When Eula's expression on the light screen changed so abruptly after hearing Benares' muttered words, it immediately drew everyone's attention.
Most people weren't concerned why Eula reacted that way.
What they truly cared about was—
What would the Stigmata Serum turn a person into?
Yet the moment the usually cold and composed Spindrift Knight lowered her crossed arms, her urgent calls for Benares revealing a clear wavering—
It was obvious.
Eula's resolve was shaking.
The reason was painfully simple.
The condition Benares had casually mentioned—
the chance to spare one person's life—
Was everything to someone like Eula, who had only one or two people she truly cared about.
To many watching, the most important implication was clear:
Eula was very likely to become the first person in Teyvat to drink the Stigmata Serum—
the first Valkyrie.
How much power the serum truly held would soon be revealed.
Would Eula quietly wait for death…
or step into the game herself, trading her fate for her friend's safety?
"Please don't agree, Eula…"
Amber clasped her hands together in prayer.
"This is just another test. If you drink it, you'll definitely die."
Jean's face had turned deathly pale.
Even though the light screen showed only a possible future—
The moment Eula drank the Stigmata Serum, her identity would change forever.
She would no longer be Mondstadt's Spindrift Knight.
Even now, in the real world, many citizens of Mondstadt would already be labeling her a traitor.
Jean could almost hear their voices.
See? I told you. No one from the Lawrence Clan can be trusted.
"…This is going to worry me to death."
"Future Eula… please hold on. Things haven't reached that point yet."
Jean silently joined Amber in prayer.
But deep down, she knew the truth.
Eula had no better choice.
Only Lisa remained silent, her expression unusually grave.
She felt as though she had overlooked something crucial—
that there was a fatal flaw in her earlier conclusions.
[Eula sat alone on the stone steps.]
[The tips of her hair had begun to fade and disperse.]
[This was a sign—her body was starting to collapse and shatter.]
The strange sensation jolted her out of thought.
She tugged at the corner of her lips, a trace of bleakness in her eyes.
Fate really is unfair…
Even after resolving herself to die, she couldn't do so in peace.
Benares was right.
With Mondstadt's current military strength, there was no way to stop such numbers of mutated Hilichurls.
Even if Grand Master Varka returned before the war—
Aerin still had Benares.
And in Benares' eyes?
The mutated Hilichurls were nothing but trash—
weak, inferior monsters.
To Benares, they were what Hilichurls were to Dvalin.
But to Mondstadt's knights—
Those same monsters were utterly unbeatable.
Unless Aerin abandoned his plan to attack Mondstadt—
No one could stop him from trampling the city flat.
["Benares, I know you're not asleep."]
["Can you answer one question for me?"]
Benares' long tail flicked lazily.
Seeing this, Eula smiled faintly.
["If the Stigmata Serum grants transcendent power…"]
["Isn't Aerin afraid that I'll turn against him once I obtain it?"]
Benares looked utterly unimpressed.
She didn't even bother opening her eyes.
["Hmph. My master said your brain was mush."]
["You've exceeded expectations in proving that."]
[Eula: "..."]
["Do you think someone weaker than the power created by the Stigmata Serum could invent it?"]
"That… makes sense."
Eula nodded in quiet agreement.
If Aerin could create the Stigmata Serum, then his own strength must far surpass the power it bestowed.
He had no reason to fear a Valkyrie turning against him.
That was the confidence of the strong.
Eula understood it all too well.
Just like how she constantly muttered 'I'll remember this grudge'—
Only she knew how much pain lay beneath those words.
It was merely a façade to shield herself from Mondstadt's prejudice.
["Then if I really become a Valkyrie and serve him…"]
["Will he truly spare my friend?"]
["At least give me one chance—just one—to keep someone alive during this war."]
Her voice trembled as she spoke.
She didn't know how Amber would look at her if she learned the truth.
She didn't dare imagine that disappointment.
But all Eula wanted—
Was to save the only friend she had left,
in a calamity she could never stop.
["Of course."]
["But that concern belongs only to your current level of existence."]
["I understand your feelings, Eula Lawrence."]
["In time, you will come to understand my master's greatness."]
Sensing Eula approach the stone platform, Benares opened her eyes and stood.
She watched solemnly as Eula picked up the vial of Stigmata Serum.
["Amber…"]
Eula whispered her friend's name in her heart.
Then—
Without hesitation—
She drank the entire bottle.
["The taste isn't bad."]
She shook the empty vial, glanced at it, then looked up at Benares.
Benares nodded slowly.
["Welcome, Valkyrie—Eula Lawrence."]
The moment the words fell—
A strange power surged through Eula's body, spreading along her veins.
The searing heat forced her to curl up on the ground.
["Hah… hah…"]
She clutched her chest, gasping desperately.
White steam—like scorching metal pressed against flesh—rose from her pale back.
As it faded, an ice-blue sigil emerged faintly.
At the same time, her light-blue hair began to grow at a visible speed.
Still curled on the ground, Eula was completely unaware of the changes.
The sigil grew clearer, brighter—until it finally stabilized.
Then—
A power so overwhelming it made her eyes widen exploded through her body.
From her right shoulder came a crisp, unmistakable sound.
[Crack—!]
The ice-blue Vision hanging at Eula's shoulder shattered on the spot.
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