Genshin Impact: This Trainee Fatui Harbinger is Too Unreliable-Chapter 421: This Trainee Fatui Harbinger is Too Unreliable []

"Hmm?"

Hearing that familiar voice, Luo Qing suddenly felt a twinge of confusion in his heart.

He followed the sound and saw Lumine and Paimon hurrying toward him, their eyes filled with urgency.

"Lumine?"

Luo Qing subconsciously loosened his grip.

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The Hilichurl Ranger pinned against the stone wall fell to the ground, gasping for air.

The next moment, a pale green light enveloped its body. Within the glow, its figure quickly shrank, and before long, it was reduced to the size of a child.

When the light faded, what appeared before them was a child with a Fontaine-like face, though his arm bore a black, gradient-like mark.

"This is..."

Now it was Luo Qing's turn to be stunned.

Weren't cursed Hilichurls supposed to be unable to return to normal?

How could this one...

And that hand...

As he stood there dazed, Lumine rushed over to the child who had transformed from the Hilichurl Ranger, concern evident in her voice.

"Catapilla, are you okay?!"

"I'm... I'm fine," the child named Catapilla coughed a few times before raising his head to look at Luo Qing.

"You... you two know each other?"

"Mm," Lumine nodded.

Paimon quickly flew to Luo Qing's side, her tone anxious.

"Luo Qing, what happened here? Why did you attack Catapilla?!"

"Catapilla?" Luo Qing was still a bit confused.

Since when did Hilichurls have names?

And apparently, Lumine knew this one?!

"You know each other?" Luo Qing glanced at Lumine, then at the child on the ground.

Oh, right. Lumine is the protagonist, after all. Knowing some strange beings is probably par for the course...

"He's our friend!" Paimon stomped her foot in frustration. "If we had been a little later, you would have killed him!"

"..."

Luo Qing was momentarily speechless.

How could it be that even random Hilichurls on the road have some connection to Lumine?

"He's still got a few breaths left, doesn't he?"

With a thought, Luo Qing casually pulled out a restorative pill the size of a fist and handed it to Catapilla.

"Here, since you know him, let's call it a misunderstanding. Eat this—it'll heal you completely."

"..."

Catapilla glanced at the large pill Luo Qing offered, said nothing, and made no move to accept it. He seemed to still be sulking.

"Why were you two fighting?" Paimon asked again. "There must've been some misunderstanding, right?"

"That's hard to say," Luo Qing snorted softly and withdrew the pill.

Since the other party didn't want it, there was no need for him to insist.

"I had just cleared out a Hilichurl camp. Your little friend here seemed upset and tried to avenge them."

"What...?" Lumine looked puzzled for a moment and then turned to Catapilla.

The child, still in his transformed state, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at Luo Qing with a hint of resentment in his eyes.

"They never did anything. I've taught them not to hurt people..."

"Why did you kill them...?"

"Uh..." Luo Qing hesitated for two seconds. "Because their stew tastes great?"

"..."

[Catapilla's Frustration Value +10]

"Alright, Luo Qing, you two stop arguing already..."

Lumine and Paimon stepped between the two, each trying to diffuse the tension.

At that moment, Charlotte arrived, looking worried since Luo Qing had been gone for some time.

Seeing so many people all of a sudden, she was briefly confused.

"Lumine, Paimon, and..."

Her eyes landed on the bloodied Catapilla, not realizing he was the Hilichurl Ranger from earlier. She crouched down to check on him.

"Little one, why are you out here? And you're injured..."

"..."

Catapilla stayed silent, glancing at Lumine before speaking softly.

"Lumine, Paimon, I have something to take care of. Let's meet again next time..."

With that, he stood up and left on his own.

"This..." Charlotte looked puzzled.

Didn't Luo Qing just go chasing after some Hilichurls?

How did he end up running into Lumine and Paimon?

And is it really okay to let this little kid wander off alone so late at night?

"Mr. Luo Qing, that child..."

"He'll be fine," Luo Qing waved her off, then turned to Lumine.

"Long time no see, Lumine..."

"It's been a while," she replied.

Since their parting in Melopide, they hadn't seen each other.

For a moment, their eyes met, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Looks like we've got a lot to talk about tonight," Luo Qing said with a faint smile, turning and walking back toward the cleared Hilichurl camp.

"..."

Lumine glanced at his back, exchanged a look with Paimon, and followed.

Charlotte, still confused and out of the loop, had no choice but to trail behind them, the suddenly serious atmosphere making her reluctant to speak.

Before long, they arrived at the Hilichurl camp.

Sitting around a campfire, the group shared the space in silence.

Looking at the familiar decorations of the camp, Lumine felt a wave of mixed emotions.

Back when she had just begun her journey, she wouldn't have hesitated to clear out Hilichurls—swift, decisive, and without a second thought.

But as she learned more about them, she found herself increasingly reluctant to resort to violence.

To ordinary people, Luo Qing's actions in clearing the camp were nothing unusual.

In fact, it could even be considered a good deed.

But now, with Catapilla on one side and Luo Qing on the other, Lumine found herself caught in a difficult position.

"That guy—what is he, really? Human or Hilichurl?" Luo Qing broke the silence.

"That..." Lumine shook her head. "I'm not entirely sure..."

"But it seems he's like them—someone cursed."

"Interesting," Luo Qing muttered to himself.

"I thought Hilichurl curses couldn't be undone..."

"That, I don't know," Lumine admitted. "At first, Paimon and I didn't know he was a Hilichurl, but we've been through so much together. He's definitely not a bad person."

"So, I'm the bad guy now?" Luo Qing chuckled.

"That's not what we meant..." Paimon quickly explained. "I'm telling you, this is all a big misunderstanding!"

"Alright, alright," Luo Qing nodded dismissively, then turned his attention to Lumine.

"Let's drop this topic. Next question: what are you two doing here?"

"Eh?" Lumine blinked, caught off guard.

It was Paimon who reacted first, flipping the question back.

"Hey! Shouldn't we be asking you that?!"

"Why is it that no matter where Lumine and I go, you always seem to pop up?"

"From Liyue to Inazuma, and now to Sumeru and Fontaine—you're always following us!"

"That's not quite right," Luo Qing said with a faint smile. "I've been ahead of you all along. If anything, it's you two following me."

"Ugh..."

Paimon fell silent, realizing he wasn't wrong.