“Ah…”
Eula’s sudden gesture left Luo Qing momentarily stunned.
Sitting across from her, he wasn’t sure what to say.
As the saying goes, you can’t scold someone who’s offering a sincere apology. If Eula had been her usual haughty self, Luo Qing could have teased her without a second thought.
But now, after more than a year, this proud girl had taken the initiative to apologize. It caught him completely off guard.
“And…”
Eula looked at him and spoke softly, “Luo Qing, could you wait here for a moment? I need to step out briefly, but I’ll be right back.”
“Sure.”
Luo Qing nodded slightly.
This gave him a moment to ponder Eula’s change in attitude.
“Go ahead, Miss Eula.”
“Mm…”
Eula nodded and hurried out of the private room.
Left alone, Luo Qing sat quietly, contemplating why Eula had shifted so drastically.
By the time the candle on the table had burned halfway down, he heard hurried footsteps from downstairs. Moments later, the door to the room swung open again.
Eula entered, slightly out of breath, and handed Luo Qing a card bearing the insignia of Snezhnaya’s Northland Bank.
“Luo Qing, this is all the Mora I’ve saved over the past year. It’s already deposited in the Northland Bank…”
She hesitated for a moment before continuing, “I want to redeem my sword. Is that… alright?”
“…”
Luo Qing fell silent, his gaze shifting between Eula’s earnest yet slightly awkward expression and the card in her outstretched hand.
He remembered telling her before that she could only get her sword back by wearing a maid outfit and calling him “Master.”
If he accepted the card now, wouldn’t that mean forfeiting the chance to see her in a maid outfit?
Still, Luo Qing wasn’t someone with particularly odd tastes.
His previous demand had only been meant to temper her haughty attitude.
Now that she had set her pride aside and apologized, there was no need to make things difficult for her.
With a subtle shift in his thoughts, Luo Qing snapped his fingers. A stunningly elegant, aqua-blue greatsword—the Song of Broken Pines—materialized in midair between them.
Seeing her beloved weapon for the first time in so long, Eula couldn’t help but gulp. She instinctively reached out to touch it.
But before her fingers could make contact, Luo Qing stood up and grabbed the sword himself.
“You seem very attached to this sword, Miss Eula,” Luo Qing remarked with a slight smile. “But Mora holds no appeal for me.”
“…”
Eula froze, her mind flashing back to the conditions Luo Qing had set for returning her weapon.
Does he still want me to wear the maid outfit and call him ‘Master’?
She hesitated, unsure of what to do if he brought up that humiliating demand again.
Would she have to argue with him all over again?
“No need to overthink it,” Luo Qing said with a grin. “How about this? Forget the Mora. I’ll give you your sword back if you agree to one small request.”
Eula stiffened, swallowing hard. “What… what request?”
“Hmm…”
Luo Qing suddenly adopted a mysterious demeanor. Leaning in slightly, he whispered, “Careful, walls have ears. Come closer, and I’ll tell you.”
“Ah… okay…”
Eula hesitated briefly before leaning forward, tilting her head to bring her ear closer to him.
But instead of a whisper, she felt a large hand gently patting her head, running through her hair in a light, almost playful motion.
“Wha—?!”
Eula shot backward like a startled kitten, retreating to the wall as she stared at Luo Qing in alarm.
But Luo Qing simply smiled and said, “Alright, Miss Eula. That’s it. My condition is fulfilled. Here’s your sword.”
With that, he casually tossed the Song of Broken Pines toward her.
Eula caught the sword carefully, staring at it in disbelief.
Just like that, her cherished weapon was returned to her. No need for her hard-saved Mora. No need for the humiliating maid outfit.
“That’s that,” Luo Qing said nonchalantly. “Do you have any other business, Miss Eula? If not, I’ll be on my way.”
Still dazed, Eula nodded absentmindedly. “No… nothing else…”
“Alright then.” Luo Qing smiled and turned to leave.
“Goodbye, Miss Eula. Congratulations on getting your sword back.”
With that, he walked out of the room, leaving Eula standing there, staring down at her reclaimed weapon.
As the moments passed, she found herself glancing toward the door, her thoughts churning.
During her time in Sumeru, she had shared a memorable journey with Lumine and her companions.
From Lumine, she had learned that despite being a Fatui Harbinger, Luo Qing wasn’t the irredeemable villain she had imagined. In fact, he had done a great deal of good.
Even Lumine had advised her to apologize to Luo Qing, explaining, “He got injured while holding off the Raiden Shogun for us and the Resistance.”
She had also added, “If you just talk to him properly, he won’t make things difficult for you.”
Then, of course, there was Paimon’s contribution: “If all else fails, just act cute! That’ll definitely work on him!”
Now that she thought about it, perhaps Lumine and Paimon were right.
Luo Qing truly wasn’t as unreasonable as she had believed.
Still, she couldn’t figure out why he had felt the need to pat her head.
Did I really misjudge him all this time…?
—
Two Days Later – The Knights of Favonius Headquarters
The meeting room was packed with citizens who had been invited to discuss the recent surge in monster activity.
Luo Qing sat quietly in an inconspicuous corner, intending to slip out as soon as the meeting was over.
He had only come because Makoto had insisted. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have bothered.
As he sat there, he suddenly felt someone’s gaze on him. Following the direction, he spotted a red-haired man seated in another corner, glancing at him occasionally.
Oh, it’s Master Diluc, Luo Qing mused, suppressing a sigh.
Even in a meeting as mundane as this, he had no intention of lingering a moment longer than necessary. Once it ended, he was going straight home.
Before long, the meeting room door swung open.
Jean, the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, entered flanked by two knights.
Her gaze swept the room, briefly nodding to the red-haired man in acknowledgment.
Then her eyes landed on Luo Qing.
For a moment, her pupils dilated, and even her steps faltered slightly.
He… actually came…
Jean steadied herself, forcing down her surprise.
From a diplomatic standpoint, Luo Qing’s presence as a Fatui Harbinger carried significant weight, representing Snezhnaya’s stance.
She had sent the invitation to his household on Falcon Coast mostly as a formality, not expecting him to attend. After all, his estate was technically part of Mondstadt, so extending the gesture was only proper.
But she hadn’t thought Luo Qing would actually show up…
—
This is a fan translation of 原神：这个见习执行官太屑了 by 何一乐. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
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