Chapter 73: The Soul of Jean Gunnhildr

"Hmm... Am I... falling asleep?"

It was still afternoon, and Jean was sitting at her desk, covering her head. She had just experienced a very strange dream.

In the dream, she was reliving her childhood. Back then, her parents were still together, and she lived with her sister Barbara. Her mother, Frederica, had adopted a girl.

At first, Jean was very fond of this girl. Despite having no blood relation, Jean loved her dearly and treated her as her own sister.

However, as Jean spent more time training in the West Wind sword techniques, her relationship with the girl grew distant. One day, after a sword practice, Jean overheard her parents arguing, and the focus of their quarrel was the adopted girl. Eventually, their arguments led to their divorce.

Jean, feeling abandoned and bitter, began to resent the girl, often bullying her and engaging in many spiteful acts.

When the girl disappeared without a trace, Jean felt a sense of relief, thinking that it might lead to a reunion of her broken family. However, this only resulted in her being neglected by her mother and sister.

Years passed until one day, while leading a team to capture thieves who had attacked a caravan, Jean encountered the girl once more. Now grown, the girl's appearance stirred feelings of guilt in Jean, prompting her to bring the girl to Mondstadt.

But...

Jean recalled the dream's details vividly.

As she brought the girl back to Mondstadt, she noticed that her feelings seemed to deteriorate. Especially on one particular night, if the girl hadn't cried out and begged for mercy, Jean might have acted irrationally.

The girl settled in Mondstadt, and over the following year, Jean found excuses to become increasingly intimate with her, including kissing while bathing together.

Just when Jean resolved to confess her feelings, the girl vanished again, and Jean never saw her again.

What troubled her most was that the girl bore an uncanny resemblance to Kujo Tsumugi.

The dream was unsettlingly real and vivid, unlike previous dreams that faded upon waking. Jean remembered every detail, even the scent of the girl.

"Why would I have such a dream? Could it be that I... have feelings for Miss Kujo?"

The thought made Jean shake her head in disbelief.

It couldn't be possible. They were both women, and their encounters had been few. How could she have romantic feelings for her?

Yet, whenever Jean thought of Kujo Tsumugi, her heart began to race.

Distracted by these thoughts, Jean struggled to focus on her official duties that afternoon.

By evening, Ying, Amber, Lisa, and Kaeya returned to Mondstadt.

"Thank you for your hard work, everyone." Jean greeted the four with a smile. After being in the wild for over half a month, fatigue was evident on their faces.

"I'll report the progress later. You should all rest first." Jean said. Although the Wind Demon Dragon matter was important, it wasn't so urgent that rest couldn't be afforded.

The others departed, but Lisa lingered, observing Jean's weary appearance.

"Jean, you don't look well. You should take a rest."

Jean managed a bitter smile. Rest was meant to restore energy, but the vivid dream left her feeling even more exhausted.

"I understand."

Although Jean wanted to skip rest, she knew her condition was poor. She left her office and took a walk around Mondstadt, lost in her thoughts.

She wandered until late at night, forgetting the time. As she was about to return to the Knights' headquarters, she sensed a surge of fire elements in Mondstadt.

Jean frowned and rushed towards the source of the disturbance.

Meanwhile, Kujo Tsumugi, having received information from her puppet that Jean was not at the Knights' headquarters, began searching the skies over Mondstadt. She soon spotted Jean approaching Wind God Square.

Tsumugi observed the lady fighting Diluc from a distance.

In Diluc's backstory, he once battled the Doctor while traveling across the continent... Though defeated, Diluc was known to have fought the Doctor. However, back then he used a Delusion instead of a Vision. After obtaining a Vision, Diluc's strength had diminished considerably. He could no longer overdraw his life force for power and was restricted to Mondstadt, where he couldn't display his full strength. Thus, against the lady, Diluc was at a disadvantage.

The odds were about 30:70 in favor of the lady, but if Jean joined, the balance might shift to 50:50 or 60:40. Given the lady's personality, she would likely want to end the battle quickly, utilizing the Scorching Witch's power.

Tsumugi didn't want to see this happen.

Despite the lady's extensive lifespan and wealth of memories, Tsumugi feared that the feelings and memories between her and the lady might also be consumed. She was determined to prevent this.

Hence, Tsumugi decided to stop Jean from reaching Wind God Square but had prepared a backup plan.

She took out some wine bought earlier and took a sip.

"Hmm!"

The strong smell of alcohol filled her senses, and Tsumugi nearly spat out the wine. She managed to swallow it, though.

"Ahem, what kind of wine is this? The alcohol content is too high!" Tsumugi complained, then dabbed some wine on her face. Soon, she reeked of alcohol.

With her plan set, Tsumugi looked down at Jean. Perhaps because of the wine or her own thoughts, her face flushed red as she descended towards Jean.

"Jean-Tuan-Leader-"

Jean heard someone calling her name from above. She looked up, and before she could see who it was, she felt a shock and stumbled back. The next moment, the unmistakable smell of alcohol hit her.

"This is... Miss Kujo? Are you drunk?"

Jean looked at Kujo Tsumugi, who was now clinging to her chest, unsure how to react.

"Miss Kujo, please wake up. I have something urgent to attend to."

Jean glanced anxiously towards Wind God Square, desperate to leave, but was unsure how to handle the inebriated Kujo Tsumugi.

"Eh—No, I want Captain Jean to stay with me."

Tsumugi rubbed her cheek against Jean's chest and started becoming increasingly bold, her hands moving from Jean's waist to her backside, mumbling incoherently.

"Hey hey hey, Captain Jean's backside, the soul of Tianling Fengxing."

"It's not the Tenryo Bugyo, it's the Knights! No, this isn't the time to discuss that... Miss Kujo, I'm serious, there's an emergency right now."

"Hey, wind system, one-handed sword, long press the E key to gather monsters, hey, my Ye Tiandi."

No matter how Jean struggled, Tsumugi clung to her, and Jean, unable to match her strength, could only endure the drunk Kujo Tsumugi's advances.

The worst part was that Jean's heart was racing again.

This can't go on! We'll make mistakes!! This book will be banned!!!

But she couldn't control it!

"I... I understand. Miss Kujo, shall we go to the hotel and rest?"

"Okay~"

Tsumugi released Jean obediently.

"Well, then hold my hand and I'll take you to the hotel."

Jean reached out to guide Tsumugi away, but noticed that Tsumugi remained rooted to the spot.

"Hey, Captain Jean, are you drunk? That direction leads to Wind God Square. The hotel is this way."

Tsumugi started walking in the opposite direction, pulling Jean along.

Aren't you drunk? How do you know the way?

Jean wanted to curse, but was utterly helpless. Her attempts were exposed, and she could only be dragged by Kujo Tsumugi towards the hotel...

On the other side, the puppet Tsumugi was dealing with matters at the Northland Bank.

"I say, Miss Kujo, you should really confess soon. Our Knights might offer you a lighter sentence if you cooperate."

After the puppet Tsumugi's deception was exposed, a bank employee informed the Knights that she was the robber. The lieutenant's mark used to frame the Fatui was also taken by the bank employee.

"I previously mentioned that the Fatui stole from the bank to embezzle all the Mora. Look, I have evidence that the Fatui were here!"

The puppet Tsumugi brandished another lieutenant's seal.

"Ms. Kujo, you're deceiving people," Kaeya remarked, rubbing his temple in frustration.

Seeing that no one was paying attention, Kaeya whispered to Kujo Tsumugi, "I can guess what you're up to, but please be more serious. Your plan is too flimsy. I can't explain this to the people."

"I've put in a lot of effort, but I'm not very bright. Even now, I don't know that one plus one equals two," the puppet Tsumugi feigned ignorance.

Kaeya sighed deeply.

"In reality, wouldn't it be simpler for you Knights to ignore the facts and declare the Fatui guilty?" The puppet Tsumugi, growing anxious, pressed on.

"This is too shameless," Kaeya complained.

Realizing the political constraints of Teyvat, Tsumugi understood why Kaeya couldn't perform such a dishonest act. She had underestimated the integrity of the people.

Reluctantly, Tsumugi resorted to her final tactic.

"Mr. Kaeya, you wouldn't want others to discover that you're a traitor from Khaenri'ah, would you?"

"Y-you!"

Kaeya's eyes widened in shock. This was his deepest secret, known only to his sworn brother Diluc, who would never reveal it.

But... how could she know