The nights in Mondstadt had always been tranquil, but tonight a roving gale blew in from beyond the city, howling like a beast and sweeping over half the Mondstadt territory.
Several hundred meters above the city gates, a whirlwind coalesced into a roaring tornado. The funnel seemed intent on utterly destroying this peaceful, harmonious city-state.
In the center of the storm, one could make out the silhouette of a colossal dragon.
"Roooar!!!"
A deep dragon's bellow shook heaven and earth, a hoarse roar crushing under it countless pains and disappointments, rumbling through the hearts of all Mondstadters like rolling thunder.
Centuries of slumber and suffering. The lyre of an old friend was nowhere to be heard, and the people once protected had forgotten that brutal battle.
The former patron was gone from sight; the ears were stuffed with the Abyss's curse.
The dragon Dvalin, once intoxicated by unbridled wind and song, now had blood-red eyes.
"Klee saw it! There's a big dragon in the gale!"
Such a colossal presence naturally drew the Knights of Favonius' attention.
Thanks to Ken's information, they had seized the initiative and destroyed the other three Temples of the Four Winds first. But, faced with the maddened dragon—Barbatos's former vassal—they were still unnerved.
Dvalin had already whipped up wind calamities outside the city during the day.
They hadn't expected him to come to Mondstadt by nightfall.
"So this is how the Knights of Favonius operate? Even after seizing the initiative, you wait for an outlander traveler to act? Truly the Knights' style."
The faintly mocking voice came from the darkness.
It was Diluc, whose identity as the Darknight Hero had been exposed.
Though he kept mocking the Knights, Diluc nonetheless stood beside Acting Grand Master Jean, frowning up at the dragon in the sky.
"Master Diluc," Jean said softly as she looked at him standing so solemnly. "Because no one present possesses that traveler's ability."
Diluc gave a short laugh. "Even if no one here has that so-called ability, at the very least we can't let Stormterror ravage Mondstadt."
"This is Dvalin…" Barbara clasped her hands in prayer. "May the Anemo Archon bless him. A hero who once protected Mondstadt should not suffer like this."
Though the Anemo Archon's true image had shaken Barbara's faith a little, after Ken's guidance, she understood—no matter what the Archon looked like, he was still the hero who guarded Mondstadt, the god they revered.
Having already seen the story, the others fell silent at Barbara's prayer.
Indeed.
Dvalin had become like this because of that war five hundred years ago. He had paid a terrible price in that battle.
"Find a way to drive him off, but don't hurt him."
Jean drew the Aquila Favonia from her hip. Her lake-blue eyes held complex emotions. For the sake of today's Mondstadt, they had no choice but to draw their swords against a former hero.
The wind howled in their ears; even its savage roar seemed to carry a mocking hint of fate.
"Let Klee do it!"
Klee pulled a Jumpy Dumpty from her backpack, chirping with excitement: "Let Klee scare the big dragon away with bombs—then he won't hurt Mondstadt!"
"Very well…" Jean said.
At the moment, the strongest deterrent present was probably Klee's Jumpy Dumpty.
Even if they were inside the city.
Special circumstances.
"Yay!"
Little Klee was over the moon. Ever since Kaeya had set rules for her, she hadn't been allowed to use Jumpy Dumpty recklessly in Mondstadt for a long time.
Tonight she finally could!
Her innocent eyes sparkled like stars as she pulled Jumpy Dumpties out in armfuls, ready to savor the feeling of openly bombing the city.
Then—
Just then, Dvalin, who had been rampaging, suddenly wheeled around and sped off away from Mondstadt.
The raging wind and sand ceased with him.
"Huh…? Klee hasn't even used a bomb yet. Why did the big dragon run away?"
Klee blinked in confusion, stunned on the spot.
Her bubbling excitement deflated at once… She hadn't even blown anything up, and it was already gone?
Disappointed, Klee tilted her head up at the frowning Acting Grand Master beside her and asked hopefully, "Master Jean, the big dragon ran away… Should we fire off a couple shots to celebrate?"
Jean: "…"
Lisa patted Klee's little head. "Sweetie, you can't set off your bombs in the city. But… given how often Stormterror's been stirring up gales, you can't go to Blue Star tomorrow. You'll have to stay in Mondstadt for now."
"Okay! Klee will protect everyone!" Klee hugged her bomb like she was making a vow.
Hearing that, Jean finally breathed a sigh of relief.
With Klee's overwhelming firepower, a couple of blasts should be enough to scare Dvalin off.
Diluc, however, glanced at little Klee and asked, "What kind of background does your father have?"
Having his Darknight Hero identity exposed hadn't left Diluc brooding, but if the chance presented itself, he wouldn't mind testing himself.
"A strange grown-up…" Klee put her bomb back in her bag, clasped her hands behind her back, leaned forward, and declared proudly, "My daddy is the best! Don't you go setting your sights on Klee's dad!"
Seeing her like that, Diluc sighed, a little helpless.
He turned and walked back into the darkness.
Jean watched his receding back, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end held her tongue.
For now, dealing with Dvalin was more important.
Who knew when that traveler would arrive?
They had already sent knights to scout all around the city. The moment the traveler showed up, they would be brought in at once.
…
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