The Wind God's Behind-the-Scenes Trickery
"Why do weapon owners always meet tragic ends…"
Lori muttered.
His first thought went to the Amos' Bow.
Perhaps because he had been weak back then, those memories carved deeper than others.
Before he finished lamenting, Venti dragged him toward the plaza.
To arrive sooner, Venti shamelessly used his godly power—
a gentle breeze subtly parted the crowd ahead of them.
With such cheating, they reached the Featherball Festival grounds in barely fifteen minutes.
A sea of people spread across the plaza.
"Hehehe, lucky us!"
Venti hopped up and down, trying to see over the crowd.
Lori looked away, embarrassed for him.
How could the dignified Anemo Archon act like he'd never been to a festival before?
Separating himself slightly from Venti, Lori looked over the scene.
Thousands—no, tens of thousands—filled the plaza.
Only the area around the great Wind God statue was cleared, guarded by the Knights.
But where others were packed tightly—
Lori stood in a perfectly open three-meter circle.
Nobody stood close.
Nobody noticed they were avoiding him.
Intriguing.
Knight Headquarters, Second Floor
Vice Captain Rostam listened to a subordinate's report with a furrowed brow.
"Two unfamiliar individuals… both holding Visions?"
"Yes, Vice Captain."
"…I see. You may go."
As the knight left, Rostam approached the window, gazing toward the plaza's massive crowd.
"…Have the Shadows monitor them first."
Though bearing the burdens of the dark, Rostam would never wrong an innocent.
He and Grand Master Ehrenmann—the Lion of Light—
had grown up dreaming of becoming true heroes.
Now they were.
The Knights' greatest pride.
Ehrenmann, a man wielding both greatsword and longsword,
had become stronger than most Vision bearers—
without a Vision of his own.
Thanks in part to Mondstadt's greatest technological feat:
the refined elemental-compatible weapons—
the Favonius Greatsword and Favonius Sword.
Created from research into ancient Mondstadt relics,
they allowed ordinary soldiers to wield elemental energy.
Naturally, their distribution was heavily restricted.
Rostam sat back down, looking at a border report.
"Monsters along the frontier are growing restless. Large gatherings… erratic movement… no clear direction."
"No threat yet, but signs are worrying."
He clenched his jaw.
This was—not normal.
He set aside the matter of the two new Vision holders.
The changing behavior of monsters was far more important.
Featherball Festival — Windrise Plaza
The celebration grew ever more festive as the sun reached its peak.
Lori watched as knights escorted a girl from the cathedral.
She wore a crown of flowers, carrying a pristine featherball.
A flowing white gown trailed behind her, her platinum-gold hair shimmering in the sunlight.
Even from afar, Lori could see her delicate, pure beauty—
a goddess among mortals.
She stepped up the temporary staircase built onto the Wind God statue,
the crowd's excitement reaching its height.
Lori had only one thought:
Way too many people.
And…
Why does that girl look a little familiar?
Before he could place the feeling—
The Featherball Princess turned, smiled sweetly,
lifted the featherball to her chest, and spoke:
"May the Wind God bless the one who catches this featherball!"
She counted down softly.
Three…
Two…
One—!
She tossed the featherball into the sky, tracing a graceful arc.
Tens of thousands of eyes followed it.
It fell…
fell…
and landed—
directly into Lori's hand.
He hadn't moved.
He had even hesitated whether to catch it at all.
And now every single person was staring at him.
Lori sighed inwardly.
There was absolutely no way this was coincidence.
Not when someone nearby—
a certain green-capped brat—
was grinning at him and winking slyly.
Blatant Wind God interference.
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