Astrologist Mona Appears!
Lory absolutely never expected this
Mondstadt's beloved idol, gentle and pure Barbara, secretly owning a body pillow printed with his full image.
He quietly sighed.
Some things were better left unspoken.
So he restored everything to its original place, erasing any trace that might embarrass the girl later.
Klee had seen it too, but being young, she failed to understand what such a pillow implied.
She only thought it looked large, soft, and fun.
"Lory, can you make a big soft pillow for me too?"
Since she saw his face printed on Barbara's pillow, she innocently assumed it must have been a gift from him.
Her bright ruby eyes shone with expectation.
How could anyone refuse such a cute request?
Lory whispered back:
"You can ask Barbara for one later.
But don't tell her I said so, alright?"
Klee puffed out her tiny chest proudly.
"Klee won't betray Lory!"
She didn't understand why she shouldn't say it
but she would obey him without question.
"Good girl."
Lory patted her head and then asked casually:
"By the way, what happened between you and Bennett?"
Klee swung her feet and began recounting:
"After I got out of confinement, Bennett invited me treasure hunting! We found a strange domain. He used a device Sucrose gave him to lure monsters away, but then it exploded! Boom!"
To demonstrate, she waved her hands dramatically.
"I was standing right next to him, but only Bennett got blown up. I didn't get hurt at all. Super strange!"
Lory said nothing.
The 'Four-Leaf Clover' luck and Bennett's curse
the ultimate explosive combination.
"And then he still wanted to explore more! I tried to help with my super-big Jumpy Dumpty, but it exploded early, and Bennett flew soooo far."
Klee lowered her head, guilt dripping from her tiny voice.
Lory resisted the urge to tell her:
Child, this has nothing to do with you.
Bennett is simply… Bennett.
"Bennett's perfectly fine now. Don't blame yourself."
Comforted, Klee brightened again.
Then she remembered something else.
"Oh! And something really weird happened!"
"Hm?"
"When I went to find Bennett after he flew away, I met a strange big sister! She tried to trick me into giving her my treasure. But everyone told me not to talk to strangers, so I ran!"
"A strange big sister…"
Lory narrowed his eyes and began asking for details.
"She wore a hat like Lisa's! Her hair was like Barbara's but black and purple. She wore a blue outfit and a cape that's blue on the outside and red on the inside."
Lory's eyelid twitched.
"And her stockings were like Rosaria's! But no holes. With little gold rings and stars!"
"…Not net stockings then."
"And she had a shiny star emblem on her chest!"
That outfit, that hair, that star obsession…
There was only one candidate.
Mona Megistus — the broke, dramatic, prideful astrologist.
Just to confirm, he asked:
"Did she look young and… overly dramatic?"
"Mhm! She was really pretty! And she kept saying weird stuff like 'Fate has brought us together!' and 'Let us duel!' Klee didn't understand."
Yep.
That sealed it.
"That big sister isn't a bad person. If you meet her again, don't be scared."
"Okay! Klee listens to Lory!"
Lory paused.
"Actually… never mind. Don't go looking for her.
She's going to show up here soon. Just stay with me."
He had already glimpsed a bit of Klee's fate—
the astrologist was approaching.
Just then, Barbara returned.
Her eyes were still full of disbelief.
"It's… really true…"
Even though she trusted Lory, discovering that the lyre stored inside the cathedral was a fake—and holding the real Skyward Lyre in her hands—left her stunned.
If anyone else had brought it, they would've been interrogated immediately.
But since it was Lory, and the situation was already resolved, the church chose to stay quiet.
Exactly as Lory planned.
Meanwhile, the Fatui unknowingly shouldered yet another crime they never committed.