I, Noelle, Persuade With Reason! [3]

Noelle stopped mid-step and turned, looking at Diluc in surprise.

He’s asking for a spar? That’s not something the famously stoic Master Diluc would say… Did he notice something unusual?

“Why?” Noelle didn’t agree right away, instead asking with curiosity.

Diluc’s brows knitted together. The old Noelle would never have answered like that.

She’s changed so much in just a dozen days… Could she have been possessed by an Abyss Mage?

“It’s nothing. There just aren’t many claymore users in Mondstadt, and I’ve hit a bottleneck. I figured a spar might help me break through. Could you help me out?”

It was a spur-of-the-moment excuse, but Diluc did want to test Noelle. Still, he kept his serious, unsmiling facade; with his acting skills, Noelle surely wouldn’t refuse.

But what Diluc didn’t know was that, as a fellow claymore user who’d fought alongside him through countless runs in the Abyss, Noelle knew him far better than Jean or Kaeya—his temperament, his strength, his everything. There was no way she’d be tricked by such a flimsy excuse.

After all, as a maxed-out maid, her [Constellations], [Vision], and [Talents] had all been developed to their limits. Her overall strength stood at the very peak of what any human in Teyvat could reach. With the best weapons and artifacts, she could go toe-to-toe with an archon.

By comparison, Diluc—so mighty in-game—still had a ways to go in reality.

Noelle had no interest in sparring where the gap was this wide. All she wanted was a quiet life.

So, as Diluc watched her expectantly, Noelle simply shook her head. “You make a good case, but… I refuse!”

Diluc, brimming with confidence, was left speechless. But at least his probing had gotten him halfway to an answer.

If this were the old Noelle, she would never have refused a request for help. Even if she was too busy, she’d agree first and figure things out later.

Still, pestering people wasn’t Diluc’s style. He suppressed the urge to force the issue and decided to look into it on his own, quietly.

“Pity.” Diluc returned to his usual terseness, and after holding Noelle’s gaze for a few seconds, he bent down to polish his [Favonius Greatsword].

Adeline, the head maid in white stockings, noticed and, thinking Diluc was upset, hurried over to Noelle. She took Noelle’s hand and smiled warmly. “It must be exhausting being a maid for the Knights. Why not come work at Dawn Winery instead?”

Noelle found that, in person, Adeline was even younger and more beautiful than she’d imagined. The maid uniform, paired with her elegant stockings and calm, composed aura, was hard not to like.

“As long as you’re here, Dawn Winery doesn’t need me. I wouldn’t be of much help anyway. If there’s nothing else, I’ll get going.”

The faint fragrance clinging to Adeline made Noelle a little embarrassed. She wasn’t great at socializing—especially with beautiful older women.

Adeline found Noelle’s bashfulness charming; she’d always liked serious, hardworking kids.

“All right then. If you ever pass by the winery, remember to come inside and visit,” Adeline said, letting go of Noelle’s hand.

“I will.” Noelle nodded, then took her leave.

Leaving Dawn Winery, Noelle walked down the slope, keeping an ear out for any explosions—but she didn’t hear a thing.

There were a few ore veins glimmering in the cracks of some nearby rocks. On instinct, Noelle pulled out the [Debate Club] and knocked the ores loose in a few swings, stashing them in her backpack.

It wasn’t until she’d finished that she realized: Even after more than ten days in this world, I still can’t break my farming habit.

Dusting herself off, Noelle walked a dozen meters to a structure with an ancient look, giving it a close inspection.

“So this is a teleport waypoint? How do you actually use it? I heard the teleportation process breaks you down into data and reassembles you somewhere else… Just thinking about it is kind of creepy.”

As a relic of an ancient civilization, the secrets behind teleportation were many. Maybe it was related to ley lines, or even Celestia.

Noelle poked around for a while, but couldn’t find any way to activate it and finally gave up.

After a bit more walking, a scream suddenly rang out ahead. Noelle jogged over and found two people by the lakeside, surrounded by Cryo slimes.

“Stay back! Go get Master Diluc!”

One of them was panicking, and when he saw Noelle, he pleaded with her to fetch Diluc for help.

The other seemed a little calmer and, recognizing Noelle, immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

“Noelle, help!”

Four Cryo slimes bounced and rolled around the two of them—honestly, they looked kind of cute.

Noelle hoisted the [Debate Club], ran over, and swept the weapon in a wide arc. To her surprise, she took out three of the slimes in a single blow, leaving only sparkling slime condensate on the ground.

The largest Cryo slime got clipped by the edge of the attack—its icy armor shattered to pieces, revealing a big bald, white head.

The two people hiding behind Noelle were stunned speechless. Was the Knights’ maid really this strong?

“I just have a bit more strength than average, that’s all. No need to be surprised,” Noelle explained, putting away the [Debate Club].

Then she activated her [Breastplate], striding straight over to the now-bald Cryo slime and scooping it up in her arms.

So chilly… This would be perfect for cooling off in summer, or chilling a watermelon. Wait—are there watermelons in Teyvat?

Noelle drifted into thought, letting the Cryo slime bounce harmlessly against her geo shield.

Suddenly, with a pop, the big Cryo slime in her arms exploded, showering her in shards of ice.

What just happened? Noelle was at a loss. Isn’t [Breastplate] only supposed to deal damage when you first cast it? How could this… Was the geo element concentration too high for the slime to handle?

Her skill levels had become so high, she was starting to accidentally change the environment itself—she hadn’t realized her abilities could deal so much damage.

I’ll have to be more careful using [Breastplate] from now on. Otherwise, I might hurt someone by mistake. Better not activate my shield in a crowd—otherwise the enemies will be fine, and my own teammates will go down first.

Once again, Noelle found herself reevaluating her own strength.

The sound of the slime exploding had scared the two bystanders into shrieks, but when Noelle turned to look at them, they immediately clamped their mouths shut, waving their hands nervously.

Noelle knew she’d scared them without meaning to, but she couldn’t be bothered to explain. She just stooped to pick up the leftover slime condensate and went on her way.

The two, left weak-kneed on the ground, glanced at each other in shock. Once Noelle was out of sight, they scrambled up and dashed for Dawn Winery.

Noelle paid no mind to what they thought. She climbed the steps ahead, passing through a stone archway flanked by sheer cliffs. Wolvendom was just off to the right.

Taking the long way around would be a pain. After a moment’s hesitation, Noelle decided to just climb the cliff herself.

A few seconds later, she was standing at the top—no sweat, not even out of breath.

A fresh breeze brushed her face. Noelle looked down at her soft, delicate hands.

It’s amazing that a body so small and gentle can hold such tremendous strength.

Suddenly, Noelle sensed someone watching her. She spun around, and sure enough—on a distant clifftop, an Abyss Mage was lurking.

The Abyss Mage seemed startled to be discovered, then let out an odd cackle, as if trying to cover his embarrassment. He gave a mocking little bow in midair, like he was taunting her, and, seeing Noelle uninterested, finally slipped away.

Noelle didn’t bother pulling out her “forty-meter blade”—she just let him go. Still, it was clear: the Abyss Order had their eyes on her now, and they weren’t likely to let it go.

She waited a bit, but when the mage didn’t return, Noelle felt a little disappointed. So, she continued searching for Klee.

Finally, as she approached Wolvendom, Noelle heard Klee’s laughter.

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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!