章 42: Chapter 42 A Knight's Dignity
Seino Fugin followed behind the female knight.
The knight named 'Jean Gunnhildr' walked with her back straight as a ramrod. Each step covered nearly the same distance, her golden ponytail swaying with the alternating strides.
The morning sunlight cast delicate green shadows from outside the window onto her light blue cape. She seemed to have just sweated, giving off a moist aura.
They were now walking along the corridor of the Knights of Favonius headquarters. Portraits of various predecessors and their respective biographies hung along the corridor.
"The Knights of Favonius were founded by the first Dandelion Knight, Her Excellency Vennessa. Since its establishment, it has a history of over a thousand years. The Knights of Favonius, as one of the Four Winds, have protected Mondstadt for generations..."
Jean explained in a cool voice without turning her head.
Seino followed behind, looking around.
Truth be told, these predecessors all had pretty high face values, each looking heroic and stern.
Suddenly, upon reaching a certain spot, he stopped.
It was a boy with golden hair and golden eyes. The thick, brilliant golden paint was heavily colored. The boy had wheat-like golden eyes. He seemed to be smiling, but that smile was frozen in the frame, gazing at Seino across hundreds of years.
The lower left corner was engraved with a line of text:
Vice Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, Founder of the Favonius Bladework, 'Wolf Pup' Rostam, died at age 27.
"Founder of the Favonius Bladework..." Seino murmured.
There seemed to be a slight pain in his mind.
"The founder of the Favonius Bladework," Jean said, "This is Sir Rostam, praised as the Wolf Pup. His attainment in the Favonius Bladework was near miraculous. When the poisonous dragon went berserk and monsters invaded the sky, he single-handedly defended Mondstadt with his sword, ultimately dying in battle at the valley."
"A very noble knight."
"Wow, short-lived." For some reason, this thought popped into Seino's mind again, even blurting it out.
It was strange. He usually wouldn't speak so harshly, nor would he mock a warrior like this.
But he just said it, naturally. And rather than mocking, it felt more like 'self-mockery', mocking himself for dying so young.
"Are you insulting Sir Wolf Pup?"
The Grand Master's voice suddenly turned completely cold. The air instantly stagnated.
This heroic knight turned around, her brilliant golden eyes coldly staring at Seino. Jean rarely got angry. People in the Knights believed their Vice Grand Master never got angry.
With one exception.
That was insulting the Knights of Favonius, insulting a knight's honor.
Jean's expression remained calm, still without losing composure. Her eyes were as tranquil as a still lake. But those who knew her understood that underneath this lake water, what stirred was the Vice Grand Master's fury.
Seino realized his misspoken words. He apologized, "...Sorry."
"Fugin, do you know what it means to be a knight?"
Jean's voice grew even colder. One could even hear the sound of her silvery teeth clenching lightly. She gazed at Seino, her fair hand resting on the one-handed sword at her waist.
"Humility, justice, nobility."
"Not just pure martial prowess."
Jean said softly,
—"I don't think you have the qualifications to become a knight."
"..Sorry."
Seino didn't know why he was apologizing. It seemed that in his subconscious, he didn't need to apologize for this.
His thoughts grew more chaotic. The past few days of indulging in memories brought too much confusion. Those jumbled image fragments began to appear at the corners of his eyes again.
"System, what's happening to me?" He asked the system in his mind.
[Your previous story ended too abruptly. That was not your proper death. Dying suddenly before your lifespan was exhausted will leave sequelae. You were only twenty-seven years old then. Moreover, your mission was not completed.]
[Now that you've returned to Mondstadt and witnessed past events, the old memories are troubling you.]
"What should I do?"
[Die once more, truly to completely end this unresolved destiny. That's why I had you go to Mondstadt.]
He couldn't understand what the system was saying.
Seino opened his dry mouth, wanting to say something, but he couldn't speak. His eyes narrowed, all the pores on his body standing up.
The wind was blowing gently. He heard the sound of the wind.
His heart began to tremble inexplicably.
The Fudoshin sensed something.
Jean stood sternly in front of him, staring at him angrily. Her thin lips parted slightly, about to say something more, but she was stunned to see Seino step forward, his speed swift as the wind, pushing her to the side—
The next instant, the sky in front of Seino darkened. Rows and rows of stained glass shattered completely, along with the corridor portraits being destroyed into ruins. That immense force instantly broke through three layers of walls, striking Seino Fugin's abdomen.
He felt all his internal organs overturning, and his bones shattering like firecrackers.
The huge force flung Seino's body back. Amidst the rising dust, he saw those dark-green scales, densely covering the tail. He also saw the huge green eyes, cold vertical pupils gazing at him.
Those were a dragon's eyes.
After a moment's gaze, the giant dragon shifted its eyes. It flapped its wings, lifting tremendous wind pressure from the ground, blowing down all the leaves in the courtyard, swirling them around its body. It raised its head and let out a long roar like a screech, soaring into the sky.
[Dvalin]
Seino crashed into the wall, cracks like a spider's web. He coughed up blood.
The Human Principles System told him that dragon was called Dvalin.
One of the Four Winds, Stormterror, Dvalin.
"That's..." Jean stood up from the rubble fragments, her face grave as she watched the dragon's shadow glide across the gloomy sky. "How is this possible?"
"You need to organize the people to take shelter, Vice Grand Master." Seino Fugin slowly exhaled. He stood up from the large hole in the wall. "That dragon has gone mad."
Indeed mad.
Dvalin's dragon shadow rolled in the clouds. In this dance of the magic dragon, dark air currents gathered. A violent windstorm descended upon Mondstadt City. Walls collapsed, flags toppled. Vast swathes of buildings were destroyed by the wind.
"Your body...?"
Jean looked at Seino. The boy was still coughing, blood flowing down his cheeks. If this boy hadn't pushed her away just now...
Why?
Why didn't she notice?
Why didn't she sense the wind dragon's attack?
Jean searched her heart.
Could she still be considered a knight like this?
The boy had not been knighted yet. He was still an ordinary citizen, someone Jean needed to protect.
A strong sense of knightly honor made her both ashamed and guilty. If this boy died saving her today, this regret would haunt her for life.
"You go take shelter."
Jean quickly calmed down. "Leave the rest to the Knights."
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