"Ah~ You've really given me a tough problem, Jean."
In the Knights of Favonius Acting Grand Master's office, Lisa sat lazily in a chair, sipping black tea and looking at Jean with a resentful gaze.
"I'm sorry, Lisa. You've worked hard these past few days. Have you found any information about Durandal?"
"Very little, and it's not official records, but rather oral traditions. If you hadn't told me her name, I would have thought it was just some legend."
Durandal's description in books is very much like modern legendary stories, such as "Journey to the West," giving the impression of a character that doesn't exist in reality.
Lisa had practically scoured the library, and the only materials she could find were those few books. She was a God, yet she had no fame at all. She really couldn't understand how she had always existed in Mondstadt. Was it because she was too mysterious?
"Among these records, what's worth noting is that someone once saw her fighting a God during the Archon War. Although a God's defeat would bring immense disaster to the surroundings, she absorbed that disaster before it erupted, preventing casualties."
Lisa pointed to the passage she found for Jean to see: "It's here. The eyewitness was discovered afterwards, but Durandal didn't harm him. Instead, she warned him that if he appeared at the site of a God's battle again, he wouldn't be so lucky. He mustered the courage to ask for her name and only then learned she was Durandal."
"The real place with the black plague is here. This was a village of people who encountered monsters during their migration. They were destined to be wiped out, but Durandal saved them."
Lisa took out another book, pointed to that spot, and said, "They were very grateful for Durandal's protection, thanking her, this kind God. But Durandal said she was not kind; she was the black plague, the source of tragedy."
When she read this, Lisa wondered if the person who wrote this record was hostile towards Durandal? Or perhaps due to the extremely long passage of time, the records became inaccurate? Did later generations record incorrect information?
But with subsequent observation, she found that the accuracy of these records was still very high. It was indeed Durandal who proclaimed herself evil, an evil that would bring disaster to humanity.
Yet, this God who called herself "evil" secretly followed the human group after they parted ways, continuously protecting them in the shadows until they migrated to a safe location before leaving.
If someone hadn't coincidentally witnessed Durandal fighting other monsters behind them, perhaps the record of Durandal being evil would have been definitively sealed.
"...What do you think is the reason she does this, Lisa?"
"It's simple. She doesn't want humans to revere her, doesn't want humans to hope for her protection, and doesn't want to get too close to humans, because being by her side, all that awaits them is destruction."
Through these records, Lisa could conclude that Durandal was a gentle God.
But she couldn't easily jump to conclusions. Seeing is believing. Without witnessing it herself, she wouldn't easily trust any conclusion.
"Oh, by the way, I heard that Children Klee has been running out to play with her recently. Is that true?"
"It should be true. Children Klee doesn't lie. Every day she comes back, she tells me what she did with Durandal and what delicious food Durandal prepared for her."
"Oh? Delicious food? Can you elaborate?"
Lisa was very curious. This God who had existed since the Archon War would actually specifically prepare delicious food for Klee? Was her little one so likable? Even a God couldn't resist her charm?
"Actually, I'm not very clear either. It's mainly what Klee told me."
If possible, Jean hoped she could go with Klee to meet Durandal. Firstly, to thank her for her previous help, and secondly, to inquire about other information.
But as the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, she had too many things to handle daily and didn't have much time to go out.
Furthermore, she wasn't sure if Durandal would be willing to meet her, or if a sudden visit would displease her.
"I see... Perhaps she prefers pure, well-behaved Children like little Klee."
Thinking of Klee's usual behavior, Lisa chuckled a few times, somewhat moved that Klee could be favored by Durandal.
"If Klee is favored by that person, then you won't be able to put her in solitary confinement anymore, Jean."
Lisa teased, "If you make Klee cry, and Klee runs to her to complain, do you think she'll come looking for trouble with you?"
"Uh...don't say such things, Lisa. If Klee really acts recklessly, relying on someone to back her up, then...then...then something big will happen."
Jean couldn't imagine what kind of trouble this little demon king would cause if no one dared to rein her in.
She hoped that Durandal's care for Klee wasn't to the point of spoiling her, otherwise Mondstadt wouldn't face danger from Durandal; instead, it would be broken from within by Klee.
Rubbing her head, Jean walked to the window, opened it, and wanted to breathe some fresh air.
Mondstadt was still sunny today. Speaking of which, Dvalin hadn't ravaged Mondstadt City recently.
This greatly reduced Jean's pressure. She did not want Dvalin to come to Mondstadt City. His previous visits had already caused some damage to Mondstadt City, making its residents uneasy.
At the same time, those from Snezhnaya also used this incident to suggest helping to eliminate Dvalin. She would not allow such a thing to happen.
Before, they could use Dvalin's disruption as leverage, but now that he no longer came, let's see how they would stir up trouble with this matter.
But she couldn't let down her guard. She knew that those from Snezhnaya would definitely not stop so easily; they must be planning something else.
Especially the Fatui members, especially The Lady. Jean always felt they were secretly plotting something.
"This matter...can only be entrusted to Kaeya."
——————
"Fatui?"
"Yes, this is an organization affiliated with Snezhnaya. On the surface, they are Snezhnaya's diplomatic envoy, using the guise of protection to pressure the other Six Nations."
Barbatos explained, "They have portrayed Dvalin as Stormterror and have been pressuring the Knights of Favonius, stating that if the Knights of Favonius do not deal with Dvalin's matter, the Fatui will step in and kill Dvalin."
Durandal listened quietly to Barbatos's narration. Durandal didn't care what kind of group the Fatui was.
Different nations would have different organizations, including those that outwardly carried a banner of goodwill but secretly engaged in unspeakable acts. Durandal had seen too many of them and had long grown accustomed to it.
What Durandal cared about most was that those Fatui members actually coveted the power of the Seven Gods and Gods, which meant...she herself was also within their target range?
"You're not here to tell me to be careful of those Fatui members, are you?"
"Of course not. Even if they possess equipment that can use elemental power without a Vision, it doesn't mean they are your opponents."
Are you kidding? Durandal is an Apostle! And she's an Apostle who has completely mastered her strength. She was already so powerful when she couldn't control her plague, let alone now that she can.
Forget about those Vision wielders; even the Seven Gods might not be a match for Durandal. If she gets serious, the continent of Teyvat might face an apocalypse.
"Since you understand all this, why did you come to me to talk about these things? Even if they want to use Dvalin's situation to pressure Mondstadt, Dvalin's condition has improved now. He won't run to Mondstadt to cause trouble like before. What else do you have to worry about?"
"Those people aren't the type to give up so easily. Even if there's no trouble, they'll create it. They've done this before, creating chaos with things that attract monsters, then stepping in to resolve the chaos and playing the role of saviors."
Durandal pondered for a moment and quickly understood what Barbatos was trying to express. In other words... besides Dvalin's matter, those people are also trying to cause chaos in Mondstadt through other means?
"...If they continue to do as they please, will Klee be affected?"
"Eh? Perhaps. The Fatui don't care if it's a Children or an adult. They even capture children in the Seven Nations for experiments. Some children in Mondstadt have been lured away by them under various pretexts and died from their torture."
Although they did it very secretly, it is a fact that can be understood with a little investigation.
After hearing all this, Durandal's expression darkened. Imagining Klee being taken away, her mood instantly became irritable.
"I understand."
Durandal stood up, preparing to leave Cape Oath. Barbatos looked at Durandal, who had suddenly taken action, and stopped her.
"Wait a moment, what do you understand? What do you intend to do?"
"What to do? Don't those people love to cause destruction? If that's the case, then just take care of all of them."
Durandal spoke terrifying words with such ease, like a major villain.
"You don't have to worry about me leaving any evidence. I'll secretly poison one of them, causing the poison to take effect in public. This way, Mondstadt can use this as an excuse to rebuke the Fatui for bringing an infected person into Mondstadt City, attempting to spread the plague within Mondstadt City."
This is a very serious accusation. If this news spreads, the residents of Mondstadt City will surely be outraged.
Once a plague becomes rampant, it is a very deadly thing. Hundreds and thousands of people will die.
As long as she secretly injects a trace of delayed-onset plague into certain Fatui members, solidifying the Fatui's guilt, then Snezhnaya's reputation in Mondstadt City will essentially be ruined. Whatever they want to do will not be as easy as it is now.
"Hmm~ That's a good idea, but can we use a slightly more gentle approach?"
Barbatos did not want such a thing to break out in Mondstadt City. Although doing so would indeed help curb the Fatui's arrogance in Mondstadt, the appearance of a plague carrier would also cause panic among the people of Mondstadt City, which is not what she wanted to see.
"Just a slight punishment is enough. Don't use lethal toxins; just give them a lesson. As long as it's not lethal, just make them very uncomfortable. How about we consider it your Reward for me teaching you how to cook? Please, Durandal."
"...Non-lethal toxins? You're really giving me a challenge, Barbatos."
The Viruses she controlled were basically all lethal. Even if she could concoct a non-lethal one, it would require a period of research, as she had never researched this aspect before.
Making Fatui members uncomfortable without being lethal? How should she do that?