"So… you are the one the Fatui sent to negotiate? Childe."
On the day of the negotiation between the Fatui and the Shogunate, when Durandal and her group arrived, they saw their old acquaintance, Childe, bringing several Fatui members to the negotiation site.
Upon seeing Durandal and her group, Childe even happily waved and greeted them, making Lumine cover her face, indicating she didn't know this guy.
What was he trying to convey? What would the Shogunate think of them with such actions? That they were actually connected to a Fatui Harbinger, perhaps even good friends.
You guy… so you were the spy… was it really going to develop in that direction?
Regardless, since Childe had recognized her, Lumine could only brace herself and, under the gaze of both parties, walk up to Childe.
"I thought you had already returned to Snezhnaya? Why are you suddenly in Inazuma? Did you come to Inazuma to find an opponent? Do you want to challenge the Raiden Shogun?"
"Hmm~ that suggestion is indeed very appealing, but fighting the Raiden Shogun always feels quite dangerous. I know very well what happens if you lose an Engaku-Rin'ya Duel (Duel Before the Throne) in Inazuma. I know my own strength, so it's better not to provoke the Raiden Shogun."
Childe loved challenging strong opponents, but the Raiden Shogun was a bit too powerful. Furthermore, challenging her could very likely trigger the mechanism of an Engaku-Rin'ya Duel (Duel Before the Throne), and he had so many younger siblings waiting for him to return home. He didn't want anything to happen to him.
"As for why I came to Inazuma, it's mainly because there isn't a Harbinger here who can hold the fort right now. Compared to other Harbingers who have things to do, I am relatively free, so Her Majesty the Tsaritsa asked me to come."
At this point, Childe glanced at Durandal. Why wasn't there a Harbinger in Inazuma who could hold the fort? Wasn't it because Durandal had eliminated The Lady, and even Balladeer hadn't made a sound?
He strongly suspected that Balladeer had also been dealt with by Durandal. The entire Fatui knew how terrible Balladeer's personality was, and such a person was precisely whom Durandal disliked the most. Just like Dottore, he must have been taken care of by her.
"Hmm? Why are you looking at me like that? Do you want to fight me?"
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. I'd be happy to spar, but fighting is out of the question. The most important thing this time is the negotiation. Fighting now would just be causing trouble. This time… we Fatui are full of sincerity."
The diplomat standing behind Childe blinked, not quite understanding what Childe was saying. Wasn't this a bit different from what they had discussed last night?
How did it become 'full of sincerity'? Oh, he understood. 'Full of sincerity' was just on the surface; in reality, Childe had other plans, but it wasn't good to say them openly.
As expected of a Harbinger, he was truly comprehensive.
Little did he know that Childe actually had no other convoluted thoughts. After seeing Durandal appear there, he knew that all the plans he had conceived earlier were completely unfeasible.
Are you kidding? Those plans were meant for ordinary people. Although Kamisato Ayato was a bit difficult to deal with, he was confident he could handle him.
But Durandal was different. Her strength was top-tier even among the Gods. If she hadn't had no interest in the identity of a God, there would probably be one more or one less of the current Seven Gods.
In short, to avoid displeasing this lord, those previous schemes absolutely could not be used, otherwise, he would follow in the footsteps of The Lady and Balladeer.
"My Lord, look…"
In the not-so-distant Shogunate forces, a samurai, seeing Durandal and her group chatting happily with Childe, looked at Kamisato Ayato with some hesitation.
"No need to worry, there's no rule that says you can't be friends with the Fatui, is there? Compared to that gentleman, I believe Ayaka's charm is greater."
"Durandal hates the Fatui." This was the most obvious and accurate piece of information from his investigation into Durandal.
His sister was their friend. Compared to that, it was obvious which side was stronger.
This small unexpected turn would not put them at a disadvantage; on the contrary, precisely because of the arrival of Durandal and her group, the subsequent negotiations might proceed even more smoothly.
Kamisato Ayato was not wrong. In the subsequent negotiations, while the Fatui did refute the issues raised by the Shogunate, their attitude remained good, merely trying to shift responsibility onto Nathan.
And as for those Agents who went to the prison to assassinate Nathan, they simply held a grudge against Nathan and wanted to take this opportunity to eliminate him. They absolutely had no intention of creating a scene where the Shogunate used torture to extract confessions and ultimately killed someone. They absolutely had no such thoughts.
Paimon was yawning beside them. Such matters were truly boring, completely uninteresting. She would rather go on an adventure and solve mysteries with Lumine.
Lumine had not forgotten the purpose of their visit. Kamisato Ayato had entrusted them with ensuring the surrounding security.
Although she felt that with Durandal present, the Fatui would most likely not do anything suicidal, there was always a possibility of unexpected elements or incompetent teammates. What then?
Moreover, the negotiation site was arranged outside the city. Who knew if this place would be attacked by monsters?
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