Chapter Text
One day, Kaeya left the Knights of Favonius.
Not formally, yet, but the rumors spread fast enough to reach Angel’s Share.
It was a cloudy day, the air had that sweet scent of dirt after the mild rain. The day Diluc thought it perfect to visit the city and help Charles around Angel’s Share. And hearing from the weather forecasters that they were expecting this kind of weather for two weeks straight was like a blessing from the Anemo Archon.
Just as he thought it couldn’t get any better, he heard that the Knights somehow solved the Fatui issue. Seeing all of the masked people he despised so grumbling and murmuring as they left made his day. Diluc, the man known for sulking almost all the time, found himself with a witty grin on his face. He even offered some of his patrons free wine to celebrate that marvelous day.
And even though he still had bad thoughts about the Knights of Favonius, this success was something even he had to admire. So, when he heard the Knights were having a party for dealing with the problem so successful and formal, he sent his finest wine for an incredibly cheap price.
Free from the Fatui and the atmosphere they brought to the Land of Wind, the citizens of Mondstadt were once again carefree and all heard from the streets was laughter.
Diluc, believing after everything going so smoothly will eventually lead to a disaster, was even more surprised to see Varka and the entire cavalry of the Knights. There were almost no losses, an entire army waiting at the gates as the other Knights ran to greet them.
Ever since then, despite the cloudy weather and mild rain, the city was brighter than ever. Festivals, decorations, and the city finally being whole again brought the liveliness back. And thanks to Varka and the Knights, Mondstadt had fewer problems to deal with.
The only problem, the Abyss Order, wasn’t a deal for Diluc at all, and the news kept getting better and better. And since the Knights were everywhere day and night, his job as the Darknight Hero became smoother.
For the first time in years, he was witnessing the grand rising and improvement of Mondstadt. The city he loved so much was once again strong and durable like before, and Diluc could finally sleep like a baby when his head hit the pillow. He saw hope for the future.
But just as he expected, something went wrong.
It was one of those mildly raining days when he heard Charles say something even he couldn’t believe. “Did you hear the news?”
“What news?” Diluc murmured, he was in the mood for a talk so he showed his interest. “I heard that the Mansion is on auction once again. I would never think anyone else rather than me would sell it.”
“No, it’s about Sir Kaeya.”
He remembered that Kaeya finally got his cavalry back, so his title really meant something once again. Actually, he even saw Kaeya hugging the horses more than the knights, and everyone laughed about it. He must be at ease, knowing his precious horses were back once again.
Before Charles could talk, Diluc wanted to guess. “Did he get a promotion? I happened to hear Grandmaster Varka saying it’s all thanks to Kaeya for training such a swift and disciplined cavalry.”
Diluc’s mild excitement to hear what Kaeya achieved ended right there.
“Everyone says he has left the Knights of Favonius.”
Eyes opened wide, the winery owner stared at Charles for solid ten seconds. Charles, getting uncomfortable because of the silence, just nodded to confirm.
“It’s just a rumor, and I wouldn’t dare to bother you if I heard this from a couple of drunkards. But almost every knight says the same thing, they are confused as much as you are.”
“What?” Diluc could finally speak, many questions filled his mind. “Why? Does anyone know why he did that? Didn’t he love being a knight? Why so sudden?”
“No one knows the reason, there are just speculations. Lots of speculations, knowing how famous Sir Kaeya is,” Charles took the glass Diluc has been rubbing for a minute now. The red-haired man would always do that when he was busy overthinking.
“What are some of those speculations?” Diluc asked with a lower tone, eyeing the tavern to see if there is anyone else he can ask for details. He thought of Jean, hoping it will all turn out to be a rumor some idiot started for drama.
Kaeya would never leave the Knights. Diluc knew how much he adored his job and title, he wouldn’t just let them all go. He had no reason.
Kaeya, as far as Diluc knows, is someone who could be considered rich with all the money he earned from the Knights and the expeditions full of treasures, but he wouldn’t think of retiring just because he thinks he has everything he wants. He had fame, respect, power, and support all thanks to the Knights and how much a renowned captain he is. The number of friends and fans he had was impossible to count.
Why would he just leave the Knights?
“Some says he just retired, maybe hoping to find another job since he got bored. But I don’t think that’s something Sir Kaeya would do,” Charles said, scratching his chin. “The others assume he has a problem with the Grandmaster, but Huffman said there is no way.”
“How can he be so sure?” Diluc asked. Even if Kaeya left the Knights, which still sounded impossible, it had to be something like that. Disagreeing with the authority, having a conflict about the future of Mondstadt and how they will react, or something else that involved either Varka or Jean.
“Huffman said Sir Kaeya listens to almost everything Grandmaster Varka says, hardly objecting to any of his ideas. Those two are known for having a close relationship, I’m sure Grandmaster Varka and Sir Kaeya would have solved this problem without letting any rumor start to go around.”
“Why do people think Kaeya left in the first place?” he needed reasons, good and stable answers. And he doubted if Kaeya would be willing to talk if he just came out of nowhere and asked what’s the deal. They hardly had any connection rather than protecting Mondstadt and the typical acquaintance Diluc’s winery business provided.
To think of, Kaeya never showed up in Angel’s Share during that week. At first, Diluc thought it was because he has been busy or he has already gotten the amount of wine he wanted from the parties all around the city. But hearing this and never getting to see Kaeya ever since worried him more than ever.
Why was he worrying? Kaeya and his unusual decisions had nothing to do with him. The bond they used to have back then didn’t mean he can still interfere with Kaeya’s life or let him interfere with his. Their relationship was nothing but the past he preferred to forget.
And still, Charles not being able to give a satisfying answer was just making him even more anxious. Foot tapping the ground, looking around for more glasses to wipe, and expression trying to stay as still as possible.
“Well, at least for that, everyone says the same,” Charles tried his best to remember all the details he heard from countless knights.
“Sir Kaeya was seen entering Grandmaster Varka’s office with a paper in his hand. Less than a minute later, he left the room and headed straight to his office. As Grandmaster Varka left the room with the same paper in his hands, he was looking both confused and sad. Just as he was about to knock on Sir Kaeya’s door, he opened the door with a box filled with a few of his belongings.”
“How many people say this?”
“Way too many to believe they are just trying to make a drama out of nothing.”
So, even though Diluc didn’t want to give up yet and ask more questions, he had to accept that this thing he heard was real.
Kaeya really left the Knights.
As their talk was coming to an end, many more customers entered and they had to focus on their jobs. But listening closely, Diluc also heard about the rumors, all of them were the same as everything Charles described.
“But why do I care about this so much?” Diluc thought, surely it can’t be just because he was expecting something bad to happen.
And who knows? Maybe this wasn’t even something bad, maybe Kaeya really decided to do something else with his life. That man and his thoughts were the only things Diluc could never solve. He would expect Kaeya to start his own winery business just to annoy him more.
Wanting to believe time will tell, he tried to stop thinking about the situation and kept working. Hoping that all the orders and compliments he hears throughout the day will help him forget.