A month has passed, and Albedo opens the testing tank that is holding Noelle as she is getting her accumulated karma extracted from her body. Noelle made a huge gasp, as she then climbed out of the tank, breathing heavily afterwards.

"So, how do you feel now, Noelle?"

"I feel lighter, and my thoughts are clearer than ever... Thank you, Master Albedo... If I may, can I ask a question?"

"Say it."

"What are you going to do with the extracted karma energy?"

"I will keep it, for studies. The fact that this type of energy is enough to cause deity-like individuals to become shrouded with bloodlust is astounding."

"I see... But please, be careful with it. I don't know what can go wrong if that karmic energy ever seeps into someone else."

"You're so worried about that... What kind of enemies did you defeat in your journeys, anyway?"

"Most of them were humans..."

"No wonder. If you were forced to do it because the Traveler is in peril, then I can understand that. You are getting too overprotective of him as of late. Now you may leave, and make sure none of what happened here gets to be known outside."

"Understood." Noelle bowed, as she then creates a paper rose and gave it to Albedo.

Noelle then leaves, as Albedo then turns around to face the testing tank that contains the extracted karmic energy.

---

"I'm home, everyone!" Noelle greeted as she opens the doors to the Serenitea Pot's mansion.

As it turns out, during the entire course of Noelle's absence, the group has been doing house chores while Aether went out adventuring.

"You've finally returned, airheaded maid." Ayaka greeted back.

"You feel a little different, Noelle! Did something happen?" Nilou asked.

"I went home to Mondstadt for an entire month to spend time with my former colleagues."

"Really? And it took you a month?" Keqing raised a brow in doubt.

"You do know lying is unwise, maid. What happened?"

Noelle sighs, and said that she "Needed some peace." back in Mondstadt aside from hanging out with her former Knights of Favonius colleagues and seniors.

"Peace for the mind? You could have done yoga like last time, Noelle!" Nilou said, as she pulls out her yoga guide book.

"I merely forgot about that, pardon me, Miss Nilou. By the way, is Aether returning anytime soon?"

"He is getting me and Furina-Sama ready for the annual Fontainalia film festival in the Court. The two of us are just about to depart after finishing these chores."

"Can I come to the festival as well?"

"Speaking of the festival... Noelle, I need you to go to Poisson and talk to Navia. Check up on her, since I'm getting ready as well to prepare for the upcoming Lantern Rite."

"Understood."

"Take Nilou with you. She's been lonely without you around." Keqing sarcastically said, before Nilou energetically jumped up to her feet and headed towards Noelle.

An adeptus portal opens in Poisson's entrance, and the duo appears right behind Navia, who is looking upon the disaster-ridden settlement still rebuilding.

"Lady Navia!"

"Hmm? Oh, it's my partner's odd maid, and the rising dancer! It's been a while since we last met."

"She took a month's leave to Mondstadt, leaving the others and Aether worried." Nilou explained.

Nilou then looked at the still recovering settlement, rebuilding it's infrastructure as advised by Keqing. She then looked back to Navia, and asked her.

"Are you sure you are OK with what has happened lately?"

"I was just about to ask the same question. I am worried for your well-being, Lady Navia." Noelle said.

"I'm doing fine, thank you for asking. Florent did some of Melus' old responsibilities as of late."

Not long after, Florent does arrive, and Navia asked him that if there is any progress done on a statue, which caused Noelle to raise a brow.

"A statue?"

"A statue of my parents, Noelle."

"...Parents?" Noelle looked down the moment she heard those words.

"What's wrong?"

"She was an orphan back in Mondstadt, Miss Navia." Nilou explained.

"...Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

"It is fine, lady Navia. Although, another question arises... The statue that is going to be sculpted is going to be of your parents... But what about you? Shouldn't you be featured as well?"

"Me? I'm just the newbie President that's running around and causing everyone trouble."

"That's wrong, Lady Navia. Mother's spirit said this... If you receive a little kindness, give them a large serving. You have done so much for these people, that they begin to see you as a great leader."

"Your mother's... Spirit?"

"Sometimes when I sleep, I find myself in a dark space, where mother sat beside a campfire. She often talked to me about life and such... Although there are more questions than answers that I got from her."

Navia stayed silent at that, before she changes the topic.

"Anyways, let's model a few poses for the statues. Florent said that he already found a good sculptor."

"Understood." Noelle then summons an adeptus portal, which then throws out a kamera which was previously stored in Noelle's room.

"Miss Nilou, if you may... Please help her with the poses."

"Alright, Noelle!"

Nilou then stood beside Navia, and begun to make a few poses, which Navia imitated. However some of the poses looked rather odd to Noelle.

"Miss Nilou... I think it's best if I pick what pose to choose..."

"Aww, You're no fun, Noelle!"

After half an hour of picking poses, Navia recalls that she has an errand to run at the Court of Fontaine, where she needs to receive a Spina di Rosula uniform that she has personally ordered to be made for a young girl named Adele, whose father, Jacques, was murdered in the conspiracy caused by Marcel many years ago.

Right after they prepare to depart, a man wearing the bodyguard uniform of the Spina di Rosula approaches them, and greeted them. The man introduces himself as Colter, a guard who was once convicted of a crime a while ago, and his prison time at the Fortress of Meropide has come to an end.

However, he was unaware of the tragedy that struck, and was devastated the moment he learned that a woman named Melissa, who cooked delicious grilled fish for him, as well as Melus, has died during the tragedy. However he still could not believe that Marcel has conspired against the Spina this entire time, and that he finds it odd that he didn't send a secret message to Romeuf, a rival of Callas, Navia's father.

Apparently, Romeuf planned to invest in a lot of mora to develop Poisson even more, but Callas wants to work with the Court, and the Fontainian Institute of Technology to develop Aquabus lines for the nation. This of course, caused Romeuf to make his own faction, and leave Poisson altogether. The rest, even Navia's mother, Clementine, stood by Callas' side in terms of developing the Aquabus lines.

The story itself hits Noelle like a musket shot to the heart. The only wish that she has recalled from her own mother is that Noelle herself must not end up like her, consumed by hatred and bloodlust. However, because of her dreams of becoming a knight, now averted to serving Aether for eternity as his personal maid-knight caused her to be involved with a lot of battles, which eventually caused Noelle to visit Albedo to remove her karmic buildup within her.

Later on, Noelle leaves with Navia, Nilou and Colter to have a walk alongside the coast outside of Poisson, until they stopped so Navia can prepare to cook some macarons. During their time snacking on the macarons, Nilou noticed movement from a nearby bush, and silently went to investigate, but ended up finding nothing, as if the unknown figure just up and vanished.

The group heads over to the Court of Fontaine after having eaten their macarons, and Navia finally received the uniform that is made for Adele when she grew up. Noelle gave Navia a small smile, knowing that Adele will be very happy. However, Nilou then saw someone peeking from a corner, and the moment the eavesdropper finds out that his cover was blown, he ran away to the opposite direction, alongside two other men.

"Noelle, with me!"

"Eh? G-got it, Miss Nilou!"

The two then chased after the three men, who then stopped in their tracks as Noelle's eyes glowed. The ground on which the three men were standing were glowing, freezing them in place.

"W-what the!?"

"I can't move!"

"I can't either... It's as if the ground sticks to our feet!"

"Please identify yourselves, if you do not wish any more harm." Noelle said, as she walked over towards them, turned around to face the three of them and bowed.

"..." The three stayed silent.

"If Miss Ayaka were here, she'd probably would have sent the three of you to the next dimension."

Nilou's words just now caused the three to give her a confused look.

"Her lines rubbed off on you, Miss Nilou!?" Noelle asked, a large drop of sweat falling down the back of her head.

"It's iconic and hilarious, why couldn't it rub off on me?"

It was only after Navia caught up to the two, and interrogated the three men herself, that she finds out that they were holding a grudge against Navia, and that they work for Romeuf. After a while of convincing, and requesting to meet with Romeuf herself on a later date, the three walked off scot-free.

"Letting the three of them go like that... Is that going to be a wise decision?" Noelle asked.

"My father is long gone. Now that I am trying to start things anew, I should be able to negotiate with Romeuf."

"I still don't like the look of this. I'll spy on them for more info." Nilou said.

"Alright. Good luck, Miss Nilou. Leave Lady Navia to me."

Colter finally caught up to them, and said that he supported Navia's decision, something that Noelle finds worrying. For the rest of the day, Noelle stood by Navia's side as her bodyguard, much to Colter's chagrin as Noelle made it seem like she stole his work. Later on, Colter did leave for home for the day, and as night falls, Navia asked Noelle out to go fishing outside of the Court.

The next morning, Noelle and Navia returned to Poisson, where they presented the newly made uniform to Adele, but not before Florent and Nilou ran over towards them with an alarmed look on their faces.

"Boss!"

"Noelle! Miss Navia!"

The two then frantically explained what happened.

"They plan to destroy the Clementine Aquabus Line!?" Noelle asked in surprise.

"Romeuf and his followers hate the Spina and everything to do with Callas — and the aquabus was the source of their contention. If they manage to blow up the aquabus line, all that rubble will come crashing down the hill and straight into Poisson!"

"We can't let that happen...! There are innocent people here in Poisson!" Noelle widened her eyes even more.

"I'll try to stop the detonation, Noelle. Wish me luck!"

"Good luck, Miss Nilou. Everyone, evacuate to the ship!"

Right as everyone around is about to run deeper through Poisson, Noelle saw Colter pulling out a pair of daggers in the corner of her eyes, and he lunged at Navia.

CLANG

Navia turned around, and with widened eyes she witnessed Noelle shielding her with The Unforged, which parried Colter's dagger strike away.

"Tch... Now you're trying to beat my attempt on her life?"

"Put down your daggers!"

"As if I will!"

"Why would you attack your own leader!? She has done no wrong towards you!"

"No wrong? NO WRONG!? I hated her from the very beginning!"

"So you were with Romeuf the entire time, Mister Colter!?"

"You knew about their plans all along. You only told us they were doing badly so that we'd drop our guard..." Navia said shakily, as she is still in disbelief.

"Not quite. Though I share their positions on some issues, I've never cared for his more radical ideas."

Behind Navia, Florent shields Adele and her mother at the same time. Colter then reveals that Romeuf would leave Poisson alone if he can just assassinate Navia.

"But to think that a lowly maid would be able to lift that monstrosity of a blade..."

"Colter... That's no blade... Even from the looks of it... It's too big to be called a blade. Massive, thick heavy, and far too rough... It is more like a heap of raw iron infused with geo!" Florent said, as Noelle begins to infuse the Unforged with more geo energy.

"Please, do not provoke me to do an unspeakable act!"

"I have to kill her, maid! Don't you realize who on Teyvat you are protecting!?"

Noelle shook.

"She never saw the heyday of Spina di Rosula, nor she ever live through the golden age of Poisson. But I... I saw it all, with my own eyes! And then I had to watch it all die, little by little! And it was all because of her."

Colter then shouted that Clementine, Callas, Melus, Silver, and Melissa all died because of Navia. He then coldly remarked that nobody in Poisson actually respected her honestly, as she is just there because she is the daughter of the previous president, Callas. He then admitted that he will stop caring if he manages to kill Navia, even if it meant that he would be buried in the rubble caused by the explosions later on.

"After all... It is all to avenge the Spina di Rosula's former glory, and this act will change it all again!"

Colter then dashed forwards, only for him to stop in his tracks a few inches from Navia. He looks down to see the ground beneath his feet is glowing.

"Change it all again...? Sounds like a betrayer's talk to me." Noelle said with an unusually deep tone.

Navia then chopped Colter in the back of his neck with her hand, knocking him out. She then ordered Florent to help evacuate the other civilians in Poisson.

Meanwhile on the topside, Nilou has dissolved and absorbed the treasure hoarders Romeuf has hired to execute his plan, until she finally reached the Aquabus line's pillar, where the main explosive device was planted. Using a key that she found on one of the hoarder's remains (Which are now skeletons), she stopped the timer of the explosives. However, she then tapped into the memories of one of the hired hoarders, and as it turns out, there is one more device at the mountainside.

An explosion occurs, which caused huge stones roll down the slopes, hurtling toward Poisson. However, Noelle made it in time, as her eyes glowed, and she appears in her arch-transcended form, her hair grown a bit longer, her armor's color scheme becoming black-gold instead of the usual silver-gold, and a translucent geo cape flutters on her back. She raised both arms up, as a huge dome of geo then appears around her, shielding the entire area leading to Poisson. The stones hit the dome, and switched course to the water instead. However, one huge stone remained, and Navia rushed towards Noelle's front, and pointed her umbrella towards the stone.

"Fire!"

Huge golden cannons appeared behind Navia, which then blew the huge stone into smithereens. She then knelt down in exhaustion, as one more boulder falls from the mountains.

"Lady Navia!"

Noelle then lowered her arms again, dispelling the geo dome, and took position in front of Navia, shielding her from the incoming boulder. And with one punch, Noelle shatters the falling boulder into tiny pieces, before she then turned her gaze to Navia, who gave her a thumbs up.

In the aftermath, Romeuf, as well as the surviving hoarders as well as Colter were rounded up by the Gardes, while Noelle stood and watched. She begins to ponder about what Colter has spoken about Navia, and although they are all wrong as the people of Poisson genuinely loved Navia, one thought lingered  in her mind.

'I keep on protecting the people who I was ordered to protect... But ending up harming others as a result... This madness... Will it ever end?'

A single tear left Noelle's eyes as she then spoke her mind out.

"What am I fighting for?"