The Children rescued this time had a huge impact on the Fatui. The testimonies of these surviving Children made the Knights of Favonius realize that the Children the Fatui had taken from them in the past, under the pretext of "conscription," were actually used for research.
Not only Children from Mondstadt, but also Children from other nations were abducted by them. The research base in Mondstadt only held a portion of the Children; many more were in the Fatui's strongholds in other nations.
This matter spread to other nations at an extremely fast pace. Envoys from many nations came to Mondstadt because of this, taking away the surviving Children from their own nations and simultaneously obtaining evidence of the Fatui's human experimentation from the Knights of Favonius.
This evidence was enough to curb the Fatui's arrogance in other nations and prevent them from using the high-sounding excuse of "conscription" to take any Children as they had before.
The Fatui still in Mondstadt also became pariahs because of this incident. Some of them might not have been aware that the Fatui had done such things, but as members of their organization, they could not escape this responsibility.
Thus, Snezhnaya would pay a huge price for this incident. First, the price to be paid by Mondstadt alone was very high, and other nations would not let the Fatui off the hook either. Snezhnaya would bleed heavily because of this incident.
However, Durandal, the biggest contributor to this incident, had no mind to care how miserable Snezhnaya was, nor did she concern herself with how Mondstadt would deal with the Fatui or negotiate with them.
She came alone to the area behind the Cathedral of Favonius, which was a place for burying remains.
Among the Children who unfortunately died, some were taken away by envoys from other nations, at least to return their remains to their families.
Besides those Children who were claimed, there were also some who were unclaimed, and they were buried here.
Durandal came here every day recently, and each time, she brought flowers she had grown at Cape Oath to visit them.
The location of this cemetery was excellent. The Cathedral of Favonius did not block the sun at all, and every tombstone could receive the warm sunlight and enjoy Mondstadt's freedom of the breeze.
Previously, several deceased individuals were buried here, mostly due to old age, with only a few losing their lives young due to illness.
Among them, the Children were too prominent; they were buried in that dark hell before they even had a chance to experience a colorful life.
Although I didn't see their suffering, it must have been incredibly painful, to be corroded to death by the archon residue, feeling life slowly drain away—it must have been utterly despairing.
"Miss Durandal... are you alright?"
As Durandal gazed at the names on the gravestones, Barbara came to her side at some point, looking at her with concern.
She already knew about the Children, and it was she and the other sisters who had been taking care of the rescued Children during this time.
Although they were healthy when brought to the Cathedral of Favonius, their emergency reactions upon waking suggested they had endured inhumane treatment.
Thanks to Durandal's comforting, the Children finally trusted that the Cathedral of Favonius would not harm them, slowly letting down their guard and accepting them.
While caring for these Children, Barbara noticed Durandal, who came to the cemetery every day. Each time, she saw Durandal arrive early, and when she left the church in the evening, she still saw her standing there.
She must feel very guilty. Although she saved many Children, some lives still slipped through her hands. For her, who is gentle and values life, this must be an incredibly difficult thing to bear.
"I'm fine; I don't care about these brats."
Durandal said stubbornly, her tone as indifferent as usual, as if the death of these Children truly had no effect on her.
But this was just a facade to hide her true feelings; even Barbara could tell Durandal was putting on a brave face.
If she truly didn't care, she wouldn't come here every day. If she truly didn't mind, she wouldn't stay from morning until night.
"Um, Miss Durandal. I'm sorry to bother you, but a Children is leaving today. Before she goes, she wants to see you. Can you... go see her?"
Today was the day the girl was leaving, and before she departed, she requested to see Durandal.
Barbara had also come to the cemetery to find Durandal for this reason, hoping she could fulfill the girl's wish.
Durandal didn't answer, gently stroking the gravestone in front of her. After this gesture, she turned and followed Barbara out of the cemetery and to the Cathedral of Favonius.
Many people had gathered inside the church. Besides the sisters who usually worked there and the residents of Mondstadt who came to pray, there were also envoys from other nations.
In front of them were several Children. They were all rescued and had changed back into normal clothes, but after what they had experienced, they were no longer as innocent as other Children.
"Sister Durandal!"
At this moment, a Children noticed Durandal entering.
The other Children, who had been listless, saw Durandal arrive and rushed from their respective national envoys, quickly coming to Durandal's side.
Although most of the Children were unconscious at the time, they all knew that Durandal had saved them from the devil's den.
Not only that, she had healed all of them. The pain in their bodies had completely disappeared, allowing them to be like normal people.
This gave Durandal a very high status in their hearts, even surpassing the envoys or parents who had traveled thousands of miles to pick them up.
The Children's parents also wanted to thank Durandal properly, but Durandal's attention was completely drawn to these Children, and she had no mind to deal with them.
"Sister Durandal, I... I'm going back to Sumeru with my dad and mom."
The girl named Xiao Duo came before Durandal, looking at her reluctantly: "Will we... will we have a chance to meet again?"
Although they had only spent a few days together, she had developed a significant reliance on Durandal. Even though she was returning to her long-awaited home, she was so reluctant to leave.
"As long as you don't get caught like an idiot again, we'll have a chance to meet. In the future, I will go to other nations. Whether it's Sumeru, Inazuma, Fontaine, or Natlan, I will visit all these places."
Durandal patted Xiao Duo's head, scanned the room, her gaze sweeping over the face of each Children: "If you want to repay me, then promise me that you will take good care of yourselves until we meet again. Later, when I arrive in your nation, you will be my guide and introduce your nation to me, understood?"
"Mhm! I understand! I promise you, I will take good care of myself, Sister Durandal."
Xiao Duo, unable to hold back any longer, hugged Durandal. This action influenced the other Children around her, and they also learned from Xiao Duo, embracing Durandal.
This was Durandal's first time being hugged by so many people. Listening to the Children's reluctant cries, Durandal's mood gradually calmed down, her expression softened, and she gently stroked Xiao Duo's hair.
She... shouldn't only focus on the Children who had died. They were gone; she should focus her attention on the Children who were still alive.
"You... did very well. You persevered until the very last moment, until I arrived. You... are truly amazing."
"You endured such pain, so why are you crying now? You are very strong Children; you shouldn't be shedding tears at this moment."
Durandal gently lifted Xiao Duo's head, wiping away her tears: "We will meet again in the future, so there's nothing to cry about. This parting is for another reunion. Next time we meet, you must be even better, understood?"
The adults stood quietly around, observing Durandal and the Children's interaction. Each of them wore a benevolent smile, and even Rosaria, hiding in the shadows, smiled.
Lumine, who had been offline, also stood in a good position, saving this scene with her Kamera.
It seemed she didn't need to worry about Durandal anymore. With the Children's comfort, she believed Durandal would quickly return to her original self.
In the evening, Durandal stood at the city gate, watching the carriage carrying Xiao Duo drive away from Mondstadt.
Xiao Duo kept waving goodbye to Durandal, and she didn't pull her head back until the carriage was out of Durandal's sight.
She watched the Children's carriage, extending her hand. A very comfortable breeze swept by, blowing the dandelions growing near the city wall, which landed on the Children who had their heads sticking out.
Besides the dandelions, accompanying them was the Humus Power that Durandal had hidden within the dandelions, which included her life force.
This life force would accompany their growth, ensuring their future would be free from illness, allowing them to live out their old age healthily, even as elderly people.
They had endured too many hardships, and Durandal hoped their future lives would be healthy and growth-filled, without any more turmoil.
If any of them wanted to go on an adventure, Durandal wouldn't object, because it was their choice. She would choose to bless these Children, wishing their future to be enveloped in light.
Gradually, Lumine came to Durandal's side, gazing with her at the departing carriage of the Children.
Next was Klee, then Eula. Her bonds in Mondstadt arrived one by one behind her.
Before long, the area behind her was filled with people.
Noticing the people standing beside her, Durandal nodded, looked at the gradually setting sun, and her eyes slowly turned cold.
Snezhnaya, the Fatui, the Harbingers, the Tsaritsa!
For now... she would let them go, but that didn't mean Durandal would forgive them.
When they meet in the future, Durandal will kill them! No one can stop her.
A group that doesn't cherish life like this has no reason to exist!
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