"Look at the state of you—and you still expect me to lead you back to glory and greatness?"
"I drew up a flawless plan for you, and you couldn't even be bothered to carry it out."
"What exactly do you expect me to do? I'm not Barbatos; I won't spoon-feed you."
"Besides, when the food's already at your lips and you still refuse to eat, what more do you want?"
Rowan was genuinely speechless at this group of Mondstadters—high demands, low ability.
They hadn't even tried to implement anything, yet they were already shouting that it couldn't be done, or that they didn't want to do it.
Truly pathetic.
If this is how it's going to be, Rowan really had to consider whether he should continue being this so-called Knight-King.
A bunch of overgrown babies no one could carry.
Turns out the netizens were right: from top to bottom, Mondstadt had been spoiled rotten by Barbatos.
Rowan couldn't help shooting a glare at the ever-silent Venti.
Venti looked helpless. He understood exactly what Rowan's look meant.
How was this his fault? These were Mondstadt's own problems.
Blame him?
He slept most of the time!
Rowan: If you hadn't neglected the job, how would they have turned out like this?
Look at Morax next door—see how well he trained Liyue.
Venti: ...
Venti wanted to argue back, but then he noticed Istaroth behind Rowan.
With Istaroth clearly on Rowan's side, if he talked back, he'd probably get tag-teamed by the two of them.
All he could do was sigh in resignation.
You just can't keep a "daughter" once she picks a side.
After venting a little at Venti, Rowan turned back to the people of Mondstadt below.
"In short, my decrees have been issued. Do it or don't. If you won't, I'm leaving."
"If you want to be the bottom-tier trash of Teyvat, that has nothing to do with me."
"At worst, I pat the dust off and walk away—and you'll be none of my concern."
"We—"
Frederica had just begun to say they could do it when Rowan raised a hand to stop her.
"I'm not interested in hearing slogans. No matter how loud you shout, it won't beat doing the job well."
"I'll judge by your actions. Don't boast to me and then fail to deliver."
"I want to see what you do, not how slick your tongues are."
Frederica closed her mouth helplessly, knowing Rowan had been angered by that attitude earlier.
She also knew Mondstadt really had gotten too lazy, to the point Rowan no longer trusted any promises.
So let Rowan see Mondstadt's ability and resolve.
Let him know Mondstadters are neither cowards nor slackers.
Rowan slowly sat back on the throne and continued:
"Next decree: starting tomorrow, anyone who publicly slanders officers of the Knights of Favonius at or above captain rank will be punished for treason!"
"Mondstadt is really something—ordinary citizens can openly bad-mouth captain-level Knights in public without any punishment."
"And the Knights' toadies echo it, too. Truly impressive."
In Rowan's homeland, a captain-level Knight of Favonius—just below the Grand Master and Acting Grand Master—would be akin to a regional military commander. Yet in Mondstadt, such figures were vilified by residents, slandered, even refused service when buying food and goods.
At this point, everyone probably knew exactly whom Rowan meant.
That's right—Eula of the Lawrence family.
If this were before Eula joined the Knights, such treatment might have been "understandable."
Many Mondstadters don't actually know the Lawrence family's history. They don't know that while the present Lawrences share the same name as the tyrants of Old Mondstadt, they are a different branch. This branch helped Vennessa resist the old Lawrences and even fought in the Archon War a millennium ago.
So the current Lawrence family are not descendants of sinners—on the contrary, they're descendants of heroes.
But the ignorant masses lumped them together with the oppressors and heaped abuse on them.
In the early days, the newly founded Knights of Favonius had no time to deal with this and let it slide.
Over time, even when the Lawrences explained themselves, Mondstadters no longer believed them.
And so the Lawrence family were oppressed right up to the present: barred from joining the Knights, refused sales of goods, shut out everywhere.
All of Mondstadt harbored resistance and malice toward them.
Only when Eula joined the Knights a few years ago did the Lawrences glimpse hope.
Maybe, in the future, they could also serve Mondstadt and change their lot.
But reality hit them hard: the Knights never recruited anyone else from the Lawrences again.
Eula's entry into the Knights happened only because Falga shouldered pressure from the entire order and from the people of Mondstadt.
Back then, rumors exploded. Crowds flooded the Knights' headquarters to protest Eula's membership.
If Falga hadn't stood firm and made an exception, there'd be no Spindrift Knight today—and no captain of the Reconnaissance Company.
Yet even as captain of the Reconnaissance Company and the renowned Spindrift Knight, Eula was still maligned by Mondstadters—
And, outside of Good Hunter, refused service for food and goods.
That must never happen in the Mondstadt to come.
All the more so now that Eula serves as Vice Grand Master of the Knights.
If she's still hounded by bandwagon haters and petty jealousy, Rowan has no business being Knight-King.
At those words, everyone except the Knights of Favonius erupted in an uproar.
They knew exactly who this targeted—and that was why they were shocked.
Because the targeting of Eula wasn't just a few people; virtually the whole city had participated.
Rowan's decree was basically declaring war on all of Mondstadt.
Wasn't that an egg against a boulder?
On the left, the Knights stood in silence.
They knew what Eula had done to earn her promotions, and the pressure she had endured.
That very knowledge kept them quiet.
Sensing their thoughts, Rowan looked to Jean.
"Jean, publish everything Eula has contributed to the Knights of Favonius over the years."
"If, after seeing it, anyone still targets Eula—then Mondstadt has no need for such heartless ingrates, does it?"
(End of Chapter)
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