"Sigh."
King gazed out the window at the ocean view of Fontaine, letting out a long sigh.
It's hard being a Divine Guard.
It's even harder being a hero.
Although he had earned quite a lot of Emotion Points, man, it was exhausting!
He just wanted to stay home quietly, pull from the gacha, increase his strength, achieve immortality, and occasionally step up when necessary.
But now, he felt his "peaceful life" was drifting away from him at the speed of light.
"Knock, knock, knock."
A soft knocking sound came from the door.
"Mr. King, breakfast is ready."
Lynette's expressionless voice came from outside the door.
"Come in."
Lynette pushed an exquisite dining cart inside, briskly setting the breakfast out on a small round table.
Milk, fried eggs, perfectly toasted bread, and a few refreshing Fontaine side dishes.
Simple, but pleasant to look at.
"You worked hard last night, so I went to the kitchen and prepared a light breakfast for you."
As Lynette set the table, she reported softly, "Additionally, Lord Neuvillette asked me to inform you that the report on the handling of last night's incident has been placed on your desk."
She paused for a moment and added, "...I ran into Lady Furina this morning. She seemed to be in an excellent mood and was humming the whole time."
This was likely intended as a sort of warning from Lynette.
But King didn't catch on. He nodded, picked up his utensils, and began eating breakfast. Although the taste was average, at least it wasn't a dessert breakfast.
Sunlight quietly flooded the room.
Lynette stood by quietly like a true shadow, her skirt only making a slight rustling sound when she occasionally tidied the dishes.
Just as King picked up a cup of black tea and opened a miscellaneous book titled "Teyvat Travel Guide," thinking he could get a moment of peace at least for this morning—
"Mr. Bodyguard! Mr. King!"
Furina's energetic, slightly hurried voice, accompanied by light footsteps, approached from afar.
Before King could respond, the door was pushed open with a "bang" the next second.
Furina's figure appeared at the doorway.
She had changed into a sky-blue casual outfit today, with a smile so bright it could almost light up the room. There was no sign of the fatigue from being the star of the banquet and socializing all night; instead, she looked like a fully charged, happy "Electro Crystalfly."
"Good morning! How did you rest last night?"
Furina walked in with light steps and naturally sat in the chair opposite King, her heterochromatic eyes sparkling as she looked at him.
"Um, okay."
King put down the book and gave a perfunctory response—he couldn't exactly say, "I had a nightmare about being tossed around by all of you in turns."
"That's good!" Furina rested her chin on her hands, elbows on the table, leaning forward slightly with an irrepressible, almost childlike excitement as if showing off. "I'm here to tell you some good news! Great news!"
She paused as if trying to build suspense, but she couldn't hold it in and continued rapidly, "After what happened last night, now all of Fontaine—no, probably the upper echelons of all the nations in Teyvat—already know of your great name!"
She leaned in closer and lowered her voice, as if sharing a secret known only to the two of them. "Neuvillette told me this morning that in the last few days, even the complaints the Opera Epiclese receives about street pickpocketing and merchant fraud have decreased!"
"The Gardes' patrols have become much easier! They're saying privately that it's all because of the deterrent of your title as 'Fontaine's Strongest Man'! It's made those petty criminals afraid to act out!"
King: "..."
"And there's more, there's more,"
Furina didn't notice King's subtle speechlessness. Her eyes curved into beautiful crescents as she continued to envision, or rather, "announce":
"I've already thought it through! I want to specially add a festival for you to Fontaine's celebration calendar! I've even thought of the name. It'll be called..."
"'Guardian's Day'! Or maybe 'Justice Manifestation Day' would be good too?"
"Every year on this day, all of Fontaine will celebrate with grand parades and theatrical performances to commemorate the great deed of you descending upon Fontaine, guarding justice, and rooting out hidden parasites! This will definitely become a new tradition in Fontaine!"
King's eyelid twitched violently, and his fingers holding the teacup stiffened.
Create a festival specifically for him? Parades and plays? Once a year?
"...No need."
He squeezed out the words bluntly, trying to stop Furina's dangerous idea.
"Oh, it's necessary, it's necessary!"
Furina completely misunderstood his meaning.
She waved her small hand, settling the matter. "This is a great thing to boost national cohesion and promote the spirit of justice! I've already thought of the general flow of the celebration. You must attend when the time comes! Just stand by my side and accept the cheers and praise of the people! Hmm... maybe we can add a segment where you personally award the 'Justice Citizen of the Year' medal?"
Her eyes grew brighter and brighter; she was clearly immersed in the grand drama she had conceived for the future annual event.
[Ding! Detected super-excited emotion from Furina, Emotion Points +5000.]
King felt another wave of familiar headache, even stronger than when he was being gawked at last night.
He could almost see his "miserable" future of being propped up on a float for public display... no, public admiration, every year.
He had to stop her!
Just as King was racking his brain for an excuse to change the subject—
"Knock, knock, knock."
The knocking sounded again, this time with a steady and restrained rhythm.
Lynette walked silently to the door, opened a crack, whispered a few words, and then turned back. Her pale violet eyes looked toward King and Furina. "Lady Furina, Mr. King. Miss Clorinde is outside, saying there are urgent matters to report to both of you."
"Clorinde?"
Furina blinked, temporarily snapping out of her festival fantasies. "Let her in."
The door was opened, and Clorinde walked in quickly.
She wasn't wearing a dress today, but rather her dark, action-oriented outfit, covered by a light cloak bearing the crest of the Opera Epiclese. Her expression had become cold and serious, and upon closer look, a hint of heaviness was etched between her brows.
Her gaze first lingered briefly on Furina, nodding slightly in greeting, then turned to King. "Lady Furina, Mr. King. Sorry to disturb you."
"What happened?"
Furina sat up straight, her cheerfulness slightly receding as she adopted a listening posture.
"Half an hour ago, the Opera Epiclese received urgent communications from the Mayor of Poisson and the aquabus line."
Clorinde spoke clearly and rapidly. "From late last night until early this morning, abnormally active whirlpools have appeared on the main routes connecting Fontaine to Poisson, the Fountain of Lucine, and other outer islands. Their numbers far exceed the norm."