"Da-da-da!"
A series of cheerful laughter floated on the breeze as Klee spread her arms wide, running happily across the grassy field.
"Brother Hiroshi, Sister Noelle, hurry up!"
Klee shouted back at the two walking behind her, her small backpack bouncing up and down as she urged them on, "Hurry up! Klee wants to go to Springvale to catch some delicious wild boars!"
Seeing Klee's eagerness, Hiroshi smiled and said, "Don't run so fast, or you'll scare all the wild boars away."
Since they suddenly had a lot of helpers, Hiroshi and Kuroneko decided to split up to handle their tasks.
Kuroneko took Diona and Fischl back home to prepare other matters.
Hiroshi took Noelle and Klee to Springvale to meet Draf, an old customer from his old barbecue stall, to buy all sorts of ingredients.
"They won't run away!"
Klee put her hands on her hips confidently, holding up a small bouncing bomb. She boasted, "Brother Hiroshi, don't worry. Klee has encountered big wild boars before. Back then, one bomb was enough to stop them!"
"But the wild boar that was bombed didn't taste good at all. It was weird since Sara's cooked wild boar is always delicious."
"Haha."
Noelle couldn't help but chuckle at Klee's puzzled expression. She explained, "Master Spark Knight, that's because Sara, the restaurant owner, cooked it properly, which made it taste so good."
"Huh?"
Klee's big eyes widened as she looked at Noelle. "But Klee has used bombs to catch fish before, and those were delicious too!"
"That's because the fish in Starfell Lake don't have a fishy smell and have tender meat."
Holding up a finger, Noelle explained what she'd read in books while cleaning the library.
"But wild boars are different from the fish in Starfell Lake. They have a gamey odor, so they need to be cooked to taste good."
"Hmm..."
Klee pondered for a moment, resting her chin on her hand. Then she said, "Klee doesn't really understand, but I know Brother Hiroshi will make the wild boar taste great!"
"Thank you, little Klee, for your praise."
Hiroshi rubbed Klee's cheek gently, but he noticed something else emerging from the nearby forest—a group of Hilichurls.
"Klee, what did you do when you were picking those Sunsettias just now?"
"Hehehe."
Klee took out a few blue Anemo sigils from her backpack and explained, "Klee saw a big treasure chest while picking Sunsettias, so she opened it."
Klee handed the Anemo sigils to Hiroshi before pulling out a silver longsword.
Under the sunlight, the ornate longsword shimmered faintly. At the same time, the dozen or so Hilichurls blocking their way became even more excited.
"Yaaa!"
"Roar!"
A chorus of frantic shouts echoed as the leader, a Fire Axe Mitachurl, roared loudly and led the small Hilichurls in an assault.
One of them, wielding a flaming wooden club, rushed ahead, brandishing the weapon to attack.
"Honorary Knight, let me handle this!"
Noelle removed the claymore strapped to her back and positioned herself in front of Hiroshi and Klee. She grasped her claymore tightly, looking determined.
"I hope you can guide me afterward, Hiroshi."
"You don't need to call me Honorary Knight."
Hiroshi smiled at the serious Noelle. "Noelle is so adorable; of course, I'll guide you well."
"Then... I will call you Senior Hiroshi."
Seeing the red charging Hilichurl in front of her, Noelle shouted, "Alright, Senior Hiroshi, I'm going in!"
"Ha!"
Noelle raised her claymore in both hands and took a step forward. A shield formed from layered Geo crystals enveloped her.
As she braced herself for the incoming attack, Noelle swung her claymore directly at the charging Hilichurl.
"Gah!"
With a shriek, the Hilichurl was flattened by Noelle's blow. Without minding the blood dripping from the crystal shield, Noelle set her eyes on the rest of the advancing Hilichurls led by the Fire Axe Mitachurl.
Gripping her claymore tightly, Noelle took a deep breath and held her claymore behind her. Her green eyes gleamed with Geo's golden light, and the Geo energy within her started flowing rapidly.
"Time to clean up!"
The black claymore radiated a golden glow, transforming into an enormous sword.
Lifting the oversized sword that was now twice its original size, Noelle swung it at the Fire Axe Mitachurl as if it weighed nothing.
The air whistled from the swing, and the Mitachurl roared in panic as the giant glowing sword descended on him. He raised his axe to block the strike.
Bang!
With a resounding clash, the impact sent the smaller Hilichurls flying. Dust swirled in the air as the Fire Axe Mitachurl, now missing one of its large horns, struggled to hold back the giant sword.
Blood streamed from the broken horn and the wounds on its muscular body. Half-kneeling, the Mitachurl's bulging muscles strained as it fought back against the pressure of the heavy blade.
"Roar!!!"
With a deafening yell, the Fire Axe Mitachurl managed to push the giant sword away.
Seeing her sword deflected, Noelle was momentarily stunned. Usually, she would channel all her Geo energy into one heavy strike, and the Hilichurls would be vanquished instantly. But this time, the Mitachurl remained standing.
Feeling her energy depleting quickly, Noelle lifted her claymore again, ready to strike the Mitachurl.
Crack!
A clear cracking sound echoed, and Noelle's greatsword suddenly shattered, breaking into fragments.
Dumbfounded, Noelle stared at the broken weapon in her hand, feeling lost as the Hilichurls closed in.
Boom!
With a loud pop, a small bouncing bomb whizzed past Noelle's shield and launched the Fire Axe Mitachurl into the sky.
Boom!
The resulting explosion lit up the sky, reducing the Mitachurl to nothing but ashes.
The remaining Hilichurls tried to flee in panic, but Hiroshi stepped forward, and grass sprouted from the ground, entangling the fleeing Hilichurls. They stumbled and disintegrated into dust.
"Senior..."
Noelle looked dejectedly at her broken sword. "Every time I fight, my claymore ends up like this. Am I using my strength wrong?"
She gazed at Hiroshi, her eyes full of expectation. "Please, guide me."
"I've sought advice from many seniors, like learning to make Baron Bunnies from Amber and completing various small tasks for Captain Kaeya."
"I even asked Master Spark Knight for tips... though we both ended up being grounded by Acting Grand Master Jean."
"Uh..."
Hiroshi glanced at Klee, who was pretending to know nothing, and shook his head with a smile. "Asking Klee for advice and not getting grounded would be more surprising."
Pointing at the broken sword in Noelle's hand, Hiroshi spoke seriously. "You have a few problems. First, your battle experience is lacking."
Seeing Noelle quickly take out a notebook and start writing, Hiroshi cleared his throat and continued, "For instance, when your sword was blocked by the Hilichurl earlier, given your swing speed, you could have lifted and charged it up again. There was no need to clash in a test of strength."
"The second issue is with your use of elemental energy. Your control is too weak, which means your energy consumption is excessive since you can't fully condense the Geo energy."
Hiroshi lightly tapped Noelle's forehead as she absorbed his words. "There are a few ways to solve this, but what suits you best is increasing your energy capacity and refining your control."
"From now on, if you have any questions, you can come to my place, and I'll teach you personally."
"Really?!"
Noelle looked up with excitement. "It won't bother you, Senior?"
"No problem. I'm usually pretty free, and teaching a student will give me something to do."
"Will you take me as your student?!"
Noelle bowed, smiling brightly. "Greetings, Master Hiroshi!"
"Heh..."
Hiroshi scratched his cheek at the eager Noelle. "Yes, I'll teach you well."
"Now, there's one more problem we can solve immediately."
"Master Hiroshi, what is it?"
"Your weapon."
Hiroshi retrieved a large golden crystal from his personal dimension and explained, "This is a Geo crystal left behind by Liyue's Geo Archon after a battle. With it, I can forge a claymore that will not only enhance your elemental flow but also conserve energy and aid your recovery."
As Hiroshi spoke, he levitated the crystal, and five elements floated around him.
Earth, Metal, and Wood attributes entered the crystal—Earth for solidity, Metal for sharpness, and Wood for vitality.
Fire ignited, melting the crystal. Under Hiroshi's control, it began to take shape.
Inspired by the design of the Dawn Winery's favored blade, Hiroshi formed the weapon. The silver blade bore a golden dragon design, with a green gem set between its horns, exuding life energy.
Water wrapped around the sword as it cooled, and a blue scabbard formed around the blade.
Catching the finished claymore, Hiroshi infused it with light, flicking it. A clear ring echoed as he smiled.
"It's a good sword, isn't it?"
He handed the claymore to the eager Noelle. "This will be yours—a gift for becoming my student."
"Thank you, Master!"
Noelle received the claymore joyfully, swinging it twice. She had never felt such a perfect match.
"Give it a name."
"Really? Shouldn't Master name it?"
"It's your sword, so you should decide."
"Then... I'll call it 'Dustwind.'"
"Does the name have a meaning?"
Raising the claymore, Noelle smiled under the radiant sun. "Dust represents me, and Wind represents you, Master."