Furina was trembling all over, drenched in cold sweat despite the summer heat. Her hands and feet felt cold. Was there still hope for this world?
What do you people want from me? What do I have to do to live for you to finally be satisfied?! Tears streamed down her face, unbidden. Oppression surrounded her at every turn in this nation. When would Furina ever be able to stand tall again?!
Without hesitation, she reached out and clutched Shajin's sleeve.
"Shajin, forget him! Let's go!"
Shajin nodded in agreement without a word.
The two of them turned in unison and strode quickly toward the door.
Shajin glanced back once and noticed that Neuvillette was watching him with an oddly complicated look.
It was… the same kind of look Zhongli gave him whenever he went out to play with Hu Tao.
...
Meanwhile, Neuvillette remained seated in his chair, unmoving, like a stone statue.
His gaze stayed fixed on the backs of Shajin and Furina as they gradually disappeared from sight. Deep and complex emotions swirled silently in his eyes.
Only when they finally stepped through the door and vanished did Neuvillette slowly lower his gaze to the document laid neatly at the center of the desk.
He reached out and picked it up, flipping through its pages carefully.
Every line of text, every figure was a detailed account of the achievements of the now-infamous Gambler.
The top of the file read clearly:
"In Mondstadt, the Gambler singlehandedly subdued Stormterror, formerly one of the Four Winds, with just a single technique. The brilliance of his strategy was beyond comprehension."
"In Liyue, he displayed staggering power—crushing three foes with Archon-level combat strength in a thunderous, unstoppable assault."
"And finally, in Inazuma, the Gambler led a war fleet along with six other Harbingers in a full-scale assault. He clashed directly with the Raiden Shogun herself… and even held the upper hand…"
Each of these shocking deeds was more jaw-dropping than the last.
Yet, upon deeper analysis, the aftermath of these actions seemed… surprisingly tame. There were no catastrophic or irreversible consequences.
In sum, the Gambler's actions were unpredictable and dangerous—but somehow always balanced at the edge between peril and safety.
Neuvillette furrowed his brows and rubbed his temples gently with one hand, as if trying to ease the storm of thoughts in his mind.
He let out a long sigh.
"…Let's just hope you're not our enemy."
His voice was low, heavy like a thundercloud pressing down on the room.
...
The two arrived at Furina's doorstep.
After a brief silence, Furina suddenly turned toward Shajin, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Hey. Shajin. Who exactly are you?"
Her voice was low and serious.
Furina's thoughts were in turmoil. She knew Neuvillette's power was unfathomable. Yet this man named Shajin could make someone like Neuvillette react so warily—he was clearly not an ordinary person.
Furina prided herself on being no fool. Why would someone so powerful agree to become her bodyguard?
Shajin gave a lazy stretch, then looked at her with a casual smile.
"Lady Furina, don't you read the Steambird Times? I dare say my name gets more than a little ink in there~"
Furina blinked, puzzled, and shook her head.
"The Steambird Times? That rag mostly prints mindless gossip. I lost interest in it decades ago."
But now that he mentioned it, curiosity crept into her heart.
"…Still, if you're so confident, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to dig up a copy. Maybe I will find something interesting about you."
...
"Eh?!"
Furina's mouth fell open as she stared at the freshly delivered newspaper, then back at Shajin, then at the paper again.
"You…"
She hesitated, unable to find the right words.
"Me?" Shajin tilted his head.
"You…" Furina repeated, her expression one of absolute disbelief.
Shajin couldn't help it—his lips twitched, and he nearly burst into laughter.
Why does the Hydro Archon seem so… dense?
"Well? Having someone like me as your bodyguard—doesn't that make you feel safe? Prestigious?"
Furina wanted to cry.
Sure, having someone this powerful guarding her was an absolute flex. Incredibly safe, too. But didn't that also mean she was in huge danger to begin with?!
A Fatui Harbinger. The one who waged war against Inazuma. Who crushed three Archon-level beings…
She never imagined this would be the situation.
Even as her mind reeled, Furina forced herself to stand tall, planting her hands on her hips and laughing boldly.
"Hahaha… Not bad. Now that's the kind of person worthy of being my bodyguard~!"
But Shajin's eyes narrowed slightly as he studied her carefully.
Oddly enough, in all their time together so far, he hadn't sensed the aura of a god from her. In fact, she seemed more like… just a regular human.
And there was something else—a strange aura around her. A curse, perhaps…
Yet according to the script, the Hydro Archon had sacrificed herself to save Fontaine.
So what, exactly, was going on here?
The more Shajin thought, the more confused he became.
His gaze remained locked on Furina, thoughtful and probing.
He knew one thing for certain—there was more to Furina than met the eye. Secrets she hadn't told anyone.
Secrets she might not even know herself.
"Lady Furina… are you truly the Hydro Archon?"
_
Please support my patreon, patreon. com/TravelerDouluo
And get early access to my 90 advance chapters.