Ch 13 : The Frightful Night at Meropide Fortress

"Neuvillette, no wonder… There was that one time when you called me up for a discussion. I ran into you outside Palais Mermonia, and I saw you standing by the roadside… getting drenched in the rain."

"I walked over and held an umbrella for you. You thanked me politely, but your expression seemed… a little off."

"Now that I think about it, I must have interrupted you while you were absorbing Hydro energy…"

Wriothesley had a look of sudden realization.

"In a sense, yes," Neuvillette added.

"But I do recall that moment. At that time, I was not yet tainted by the Eerie."

"Based on what Su Yuan and I have deduced, these Eerie only began appearing in Teyvat recently. And anyone can be affected by them… including all of you."

"Even someone as powerful as Lord Neuvillette couldn't escape being corrupted by an Eerie…" Chevreuse had finally recovered from her initial shock at Neuvillette's true identity.

"Then what about Lady Furina? Could she have been affected as well?"

"That…" Neuvillette hesitated, as if unsure whether he should speak further…

When he had explained the Eerie earlier, he had deliberately left out any mention of Furina…

"Neuvillette, I'm feeling a bit better now, so let me speak instead." Lying on the hospital bed, Su Yuan could see the hesitation in Neuvillette's expression.

"We've already become a united front against the Eerie—there should be no secrets among us."

"Alright." Neuvillette nodded and looked at Wriothesley and Chevreuse.

"I hope that after hearing what Su Yuan has to say, you will not tell Furina about this…"

"Dealing with something as dangerous as these Eerie should be left to people like us."

"Hmm~~ Alright, alright, no problem at all. Our dear Lord Neuvillette is truly stern on the outside but soft-hearted within…" Wriothesley sighed.

"I agree as well," Chevreuse nodded.

Then, Su Yuan briefly recounted what had happened between him and "Furina" the previous night…

"In any case, this is all the information we have so far. Let me emphasize one more time…"

"As soon as it rains… No, to be precise, as long as the weather is anything but clear skies, Neuvillette will be under the control of the Eerie."

"We must keep a close eye on Fontaine's weather forecasts and monitor any changes in the weather."

"I will remain vigilant," Neuvillette stated.

"If I notice any abnormal weather conditions, I will immediately move to a secluded area to avoid harming others."

"Also, there's no need to worry about Furina during the daytime. She won't be affected or controlled by the Eerie then… But once night falls, we must be cautious, as the exact conditions for Furina's corruption remain unclear."

"As for me, I absolutely cannot appear in Furina's line of sight after sunset. Otherwise, I must return to her bed before she does and remain there until sunrise the next day—I cannot leave before then."

"That's easy to handle. You'll stay here in Meropide Fortress and focus on recovering. I'll instruct my subordinates that if Lady Furina wants to enter the fortress at night, we'll refuse her entry under the pretense of ongoing renovations and construction," Wriothesley said.

"When I return to Palais Mermonia, I will also keep a close watch on her nighttime activities," Neuvillette added.

Su Yuan nodded and continued, "Lastly, every night that passes, I gain new information or rules regarding the Eerie through certain means. This will undoubtedly help us understand them better and ultimately overcome them…"

"Su Yuan, we're lucky to have you. Otherwise, faced with these unknown Eerie, we'd be completely lost." Chevreuse sighed.

"You truly are the hero from beyond this world, here to save Teyvat!"

"You're giving me too much credit. We haven't even completely defeated the Eerie yet—how could I be considered a hero? Besides, without your help, my strength alone would be far too limited," Su Yuan said with a somewhat embarrassed smile.

In the end, Su Yuan remained cautious and refrained from revealing his potential ability to rewind time.

After all, this was his final trump card.

The information they had so far was still too limited.

Although it seemed that those who had undergone Eerie corruption exhibited behaviors that drastically differed from their original selves, that didn't necessarily apply to all Eerie…

Perhaps some Eerie were simply exceptionally good at disguising themselves, making it impossible to discern any difference from their external appearance alone.

This was especially concerning when it came to Wriothesley and Chevreuse.

While they were currently discussing strategies to combat the Eerie with him, there was no way to be certain whether they had already been corrupted—or what conditions might trigger their corruption.

If they were already under the control of the Eerie but were merely pretending to be unaffected, then revealing his ability to rewind time would be a grave mistake.

The Eerie would never outright kill him, nor would they allow him the chance to take his own life.

In that case, his ability would be rendered completely useless, and their battle against the Eerie would be lost before it even began…

Everything would have to wait until he safely made it through the night.

Only after gathering more clues and information could he plan the next steps more effectively.

"Well then, Su Yuan, Chevreuse and I will head back to the Court of Fontaine now," Neuvillette said, bidding farewell as he prepared to leave.

"After everything that has happened, we must provide an explanation to Furina and the people of Fontaine."

"Just focus on recovering here. When I have the time, I'll visit you again with Lord Neuvillette," Chevreuse added.

"Su Yuan, I'll walk them out. If you need anything, just press the call button by your bed—Sigewinne will come right away," Wriothesley said.

But then he quickly realized something.

"Oh...,I forgot you can't move around much right now. In that case, just call out loudly. Sigewinne has sharp ears. Besides, she would never ignore a patient in need."

After they left, the hospital room fell silent, with only Su Yuan remaining.

His injuries were still severe.

Having forced himself to speak so much just now, he was now feeling utterly exhausted…

Forget it.

There's no point in thinking too much for now.

I should just rest and get some sleep…

And with that thought, Su Yuan drifted into slumber.

..............

"Su Yuan? Su Yuan?"

Half-asleep, Su Yuan felt someone gently touching him and calling his name.

He slowly opened his eyes and saw Sigewinne standing by his bedside, holding a small tray.

On it was a cute bento box decorated with a heart-shaped design and a transparent glass container with a straw, filled with a milky-white liquid.

"Su Yuan, it's already nighttime. It's time for dinner."

"The Duke specifically instructed me to take good care of you."

"You haven't eaten in a long time, so I specially prepared a nutritious meal for you," Sigewinne said with a sweet and adorable smile.

"You need to eat well and regain your strength to recover faster!"

Su Yuan took a moment to check his condition—yes, he was indeed starving…

It had been over ten hours since he arrived in this world, and he hadn't eaten or drunk anything at all.

"Thank you, Head Nurse Sigewinne," Su Yuan said, trying to sit up, only to realize he still lacked the strength.

His arms felt weak, and he could barely lift them.

"Su Yuan, since your limbs were just reattached not long ago, it's normal that you can't exert any strength."

As Sigewinne spoke, she adjusted the backrest of the hospital bed, allowing Su Yuan to sit up. "It's okay, I'll feed you."

Su Yuan was so touched that he almost shed tears.

How could someone be this considerate…?

No, this wasn't just someone—this was the ever-kind and caring Melusine.

"This is my special milkshake. Even The Duke praised it highly. Try some first to soothe your throat."

As she spoke, Sigewinne brought the straw to Su Yuan's lips.

Without hesitation, he took a big sip—

"Pu—! Pu—!"

But the next moment, Su Yuan spat out all the milkshake he had just taken in.

"Su Yuan..."

Sigewinne's voice suddenly turned cold.

"I carefully prepared this nutritious meal for you. Why did you spit it out…?"

"I worked so hard to care for you, to look after you, and this is how you repay me…?"

A shiver ran down Su Yuan's spine.

A deep sense of dread enveloped him as he slowly turned his head to look at "Sigewinne"…

But before he could see clearly—

"Sigewinne" pulled the straw out of the container and viciously stabbed it into Su Yuan's right eye!

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