The Raiden Shogun emerged from the Plane of Euthymia, looking at the unconscious Balladeer with unusually complex eyes.
She recognized the Balladeer as her creation before she made the Raiden Shogun; he was originally intended as a vessel for the Gnosis, but when the Gnosis was placed, he developed self-awareness.
And he shed tears in his sleep, which led Raiden Ei to believe he lacked the resilience of humans and the cold indifference of objects, being too fragile.
Unwilling to use him as a tool, Raiden Ei removed his core Gnosis and sealed him in the Shakkei Pavilion.
When creating later puppets, Ei omitted the design for placing a "heart," but she never expected that this initial creation would awaken even without a Gnosis, eventually appearing before her in this manner.
"What has he done?"
"He commanded the Fatui to create Delusions, incited hatred between the Rebel Army and the Shogunate Army, and kept the war going. Some time ago, the warding stone on Yashiori Island was destroyed, and I suspect he was secretly directing the Fatui to do it."
"…He commanded the Fatui?"
"That's right, he is now the Sixth Harbinger of the Fatui—the Balladeer. I brought him to you this time because I want you to decide his fate personally."
Durandal could have easily dealt with the Balladeer during the battle just now, but she believed it would be better for Raiden Ei to handle such a matter.
Regardless, the Balladeer's birth was related to her, and his actions in Inazuma also had some connection to Raiden Ei.
Given this, it's better to let Raiden Ei deal with the Balladeer; it doesn't matter whether she decides to kill him here or let him go.
The former would save her a little trouble; the latter would just mean she'd have to spend a little more time finding and dealing with him, and Durandal was confident she could find the Balladeer.
Raiden Ei didn't immediately reply to Durandal. Looking at the unconscious Balladeer, the scene of creating the Balladeer appeared in her mind.
How wonderful it would have been if he had lived as an ordinary person. Why did he have to become a Fatui Harbinger? Why did he have to attack Inazuma?
Raiden Ei would not allow anyone to harm the nation she and her sister had built together; even if that person was her own creation, she would not permit it.
"Heh, it seems you're ready. I won't disturb you; I still have things to attend to."
After speaking, Durandal left Tenshukaku with Shenhe, leaving only the Raiden sisters and Balladeer.
Soon, Balladeer woke up, looking around in confusion, not yet realizing what had happened, when a katana fell beside him, followed by an oppressive aura.
He looked up to see Raiden Ei standing not far away, fully prepared, watching him with indifference.
"Draw your sword. If you defeat me, you may leave. If you lose, you will pay the price for your actions."
Balladeer remained silent. With others, he could freely mock and taunt, spewing all sorts of trash talk to provoke them.
But the person before him was Raiden Ei. Balladeer couldn't bring himself to do such a thing. He could only draw his weapon as she demanded, staring at her seriously.
Duel Before the Throne—he understood too well what Raiden Ei wanted to do. Although this was completely different from what he had expected, at least he had a chance to vent his dissatisfaction towards this person.
On the main seat, Raiden Makoto watched Raiden Ei and Balladeer, sighing softly.
Durandal had indeed created a considerable problem for Raiden Ei, but this was also a hurdle she needed to overcome. If she couldn't even get past this, she wouldn't be able to stand on her own.
— — — — — — — — — —
Meanwhile, at the resistance camp on Yashiori Island, Lumine had received Durandal's package early.
From it, she learned that the Fatui spy embedded within the Rebel Army was a man named Nathan. After some investigation, she found that this Nathan fellow was doing quite well for himself.
To better apprehend him, Lumine sought out Gorou, who was collecting Delusions, and Teppei, handing them the intelligence Durandal had given her.
After a quick review of the intelligence, Gorou nodded seriously. He and Teppei quickly gathered a few trustworthy Rebel Army comrades and ambushed Nathan's vicinity, awaiting Lumine's signal.
Confirming that everyone else was in position, Lumine clapped her hands and approached Nathan with a friendly smile to strike up a conversation.
"Hello, are you also with the Rebel Army? You don't seem like someone from Inazuma."
"Me? Oh, did you notice? I'm from Mondstadt. Just an ordinary person, never been a knight, never had any training."
Suddenly spoken to, Nathan was startled, but seeing Lumine's friendly attitude, he wasn't too nervous and naturally recited the prepared story.
"Never been a knight? And no training? Isn't it quite dangerous for you to join the Rebel Army then? People die in war, you know."
Paimon asked cooperatively, her expression making it seem as if she genuinely worried for Nathan.
"Hmm, when I first went to the battlefield, I was indeed scared. It's just that I can't stand the Shogunate's way of trampling on others' freedom, so I'm quite concerned about the current situation."
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