Return of The Maid-Knight (A Genshin Impact Fanfiction)

Rose Meets Lotus

After Aether and Ayaka went back to the city, they meet up with Noelle outside Lambad's tavern, in her miko disguise.

"Ah, Aether, Lady Ayaka, you're back."

"Good to see that you're safe, Noelle. But, we need to talk." Aether said.

"Is it about--"

"It is about you, Noelle. Why do you have a 50 million mora bounty on your head, and not telling Aether about it?" Ayaka asked, pulling out one of the posters that she ripped off from Port Ormos.

"It is complicated."

"Who warned you about the posters? That would've explained why you suddenly wanted to wear that getup." Aether asked.

"I could not tell. The time has yet to come."

"What's with that answer? Oi, Noelle!" Paimon raised her tone, as Noelle ran away, presumably out of guilt.

"At least the poster doesn't have her name on it. It simply says Maid-Knight of Mondstadt. Since she's the one who ended Signora like that, it would be obvious if the Fatui would be going after her using any way they can, even as pitiful as this." Aether sighs afterwards.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's head on to the Bazaar and talk to Dunyarzad."

With that, Paimon returns to her pocket dimension while Aether and Ayaka went over to the Grand Bazaar to find Dunyarzad. As for Noelle, she made her way to the upper level of the city, but she finds nobody there, but two Eremite mercenaries, one of them being a Desert Clearwater, and an Axe Vanguard.

"We've gotten lucky. You're coming with us, Miss." The Desert Clearwater said, while her Axe Vanguard twirls her axe in preparation.

"How did you know that I am..."

Then she realized it. Kusanali is not showing up because of these two, who would've been witnesses. Summoning Whiteblind, Noelle took on a stance. The Axe vanguard charged ahead overconfidently, and with one slash to the hip, she went down to the ground in an instant.

"I am warning you, Miss. Please, cease your action and I will heal her right back up. We shall never cross paths again."

The Desert Clearwater smirks, as she sees the wound that Noelle inflicted on the Vanguard's hip heals on by itself. Noelle sensed it, and became more aware of the situation. These two aren't Eremites, they're not even human.

Suddenly, the two mercenaries began to circle around Noelle in inhuman speeds, as the Desert Clearwater uses her two katars infused with hydro to attack. Noelle tries to defend herself by activating her shield, but she was a little late, as the Desert Clearwater's katar managed to inflict a cut on her left arm.

"I've forgotten, that I'm not wearing my armor..."

The Axe vanguard leaps into the air, and strikes down only to be pushed back by Noelle who used a palm strike to the chest. Her body then quickly deformed into a puddle of water.

"That's one down... But..."

The Desert Clearwater infuses her katars again, as Noelle charges up geo energy to Whiteblind's blade. The Katar wielding Eremite then went on to do a cartwheeling attack, which lands at a bad moment as when she reaches Noelle, her shield exploded, sending her flying backwards, however not before she managed to throw one of her blades toward Noelle, who is too late to deflect it. The blade fumbles off after getting hit by Whiteblind's blade at the last second, it's hydro infusion managing to scratch her left leg.

Quickly, Noelle charges forwards, and unleashed three horizontal slashes with Whiteblind, and ending with one vertical slash, which in the end sliced the Desert Clearwater into pieces. Her remains then turned into water as Noelle runs away, stepping on one of the droplets along the way. What she didn't notice is that the droplet begins to flow from her geta sandal to her bare ankle. The droplet is alive.

She ran towards the Grand Bazaar, only to meet with Aether who has a rather disappointed look in his face.

"What is wrong, Aether...? Is it because of my actions from before?"

"No, it turns out the Sabzeruz festival is tomorrow. I'm just tired, after what happened today. We're just heading over to a small place that Dunyarzad told us about for us to stay the night in the city."

"I see. Then I shall head with you there."

The party then headed on over to the small lodging house, and to Paimon's disappointment...

"There's only one bed!"

"It's not like you're joining in bed..."

"No, Aether. It can only fit two people! Where would one of you three sleep, then?"

"I'll sleep on the floor." Noelle instantly said.

"What? Noelle, you shouldn't..."

"I've brought my sleeping bag. It was always there ever since we moved in together in the Serenitea Pot."

Ayaka tries her best to hide her smile, as Noelle unmasks, and unfolds her sleeping bag on the floor. She instantly fell asleep upon lying down there. Ayaka and Aether slept a little later, talking about what to do during the festival, before finally dozing off after running out of topics.

During their slumber, they didn't notice a puddle of water flowing into the lodging, and the droplet from Noelle's ankle climbed on up to her cut wound, as the rest of the water then makes it way inside the other wounds.

Noelle sat on up, taking deep breaths. After letting out a smile to her sleeping master, she went outside, putting her mask on. She intended to take a little walk due to that sudden awakening. She felt nothing, until she heard a voice.

"I was wondering when I would reveal myself." It was loud and clear, as if it was nearby.

The sound is that of a girl, that is familiar to Noelle.

"What...? Who is that? Where are you?"

"I am speaking where you are now... Inside."

"W-what!?"

"Do you remember my voice now, Maid-Knight?"

"You... You're that dancer that we met at the Grand Bazaar... Miss Nilou..."

"It's good that you have remembered."

"Why are you..."

"In order to keep an eye out on the traveler, Aether's safety, this has to be done. By controlling the body of his most trusted companion."

"C-control...? You're lying."

"I'm not lying. As proof, go ahead and try to move your body."

Noelle then looked down to see her right arm moving by itself as she tried to resist by closing her hand to a fist, but an unknown force doesn't let her to close it.

"This is all according to the dream that I have seen long before you have arrived in this land, that a blonde haired traveler will come to Sumeru and try to solve the problem of this land I called home. As you can see... I am rather interested to know him even more."

Noelle knelt down, as she tries to resist Nilou's control over her.

"But it doesn't have to be this way! You... You could have..."

"That Inazuman girl that you have brought with you made it rather difficult for me to approach him. Now please, stop resisting... As we will protect him together as he journeyed through this beautiful yet harsh land."

All of a sudden, Noelle stopped moving for a moment. A few seconds later, she stood up and raised both of her hands.

"Now it's my chance to tend to the Traveler... And see how he is doing in the cycle my clone has made... The flowers she put there were there for a reason, after all!"

She unmasked, and it is revealed that...

Noelle's olive green eyes are now aqua in color, and her pale lavender hair is light violet. A mysterious smile forms, as she puts the mask back on before heading back to the lodging house.