"Are you already returning, Sara? Aren't you going to stay in Liyue Harbor for a while?"
At Liyue Harbor, Kujou Sara, having completed her mission, was preparing to return. On the day of her departure, Durandal and her group specially came to see her off.
This person is too serious. Even if the mission is over, she could stay a few more days to relax. Now, going back means a lot of paperwork to deal with, with no time to relax.
"No need. The Shogunate still has many matters waiting for me to handle. As a member of the Shogunate, I must return and share the burden with the Shogun."
Kujou Sara declined Paimon's invitation to stay. Her time in Liyue Harbor had indeed been pleasant. Compared to Inazuma, there were many more places to relax here.
But this was ultimately not where she should be. Having decided to serve Raiden Shogun her entire life, she did not allow herself any laziness.
"I see. Then we'll only meet again when we return to Inazuma. Don't overwork yourself, alright? Absolutely no constant overtime like Ganyu."
"Yes, I understand. Even I couldn't reach Miss Ganyu's level."
Kujou Sara humbly admitted she couldn't compare to Ganyu. She truly was worthy of the Guuji Yae's respect; she was indeed a remarkable person.
During this time, Kujou Sara had deeply felt her strength. If possible, she also hoped to become as formidable as Ganyu. If she had been as strong as Ganyu, perhaps the previous events wouldn't have happened.
"Don't forget your primary responsibility, Kujou Sara."
Durandal reminded her, "Ei's most important task for you is to be her eyes, to prevent the re-emergence of people like Kujou Takayuki. If you get bogged down by a lot of official business and can't perform your oversight role, you'll be letting Ei down."
"I know, but I've already arranged for trusted subordinates to handle this matter. I believe they will..."
"No matter how trusted someone is, it's always better to do it yourself. Besides, can you guarantee they won't be bribed? People as completely loyal as you are a minority; others can't resist temptation."
Even your own Raiden Shogun couldn't manage it; Durandal had experienced this firsthand. In fact, that fellow's resistance in certain aspects was quite poor, to the point of being laughable.
"...I understand. I will focus on supervision."
"Also, reduce the amount of paperwork you handle. Don't forget your rest time. If I see you not taking care of your body, I will punish you in front of your most respected Raiden Shogun. You can try me."
Saying this, Durandal waved her right hand, indicating the punishment she would inflict on Kujou Sara.
This gesture made Kujou Sara think of a certain punishment, and her eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at Durandal, even taking a few steps back.
"This... this must be a joke, right, Lady Durandal?"
"You can try it, of course, the consequences will be yours to bear. If you're willing, when we return to Inazuma, I can demonstrate it for you."
"No... no need! I promise to follow your demands and rest properly!"
No! Absolutely not that! If she were subjected to that kind of punishment in front of the Shogun, wouldn't her life be over?!
Why would someone be threatened to rest?! Kujou Sara was both annoyed and extremely helpless. She felt that Durandal had already threatened others to rest properly more than once, otherwise, how could she be so skilled?
And so, Kujou Sara, as if fleeing, took the other samurai and boarded a ship, departing from Liyue Harbor.
"Sara is really busy. I hope someone in the Shogunate can help her share some of the burden."
"Actually, her current workload is already much better than before. Previously, due to the Vision Hunt Decree and the Rebel Army, she had endless tasks every day. Now that Inazuma's situation is stable, and with Sister Makoto secretly assisting Ei, Sara will soon be able to relax."
"I hope so. I'm still quite worried about the Fatui hidden within Inazuma. Although they've behaved since the last negotiation incident, those people love to cause trouble in secret, so we must keep an eye on them."
They had suffered many losses at the hands of the Fatui. Even though the current Harbinger in Inazuma was Childe, the combat-oriented type who wasn't skilled in schemes, caution was still necessary.
However, these were concerns for the Shogunate. They could help, but there was no need to worry on behalf of the Shogunate's people. Otherwise, what was the purpose of their positions in the Shogunate? Just for show?
Besides, the Fatui's danger wasn't only understood by them. After the last incident, many within the Shogunate surely understood the Fatui's modus operandi.
Kujou Sara would certainly not let them cause trouble again. The Crow Feather people would keep an eye on them, and the Shuumatsuban under the Shuumatsuban would also closely monitor the Fatui. Those people could no longer cause problems as they used to.
Unbeknownst to them, the ship carrying Kujou Sara had already disappeared over the horizon. They estimated that after a few more days of sailing, they would return to Inazuma.
"Let's go back too. If there's nothing else, we'll prepare to head to Mondstadt."
"Alright, there's not much going on in Liyue Harbor. It's a good chance to visit Mondstadt. There seems to be something to do in Dragonspine, so we can go back and check. But..."
At this, Lumine suddenly hugged Durandal, resting her chin on her shoulder, and chuckled, "You're so eager to return to Mondstadt. Could it be that you want to meet Venti? Or are you already impatient to tell him about Ei?"
"Don't overthink things. There aren't that many reasons."
"Oh? Are you really overthinking it? Then when you talked to her remotely, did you tell her about Ei?"
"..."
"You didn't, did you? Hehe~ You definitely didn't. I didn't expect you to get nervous sometimes. You're really cute."
Paimon, who was watching from the side, really wanted to remind Lumine not to provoke Durandal with such topics at this moment, but it was too late. Lumine's actions were like wildly provoking an honest person, and this honest person could no longer bear it, placing her hand on a wine bottle.
Of course, this was just a metaphor, but the situation was similar. Durandal grabbed Lumine's shoulder and, to her surprise, threw her towards the sea.
The workers who were unloading cargo only heard a continuous scream, followed by a splash, and then no other sound.
After doing this, Durandal clapped her hands and turned to leave the harbor, completely ignoring Lumine, whom she had thrown into the sea.
Paimon paused for a moment. After a fierce internal struggle, she decided that even if Lumine was thrown into the sea, she would be fine, so she had no intention of rescuing her and left with Durandal.
That night, Agalu came running. She had been searching for traces of the Fatui in various parts of Liyue, busy for quite some time.
She had just finished today and returned to Liyue Harbor to rest when she heard the news of Durandal's return.
She immediately ran over, excited but not forgetting her manners. She wouldn't dare to be too presumptuous in front of Durandal.
"I've already heard about your work from Ningguang. Thanks to your help, the Millelith found many Fatui strongholds in Liyue. You did very well."
Durandal patted Agalu's head, praising her.
A simple word of praise was worth a thousand words. Agalu instantly felt that all her efforts during this time had been worthwhile, and she even felt like going out to work overtime for a few more days.
"Th-thank you for your praise, Lady Durandal. But, but this is what I should do. I can do even better, and work harder."
"No need for that. There are only so many Fatui strongholds in Liyue Harbor, and you'll find them all eventually. The current pace is fine. It's also important to relax appropriately; don't push yourself too hard."
Durandal patted Agalu's head. She was truly a worry-free child; even without supervision, she could perfectly complete tasks.
"Hmm? Are you injured?"
Agalu had a scar on her hand, clearly caused by a bullet, and this type of bullet was obviously from a Fatui skirmisher.
"Uh... that was from a sneak attack during a previous battle with the Fatui. Because it was a Pyro element, the hastily created shield couldn't completely block it, and I was slightly injured."
I was really careless then, I didn't expect those people to be so cunning, they actually ambushed her without any martial ethics. Fortunately, I dealt with them in the end.
Speaking of which, Agalu is indeed very weak in defense. Although she has the advantage of flying in the air, she easily becomes a living target when facing enemies with long-range attacks.
"Wear this when you're on missions."
Durandal took out a crystal-studded necklace and hung it around Agalu's neck.
"It will automatically deploy a shield to block attacks for you in times of crisis. It recharges automatically, so as long as you're not facing too many or too strong attacks at once, it can protect you."
"Ah, thank... thank you."
Durandal shook her head, patted Agalu's head again, and turned to say, "Stay for the night. There are many guest rooms in the villa, so it's fine even if you live here. After all, you are my person."
"I... I understand. Thank you, my lady."
Agalu touched her hair. Lady Durandal was so gentle just now.
Ah! No... it's not that Lady Durandal isn't usually gentle. From their previous interactions, she knew Lady Durandal was a very gentle person.
It's just... she felt Durandal had become even gentler. Did something happen in Inazuma? To cause such a big change.
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