“It seems you care for him a great deal.”
Andrius, now in his wolf form, fixed Venti with an intense gaze.
“Of course I do.”
Venti sighed. “If something happened to my little nephew on my watch, his old man would beat me into next week.”
“No, it’s different.”
Andrius continued staring at Venti. “Barbatos, you should remember what happened back then, don’t you?”
“Back then? What are you talking about?”
“Back then, Dvalin and that red-haired human—Vanessa, the young Lionfang Knight—came to see me together.”
“Huh?”
Venti blinked in surprise. “Dvalin and Vanessa came to visit you? What, they had some rare free time and decided to share a drink?”
Andrius’ tone grew peculiar. “Oh, so you’re aware how rare their free time was. Impressive.”
“Hey!”
Ignoring Venti’s indignant protest, Andrius continued speaking.
“Back then, Dvalin brought Vanessa into my domain and asked me directly if I’d be interested in helping them deal with you.”
“Deal with me?”
Venti pointed to himself, his youthful face full of disbelief.
“They came to you just to gang up on me?”
“Precisely.”
Andrius lowered his head to meet Venti’s eyes. “It wasn’t just about you shirking your responsibilities—they were also tired of you constantly bothering them.”
“As your friend and companion, they wanted to put you back on the right path. So, naturally, they sought out someone you’d disturbed before—me.”
…
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
What the heck! I didn’t even know this was a thing. Those two actually tried to team up with another god to beat me up?!
Venti’s lips twitched. “So, did you agree to it?”
“I did. But not entirely.”
Andrius spoke slowly. “I told them that you likely had your own plans and arrangements. I suggested they trust the free winds governing Mondstadt a little more.”
“Well, thanks, I guess…”
Reduced to needing another god to bolster Dvalin and Vanessa’s confidence in him, Venti felt like this verbal thrashing hurt even more. He was on the verge of tears.
“Your attitude toward Gu Sanqiu is different from how you treated Vanessa and Dvalin.”
Andrius glanced toward the recovering Gu Sanqiu, who was receiving treatment nearby.
“Though they approached me with some frustration, I could see that the bond between you all was close.”
“But Gu Sanqiu isn’t just your so-called ‘little nephew,’ is he?”
A circle of blue energy spread out as Andrius’ voice grew serious.
“Barbatos, is this person part of your plan?”
Venti shook his head without hesitation. “No way! If you’re curious, ask his old man. Knowing him, he might actually have some grand design for the kid.”
“Ask Morax? Too far. That’s why I’m asking you.”
Andrius continued, “Given your relationship with Morax, you’re bound to know a lot.”
“I don’t know anything. Not a thing.”
Venti waved his hands dismissively. “Don’t overthink it. Just focus on your Wolvendom. Like I told you before, reigning in your Archon instincts should be your top priority for now.”
Hmph.
“The meddlesome God of Wind… you should heed your own advice,” Andrius snorted, withdrawing his domain.
“In that case, I can’t let this kid linger in Wolvendom for too long.”
“You showed up largely because of him, didn’t you?”
Venti sighed. “What can I say? Babysitting is hard work, isn’t it?”
Life is tough. Even the Anemo Archon sighed.
“Hah. Hearing the word ‘babysit’ come out of your mouth is rare indeed.”
Andrius chuckled. “The trial for this child is over. Now it’s your turn.”
Venti froze. “Wait, what?”
Andrius shifted forms, his body once again radiating the spiritual energy of his elemental wolf form.
“As I mentioned earlier, I agreed, but not entirely.”
He cracked his knuckles. “Back then, I told them that if the opportunity arose, I wouldn’t mind sparring with you.”
“You annoying bard! You ruined so many of our hunts with your songs, scaring off prey. Not to mention how you disrupted my pack’s elemental training sessions with your lyre-playing. Today, I’m settling the score!”
“Brace yourself!”
“Hey!”
…
A day later, Andrius stood silently, watching Gu Sanqiu, who was full of energy. He was busy tending to injured wolves, several wolf pups perched on his shoulders and head.
“This kid’s constitution… is unusual.”
Andrius remarked, “Even after I purged the lingering elemental energy from him, recovering this quickly shouldn’t be possible. What in the world does he eat?”
Venti examined his reflection in a hand mirror, ensuring the bruises around his eyes were gone before sighing in relief.
Gu Sanqiu’s gaze was sharp. If he noticed Andrius had beaten me up, he’d run straight to Dvalin with the news. I’d never hear the end of it from my companions.
“How would I know what he eats?”
Venti rolled his eyes, glancing at Gu Sanqiu, who was now surrounded by wolves, creating a harmonious scene that brought a smile to the bard’s face.
“But whatever the case, my little nephew isn’t a bad guy. Don’t you think?”
“Good or bad—it’s hard to say.”
Andrius glanced at Venti. “This deal is over. Once the healing is complete, you should leave Wolvendom.”
“Leaving you here doesn’t sit well with me.”
Venti clicked his tongue but refrained from arguing—likely because of the strength Andrius had displayed.
Dvalin and Vanessa might only give me a tongue-lashing, but this stubborn wolf doesn’t hesitate to throw punches!
Razor escorted them out of Wolvendom. Gu Sanqiu, however, kept sneaking curious glances at Venti, his expression brimming with suspicion.
“What?” Venti finally asked. “If you’ve got something to say, spit it out. No need to hold back with your elder.”
“There’s something off about your aura,” Gu Sanqiu replied, scrutinizing Venti from head to toe. “Did you… fight Andrius?”
Venti’s heart skipped a beat, but his face remained composed.
“Of course not. Why would you even ask that?”
Gu Sanqiu explained, “Before, when I hadn’t touched the power of the laws, I couldn’t sense anything. But now, it’s different.”
“If I had to describe it—your usual aura felt like a lazy, aimless breeze. But now, it has this more forceful, determined edge to it.”
“Hm, how should I put it… it’s like when Decarabian handed me the Elemental Seed—like you’re ready to go to war.”
—
This is a fan translation of 原神之璃月奉香人 by 淡白蛋清. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
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