The bathroom scene is not suitable for elaboration here. It feels like no matter how it's written, it's easy to get censored, so the most important part will be skipped.
Currently, Durandal and Venti were soaking in the bathtub together. Durandal had her chin submerged in the water, only her upper half-face showing, staring intently at Venti. Her right hand, as flexible as a snake, "swam" to Venti's waist, gripped her soft flesh, and squeezed slightly.
"Hiss—"
Venti, who had been quite relaxed, immediately gasped. Seeing this arrogant person show such an expression, Durandal felt a little better.
She found this move quite effective; both Shenhe and Raiden Ei fell for it, and strictly speaking, it didn't cause much DMG, just a slightly stronger sensation of pain.
From now on, she wouldn't need to punish these people with other methods; they would mostly endure it silently to accommodate her mood, showing no intention of resisting.
"Did you read some strange light novel? Or did you peek at something with your abilities? How did you become so skilled?"
Recalling the abilities she mentioned earlier, Durandal seriously suspected whether she had spied on someone using her powers, otherwise, how could her techniques be so much more impressive than the last time they met?
As for light novels... Don't think there aren't those thin books in this world. This isn't referring to comics, but purely novels. I believe some people encountered certain fanfiction when they were young, except those fanfiction weren't very proper.
"Peeking? Peeking at what? I am the God of freedom. Do you think peeking at residents' privacy is something I would do? Would there still be freedom if I did that?"
Just kidding, who is he? He is one of the oldest Gods, having lived for such a long time, he knows a thing or two about these matters.
Now he's just slowly turning theory into experience, what's so surprising? Who isn't an old pervert?
"Hmph, a pervert no less than Lumine."
"Hehe~ How can you insult people?"
Lumine still has many good qualities, which is why so many people like her, but her flaws are also quite obvious; she's a bit of a scoundrel.
Of course, there was a bit of teasing in this; he and Lumine were friends after all, even if things got a bit unpleasant regarding Durandal, that doesn't change the fact that their relationship is good.
So, this sentence was just to lighten the mood and to accommodate Durandal's feelings, agreeing with Durandal's assessment of Lumine.
Venti's little ploy didn't escape Durandal. She snorted lightly, reaching out and pinching Venti's tender cheek as punishment.
Afterward, for some reason, Venti and Durandal both fell silent, quietly bathing together.
Venti was good at reading the atmosphere. He saw that Durandal seemed to want to say something but was hesitant, so he chose to give her time to compose herself, while also signaling to Durandal not to rush, that he could wait for her to finish organizing her thoughts.
"Hey, Venti. What do you think about Ei's matter?"
Since Venti already knew about her and Raiden Ei, Durandal didn't hold back and directly asked him what he thought.
Venti was very important to her; thousands of years of friendship were no joke. This friendship had now changed, and even if Durandal usually acted indifferent, she still had to consider Venti's feelings.
Shenhe had no objections. When she learned about this, her reaction was very calm, as if she had long known this would be the outcome.
According to Shenhe, Durandal was so excellent that it was understandable even for Inazuma's God to fall in love with her.
Besides, Durandal hadn't neglected her because of Raiden Ei's addition. Her request was simple: as long as Durandal's gaze was on her, she was already quite satisfied.
Shenhe's issue wasn't a problem, but what about Venti? Regardless, Durandal had to talk to Venti properly about this.
"Oh, that... it's quite unexpected, actually. When I first met her, she was only interested in martial arts. I originally thought she would never show any interest in such matters in her life, but I didn't expect you to win her over in just a few months."
It seemed Venti didn't know much; he only knew about her and Raiden Ei, but was unaware of Raiden Makoto and the fact that she and Raiden Ei had gone back to the past Inazuma to live together for decades.
"It's not as simple as you think; she wasn't won over by me. It was... it was..."
She couldn't continue. Durandal couldn't possibly say that she was actually won over by Raiden Ei, could she? That would be too embarrassing.
But how could Venti, a shrewd person, not understand what Durandal was trying to express? He was immediately shocked, not expecting the plot to be completely opposite to what he had imagined.
How was this possible? This was illogical! The difficulty of conquering Durandal was extremely high. Don't think it was as easy as Shenhe's success; the complexities involved were not as simple as they seemed.
How did Raiden Ei transform from a pure martial artist to her current state in a few months? She was always in Tenshukaku, so she wouldn't have had many opportunities to meet Durandal.
"This is what happened."
She briefly recounted how she met Raiden Ei during the Duel Before the Throne, how reviving Raiden Makoto deepened Ei's feelings for her, how she then helped Inazuma so much, and finally, how they returned to the past Inazuma to live together for decades.
The final result was that Raiden Ei had conquered Durandal... Actually, it couldn't entirely be said that Raiden Ei did it; the Raiden Shogun also assisted.
If it were just Raiden Ei, with her shyness, she probably wouldn't have made a move for hundreds of years. If the Raiden Shogun hadn't been fed up, she probably wouldn't have been able to take that step.
"So much happened, and even the previous Electro God was resurrected. You really are... always doing things that surprise me."
Resurrecting someone who had died, and a God at that, was no small matter; if word got out, it could easily cause a commotion.
Fortunately, Raiden Makoto also understood this and had always been very low-key. Only those close to Raiden Ei knew about her, which prevented any major commotion.
"It's not just Makoto. When I told Zhongli and Azhdaha about this in Liyue Harbor, they hoped I could help them revive Guizhong as well. Now only the final steps remain, and she should return in a few weeks."
"Guizhong? Guizhong, Guizhong! Is that the God of Dust who had an unclear relationship with the old man? Hehe~ I didn't expect that, didn't expect it! Looks like there will be fun the next time I go drinking with the old man."
As Zhongli's friend, how could Venti not know about Guizhong? As soon as he thought about Zhongli, that old fossil, rekindling an old flame, his strong sense of gossip would act up, making him eager to go and watch.
"These are not the main points of the conversation. Can we get back to the topic?"
They weren't talking about resurrection; they were talking about Raiden Ei. Was this guy even listening seriously? Why was he completely missing the point?
"Ah, oh, oh! Right, you were talking to me about the Raiden Shogun. Hmm~ How should I put it? Actually, I don't feel much, at most... at most, a little proud."
"...Proud?"
Durandal thought she had misheard and couldn't help but repeat it.
Was he mistaken? Or did he not understand what was happening? How was this something to be proud of?
"Ya~ Don't look at me like that, that's just how I feel. After all, the person I like managed to conquer someone who only had martial arts in her heart without doing anything, and even had the other party chase after you for decades. How much face do I have?"
Hehe~ So what if you are the God of a nation? You still fell under Durandal's spell.
It was still the same point: Venti was one of the oldest Gods. In terms of ideology, he was not that simple. These were minor matters to him, and he clearly knew that no matter how many people came later, his position would not change.
Didn't Shenhe, who had always been by Durandal's side, also act this way? Did that little Raiden Ei still think she could threaten him?
Believe it or not, when he visited Inazuma, she would respectfully pour him wine?
Thinking of that scene, Venti felt incredibly comfortable.
He smiled and hugged Durandal's wrist. The skin-to-skin contact allowed them to feel each other's presence better. Usually, when Venti did this, Durandal would push him away, but not this time.
Not only did she not, but she also hugged Venti's arm back, looking at him quietly, her eyes devoid of their usual coldness or habitual disdain, but simply ordinary, like those of a normal girl.
This was a rather rare sight; only Venti and a few others could make Durandal show such an expression.
"You really don't need to worry, Durandal. As long as you don't forget me because of other people later, I have no objections. I know very well how excellent you are, and someone as excellent as you couldn't possibly fail to attract others."
It wasn't just her excellence; Durandal's unconscious display of gentleness was also key. It was as fatal as poison, yet no one could resist it.
"I've told you, no matter what happens, I will never leave you. So don't worry so much, just be yourself, okay?"
In the end, Venti understood Durandal best, immediately seeing what she was truly worried about.
Despite all the time that had passed and all the things she had experienced, Durandal fundamentally hadn't changed. She was still that person who lacked self-confidence and feared loneliness.
She had finally achieved a happiness she never dared to dream of, and she didn't want it to slip away again.
Under Venti's soothing, Durandal's heart gradually softened. She leaned against Venti and nodded gently.
"Mm."
Thank you, Venti.
I love you the most.
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