Time slowly passed by as Yu Xie and Eula strolled down the street.
Suddenly, a group of Knights of Favonius appeared at a corner of the street. Each of them looked anxious, rushing toward the city gates.
The sight of so many knights in such a hurry left the bystanders puzzled.
Yu Xie and Eula were also slightly confused.
At this moment, the murmurs of the crowd reached their ears.
"Is something going on? Why are the Knights of Favonius in such a rush?"
"What about the Cavalry Captain? I don't see him anywhere."
"I'm not sure, but I heard today is the Cavalry Captain's eighteenth birthday. He's probably celebrating his coming-of-age ceremony with his family."
Diluc's coming-of-age ceremony?
A jolt of realization hit Yu Xie, and he suddenly understood why the knights were so anxious.
If he remembered correctly, on the day of Diluc's coming-of-age ceremony, the Dragon of the Abyss, Ursa, appeared. It was that very day that Diluc's father, Crepus, was sacrificed, marking the beginning of Diluc's estrangement from the Knights of Favonius.
"Eula, I just remembered something urgent, I have to go!" Yu Xie's expression suddenly became focused.
...
A few minutes ago.
After the coming-of-age ceremony, Diluc and his father, Crepus, were heading home together.
The family's procession moved forward in an orderly fashion.
Diluc felt proud. He had fulfilled his father's wishes, obtained the Vision, and at the age of fourteen, he had already become the Cavalry Captain.
Now that he had reached adulthood, his responsibilities had only grown heavier, but he was confident that he wouldn't disappoint his father.
"Diluc, well done! You're truly my son!" Crepus, sitting in the carriage, laughed heartily, constantly praising his son.
At the ceremony, Crepus had drunk a fair amount of alcohol and seemed slightly tipsy. However, the pride in his heart was genuine.
He was proud of his son.
"Father, you've had quite a bit to drink. When we get home, I'll make some hangover soup for you," Diluc said.
"No need. My tolerance for alcohol is fine. I'll be fine in a bit," Crepus replied. "Now that you're an adult, let's have a proper drink together sometime soon!"
But just as those words left his mouth, the carriage suddenly came to a halt.
Due to the sudden stop, both Crepus and Diluc almost lost their balance.
Then, a deafening roar echoed from the front of the procession, as if it could shatter everyone's eardrums.
Diluc and Crepus instinctively pressed their hands to their ears.
As the roar faded, a strong, unsettling sensation washed over them, and both hurriedly got out of the carriage.
What they saw made their brows furrow in alarm.
A dark-colored dragon appeared in front of the group, its mouth wide open, sharp fangs on full display.
The oppressive aura emanating from the beast was overwhelming. The people in front of the group could barely move under its pressure, their bodies frozen with cold sweat dripping from their brows.
"The Abyss Dragon, Ursa…" Crepus's expression immediately turned serious. He recognized the dragon in front of them—it was the very dragon that had long been a source of trouble for Mondstadt.
Diluc's gaze sharpened. After a brief moment of thought, a large sword materialized in his hand, and the Fire Vision on his waist ignited with a blaze of light.
Flames began to burn from the blade, and Diluc's red figure flashed in front of the crowd.
With a fiery slash, he charged straight at the Abyss Dragon, Ursa.
Diluc's lead snapped everyone back to their senses.
How could the Ragnvindr family be intimidated at a time like this? It's just a mere dragon!
Amidst the roars of the crowd, flashes of blades and sparks followed.
However, the gap in strength quickly became apparent.
Within just a few minutes, everyone was retreating in defeat, and even Diluc couldn't land a hit on the dragon.
All the fighters were gasping for breath, while the Abyss Dragon stood unscathed, looking down on them from above, as though it was observing ants.
Its massive body reflected the sunlight, like a demon bathed in the sun.
Powerless, the group could not withstand the strength of Ursa.
Diluc braced himself with his greatsword, staring defiantly into the eyes of the Abyss Dragon.
He regulated his breathing, his gaze unwavering.
At this moment, Crepus stepped forward to stand in front of him.
"Diluc, go take care of the others. I'll handle this dragon," Crepus said.
"Father, we should fight together. This dragon is no easy foe. We should face it together!"
"Do as I say! There are already casualties, and I don't want to see anyone else die. Go and attend to the wounded!" Crepus didn't look back, but his posture was firm, and his voice left no room for argument.
After a brief silence, Diluc stopped hesitating, turned around, and withdrew to tend to the injured.
Naturally, the Abyss Dragon's gaze shifted to Crepus, and it seemed to look down on him in disdain.
However, Crepus smiled. The slight tipsiness from earlier was gone, replaced with eyes as sharp as blades.
The power of the cursed gaze surged.
...
Kaeya arrived at the scene with the Knights of Favonius, but it was already too late.
The battle had ended. Crepus had slain the Abyss Dragon Ursa using an unknown power, but he was struck by a backlash from that very power and died as a result.
In this attack by the Abyss Dragon Ursa, only Crepus lost his life. No one else was killed.
"So, even someone like Mr. Crepus would fall to such dark forces," Kaeya thought to himself after witnessing the scene.
Diluc stood in front of Crepus's body, his head lowered, silent.
Not long ago, his father, who had been talking about sharing a drink together next time, now lay in a pool of blood, with no sign of life remaining.
Diluc didn't know what expression he had, nor could he find any words to say.
At this moment, Inspector Eroch from the Knights of Favonius arrived with his men.
He surveyed the situation and walked up to Diluc.
"Captain of the cavalry, I understand how you must feel, and I deeply regret this incident," Inspector Eroch said. "Mr. Crepus was undoubtedly a hero. He protected everyone behind him and slayed the Abyss Dragon Ussa. But unfortunately, Mr. Crepus's death must be classified as an unfortunate accident."
"…What?" Diluc slowly raised his head, looking at Eroch in disbelief.
"To protect the honor of the Knights of Favonius, Mr. Crepus's death must be classified as an unfortunate accident," Eroch emphasized.
"What does that mean?" Diluc asked, confusion and anger mixed in his eyes.
"If the public learns the truth, that Mr. Crepus handled the Abyss Dragon Ussa alone while the Knights did nothing, it would undoubtedly damage the reputation of the Knights. As the Inspector General of the Knights, I cannot allow such a thing to happen."
"So, my father's death can only be an accident?" Diluc glared at Eroch, his anger rising, but he held it back for the moment.
"Unfortunately, yes," Eroch replied.
End of chapter
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