In his eleventh life, as a knight of Favonius, Li Mo believed that dying to defend Mondstadt was a knight's honor. He had no regrets, no complaints—it was a choice made of his own free will. But the only thing he could not let go of was his beloved Lady Rosalyne. They had already exchanged tokens of love. They had already promised to marry. They had already planned a free and beautiful future. If not for the accident, they could have had a wonderful life together—their own house, two obedient children, a family filled with happiness. How blissful that would have been.
But the appearance of the evil dragon turned all those beautiful futures to dust. Li Mo knew that his unexpected death had been a devastating blow to Rosalyne, who was far away at the Sumeru Akademiya. It had shattered the hope in her heart and destroyed everything that the former Rosalyne had been. As the knight Rostam of that life, Li Mo could imagine the torment and agony she had endured during that time—surely a pain worse than death itself.
Though it was not Li Mo's fault, Rosalyne had become what she was because of his sudden death. So facing her now, he felt deep guilt. If only he had been more cautious, stronger—perhaps he could have survived that disaster.
Inside Wangshu Inn, Li Mo looked at La Signora—somewhat cold, somewhat mad, her personality completely changed—and his heart ached. He longed to walk up to her, take her in his arms, and whisper in her ear: Your knight did not die. Your knight has returned. He has always been by your side, never far away. But to complete his mission, to be with them forever, he had to force himself to stay calm. He could not be blinded by his emotions. He had to finish this damned storytelling mission first.
So when La Signora laughed uncontrollably before him, nearly hysterical, Li Mo could only sigh. "Rostam is dead, but his soul truly lives on. In life after life, he has created many stories. If you wish, I can tell them to you now."
Under normal circumstances, this would have been the time for the system to distribute rewards and for Li Mo to spin the gacha wheel, then fuse with his past incarnations. But La Signora's sudden appearance had disrupted everything. The moment she arrived, Li Mo had contacted the system and postponed the rewards and fusion for this life. He wanted to use this opportunity to save La Signora, to turn the Crimson Witch of Flames back into the innocent, romantic Rosalyne of old—back into his fiancée.
But when he said this, La Signora's expression did not change. She still laughed arrogantly, without restraint. Even after being struck by the Raiden Shogun, she showed no sign of backing down. Beside her, Tartaglia had a terrible headache, his expression awkward. He even felt like standing up and pulling La Signora back, telling her to calm down. After all, there were too many gods here. Even if all twelve Harbingers came together, they would have to sit quietly.
La Signora laughed loudly. "Stories? Who wants to hear your fabricated tales? Rostam is dead, and Rosalyne is dead. Call me La Signora now—Her Majesty the Tsaritsa's beloved Harbinger, La Signora!"
She proclaimed her identity loudly, her face filled with confidence and reverence when she mentioned the Tsaritsa. The moment she met the Tsaritsa and became a Fatui Harbinger, she had buried Rosalyne deep in her heart and locked away her past emotions. That was why she was now so arrogant, so cold, so ruthless.
But just as she was drawing a line between her past and present, declaring her identity as a Harbinger, a soft singing voice came from the stage.
"The western wind brings the scent of wine—"
"The mountain breeze brings tidings of victory—"
"The distant wind tugs at my heart—"
"Whispering my longing for you…"
"Lady Rosalyne, have you truly forgotten this song? Have you truly forgotten the promise you made with Knight Rostam by the shores of Cider Lake? Your promise has not yet been fulfilled."
Li Mo hoped this song would awaken the emotions buried in La Signora's heart and would rekindle the hope within her.
And indeed, when she heard the song, La Signora's arrogant laughter stopped abruptly. Her expression shifted slightly.
"Impossible. How do you know that song? How do you know about my promise with Rostam? Who are you?"
Once again, the cold La Signora was stirred. That song, and their promise by the lakeside, were known only to Rosalyne and Rostam. No third person could possibly know.
Her expression complicated, she said, "Are you Rostam? No—impossible. Rostam is dead. You cannot be Rostam. If you truly were Rostam, you would not still be sitting high up on that stage when you saw me. How do you know these things?"
Li Mo was startled by her guess. He had nearly been exposed. He breathed a sigh of relief only when she denied it herself. He adjusted his emotions and said, "Lady Rosalyne—allow me to address you by that name—I know these stories because I know of Rostam's reincarnation. Do you not wish to know where he has been reincarnated?"
He wanted to use the news of Rostam's reincarnation to keep La Signora engaged.
But before he could finish, La Signora suddenly stepped forward and, without warning, attacked. She rushed onto the stage at lightning speed, trying to subdue the storyteller by surprise.
This sudden turn of events stunned every powerful figure in the inn. La Signora had actually attacked the storyteller. How could she dare?
Barbatos, the Raiden Shogun, Xiao, and even Keqing and Shenhe in another corner—all of them wanted to stop her reckless act. They were gods or disciples of adepti; under normal circumstances, they could certainly have intercepted her. But the attack was too sudden. No one had expected anyone to actually dare to lay hands on the storyteller at Wangshu Inn. Were they not afraid of the gods' punishment? Were they not afraid to die?
(T/N: Isn't Barbatos literally a wind spirit, like super fast? And the Raiden Shogun can use Electro; isn't that supposed to be really fast?)