The Lord’s Decree and a Mother’s Secret

This seemed to be the first time Rolan felt utterly overwhelmed. Confronting those terrifying figures, he tore at his vocal cords, his voice raw as he bellowed once more:

“Run!”

Freya glanced at Old Jenny. The elderly woman stared blankly at Rolan’s retreating figure, her face as vacant as a puppet’s.

“Go!” Freya seized Old Jenny’s arm, forcibly dragging her in the opposite direction.

Feeling herself being pulled, Old Jenny momentarily faltered. Realizing what was happening, she turned her head and yelled towards Rolan:

“You have to promise me you’ll come out alive!”

“I know! Now go!” Rolan dared not look back, his eyes fixed on the black, animated corpses. He merely mumbled under his breath, “I can’t exactly promise that…”

“Big guy,” he tilted his head, forcing a smile, “Shall we play a little?”

****

Meanwhile, in Mondstadt, inside the Lord’s Palace.

Simon, the Lord of Mondstadt, was poring over numerous documents submitted by others.

[Buoluo Village is in distress, Green Village is in distress, Cologne Village is in distress…]

[There are unusual monster movements along the Elven Defense Line, seemingly indicating another assault on Paimon Fortress.]

[Powerful magical fluctuations have been detected among the living dead. The Church estimates their level to be no less than LV25.]

“The source of the epidemic has been dealt with. It was the former Pinoshu Krache sisters, and the Church will impose punishment…” Simon rubbed his temples, finally managing a faint smile. “At last, some good news.”

He stretched his body, feeling aches throughout.

Since the disaster struck, he had worked tirelessly for several consecutive nights, without a moment’s rest.

‘Once this disaster is over, I truly need a good rest,’ he thought.

“My Lord!” A messenger requested an audience from outside the door.

“Enter.” Simon lifted his head, which had been buried in the scrolls.

“Many villagers seeking refuge have appeared outside the city, most having fled from villages surrounding Paimon Fortress. They wish to enter the city for safety, but the city guard captain fears some may be infected with the plague, and is strictly preventing their entry.”

“The city guard captain has acted correctly.” Simon tapped his fingers on the desk, his expression stern. “Here’s what you’ll do: divide those people into groups and settle them outside the city, assigning them to separate areas based on their village of origin.”

“Subject them to a period of isolated observation. If, after ten days, no anomalies appear within a particular village’s group, bring them into a designated corner of the city for another seven days of observation. If still no issues arise, then confirm their safety…”

Simon eloquently outlined a series of arrangements and preventative measures to his subordinate. Yet, the messenger’s troubled expression remained utterly unchanged.

“But what if…” The messenger hesitated. “This subordinate means, *if*…”

Simon took a sip of tea, his expression growing impatient.

“Speak plainly!”

“Yes, My Lord! What should be done if someone exhibits fever symptoms?” The messenger bowed his head deeply, not daring to meet the Lord’s gaze.

He had heard of the Lord’s character: decisive and ruthless, willing to employ any means to achieve his goals. Rumors spoke of a city official who, having voiced dissatisfaction with Simon’s policies, found themselves summarily dismissed from their post the very next day.

Observing the Lord’s current foul mood, the messenger wished not to provoke him. Yet…

‘Among those outside the city, there are people I know.’

‘I can’t just stand by and watch them…’

“Must I repeat myself?” Simon set down his teacup, his gaze frigid as he looked at the messenger. “The Church’s method: centralized disposal.”

‘Centralized disposal. Always centralized disposal.’

It was true that some baronial lords had implemented centralized disposal, which, while curbing the spread of the disease, had also resulted in the deaths of many innocent people.

“But this subordinate has heard that a miraculous healer has appeared in Paimon Fortress, capable of curing this disease.” The messenger looked up slightly, a flicker of unbearable pity in his eyes, and gritted his teeth. “Perhaps we could wait a little longer, for someone from there who can cure the disease to arrive?”

Simon’s impatient expression froze for a moment, then he suddenly sneered.

“You’re quite well-informed, aren’t you…” He rested his right hand against his temple, pondering for a moment before saying indifferently, “Whatever. As long as those villagers don’t enter the city, it’s fine.”

“We absolutely cannot allow them to threaten the safety of Mondstadt’s nobles and merchants.”

“Yes, My Lord! Your subordinate obeys!” The messenger thought, ‘Good, then for now I just need to gather the sick, and we can buy some more time waiting for the healer from Paimon Fortress.’

“Add one more order…” Simon’s voice suddenly turned cold. “Tell the villagers outside the city that if anyone defies policy and secretly sneaks into the city, the city guard will take all the villagers from their same village and…”

“Execute them!”

****

At dawn, outside Mondstadt.

Hundreds, even thousands, of people gathered in the wilderness outside Mondstadt. They clustered together, some starting fires to cook, others chatting idly.

A number of individuals were isolated far away; these were the sick, and aside from their families who risked infection to care for them, everyone else kept a respectful distance.

Freya had only just arrived herself. Finding an empty patch of ground, she collapsed onto it, panting.

“Hoo… hoo…” She wiped her sweat-drenched forehead, leaning back against the grass, gasping for air. “So tired, can’t run anymore…”

Old Jenny, too, leaned against a nearby branch, unable to straighten her back. Still, she frequently glanced back at the forest, her eyes filled with worry.

“Don’t worry,” Freya reassured her. “Rolan is incredibly strong; he’ll definitely come out safely.”

“I can see that he’s no ordinary person anymore.” Old Jenny shook her head helplessly. “But no matter what, he’s still my son. I can’t help but worry…”

“Hmm…” Freya’s small finger traced her lower lip. She looked at Old Jenny hesitantly, blinked, and after a moment of internal debate, said, “Actually… Rolan is the Hero.”

Old Jenny froze, utterly incredulous.

“The Hero?”

“Yes, the short sword in his left hand was obtained during an adventure in Loran Forest, and the longsword in his right is the Holy Sword, you know~” Freya’s eyes, filled with admiration, sparkled like stars. “Isn’t that amazing~”

“So that’s it. All this time you were out, you were adventuring…” Old Jenny found a spot to sit down as well, sighing. “It seems fate has never truly let go of me.”

“What fate?”

“Hehe…” Old Jenny stroked Freya’s head, speaking slowly. “This story, well, it’s quite a long one.” She paused, gathering her thoughts, then began to recount it.

“Once, when I was young, I was a girl in Green Village. Don’t laugh, but even though my looks weren’t as stunning as yours, I was still considered one of the prettiest in the entire barony.”

“Many young men were fond of me, especially Roan from our village; he loved to pester me every day.” At this, she couldn’t help but smile, seemingly recalling a fond memory.

“Roan? That name sounds familiar.” Freya frowned. “It’s like…”

“He’s the village chief now.”

“Ah, yes, yes!” Freya clapped her hands together, exclaiming, “So Village Chief Roan had such a ‘flashy’ past too!”

****

“Achoo!”

In the distance, Roan, who was organizing people, let out a massive sneeze, grumbling:

“Is someone talking bad about me?”

****

“He had been quite handsome, with a fine physique. I had even considered him at one point.”

“But then…” A faint blush crept across Old Jenny’s face, reminiscent of a young maiden’s first stirrings of love. “I met *him* – Rolan’s father.”

“Rolan’s father? How did you meet him?”

“Let me think…” Old Jenny’s eyes drifted into deep recollection. “Well… the first time I saw him, he was wearing a white robe with a red lining, severely wounded and collapsed in the Monster Forest.”

“I was gathering wild fruit at the time and happened to spot him lying there, so I brought him home to care for him. While unconscious, he kept babbling, muttering about ‘Templar Knights’ and the ‘Shadow Assassin Guild’ and such.”

“After two days of care, he finally awoke. The moment I approached him, he warily tried to reach out and subdue me, but the wound in his chest prevented him from moving.”

“I explained what had happened, and he listened carefully to my account. Once he confirmed he was safe, he finally relaxed, no longer so suspicious.”

“He sounds like a very strange person,” Freya mused, tilting her head. “What happened next?”

“Later…” Old Jenny said, a blush creeping up her face, a hint of shyness in her voice. “I saw he had a good physique and was handsome, so I fell for him.”

‘That shallow?’ Freya swallowed the words, forcing a strained smile. “Yes, well, that’s… very proactive.”

“Although he outwardly accepted my feelings, he was always preoccupied with recovering quickly and leaving. So I… to muster my courage, I made a desperate gamble.”

“I led him into the Monster Forest, secretly found a Jona Golden Fruit tree, picked a golden fruit, and ate it… and then…”

“Jona Golden Fruit tree?” Freya felt a sense of déjà vu. “Golden fruit?”

“The Jona Golden Fruit tree bears golden fruit once every hundred years, and it can ignite a person’s desires. To steel my resolve to keep him, I ate one, and incidentally marked the surrounding trees.”

Old Jenny’s eyes sparkled with light as she recalled the past. “That day, I was very happy, very blissful.”

‘Wait? Why… why does this script feel so familiar?’

‘Did I experience something like this before I lost my memory?’

Freya patted her head, trying hard to recall past events, but only succeeded in making her scalp ache.

‘Ugh, never mind, never mind. Just listen to the story.’

“What happened next?”

Old Jenny glanced at her, sighing wistfully.

“Then he brought me to Mondstadt, where we stayed for a while, and I experienced the most unforgettable time of my life. After that… one day, as we were returning to Green Village, we encountered a contingent from the Church.”

“The Church?”

“They called themselves Templar Knights, and they had come here to…” Jenny’s storytelling was full of twists and turns. “To hunt down the Shadow Assassin Guild’s top assassin, Ezio Auditore.”

“So, who won in the end?”

“I don’t know…” Old Jenny’s eyes showed a hint of regret. “At the time, I listened to Ezio and left first. He said he would come back for me, but it’s been so many years… and I still haven’t heard from him…”

“That’s why…” Old Jenny’s gaze once again turned towards the direction from which they had come. “I hope Rolan… he *must* come out alive!”