Kael followed Kaeya into Jean's office.
She was already seated at her desk, her body wrapped in bandages.
Not fully healed, but still working.
He sighed inwardly. Of course. Mondstadt's most notorious workaholic—broken body and all, and she's still at her desk.
"Acting Grand Master Jean."
At the sound of his voice, Jean lifted her head.
"I'm so glad you're safe… I…"
She opened her mouth, wanting to explain.
But the words died on her lips.
What could she even say?
That she had cared for his safety all along?
That she had never truly abandoned him?
What meaning would those words have now?
She had chosen Mondstadt over Kael.
In the face of that truth, any explanation was hollow.
No one would ever know how much pain and struggle had gone into that choice.
And her pride would never allow her to show such weakness.
So Jean buried the anguish deep and steadied her composure once more.
"I heard from Kaeya that you know why the Hilichurls became so berserk."
Kael nodded. "Yes. And I suspect the cause… is inside my body right now."
"What?"
Jean and Kaeya both looked stunned.
Jean's eyes swept anxiously over Kael's body. "On you? What do you mean by that?"
Kael repeated the explanation he'd already prepared.
"At the Hilichurl camp, I was surrounded by berserk Hilichurls—I could barely hold on. Then, all of a sudden, a strange voice appeared in my head."
He was carefully choosing his words, so he didn't notice the flicker of pain that crossed Jean's face when he said he'd almost collapsed.
"It kept tempting me to hand over my body. And after I was knocked unconscious, it actually took control of me for a few minutes. During that time, my consciousness was trapped inside. I could see and hear everything happening outside, but all I could do was watch as it used my body—I couldn't break free at all."
Kaeya's expression grew darker. "Then why do you think it's connected to the Hilichurls going berserk?"
"Because every time I heard its voice, I felt like I was about to lose control."
Kael recalled what he'd seen earlier in Text Mode:
[Hearing that seductive voice, you feel yourself on the verge of madness. Your attacks lose all form, riddled with openings.]
The Kael in that life simulation may have had a dark side, but his will was ironclad.
He wanted fame, he wanted Jean—and he would throw everything he had into chasing those goals.
A man like that wouldn't be swayed easily.
And yet, just hearing the voice made him feel like he was going insane.
That alone proved it—the bastard had the power to drive people mad.
Even the simulated version of himself had nearly succumbed to rage.
So pushing Low Intelligence Hilichurls over the edge? That would be child's play.
What he couldn't figure out was why so many Hilichurl camps were affected at the same time.
Did the bastard have multiple fragments? Spread across different camps?
At his words, Jean and Kaeya's faces both grew grim.
Mondstadt was already struggling with its lack of manpower—ordinary Hilichurls were becoming harder and harder to manage.
And now there was something that could send them into a frenzy.
If attacks of this scale happened again… could the Knights of Favonius withstand it? Could Mondstadt?
Jean turned to Kaeya. "We have to identify whatever's attached to Kael. Go find Lisa—see if she has any insights."
Right. Lisa.
Kael had been thinking of Venti—he was an Archon, ancient and wise, surely he could figure out what this thing was.
But in focusing on him, he'd forgotten about the Knights' own librarian.
Lisa Minci, said to be a once-in-two-centuries genius from the Sumeru Akademiya, someone who had delved into the pursuit of "knowledge" further than anyone else.
Maybe she really could uncover something.
Kaeya nodded at Jean's order and left immediately.
The room grew quiet—only Jean and Kael remained.
Kael found his gaze drifting to Jean's elegant face. He suddenly remembered—the bastard fed on his desires.
And his longing for Jean had been one of its meals.
Besides asking others for help, there was another option.
Release the bastard, confront it directly, and see if it slipped up.
Since switching into Sensory Mode, he'd been suppressing it, giving it no chance to surface.
But maybe now was the time to let it out for a test run.
Barbara's slender legs in White stockings… Eula's figure wrapped tightly in her blouse…
"Oh? Getting tempted already? I told you, those two women are prime catches—one pure temptation, one… oh-ho, but the woman in front of you is the one you want most, isn't she? My favorite type too—an untouchable flower on a high peak. Makes me want to see her—"
All it took was a stray thought, the spark of a desire, and the bastard burst out like a dog catching the scent of meat.
And of course, it brought with it a flood of filthy, disgusting words.
What a colossal idiot.
Kael cursed it silently.
"I've noticed, every time a woman shows up, you get especially excited."
He casually threw the remark out while the bastard was at its most manic.
"Of course I do, I'm—"
It froze mid-sentence, realization hitting. Its excitement cooled instantly.
"You're trying to trick me?"
Kael didn't care that it had caught on. He'd already confirmed something important.
This thing was obsessed with lust.
That might be a thread he could use later.
"You think just figuring out what I am will save you? As long as you're a man, as long as you're conscious, you'll never get rid of me for the rest of your life!"