In the next instant, Severin vanished.
When space folded back into place, he was already standing beside the Anemo Archon—perched atop the outstretched palm of the statue.
With this body, one could call him Venti, the wandering bard, the drunken songster of taverns.
But when gods meet as representatives of nations, formality matters.
So Severin addressed him by his true name.
Barbatos
"Prince of Snezhnaya," Barbatos said with a bright, easy smile,
"welcome to Mondstadt."
He looked as though he had just come from a tavern—apple wine lingering on his breath, eyes half-lidded with a carefree haze.
Harmless. Unthreatening.
Yet to Severin, the smile felt… deliberate.
Because he knew Barbatos' secrets.
"Barbatos," Severin said calmly, hands behind his back,
"I come on behalf of the Tsaritsa. You already know my purpose."
At that, Barbatos clasped his hands theatrically and recited in a bard's cadence:
"She draped the aurora as her mantle,
Forged stardust into a crown,
Turned eternal night and frost into her throne.
Knights raised their spears, dragons roared—
And the Queen of Winter descended upon the world…"
Severin let out a quiet sigh.
"That is the scene of her ascension, five hundred years ago—
when the new Cryo Archon was born."
Barbatos froze.
"You… know that?"
"When it comes to me," Severin replied,
"she hides nothing."
Barbatos caught the subtlety at once.
Severin did not say Her Majesty.
He said she.
An intimacy that gods did not grant lightly.
A closeness that spoke of strength, not subservience.
"So," Barbatos murmured, eyes narrowing with rare seriousness,
"the intelligence we received was wrong. You and the Tsaritsa were never at odds… and our evaluation of your strength was gravely mistaken."
"The Knights of Favonius believed those reports. They thought a so-called 'compensation agreement' could suppress you—only to be outplayed and captured instead."
He sighed.
"From the very beginning, this was a losing game."
Severin stood tall, overlooking Mondstadt.
"The Knights made many mistakes—but they also inherited something worth praising from you."
"For centuries, they enforced systemic discrimination against Mondstadt's old nobility.
To crush the Lawrence Clan, they were even willing to exploit Eula Lawrence's loyalty."
"That," Severin said lightly,
"is what truly hollowed out the foundation of the Knights."
"Hey—hold on!" Barbatos protested, flustered.
"You can't pin that on me! I haven't met the Knights in over a century! Mondstadt doesn't need a ruler—that was my original vision."
"Blaming you?" Severin chuckled softly.
"Then let me help you remember."
"Do you recall the pact known as the Backwind Accord?"
Barbatos' expression stiffened.
Over a thousand years ago, Vanessa led the people of Mondstadt in overthrowing the Lawrence Clan's slave regime.
A secret treaty surfaced—one claiming the Lawrences had sold Mondstadt to Rex Lapis and Liyue.
The document bore a divine signature.
The moment it was revealed, Lawrence soldiers defected en masse.
The regime collapsed overnight.
What history never recorded—
Was that the Lawrence Clan had never made such a deal.
That signature… was forged.
Forged by Barbatos himself.
"I did nothing wrong," Barbatos said quietly.
"The Lawrences ruled through slavery and cruelty. Any method used to destroy them was justified."
"Their ancestors were judged," Severin replied evenly.
"They were executed. Their regime erased. Their power annihilated."
"That debt was paid."
"But you never cleared the truth afterward."
The words fell like stone.
"For centuries, Mondstadt believed the Lawrences were traitors.
Hatred deeper than their tyranny itself was carved into memory."
"That hatred endured—generation after generation."
"And because of it," Severin continued,
"Mondstadt's relations with Liyue nearly collapsed. Your people believed Liyue was complicit. Trade dwindled. Trust rotted."
Barbatos' smile finally shattered.
"…None of the Four Winds ever told me this.
Even Rex Lapis never mentioned it."
"The Four Winds are your followers," Severin said calmly.
"They would rather protect your dignity than challenge your mistakes."
"As for Rex Lapis—he prefers to observe history, not correct it.
Unless Liyue itself falls, such matters rarely stir his heart."
Silence.
Only the wind passed between them.
"At last," Barbatos said slowly,
"I understand."
"Freedom built upon lies… is not true freedom."
He looked at Severin with something close to respect.
"You transformed Snezhnaya into the strongest nation in just three years.
I believe now that you truly possess such ability."
With a self-mocking laugh, he added,
"The Tsaritsa must complain endlessly about my irresponsibility, hm? Even my own followers think so."
"Give me time. I will fix this."
"You misunderstand again," Severin said quietly.
"The world believes you idle away your days. I never did."
"You chose to stand alone."
Barbatos blinked.
"What?"
Severin gazed down at Mondstadt.
"The path to Celestia lies beneath your feet.
As one of the Seven, you have searched for a way to reach it for years."
"But to defy the heavens invites punishment.
You feared dragging Mondstadt into your rebellion."
"So you drank. Wandered. Sang as a bard."
"Not out of apathy—"
"But to deceive Celestia's gaze."
Severin turned back to the stunned Wind God.
"Barbatos."
"You and we… walk the same road."
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