Chapter 426 - 425: Goodness Forced into the Abyss

Multiple clones of the Black Plague were not something these mere soldiers could handle. Durandal did this simply to make these people recall what ’fear’ felt like.

She ordered the clones not to kill the soldiers too quickly, but to toy with them, just as they had once done, letting them ultimately die in endless terror.

The poison in the iron barrels they brought was entirely absorbed by Durandal, who instantly analyzed its components.

It was a very potent poison, with some remnants of God components. It seemed that The Servant, besides destroying Mondstadt’s ecosystem, also wanted to utterly kill its residents.

Or perhaps, she intended to use the God’s power contained within to select individuals among Mondstadt’s residents who could withstand it, to pick out desired elites.

"There’s one more person who must be killed."

Indeed, the Fatui Harbingers were all unforgivable individuals...except for that battle-maniac Tartaglia. Zhongli had specifically warned Durandal not to attack Tartaglia.

Even if she did, she should try not to take his life.

Part of this was due to their friendship, but Durandal understood that the more crucial reason was Zhongli’s need for Tartaglia as a free source of information.

If he were eliminated by Durandal, who would then foot his bills? Zhongli’s little schemes had long been seen through by Durandal.

Never mind, that guy was just a bit annoying; at most, his punishment would be changed to a good beating every time they met.

Setting aside the messy affairs, Durandal turned her gaze to the Fatui soldier who had questioned the operation.

Although a member of the Fatui, his actions earned Durandal’s appreciation. However, this was not a reason for Durandal to forgive or spare him.

She had heard the entire conversation and judged that the soldier’s words were sincere, with no pretense.

But if he truly still possessed a shred of conscience, he wouldn’t have been able to mix in with the elite squad; this was something that needed attention.

"Your memory...has something strange about it."

Without much conversation, Durandal prepared to verify her suspicion. If he truly had not lost his conscience, Durandal was willing to give him a chance at atonement.

The soldier also knew he was no match for Durandal, and surrendering meekly offered a slim chance of survival.

Durandal’s power entered his brain, into his consciousness, not forcibly reading his memories, but searching for anomalies.

Soon, Durandal discovered something strange: an unknown force was hidden where this person stored memories, indicating that a segment of his memory had been artificially sealed.

It seemed there was indeed some hidden agenda; such a seal was easily dispelled by Durandal.

When the seal was broken by Durandal, memories flooded into his mind like a tide, making him recall things he had forgotten.

He stared wide-eyed in shock, his face full of existential doubt, looking at his hands, his voice turning hoarse.

"I...I actually...I actually did such things, so many unforgivable things."

It turned out he was not a new recruit who had just joined the Fatui; he was The Servant’s confidant, a subordinate who was wholeheartedly devoted to her after her modifications.

Under The Servant’s various modifications, the bit of kindness in his heart was suppressed, gradually turning him into a tool in The Servant’s hands, her executioner.

For this operation, in order to gain Durandal’s trust, The Servant had somehow sealed this person’s memories, sealing all memories of his modification, and reawakening the suppressed kindness.

Why do this? The Servant had researched Durandal and found that while Durandal greatly disliked the Fatui, she would not mercilessly kill Fatui who harbored good intentions.

Thus, by exploiting this person’s kindness, she could achieve an almost perfect disguise, allowing him to approach Durandal and obtain crucial intelligence from her.

It must be said, The Servant did have some brains, knowing to use Durandal’s kindness against her. But The Servant didn’t expect Durandal to be so cautious, actually seeing through her scheme.

At this moment, the soldier’s kindness was battling his revived memories. He was unwilling to believe these suddenly appearing memories, wanting to deny them, but he also knew they were true.

He had become the person he hated most, doing the things he once detested most. His hands were stained with unknown amounts of blood, and he had committed countless acts more heinous than this current operation.

He deserved death more than all the Fatui members present! He shouldn’t even be alive!

"Pl...please, Lady Durandal. Kill me, please kill me."

The immense psychological pressure made his emotions extremely unstable. Tears and snot flowed uncontrollably, and even blood trickled from the corners of his mouth—a sign of extreme psychological stress.

Perhaps the best way now was to suppress the reawakened kindness, allowing himself to become that cold-blooded, ruthless executioner who casually reaped lives once more.

But...he couldn’t do it, he truly couldn’t. Yet, compared to that malice, his kindness was simply too minuscule.

It was estimated that in a few more minutes, as more memories awakened, the ’evil’ personality would gradually gain the upper hand, completely suppressing the kindness.

He didn’t want to continue living as before; he would rather be killed by Durandal right now than return to his previous life.

Durandal watched him silently. Based on his actions, she should have killed him without hesitation, but upon learning his situation, Durandal uncharacteristically found herself unable to do so.

He was, to some extent, also a victim. He had witnessed the actions of the Fatui and had thought about changing the situation.

But in an environment completely dominated by ’evil,’ his ’goodness’ became an anomaly, the abnormal one.

In such an environment, he simply couldn’t maintain his initial thoughts and could only slowly be assimilated by his surroundings, becoming the person he once despised most.

Durandal could absorb any ’poison,’ even the ’poison’ of certain concepts, but she had no solution for the ’poison’ of the human heart.

Facing his plea, Durandal nodded, placed her hand on his forehead, and used her ability.

The soldier only felt his head grow heavy, and then he was surprised to find that everything around him had changed. He returned to his hometown and reunited with the girl he loved most.

Eventually, he was with her, living a simple yet warm remaining life. This...was almost the life he had always wanted.

With a satisfied smile, he closed his eyes, his heart ceasing to beat.

Durandal watched all this with complex emotions. So, there were still such people within the Fatui. The couple she had seen in Inazuma were also like this.

They all just wanted to live simple lives, but their environment wouldn’t allow them to do so. Such an environment would transform their inherently kind selves into demons.

She couldn’t save him, but creating an illusion was something she could do. In that illusion, he would live out his life beautifully and die happily.

"The Servant... well, to push someone originally kind to such an extent that he’s unwilling to return to his former self even in death, you truly are... amazing."

On the surface, it was praise, but the killing intent in her heart was already uncontrollable. She couldn’t help but laugh out loud. This monster, who had taken countless lives, was the one who cherished life the most, yet those people, who were human, could coldly slaughter countless lives, as if they were monsters in human skin.

This world truly has such people, saying pleasant things but doing things that are anathema to the Heavenly Principles... not *that* Heavenly Principles, don’t make unwarranted associations.

A gentle breeze blew, and Venti, who had been waiting for a long time, came to Durandal’s side.

"How is it? Is it over, Durandal?"

"...Hmm, the Fatui who wanted to poison the city have been targeted by my clones. This crisis is considered over."

"I see, that’s good."

Venti nodded, his gaze falling upon the man in the Fatui uniform in front of Durandal.

Usually, the Fatui facing Durandal would be filled with fear, not to mention Durandal had even displayed her abilities, summoning terrifying clones.

But this Fatui actually died smiling. What’s going on? Is there some hidden secret here?

"What happened to him, Durandal? Why is he smiling?"

"He ended his life painlessly, immersed in a beautiful dream."

A beautiful dream? What preferential treatment. What exactly did this person do to make Durandal treat him specially?

"Can you tell me about him?"

"I don’t know much, I only saw a few fragments of memory. In that fragment, he was slowly dragged into hell, degenerating into complete evil."

With just a few simple sentences, Venti pretty much understood the situation. She had seen many similar people; even without the Fatui meddling, life itself would find various ways to push a person to extremes.

"Don’t worry too much, Durandal. This is a very normal thing, no need to take it to heart."

Durandal shook her head: "This is a scheme by the Harbinger known as The Servant. He wants to approach kind people to obtain the information and other things he desires."

Speaking of which, she hadn’t even had a chance to ask this person about The Servant sending him over before he couldn’t bear it anymore.

The memories she reviewed also happened to lack this particular fragment, a wasted opportunity.

"That The Servant is very dangerous... and yet there’s so little information about him. It’s necessary to investigate him."

"I see... I understand."

The most terrifying ones are often those who like to use schemes and tricks. This The Servant is clearly such a person.

This plan against Mondstadt failed; who knows what he will do next? Precautions must be taken.

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