Mondstadt —
Favonius Cathedral
"Durandal, huh? Not a bad name…
But… is she really that strong?"
Kaeya sat in the cathedral's quiet resting area, brows furrowed, replaying everything he'd heard from the other knights.
The sisters told him it was already the next day.
The crisis was over.
The strange little girl had already been dealt with—
and the one who defeated her was a young woman named Durandal.
If that were all, Kaeya could accept it.
After all, there was always someone stronger, somewhere. Mondstadt having a powerful visitor was nothing shocking.
But then…
A knight who'd visited him earlier began telling him—in detail—what had happened at Stormterror's Lair.
And Kaeya almost dropped dead on the spot.
"Two Archons… couldn't beat that little girl?!"
What kind of sick joke was that?!
At first, he was convinced the knight must've gotten fifth-hand, tenth-hand, utterly distorted rumors.
Two Archons — actual gods —
losing to a child?
Unless… that child was also an Archon?
But before Kaeya could dismiss the story, another knight who was actually present stepped in and confirmed it word for word.
Kaeya almost questioned his entire worldview.
If that little girl was so overwhelmingly powerful…
Then who, exactly, defeated her?
Durandal.
A name Kaeya had never heard in his life—yet every knight who mentioned her spoke with shining eyes.
"A true knight!"
"Mondstadt's savior!"
"The most beautiful girl in all of Teyvat!"
"Like a goddess descended!"
Their praises were endless to the point that Kaeya suspected they were composing poetry on the spot.
Annoyed and curious, he finally asked them to describe the battle between Durandal and the little girl—surely it must have been a god-level fight that shook heaven and earth.
Given that the girl had overpowered two Archons, Durandal defeating her must have been a clash of legendary proportions.
Maybe the entire battlefield was reduced to nothingness.
Maybe the shockwaves reached Mondstadt's walls.
He was waiting for a tale of epic proportions when the knight answered casually:
"Durandal beat her in one hit."
One.
Single.
Hit.
Kaeya froze.
He didn't doubt the knights—they had no reason to lie.
But accepting this truth was still incredibly difficult.
Childe Joins the Conversation
"Who knows," Childe muttered from the side.
"But if it's true, then Mondstadt's women are a bit too strong, don't you think?"
His voice wavered with trauma.
Ever since arriving in Mondstadt, he'd been utterly crushed by one girl after another.
And not just defeated—annihilated.
Some were grown women.
One was a little girl.
He had PTSD every time a woman under 160 cm walked past him.
If his suffering were a medical condition, the doctor would probably describe it as:
"Electrocuted through an IV drip — hopelessly fried."
Barbara Arrives
"Captain Kaeya! You're all awake—
Please head to Angel's Share. They're holding a celebration for Miss Durandal!"
Barbara, looking exhausted beyond belief, hurried over.
She hadn't rested since yesterday.
Wave after wave of unconscious knights were carried in—Kaeya, Diluc, Childe—
and not long after, even Jean was brought in.
And rumors had spread everywhere about the giant battle at Stormterror's Lair. She had been terrified for everyone's safety.
Thankfully, all of them had only fainted.
Jean, however… The moment she woke up, she went straight back to work at the headquarters, muttering things like "How long was I out?" and "Where's the little girl?" and other alarming phrases.
Barbara could only follow behind to help however she could. That was how she learned what truly happened.
Kaeya stood up immediately.
"Hah, perfect timing. If you didn't come, we were about to sneak out on our own."
Childe and Diluc followed behind him, eager to finally meet this "Durandal."
Outside Mondstadt
"You're retiring? Unexpected."
Back in the wilds outside the city, Venti blinked at Morax in surprise. They'd stepped outside so they could speak freely.
"It's been many long years," Zhongli replied calmly. "It's about time. However…"
"However, what? Something even you can't handle?"
Venti leaned closer, eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"My original plan," Zhongli explained,
"was to fake my death during the Rite of Descension. I wanted to observe how Liyue Qixing and Adept would react, and whether they could manage the crises that arise without my intervention.
"But due to… certain complications, the plan was activated early.
And as you know, during the process, the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles appeared unexpectedly, forcing me to reveal myself.
Thus, the entire plan collapsed."
Venti snapped his fingers.
"Easy! Just fake your death again at the Rite."
"No. I've already 'died' once. If I do it again, the Qixing and the adepti will grow suspicious. Unless…"
He paused.
"Unless I were killed by a mysterious and overwhelmingly powerful 'enemy.'
Someone unknown to Liyue's leaders, yet strong enough to be believable."
"Ohhhh…"
Venti perked up. "So you can continue your plan… as long as we find someone scary enough to pretend-kill you."
"Correct. But finding such a person is difficult.
They must be completely unknown to Liyue…
and powerful enough to frighten the adepti."
"Morax, I happen to know someone perfect," Venti grinned.
"But you'll have to give me time—
and I might not be able to convince her."
Zhongli raised an eyebrow.
"And who might that be?"
"Wendy."
"…"
Zhongli stared at him.
"That is… highly inappropriate."
The trauma resurfaced immediately.
Venti's "Wendy" was the little terror who had rocked Liyue and Mondstadt alike. Calling her would make Zhongli's fake death accidental—because it would probably become a real death.
He wanted to retire, not embrace early burial.
"Haha, relax. She's pretty easy to talk to, actually. After that incident, she even came to Mondstadt for tea."
Venti waved off Zhongli's fear casually.
To him, Wendy was merely a mischievous child—whose "mischief" happened to rival natural disasters.
Angel's Share — Durandal Overhears Everything
Wendy?
Durandal blinked.
While she sat in Angel's Share waiting politely, the system relayed Venti and Zhongli's private conversation to her.
She had only wanted the system to eavesdrop for any clues about Dvalin's corruption.
Instead, she overheard this.
So they want Wendy to "fake-kill Morax"?
And I'm being talked about too…?
Durandal rubbed her temple.
This… was not what she expected to deal with today.
Jean Approaches
"Miss Durandal, may I speak with you?"
Jean appeared beside her.
"Of course."
Durandal followed her outside.
"It's like this," Jean began carefully.
"I wish to offer you the title of Honorary Knight of the Knights of Favonius. Although I know such a title may be—"
"I accept," Durandal answered before she could finish.
"In fact, I plan to stay in Mondstadt for a while. Rita told me this place is wonderful."
Jean blinked in surprise—but relief quickly followed.
Durandal smiled gently.
And then—
Through the system, she heard Venti and Zhongli continue discussing her.
Durandal lowered her head slightly, expression caught between helpless and amused.
"Durandal?
What does any of this have to do with me?"
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