If you were to ask Isaac what he disliked the most, you'd most likely get "Losing money" as the first answer.
However, if the situation is right, then you'll get another answer. An answer that, unsurprisingly, is quite understandable.
"Ah, Lady Furina, what brings you here?" Lyney, who was performing just a moment ago, saw Furina and didn't seem surprised at all. "Also, how could you have possibly seen through my new trick? I just came up with it. Really, I'm curious."
Furina responded with a concealed chortle. "The reason I'm here is because I felt bored in Palais Mermonia. I figured that going out in secret would bring a pleasant mood to me."
"And it just so happened that I noticed a performance happening here." As someone who loves drama and performances, one should have expected Furina to appear here.
"As for your trick, I figured it out in less than a second." Of course, she didn't forget to boast about herself.
"Hear that, ladies and gentlemen? Lady Furina had already figured out my new trick!" Lyney smirked at her words and soon looked at the audience who were enjoying the showdown between him and Furina.
He then looked at her with an amused gaze. "Well then, Lady Furina, could you care to explain to the audience?"
"It would be my pleasure." Furina smiled confidently. Afterward, she started explaining the mechanism behind the trick.
Meanwhile, on the second floor, Isaac was quietly eating his food whilst watching them in silence. 'So that's Lady Furina... a.k.a the God of Justice and our Archon...'
He took a sip of Fonta from a glass as he continued to observe them. 'I have to say... She sure loves showing off...'
Thinking back on how Furina first introduced herself in the game, a soft and hushed chuckle escaped from Isaac's lips. 'Then again, that's how she is.'
'I wonder...' As he thought of this, a complicated glint appeared in his deep amber eyes. '...was this truly her true self? Or a façade she put up to cope with the prophecy.'
There's currently a prophecy circulating in Fontaine. Almost everyone knows of it, including Lady Furina herself.
It's said that every person in Fontaine was born with "sin", and no matter how many trials they hold, the sin cannot be absolved.
Until one day, the sea waters would rise, drowning everyone in Fontaine. And only the Hydro Archon would remain, weeping on her throne.
'Perhaps the reason she's trying to enjoy every moment with her people is because she knows the prophecy would one day happen, leaving her all alone...' Although Isaac sounded harsh in his mind, it was all just his speculation. Regarding the Hydro Archon— Furina's true self, he has no right to say anything about it.
'At the end of the day, it's just the whims of the divine...' Isaac rolled his eyes as the thought of the floating abode of the Gods appeared in his mind.
Looking at the Furina below, he scoffed once more and finished his drink. 'Time to leave. I still need to make preparations for tomorrow's terrorist.'
He then took out his money and placed it under his silver plate. After doing that, he stood up, wore his halved top hat, and picked up his silver-inlaid wooden cane.
He then started making his way down and intended to leave Hotel Debord unnoticed by any of the guests.
Climbing down the stairs, he saw Lyney and Furina chatting while Lynette was standing nearby. It seemed like Furina had indeed guessed his new trick right.
Looking at Furina's proud and boastful face, it was obvious that she took pride in what she was doing. Looking at her, Isaac scoffed lightly. 'What a childish Archon we have.'
'...at least it's better than the Anemo, Geo, and Electro Archons.' Isaac once more rolled his eyes at the thought of the other Gods.
'Barbatos with his Absence... Morax with his planned retirement... Beelzebul with her tyranny...' He soon shook his head and removed those thoughts from his mind before quietly strolling at the sides, unnoticed by the guests.
Just then, when he was just about to leave through the door, someone shouted at him. "Hey, you! You dare leave while in my presence?"
'You've got to be shitting me.' Isaac cursed under his breath. It was rare for him to do that. He turned around and saw that the white-haired Archon with a protruding Ahoge was walking towards him with a face of contempt. Isaac internally sighed, 'Let's try to placate her as much as possible...'
He then put up a cordial smile and slightly bowed to her. "Is there something wrong, Lady Furina?"
"There is." Furina crossed her arms as she analyzed Isaac. Likewise, he was also doing the same. "Why are you leaving when I'm still here? Do you not wish to witness your God in all her glory?"
'You're really full of yourself, Brat.' Isaac kept his gentle smile on his face. He then quickly refuted. "Oh, no no no, I think you've been mistaken, Lady Furina."
"It's just that I wished to go home. As you know, one needs rest to maintain a healthy mind." Isaac explained in the most convincing way possible while keeping up his cordial front. "I did not intend to offend you whatsoever."
"Is that so?" However, it seems like Furina was not convinced. She then added with a mischievous smile, "Then how would you explain your frequent insults from earlier? Every time you looked at me, you'd sigh and scoff as if mocking me."
'...you noticed that?' It seems like Isaac needed to change his habits. As it turns out, he was not the only observant person in the room. 'I should be more careful in the future.'
"Although there's no law stating a direct mockery towards the Archon, what you did had insulted me." Furina then crossed and placed both her arms on her hips. "Apologize."
Isaac listened to her and felt his forehead veins throb. He then looked at the other people looking at them.
"Whoa, he actually dared to leave while Lady Furina was present..."
"He has a great face, perhaps I could hire him as our new model..."
"What a daring young man..."
"Does he not know that Lady Furina doesn't tolerate insults directly thrown at her?"
"Someone's in for an earful from Lady Furina, heh."
'How would I know any of that?' It's not like it was intentional. Moreover, how could he even memorize all the laws in Fontaine?
Letting out a light sigh, Isaac cleared his mind and once again looked at Furina with renewed vigor.
Lifting his lips to form a smile, he slightly closed his eyes and held his halved top hat to his chest before he politely apologized to her. "Please, forgive my ignorance, Lady Furina."
"Y-You..." Furina, however, got flustered. It would seem like this wasn't how she intended for things to go. "Yo-You are forgiven. Hurry on then!"
'Did she intend to rouse up a feud between us? And use that to gain recognition from the audience?' Isaac's amber eyes showed a sinister glint. His sincere smile soon turned to a sinister smirk. 'Looks like she didn't expect me to outright apologize... Hah.'
Isaac nodded and returned his halved top hat to his head as he carried his cane. "Well then, I bid you adieu, Lady Furina."
With that, he calmly walked out of the door, leaving Furina's flustered self looking at his departing figure.
'My first interaction with the divine...' After leaving through the doors, Isaac looked up at the night sky with a faint smile. '... Well, that went well.'
With that, Isaac then proceeded to walk back home, while showing off his beloved cane.
...not knowing that someone was watching him from the shadows.
*
*
*
Meanwhile, inside Hotel Debord.
"My, my, Lady Furina." Lyney approached Furina with a mischievous smirk. "It seems like someone escaped your sinister scheme."
"Ha! Sinister? Scheme? I would never resort to such underhanded tricks." She lied as naturally as she breathed. Her mood then changed and she stomped to the ground with an annoyed expression. "Hmph, now my mood turned sour."
"But that man..." Furina then whispered under her breath as she remembered Isaac. 'His eyes... What a pair of sinister eyes he has.'
It seems like Isaac had left an impression on her. And, to some extent, she had also seen through his façade. She then subconsciously burned his image in her mind.
Soon, whispers started floating around Hotel Debord. "He actually escaped Lady Furina's tantrum..."
"And handled the situation pretty well to top it off."
"I have a feeling Lady Furina won't just let him off the hook."
"Haha, c'mon. Lady Furina isn't that petty. But I agree, perhaps she'll still one day peruse this matter."
Hearing the words of the people, Furina's mind started churning as she thought of a new act. She then looked at her people with a confident smile. "Haha, yes, my dear subjects. I'm not someone who would go out of my way to pursue something as petty as this. Rest assured, I, Furina, am a God with high magnanimity."
She was someone who catered to her people. As long as it's within her scope of abilities, she would follow the will of the crowd.
She often does this during trials, leaving Chief Justice Neuvillette to clean up after her.
After she said this, cheers erupted in the audience. "Yeah!"
Just then—
Bam!*
Suddenly, the doors of Hotel Debord bursted open and someone entered. The person who entered instantly silenced everyone.
"Ugh, couldn't you at least let me be for a while?" Seeing who it was, Furina groaned.
"I'm merely following Monsieur Neuvillette's orders, Lady Furina." The person who entered, Clorinde, said with a stern voice. She then added, "Let us go, Lady Furina. Let the people sleep."
Yes, it was none other than Clorinde. She was one of the Champion Duelists of Fontaine, and also Furina's bodyguard.
"Ugh, fine..." With a drooping face, Furina willingly left with Clorinde and returned to Palais Mermonia.
"...what a lively series of events." Lyney, who was left behind in Hotel Debord with the audience, stated with a smile.
"Livelier than usual, yes," Lynette said beside him with her deadpan expression.
"Why don't we wrap up this show too?" Lyney smiled at her.
"Alright." With her same flat tone, Lynette agreed.
"..." Isaac, who was still in his bed, stared blankly at the ceiling with a dazed expression. After a few moments, he lightly muttered, "Today, the terrorist visits."
After uttering this, Isaac quickly jumped out of his bed. He cleaned it before fixing himself and changing clothes.
Tick—*
Tock—*
Looking at the mechanical clock that gives interval ticks, Isaac sighed. "Eight in the morning... There's still an hour before I open."
With that realization, Isaac decided to do things as he normally did. After changing clothes, he went down to the café and started arranging the tables and chairs.
As for the bread, Isaac casually took out the bread he bought and placed it in his inventory.
While inside the inventory, Isaac found out that the items he placed inside would be put in a frozen state. As such, when he takes them out, they'll still be the same when he puts them in. 'The system is so useful...'
He took the bread out placed a few in the glass case on the counter and turned on the lights inside.
After a few more minutes of setting up the café, he finally changed the 'closed' sign on the door to 'open'.
Isaac, who was now in his barista uniform, looked around the clean café and nodded. 'This should be Klee-proofed now.'
The Café was glistening with cleanliness. The four tables with two chairs on them were placed symmetrically to each other in the other half of the room. As for the floors, the quartz tiles were also clean.
To top it all off, the bright golden shine of sunlight was illuminating the café, along with the soft light of the café's light bulbs, it gave the whole place a comfy and serene ambiance.
Isaac also tried his best to make sure Klee didn't blow anything up. He placed things in a manner that the child wouldn't bump into anything and potentially injure her.
'Oh boy, I wonder how this will go...' Although Isaac was nervous, he was slightly excited. This was, after all, the child of the powerful Alice! 'Don't worry, Miss Alice, I'll make sure your daughter won't be a wanted fugitive in another nation.'
With that thought in mind, he soon shook his head and picked up the cup of green tea he had on a table nearby, and took a sip. "Alright, let's do this."
[Invite Klee? Y/N]
Isaac extended his hand to the system screen while drinking his cup of tea and clicked yes.
Shortly after doing this, the door of the café started illuminating once more. This time, a bright blue color was being emanated.
'Wait...' Isaac noticed the color and found it extremely familiar. His face then dropped when he realized what that color was. 'Don't tell me...'
As if proving Isaac's guess right, the bright blue light soon started changing to a vibrant golden color!
'It's the Gacha summon effect!' Isaac almost spewed his tea out, flabbergasted at the sight. He then gulped down his tea and tapped his lips with a handkerchief. 'Seriously...'
[Now connecting the door...]
*
*
*
Meanwhile, in the nation ruled by the Anemo Archon.
Mondstadt was currently dealing with a crisis. One of Mondstadt's protectors— the Elemental Dragon Dvalin— was now antagonizing them!
It was unknown to the citizens of Mondstadt why one of the Anemo Archon's four winds would suddenly turn its back on them, but there's one thing they're sure of: It was angry.
As of now, everyone is referring to the dragon as "Stormterror".
Knights of Favonius.
Inside a room right next to the Acting Grand Master's office, a child was tinkering with a cute toy.
"There!" The child, with her pale blonde hair and her conspicuous red coat, said with joy. "Humpty Dumpty Mk2000 is now complete!"
On a table in front of her, a toy the size of a pillow was resting. It had cute features and resembled a bunny.
Other than its cute appearance, there seems to be nothing wrong with it.
Ah, but of course, that's the most common thought of someone who doesn't know the child.
"This time, it can even explode much stronger!" The child, proud of her new type of bomb, giggled. "Those fish in Cider Lake won't see what's coming to them!"
Yes, it was a bomb. A new and terrifying variant, at that.
This child is none other than Spark Knight Klee. Infamous for blowing up any fish ponds she sees and destroying a mountain due to her explosives. As well as being the youngest titled Knight in the Ordo Favonius.
Due to the recent Dvalin problem, the Acting Grand Master, Jean— who is also Klee's guardian— temporarily kept her inside a confinement room, hoping to not only keep her safe but also limit her bombings.
Unfortunately for the Acting Grand Master, Klee found this as an opportunity to upgrade her bombs.
Klee then looked out the window and saw the dark clouds looming over Mondstadt. With a sad pout, she whispered to herself, "Why can't Master Jean let me out? I'm sure if I just give Stormterror a Humpty Dumpty, I can go out and play again..."
Just then, while looking out the window, Klee managed to take a glimpse of someone flying up in the sky!
"Whoa! Is that person fighting Stormterror?" Klee said as she watched the blonde-haired person fly up the sky, following the dragon.
Unfortunately, they flew so high up that Klee wasn't able to see them anymore. "Aww... I wanted to see more." After saying this, she then looked around the room.
"It's so boooring here... Big brother Albedo only comes once in a while." She sighed to herself before jumping to a couch. She then thought of her mother, Alice. "Mommy said that if I'm really bored, I should wish for something. She said that if I wish hard enough, perhaps that wish would come true..."
"Then, I wish something fun happens!" Klee said while holding her toy Dodoko.
Woosh—*
Just then, something strange occurred in the room.
As if responding to her wishes, a mysterious gust of wind started appearing in the room, bringing life to the stale environment. Soon, a silhouette of a door started carving itself on a wall.
"Huh? What's that?" Klee, who saw the door being formed, was both curious and cautious.
After a few more minutes, the door finally finished forming, and a rectangular wooden door materialized in her room.
On the door, a single sign was present. What was written was: "Le Souffle du Silence."
"Le suffal du silence?" Klee tried to say the words were written, but she had difficulties reading the second word.
Klee looked around to see if it was dangerous, and even threw a Humpty Dumpty to it. But nothing happened. The Humpty Dumpty didn't even explode.
She then looked at the door leading to her room. She wanted to tell someone about the door, but the Grand Master prohibited her from going out.
With that option thrown out, Klee decided to investigate the mysterious door.
Klee inspected the door a bit more and found that it didn't do anything. She held her toy Dodoko in her hand and curiously looked at the enigmatic door. "What is it? Do you know, Dodoko?"
She looked at her toy, and, as if the toy also responded to her, she nodded. "You're right. Should we check inside?"
"You think so too? Then let's be prepared!" Klee agreed with her toy and quickly took her backpack.
She stuffed her bag with various items— mostly explosives and some lunch boxes with some fish in them. After doing this, she then hung her toy Dodoko on her backpack and picked it up.
Carrying her backpack, she jumped with excitement. "All set, let's go!"
With the enthusiasm of a child, she opened the door, bracing herself for what was about to happen.
*
*
*
"What's taking her so long... It's been minutes..." On the other side, Isaac was having breakfast while waiting for Klee. "Don't tell me she tried blowing up the door?"
He was having a simple nice meal. Two sunny-side-ups, a pair of toast, peanut butter, and two sausages. To finish it off, he also had cold water.
"Well, thinking back to when she fought a Primo Geovishap alone in the game, I guess something like that won't be impossible." Isaac lightly laughed at his words.
He then finished his meal, and, just after finishing the door finally opened.
"Hellooo? Is there anyone here?" The familiar voice rang through the café as the head of a child cautiously peered inside.
Isaac, who had already cleaned the counter, tidied himself and welcomed her. "Welcome, Demoiselle. Is there anything you'd like?"
"Whoa!" Klee saw the café and entered, closing the door behind her. She looked around the café before looking at the smiling person behind the counter. "Mister, where is this?"
"Why, this is but my humble café," Isaac said with a soft chuckle. "Out of all the cafés in Fontaine, I dare say that mine is the only one where you'll get the finely brewed coffee and tea."
"Huh? Fontaine?" Klee, who heard where she was, exclaimed. "That can't be right, I was just in Mondstadt a moment ago!"
"Hm? Is that so?" Isaac, pretending to know nothing about it, grasped his chin with a concerned look. "Then, can you try going back through the door to see if you can return?"
"Oh! Yeah, I'll do that!" Klee took his advice and quickly ran back through the door.
Isaac waited patiently. He already asked the system about this, and he was informed that the people he invited could go back through the door whenever they wanted.
After a while, Klee returned. This time, an excited look on her face. "Wow! I could switch between two places in an instant! This is just like one of mom's magic!"
'Teleportation magic?' Isaac thought of the powerful mage Alice and believed Klee. Someone as powerful as her can indeed do something like that, now that he thought about it. 'If it's Alice, then it's possible.'
He then looked at her with a polite smile, "Well then, Demoiselle, do you wish to have some coffee or tea?"
And so starts the business.
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