Undercover in Snezhnaya, My Teyvat Spy Life [53]

Facing the sheer might of the [Glacial Seal], even Varka couldn’t help but be moved.

The bloodline of sinners… can wield such strength?

While he was still reeling in astonishment, the berserk Eula was already upon him.

The moment she saw the gaping wound in Artem’s chest, the pain on her face grew even deeper, and the swings of her greatsword only became more savage.

From the way she fought, it was clear—she was ready to tear Varka apart with her bare hands.

Confronted with this Eula, Varka could no longer afford to be dismissive.

This was nothing like their old sword matches in Mondstadt City.

Back then, Eula was still young and untested. Her technique was decent but not yet mature. With Varka’s experience, he could defeat her without breaking a sweat. Even if she used her elemental power, she was no match for a single hand of his.

But now, after years of tempering herself, Eula’s swordsmanship was fully refined—worthy of her place among Mondstadt’s top five.

She was no longer the greenhorn he could beat with a casual swing.

As for the [Glacial Seal] itself, as the highest symbol of martial might in the Lawrence clan, ever since they’d been exiled from Mondstadt, only a handful of people had managed to obtain it in the past thousand years.

And even those who did could rarely wield its full power.

Over time, the Knights of Favonius had largely stopped paying it any mind.

That changed the moment Eula—prodigy of the Lawrence clan—burst onto the scene.

She was the first in centuries to fully command the [Glacial Seal], and with it, displayed terrifying attack power.

That was why Varka had gone to such lengths to extract her from the Lawrence family in the first place.

Now, his opponent stood before him.

But the [Glacial Seal] wasn’t something you could unleash at a moment’s notice. It required a period of gathering Cryo energy—the more energy stored, the more devastating the final strike.

The surge of Cryo Eula now released was the most Varka had ever seen in his life.

If the [Glacial Seal] absorbed all of it, even he knew better than to try to take it head-on.

Just as he was about to make his move to interrupt Eula’s charge, A violet-red chain materialized out of thin air, winding around his sword-wielding right hand and yanking his arm back.

“Hmm?”

His attack cut short, Varka’s expression darkened.

He turned, and saw Artem, clutching his chest, summoning the chain with a desperate reach.

But he was gravely wounded—barely able to conjure a single chain, not even a lick of Blackfire.

If he’d been whole, he could’ve called forth a whole nest of chains, binding Varka for Eula to hack to pieces.

But against Varka, still nearly at full strength, the chain Artem summoned with the last of his strength couldn’t hold for long.

Varka barely exerted himself, and the chain snapped.

But even that instant’s delay, was enough for Eula’s greatsword to come crashing down.

With a single blow, she carved a bloody gash from Varka’s right shoulder all the way to his abdomen.

If not for Varka’s quick reflexes, dodging using the power of Anemo itself, he’d have been disemboweled on the spot.

That single strike shifted the entire battle. At such close range, even Varka had no chance to interrupt.

Raging frost howled, Eula’s fury spilling out with every swing.

One slash.

Another.

And another.

She lost count of how many times her blade fell.

All she knew was that, by the time her arms could no longer lift the sword, the [Glacial Seal]—having absorbed an immeasurable torrent of Cryo—had transformed. The ice greatsword was now colossal, looming like a mountain.

From afar, it looked like a glacier dropped from the heavens.

Seeing such a monstrous [Glacial Seal], Varka’s eyelids twitched violently.

If this comes down…

Forget about me—even the whole area will be obliterated.

And with Eula having spent every last ounce of strength, she couldn’t even run.

Does she have a death wish?!

At that moment, Artem’s voice drifted over, weak but tinged with helpless resignation.

“Are you still standing around waiting to die?”

His expression mirrored his tone—completely exasperated.

Eula in a rage is just terrifying. Even the top three Harbingers, someone who could go toe-to-toe with a god, wouldn’t dare take this [Glacial Seal] head-on. Compared to that, running away is easy…

Varka’s an [Anemo Vision] holder—plus the Consort powers he got. He can definitely make an escape.

“...”

Varka shot a glance at the weakened Artem.

A hint of hesitation flickered in his eyes.

Noticing this, Artem spat a mouthful of thick blood, sneering.

“My advice: stop entertaining any wild ideas.”

“All my people know I was coming out here with the Lawrences to intercept you, covering for Krupp.”

“If I make it back in one piece, fine. But if I don’t—imagine how Snezhnaya will react to a high-ranking inspector, one step from becoming a Harbinger, dying in Mondstadt.”

“And by the way, I’ve already found the whereabouts of Barbatos and Dvalin. If you don’t want Mondstadt to fall into an age without gods, you’d better get Eula and me out of here—fast.”

“When the [Glacial Seal] hits, nobody’s getting out.”

Varka’s face didn’t change when Artem mentioned Snezhnaya’s coming vengeance.

But at the words “Barbatos and Dvalin’s location,” Varka’s expression sharpened in an instant.

He hesitated no more.

He grabbed both of them and, riding the howling wind, whisked them away at breakneck speed.

They’d barely cleared the area, when the [Glacial Seal], suspended in the air, came crashing down.

In a single instant, the earth shook, mountains shuddered, the sky split.

The Lawrence family’s territory—its thousand-year legacy—along with much of the surrounding forest, was obliterated, left as a vast crater blanketed in ice and snow.

The devastation left even Varka with lingering fear.

A few seconds slower, and he’d have been done for.

As for his two passengers, he glanced at Eula, unconscious from sheer exhaustion, and shook his head. “Crazy woman.”

Then at Artem, likewise unconscious from blood loss.

Varka barely resisted the urge to drop them both, and carried them straight to the Church of Favonius.

He dropped Eula off with the sisters, then immediately summoned the head priest, ordering them to heal Artem without rest.

His command was absolute: under no circumstances could Artem be allowed to die here.

Watching the priests and nuns rushing in and out, tending to their charges,

Varka’s emotions grew tangled.

Once Albert woke up, Mondstadt was sure to lose him as an ally.

He would become a threat to Mondstadt’s future.

But as Artem had said—killing an inspector on the cusp of becoming a Harbinger was a very different matter than killing a deputy envoy.

Snezhnaya would never let it go.

Not to mention, he held crucial information on Barbatos and Dvalin.

Mondstadt was already dangerously weak—thanks to having no god to protect it.

The value of the Anemo Archon and the Dragon of the East was incalculable.

They absolutely could not be put at risk.

And what did he mean by “an age without gods”…?

Was Snezhnaya really plotting a god-slaying plan!?

Too impulsive…

I should’ve made him talk before trying to kill him…

Varka let out a long sigh.

In truth, the idea to kill Artem for real had only struck him that morning—a fleeting whim, nothing more.

He never meant to go through with it.

At first, he really had played along, putting on a show for the Lawrences.

Using his Consort powers on empowering the Anemo tornado, though deadly, was precisely controlled—meant to cripple, not kill.

But everything changed when he saw Artem unleash that strange godly power.

The urge he thought he’d buried surged back to the surface.

The power Artem used wasn’t from any of the Seven—it was some other god’s strength. And it was his own, not borrowed. In Teyvat, it’s common knowledge: if someone wants a god’s power, the god has to bestow it. So the only explanation…

Albert has betrayed us. Just like Crepus, he’s turned his back on Mondstadt—and on Lord Barbatos—throwing his lot in with some unknown god.

Varka could never allow a traitor who’d submitted to an outsider to serve Mondstadt.

No matter how loyal Artem appeared, under the influence of a foreign god, who could say what he might do one day?

Better to act first.

With that thought, Varka had chosen to strike.

He’d never imagined...

That Artem’s life would be so tough. Even with his heart pierced, he was still breathing.

Even had enough left to threaten him.

If I’d known, I’d have found a way to kill him in secret.

But now, with the deed done and Artem still alive, their relationship had become utterly impossible to untangle.

Varka suddenly regretted his own rashness.

But regret was too late.

Because he looked up, and saw Artem—just awakened—grinning wickedly at him and flipping him off.

---

T/N: tsk varkas just a pretty face

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!