Yes, Furina-sama! [Genshin Impact]

The Favonius Cathedral, Mondstadt's iconic landmark, had a history stretching back over a thousand years. Once used by the old aristocracy as a grand hall to flaunt their power and authority, it now belonged to the Knights of Favonius and was run by devout followers of the Anemo Archon.

And today, inside this sacred sanctuary, their god had come to visit.

"Hello, Sister," said a green-clad boy with a warm, friendly smile that instantly put people at ease.

Sister Gothlinde, on duty today, returned his smile. "May the Wind God bless you, young bard. Is there something I can help you with?"

Not far away, Lumine and Paimon watched their exchange.

Paimon nudged Lumine and whispered, "Do you think the bard can borrow the Holy Lyre der Himmel?"

"No," Lumine replied firmly.

Paimon was surprised by Lumine's certainty and was about to ask why, but then she saw Venti scratching his head, grinning awkwardly as he walked back to them. Sister Gothlinde had vanished.

"Ehe… I told her I'm Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, and asked to borrow the Holy Lyre. She didn't even look back, just walked away."

"Who'd believe something like that out of nowhere!" Paimon crossed her arms, exasperated at the unreliable bard.

Seeing Paimon's look, Venti hurried to explain, "But I got what I wanted, at least she didn't deny it! Which means the Lyre is here in the Cathedral."

He paused, rubbing his chin as he looked at Lumine, suddenly struck by a brilliant idea.

"Lumine, you're the Knights' rising star. Why don't you give it a try?"

Lumine blinked, puzzled. Paimon, however, thought Venti made sense and chimed in, "I think it could work! Way better odds than the bard!"

"Don't be shy! Go on, over there!" Venti nudged his chin toward the nearby sisters and, together with Paimon, began cheering her on.

It wasn't long before Lumine returned.

Obviously, the plan had failed. Without an official permit from the Knights, there was no way they could get their hands on the Holy Lyre kept in the Cathedral; they'd have to find another way.

Just as the three were stumped for ideas, footsteps echoed from outside. Paimon turned at the noise, tugged Lumine's sleeve, and whispered, "Lumine, look! Isn't that Richard, the big shot from Fontaine we saw yesterday?"

"And there's Acting Grand Master Jean and Kaeya too, but they're all a half-step behind the one in the middle. That must be the Water Archon that Charlotte mentioned!" Paimon stared wide-eyed at Furina, who strode in front with a commanding presence.

"Oh? The Hydro Archon? Where?" Venti followed their gaze.

Then Venti saw the unmistakable Furina in the crowd, and froze for a second before quickly recovering his usual calm.

His eyes then drifted to Richard, who walked beside Furina, and at that moment, Richard looked back at him.

'Barbatos? So he's awake', Richard thought. Back when Durin the venomous dragon attacked Mondstadt, young Richard had caught a glimpse of the Anemo Archon himself, so it wasn't surprising he recognized Venti now.

Richard noticed Venti wink at him, that exaggerated expression clearly said Don't blow my cover.

'Another one of his undercover acts, huh?' Richard sighed inwardly but had no intention of exposing him.

Jean spotted Lumine and the others inside the Cathedral and paused. She gave them a small nod as a greeting, then turned to Sister Gothlinde, who'd come over, drawn by the commotion.

"Sister Gothlinde, we're here to borrow the Holy Lyre der Himmel."

Sister Gothlinde found today unbelievably strange. First, a young boy claimed to be Barbatos and tried to borrow the Lyre. Then the Honorary Knight showed up asking for it, too. Now, the Acting Grand Master herself had arrived with a whole entourage to do the same.

"So the Honorary Knight was telling the truth… This really is official business you entrusted her with, Acting Grand Master."

Hearing that, Lumine shifted her gaze away guiltily.

"Honorary Knight?" Jean hadn't realized Lumine had already tried to borrow the Holy Lyre ahead of them.

"Yes! Didn't you know? And before her, there was this boy who claimed to be Lord Barbatos himself, so shameless! Probably up to no good!" Sister Gothlinde said indignantly.

If not for her naturally gentle temper and that strange, comforting aura about the boy, she would've rallied the faithful to chase that blasphemous impostor out of the Cathedral on the spot.

Standing nearby, Richard glanced at Venti by Lumine's side, his mouth twitching slightly. If Sister Gothlinde really had done that, Barbatos would have been the first god in history to be thrown out of his own church by his most devout followers.

"There was really such a thing?" Furina gasped.

"To impersonate a god, how outrageously bold! Truly scandalous! And yet this nun had just let him walk away? This City of Freedom was way too free; if this were Fontaine, they'd have dragged him to the Court immediately!"

But then Furina suddenly realized… she was the last person who should be judging others for posing as a god.

Hearing Furina's words, Richard nodded solemnly. "Indeed. In Fontaine, such a crime would at least be judged as lèse-majesté, same as those criminals from the attack case a few days ago. They'd get no less than a decade in the Meropide Fortress."

"W-would it really be that serious?" Furina stammered, her throat suddenly dry.

"Of course, Lady Furina. I understand your compassion, but that's no excuse for mortals to impersonate a god. If you ask me, if it weren't for the lack of a death penalty precedent in Fontaine, these brazen, ungrateful scoundrels ought to be executed, or at the very least, given life sentences." Richard said it dead serious.

Furina's face turned pale. Her lips parted, but no words came out.

"That seems a bit harsh, Mr. Richard." Venti chose this moment to step forward.

"Oh, indeed. Which is why it depends on the circumstances." Richard accepted Venti's words graciously. "If there were no serious consequences, the punishment could be as mild as a warning, or a few years' imprisonment. But if it did cause serious consequences, then the penalty should be from over a decade in prison up to immediate execution."

Furina swallowed hard. "And how would you define serious consequences?"

"My apologies, Lady Furina, I'm no legal expert. But speaking personally, I'd use fraud laws as a reference."

"Fraud laws?" Furina echoed.

"Yes. You'd consider the scope, the people deceived, the amount of benefit gained, and the impact on the entire nation. For example, if someone impersonated a god and convinced the whole nation, or even surrounding regions, and used that false identity for personal gain… then I'd say the maximum penalty wouldn't be too much at all."

Richard turned and looked at Furina, who was trying her hardest to appear calm.

"What do you think, Lady Furina?"