Chapter 285: What Are You, Yomite Hissha?

***

'Barbara desires that I instruct her? She lacks even the ability to fight... I doubt she would significantly improve,' Lisa contemplated internally as her face darkened significantly.

"I apologize, sweetheart. Unlike Jean, you have no talent. No talent in elements or magic. Lack of skill in swordplay. No true talent in anything really, and it's too late to start learning something from scratch; everything would depend on your desire to learn, but I have a feeling that you wouldn't make much progress even if you tried your very best." Lisa stated carelessly, without any consideration to her feelings.

"..."

"You're welcome to join us, but it won't make a difference. You're not gifted, devoid of talent. I regret, but there is not much for me to teach you, especially in the medical field." Lisa finished nonchalantly.

"...."

Barbara was silent.

It appeared that she had not anticipated such a direct denial when she requested to join them on their expedition.

"...Miss Lisa, I don't mind...I'll come anyway!" Finally, Barbara merely nodded with a gloomy expression.

She realized that getting on the wrong side of a person like Lisa wasn't worth the risk, so it made sense that she didn't get upset at her words and instead, left the library silently accepting everything that had been stated.

After she left, Yomite spoke up, "Why did you do that? Is there some kind of bad blood between you two? I am a bit mad on her behalf. Talent isn't everything, you know."

"Hmm...? Not at all, no. It's not a personal matter. The girl's self-loathing is palpable to everyone around her, except Jean. She might overcome it with a little prodding, but she hadn't shown any signs of doing so thus far. I do not believe she has what it takes to even slightly reach Jean and improve. She is stuck in her own shell of jealousy, which she won't ever come out from."

"Don't be like that. I think that Barbara could learn a lot from someone as great as you. She's bound to try hard if you teach her, and she seems quite the competitive type. Talent isn't an issue when substituted by hard work, you've seen the same thing with me, no? I don't really have a talent for anything, yet you've improved my abilities so much in such a short amount of time." Yomite spoke up for her now, appearing slightly perturbed by Lisa's earlier harsh tone.

"Very well then. We'll see. I will train you two individually, but if she makes no improvement in any way after five days, I'm cutting her loose...Got it?" With a shrug, she indicated that she was finished with the topic.

Yomite nodded swiftly before leaving the room with a "thanks" and a brief nod.

"Oh, one final point! If you are like this, be sure to bring as many people with you tomorrow as possible. The place we're going to will have a great amount of monsters, which means it'll be perfect for testing out your skills. So if you have anyone else who is determined to improve like Barbara, bring them along. We'll meet tomorrow morning at nine o'clock outside the gates of Mondstadt." Lisa instructed him in an almost commanding voice.

"Yeah, sure." He responded back shortly while heading for the exit.

His plan was to bring his entire party with him, but he would understand if some of them didn't wish to go with him and would decline.

'There is no use forcing anyone into it.'

Lisa yawned again and looked back down at her book as he left the library; a faint smile gradually developed on her lips.

"Chasing after knowledge makes one mad, I thought I understood this and abandoned everything from Sumeru, yet here I am still chasing my tail. Yomite Hissha. I wonder, are you a human or something else entirely? I've never seen anything like you before... I am interested in learning more about you throughout this vacation." She muttered quietly.

Her eyes seemed to deepen with the intensity of her gaze. A gaze of malevolence that came from deep within.

Under the purple glow of her electrified aura, the old books on the table before her appeared to move slightly. They began to migrate toward the center of the desk as if being pulled by invisible strings.

"Or are you a God, perhaps? A young deity from faraway lands, came here to look at us mortals and laugh at our petty struggles...? Perhaps he came here to see us for himself, to see what we are made of, and was compelled to assist us by his own curiosity?" Lisa continued speaking quietly to herself, seemingly engaged in whatever thoughts were in her mind.

Her expression stayed unchanged as her mind went through a plethora of questions, but it was clear that she had noticed that something was amiss with Yomite's presence in Mondstadt.

Since entering Mondstadt and rescuing people, no one had ever questioned his intentions or ambitions.

Not Jean, not Amber, not Kaeya.

Who exactly was he?

Who was the blonde who accompanied him?

Who was the white-haired flying fairy?

What was their objective?

Where did they originate from?

Why did no one else question these matters besides her?

And why were they surrounded by so many secrets?

"A mystery in disguise...a miracle born from curiosity," Lisa muttered in a whisper.

"The greatest mysteries are oftentimes the ones that cause you to doubt your own existence, even if only for a moment." She added thoughtfully before turning back to her book and closing her eyes once more.

"For the time being, I must resist the impulse to kidnap him, force him to drink the truth potion, and conduct research on him to determine what kind of entity he is...only for the time being..." She said almost casually and turned over another page of her book with ease.

"...He may genuinely be able to learn the truth of the world and alter it...or destroy it...either way, I cannot wait to see how he develops in the year or two that we will be away."