Undercover in Snezhnaya, My Teyvat Spy Life [15]

“The assassin was Inspector Eroch?”

Even Crepus, still recovering in bed, shot upright in shock at the news.

Kaeya had speculated earlier that the culprit could be someone from the Knights of Favonius.

He’d never expected Kaeya’s guess to hit the mark so squarely.

“Are you sure? Are you sure it was Inspector Eroch?”

Crepus pressed urgently.

“Yeah,” Diluc replied. “The news came from the Grand Master himself—it can’t be wrong. They even found three Delusions at [Eroch’s] home, one each for Electro, Geo, and Anemo. That matches exactly the three elements the assassin used.”

Diluc said this while looking at Kaeya.

The assassin’s goals had been not just to kill Crepus, but also to steal the [Delusion].
According to Crepus, the only ones who should have known about the [Delusion] were the Fatui. So even though the assassin had used the Knights’ sword style, Diluc had remained certain it was the Fatui’s doing.

He never expected Kaeya to be right—that it really was someone from the Knights.

And not just anyone, but Inspector Eroch himself—a high-ranking official.

“What about the item? Did you get it back?”

Crepus didn’t care who the assassin was. All he cared about was whether his [Delusion] had been recovered.

But Diluc’s next words dashed his hopes.

“It’s gone. According to Eroch’s own confession, after he got the [Delusion], he realized the side effects were too severe, so he destroyed it.”

“How could he!” Crepus gritted his teeth, wishing he could tear Eroch apart on the spot.

Diluc sighed. “Father, even if it hadn’t been destroyed, the Grand Master still wouldn’t have given it back to you.”

Watching his father lose control, it was hard for Diluc to reconcile this wild-eyed, desperate man with the usually gentle and cultured parent he knew.

Varka had made things clear when it came to [Delusions].

They held terrifying power, but came with just as terrifying a price.
If you already had a [Vision] and your body had been transformed by elemental energy, you might barely withstand the side effects.

But Crepus was clearly not that kind of person.

The more he used the [Delusion], the worse the backlash—maybe even enough to kill him.

So even if the [Delusion] hadn’t been destroyed, there was no way Diluc would ever let it fall back into Crepus’s hands.

Drained by his outburst, Crepus quickly slipped into exhaustion, falling into a deep sleep.

Diluc and Kaeya quietly left the room.

Closing the door behind them, Kaeya frowned. “This whole mess still reeks of the Fatui.”

“Didn’t Eroch already confess?” Diluc asked, puzzled.

Kaeya shook his head. “Only the Fatui knew about the [Delusions], and Eroch’s were Fatui-made. So it’s hard to say whether he was acting on their orders or just using information they fed him.”

“Even if they didn’t order the hit, they could have been the ones who leaked the intel to Eroch.”

“Too bad the Grand Master has already decided to label this as Eroch’s personal crime.”

“We have no grounds to go after the Fatui because of this.”

Diluc’s eyes narrowed slightly. Kaeya’s analysis was sharp.

Even if things had turned out differently than he’d expected, the scenario of the Fatui providing the intel and Eroch making the move seemed all too plausible.

The thought that Varka had already closed the case made Diluc clench his fist and slam it into the wall, anger simmering.

“So that’s it? We just let it go?”

“Of course not.”

Kaeya shot his adopted brother a sideways glance and flashed a sly grin. “You’re the Cavalry Captain, and I’m the Quartermaster. We’ll have plenty of chances to cross paths with the Fatui.”

Diluc’s eyes narrowed in thought as he nodded slowly.

---

With Varka’s public trial of Eroch, the assassination incident was put to rest.

But the aftermath was a sweeping purge in the Knights of Favonius—many of Eroch’s allies were either imprisoned or expelled from the order.

Mondstadt’s daily life, though, barely missed a beat. For most, it just added more gossip to drunken barroom conversations.

And for once, Artem found himself with some rare free time.

Until his next Fatui mission arrived, his days were filled with nothing but drinking and sleeping.

The only downside was he’d gained a rather persistent drinking companion.

Ever since Artem had told that allegorical tale about the Lawrence clan at Dawn Winery, Eula Lawrence had taken it completely differently than he expected.

Instead of cutting ties with her family, she’d started pestering him every day, demanding he explain exactly what the story meant.

She didn’t care one bit about his status as a Snezhnayan envoy.

“You—you need to tell me what that story really meant!”

At Angel’s Share, cheeks flushed and speech slurred, Eula pressed him yet again.

She’d been challenging Artem to drinking contests for days now.

All because he’d once promised: if she could outdrink him, he’d reveal the meaning behind the story.

But after years of training in Snezhnaya, his tolerance was on a whole other level—Eula never stood a chance.

Every time, she ended up being carried out, completely wasted.

And the one doing the carrying was never Artem, but a girl with black hair and a red bunny-ear hair ornament—Amber, granddaughter of the old Outrider and Eula’s only true friend in Mondstadt.

Lately, with Eula returning home drunk so often, Amber had taken to following her everywhere, worried sick.

And now, she was pleading again, “Eula, please, don’t drink anymore.”

“No way! This bastard has to give me an answer today—tell me what it means—hic—”

Eula hiccuped, waving her hand dismissively.

Artem took a slow sip, smirking. “I’ve been clear from the start: outdrink me, and I’ll talk. You can’t beat me in a fight, and now you can’t beat me at drinking either—what else can I say?”

“Fine, tonight I’ll drink you under the table for sure!”

Eula snatched up her glass, ready to down it.

“Eula, stop! Please—” Amber tried desperately to pull Eula’s arm back, but without a [Vision], she was no match for the seasoned warrior.

Watching Eula keep drinking with Amber hanging off her, Artem burst out laughing.

“All right, all right, I give up. Do you really want to know?”

The moment he said that, Eula sobered up a little, quickly setting down her glass and looking at him intently.

Artem downed his drink, stood up, and leaned in close to Eula.

He cupped a hand to his mouth, lowering his voice so only she could hear:

“The Lawrence clan is planning to join forces with us to overthrow the Knights of Favonius.”

Then he sat back down, flashing a broad, toothy grin. “So, Miss Lawrence, if you were the protagonist of that story—what would you choose?”

“No. That's impossible.”

Eula instantly sobered, frowning deeply. “They’re Mondstadters too. There’s no way they’d ever do something like that.”

Amber, who hadn’t heard a word, anxiously pressed, “What did he say, Eula? Tell me!”

But Eula, unable to speak about such a shameful topic, just shook her head and fell silent, lost in thought.

Artem tapped the table, laughing. “You actually believed what I said?”

“Hey, remember—I’m from Snezhnaya. By Mondstadt’s standards, we're all villians. And you’re still willing to take my word for it? Hah, you’re a funny one.”

With that, he strolled away without another glance.

Watching his retreating figure, Eula’s tightly knitted brow suddenly relaxed. She whispered softly:

“Mondstadt belongs to the people of Mondstadt—not to the Lawrences.”

“A free Mondstadt can’t go back to the Lawrence clan’s shadow.”

Her gaze grew resolute, and a bright smile lit up her face. “If that day ever comes, I’ll be the one to pull the Lawrences back onto the right path—myself.”

“That’s what it truly means to be a Knight of Favonius.”

---

T/N: LETS GOI GIRL

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!