The Gunnhildr Clan is one of the most ancient knightly families in Mondstadt. Since the day the first epic was created, they have begun protecting the city.
As the orthodox heir and eldest daughter of the Gunnhildr Clan, Jean has the obligation and responsibility to carry on the family's glory.
Moreover, she is now the Vice Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius.
Every generation of Vice Grand Masters in the Knights of Favonius were great and righteous figures. For example, five hundred years ago, "Wolf Pup" Rostam, who single-handedly defended Mondstadt with his sword and died at the poisonous dragon's mouth. She grew up listening to stories of these heroes.
She cannot disgrace the glory of being the Vice Grand Master of the Knights.
Since she could remember, this young lady had engraved honor into her heart. Inheriting the Knights' will, forever protecting Mondstadt was her lifelong pursuit.
Today, she was still practicing the sword.
The warm morning light shone through the huge stained glass onto the stone pillars of the ancient great hall. The gorgeous murals appeared even more dreamlike under the diffused morning light. The girl wielded her sword under the splendid sunlight.
The slender one-handed longsword, floating with specks of golden light, swept across smooth and even arcs in the air. Jean panted slightly, her fitted knight's robe swaying with the sword breeze. Fine beads of sweat trickled down her collarbones. Rather than sword dancing, she was more like dancing, dancing with the early morning breeze.
On the glass, by the pillars, in the murals, scattered sword lights were everywhere.
"Favonius Bladework"
This was a magnificent sword art.
It abandoned the clumsiness and dullness of traditional knight's greatswords, adopting a nimble and swift style. Legend has it that Sir Rostam, who created this sword art, could cut falling rainstorms with his blade.
Jean didn't consider herself reaching such a divine realm.
There was always something lacking, always some deficiency somewhere, but she could never find where that breakthrough point was. She lacked a touch of inspiration.
She was never a genius. The only thing she possessed was diligence, more diligent than anyone else. Only in this way could she keep up with the geniuses' pace.
But sometimes, diligence alone was useless.
"Phew--"
Sheathing her sword, the lights that filled the hall retracted with it. She let out a light sigh.
Very tired, but today had just begun.
There were still many things to deal with.
Jean tidied her attire, took off her soaked robe, and changed into a knight's uniform. The pure white fabric clung to her delicate and firm skin. Tying her golden hair tightly with a hairband, she patted her cheeks in front of the mirror and took a deep breath.
The Fatui Harbingers were coming.
Jean had no fondness for these lofty Harbingers.
Mondstadt was a free city-state, but Snezhnaya was notorious for its overbearing strength. They liked to pressure other nations through diplomacy.
This Fatui visit was certainly with ill intent.
She frowned. At this moment, a slightly noisy sound suddenly came from outside the hall.
Jean realized that these few days seemed to be the recruitment period for the trainee knights.
Busy dealing with the Fatui recently, she had actually forgotten about this.
However... She felt a bit dissatisfied. Why so noisy?
In Jean's eyes, a knight should not only have a knight's martial skills but also a knight's demeanor. How could they be so noisy and clamorous?
A slight misstep would damage the Knights' glory, the glory of the predecessors.
For example, the great Wolf Pup Sir Rostam would never be so noisy. A knight must be humble, noble, with lofty ideals.
--
"Name."
"Fugin."
"Age."
"I reckon... I'm sure I'm sixteen."
"Sixteen?"
The knight in charge of registration raised his head. He showed a suspicious gaze. Was this boy really only sixteen?
To reach such a level at sixteen... remarkable.
Today was the open recruitment day for the trainee knights. The selection method was simple - a martial arts competition.
The silver-haired, purple-eyed boy in front of him, although looking as docile as a little wolf, the knight didn't dare forget his previous performance. He challenged more than a dozen people alone, saying things like "I want to fight a dozen", and all opponents fell to the ground.
"Uh..."
The knight was a bit at a loss for words. He paused, looking at the information Seino handed over, and asked,
"You're an Inazuman citizen, right? Can you tell me why you want to join the Knights? Crossing the ocean to reach Mondstadt, you must have a great ideal, right?"
Mondstadt was an open and free nation. Everyone was eligible to join the trainee knights, even foreigners. But the trainee knights were different from the regular knights. The former only required sufficient ability to join, while the latter required assessment.
This period usually lasted three to four years. Only by proving one's pure character could one be granted the honor of knighthood.
...Can I say I came to be a spy?
Seino felt a bit awkward.
The information he submitted now was all forged by the Pillar General's Mansion. According to the records of the Tenryou Commission, he should be on an underground mission assigned by "Pillar General", sent to Mondstadt as an Inazuman spy...
But he did possess a pure and great ideal.
"I'm starving."
He patted his belly miserably. "I heard the Knights of Favonius provide meals."
This was true. Since he was fished up by Lumine, the three of them had traveled together to Mondstadt City, eating on the go and sleeping in the open. When hungry, he would go fishing, but always unlucky. The fish he caught weren't even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth. Starving for three meals and full for one. If this continued, he might really end up tremblingly holding Lumine and Paimon's hands, saying "Lumine, Paimon, you must live on."
Fortunately, they finally reached Mondstadt City.
Entering the city, those two silly girls started running around. To complete the mission assigned by the Human Principles System, he headed straight for the Knights of Favonius.
The first time he heard such a ridiculous reason.
The knight twitched the corner of his mouth.
But it didn't matter. In this nation where even the gods were lazy, why was he being so nitpicky... This boy passed the selection, so let him go.
With that, he was about to sign and register.
"Wait a moment."
At this time, a cool voice came from behind.
"You're called Fugin? What's your surname?"
--
"Seino Fugin."
Sara repeated.
She wrote down this name on the paper. Her heroic thin lips pursed lightly, showing a pensive look in her eyes. "...No, I've never seen this person."
"Never seen him in the Pillar General's Mansion. At least that's my impression."
Sitting across from Sara was the Shirasagi Himegimi of the Kamisato Clan, Kamisato Ayaka.
She knelt on the tatami, her azure skirt spread out on the floor, knees together, sitting on her heels. Hearing Sara's words, Ayaka subconsciously straightened her body. "Huh?"
"The night before the Pillar General left, did she use the authority of the Pillar General to requisition a boat from the Yashiro Commission?"
"That's right."
Strange. Something felt off somewhere.
Having served the Pillar General for ten years, Sara had never heard that the Pillar General had an adopted son... Or rather, should Sara call him "younger brother"?
There must be a reason for whatever the Pillar General did. As an attendant, Sara shouldn't question it.
Moreover, the Pillar General... had already left.
But there was always some thing wrong, making her restless.
Outside the Yashiro Commission, the streets of Inazuma were quiet, empty, as if dead. An oppressive atmosphere shrouded the crowd. The news of the Pillar General's departure had not been made public. The people did not yet know.
Something else caused this oppressive scene.
Sara raised her head. Under the leaden sky, the heavy cloud layers seemed about to press down. The Tenshukaku stood at the mountain peak.
But Sara always had this illusion that the tower symbolizing "eternity"
was swaying, about to collapse.