Genshin Impact, I, a mere mortal, cannot accompany you to the very end.

The knight uncle twitched the corner of his mouth.

But it doesn't matter. In this land where even the gods are lazy, why should he be so fussy... The boy has passed the selection, so let him go.

After saying that, he was about to sign the registration form.

"Wait a moment."

At that moment, a cold voice came from behind.

"Your name is Feng Yin? What's your surname?"

-

"The wind whispers through the clear fields."

Saro repeated a sentence.

She wrote the name down on the paper, her handsome, thin lips pursed slightly, and a thoughtful look appeared in her eyes. "...No, I have never seen this person before."

"I've never seen it in the Pillar of State's residence. At least that's my impression,"

The woman sitting opposite Sara is Princess Shirasa of the Kamisato family, Kamisato Ayaka.

She knelt on the tatami mat, her azure skirt spread out on the ground, her knees together, sitting on her heels. Upon hearing Sara's words, she subconsciously straightened up. "Eh?"

"Did the patriarch use the Pillar of State Decree to requisition a ship from the Shefeng Envoy the night before he left?"

That's right.

Something feels off; there's something off about it.

Having served the head of the family for ten years, Kiyono Sara had never heard that the Pillar of the State had an adopted son... or rather, should Sara call him 'younger brother'?

The head of the family has his reasons for doing things, and as a servant, I, Sara, should not interfere.

Moreover, the patriarch... has already left.

But there's always that little thorn in my heart.

It didn't hurt; it was just a tiny, tiny thorn, gently pricking her heart, leaving her restless.

Once outside the magistrate's residence, the streets of Inazuma were eerily quiet and deserted, as if the city were dead. A suffocating atmosphere hung over the crowd. The news of Lord Pillar's departure had not yet been made public, and the people were still unaware of it.

There is something else that makes this depressing scene.

Kiyono Sara looked up. Under the leaden sky, thick clouds seemed to press down, and the castle tower stood atop the mountain.

But Sara always had a misconception that the attic symbolized 'eternity'.

It is teetering on the brink of collapse.

Book 1: Chapter 42 The Knight's Pride

Kiyono Kaze followed behind the female knight.

The knight named 'Jane Gunnhildr' walked with her back ramrod straight, each step almost the same distance, her golden ponytail swaying with each stride.

The early morning sunlight cast dappled green shadows from the window onto her pale blue cloak, giving her a warm, moist aura, as if she had just been sweating.

They are now walking along the corridor of the Knights of Favonius, with portraits of the fallen heroes and biographical information hanging along the sides.

"The Knights of Favonius were founded by Princess Vanessa, the first Dandelion Knight, and have a history of over a thousand years. As one of the Four Guardians of the Wind, the Knights of Favonius have protected the city of Mondstadt for generations..."

Without turning her head, she continued explaining in a cool, detached voice.

Kiyono followed behind, looking around.

To be fair, these martyrs were all quite good-looking, each one exuding a heroic aura.

Suddenly, he stopped somewhere.

It was a blond-haired, golden-eyed boy, painted with thick, rich gold paint. The boy had eyes as bright as wheat ears, and he seemed to be smiling, but that smile was frozen in the frame, gazing at Qingye across hundreds of years.

A line of text is engraved in the lower left corner:

Vice-Commander of the Knights of Favonius, founder of the Favonius Sword Technique, 'Young Wolf' Rustan, died at the age of 27.

"The founder of the West Wind Sword Technique..." Kiyono said softly.

There seems to be a slight stinging sensation in my mind.

"The founder of the West Wind Sword Technique," said Qin. "This is His Majesty Rustan, known as the Young Wolf. His mastery of the West Wind Sword Technique was close to divine. When the Poison Dragon went berserk and countless demons invaded, he defended Mondstadt with only his sword and died in battle at the bottom of the valley."

"He is a very noble knight."

"Wow, short-lived." For some reason, Kiyono had this thought again, and even blurted it out.

It's strange; he usually doesn't speak so harshly, nor does he mock a soldier like that.

But he just said it, naturally, and it felt more like self-mockery than mockery, mocking himself for dying so young.

Are you insulting Prince Wolf Cub?

The ensemble leader's voice turned completely cold, and the air seemed to freeze.

The dashing knight turned around, his bright golden eyes coldly fixed on Kiyono. Qin rarely got angry, and the knights all believed that their vice-captain would never get angry.

Except in one case.

That would be an insult to the Knights of Favonius, an insult to the honor of knights.

Qin's expression remained calm, and she did not lose her composure. Her eyes were as calm as a still lake, but those who knew her well knew that beneath that calm surface rolled the fury of a deputy commander.

Kiyono realized he had misspoke and apologized, saying, "...I'm sorry."

"Wind Whisper, do you know what a knight is?"

The sound of the zither grew increasingly cold; one could even hear her teeth clenching slightly. She stared at Qingye, her pale hand resting on the single-handed sword at her waist.

"Humility, justice, nobility."

"Not just pure military strength."

Qin said softly:

"I don't think you're qualified to be a knight."

"..Feel sorry."

Kiyono didn't know why he had to apologize; it seemed that subconsciously, he didn't need to apologize for this.

My thoughts became increasingly chaotic. The obsession with memories in the past few days had brought too much confusion, and those chaotic fragments of images began to resurface in the corners of my eyes.

"System, what's wrong with me?" he asked the system in his mind.

[Your story ended too suddenly. It wasn't the right way for you to die. Dying abruptly before your lifespan is over will leave lasting effects. You were only twenty-seven years old then, and besides, your mission wasn't complete.]

Now that you've returned to Mondstadt and witnessed what happened, those memories begin to haunt you.

"what should I do?"

To truly die once more, to finally end this unfinished destiny—that's why I'm sending you to Mondstadt.

He couldn't understand what the system was saying.

Kiyono opened his dry mouth, wanting to say something, but he couldn't utter a word. His eyes narrowed, and every pore on his body stood on end.

The wind was blowing gently, and he could hear the sound of it.

My heart started trembling for no reason.

What did I feel when I remained unmoved?

Qin Linran stood before him, glaring angrily. Her thin lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but she was shocked to see Qingye step forward, moving with the speed of the wind, and shove her to the side—

The next instant, the sky in front of Kiyono turned black, and row after row of mosaic glass shattered, along with the portraits in the corridor, which were destroyed into ruins. The immense force broke through the three walls in an instant and struck Kiyono Kazein in the abdomen.

He felt as if his internal organs were upside down, his blood was rushing to his head, and his bones were shattering like firecrackers.

With a powerful jerk, Qingye's body was thrown backward. In the dust that rose up, he saw dark blue scales, finely and densely covering his tail. He also saw huge blue eyes, cold vertical pupils staring back at him.

Those are the eyes of a dragon.

After a brief moment of eye contact, the dragon looked away. It flapped its wings, creating a massive wind pressure that swept away tens of thousands of leaves in the courtyard, swirling them around it. It raised its head and let out a long, hissing roar as it soared into the sky.

【Tvalin】

Kiyono slammed against the wall in a disheveled state, coughing up blood through the spiderweb-like cracks.

The human system told him that the dragon was called Dvalin.

One of the Four Winds Guardians, Dvalin the Stormterror.

“That was…” Qin stood up from the rubble, her face grave as she stared at the dragon shadow sweeping across the gloomy sky. “How could that be?”

“You need to organize the people to evacuate. Deputy Commander.” Kiyono Kazein slowly exhaled as he stood up from the large hole in the wall. “That dragon has gone mad.”

That's absolutely insane.

Dvalin's dragon shadow rolled through the clouds. In this dance of the dragons, dark currents gathered, and a violent storm descended upon Mondstadt, causing walls to crumble, flags to fall, and vast swathes of buildings to be destroyed by the wind.

"Your body...?"

Qin looked at Qingye; the boy was still coughing, blood streaming down his face. If it weren't for the boy pushing her away...

why?

Why didn't you notice?

Why didn't they notice the Stormterror's attack?

Qin asked herself this question.

Can she still be considered a knight?

The boy has not yet been awarded a medal; he is still just an ordinary citizen and someone Qin needs to protect.

A strong sense of chivalry filled her with shame and guilt. If this young man were to die saving her today, this regret would haunt her for the rest of her life.

"Go and seek refuge."

Qin quickly calmed down. "Leave the rest to the Knights."