf King spoke, he casually regenerated his front paw, sounding almost cheerful.

“Really? How about today? I want a golden artifact.” Noelle pulled out the [Debate Club], looking ready for battle.

Though Noelle had reached full [Constellation], her power was far from capped—her swordsmanship, weapons, and artifacts could still improve, just much more slowly now.

The Wolf King took another step back, clearly uninterested in fighting. He was woefully unprepared for a match today and would likely be beaten badly by Noelle, especially with Razor watching. For a god to lose face like that? Unthinkable!

“Hmph, not today. Some other time,” the Wolf King said curtly, then vanished without giving Noelle any chance to argue.

Noelle stood there, sword in hand, momentarily baffled by the Wolf King’s retreat.

Just then, Klee and Razor ran up.

“Noelle, you’re amazing!” Klee waved her little hands in the air, eyes wide with wonder.

Razor stood silently beside her, still processing the fact that the Wolf King had dodged the fight—it had never occurred to him that would happen.

Noelle grinned, scooped Klee into her arms, and reminded Razor to stay safe before heading off.

On the way back, Klee nestled quietly in Noelle’s arms, glancing up at her from time to time—only to hurriedly look away whenever Noelle met her gaze.

“What’s wrong?” Noelle was curious. Klee was usually so lively and playful, it was rare to see her so subdued.

“Hee hee, it’s nothing.” Klee giggled, then simply buried her head against Noelle’s chest.

A faint scent drifted up to her nose, making Klee blush as she thought to herself, Noelle is so strong and gentle. Compared to her, Master Jean is way stricter—but they’re both good people. I kind of miss Mom… Wonder where she’s off adventuring this time. Why didn’t she bring me with her?

Noelle had no idea what was running through the little one’s mind. Cradling Klee with her left arm, she used her right to support Klee’s bomb-laden backpack, forcing herself to ignore the ticklish feeling of Klee’s breath against her chest and simply enjoying the warmth spreading through her body.

Once they’d left the forest and were nearing Springvale, Klee finally looked up, tugged Noelle’s sleeve, and said a bit shyly, “Noelle, can you put me down?”

“Don’t worry, I’m not tired at all,” Noelle replied, a little reluctant—Klee was soft and sweet, and hugging her was pure bliss.

Klee ducked her head, poking her index fingers together nervously. After hesitating for a moment and seeing that they were about to run into other people, she mustered up her courage.

“Um… Noelle, I’m a big kid now. Even though being carried feels nice, if people see, they’ll laugh at me…”

“Oh? Ah—sorry, sorry!” Noelle quickly set her down, unable to hide her amused smile.

Klee slung her backpack on and hopped in place, then scampered ahead with a few cheerful skips. Suddenly she stopped, glanced back, and saw Noelle still standing in the same spot.

Klee froze for a second. Did saying no to being carried make Noelle sad? With that, she hurried back, reached up, and took Noelle’s hand.

You adults are impossible… Klee sighed with exaggerated maturity. “Come on, let’s go blast some fish!” She could hardly wait.

“Alright, let’s go. But there’s no need for explosions today—I made a fishing rod, so we’re going to fish instead.” Noelle pulled a simple rod from her backpack, the line and hook already set up.

“Do it again, do it again!” Klee clapped, bouncing excitedly.

“This?” Noelle put the rod away, blew into her palm—and sure enough, the fishing rod appeared out of thin air.

“Whoa, amazing!” Klee circled Noelle in awe, searching for any place she could’ve hidden the rod. Under her clothes? It was way too long to hide under there!

“That’s the end of the magic show. Let’s go fish. I’ll make you boiled fish later,” Noelle said, never tired of teasing little kids.

“Boiled fish!” Klee’s focus shifted instantly. She forgot all about explosions—her mind was now filled with delicious food, and she swallowed a few times in anticipation.

Noelle took Klee’s small hand and led her to the shores of Cider Lake. The water was clear and lush with aquatic plants.

With Mondstadt’s small population and abundant resources, foraging, hunting, and the odd bit of farming were enough to meet everyone’s needs. That meant Cider Lake was barely fished, the waters teeming with life. Noelle had made her fishing gear for exactly this reason.

Finding a good spot, Noelle baited the hook and cast the line. Klee watched with eager curiosity from the side.

A few minutes later, one of the lake’s unsuspecting fish—having only developed a “fear” of Klee’s waterproof bombs—bit the hook without hesitation. Noelle reeled in a plump golden bass with ease.

She fetched a wooden bucket from her backpack, filled it with a bit of water, and dropped the fish inside.

Klee’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the wriggling fish. If she’d used a bomb, it’d already be cooked! Fishing really was fun.

“Noelle, can I try?” Klee skipped over, blinking up at her, full of expectation.

“For you, of course! Just don’t fall in. Here, stand in front of me.” Noelle motioned for Klee to stand between her arms, then reached around so they could hold the fishing rod together.

“There’s a fish! It’s coming!” Klee whispered.

“Shh…”

“Oh, right!”

Soon enough, Klee managed to catch a fish of her own. The sense of accomplishment filled her with joy—she crouched by the bucket, eyes fixed on her prize, touching it now and then and giggling with delight.

For some reason, just seeing Klee so happy made Noelle want to laugh too.

Time passed quickly, and before she realized it, more than an hour had gone by. Their haul was even better than Noelle expected—the bucket was now brimming with over a dozen fish, more than enough for lunch.

This was all thanks to the “simple-minded” fish of Cider Lake—after all, they were the kind you could just scoop up while swimming, so it was no wonder they had zero wariness about bait.

Noelle recalled the time she’d nearly “drowned” herself chasing fish in-game. Fishing really is a lot easier.

Even more important: in the game, you could fish fully dressed, but in real life, she’d have to take off her armor to swim—which was way too much hassle.

Honestly, if the game forced you to strip to swim, I bet the player count would shoot up…

Noelle brushed the silly thought aside, picked up the bucket, and set off for Mondstadt with Klee.

After checking in with Jean, Noelle deftly set to work making boiled fish.

At lunchtime, Noelle divided up the cooked fish, serving portions for Klee, Jean, Lisa, Amber, and Sucrose, and even setting aside a fish each for Diona and Barbara.

Being a maid meant she got to interact with everyone. But unlike before, Noelle no longer treated everyone exactly the same.

Everyone else? Sorry—if you’re not a cute girl, no service. Not even for the Anemo Archon.

Fischl, the self-styled princess? Little Amy was pampered by her parents and rarely showed up.

Mona? She hadn’t come to Mondstadt yet—Noelle had been waiting a long time.

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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!