"So this is the Windblume Festival? The scent of wind is indeed very strong."
On the day of the Windblume Festival, the streets of Mondstadt were filled with arranged flowers, and in addition to these flowers, there were dandelions floating in the wind.
Durandal casually caught one. She had already sensed that no one was scattering dandelions into the city from the walls. This scene was not man-made, but naturally occurring.
"Dandelions… thankfully it's not flowers flying around, otherwise those with pollen allergies would be in trouble."
During the season of blooming flowers, some people with pollen allergies easily experience allergic reactions. Lumine had seen a few people who accidentally inhaled pollen and then got a runny nose.
The specific situation was like Venti, who is allergic to cat fur. She really didn't understand why he, a dignified Anemo Archon, would be allergic to that. This Anemo Archon is truly not just ordinarily weak.
With nothing to do, Durandal sat alone on the railing, looking at the bustling crowd below. Suddenly having free time after being busy for several days made her feel a bit unaccustomed.
As she was bored, a Children holding a book noticed her and walked towards her.
"Oh? I didn't expect to meet you here. Why aren't you with your friends, Durandal?"
"Lotes? You finally decided to come out of your nest? Your progress is truly remarkable."
Durandal habitually said a few words, then noticed the book in her hand. It wasn't an ordinary book; even from the cover, one could tell its extraordinary nature.
"Where did this book come from? It's a bit different from ordinary books."
"Of course, I finally managed to borrow it from Sister Lisa. This is a book she wrote herself, recording many of her understandings of magic. I must say, her reputation as a top student of the Sumeru Akademiya is completely accurate; her wisdom is indeed worth praising."
Sister Lisa? This person… does she know what she's saying? Why can you so naturally call someone 'sister'?
Durandal could tell that when Tina called Lisa 'sister', there was no resistance in her heart; she genuinely regarded Lisa as a sister.
That troublesome witch actually gained such high favor from Tina? Perhaps it's because her mental power is strong enough, and the other party wants to cultivate her.
"Now that you have this, are you planning to use her as a stepping stone, to have her introduce you to study at the Sumeru Akademiya?"
"Yes, although she left the Sumeru Akademiya, she still has connections there. With her introduction, that connection can bring me a lot of convenience when I go there in the future."
"It might also bring you a lot of trouble. Such places inevitably have competition. If you perform too brilliantly, you will attract jealousy."
This situation exists everywhere. Although she had never been to the Sumeru Akademiya, a place where a group of highly intelligent people gather would inevitably have some arrogant individuals.
These people's jealousy is exceptionally strong. Seeing that Tina is not from a prominent family but has such strong Talents, and entered the Sumeru Akademiya through the introduction of Lisa, the legendary top student, they will definitely target her.
"Hmph, do you think I'm afraid of that? Although I am no longer the Eighth Apostle, I am not so weak as to be bullied."
No kidding, no matter what she looks like now, no matter how much her personality changes, she will not be bullied.
After all… she was once an Apostle, an existence at the pinnacle… although she was schemed against by that woman Hulder and eventually eliminated by the Adventurer.
Hearing this, Durandal had nothing more to worry about. Thinking about it, it made sense.
Even if this person is very kind, she would do some terrible things for survival, such as when she was teleported to the Celestial Whale, she used her mental power to control the believers there to survive.
Durandal is the same; even if she stayed put to prevent the plague from spreading, she would not let the Adventurer eliminate her; she would resist.
Even if she would let those who could escape from her hands go, she would not become a lamb to be slaughtered.
Tina sat down next to Durandal. This was probably their first time sitting side by side, quietly enjoying the scenery.
In the past, they were either too large or their physical conditions didn't allow them to be together, so they couldn't get along amicably like this.
"You still haven't answered me, why aren't you looking for those people? For this Windblume Festival, you should have something to give them, right?"
Tina had given windblume to her parents before, and understanding the meaning of windblume, after learning about Lumine, Venti, and Shenhe's situations, she knew that Durandal wouldn't be idle, unlike some people who just stay home and sleep even during festivals.
She would definitely go find them, perhaps she had already prepared flowers for them. If so, why was she still sitting in this deserted corner, spacing out?
"They all have their own things to do, and the Windblume Festival has just begun, so there's no rush to find them."
"But you definitely want to see them, right?"
Tina leaned closer to Durandal, looking at her with a smile: "Don't deny it, I've controlled countless people's minds and browsed their memories. I understand human thoughts very well, and I've seen your current situation before. Not just one, most humans are like this."
"…I am not human."
"But you are gradually becoming like a human, aren't you? This is what you've always hoped for, isn't it? To exist in this world not as a monster, but as a person."
"Do you know why, when I heard there was someone named Durandal in Mondstadt, I didn't recognize that you were the Durandal I knew?"
"…Because what you saw was not a monster bringing death, but a girl who heals and saves people?"
"No, that's not the reason. It's because you acted just like a human, which made me not realize you had any connection to the black plague until you admitted it yourself. You are now considered a human."
This person completely misunderstands herself. Not only does she act like a human, but she is also no different from a normal girl.
It's just that this girl is a bit clumsy, but that's also her cutest part. When they met before, whenever she was with Venti, Shenhe, or Lumine, a faint smile would involuntarily appear on her face.
Occasionally, you could even see her blush. That Durandal… actually blushed! Do you know how Tina felt at that time?
If there weren't other people at home, she would have run back to her room, hugged her doll, rolled around on the bed, and burst into laughter.
Hmm~ why does that sound a bit like mockery? I can assure you there's absolutely no malicious laughter at Durandal, just finding her very cute.
This cute Durandal also has such a mischievous side, it's really… I don't know what to say.
"Don't keep sitting here. I can't stand it anymore. You clearly want to see them, but you're hiding here. How overly sentimental are you?"
"…I'm not."
"Yes~ yes~ you're not, I know you're not. Now stop hiding here. If you keep doing this, the next time I see those people, I'll tell them you were hiding here."
Ah, she's glaring at me with a very fierce look. Seriously… if you don't want to be told off, then at least don't give me the chance to tell you off.
Hmm? You're asking why I say Durandal was fierce when her expression was the same as before?
Please~ have you ever seen someone with a very stoic personality? Those people often have one face that represents all their emotions. Aside from a slight blush or a small movement of their eyes, there are no other changes.
Tina saw a slight change in Durandal's expression, which is why she was sure Durandal was being fierce with her.
However, her glaring at me means she doesn't want this matter to be known.
Heh heh~ It seems she now has a way to threaten her. She won't force Durandal to do anything, because such a threat has no real impact.
At most, she can only make Durandal face what she should be facing. The advantage of this is that Tina can be a spectator, watching how things will develop in interesting ways.
In the end, Durandal was successfully threatened by Tina and reluctantly went to find Lumine and her companions, who were somewhere in Mondstadt City.
Watching Durandal disappear, Tina felt a bit envious of her strength and also wondered if she should change her plans.
If she really got the opportunity to study at the Sumeru Akademiya, then she wouldn't be able to track the development of events! That would mean missing out on so much fun!
Meanwhile, Lumine, with Shenhe and Paimon, was diligently searching for things to do in Mondstadt City.
It must be said that Lumine, as a 'tool person,' having grown accustomed to a busy life, suddenly couldn't adapt to the leisure of everyday life.
Even Paimon was the same. Unwilling to give up, after asking many people, she finally found someone who needed help—a man wanting to prepare a special gift for his wife—and accepted the commission to find materials for him.
During this process, Lumine and her companions didn't notice a figure hiding not far behind them, secretly watching them.
This person was Durandal, who had been threatened by Tina to come find them. She didn't approach immediately but instead imitated Shenhe's usual behavior of following her, trailing them from a distance.
She watched the trio's movements expressionlessly. Even the experienced Shenhe didn't notice, and even when she felt eyes on her back and secretly observed, she couldn't detect any problem.
Suddenly, the otherwise ordinary process of completing a commission became terrifying.
It made Lumine and her companions think they were being targeted by the Fatui or people from the Abyss, constantly ready to draw their weapons for battle.
Only Durandal was thinking about how to approach them. After all, she had said she had things to do when she left in the morning. If she went to find them at this time, wouldn't they discover that she was actually free and that she had said those things in the morning just to avoid them?
She had already prepared everything, but why couldn't she give it to them when it was time?
What should she do?
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