"…He just… touched it?"
Albedo's voice abruptly faltered.
A flash of utter confusion passed through his golden eyes.
He even blinked instinctively, as if suspecting that he'd misheard.
He had assumed that the sudden increase in the power of Klee's bombs must have been due to some special alchemical reaction or elemental resonance Kairo had performed—
perhaps even some advanced form of energy fusion.
But the truth was—
he just touched it?!
"Klee, are you being serious?"
Albedo steadied himself and asked again, "He didn't use any tool? Didn't perform any sort of alchemical process?"
Klee blinked her innocent, ruby-red eyes and shook her head vigorously. "Uh-huh! Kairo big brother really just touched it!"
"Then the bomb got super powerful! Even Klee thinks it's amazing!"
Albedo: "..."
For a moment, Albedo fell into deep contemplation.
His brows knitted slightly as his fingers absently rubbed at his chin.
This defied all logic.
Even alchemy couldn't achieve something like this.
Even he couldn't make an object's performance improve drastically through mere contact alone.
That could only mean Kairo possessed a very unique ability—
one that could not be explained by conventional alchemy or elemental manipulation.
Some unparsed form of power…?
Or perhaps—
a higher-level energy conversion?
Countless possibilities flashed rapidly through Albedo's mind.
While he pondered, his thoughts drifted to the corpse of the Whopperflower—
its remains still emanating a trace of destructive energy identical to what had been left at the scene where the Fatui elites perished in Mondstadt.
Within Mondstadt's known systems of power, there was no such energy source.
Could it be that the Abyss Order had discovered some unknown force?
But if this was an experiment, why perform it here of all places?
And even if it happened here, why do it so casually—
even enhancing Klee's bombs and letting her play with them?
What could be their motive?
And if Kairo truly had achieved all that by "just touching" the bomb…
Then his ability was far more mysterious and unfathomable than Albedo had imagined.
His expression turned grave.
"Just who… is this man?"
"Albedo big brother?"
Klee tilted her head, watching his pensive face with curiosity shining in her eyes.
Her voice pulled him back to the present.
"…It seems, it's not the right time to make contact yet."
Albedo murmured to himself.
He would first need to see whether he could analyze the energy lingering on that Whopperflower's corpse.
If he could decipher it, then things would be easier.
If not… then he would have to meet Kairo face to face.
The man hadn't bothered to conceal any traces—
which meant even if others discovered that same aura lingering on Klee's bombs, he wouldn't care.
If he were from the Abyss Order, that made no sense.
They would've erased the traces.
So… could it be that Kairo's power had nothing to do with the Abyss Order?
But if it wasn't related to the Abyss Order, then why had the Fatui elites died mysteriously in Mondstadt—
and even while wielding Delusions?
Even Albedo doubted Kairo could have singlehandedly taken down those Fatui elites.
But if it was Kairo…
Then the level of danger he represented had to be reassessed entirely.
Albedo's golden eyes grew distant as he sank deeper into thought.
A moment later, he exhaled slowly, stood up, and smoothed out his coat.
Then, with a faint smile, he patted Klee's head.
"Keep playing, Klee. Once I'm free, I'll help you design some new bombs."
"Really?!"
Klee's eyes instantly lit up, gripping Albedo's sleeve in excitement. "Then Klee wants bigger bombs! Stronger ones!"
"Mhm."
Albedo nodded faintly.
He gave no clear answer, only a knowing look.
Then, turning around, he strode toward the door.
It seemed… time to have a proper talk with Acting Grand Master Jean.
The Knights of Favonius Headquarters
Office of Acting Grand Master Jean.
Moonlight streamed through the tall windows, mingling with the flicker of candle flames.
The air was filled with the faint scent of ink and the rustle of turning pages.
Night had fallen; Mondstadt's streets were settling into quiet.
Only the patrolling knights still moved about, maintaining order in the city.
At this moment, Jean was still buried in paperwork.
The desk before her was piled with documents, yet she maintained her usual discipline and efficiency.
She took a sip of coffee and was about to continue when—
a knock echoed through the office.
Her brow lifted slightly. "Come in."
As her words fell, the door opened.
When Jean saw who it was, she froze for a moment.
"Albedo?"
She looked surprised, a trace of curiosity in her tone. "Is it something about rebuilding the alchemy workshop? I thought you'd be far too busy to come by at this hour."
After all, his alchemy workshop had only recently been destroyed in an explosion.
He should've been completely occupied overseeing its reconstruction.
But the expression on Albedo's face was calm—
those golden eyes deep as starlight, quietly analyzing.
He stepped into the office, closed the door behind him, and said evenly,
"I do have something very important to discuss."
Jean immediately straightened, her casual demeanor giving way to seriousness.
She waited silently for him to continue.
Albedo didn't speak right away.
He walked up to her desk, glanced briefly at the stack of papers, and his gaze flickered faintly.
Then he said in a calm tone,
"Today, the Adventurers' Guild delivered the intact corpse of a Whopperflower."
Jean froze mid-motion, the quill in her hand trembling slightly.
She looked up sharply, her brows knitting.
"An intact Whopperflower corpse?"
Whopperflowers—those mimic-type plant monsters—were notoriously difficult to kill or capture.
Ordinary adventurers often barely escaped with their lives upon encountering one.
Even those bearing a Vision could rarely bring back more than fragments of materials.
Yet now, Albedo was telling her that someone had returned with a whole, unbroken specimen?
"Who defeated it?" she pressed.
Albedo hesitated for a beat before answering meaningfully—
"Klee."
"..."
The room fell into an odd, heavy silence.
Jean's expression froze in disbelief.
Klee?
Impossible.
That little girl who spent her days thinking about blowing up fish?
Sure, her bombs were powerful…
But to completely destroy a Whopperflower while keeping the corpse intact?
That was absurd.
Even for a holder of the Pyro Vision.
"…You're certain?" Jean asked carefully, disbelief coloring her tone.
Instead of replying, Albedo slowly unfolded a parchment and laid it flat on her desk.
"Take a look first."
His voice remained calm, but his eyes gleamed with thought.
Jean frowned and began to read the report—
a detailed dissection record of the Whopperflower: its condition, damage analysis, and elemental residue.
The deeper she read, the tighter her brows drew.
Until her gaze halted on the last line.
Residual Energy Type: Pyro Energy 35%, Unknown Destructive Energy — %
Her pupils contracted.
"'Unknown Destructive Energy'? What kind of elemental force is that? Are you saying Klee's bombs contained such a power?"
Albedo nodded.
"That's exactly what I wanted to discuss."
He continued gravely,
"During the examination, I found a trace of energy identical to that from the explosion at my alchemy workshop. You remember that incident?"
"Of course," Jean said solemnly. "That blast was far stronger than any of Klee's normal bombs. You said then it contained some uncontrollable destructive force—don't tell me…"
Her expression changed sharply.
Albedo's tone grew lower.
"Yes. I can now confirm—the Destructive Aura lingering on the Whopperflower is identical to the one that destroyed my workshop."
Jean's eyes widened.
Identical?
That same aura had also been detected at the site where the Fatui elites had died.
Even the residual force near Starfell Lake was suspected to be the same.
And now, it had shown up again—
on a monster's corpse brought back by Klee.
Jean's thoughts tangled in confusion.
Albedo glanced sideways at her.
"This energy isn't naturally occurring. It's not Pyro, nor any known monster ability. It's… some kind of unknown, immensely destructive power.
It's appeared here in Mondstadt—on Klee's bombs, on that Whopperflower, even near Starfell Lake."
Jean took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm as she pieced it all together.
First appearance: Starfell Lake.
Second: the site of the Fatui elite deaths.
Third: Albedo's workshop explosion.
Fourth: the Whopperflower's corpse.
And the corpse had been retrieved by Klee.
Which could only mean—
this unknown power was artificially caused.
Her pulse quickened.
She recalled the recent string of strange events:
the monster abnormalities, the mysterious Fatui deaths, the explosion in Mondstadt…
All of them… pointing toward Klee and her bombs?
Jean's mind reeled.
Could it be—
the culprit was Klee?!
"When did Klee learn to wield such power?" Jean exclaimed in shock.
Albedo: "..."
He rubbed his temples. "I should've clarified—Klee didn't gain this power. It seems to originate from an adventurer she's been spending time with recently."
"Who?"
"Kairo."
"Kairo?"
Jean frowned, repeating the name, eyes filled with puzzlement.
It wasn't unfamiliar to her.
In fact, at one point, she had even considered recruiting him into the Knights of Favonius.
There weren't many adventurers in Mondstadt who had gained fame through swordsmanship alone.
Kairo was one of the rare few.
But she'd been told he had joined the Adventurers' Guild and showed no interest in becoming a Knight.
So she'd dropped the matter.
Until now—
his name resurfaced before her once more.
Jean met Albedo's gaze, her tone cautious but sharp.
"Are you certain you're not mistaken? As far as I know, the adventurer named Kairo… doesn't even have a Vision."
In Teyvat, a Vision was the symbol of divine acknowledgment—
the source of one's elemental power.
How could a man without one possibly empower Klee's bombs to such an extent?
But Albedo simply shook his head slowly.
His voice was calm, yet layered with meaning.
"That's exactly what's strange."
He went on to recount everything Klee had told him—
that Kairo had merely touched her bomb,
that the power increase had been instantaneous,
and that the residual energy matched every previous destructive event in Mondstadt.
Piece by piece, a chillingly consistent picture took shape.
Jean's expression grew darker by the second.
The adventurer Kairo…
In her memory, he was quiet and unassuming—
a gifted swordsman, yes, but never ostentatious.
Never aligned with any faction.
Just an ordinary adventurer.
But if a "normal" man without a Vision could wield power beyond elemental logic…
Then this was no longer a matter of talent.
It was a threat.
"Why," she murmured, eyes narrowing, "has this power never appeared before?"
A long silence.
Then, Jean pressed the alchemical communicator on her desk.
Moments later, a Knight hurried in—then froze upon noticing Albedo's presence.
Jean's tone turned crisp and commanding.
"Immediately contact the Adventurers' Guild. Retrieve every file available on an adventurer named Kairo."
"Also, discreetly question a few of the Knights and guild members.
Gather all information related to Kairo of Mondstadt—
I want a complete report."
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