Chapter 54: The End of Klober

Young Master Diluc... no, the current Lord Diluc, who inherited the Dawn Winery and the entire Ragnvindr estate, now held the title of the master of Dawn Winery. His formal ascension to this role should have shaken all of Mondstadt. Yet, surprisingly, it didn't make much of a splash.

It wasn't that Lord Diluc was too low-key. The lavish banquet he recently hosted was proof enough of his extravagance. Previous banquets would only see rare wines being brought out, but this time, he even served the treasured wines his late father had kept, each bottle worth a fortune.

The lack of public reaction wasn't due to any lack of fanfare on his part; it was simply because the people of Mondstadt were far more captivated by a mysterious "guardian."

Almost immediately after Lord Diluc returned, this formidable figure began appearing in the public's eye, seemingly unable to stay out of the spotlight. No one knew who he was or why he acted as he did. The only clues were the occasional scent of something scorched and the fleeting glimpse of a fiery figure in the night.

Monsters that had plagued Mondstadt for ages were found dead in the wild; notorious thieves were discovered hanging upside down before statues of the Seven; and squads of Knights of Favonius, sent to confront an Abyss Mage who had long terrorized the region, found the enemy already vanquished.

Through the grapevine of drunk gossip, the stories of this mysterious guardian spread quickly throughout Mondstadt, overshadowing even Lord Diluc's growing reputation. This caused the new lord to harbor a distinct dislike for this so-called hero. Every time he heard the name, he couldn't help but frown.

It made sense. Having just taken over the family business and ready to make his mark, he found himself upstaged by some unknown figure who had seemingly crawled out of the shadows.

This wasn't just about losing face; this guardian was encroaching on the profits of the Dawn Winery.

And so, this mysterious figure was given a name by the people—The Darknight Hero.

At this very moment, the Darknight Hero, who was always on the minds of Mondstadt's citizens, found himself in Lord Diluc's underground wine cellar.

"Guards! Assassin!" Klober screamed in panic, finally grateful that he had brought enough of his men with him. Otherwise...

Whoosh!

A few night owl-shaped darts flew through the air, hitting the Fatui guards squarely between the eyes as they rushed down in response to Klober's cries for help. These seemingly formidable guards were taken down in mere moments by the Darknight Hero.

Klober's current predicament was entirely his own doing. Fearing that word of his bribe-taking would reach Snezhnaya, he chose not to use the Fatui's regular guards, instead hiring local "adventurers." Unfortunately for him, adventurers demanded high pay, and Klober, being a miser, was unwilling to pay a premium. So he hired some idle guys to serve as his bodyguards.

These so-called guards, dressed in Fatui uniforms, usually intimidated anyone who saw them, leading to Klober to mistakenly believe they were reliable. But when the time came, they were utterly useless.

As Klober frantically tried to pull out the night owl dart that had pinned his hand to the wine barrel, the Darknight Hero closed the distance between them, pressing his foot down on the dart and re-pinning Klober's hand in place.

"Ahhh—You... You Mondstadt scum! Do you know who I am? Let me go right now!" Klober screamed, his face contorted in fear as pain shot through his hand. He desperately tried to use his status to intimidate the hero into releasing him.

"The children from the bakery... and the daughter of that knight—do you remember them?" The Darknight Hero's voice was low and cold, sending a chill down Klober's spine.

Of course, he remembered those children, especially the one who had died in front of him not long ago. But he couldn't admit it—doing so would only make things worse for him.

"A year ago, those children were conscripted by the Fatui. They haven't been heard from since. Don't tell me you have no idea what happened to them," the Darknight Hero continued, his foot now pressing down on Klober's shoulder, causing the dart to tear further into his hand.

"Number 139! And k423! I know them! I know everything!" Klober finally broke down, the sight of the glistening dart threatening to split his hand in two.

"T-they... they were exceptionally talented, so the master took a special interest in them. The master... he..." Clope stammered.

The Darknight Hero had dealt with the Fatui before and knew exactly what it meant to be given a code like that.

This only confirmed his suspicion that his father's death was indeed connected to this man and his so-called master.

"Hmph!" Seeing Klober's hesitation, the Darknight Hero pressed down harder with his foot, and with a sickening sound, the night owl dart tore Klober's hand in half.

"Aaaahhhh—I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!" Klober screamed in agony. The night owl dart was sharp only on the bottom edge, the top being completely blunt. So, Klober's hand had been torn apart by the sheer force of the hero's foot, leaving the wound ragged and irregular.

The Darknight Hero, his face expressionless, grabbed Klober's other intact hand and pinned it against the oak wine barrel.

"Tell me what your master is planning! Or else..." The dart was already pressing into Klober's palm.

"M-My Master's goal is—The Instructor?" Klober, who had been full of terror just moments ago, suddenly seemed to latch onto a new hope, his fear replaced by a flicker of relief.

The Instructor? The Darknight Hero hesitated for a moment, then turned to look behind him.

On top of the wine barrel where he had been hiding moments ago, there was now a figure dressed in black, wearing a white mask.

Reacting quickly, the Darknight Hero grabbed Klober from the ground and held the dart against his throat.

He had traveled through all seven nations and had dismantled numerous Fatui strongholds along the way. This had caused him to investigate one of their larger bases. But then, a Fatui Harbinger had happened to pass by and easily defeated him.

If it weren't for the intervention of a benefactor, he wouldn't have even had the chance to return to Mondstadt.

So now, facing one of the Fatui's Harbingers, the Darknight Hero was understandably tense, knowing all too well how dangerous these individuals could be.

"Instructor! Kill him! Kill this Mondstadt scum! He's trying to sabotage the Master's plans!" Despite having a blade pressed to his neck, Klober showed no fear.

He knew the Instructor's methods and was certain that if the Harbinger wanted to save him, then...

Whoosh!

Bai Luo, who had been on the wine barrel, finally made his move. Seeing the uniquely shaped dagger fly toward him, the Darknight Hero instinctively tried to block it with his night owl dart.

But...

"Guh—Instructor... Why...?" Klober gasped, clutching his throat, the previous excitement on his face replaced with utter confusion.

The Darknight Hero was just as puzzled. Why had Bai Luo killed Klober?

"Even though you're not an official member of the Fatui, your master must have informed you when you signed the contract, right? revealing secrets is punishable by death."