Draconic Impact Chapter 24 (Patreon)

First time ever defeating Optimistic on the standard poll, all because Ultra tiers are fucking assholes.

Love you though ♡

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Edited by: Priapus, Bluwuh

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– Jean –

After so many hours agonizing about his motive, Jean had finally hit a wall.

She let out a weary sigh, her frustration palpable as her forehead met the cool surface of the desk. Crimson, a master of deception, had her trapped in a perpetual state of uncertainty, his every move a calculated step to keep her off balance.

All of his… 'victims' shared a single trait between them, and that was their sex. All of them were female. That was the only thing that Jean was sure wasn't a coincidence. But that was it—no evidence suggesting he was here for something dangerous. Perhaps Visions? No, if that was the case, he would've tried to interact more with Kaeya or even Diluc. Was it really just women?

But… that couldn't be it. He couldn't be here only for the women, could he? If that was the case, then why women of high stature? Most of the girls he interacted with were either her knights or something as equally influential in some regard.

Then what was it that he needed to act friendly to get? If it were women, he would've forced himself on them, right? It had already been established that he was so powerful he could get whatever he wanted by force. But he was still being kind. He had fucking Eula, of all people, head over heels for him.

She could act harshly and dismissively about him all she wanted. That woman had been damn near skipping the entire time after their date.

Jean made sure to make a mental note to ask Eula about that 'date' of theirs, even if she was 90% sure she wouldn't get any helpful answer. Just what the hell was he doing there? And why was he defending Eula so vehemently? She had never seen him doing anything like that before.

She could appreciate the man standing up for one of her knights like this, but she knew better. This was done purely for selfish reasons that Jean still could not determine.

But why was he hiding it? Jean knew that Lisa was lying. Or, at the very least, not telling her the whole story when she asked. He probably wanted the librarian to be quiet for one reason or another, and yet, Lisa didn't seem to dislike him very much…? Rather, Lisa almost seemed exasperated with him for some reason. Just what the hell was going on?

This was driving her up the wall. It was like he deliberately left clues that led to nowhere just to keep her up at night. As if this was a funny game to him. Honestly, if only Jean could figure out what the fuck he wanted from them, then she might be able to find a compromise or something to get him not to destroy Mondstadt.

At this point, Jean was willing to do anything with a smile if it meant ensuring the safety of her region. Because then she wouldn't have to deal with this nightmare anymore. Hell, she might even be able to get a wink.

Gods knew she could use a nap.

She sighed again, rubbing her eyes and grabbing her coffee mug, realizing that she had already downed the thing hours ago. With an annoyed click of her tongue, she got up and walked to the coffee machine, feeling even more frustrated as she saw she had emptied the kettle already.

Her mildly irritated expression turned into a deep scowl, her fists clenched tightly as her vision responded to her heightened emotions, slowly causing a whirlwind around her. Jean quickly snapped out of it once the glass mug in her hand cracked, making her flinch.

Realizing that she'd nearly lost it at something as stupid as this, she took a deep breath, the violent wind dying down once she got a hold of herself. This could've been bad…

"What is wrong with me?" She muttered to herself.

Sleep-deprived and on the verge of collapsing from the stress that asshole dragon was causing her, Jean barely kept her temper in check, quickly acknowledging that she seriously needed a breath of fresh air.

Maybe taking a walk outside could help her organize her thoughts properly. And snagging some coffee on the way was certainly a lot more convenient than making it herself. Either that or stay here and make no progress on her investigation.

Jean decided to do the former, stepping outside her office for the first time in who knew how long. She was quickly reminded that she didn't have a lot of knights stationed inside the HQ, as most were patrolling the area to inform her if Crimson had ever passed certain roads.

She kept it in mind, knowing that Crimson could infiltrate the building to kidnap Klee again. A few guards around the girl's room weren't enough, especially seeing how her subordinates took her less seriously every day.

But she didn't care about that. It had been infuriating at first, but Jean realized that this might be something only she could do. If Lisa and Eula wouldn't help, then so be it. She'd stop Crimson herself and save everyone.

Jean winced and rubbed her eyes as the light of the sun hit her face, closing the door behind her and ignoring the salutes of nearby knights. It was early in the afternoon, and so far, it had been relatively quiet.

As she made her way through the streets of her beloved city, Jean noticed that civilians and knights alike were stepping out of her way, looking at her with a mixture of deep concern and slight unease. She ignored it, as she was completely aware of how she looked to other people.

After all, she hadn't even bothered to fix her disheveled hair, and the exhaustion must be very obvious on her face. It was okay, she thought. Overworking like this wasn't exactly rare, even before Stormterror and Crimson.

It's just that she hadn't slept very well the past few days. She knew it would pass after figuring out what the fuck she was supposed to do.

The walk itself was relatively quiet as Jean was too preoccupied with the looming despair of the one called Crimson and how she could prevent disaster, so this might've not helped Jean with her jumbled thoughts as much as she hoped. Still, it certainly felt nice feeling the warm sun on her face for the first time in what felt like forever.

It hadn't taken her more than ten minutes before arriving at her favorite little coffee place right around the corner of the marketplace. It wasn't like most other cafes— Merely a simple kiosk with a brown-haired older lady working behind the counter, who smiled as soon as she saw the acting grandmaster.

"Ah, Jean! The usual?" The lady paused as she saw Jean's current state. "My goodness, are you alright?"

"I'm okay." Jean dismissed her concerns. "And yes, please."

"Overworking again, weren't you?" She accused. "That's no good, Jean. You need to take some rest."

The acting grandmaster felt her temper rise at that, but she immediately calmed herself down. She didn't know anything and wasn't trying to act pretentious like a particular librarian, so there's no reason to be antagonistic here. She was just trying to be nice.

"...Yeah, you're right." Jean 'agreed', not in the mood to argue. "Just a few more papers to sign, and I'm done."

"I sure hope so." She said, pouring her a cup from a pre-prepared kettle. "You look like you're about to pass out."

"It's fine, I'm used to it." She responded, taking out her wallet.

"Just take it." The lady said, offering her the cup.

"Huh? But I—"

"On the house." She smiled kindly. "You could say it's my way of thanking you for everything you've done for us. I imagine it's not easy being in your position."

For some reason, even though this was not the first time something like this happened, it genuinely moved her more than she thought to a point where this simple act of kindness revitalized her more than any coffee could.

It reminded her of who and what she was fighting for. Of why she accepted the position of the knight's grandmaster regardless of the many responsibilities and duties she'd have to take care of. Of why she even joined the knights in the first place.

"…Thank you." Jean smiled at the touching gesture, accepting the paper cup. "Truly."

"Don't mention it."

No matter how bleak things looked, this kingdom and its citizens were worth fighting for. How powerful Crimson was didn't matter; Jean would never give up on her people, not until her dying breath.

Rejuvenated and motivated, Jean turned around and decided to walk back to the office as fast as she could. She could do this. She must do this. There was no telling when Crimson would decide to be bored of them and destroy Mondstadt— every minute was valuable. The sooner she could figure out his motives, the better.

Unfortunately, Jean couldn't make it a step before seeing something that made all these hopeful feelings fade away faster than the blink of an eye, blood running cold.

"Hmm? You okay there, Jean?" The lady behind the kiosk asked, following her line of sight. "Huh, what's Barbara doing with that Crimson fellow?"

Jean was frozen in fear as she saw her dear sister walking with the subject of her endless nightmares, happily chirping and giggling away with a blush on her face and not a care in the world. This couldn't be happening— why was he here? What was he doing with Barbara?

She knew that he occasionally hung out with her and that her sister definitely viewed him in a positive light, but why were they so close? Holding his hand, skipping, and laughing— Barbara was as sweet as honey, but this was too much. The people she'd act like this around could be counted on one hand, and Barbara damn knew everyone in Mondstadt by name.

"Speaking of, I heard that adventurer stood up for Eula last night." The lady said. "How kind of him, huh? We need more gentlemen like him around."

Jean reflexively crushed the paper cup, completely disregarding the stinging and painful sensation of boiling hot coffee on her hand. It surprised the lady behind her if her gasp was anything to go by, but the acting grandmaster didn't care as she didn't spot any of her knights observing Crimson around.

"Incompetent idiots…" She cursed under her breath, taking matters into her own hands.

She followed them from a distance, knowing how dangerous of a move this was but knowing that she'd never forgive herself if she let her precious little sister go with that man unmonitored. Jean could not let any harm befall Barbara, even if it meant throwing herself into the fire.

Though, she knew how sharp Crimson was. He consistently lost the best knights at espionage like they were absolute amateurs, randomly appearing in different parts of the city whenever he damn felt like it. If he were to spot Jean following him, then who knew what he'd do to Barbara?

Her heart was pounding with worry for her sister and pure terror at what would happen if Jean were to mess up here. But that was how it had always been, wasn't it? Ever since she saw him utterly humiliate one of her most powerful knights— ever since she learned what he was…

That deceptively handsome face of his only struck fear into her heart. Even though everyone else only spoke of him in praise, Jean just couldn't see it. Every kind word he had uttered, every good he had done… all felt like an act. But for what? What could a man or a dragon of such unbelievable might ever want from them?

And why them?

Jean felt colder the longer she followed them, realizing they were headed toward the church for whatever reason. She still kept a good distance, becoming more confused and anxious as when she thought they'd enter, they instead… went around. What? Why? What was behind the cathedral? As far as she was aware, there was only the view of the Brightcrown Mountains and Stormterror's lair.

Was Barbara perhaps showing him around? But he must've already been here. She knew he'd visited the cathedral more than once. What was he planning?

Hesitantly, Jean slowly pursued them, mind racing for all possibilities. What did he want from Barbara? She had nothing interesting other than a Vision she seldom used for combat. She was no fighter— only a priestess who only bothered to learn healing magic.

Her incredible concern for Barbara clashed with her overwhelming survival instincts, but nevertheless, instead of retreating and trying to come up with another plan, Jean persisted and followed, feeling her grip on her sword tightening as she heard her sister's voice…

Groaning?

She paused before quickening her pace, feeling her heart dropping once those cries and wails got louder and clearer for the acting grandmaster. What the hell was he doing to her sister?! He was hurting her, wasn't he?! She knew it! She knew he was going to—

"Oh, Crimson~" Barbara panted with a breathy moan, making her freeze. "How could a gentleman like you be so rough~"

What.

"But you like it this way, don't you?" He responded with a grunt. "You needy slut."

WHAT.

"Umfhff…" Her little sister let out a noise Jean had never heard before, which nearly stopped her heart. "You're–ah!–so mean~"

Jean couldn't believe her ears. Or rather, didn't want to believe what she was hearing. Were they… were they really— since when? How? Why? Barbara, her precious little sister was— with CRIMSON of all people?! Was this a nightmare? This couldn't be real. Jean refused to believe it.

She scooted a little closer, hoping that this was not what it looked like, but all she needed was a single quick peek to confirm her worst fears. Her sister bent over, exposing her privates and breasts and letting the monstrous dragon toy with her body as if it belonged to him.

I'm dreaming. She thought in despair. I have to be.

She was being sexually assaulted, wasn't she?! So this was what he tried to do all this time? That made so much sense! Yes, she knew it! This bastard was doing the unthinkable to Jean's pure sister! She didn't care how he'd respond. She had to save Barbara, no matter what.

"Am I wrong?" Crimson said with a smug tone, followed by a loud smack, which Jean could only imagine as him striking her rear. He'd pay for this a hundredfold. "You're the one who dragged me here to punish you, after all."

Jean stopped her charge.

"What…?" Jean whispered to herself.

That… couldn't be true. Her sister would never—

"I knoooowww. I'm a bad, bad priestess…" Barbara confirmed, shocking the acting grandmaster to the core. "But I just couldn't take it anymore. I… needed it…"

What the fuck was going on? Why did she confirm that?

"You needed what exactly?"

"D-don't make me say it…" The Deaconess of Mondstadt whined.

"Say it." He demanded with a growl that had Jean shuddering. "Or I'll walk away right now."

"N-no, don't!" Barbara begged. "I needed your huge cock! I can't live without it anymore! There, I said it!"

"Good girl." He praised

And all that could be heard after that exchange was her sister's loud moans, lewd begging, and sudden confessions.

This couldn't be happening. Jean was in some fucked up nightmare, wasn't she? In a literal sense, as well. Why Barbara? Why was she acting like this? She wasn't crying out for help or trying to fight back— she was fully into this.

"I love you!" She suddenly heard Barbara shout. "I love you so much!"

I need to leave. Jean thought, feeling a pit in her stomach as she slowly walked away.

She didn't know how to handle this. Jean expected something nefarious was happening behind the cathedral, not these two going at it like animals. To make matters worse, Barbara had initiated this. How? Why?

If it had been Crimson, then she'd have the excuse to jump in and stop him from sexually assaulting her. Sure, she'd lose terribly if things ended in a fight, but Jean would rather die than let anyone hurt Barbara. A Dragon, a god, a dragon god— it did not matter.

But it was the other way around. How could Barbara do this? Since when was she into these things? She'd never shown much interest in relationships or marriage, much less fucking in the open like this.

And to act so vulgar… her sweet little baby sister…

Jean needed time to process this.

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– Crimson –

"How are you so sure that this will work?" The librarian asks me, a warm cup of tea in her hand. "Doesn't it sound too easy? Jean isn't stupid."

"It sounds too easy because it is," I answer, munching on a cookie as I admire the view of the marketplace. "And it's not about intelligence, Lisa. It's all about how desperate she is. You should know this yourself."

Lisa says nothing in response but doesn't show me any negative reaction. I'll take a wild guess and assume that she has seen how much I could help Jean, even though I was the one who turned her into that in the first place.

But beyond helping her precious friend, she knows that as long as I'm not antagonized, I'll immensely benefit her kingdom and break her silly little curse. For as much of a backwater as Mondstadt is, I still like it and its people. The woman sitting in front of me is a prime example of this.

Forgoing her usual sorceress dress for a more casual outfit—a dark blue skirt with a white blouse, heels, and stockings. It's nothing extravagant, but I like it better this way. It's too early to wear highly expensive dresses or suits anyway. It's a simple afternoon hangout, after all.

"She'd latch on to anything that would help her rationalize the situation. Even if it doesn't make a lot of sense." I add, swallowing the treat. "If this was a game, and it is from my perspective, she would've lost before it even began."

"And yet you still need my help." She narrows her eyes.

"Need? Hmm, I wouldn't say 'need'. More like I want your help." I correct her. "As I've already established, I prefer her sane. You're here to ensure that."

"Have I ever told you that you're a scumbag?"

"Many times before."

"Good. Because you are." She huffs. "...And if she calls my bluff? What then?"

"She won't," I reply confidently. "Besides her hilarious desperation, she trusts you too much. Jean doesn't stand a chance. I've made sure of it."

Lisa catches the strange way I phrase it, looking at me suspiciously and with concern. Sharp as ever. Too bad that didn't help her before.

"...What did you do this time?"

"It's all coincidence, I can assure you," I say. "But she may or may not have seen me with Barbara just an hour ago."

"Why does that mean anything? She already knows you've interacted with—"

"We were fucking."

I never intended to do this with Barbara specifically— any of the knights I've already had sex with would've done the trick, really. Encountering the priestess as Jean left her office was pure dumb luck. It wasn't planned at all.

It worked wonderfully, though. Seeing how they're related and how Barbara loved being treated nearly broke the acting grandmaster. A quick look at her face as she walked back to her office told me that she was reevaluating everything about me.

It was so amusing that I might've laughed a little. That woman is in total despair, and I have barely done anything to warrant such a reaction. She either needs a long, uninterrupted nap or the dicking of a lifetime to be fixed. And I promise to give her both things, not in that particular order.

"Of course, you were." Lisa groans. "Can't you keep it in your pants for five minutes? And Barbara? Seriously?"

"Getting jealous, are we?"

Her face turns red at the accusation, which I find extremely amusing. She can't even hide it anymore. It doesn't help that I haven't laid a finger on her for more than a week at this point. I'm sure she's desperate.

"That's not the point." She says, not denying it. "Just explain to me how this will help us with Jean?"

"It's simple." I shrug. "I've put the idea into her head. She may not outright believe I'm here for women, but now, I've made it a possibility. It's your responsibility to ensure it becomes the only possibility."

"And how am I supposed to bring it up to her?"

"You don't," I tell her. "Get caught with me, and she'll do it herself. And when that happens… you know what you have to do."

I know they haven't been getting along very well recently. Lisa's body language whenever Jean is brought up in a conversation is enough to tell me everything, but I very much doubt that Jean would ever think that the librarian is also on my side.

"You're the worst," Lisa says. "Not only you're doing all of this, but you just can't help but be so smug about it."

"My apologies. Being smug is in my very blood." I snort. "It's a family trait, you could say."

"The fact that there's more of you out there is a cosmic sin." She replies scathingly, making me chuckle. "So then, are we done here?"

"Why? Are you busy?"

"If being busy means not having to be in your presence anymore, then yes. I'm very busy." Lisa responded by getting up from her chair.

"Oh, you can walk away if you want to. I only called you here because I was bored. I wouldn't have invited you to a cafe if it were serious." I shrug. "Though, I thought you wanted me to answer more of your questions. How many do you have left? Six? Eight? Let's say eight."

Lisa pauses to think about this for a few seconds before speaking.

"I'm working under the assumption that our first agreement is null and void, seeing how useless it is anyway." She whispers that last part. "...Can I still 'earn' more questions?"

"Of course. That's an entirely different deal." I confirm.

"Until when? After Jean is 'yours'?"

"Until you're satisfied," I correct her. "They're just questions, dear Lisa. You're not taking anything from me. I'm simply sharing my knowledge."

For a moment, Lisa doesn't say anything. I don't know what she's thinking right now, but I imagine she's trying to come up with a question that would give her a precise answer. Out of distrust, I'm sure. She probably thinks I'd try to provide vague or broad answers.

Though, I don't think that's necessary. After all, she can get as many questions as she wants. Our 'contract' was crystal clear, with no ulterior motives. Being cryptic with my answers serves me no purpose.

Unless I wanted to be annoying, but I like being nice sometimes.

"If you have nothing to do tonight, come to the library." She says.

"Oh?"

"You said Jean needs to catch me in the act." She explains. "And waiting for her to leave the office isn't very optimal."

Smart. It is quite impressive, as well. I can easily tell how much she's craving me at the moment, so to ignore her own needs for the sake of Jean, even for a mere few hours, means her willpower is still going strong.

Unfortunately, said willpower wavered when she accepted to work with me, which is really all I needed. Once Jean is mine, Lisa will quickly follow suit, and instead of regarding me with so much scorn she could burn down a village by glaring at it…

Let's say she won't need an incentive to bend over for me anymore.

"Ah, I see." I nod. "Alright, I'll be there. Wonderful excuse, by the way. Almost had me fooled."

"It's not a—" She stops herself from arguing and scoffs. "Whatever. I'm done humoring you."

Lisa turns around and gives me her back, but doesn't move, making me tilt my head curiously. I see her slightly trembling and clenching her fist, but for a while, she doesn't say anything, prompting me to speak first.

"What's wrong?" I ask. "Are you alright?"

Lisa turns her head to look at me hesitantly, and I see the anxious and almost fearful expression on her face before she decides to walk away wordlessly, leaving me confused. What was that? Was she having second thoughts? I suppose that's understandable. I can't fault her for hesitating. She's only human.

I'll admit, I wish she stayed here longer. She's a very fun person to be around.

But now that I have nothing else to do, I suppose I'll see what Diona is up to. I've done my research, so it's about time I figured out a plan that could work with her in mind. Plus, having one of her drinks right now sounds lovely.

As I'm about to get up, a certain blue-haired knight walks up to me, entering my field of vision before pointing her sword at me with a confident look.

…Or we can do this instead.

Yes, that sounds a lot more fun.

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– Lisa –

The fact that she'd kept her composure near that bastard at all was a miracle, so for him not to notice that there was something wrong with her sounded like a blessing.

She closed the door of her library behind her and sighed deeply. Admittedly, she didn't know if he'd noticed or not, but he acted too oblivious for it to be an act. However, he could also just not care. That was a big possibility, considering his extremely hedonistic personality.

And assuming he didn't know… what the hell was Lisa supposed to do about it? Should she say anything? Be quiet? How, in any universe, would randomly bringing up the fact that he'd gotten her pregnant be the right thing to do? Especially to someone as whimsical in nature as Crimson.

Responsible? Someone like him? What a joke.

Lisa knew something was wrong with her after she'd felt lethargic for days on end, constantly suffering from nausea and headaches like never before. At first, she'd chalked it off as simply feeling stress and nothing more, but this wasn't normal.

'Stress' didn't randomly siphon her magic, and neither did a regular pregnancy. But bearing the child of a dragon god? That was a different story. And this was no coincidence either— other signs of pregnancy were there as well.

At first, she hadn't quite understood what was going on. She couldn't be pregnant, right? It was too early to feel random cravings or morning sickness. The first time they'd ever had sex was, what, a week or so ago?

After feeling ill and unable to sleep for a whole night, Lisa had to get checked.

The results quickly confirmed her worst fears, and the last time she'd felt the world crashing down on her like this was when she got her lifespan cut in half.

She had to keep this a secret. Nobody must know about this. Not the other knights, not Jean, and certainly not Crimson. Otherwise… she didn't know what was going to happen. This really was a worst-case scenario for her.

What was the right move here? How was he going to react? Because if there was even a chance of him caring, then the first thing he'd do is probably run away, right? And if that happened, then Jean would eventually lose her mind trying to find him, and Lisa would be saddled with a child she'd never asked for.

But she also couldn't just get rid of it. There's always the chance that Crimson might actually care about his child, and Lisa was not going to piss him off by doing such a thing. She'd rather get him avoiding responsibility than ever take this risk.

Lisa sighed again, placing a hand on her stomach. It wasn't like she would do such a thing in the first place. The child was guiltless. It had not asked for this to happen. The best she could do for it is put it in an orphanage once it was born. She didn't think she was ready to take care of a normal human kid, much less a dragon god.

Perhaps she could tell Crimson about this after they were done with Jean's problems? Either he wouldn't care and would go on about his way, running as far away from them as possible, which was a net positive, all things considered, or actually cared enough to take care of it.

It certainly sounded like she was hoping for a miracle. Even if he cared, he'd be a very bad influence. Lisa would not forgive herself if she let him create another Crimson. What kind of woman would that make her?

…Maybe raising the child herself might not be so bad. Lisa would do her best to raise them well if she could prevent them from turning into their father, almost as if she were obligated to do so.

Regardless, it'd be fine if she hid it until Crimson left.

…Right?