Undercover in Snezhnaya, My Teyvat Spy Life [21]

The news that the reconnaissance squad had been ambushed in the wild spread through the Knights of Favonius like wildfire.

Grand Master Varka was furious.

He immediately dispatched four teams, led by the cavalry squad, to provide backup.

Under Captain Diluc’s command, the cavalry squad—swiftest of all—raced ahead of the others, charging straight toward the site of the ambush.

The deeper they pushed into Whispering Woods, the darker Diluc’s expression became.

Scattered everywhere: shattered armor, discarded weapons, bloodstains now blackened with age.

Large swathes of the forest had been devastated.

Even under the blistering noon sun, traces of lingering Cryo still drifted in the air, refusing to dissipate.

It was clear just how fierce the fighting had been.

What made it worse—along the entire way, they’d seen not a single member of the reconnaissance squad.

No survivors, no bodies. Nothing.

“Search,” Diluc ordered, his voice cold as iron. “If they’re alive, I want to see them. If dead, I want their corpses.”

The cavalry squad scattered at once, fanning out to comb the area.

But after turning the place inside out, all they found were footprints—leading straight toward Windrise. Not a single other clue.

What was strange was that these tracks seemed almost deliberately conspicuous, as if someone meant for them to follow.

Some of the more experienced knights reported this at once.

“Captain, something feels off. We should proceed with caution.”

“It’d be best to wait for the other squads to regroup. We should go together.”

But Diluc, still burning with youthful pride, just arched a brow and tamped down his anger.

“So we just leave our comrades to their fate?” he challenged.

He raised his riding crop, gesturing to the recovered shards of armor.

“Look at this. That’s their blood.”

“If the perpetrator left a trail for us to follow, it means our people aren’t dead—they’re being kept somewhere.”

“Keep searching. Don’t stop.”

“We’re the cavalry—Knights of Favonius’ finest.”

“There’s only one enemy. What’s there to be afraid of?!”

His words set the squad’s blood alight.

As the most elite force in the Knights of Favonius, the cavalry squad alone boasted more than ten [Vision] holders.

Their combat strength far outstripped the reconnaissance squad’s— which was precisely why they’d dared to split up in the dense forest.

Besides, they’d fought alongside the reconnaissance squad plenty of times before. Save for the “sinner” from the Lawrence clan, everyone else got along well.

The older knights wanted to press their concerns further, but seeing that Diluc’s mind was made up—and that most of the others agreed—they fell silent.

And so, following the trail of footprints, the whole squad thundered off toward Windrise.

---

“Should I call him bold and talented, or just a reckless fool?”

On the slope above Windrise, Artem Vetrovski—face hidden behind a mask—stood with hands clasped behind his back, his tone light and mocking.

From Whispering Woods to Windrise, both sides of the path rose steeply; only a single road wound into the hills—a chokepoint that was easy to defend, hard to attack.

Originally, Artem had planned for the possibility that if too many Knights showed up, he could use the terrain to hold the pass alone, making a stand that would halt even a thousand men.

He hadn’t expected Diluc to bring only a handful, charging in without a second thought.

Not even considering how useless cavalry would be in such a narrow pass.

Youth really is too hot-blooded, Artem mused, shaking his head with a faint smile. He flexed his limbs, then once more conjured an icy bow.

The Fatui weren’t just full of oddballs like Ajax—he, Artem Vetrovski, wasn’t so lacking, either.

“What are you trying to do?”

Just as Artem prepared to act, a furious voice snapped at his feet.

“Oh? You’re awake?”

Artem glanced down, slightly surprised to see Eula Lawrence—tied up tighter than a dumpling—glaring up at him.

After wiping out the reconnaissance squad, he’d knocked them all unconscious and trussed them up, then used Anemo to drag them over to Windrise, leaving a little clue along the way.

Given the force he’d used, he’d expected them to stay out for at least half a day.

But here Eula was, already awake after little more than an hour.

“Who are you?” she demanded. “Why did you attack us?”

Even as she spoke, Eula strained at her bindings, trying to break free.

But after a long, fruitless struggle, she was left flushed and panting, the ropes not budging an inch.

Seeing her red-faced frustration, Artem couldn’t help but laugh.

“Don’t waste your strength,” he said mildly.

“These ropes are made from Geovishap tendons. Someone like you won’t be breaking out anytime soon.”

Eula ignored him, fighting on for a while longer before finally, exhausted, she had to give up.

“Done struggling?”
“Ready to settle down?”

Artem watched her, amusement flickering in his eyes.

He drew his bow, a long Cryo arrow coalescing in an instant.

Following its aim, Eula’s gaze fell on the cavalry squad—who, having abandoned their horses, were now forcing their way up the pass on foot.

Knowing all too well how strong the masked man beside her was, Eula’s face drained of color.

“Stop!” she shouted. “Don’t! Diluc! Get out of there! It’s an ambush!!”

But it was too far—her warning never reached him.

By then, Artem had already loosed the first arrow.

Unlike the reconnaissance squad, where a single shot had ended things, facing the much stronger cavalry, Artem drew again and again, unleashing a hail of Cryo arrows that tore down the mountainside.

Yet compared to the panicked reconnaissance squad, Diluc’s cavalry truly lived up to their reputation.

The instant they heard the shriek of ice slicing through the air, they closed ranks at once.

Two [Geo Vision] holders in their midst quickly gathered elemental energy, raising a shield wide enough to cover everyone.

Whereas just two arrows had been enough to wipe out the reconnaissance squad, this time the onslaught did nothing at all.

Well, that’s interesting, Artem thought, dissolving the ice bow with a wave.

He shot a glance at Eula—whose face had brightened with hope—then casually picked up her [Song of Broken Pines], vaulted from the cliff, and dove down toward the squad.

The cavalry, having just breathed a sigh of relief, had no time to react before Artem crashed down with brutal force atop the Geo shield.

A shield that had withstood multiple barrages shattered instantly, splintering apart.

The two [Geo Vision] holders behind it both crumpled to the ground, coughing blood, knocked out cold.

Diluc reeled in shock.

He’d scoffed at the claim that their attacker was just one person, thinking the reconnaissance squad must’ve been caught off guard.

Now he understood—it was no question of carelessness.

This man’s strength was downright absurd.

“Diluc Ragnvindr,” Artem called.

“Make this a bit more fun for me.”

He gave a faint chuckle, then—single-handed—swung a greatsword and unleashed Eula’s courtly version of the Favonius sword art.

The Lawrences probably had no idea:
The sword style they prized as a family treasure had long since been mastered by the Knights of Favonius.

Those arrogant nobles? The knights saw them as little more than monkeys for their own amusement.

Only Eula Lawrence, gifted as she was, ever truly earned their respect.

So they’d planted agents in the Lawrence household, feeding her Mondstadt’s ideals of freedom and slowly turning her against her family.

Then, through the outriders—Amber’s grandfather among them, they used every opportunity to tip Eula’s wavering heart fully toward Mondstadt.

And still, the Knights had never truly trusted her.

When Artem returned to Mondstadt, Varka immediately asked him to test Eula’s loyalty—using his identity as a Snezhnayan envoy.

Only after Artem declared Eula truly loyal did Varka finally set his mind at ease.

The thought left Artem inexplicably annoyed. He snorted.

“How pointless.”

With that, he stopped holding back.

His greatsword tore through the squad with a violence ten times fiercer than Eula’s own.

Even outnumbered dozens to one, he held the advantage.

In less time than it took to finish a cup of tea, he’d flattened the entire cavalry squad.

As for Diluc, who’d picked a fight with him three times over—
Artem made sure to pin him down and give him a proper thrashing.

Afterward, he tied up both the cavalry and reconnaissance squads together, then took Diluc aside to a different hiding spot.

Once he’d secured Diluc—making absolutely sure no one could find him—Artem hefted Diluc’s weapon and strolled off in broad daylight, heading straight for Mondstadt.

---

T/N: WHAAAAAAAAT??? NO WAY

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!