The claws tore through the armor that had encased the Blue Lion. A monstrous creature lunged with its jaws wide open toward the Knights of Favonius, only to be struck down by a comrade’s weapon, hitting its vital point in the nick of time.
“Knights of Favonius, never retreat!”
The knight whose armor had been shattered fell to the ground but forced down a mouthful of blood and rose again, determined to keep pace with his companions.
His weapon was intact.
He wasn’t dead yet.
He could still fight!
But no amount of blood-boiling bravery could change the fact that his elemental armor was destroyed. Two more monsters immediately shifted their focus, lunging toward him from both sides.
“Bring it on!”
The young Knight of Favonius grinned, his expression bordering on madness.
For a knight, witnessing the death of a comrade wasn’t uncommon. But for someone who had only recently joined the ranks, seeing life drain from his allies was a heartbreaking experience.
He hadn’t shared many words with them. Some were stationed in the wild, while others frequently traveled between Mondstadt and Springvale, silently safeguarding the people along the way.
Yet, in the face of death, none of the Knights of Favonius showed fear. They brandished their weapons and met the oncoming monsters with courage born of resolve.
“Barbatos, may the Thousand Winds of Mondstadt endure forever!”
The young knight bellowed, driving his weapon toward the monster’s eyes.
Death wasn’t terrifying. What was terrifying was dying without helping his comrades in any way. Even if he couldn’t blind the beast, even a single wound to make it bleed would be enough.
“Knights of Favonius, never retreat!”
Clang!
Another armored figure stepped in front of the young knight, intercepting the monster’s attack with a longsword.
Short hair fluttered in the wind as the newcomer delivered a swift kick to the creature’s stomach. The force freed the sword, which then found its mark in the monster’s throat with precise, orthodox swordsmanship, killing it in one stroke.
“Who… who are you?”
The young knight stared in shock at the short-haired figure. “You’re wearing the Knights’ armor, but I don’t recognize you.”
The figure turned and replied calmly, “You wouldn’t know me. I was never supposed to remain in Mondstadt.”
“Go… Goodwin?”
One of the knights exclaimed in recognition. “Weren’t you part of Grand Master Varka’s expedition? Why are you here?”
Goodwin charged into the battlefield, his sword cutting down another struggling monster in perfect synchronization with his comrades.
Despite being an outsider to this group, Goodwin’s training as a Knight of Favonius allowed him to seamlessly support the others without a single misstep.
“I lost the keepsake that Glory gave me before I left. By the time I found it, the expedition had already departed.”
His face was bitter as he continued. “I couldn’t bring myself to return to Mondstadt, so I wandered the wilderness, hunting monsters and protecting Mondstadt in my own way.”
“If I hadn’t spotted your expedition from afar, I might never have known what was happening.”
The knights, emboldened by Goodwin’s intervention, began forming a wedge formation around him, steadily advancing toward their embattled comrades.
“But why—”
The knight who started to ask trailed off mid-sentence. They already knew the answer.
Goodwin was a Knight of Favonius, no matter what had happened.
“Why am I here?” Goodwin smiled faintly. “Perhaps I hoped that if I joined this war, I could justify returning to Mondstadt. Maybe I thought it would somehow redeem my mistakes.”
“Maybe… I just want to see Glory again. Hold her, hear her voice, and bask in the sunlight by the windmills for an afternoon.”
Goodwin’s voice grew quieter, but his strikes became fiercer. His skill was a testament to why Varka had personally chosen him for the expedition.
“I want to atone. I want to see Glory. But after losing the expedition, I’ve only dared to watch her from the city walls.”
“Is she well? Do her eyes still trouble her? Does she remember to dress warmly when the wind picks up? Has she made any new friends? Does she still sit on the bench alone, listening to the wind?”
Goodwin roared as he severed a monster’s head. “I don’t want to crawl back to Mondstadt and be labeled a coward! So I stayed away, fooling myself into thinking that killing monsters was enough to protect Mondstadt.”
“In truth, I’m a coward! My beloved is right there, yet I don’t have the courage to reunite with her. Every day, I drown in responsibility to numb myself, but I accomplish nothing!”
“But this time, I won’t run. With my sword and every skill I’ve ever learned, I’ll protect Mondstadt. I’ll protect Glory!”
Goodwin raised his weapon high, his voice a ferocious roar. “I am no coward! I am Goodwin, personally chosen by Grand Master Varka himself!”
“The Thousand Winds bear witness! Lord Barbatos bears witness! I will fight for Mondstadt!”
“With blood and scars, I will forge my triumph. I will return to Mondstadt in glory and reunite with Glory under the windmills!”
“I’ll run to her, hold her, and tell her I’m sorry. I’ll tell her that her man is no coward!”
A surge of wind-elemental energy burst forth from Goodwin, enveloping him and his comrades. The power invigorated the knights, who unleashed a volley of wind-imbued arrows that pierced through the bloodied ranks of the monsters.
“For Mondstadt!”
The knights roared in unison, their battle cries reverberating across the field.
…
“Well, well, listen to that commotion outside. The delicious aroma of their struggle has already reached us, yet it’s so quiet here.”
In the silent depths of Sleeping Dragon Valley, an Abyss Herald glanced at the vortex before him, where Gu Sanqiu lay dormant. He tapped his foot impatiently.
“Tell me, are you sure this plan will work? That guy won’t just pop out and thrash me, will he?”
“Shut up and wait for the signal.”
“Fine, fine. But could you at least tell me what the signal is? I can’t just stand here forever.”
The Herald spread his hands. “That delectable energy outside is calling me, you know. Why should I stay here babysitting a man, no matter how handsome he is?”
Boom!
The vortex erupted. Gu Sanqiu emerged, spear in hand, his hair whipping like a nest of serpents. One eye glowed gold, the other pink, as he fixed his gaze on the Herald.
“Oh? So strong desires and willpower are a delicacy to your kind?”
Gu Sanqiu twirled his spear and smirked. “Good. That’s useful information.”
The Herald gaped in shock. “You’re unharmed?!”
He couldn’t help but suspect that something had gone wrong with the plan.
“Oh, so ‘assimilation’ means whispering weird things in my ear? Sorry, I built up immunity to that centuries ago.”
Gu Sanqiu pointed his spear at the Herald. “You mentioned that Gu Shaochong almost made you cry last time?”
“Today, I’ll make sure you cry yourself to death!”
—
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!
Reader discussion
0 Comments
Be the first reader to share a thought about this chapter.