<h4>Chapter 123: Viin Simtor, Ch 122</h4>


    "How''s everything looking, Oz?" Midnight Fischl sat up, gracefully brushing a strand of golden hair behind her ear. "How are those intruders doing?"


    "They appear to be preparing to enter the castle," Oz replied, bowing his head. "Everything is proceeding ording to n."


    "Oz..." Midnight Fischl narrowed her eyes. "You''re not still loyal to that other one, are you?"


    "You needn''t worry," Oz responded evenly. "I serve only one master, the true ruler of the Immernachtreich, Prinzessin der Verurteilung."


    "Exactly! <i>I</i> am the true Prinzessin der Verurteilung!" A self-satisfied smile appeared on Midnight Fischl''s face. "From this point forward, with the Lord of the Undead by my side, I shall restore the Immernachtreich to its former glory!"


    ---


    Two hourster...


    "I am the sovereign of the Immernachtreich, Prinzessin der Verurteilung!" Klee struck a dramatic pose, her expression serious as she intoned, "I shall cast judgment upon all sins in this realm and pierce through all hidden truths!"


    "Hmph, that''s... adequate, I suppose," Fischl rubbed her chin, as if evaluating Klee''s performance. "I''ll let it pass for now."


    "Yay!" Klee cheered, immediately switching to a proud expression. "The... um, this princess requires no approval from the likes of you!"


    "Klee..." Lucas couldn''t help but chuckle as he ced a hand on her shoulder, leaning down to whisper, "Maybe don''t get <i>too</i> into it."


    "I am not Klee! I am Prinzessin der Verurteilung!" Klee pounded her chest, her little face puffed with pride. "Sir... please mind your manners!"


    Watching his "daughter" gradually take on Fischl''s persona, Lucas felt a pang of mixed emotions.


    Who could have guessed that Klee would take to this so well? She wasn''t just "adequate"—she was on her way to outdoing even Fischl.


    Just then, Lucas felt a tug on his sleeve and looked down to see Fischl in Klee''s body, lightly pulling at his shirt with a resigned look in her eyes. "Hold... hold me, please. But don''t get the wrong idea—this is just part of the arrangement with Klee."


    Lucas couldn''t hold back a wry smile as he lifted Fischl into his arms. Though she appeared as Klee, the slight frown on her face gave her real identity away.


    Yet, knowing it was Fischl''s soul inside Klee''s body brought an unexpected feeling to the moment.


    "Don''t... don''t look at me like that!" Fischl muttered, ncing away. "It''s not as if... you''re anything more than a mere retainer."


    "That''s not true!" Klee stood with her hands on her hips, scolding Fischl. "You have to call him ''Daddy!''"


    "Huh?" Fischl blinked, surprised. "You want me to call him Daddy?"


    "Since I''ve fulfilled my role as Fischl, you should act just like me, too!" Klee nodded with all the seriousness of a princess. "Isn''t the Prinzessin der Verurteilung supposed to honor her word?"


    "Actually, it''s really not necessary..." Lucas interjected quickly. "It''s just a title, after all."


    "No, Klee''s right." To everyone''s surprise, Fischl shook her head, her gaze focused on Lucas as her cheeks flushed. "D-daddy..."


    The shame! The utter disgrace!


    To call another man "Daddy"—for the Prinzessin der Verurteilung, this was a humiliation that could go down in history.


    Though Fischl currently wore Klee''s face, the mental image in Lucas''s head was Fischl herself calling him "Daddy."


    Just then, Jean and Barbara returned from their scouting.


    Since they had already finished a turn in the game, Barbara had reverted to her usual size.


    "We checked the surrounding area," Jean reported, her tone serious. "There''s only one entrance—through the main gate."


    "Thanks for the hard work." Klee raised an eyebrow and, imitating Fischl''s haughty tone, said, "Excellent work, my loyal knight and priestess. Rest assured, rewards shall be bestowed upon you in due time!"


    Barbara nced between the "Fischl" in Lucas''s arms and the "Klee" exhibiting maximum chuunibyou energy. "Have Fischl and Klee... switched back already?"


    "No, quite a bit happened while you two were gone," Lucas sighed. "Let''s move on with the game, then."


    "It''s my turn!" Barbara reached for the dice, but before she could roll, a message floated down from above.


    [Proceed into the castle to continue the game.]


    "Another rule change?" Jean looked thoughtful. "What does everyone think?"


    "In this situation, we don''t have much choice but to press forward." Lucas rubbed his chin. "That other Fischl has definitely set up some traps for us."


    Fischl opened her mouth to respond, but Klee was already standing at the castle entrance, pointing to the massive door with one hand on her hip. "Immernachtreich! The princess is here to reim you!"


    Evidently, Lucas had underestimated how deeply children could immerse themselves in role-y.


    What little girl hasn''t dreamed of being a magical princess at some point?


    In fact, this whole identity swap with Fischl seemed to have awakened something new in Klee.


    Please, Klee, Lucas thought to himself, <i>don''t grow up to be a strange kid</i>... If Alice finds out about this, she''ll probably tear me to pieces and feed me to the Hilichurls.


    ---


    Meanwhile, in the castle''s high tower, Midnight Fischl observed the scene at the castle gate through an ornate spyss.


    "Oh-hoho! So, little Amy, you actually dared toe inside?" Midnight Fischl lowered the ss, her face twisted into a sneering smile. "Fine, then. Once you''re in, I have a few delightful surprises in store for you."


    Without further dy, Lucas and the others passed through the castle gates. As they stepped into the grand hall, they immediately noticed a massive oil painting disyed above the staircase.


    The painting depicted Midnight Fischl seated on a grand chair, wearing an borate gown. In contrast to the original Fischl, her eye color was different, making it easy to distinguish their identities.


    Behind Midnight Fischl stood a tall, silver-haired man dressed in ck, his hand resting on her shoulder in an intimate manner.


    "What a narcissist..." Fischl muttered with a frown. "The real Prinzessin der Verurteilung would <i>never</i> unt herself like that!"


    Herment prompted the others to shake their heads—considering Fischl''s usual personality, her counterpart was, if anything, the subtler of the two.


    "Wait, everyone, look at that man..."


    Klee''s eyes went wide with surprise. "He looks just like Daddy!"


    The others now turned their attention to the man in the painting.


    "There is a resemnce," Barbara squinted, studying the figure. "Though he''s, uh... a bit more handsome than Lucas."


    "Barbara!" Jean scolded, with a serious expression. "You shouldn''t say such things!"


    Lucas felt a swell of appreciation—Jean, with her high emotional intelligence, always knew how to say the right thing.


    But then Jean continued, "It''s wrong to lie, especially when it''s <i>a lot</i> more handsome."


    Thanks, Jean.


    "Don''t worry, Daddy!" Klee chimed in, patting Lucas reassuringly. "To the princess, you''re still the most handsome of all!"


    Hey, wait, whose role are you ying?


    "That man is likely just a figment of her imagination," Fischl said, seeming to understand his identity instantly. "I know her better than anyone else, after all."


    "It looks like we can roll the dice again." Barbara lifted the dice in her hand. "Is everyone ready?"


    With a nod from the others, Barbara tossed the dice.


    Four and five. Nine spaces.


    [The adventurers entered the castle, unaware of impending danger. The ground shook suddenly, and hidden creatures reached out with monstrous ws!]


    "Well, that certainly rhymed..."


    But before Lucas could finish his sentence, the ground began to tremble violently, just as the message had warned. A portion of the floor copsed, revealing a massive pool beneath.


    From the murky depths, a colossal octopus-like creature surfaced, its thick tentacles iling toward the group.


    Before anyone could react, each of them found themselves ensnared by the creature''s slimy limbs.


    "Ew... disgusting!" Barbara squirmed as the creature''s sticky tentacles squished against her, an ufortable grimace on her face. "What should we do?"


    "Barbara, don''t worry!" Jean, despite being trapped as well, spoke up to reassure her. "I''ll protect you!"


    But the creature''s tentacles were incredibly strong. Even with Jean''s full strength, she couldn''t break free. The tentacle wrapped around her body, binding her tightly with surprising force.


    Though it was a dangerous situation, Lucas couldn''t help but nce over at Jean, thinking how many men in Mondstadt would envy him for witnessing such a scene. This was like something straight out of, well... a certain kind of story.


    Still, it was hardly the time for sightseeing.


    "Barbara, try wrapping the tentacles with your Hydro element!" Lucas suggested. "Hurry!"


    Though puzzled, Barbara immediately summoned a wave of water that enveloped both her body and the creature''s tentacle.


    At that moment, a twenty-sided die appeared in front of Barbara, rolling to reveal a result of 12.


    [Dice Roll Result: 12]


    [Check Result: Sess]


    [The tentacle loses strength from absorbing too much water.]


    The tentacle surrounding her ckened and eventually released Barbara, who fell to the floor, drenched and covered in a slimy film.


    The octopus, as a sea creature, couldn''t handle the freshwater effects on its tentacles due to osmotic pressure. Lucas''s theory was spot-on; in a game, there''s always a way to seed, and this test seemed to focus on their elemental control.


    "Everyone, try using your own elemental powers!" Lucas gripped his tentacle and prepared to freeze it using Cryo energy.


    Just like Barbara, a twenty-sided die appeared before him.


    [Dice Roll Result: 9]


    [Check Result: Sess]


    [The tentacle shatters from the cold.]


    As expected, the icy energy from Lucas''s hand froze the tentacle around him, causing it to break apart.


    "I see!" Jean eximed, catching on quickly. "Winds! Slice it to pieces!"


    [Dice Roll Result: 14]


    [Check Result: Sess]


    [The tentacle is sliced into pieces by wind des.]


    A whirlwind of sharp wind des surrounded Jean, swiftly severing the tentacle holding her into sashimi-sized pieces.


    "These tentacles pose no threat to the Prinzessin der Verurteilung!" Dered Klee in character as she tried to summon fire. "Endless mes of the abyss, burn them to ash... huh?"


    But to her confusion, Klee couldn''t summon any mes at all.


    "Oh no!" Lucas called out, realizing the issue. "You''re still in Fischl''s body!"


    "Oh, right!" Klee finally remembered that with her new body, she didn''t have ess to Pyro energy. But she had no idea how to use Electro instead.


    The dice didn''t give Klee any time to learn.


    [Dice Roll Result: 3]


    [Check Result: Failure]


    [Dragged into the bottomless abyss!]


    "Waaah!!"


    Klee was suddenly yanked forcefully by the tentacle, which pulled her straight into the water.


    "<i>My body!</i>"


    Seeing her own body dragged under, Fischl''s panic surged, and sparks of Pyro energy flickered around her small frame.


    [Dice Roll Result: 20]


    [Check Result: Critical Sess]


    [Intense mes incinerate the octopus into ashes.]


    mes erupted from Fischl''s body, scorching the giant octopus to a crisp, filling the air with the scent of grilled seafood.


    But even with the octopus defeated, Klee, already pulled under, still hadn''t resurfaced.


    "Hurry! We have to save her!" Without thinking, Fischl moved to jump into the water, but Lucas caught her in midair, holding her tightly.


    "Don''t be reckless!" Lucas said, trying to keep her calm. "Klee is probably fine."


    "How could she be?" Fischl''s voice trembled with worry. "What if she drowns? Isn''t she... your daughter?"


    "Take a good look," Lucas raised his voice slightly to snap her out of her panic. "This game world is built from Klee''s imagination. If she were really in danger, this world would have copsed already. And look—her game piece is still on the board. That means she''s safe."


    "You see?" Barbara pointed at the pool, where the water had somehowpletely disappeared. Everyone peered inside to find it was little more than a shallow basin, barely a meter deep. Insidey only the charred remains of octopus tentacles—no sign of Klee, now in Fischl''s form.


    Everyone let out a sigh of relief, especially Jean.


    Though Klee called Lucas "Daddy," Jean was Klee''s official guardian. If anything were to happen to Klee, who knows what Alice would do—destroying half of Mondstadt wouldn''t be out of the question.


    "But then... where could she be?"


    Fischl had a sudden realization. "I get it! That impostor must have taken her! They might''ve mistaken Klee for me!"


    "B-but wouldn''t they be able to tell?" Barbara wondered, looking doubtful. "Even if they swapped bodies, there are still... obvious differences."


    "I... certainly hope so," Fischl replied, looking slightly embarrassed.


    For now, she could only hope that Midnight Fischl was sharp enough to realize she''d taken the wrong Fischl.


    "That actually puts me at ease," Lucas said with a nod. "Midnight Fischl would never harm Klee."


    "How can you be so sure?" Fischl asked, suspicious. "Do you know her that well?"


    "It''s simple. Midnight Fischl is a product of your imagination. If Fischl were to die, she would also cease to exist," Lucas reasoned. "I suspect her goal is to make you, Fischl, fully ept your ''ordinary'' self. Then, she can be the true Prinzessin der Verurteilung."


    "That makes sense!" Fischl clenched her fists, eyes determined. "I''m not giving up on anything—not on the Immernachtreich, not on the Prinzessin, and certainly not on Oz!"


    "There''s something I''ve been meaning to ask you," Lucas said as if he''d suddenly remembered. "The Oz beside Midnight Fischl—are you sure that''s really <i>your</i> Oz?"


    Midnight Fischl was born purely out of Fischl''s imagination. Before Fischl entered the board, Midnight Fischl hadn''t even existed. So how did Oze to be in this world?


    "Of course he is!" Fischl nodded firmly. "I can feel a connection between us!"


    "If you want the truth, we''ll just have to keep ying," Jean said, wiping off the sticky residue left by the octopus tentacles with a grimace. "But first, is there any way to clean ourselves up a little?"


    "Yes, please!" Barbara agreed, equally repulsed. "We''re never going to get anywhere like this!"


    Indeed, the four of them were covered in sticky slime from their recent encounter with the octopus. Barbara, especially, was drenched, her clothes clinging tightly to her body in a rather undignified fashion.


    "That''s easy," Lucas suggested, pointing to the empty basin. "Barbara can fill it with Hydro, then Fischl can heat it up with Pyro. We''ll have ourselves a makeshift bath."


    "Good idea!" Jean nodded. "We can wash our clothes too, then I can use Anemo to dry them quickly."


    "It shouldn''t be too difficult, but..." Barbara shot Lucas a sidelong nce. "There''s nothing to block the view here. It''s not like we can just bathe with him watching."


    "But I''m filthy too..." Lucas tugged at his sticky cor. "How about I just turn my back and keep my eyes closed?"


    "Good point!" Fischl chimed in. "It''s not like he hasn''t been teased by E before."


    "That was ages ago!" Lucas sighed. "How long are you going to hold that over me? Besides, even if you were back in your own body, there wouldn''t be much to see."


    "You—!" Fischl was left speechless with rage, though ncing at Jean and Barbara, she had to admit they were both, admittedly, a bit more... endowed.


    Especially Jean, whose figure was a top contender on Mondstadt''s "Most Desired" list in <i>Mondstadt Adventurers Weekly.</i> Incidentally, the Knights'' Lisa, E, and Sister Rosaria from the Church were also frequently featured in the rankings.


    "Barbara, this isn''t the time to be worrying about such things," Jean said with utmost seriousness. "I trust Lucas."


    "Captain Jean..." Lucas''s heart swelled with gratitude.


    "But to safeguard my sister''s modesty..." Jean said, suddenly producing a strip of cloth and wrapping it over Lucas''s eyes. "I''m afraid we''ll have to take some precautions."


    Poor Jean had no idea that Barbara''s innocence had long since beenpromised by the very man before her.


    ---


    While the group busied themselves with their impromptu bath, things were taking a different turn in Midnight Fischl''s pce.


    "Cough, cough!"


    Klee blinked her eyes open, slightly disoriented, only to find herself lying on an oversized, luxurious bed.


    "Oh, you''re finally awake."


    Midnight Fischl, with her signature golden hair and piercing pink eyes, sat in front of Klee, a cold smile on her lips. "I can''t believe how easy it was to capture you. I expected more of a challenge."


    "You''re... the other Fischl..." Klee started, but then quickly remembered Fischl''s instructions—<i>"Whatever happens, stay in character as the Prinzessin."</i>


    With that in mind, Klee sprang from the bed, striking the dramatic pose Fischl had painstakingly taught her, and proimed with utmost seriousness, "I am the true Prinzessin der Verurteilung, Fischl! You are nothing but an impostor!"


    "Hmph. You are merely my shadow," Midnight Fischl sneered. "To create such a grand fantasy and then be crushed beneath its weight... To me, you''re nothing but a coward hiding from reality."


    The words were carefully chosen, intended to pierce the heart of the real Fischl. Midnight Fischl was certain they''d deal a severe blow.


    Unfortunately, her n was lost on Klee. Unfazed, Klee nodded cheerfully and even boasted, "Yep, that''s exactly what I am!"