Check out my new translation!
=====
Hearing those words of praise, Lumine knew in her heart that her guess had been correct.
So, taking advantage of the moment, she pressed on. "Stop treating me like I'm some kind of fool. Tell me the truth—what exactly is going on behind all this?"
Faced with Lumine's barrage of questions, Shao Yun was momentarily at a loss for words.
He hesitated for a while, then finally muttered dryly, "This matter is too complicated and dangerous. It's better if you don't know."
But Lumine wasn't the kind of person who could be brushed off so easily. Since she had already guessed most of it, she wasn't going to let it go.
Her brows furrowed slightly as she countered, "Why shouldn't I know? Maybe I can help you!"
Shao Yun took a deep breath. His voice began to tremble slightly as his emotions surged. "Because…"
The words stuck in his throat, refusing to come out.
After a short pause, he tried to steady himself—but that deep-rooted fear could not be hidden.
"You can't help me… I don't even know what it will bring!"
At that, Lumine gently took his hand. "Is that… thing really that strong?" she asked softly.
Shao Yun bit his lip and said tensely, "That thing… can't really be described as just strong. It's more like a kind of symbol."
"It's like a train that can't be stopped—you can only watch as it crushes you beneath its wheels, and there's nothing you can do."
Lumine frowned, puzzled. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Shao Yun gently pulled his hand free, his expression heavy with worry. "I don't know what it is. It's never told me its name."
"But if you offer it something tempting enough in return, it can grant you any wish. Only… everything in this world has its price. Every gift that seems too good to be true has already been tagged with a hidden cost."
Seeing Lumine's confused expression, Shao Yun sighed and decided to change his approach.
"Let me put it this way—do you remember when we went to Dragonspine?"
"I tried to make a deal with it. I wanted its help to free us from running errands for the Seven Archons—to let us live freely, without restraint."
"But the price it demanded was horrifying—it wanted me to slaughter every person in Mondstadt and Liyue."
Lumine listened quietly, her heart filling with shock.
Only now did she truly understand what Dainsleif had meant back when he said Shao Yun had to 'disappear for a while.'
But just as she was recovering from her astonishment, a new question rose in her mind.
"So, it really has that kind of power? To fulfill any desire at will?" she asked with a doubtful frown.
"I mean… I'd never want you to kill all those people, but are you saying that thing really can do it?"
Shao Yun met her gaze and replied firmly, "I have no doubt about that."
"But that thing loves word games. If I had agreed to its conditions and fled with you all to live freely, then the moment I lost my usefulness, I'm certain it would have killed me."
"To stay alive, I'd have to keep killing—until I was replaced by someone more valuable. That's what it means to barely survive."
Lumine nodded thoughtfully.
Her mind drifted back to that terrifying night. She began piecing together the fragments of memory like parts of a puzzle.
Then, lifting her head, she asked, "I see. So… the night you saved Sister Jilliana—you encountered it, didn't you?"
Seeing that Lumine had already connected the dots, Shao Yun drew in a long breath and confessed, "Yes. That night, the night I saved Jilliana—it came to me again. It said that because I'd killed someone once more, it had come to collect its due."
"I made a deal with it—through a game of cards. I bargained for it to stay away from you. But I never wanted you to know about it. I'm afraid you'd try to find it yourself. It's terrifying, Lumine."
Lumine's heart clenched. "So, your illness… it's related to that thing?"
Shao Yun thought back to what had happened in Sumeru City and nodded. "Yeah, in a way, it is."
Lumine's voice tightened with concern. "Then… can it be cured?"
Shao Yun looked at her worried expression and nodded slightly. "It can… but only if I follow its method exactly as it demands."
Lumine frowned, confused. "Its method? What kind of method?"
Shao Yun took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts before explaining.
"The situation is like this: my illness is tied to Irminsul. Not directly like the Abyssal disease—but connected nonetheless."
He paused, then continued, "It wants Nahida to sacrifice all those in Sumeru who still worship the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata—to save Irminsul. And it wants me to help it make that happen."
A bitter smile crossed Shao Yun's face. "Just like it once told me: if a divine power helps you achieve your desires, and afterward you deny that power, then you'll lose everything it ever gave you."
"That's why I chose to defy it. And as punishment… it cursed me with this illness."
He paused again, then exhaled slowly, offering another path.
"But if I can hold on until Nahida resolves the issue with Irminsul, then my illness will disappear. We can move on to the next nation. When you find your strength again—like your brother said—we can finally put an end to all this madness."
"Don't ask why. Just trust the words themselves."
Lumine listened, her expression turning distant.
She hadn't expected things to spiral into something so vast—an existence beyond the very system of Teyvat itself.
After a long silence, she nodded faintly, murmuring, "So that's how it is… I understand now."
Shao Yun reached out and gently pulled her into his arms, his voice soft with guilt. "I'm sorry, Lumine. For keeping this from you for so long. If I could've hidden it forever, I would have."
"But since you already figured it out, you deserve to know everything."
At that moment, Lumine nestled quietly against his chest, like a gentle kitten.
Then, a thought struck her—a reason she had never spoken aloud for continuing their journey.
"Actually, I…"
Just then, as if on cue, Paimon burst through the door in a flurry. "Aiya, Lumine, you run way too fast! You totally wore me out!"
Before she could finish complaining, she froze—eyes widening as she saw the two of them in their intimate embrace.
An awkward silence instantly filled the room.
After a few blinks, Paimon stammered, "You two… I know you're close, but… am I interrupting something?"
Flustered, Lumine pulled herself out of Shao Yun's arms, face flushed red. "N-no, it's nothing! Ah—right! We kind of left Alhaitham alone back at the Bimarstan…"
As she spoke, she ran a hand through her slightly messy hair, trying to compose herself.
Shao Yun smiled gently and brushed his hand through her golden hair. "Don't worry about my illness. It's not some incurable thing. You don't have to stress over it."
People only fear fear itself. Once the truth is clear, there's no need for panic.
Lumine visibly relaxed and nodded firmly. "Alright. I understand. We still have our own backup plan anyway. You just have to trust me—like I trust you."
Meanwhile, Paimon, who had been watching the whole exchange with wide, confused eyes, finally blurted out, "Hey, hey! What are you guys even talking about? I can't follow any of this!"
Lumine quickly waved her hands and shook her head. "It's nothing! Nothing at all! Come on, let's hurry back to the Bimarstan and find Alhaitham!"
She grabbed Paimon's hand and hurried out of the room.
…
After Lumine and Paimon left, Shao Yun exhaled deeply, lowering his head in exhaustion.
But just then, a familiar voice drifted from the doorway—smooth, deliberate, and haunting.
"So… you've finally begun to understand my intentions?"
Shao Yun's head snapped up. His eyes locked onto the figure standing at the door.
His brow furrowed tightly, his voice brimming with anger. "I know what you want. I know I used your power. I'll pay what I owe—but this isn't fair!"
The Man with a Top Hat, standing with hands clasped behind his back, paused at that word.
Then, in a calm, measured tone, he replied, "Unfair? Without me, you would've died at the hands of that peppermint-breath 'little boy.'"
At the mention of that name, Shao Yun's anger flared. "If it weren't for you, I never would've dueled with Venti! Don't twist the truth!"
The Man with a Top Hat ignored Shao Yun's rage completely, speaking as if delivering a sermon.
"Without me, you'd never have had the strength to protect that girl—Lumine. Perhaps you would've spent your life with that little maid Noelle, living as just another gunslinger."
"But you chose Lumine. So, I granted you the power to protect her."
"Without me, the one who died in Liyue would have been you. Even though the man named Ajax spared your life, you wouldn't have survived Inazuma—when that blade of Beelzebul came down."
"I gave you the strength to realize your dreams—but you kept denying it. You defied the Nine Teachings and Eleven Commandments."
"Why concern yourself with those insignificant people of Sumeru? Is it because Buer's kindness rubbed off on you?"
Shao Yun responded with only twelve simple words.
"To kill when one must, to save when one can, to feed when one should."
Hearing that, the Man with a Top Hat began to clap slowly, smiling faintly. "Ah, I see now. So, you only kill when you have a reason. Makes sense—no one ever acts without one, after all."
Shao Yun glared at the devil, heart pounding, realizing he'd just walked into a verbal trap.
"Wait! You promised me—you swore you wouldn't go after Lumine or Paimon!"
The Man with a Top Hat turned away, his tone still eerily calm. "Indeed, I did promise that I myself would not harm those two girls."
Before Shao Yun could react, the figure vanished—completely gone without a trace.
A wave of dread crashed over Shao Yun. He clutched his hair, trembling, muttering under his breath, "Damn it… this is bad—really bad!"
As his thoughts cleared, one thing became painfully obvious—
The cunning devil planned to use someone else's hand to do the killing.
And that "hand"… could only belong to the Jester, Pierro.