Undercover in Snezhnaya, My Teyvat Spy Life [13]

Church of Favonius.

After treatment from the church, Crepus, who had been at death’s door, was finally awake.

“Master Crepus’s condition is no longer critical,” the priest announced. “Fortunately, those wounds missed any vital organs. Just a few days of rest, and he’ll recover. Please, don’t overexert yourself—focus on healing.”

After a few final instructions, the priest departed.

Seeing that Crepus was out of danger, the other Knights offered a few words of comfort, then left as well—leaving only Diluc and Kaeya to watch over him.

Once the room was quiet, Crepus leaned against the headboard, his voice weak as he called out, “Diluc, Kaeya, come here.”

The brothers hurried to his side.

As soon as they approached, Crepus asked, “Did you catch the assassin?”

“He got away.”

Diluc’s face darkened, anger simmering in his voice. “When I find that bastard, I’ll tear him limb from limb!”

Hearing that the assassin had escaped, Crepus let out a long, weary sigh.

Then he forced a bitter smile. “Such is fate, I suppose.”

“Father, what exactly was that thing you used?” Diluc pressed, frowning.

Back in the wine cellar, during the fight with the man in black, he’d sensed something deeply unnatural about Crepus’s power. It was nothing like the pure, harmless flow of elemental energy—just looking at it for a moment had made his head spin.

“That thing is called a [Delusion],” Crepus said quietly. “I got it from the Fatui.”

He left it at that, unwilling to say more.

Seeing his father’s expression, Diluc didn’t push further, but silently burned the word [Delusion] into his memory.

“Could the assassin have been with the Fatui?” Kaeya, who had been deep in thought all this time, suddenly asked.

“It’s possible,” Diluc replied, sighing in frustration. “But the bigger problem is—he used three different elements. Kaeya, do you really believe someone like that exists in this world?”

The assassin’s abilities were unmistakable, but impossible to accept.

In Teyvat, those chosen by the gods receive a [Vision]—an external organ of magical power, allowing its bearer to channel elemental energy.

No one could say for sure how the gods decided who was worthy. Sometimes it was a single thought, or an intense wish. Sometimes, just muttering I wish I had a [Vision] could make one appear out of thin air.

This utter unpredictability left countless ordinary people yearning, struggling their whole lives for divine recognition—almost always in vain.

So, under normal circumstances, a person could only ever gain a single [Vision] in their lifetime.

Which meant, almost all Vision holders could only use one element.

The thought of someone wielding three was simply beyond Diluc’s imagination.

But Kaeya, after thinking it through, spoke with utter certainty. “The assassin must be a Fatui operative.”

Both Crepus and Diluc turned to him in unison, asking, “Why?”

“[Delusions],” Kaeya said flatly. “No one can have three [Visions]. But three [Delusions]? That’s another story.”

“But Father’s [Delusion] didn’t let him use elemental power,” Diluc objected, shaking his head.

He’d seen Crepus use the [Delusion] with his own eyes—it was completely different from the pure elemental energy the man in black had wielded.

“But what if,” Kaeya mused, “just what if… [Delusions] come in different types?”

He continued, “You’ve fought Fatui agents before. Haven’t you noticed? They all wield elemental power, but did you ever see a [Vision] on any of them?”

Diluc thought back carefully, frowning. “Now that you mention it—no, I never have. I always assumed they just kept their [Visions] hidden.”

“Then it’s possible they were all using [Delusions].”

At that, Diluc clenched his teeth and cursed, “Those Snezhnayan dogs—one day, I’ll root them out for good.”

“No, there’s another possibility.”

A thought seemed to strike Kaeya. He looked at Diluc and Crepus with a deep, meaningful gaze. “The assassin could also be one of the Knights of Favonius.”

“...”

“...”

The words dropped like a stone—silence fell, thick and absolute.

---

Goth Grand Hotel.

Eroch had already forced his way inside, his so-called brave charge to bring justice for Crepus riling up the Mondstadt crowd. They cheered and applauded from the sidelines.

“Hmph—”

Leonid slammed his [Electrohammer] on the ground, coldly scanning the scene.

His sixty-man squad followed suit, their weapons flashing with every color of elemental energy, lighting up the hotel entrance like a festival.

The crowd, which had been shouting moments before, instantly fell silent—no one dared make a sound.

Inside the hotel, under Eroch’s orders, the Knights of Favonius were turning over every room, searching with reckless abandon.

Artem showed no sign of annoyance. Arms folded, he watched from the upper floor, a smile playing on his lips.

Soon, the first floor was done.

With nothing found, the Knights expanded the search to the second floor.

Meanwhile, Eroch, sticking to his plan with Artem, kicked open the hidden basement door and led his men straight to the innermost room.

But as soon as he opened the door, he froze.

The room was packed with documents—stacked so high they looked like little mountains.

Trying to find a single Lawrence family plot against Crepus in this ocean of paperwork was a pipe dream.

Eroch wasn’t stupid.

He hadn’t risen to Inspector of the Knights of Favonius on strength alone—his wits had served him just as well.

One look at the situation, and he knew he’d been played by the diplomat.

Damn it, they’re setting me up to take the fall!

Furious, Eroch quickly led his men out of the basement.

But the moment he stepped outside, he found someone waiting at the door—a figure all too familiar.

Varka!

What’s he doing here?

Eroch paled, about to salute, when Varka’s voice rumbled out, “Did you find any evidence?”

A moment ago, Eroch had been full of pride. Now, he replied in a panic, “No, nothing at all inside.”

“I see.”

Varka didn’t get angry. Instead, he clapped Eroch on the shoulder, saying, “Relax, I’ve already spoken with the envoy. He won’t blame you for being a bit rude.”

“In fact, we should thank you—for being so dedicated. You risked open conflict with the Fatui for Crepus’s sake.”

“Once this is over, the position of Vice-Captain will be yours.”

Eroch was so startled by this turn of events, he felt almost dizzy.

Cheated, but still came out ahead… and with a promotion, no less!

He shot a glance at Artem, who wore a dark, unreadable expression, then turned to Varka and gave a formal Knight’s salute. In a loud, proud voice, he declared, “For the honor of the Knights of Favonius—for Mondstadt, under the wind’s blessing!”

CLACK—

As he straightened up, a black glove suddenly slipped out of his pocket, falling to the floor.

Varka’s face turned stormy the instant he saw it.

“Eroch, why do you have the glove that was stolen from Crepus?”

“Don’t tell me—”

“You’re the assassin?!”

---

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!