Eleutheromania (Various Genshin x Reader)

Babysitting?! -44-

You, Aether, and Paimon snuck out of the Rite of Parting prematurely after Paimon got hungry and nearly ate half of Rex Lapis' offerings. Though Zhongli hardly seemed to mind, the Millelith looked just about ready to arrest your entire group so the three of you fled the scene and went out to search for something the starving girl could eat.

On your path to find some sweet flowers, a lone Millelith suddenly stopped you. "Be on your guard, travelers," he warned, "Now is no time for sightseeing."

Paimon cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Oh, why's that? Has something happened?" She asked innocently. The soldier, Daipai, sighed wearily, "Yes. As unusual as this may sound, numerous eyewitness reports have confirmed an active Ruin Guard presence in this area, even though this is far beyond their normal area of activity."

You frowned. "I hate Ruin Guards," you hissed as Daipai went on. "Sergeant sent someone to find out just where these ancient machines might have come from. It appears that they simply left their ruin and marched off all of a sudden, for no clear reason," he answered.

Aether scratched at his chin in thought. "So did somebody wake them up?" He questioned. "As I say," Daipai repeated, "the reason is still unclear. We have very little intelligence at present. Moreover... The ruin in question is of the especially spooky variety. Strange noises are often heard coming from within... As such, we are not permitted to investigate until the order comes through from headquarters."

Your blonde companion grimaced. "One can never be too cautious," he said emphatically with a shrug while Paimon just rolled her eyes. "So inefficient," she scoffed as if she was Diluc talking about the Knights of Favonius.

"Sorry? Did you say something?" The solider asked the pixie innocently who immediately froze up at being called out. "N-Nope! Nothing! Paimon didn't say a thing!" She quickly defended while waving her arms about erratically.

Daipai eyed her suspiciously but when on nevertheless. "In any case, the only sensible strategy in the meantime is to increase Millelith patrols. We must not let innocent civilians come to harm," he emphasized.

The pixie nodded in agreement. "That's a good point... Ruin Guards are probably pretty dangerous for regular folk..." she muttered. "Is there any way we can help?" Aether offered the guard kindly who appeared surprised. "Wow, uh... I'm very grateful indeed for the offer, but... it just wouldn't be worth the risk," the man stammered awkwardly.

Paimon beamed like a proud mother hen and patted both you and Aether's shoulders. "Oh don't worry about that! Y/N and Aether here beats up Ruin Guards for breakfast!" She bragged with a smirk.

Aether sheepishly chuckled and twirled a lock of his hair around his finger cutely. "I do know a little self-defense," he admitted coyly causing you to send him an amused grin in his direction.

Daipai mused over the blonde's words for a moment. "Is that so... Well, if you're genuinely offering... I did see some Ruin Guard footprints on the hillside, but since then I've been too busy warning passers-by to investigate myself..." he drew out with uncertainty.

At the mention of detective work, Paimon's eyes shined with interest. "Footprints, eh? Interesting... We'll take the case!" She declared excitedly. Daipai looked on with satisfaction. "While the Millelith stands guard, evil shall never prevail! On behalf of Millelith, I salute you, travelers. You have my gratitude. I will rendezvous you once I have finished my patrol."

With that, the three of you set off through the Minlin area in search of any of signs of Ruin Guards. Paimon sped ahead of the group to observe something that had caught her eye. Upon catching up, you saw several large, rectangular impressions on the ground.