Spending sone time around the city was a great way to wait until the meeting for Kumagawa, Paimon and Lumine. Especially because there was nothing for them to be worried about to be arrested for.
When the time came for the meeting the tavern was pretty much empty, as it was expected. What was not suspected was the third person with Venti and Diluc.
Kumagawa:[Oh? Playing on two sides, I see.]
Venti:You're here.
Jean:Wait, you're...Lumine? Kumagawa?
Lumine:...Jean? Why is the Acting Grand Master here?
Diluc:Well, first of all, I contacted more than one person.Diluc: Secondly, she came here as Jean herself, not as the Acting Grand Master. A Jean you would never see, even as an Honorary Knight.
Jean: What a surprise. I heard about the Holy Lyre, but I never suspected it was you. And what do you mean playing on two sides?
Kumagawa:[Ah, I suppose this is still working for the great of Monsdat. You do all of your work for this nation, not the the Order of Favonius itself. Speaking of two things, about your thighs...]
Jean: So, the sound of the Holy Lyre can purify Stormterror and return it to normal! Is that true?
Kumagawa chuckled, amused by her attempt to escape. However, she can't do so forever.
Venti: That's right! They're putting themselves on the front line to try and resolve this Stormterror issue. Now that's the hotshot of the Knights of Favonius I'm talking about. Oh, and her ever so helpful partner.
Kumagawa:[Being put as a second priority, huh? Oh well, I suppose this is natural for me.]
Paimon:Feels like we're breaking the law though...
Diluc:I understand this kind of absurd explanation is hard to believe. But, we can ask the bard to play the song again to try and persuade...
Jean:I believe you.
Diluc:To persuade our stubborn comman...Wait, what?
Jean:I can't think of any reason for Dvalin's betrayal, given it was once one of The Four Winds. However, if it was poisoned in the battle over Mondstadt all those years ago...And then corrupted by the Abyss Mage after it woke up...We can't really blame it.
Kumagawa:[You know, if we're trying to save this legendary dragon refering to this being as an it doesn't doesn't really give us much credibility. How about a pool for Dvalin-chan's gender? I bet on male!]
Diluc:I will refrain.
Kumagawa:[Eh? What's up? Scared of a little bet?]
Diluc:I feel like you'd find sime way to scam me out of my money either way.
Kumagawa:[Haha, I see...]
Lumine:He's just messing with you. Don't pay it too much, he does that with everyone.
Kumagawa:[Booo!]
Jean:Ahem! Moving on...But as Acting Grand Master I obviously cannot make such a statement publicly. Diplomatic pressure from the Fatui makes it hard for us to seek a peaceful resolution to the Stormterror issue. People would think I've lost grip on the gravity of the situation. That's why I can only do this in private.
Diluc:Hmph. That's one of the reasons I don't like the Knights of Favonius. What surprises me is that you would believe these two outlanders so easily...
Jean: My cautious and meticulous superior, even you trust them. Don't you, sir?
Diluc:I already told you not to call me sir...Never mind. We don't often get to work together after all.
Lumine:Sir?
Kumagawa:[Oh?]
Their small inquiries were meet eith silence. Although the small clues is enough to make an assumption.
Was Diluc part of the Knights of Favonius or worked closely to them? That would certainly explain his irritation with them.
Kumagawa:[And the plot thickens.]
Paimon:Wow! Um...This is really awkward...
Jean:I have a rough idea of where the Holy Lyre der Himmel is. The conflict between Mondstadt and Snezhnaya stems from the conflict between the seven nations and their respective gods. The Cryo God's Fatui seem to be after the Anemo God's power.
Venti fell strangely silent looking at the floor with an deep thinking look. Kumagawa was the first one to notice that.
Does he know this? What is this power they're talking about?
Could it be that the gods of this world have a physical manifastation of their power? Kumagawa was not aware of any skill that was like that, but those two things are after all unrelated.
He might be a very analytical individual, be he wasn't all knowing like a certain not-equal. He was in a new world that worked under different rules, and he still had much to learn about it to make such conclusions.
Lumine:So are they going to take over the defense of Mondstadt?
Jean:Right. If the Knights of Favonius publicly prevented an attempt on Dvalin's head, then...The only other way to affect the Anemo God's power is to take the Holy Lyre.
This Kumagawa seriously doubted. He saw nothing special with that lyre, perhaps it still need some finishing touches.
Diluc:The number of Fatui that have come to Mondstadt is far from limited. I've already managed to...Coerce a few reports out of them.
Jean:Diluc has determined that the Holy Lyre is not being held in the Goth Grand Hotel. I imagine they don't want to leave something stolen in a place where it could be so easily found.
Paimon:Paimon gets it. If too much of a scene gets made then it becomes a big diplomatic issue.
Diluc:Hmph, such is the diplomacy between the seven nations.
Kumagawa:[I'd still prefer this compared to mine...Shall we go?]
Lumine:I'm all set.
Diluc:Good. Let's go.
As soon as they were out of the tavern Diluc sprinted to the gates of the city. Of course, to ve inconspicious he choose to do so by moving from roof to roof with silent yet quick steps.
Looking at his companions he saw Kumagawa and Lumine easily kept up with him, with Paimon holding in to Kumagawa's neck for dear life. Good, they really posses the skills they were so rumored to have.
After passing above the gates without being noticed, Diluc lead them to a considerable distance from the city. They stopped when they arrived at what looked like the entrance of a cave.
Diluc:We're here.
Paimon:Phew! Paimon's hair is all messed up...
Lumine:Why do you always make Kumagawa into your spot in those kind of situations?
Paimon:He's more confy.
Lumine:...I don't know what to say to that.
They quickly entered the hideout disguised at as a cave. The first thing they saw was a bridge with mechanisms shooting fire on the downside of it over molten lava.
Kumagawa:[You have to give it to them, they know how to make their hideouts.]
Diluc:I don't think admiring the enemy's interior designing skills is ideal right now...
YOU ARE READING
Archon of Minus
FanfictionFrom battling a group of terminals, to being send to a heavenly plane, to veing send to a world where gods walk the earth with monsters and people who can control elements. Things only seem to get more interesting for Kumagawa Misogi.
