"Ta-da! This is Klee's treasure, jumpy dumpty."
Klee brought Durandal to a lakeside, pulling out a cutely designed bomb from her backpack to show off to Durandal.
Durandal simply watched Klee, unsure of her purpose in bringing her here, and decided to observe from the side first.
Immediately after, she saw Klee take out one jumpy dumpty after another and throw them into the lake, always aiming for places where there were fish.
The sound of exploding bombs continuously echoed, and with the huge splashes caused by the explosions, the fish in the lake were directly blasted out of the water, steaming on the surface. Even those further away would be stunned by the bomb's power, floating on the water, eyes rolling back.
"Hehe~ How about it? Isn't Klee amazing?"
"...The power is good."
Durandal nodded. When she lived in the Demon Realm, she occasionally saw a few Mage, and their Jacques pumpkins had an explosion effect similar to Klee's jumpy dumpty.
However, if the Mage's Jacques pumpkins exploded here, it probably wouldn't be as simple as just blasting water; a whole surrounding area would likely suffer.
Hearing Durandal's praise, Klee put her hands on her hips, her face full of pride.
"Durandal, you should try it too? Durandal must be very powerful, right?"
Powerful... huh! How could she not be powerful? Even without making a move, she would take thousands of lives. Who else could do that?
Durandal looked at Klee. She was asking her to act without knowing her abilities. She had no ill intent, but Durandal couldn't help but recall those painful scenes, those irreversible events.
That's right, she was Durandal, the black plague. Any creature that approached her would eventually be harmed.
Gods were one thing, but Klee was just an elf. She didn't have immunity to the plague. Approaching her casually might lead to an accidental infection in the future, eventually ending up like the elves in the Dark Elf Village.
She... didn't want that to happen. She didn't want the person who brought her warmth to eventually die because of her.
Although reluctant, it was better to let go before disaster struck.
"...No need. If I were to act, this lake would be infected with a deadly plague. Once infected, the body would deform and liquefy, and there would be no cure."
Even a casual action would contaminate this water source. Even a tiny intake would lead to a fatal plague infection, just like the residents of the Village of Suffering, Lezefin.
"Eh? plague... plague?"
Klee was startled by Durandal's words. Although she didn't understand much, she knew that the plague was a very terrifying thing.
But... would Durandal's actions contaminate the lake water? Klee looked at her in confusion, not understanding why this seemingly aloof but actually very gentle older sister would possess such an ability.
"Can... can Klee see?"
"...Okay."
To make Klee understand the danger, a demonstration was necessary.
She gently cupped a little water in her hand. In the past, she wouldn't have dared to do this because her entire body was filled with deadly pathogens.
But after acquiring a human body, even if she touched water, the water wouldn't be contaminated by her Virus due to this action.
Under Klee's gaze, the water in Durandal's hand gradually turned dark purple, emitting an ominous aura. The mere wisps of aura that drifted out condensed into the shape of a skull in the air.
Danger! Even Klee fully sensed the danger. If she drank such water, she would probably die immediately.
"Do you see? This is me. I am Durandal, the black plague. If I wish, any casual action of mine can take hundreds or thousands of lives. Whether it's those Hilichurl in the wilderness, or the humans living in Mondstadt, their lives will be taken by me."
Durandal told Klee a part of her truth. Such an innocent Children should not be around a dangerous person like her.
She should be playing with other Children her age, not with a dangerous person like her.
A gentle breeze blew, but the usually soft breeze was now unusually cold, like the chill wind of a snow mountain, leaving Klee at a loss.
This... this should be a villain's statement, right? In the stories Klee had read, beings with such abilities that took other people's lives were always evil, but... she felt that Durandal was not evil. On the contrary, when she said she could take hundreds or thousands of lives, she seemed... very sad.
Even if she didn't show it, Klee could feel Durandal's sadness. She wanted to say something, but she didn't know how to start.
"Human, do you think I am evil?"
This was the question she asked the Adventurer when she was defeated by the Adventurer in the Village of Suffering, Lezefin.
This wasn't just her asking the Adventurer; it was also a question to herself: Was she evil?
Probably, after all, with her every casual movement, hundreds or thousands of lives would be taken by her. How could such an existence not be evil?
"Don't come to my domain again. This isn't just for you, but also for those you cherish. Once involved with me, it will only lead to a tragic end."
With that, Durandal clapped her hands and turned to run towards Cape Oath.
Klee watched Durandal leave, wanting to stop her, but recalling Durandal's words, she couldn't speak.
"Human, am I evil?"
Klee looked at the fish she had just blasted out, and for a moment, had no desire for grilled fish. She was troubled, unable to figure out the answer to this question.
She returned to Mondstadt dejectedly. When the guards on duty at the city gate saw Klee, they were about to greet her, but saw that Klee, who usually always wore a smile, looked unhappy.
What happened? Was she lectured by Acting Grand Master Jean again? Or did she make a mistake and was preparing to apologize to Acting Grand Master Jean?
Klee, familiar with the way, returned to the Knights of Favonius and went to Jean's office.
Jean, who was working, heard the door open and looked up to see Klee enter.
"Klee, I was just about to send someone to look for you. You today..."
"Acting Grand Master Jean."
Before Jean could finish speaking, Klee scurried over to Jean, hugged her waist, and buried her face in her arms.
The question on Jean's lips vanished with Klee's actions. Looking at Klee, who was different from usual, Jean's expression softened.
She gently stroked Klee's small head and asked, "What's wrong, Klee? Did something happen today? Did someone bully you?"
"No, it's just that Klee has something she can't figure out and is very troubled."
Klee lay in Jean's arms and said in a muffled voice, "Klee went to Cape Oath to play today and met Durandal there."
"Durandal... Did something happen?"
She didn't expect that Klee would meet Durandal right after she left today. Judging by her appearance, could something bad have happened?
"Klee wanted to play with Durandal, so I took her to blast fish. Originally, Klee just wanted to see Durandal's abilities, but... but she said her abilities would contaminate water sources, and any casual action would lead to water contamination, and anyone who drank the water would die."
Jean's brow twitched. Her suspicion was indeed correct; Durandal's abilities were indeed related to the plague.
Casual actions would contaminate water sources? Lisa was right, if Durandal wished, Mondstadt would face an unprecedented disaster.
"Did she hurt you?"
"No, Durandal didn't do anything to Klee."
"Then why are you..."
"Durandal told Klee not to look for her again. Once involved with her, the people Klee cherishes would suffer a tragedy. And she also asked Klee..."
"Is she evil?"
Hearing this question, Jean also fell into thought.
If this question were asked to others, those who didn't know Durandal would certainly think she was evil. Even Lisa had thought so.
But Jean, who had been saved by Durandal, knew very well that she was not evil. Not only was she not evil, but she was even very gentle. Compared to those Treasure Hoarders who committed evil deeds, those Abyss Order who wanted to cause destruction, and even those aggressive people from Snezhnaya, she was much gentler.
But beneath this gentleness was Durandal's terrifying and awe-inspiring ability.
Jean probably understood why Durandal would tell Klee these things: she didn't want to hurt Klee, and she didn't want this person who was willing to approach her to be hurt because of her.
Jean didn't know what Durandal had experienced, but her abilities must have caused many tragedies.
If she were evil, it wouldn't matter, but she didn't wish to harm others. Those tragedies would only bring her pain.
What a gentle evil god, Jean couldn't help but think.
She gently stroked Klee's head. As her guardian, the most correct thing to do at this moment should be to keep Klee away from Durandal to prevent her from being harmed.
"Do you think... she is evil, Klee? Do you think she is a bad person?"
"Klee... Klee thinks Durandal is a good person. Although she never smiles, she keeps many flowers, and so many animals are willing to approach her. Klee believes such a person is definitely not a bad person."
"But her abilities are so terrifying. A casual action can cause people to die. Can such a person also be called good?"
"This... that... Klee doesn't know."
Jean stroked Klee's small head. As a guardian, besides taking care of Klee, she also had to educate Klee, to make her understand what is right and wrong, and how to judge.
Jean took her Falcon Sword and placed it in front of Klee: "Klee, I often use it to fight, to deal with those Hilichurl who endanger Mondstadt, to deal with those Abyss Mage. Do you think I, like this, am a bad person?"
"Of course not, Acting Grand Master Jean is the best, best person! How could she be a bad person?"
"Hmm. And the other members of the Knights of Favonius, like Amber, Eula, or Kaeya, Lisa, they have all harmed Hilichurl. Do you think they are bad people?"
"Of course not."
"What about you? You often use bombs to blast fish, Hilichurl, Slime. Do you think you are a bad person? Are you a bad Children?"
"Klee... Klee is certainly not!"
Although she hesitated for a moment regarding being a bad Children, Klee still gave an affirmative answer.
"That's how it is. Durandal's abilities are like our weapons. If the people who use them are good Children like Klee, they can be used to protect others. If they are bad guys, they will be used to harm others."
"The way to judge if a person is good or bad is not by their abilities, but by themselves. Based on this, do you think she is evil?"
Klee, who had just been taught so much, was a bit slow to react. She had thought Jean would directly tell her whether Durandal was good or bad, but in the end, she still had to judge for herself.
"Can't... can't you just tell Klee the answer, Acting Grand Master Jean?"
"No, everyone should have their own judgment. I cannot influence you with my views. You should think about this matter yourself, Klee."
Think about this matter herself? Think about whether Durandal was a good person or a bad person?
Think about whether she was evil?
With this trouble, Klee left the office.
"Klee... should be able to figure it out."
Thinking of Klee's past experience of being tricked by Kaeya, Jean felt a bit troubled.
Was she teaching Klee this kind of knowledge a bit too early?