The deaths of the night patrol could not be concealed. It was not just two men, but an entire squad.
Ten full-fledged knights in all, including a Lawrence who had a Vision.
Kaeya found all nine knights' bodies that night. They had all been casually tossed into the grass.
An examination of their wounds confirmed that all nine had died from Hydro attacks, consistent with the Hydro Abyss Herald Swan had described.
The only unusual detail was that Bruce was the only one of the nine whose wounds were on his front, and there were no signs that he had been dragged.
He had probably been slacking off as usual, only this time he had gone straight to his eternal rest.
Of course, even if he had not slacked off, it would not have changed anything.
The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had not opened yet, so the nine bodies were being kept at the Cathedral of Favonius for the time being.
Kaeya made another trip outside the city.
There were indeed traces of an alchemical potion, but Lawrence's body was nowhere to be found.
The final report read, "Fate unknown."
But fate unknown meant dead. Everyone understood that in their hearts.
"Knights of Favonius, give me back my son's life!"
"Give me back my son's life!"
"I told you killing Stormterror would have settled everything, but you just had to save him! Jean's gone, and none of you can be counted on!"
"That's right! Kill Stormterror and bring Acting Grand Master Jean and Varka back!"
Outside the Knights of Favonius headquarters, the air was thick with complaints.
Vegetables and rotten fruit struck the gates one after another, hitting the two knights guarding the entrance.
Inside, Lisa, Amber, Kaeya, and Albedo were discussing the matter.
"I was careless," Albedo said. "I should have gone on patrol last night too."
"Talking about that now is no use," Lisa said calmly. "The people outside wouldn't accept it just because you'd gone on patrol. They no longer trust the Knights of Favonius-unless Jean and Varka come back."
"The Fatui were most likely behind this." Kaeya leaned against the edge of the table. "I've already heard people shouting outside, calling for the Fatui to replace the Knights of Favonius and protect Mondstadt."
Lisa turned to Amber. "What did Eula say? There was so much commotion last night that it couldn't have escaped the gods' notice. There's no way they don't know anything."
"Eula heard them leave and come back. When she asked what they were going to do, that Ye Xuan said outright that they were going to-watch the show."
"Watch the Abyss Herald kill our Mondstadt knights." Kaeya snorted. "Sure enough, the gods are heartless."
"Watch your words," Albedo said.
"What else did Eula say?"
"She said she'd do her best to find out what happened last night."
No sooner had she finished speaking than the window was pushed open from outside, and Eula climbed in.
"I have a rough idea of what happened last night," she said as she landed. "I'll leave the rest for you to work out."
"Eula, why is your voice a little hoarse?" Amber asked.
"Cough, cough. I've been too tired lately. I've caught a bit of a cold."
Amber stared at her.
A Cryo Vision wielder can catch a cold? Don't you bathe in the icy lakes on the snowy mountain?
Eula seemed to guess what she was thinking and immediately cut her off. "Don't mind the little things. Ye Xuan told me two things. First, someone leaked the city's defense map to the Fatui last night. Second, the Abyss Herald killed nine knights."
She paused.
"Didn't you say there were exactly nine in the cathedral? Then the Fatui must have passed the information to the Abyss Order, which led to Mondstadt's knights falling victim to them."
Lisa and Kaeya exchanged a glance.
"There are indeed nine at the Cathedral of Favonius," Lisa said. "That also matches the number that lord gave us. But there was one more-Lawrence. Swan said he was killed by the Abyss Herald and fell into Cider Lake."
"From what you've said, that confirms exactly what we suspected last night."
She paused.
"Swan killed Lawrence."
A knight of the Knights of Favonius had actually murdered his own comrade.
Eula said, "I'll go bring him in for a confrontation right now."
"Don't alert the enemy." Lisa raised a hand. "Also, you said someone gave the Fatui information. I think there's something you need to know."
"Know what?"
"A few days ago, someone stole an internal defense map from the Knights of Favonius. That person ended up entering the Lawrence Clan's grounds-your uncle Schubert Lawrence's residence."
"What?!" Eula's voice shot up. "My uncle betrayed Mondstadt? I'm going to find him."
"Actually-"
Lisa did not get to finish.
Kaeya took half a step to the side, blocking her.
Eula had no mind to pay attention to that. She turned and climbed back out the window.
"Amber, stop Eula," Kaeya said at once. "The Lawrence Clan has already gathered a large number of private soldiers. She'll be in danger if she goes back like this."
"Okay." Amber grabbed her Wind Glider and rushed out.
Albedo stood up. "I'll go see how Klee is doing."
With that, he left the office.
He had guessed why Kaeya had stopped Lisa from finishing. He did not support it, but he did not intend to oppose it either.
This was the Knights of Favonius' decision, and he was only an ordinary alchemist.
After the door closed, Lisa turned her head.
"Why did you stop me from telling Eula that the defense map Schubert got his hands on was a fake?"
Kaeya did not answer immediately.
"Ten lives lost," he said. "Someone has to take the blame."
He had already quietly arranged for the leaking of the knights' movements and the reason for their deaths to be laid entirely at the Lawrence Clan's feet.
"Do you know," Lisa's voice turned cold, "what will happen to Eula if you do this?"
"Do you have a better way, then?" Kaeya raised his eyes. "Set off the bomb at the Goth Grand Hotel and go to war with Snezhnaya? Or can you capture La Signora or that Abyss Herald and make them spit out the truth in public?"
He spoke each word distinctly.
"This is a necessary sacrifice."
What a lofty-sounding excuse.
Amber stopped Eula halfway there.
The moment her Wind Glider landed, she practically pinned Eula down.
Eula struggled a couple of times, but for fear of hurting Amber, she did not break free. Gasping, her chest heaving for a long while, she finally suppressed her anger.
She had calmed down.
Only, she had calmed down a little too late.
The two were about to turn back toward the Knights of Favonius headquarters when the wind suddenly carried a different sound to them.
The sharp clash of metal, mingled with angry curses and cries of pain, came from the direction of the Lawrence Clan grounds.
Amber's ears twitched. "That direction..."
"It's the Lawrence Clan grounds." Eula was already running.
On the stone road through the grounds, both sides were already fighting with bloodshot eyes.
The private soldiers wore the Lawrence Clan's crest, while on the Knights of Favonius' side was Eula's Reconnaissance Company.
Swords struck shields, shields slammed into bodies, and someone was knocked to the ground, only to be kicked aside by another person nearby.
Blood splashed onto the flagstones, and before long someone stepped in it.
"Stop, all of you!"
Eula shouted, but no one paid her any attention.
Her own people, her clan's people-there was not a face on either side she failed to recognize.
She drew her weapon and charged into the melee.
As the Song of Broken Pines rang out, Eula took her place in the middle.
One blow to the left, one to the right, and every weapon that came at her was forced back by the same greatsword.
Someone tried to circle around from the side. She parried with a backhand, sending the person and their sword staggering back three steps before they fell to the ground.
She killed no one, only pushed everyone toward the two sides.
Once, twice.
By the third pass, she had forcibly broken apart both sides' formations.
Someone recognized her and called out, "Captain!" Only then did the rest stop one after another and back away, breathing hard.
All that remained in the clearing was the sound of heavy breathing and blood dripping from blades.
Eula stood in the middle, leaning on her sword, her shoulders rising and falling.
At the far end of the stone road, the private soldiers parted to make way.
Schubert Lawrence stepped out.
"Eula Lawrence." He looked across the mess strewn over the ground at her. "Don't forget, it was the clan that raised you. Are you going to betray it?"
"Traitor!"
"Traitor!"
Some of the private soldiers joined in, their voices rising one over another and echoing against the stone walls on both sides.
Eula raised her head.
"Fall back," she said. "You're no match for me. None of you will set foot outside the clan grounds today."
The people behind Schubert stirred, then went still again.
Then two more people stepped out of the crowd.
Eula's hand stiffened around her sword.
"Dad... Mom?"
Her mother's eyes were red-rimmed. Her father stood straight, as though using all his strength to maintain the family's dignity.
"Eula," her mother spoke first. "Come back. The clan needs you."
Eula looked at them, barely able to get the words out of her throat.
"Back then... didn't you support me leaving the clan and joining the Knights of Favonius?"
Her father was silent for a while.
"When you were little, we forced you to learn all those noble rules and manners," he said. "Little by little, you and we grew apart. So when you were invited to join the Knights of Favonius later, we didn't object."
He raised his eyes and looked at his daughter.
"But Eula, not objecting wasn't the same as supporting you."
The wind blew from the far end of the stone road, lifting the edges of their clothes.
"You became a company captain. Yesterday, you defeated such a powerful Mitachurl. Your mother and I saw it all."
Her father's voice finally softened a little.
"We're proud of you."
Eula's fingers tightened around the hilt of her greatsword.
"But-" Her father's voice grew low. "Neither you nor the Lawrence Clan has ever been treated fairly in Mondstadt."
Schubert stepped forward from the side.
"Look at the fine daughter you raised," he sneered. "She's become a traitor to the clan."
He turned to Eula, suddenly speaking quickly.
"She still doesn't understand-the defense map I handed over last night was a fake. There's no way the Knights of Favonius didn't know. This has spread all over Mondstadt today. The Knights of Favonius want our Lawrence Clan to take the blame for them."
"They spread rumors and sent that mob of lowlifes to our clan, blocking our gates and hurling abuse. We couldn't let them go without teaching them a lesson."
He clasped his hands behind his back.
"But as soon as we struck, we were bound to take the blame."
"So step aside, Eula Lawrence."
The private soldiers closed ranks again. Spears slanted down from both sides, forming a wall before Schubert.
"Even if you won't stand with the clan, don't become its enemy."
Schubert's voice rose above every clash of iron.
"Today-"
"Either the Lawrence Clan becomes great again,"
"Or there will no longer be a Lawrence Clan in Mondstadt."