Undercover in Snezhnaya, My Teyvat Spy Life [58]

At the entrance to the Goth Grand Hotel, the sight of nearly two hundred people brawling shocked all of Mondstadt.

Diluc had brought more than twenty [Vision] holders, plus dozens of elite cavalry squad members.

On the Fatui side, Leonid led sixty elite soldiers equipped with [Delusions].

This lopsided fight ended quickly.

Under Leonid’s brutal assault, Diluc and the Knights of Favonius ended up strung from the hotel’s street lamps for all to see.

The good news, even though Artem had told them not to hold back, Leonid kept a measure of restraint, breaking arms and legs at most, but not killing anyone.

The only exception was Diluc, who was singled out for “special attention” at Artem’s command.

He had to face off against more than a dozen Fatui elites—Leonid included, the best fighter among them.

This wasn’t the Diluc who would one day rival the Harbingers as the Darknight Hero.

Against so many Fatui elites, he barely managed to hang on.

No one struck to kill, but…

There was one more silver lining:

Leonid had finally learned that stripping people naked was not appropriate.

So, at least, they’d left Diluc and the others some dignity.

In the end, the Knights hung there for a full fifteen minutes under the jeering gaze of Mondstadt’s citizens, until a grim-faced Varka arrived to get them down.

But that was all—he didn’t move against the Fatui or try to stir up trouble.

Because of that attitude, the whole matter of Krupp’s supposed attempt to assassinate Crepus was quietly dropped.

No one dared mention it again.

If even the Grand Master wouldn’t pursue it, who else would want to make a fool of themselves?

Once again, the Fatui had made a deep impression on all of Mondstadt.

Before, when Artem had forbidden Leonid’s squad from using their [Delusions], they’d been beaten by Diluc’s people several times.

That led many in Mondstadt to start believing, deep down, that the Knights of Favonius were stronger than the Fatui.

But today’s events forced everyone to see the truth:

The Fatui were not to be provoked.

When they fought, they were ruthless—body and spirit both left battered.

After this public humiliation, it’d be at least a month or two before Diluc and his squad could show their faces again.

But none of that mattered to Artem anymore.

After a night’s rest at the Goth Grand Hotel, he and Eula took a carriage bound for Ginsborough Port.

Ginsborough Port, Mondstadt’s largest harbor and a main artery for foreign trade.

Coulson’s hometown was a little village under Ginsborough’s administration.

When he passed away, following his wishes, the Church buried him in a sea of dandelions near his home.

They also posthumously awarded him the title of “Cardinal of Dawn”—a gesture of gratitude for his work on the Dawn Plan.

According to the Church, Coulson died after being exposed to the influence of an Inazuman corrupted god during a mission.

He managed to return to Mondstadt, but the church’s best efforts couldn’t heal him; the curse was incurable, and he passed away two months later.

Before dying, Coulson left a will:

May foreign foes never again humiliate us. May the people of Mondstadt forever know freedom. May the will of the Anemo Archon endure for all time.

On the surface, it was a prayer for Mondstadt’s future.

But Artem knew—these words were meant for him.

Foreign foes clearly meant Snezhnaya.

And as for how Mondstadt’s people could “forever know freedom”—

It was simple:
As long as leaders like Artem and Varka gave up their own freedom and bore the weight of Mondstadt’s burdens, the nation could remain free.

If not for those final words, Artem might have abandoned everything when he learned of Coulson’s death.

"But it’s not too late now", he muttered to himself, strolling the busy streets.

Eula, glancing around at the port, caught his words and asked, “Not too late for what?”

Now that they’d reached Ginsborough, her mood had clearly improved, and her smile was brighter.

Though the people here looked down on the Lawrence clan just like those in Mondstadt City, there was one difference—

No one recognized Eula.

For once, she could enjoy simple, impartial treatment. The weight she’d been carrying seemed to lift.

“What else?” Artem grinned, “It’s not too late to finally break with Varka.”

“You know all about my childhood now.”

“If you’d suffered what I did, what would you have done?”

“The fact I held out this long—Varka ought to thank my old man for that.”

Eula nodded, genuinely understanding.

She’d been through her own share of injustice in Mondstadt.

More than once, she’d thought about just leaving.

She still didn’t know how she’d endured it all.

If she’d known back then that it was the Knights behind her suffering, she’d have left the order herself, maybe even sided with her family against them.

...

After asking for directions to Coulson’s hometown, Artem and Eula didn’t rush out right away.

Instead, they took their time, walking the city and enjoying the ordinary life neither had ever really known.

After a day’s fun, they sat together on a bench, each with a skewer of Ginsborough’s famous fried fish.

Watching Eula laugh so freely, Artem’s thoughts drifted.

After a long pause, he finally asked, “Say, do you know who founded Mondstadt’s covert division?”

Eula’s mouth was stuffed with fried fish.

Startled by the question, she shook her head, answering through a mouthful, “How could I know something like that?”

The covert division was Mondstadt’s most secretive organization.

And as an outcast of the Lawrence family, she’d never have heard such things.

Artem was silent for a moment, then said with a strange look, “His name was Kreuzlied—”

“Lawrence.”

Cough, cough—!

At the sound of that surname, Eula choked, coughing violently.

Artem hurried to pass her some water and pat her back. It took a while before she caught her breath.

Gasping, she stared at Artem, stammering, “What—what did you just say?”

She could have sworn she’d heard “Lawrence.”

Seeing her so shocked, Artem patiently explained everything he knew.

“Kreuzlied Lawrence, founder of the covert division.”

“A thousand years ago, he joined Vennessa’s uprising—and afterward, he personally led the punishment of the Lawrence clan.”

“So the Lawrences branded him the greatest traitor, erasing his name from their records forever.”

Artem looked meaningfully at Eula. “Actually, your choice isn’t all that different from your ancestor’s. Both of you chose to rebel against the Lawrence family.”

“…”

It was almost too much to process—Eula’s mind went blank.

It took a long while for her to recover.

Finally, she took a deep breath to steady herself and asked, “Then… what about his descendants?”

“He won the uprising. He founded the covert division. Even if his name was Lawrence, his children should have done well for themselves, right?”

“So why have I never seen any of them in Mondstadt?”

Artem only gave a mocking laugh, saying nothing.

The derision in his tone sent a chill through Eula’s heart.

“Forget it,” Artem finally said, shaking his head, as if weighed down by some unspoken sorrow. “Let’s drop it.”

But Eula tugged at his sleeve, pressing urgently, “No, you have to tell me.”

Half-truths only made her more desperate to know.

“You really want to hear?”

Artem met her eyes, deadly serious. “I’m worried you won’t be able to handle the truth. It’s probably better you don’t know.”

A sudden foreboding welled up in Eula’s chest, but she was stubborn. “Say it. I can handle it.”

After a final warning,

Artem didn’t hold back, delivering the truth that made Eula’s world go dark for a moment.

“You are a direct descendant of Kreuzlied Lawrence.”

---

This is a fan translation of 提瓦特之我在至冬做臥底 by 曉風殘月聽荷 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!