Flying beside Themis on the way to their mission, it was impossible for Paimon to stay quiet.
As the Traveler's external speaker, Paimon took on the role of keeping the atmosphere light. After some thought, she realized she was most curious about Fontaine's unofficial history and romance novels. Shaking her head to clear those thoughts, she settled on a balanced question.
"Seems like you and the Hydro Archon Furina are pretty close," Paimon said.
"Yes, Furina and I are very close," Themis replied, her expression softening as she spoke of Furina.
Lumine and Paimon exchanged knowing smiles. Ah, so the rumors were true!
Themis didn't notice their looks and began speaking warmly, as if a switch had been flipped.
"Furina seems small and delicate, like foam shimmering under the sunlight—dazzling yet fragile.""To me, she's the person I most want to protect.""Even though Furina appears flamboyant on the surface, she is actually a humble and kind-hearted god.""Her strength in battle may not be outstanding, but her wisdom rivals that of the God of Wisdom.""Her gentle yet resilient heart is her greatest beauty.""So please, when you're with Furina, don't bully her.""She is delicate, like glass—easily broken."
Themis's tone was full of affection, but Lumine and Paimon couldn't help but feel that something was off.
"Furina… fragile and delicate?" Lumine frowned.
Back at the Opera Epiclese, Furina had seemed confident and commanding. In the short time Lumine had known her, Furina always appeared proud and in control.
Paimon nodded. "Yeah, Themis. Furina is a god—she can't be that fragile, right?"
Themis sighed. "So that's how you see her…"
A hint of sorrow flickered in Themis's eyes. Lumine could tell there was more to the story.
Among the Seven Archons, the only comparable situation was Nahida's. But Nahida had been imprisoned by the sages and weakened by the loss of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's power.
But Themis imprisoning Furina? That didn't seem possible. Themis was nothing like the Grand Sage. Themis could hand out 1,600 Primogems—what did the Grand Sage ever do other than imprison Nahida and hoard the legacy of the Greater Lord?
"Forget it. Let's focus on the mission," Themis said, brushing the matter aside.
"Our task this time is simple: you're to play the role of the hero and defeat the dragon."
Lumine blinked. "Huh?"
"If you don't understand, it's fine. Your job is to fight."
"Oh. Then no problem."
"A hero needs a sharp sword, right?" Themis smiled.
"So… we're on our way to get a weapon?" Paimon asked.
"You don't need to worry about the details," Themis said. "To be honest, the situation is complicated—it involves the previous Hydro Archon, ancient civilizations, and mysticism."
"Even I don't have a full grasp of it."
Paimon was surprised. "Really? You seemed like you had everything figured out, like Zhongli."
Themis chuckled. "I've never met this Zhongli you speak of, but from your tone, I can tell he must be highly respected and knowledgeable."
"But I'm not as impressive as you think. Knowing something and understanding it are two different things."
"Mysticism is complicated and subjective—it's not easy to pin down."
"Would you rather I spend an entire day lecturing you on it?"
Paimon quickly shook her head. "No thanks!"
"Good. That's why I simplified it into a hero versus dragon story—it's easier to follow."
"The hero's sword hasn't been forged yet, so we need to gather the materials," Themis explained.
"Wait, we're forging the sword ourselves?!" Lumine's face fell. "I thought we'd just get a new weapon!"
Themis smiled. "The sword is just a metaphor—it could be a spear, a bow, or something else entirely."
"All you need to know is that we might find that someone else has already taken the materials, and we won't even get the sword in the end."
"That's even worse!" Paimon exclaimed.
"Well, if someone else took the materials, that just means they're trying to forge the sword too," Themis said casually.
"And in Fontaine, everything belongs to Fontaine. If the 'other party' is not legally recognized, I see no problem with reclaiming what's ours."
Lumine and Paimon were stunned.
"But… what if the other party is dangerous?" Paimon asked nervously.
Themis shrugged. "I'm just the Regent. Please don't expect me to be omnipotent."
"And for certain reasons I can't say, my role this time is limited to guiding you as a 'sage.'"
She patted Paimon's head with a smile.
"Anyway, you two are strong—just go in, fight, and take back what belongs to Fontaine."
When it came to the situation at Fontaine, Themis found it both tedious and lengthy.
As someone who only followed the main storyline, having traversed Teyvat for five centuries, she considered herself fortunate to even remember such trivial matters.
In Inazuma and Sumeru, she was discouraged by dark caves and difficult maps. After finishing the Fontaine storyline and pulling Furina and her signature weapon, she didn't even bother to collect her daily Welkin Moon primogems anymore—logging in became pure torture, and getting stuck at half resin every day was just disgusting.
She never expected that she'd end up getting isekai'd into Teyvat halfway through... becoming an overworked corporate drone, working overtime all year round with no hope of retirement.
Ahem, in any case, the details about the sacred sword's materials and the mysterious mastermind behind it could probably be answered by Nahida.
But as for the final battle between the hero and the dragon—due to various reasons—Themis genuinely couldn't help with that.
"So, that's why I need the two of you to help me," Themis said with a smile.
Faced with such a direct request from the Regent, Lumine and Paimon couldn't refuse.
Honestly, they didn't even want to refuse. Themis didn't play mind games—she clearly explained why she couldn't intervene, offered generous rewards, and just needed some straightforward combat help. Lumine was totally down for that.
The Fontaine prophecy crisis threatened to bring down the entire nation.
And now, there wasn't just one final boss.
All Lumine needed to do was act like a hero, get her signature weapon, and—with Themis's guidance—defeat the dragon and save Fontaine.
The situation was clear. Lumine let out a sigh of relief.
At least this time, she wouldn't have to run around doing errands, getting framed, or getting manipulated while trying to help.
Everyone had a bright future ahead!
Looking at Themis, Lumine finally understood why the people of Fontaine worshipped her so much. With a massive 180-degree filter, her mind endlessly idealized the Regent.
After spending so much time with Themis, Lumine couldn't help but trust her.
Between the wealth, the gentle personality, and the constant care, Lumine was honestly holding back from going full Fontaine fan and calling Themis "wife" outright.
-
Fontaine, Palais Mermonia.
Furina was rolling around on her bed, hugging her pillow with a conflicted expression.
Earlier, she had changed clothes and gone downstairs to find Themis—but the office was empty.
At first, Furina thought Themis had just stepped out to handle some official business.
But when she asked around, she found out Themis had gone out with the foreign blonde traveler.
And before leaving, they had even shared a meal together in the office.
Furina buried her face in her pillow. Even though she knew Themis must have had serious matters to discuss, it still bothered her.
She wanted to go with them—wanted to stand beside Themis.
But Furina also knew that with her fragile human body and negligible combat ability, she'd probably just end up being a burden.
The blue-and-white kitty was dejected, filled with sorrow over her own helplessness.
She wanted to be stronger—not necessarily to solve the prophecy crisis herself—but at least to share Themis's burdens.
Maybe if she were stronger, she could finally stand beside Themis as an equal, instead of being treated like a fragile ornament locked away in the Palais Mermonia.
Thinking about the foreign blonde traveler's strength, and then looking at her own frail body, Furina felt a wave of self-doubt.
That nightmare of a night replayed itself in Furina's mind, making her chest tighten with anxiety.
She was too weak. Completely useless.
Her heart ached. No matter how hard she thought, Furina couldn't figure out why Themis had always treated her so tenderly for 500 years—day after day, without fail.
Could it be… pity?
Or was it just a sense of duty?
"Themis… do I really deserve this kind of pure love from you?"
Furina couldn't fool herself anymore. The kiss that night was not just comfort.
Even though Furina didn't understand much about relationships, the desire in Themis's gaze that night was unmistakable.
It scared her.
She wasn't sure how deep Themis's love really ran, nor if she could return it equally.
Of course, if it were possible, Furina would want to stay with Themis forever—just like they had for the past 500 years.
But with the prophecy crisis looming so close, Furina didn't know how much time they had left.
And she didn't know how long Themis's life would last, either.
Maybe… one of them would have to leave first.
That thought made Furina's heart clench painfully.
Fate was always so cruel. Underneath beautiful dreams lay hidden dangers and endless uncertainty.