Mondstadt.
Late at night.
It's about time…
Durandal turned over on the bed and stood up, stretching lightly before glancing toward the pitch-black window.
Night had fully fallen.
Which meant: the perfect moment to complete the system's task.
I wonder if they're still at the tavern drinking…
She looked in the direction of Angel's Share, then exhaled softly.
She had left the tavern early specifically so she could finish the mission without drawing attention. After all, the Knights had already arranged a temporary residence for her.
Alright. Let's get this done.
She closed the window—
And vanished.
**Knights of Favonius Headquarters
Library**
Jean must be working herself to death if this is her daily workload…
Sitting at the library's administrative desk, Lisa yawned so hard her eyes watered.
Stack after stack of paperwork sat before her like small mountains.
She had already finished several cups of strong tea, but the exhaustion still clung to her like a slime.
Still, she had insisted on helping Jean catch up—ever since the Acting Grand Master's disappearance, responsibility had fallen unevenly on everyone, and work backlog had piled high.
Just a few more days and everything would stabilize again… hopefully.
Tap. Tap. Tap…
Footsteps.
Clear. Steady.
Coming from downstairs—where the bookshelves were.
Lisa instantly snapped awake.
Impossible. There shouldn't be anyone here this late.
Unless… someone sneaked in from the side entrance?
She glanced at the corner doorway across the room.
Two possible ways into the library at night:
—The main door beside her desk (impossible; she would have seen it),
—Or the corner door that led directly to the stairs below.
Meaning whoever entered could be downstairs without her noticing.
A book thief? At this hour?
No, wait—don't tell me it's… that little girl?!
Her heart began to pound.
She hadn't seen the mysterious green-liquid little girl herself, but Kaeya's description of her "absurdly bizarre abilities" left a very strong impression.
I should leave first. Quietly.
Lisa stood, carefully controlling her footsteps as she moved toward the main door.
If it really is that girl… caution first, curiosity second.
She reached for the handle—
Click.
…It didn't move.
She frowned.
Strange. It wasn't locked.
She tried again.
Click. Click.
Nothing.
Don't force me…
Knowing she might be trapped, Lisa grit her teeth—
—and kicked the door with full force.
BANG!
…The door didn't move a millimeter.
Lisa froze.
A wooden door.
A normal, everyday wooden door.
And her—an Electro Vision holder—
couldn't even make it rattle.
What is Barbatos' name??
This had to be a joke. Or a hallucination.
No. I refuse to believe this.
Fine. If brute force didn't work, then—
Electro.
Bzzzz—
Lightning gathered in her palm, forming a crackling purple orb.
Let's see you block this.
BOOM!
The explosion rattled the room, purple sparks leaping in every direction.
When the smoke cleared—
The wooden door remained pristine.
Not a scratch.
Not even a burn mark.
Lisa stared.
…Am I dreaming?
She pinched her arm hard.
"Ow—! Okay… not a dream."
Which somehow made it worse.
Then what in the world—
And suddenly—
A memory resurfaced.
The footsteps.
Right. Someone was downstairs.
Before she could investigate, a cheerful voice echoed from behind the door:
"Hehe~ Miss Lisa! You put Klee in time-out before—so now it's your turn! Klee is locking you in here!"
Lisa's mind blanked.
Klee?
Klee locked… me… in?
Slowly, her thoughts aligned into a single coherent statement:
"…Why am I being punished for Jean's discipline choices?"
"Klee! Open this door right now—"
"Klee—"
"Klee—"
But the real Lisa wasn't speaking.
The real Lisa was asleep at her desk.
And the girl sitting on top of Lisa's table—dangling her feet—was none other than Fu Hua, in her Herrscher of Knowledge persona.
"Lisa, you sure sleep soundly…"
Fu Hua yawned lazily.
Around her, faint purple runes shimmered over the bookshelves—evidence of their corruption.
Perfect. Step one complete.
Anyone who touched the contaminated books would fall into a dreamstate she controlled—
just like Lisa.
Fu Hua hopped off the desk, brushing her hands together.
"Hope your knights can find out 'who did it,' Lisa~
Bye-bye!"
With a wink, she vanished.
Behind her, Lisa murmured in her sleep:
"Klee… open the door…"
The Next Morning
Lisa stretched groggily as she woke up at her desk.
"Huh…? I fell asleep here?
I must've been more tired than I thought…"
Then her expression twisted.
"That dream…
Did Klee really put me… in time-out…?"
She rubbed her temple.
Forget it. No time to think about dreams.
"Better wash up… people will be here to borrow books soon…"
As she walked past the main door, she paused.
She couldn't explain why, but—
Something about the door felt… off.
Almost as if it remembered everything she didn't.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/pikachu614