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Chapter 40: Diluc, The Twisted Wind God's Influence
Even someone as kind-hearted as Barbara couldn't naively believe that certain people truly upheld freedom of belief while committing acts that violated public order and morality.
They were merely using "freedom" as an excuse for their own actions.
"People like that are the worst! Lord Barbatos will punish them sooner or later," Barbara said, gritting her teeth.
Aiden watched her reaction and thought of Wendy.
If Barbara knew what Wendy was actually likeā¦
She probably wouldn't be saying such things with such conviction.
Still, when Aiden considered everything Wendy had done for Mondstadt, he couldn't say that the Anemo Archon owed the city anything.
After all, Mondstadt's climate had been maintained by Wendy's divine power for a thousand years.
Without him, the land of freedom would likely resemble Snezhnayaāa nation locked in endless ice and snow.
The people of Mondstadt had no idea how much they owed their carefree lives to their seemingly irresponsible Archon.
---
Aiden took another spoonful of his spicy vegetable stew and savored the taste.
It wasn't the work of a professional chef, but it was made with careāand somehow, that made it even better.
He glanced at Barbara, who was happily watching him eat.
She cooked for meā¦ That means she cares about me!
Aiden quickly shook the thought away. No, no. Stop overthinking things.
After finishing his meal, Barbara took the dishes and began washing them. As she scrubbed, she turned back to Aiden.
"Mr. Aiden, do you have any plans for today?"
"Hmmā¦ not really. Most of my work was finished yesterday," Aiden replied. "But I'll be staying in Mondstadt for a while longer."
Barbara's eyes lit up. "Then how about I give you a tour of the city?"
Aiden raised an eyebrow. Are all Mondstadt girls this trusting?
Orā¦ was it just that he was particularly charming?
Shaking off the ridiculous thought, he smiled. "Then I'll be in your care, Miss Barbara."
---
Meanwhile, at the Angel's Share
Inside Angel's Share, Jean found herself looking at a very battered Diluc.
She had received a message from Charles early that morning, asking her to come quickly.
And now that she was hereāseeing Diluc covered in injuriesāJean's heart clenched in concern.
"Seniorā¦ what happened to you?" she asked urgently.
Jean had absolute confidence in Diluc's combat abilities.
If even he had taken this much damage, the situation had to be serious.
Diluc exhaled sharply. "There were too many monsters, and the Abyss Order had an ambush waiting. I stayed longer than I should have to gather intelā¦ and ended up like this."
Jean's expression tensed.
He must have known about the trapā¦ and still walked into it just to get more information.
A wave of guilt hit her.
Barbatos had already told her about this ambush the night before.
Which meantā
Diluc had suffered for nothing.
Jean took a deep breath. "I'll call Barbara over. She may be young, but when it comes to healing, no one in Mondstadt surpasses her."
She could heal wounds herself, but compared to Barbara, Jean's abilities were better suited for combat support.
Alsoā¦ if she used her full Anemo power for healing, Angel's Share would probably need a full renovation.
Diluc didn't refuse. "Then I'll leave it to her."
As Mondstadt's strongest warriorāwell, at least the strongest one still under controlāhe knew he couldn't afford to push himself recklessly.
With Barbara's help, he'd be back on his feet much faster.
Jean hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
"Seniorā¦ Lord Barbatos appeared last night."
Diluc's crimson eyes flickered with something unreadable.
"He told me that a traveler named Lumine will soon arrive in Mondstadtā¦ and that she will be the one to save our nation."
---
Diluc, the "Barbatos Fanatic"
Diluc's expression remained neutral, but inside, he was filled with jealousy and frustration.
Why?
Becauseāhe was secretly Mondstadt's biggest Barbatos enthusiast!
Over the years, he had spent ridiculous amounts of money collecting items related to the Anemo Archonāonly to discover that most of them were fakes.
Meanwhile, Wendy: "If you want my old wine glasses, I can give you as many as you want!"
And now Barbatos had personally appeared before Jean?!
Diluc felt his heart twist. Why wasn't I the one to see him?!
Still, he quickly composed himself. "Thenā¦ Mondstadt should be safe, right?"
Jean nodded. "Yes. Lord Barbatos only recently awakened from his long slumber. He told me that the war from five hundred years ago had drained him completely, and that's why he had been absent all this time."
Jean studied Diluc's face carefully.
She knew that for years, Diluc had harbored resentment towards Barbatos.
She didn't want him to misunderstand any further.
Butā¦ if Barbatos was really Wendyā¦
That meant Diluc had been seeing the Anemo Archon every day without realizing it.
Jean's hand went to her forehead.
Oh, Archonsā¦ If he ever finds out the truth, it's going to destroy him.
---
Diluc let out a slow breath. "I seeā¦ So, what's your plan now?"
Jean straightened. "I plan to clear out some of the monster infestations near the city. Even if it's only a temporary measure, we have to do something."
She paused. "Also, I'll ask Klee to develop some lightweight bombs that even ordinary knights can use."
Diluc raised an eyebrow. "Klee? You're finally willing to use that combat power?"
He had long known that Klee had immense destructive potential.
If he had trained her himself, she wouldn't have turned into a mischievous troublemakerāshe would have become Mondstadt's ultimate war machine.
But Jean had always insisted on letting Klee have a happy childhood, allowing her to run free even when she caused trouble.
At least now, Jean was finally putting her real strength to use.
That was a relief.
---
As Diluc closed his eyes, he thought about Wendyāor rather, Barbatos.
He had dedicated years to searching for traces of the Anemo Archon.
Yet, all this timeā¦
That lazy bard, that drunk troublemaker, that man he constantly found annoyingā
That was Barbatos himself.
Unaware of the truth, Diluc clenched his fists.
One dayā¦ I'll meet you, Barbatos.
One day.