Lyney's strange behavior quickly caught the attention of Lynette and Navia. When they realized what was happening, they fell silent.
"What's wrong with you two?"
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
"Are you worried I'll go back on my word?"
"Don't worry. You're both my saviors. You saved my life, so I'll definitely tell you everything I know."
"Speaking of which, why do I feel so... empty?"
As the person spoke, they lowered their head to look down at their body. Lyney immediately tried to stop them.
"Wait, wait a minute!"
But it was too late. Lyney saw the person's pupils contract slightly, followed by an expression of utter terror and despair. Finally, they let out a bloodcurdling scream.
Seeing the person's reaction, Lyney felt utterly helpless. He had just given them such a firm assurance, yet disaster had still struck.
But why? How did the murderer do this?
However, there was no time for Lyney to dwell on these questions. In the brief moment he was distracted, the person suddenly grabbed his hands tightly, their expression etched in his memory forever.
"Liar!"
"You promised I'd be saved!"
"You liar!"
Lyney's throat went dry. He didn't know how to comfort the distraught young girl before him.
Seeing this, Lynette stepped forward and said, "Madam, please calm down."
"Calm down? How can you ask me to calm down?!"
"I'm about to turn into water! And you're telling me to calm down in this situation?!"
"How can someone speak such cold words?!"
"You—you, and all of you—are liars!"
Lofan's words pierced Lyney's chest like sharp daggers. He had thought that after that day, nothing but his siblings' well-being could move him. It seemed he had overestimated himself; his heart wasn't as cold as he believed.
Seeing Lyney stunned and unresponsive, Navia quickly stepped forward to console him.
But just then, Lofan cried out, "AAHG!" and split in two. His upper body clung tightly to Lyney's hands as both halves began dissolving simultaneously, sending a violent shock through the trio.
"I'm sorry, madam. I truly did everything I could..."
Lyney said, his voice tinged with bitterness as he met her resentful gaze.
"It's presumptuous, I know, but I still hope you can tell us something about the murderer—especially their methods. Only then can we help others who share your fate avoid the same tragedy..."
Lyney pressed his case, but Lofan, determined to keep them from interfering prematurely, refused to reveal information they weren't meant to know.
"I hate you all!" Lofan roared. "You give me false hope when you can't do anything! You gave me hope only to personally shove me into hell! You're the real demons!"
With this final roar, Lofan dissolved completely into water, vanishing with effortless grace.
Job done. Time to clock out!
Lofan strolled off, satisfied, leaving the three standing rooted to the spot. His soul-searing words still echoed in their ears until Charlotte's arrival jolted them back to reality.
"What's going on here...?"
Charlotte noticed their strange expressions and then saw the large puddle on the ground. Her pupils constricted sharply.
Could we still not save her? Charlotte thought, feeling a wave of discouragement.
They had prepared so thoroughly this time, yet their efforts had been in vain.
At that moment, Lyney took a deep breath and said, "Though the murderer outsmarted us again, this investigation wasn't entirely fruitless."
"Charlotte, the device you were monitoring shouldn't have consumed much energy, right?"
Charlotte nodded in response to Lyney's question.
"Then it's highly likely the murderer didn't use some long-range method to turn the victim's body into water."
"Consider this: we secretly moved the victim here, a move the murderer couldn't have anticipated. Yet the victim's death still aligned with the expected timeline. This suggests the murderer had likely tampered with the victim's body beforehand."
Navia nodded thoughtfully after hearing Lyney's deduction, then added, "What you're saying makes sense, Lyney, but we have no way to verify this theory."
Lyney nodded in agreement. He knew Navia was right.
To determine what had been done to the victims' bodies, an autopsy would be necessary. However, the victims' bodies ultimately dissolved into pools of water, making examination impossible.
Unless an examination could be conducted before the victims met their fate.
The four present still held certain moral boundaries and were unwilling to attempt such a thing.
At this point, the case seemed unsolvable.
If the murderer had meticulously planned everything before sending the crime announcement, they would never expose themselves to the victims. This meant they couldn't extract any specific information from the victims themselves.
Unable to uncover the underlying cause, they could only watch helplessly as the victims died one by one, their hands tied.
The realization weighed heavily on the four.
"At least we know the murderer's targets and the common thread connecting the victims," Lyney said, forcing a faint smile to lighten the mood.
"Monsieur Grett also mentioned earlier that the physical body seems to be a constraint on their souls' return to their Homeland, which is why many choose to end their own lives."
"Monsieur Grett used this to give meaning to everyone's deaths."
Upon hearing the name "Grett," a wistful expression crossed Navia's face as she tightly gripped the faintly warm Pyro Element Vision in her right hand, her heart overflowing with longing.
I'm sorry, Teacher. I broke my promise.
I swore I would find you after clearing my father's name, but I can't stand by and let Fontaine's order be so brutally shattered.
Just give me a little more time...
"I suspect the core members of the organization behind Vacher are also composed of people who have recovered their past memories."
"The reason this organization has remained so deeply hidden—we've barely heard any news about them before—is likely due to their special communication methods."
Hearing Lyney's deduction, the other three nodded in agreement. Based on the current clues, this reasoning seemed highly plausible.
"Although I don't know how they confirm each other's identities, if my reasoning is correct, then the organization's goal is likely to purge all those who refuse to voluntarily return to the 'Homeland.' At least, that's what it seems to be based on what we know so far."
"Whether the victims have resigned themselves to their fate or not, they have all concealed the secret of remembering the past while maintaining their normal lives."
"It seems this group isn't harmonious internally, which is why Fontaine is experiencing such a surge in cases."
"Currently, the target is only young girls because this unknown faction needs to pressure the Fontaine authorities."
"If we don't act quickly, I'm certain they'll expand their targets to more people!"
After hearing Lyney's words, the expressions on everyone's faces turned grim.
The cases of missing young girls had already surpassed a thousand. If that terrifying force were to expand its targets to other groups, how many more lives would be lost?
The mere thought of it sent a chill through their hearts.
"Although Monsieur Grett claims these victims aren't truly dead..."
"This faction's actions have undeniably shaken Fontaine's foundations and constitute outright criminal behavior."
"We must stop them before the situation spirals completely out of control."
Lyney voiced his thoughts, though he kept one thing to himself: he increasingly suspected this affair was connected to Fontaine's Prophecy.
"Lyney's right. Leave the investigation to me from now on," Charlotte said, glancing between Lyney, Lynette, and Navia.
"I've just had a brilliant idea!"
"Since these people are hiding among the masses, finding our targets will be incredibly difficult."
"But what if we simply make them come to us?"
Charlotte then outlined her plan: publish an article in The Steam Bird newspaper, subtly revealing some of their current findings. This would lure those who remembered the past to come forward voluntarily.
Navia nodded in approval but cautioned, "While this method is worth trying, it could put everyone at The Steam Bird at risk. After all, we don't know if this group would dare attack them once they realize how much we've uncovered."
"The possibility is quite high, considering they tried to eliminate Vacher and, after failing, attacked the Maison Gardiennage Headquarters, causing multiple deaths."
"Then let the Fatui handle it," Lyney quickly interjected, hearing Navia's concerns.
"Most of our Fatui soldiers are elite warriors, so we don't need to worry about attacks from that organization."
"From what we've seen so far, their methods probably can't be used on just anyone. Otherwise, they would have targeted Navia directly."
"As long as their tactics aren't completely unpredictable and impossible to defend against, the Fatui fears no threat of this magnitude."
Navia studied Lyney, pondering for a moment before agreeing to his proposal.
She had originally planned to propose using the Spina di Rosula for this task, but the Fatui, with their vast network spanning the seven nations, were undoubtedly the better choice.
With the plan settled, the group immediately began preparations.
Soon, Lyney and Lynette leaked the information through the Fatui's intelligence network.
Charlotte did her best to communicate with subsequent victims, but these later victims were far more guarded and refused to share even the slightest clue.
Meanwhile, Navia led the Spina di Rosula in scouring Poisson and its surrounding areas for any traces the perpetrators might have left behind before their transactions.
-
Meanwhile, at Palais Mermonia, Neuvillette was conducting his own investigation through his channels, yet his findings were even less fruitful than those of the four individuals in Poisson.
As the number of victims rapidly increased, a sporadic drizzle began to fall from the sky.
At this very moment, a Fontaine newspaper suddenly published a comprehensive exposé on the true and false Clorindes, complete with photos captioned "Furina—In Tears," "Furina—Spitting Out Tea," and "Furina—Making a Face." Fontaine erupted in uproar.
Originally, the Fontaine authorities had suppressed information about the incident due to its severe impact on Furina's dignity. They never expected a newspaper to uncover the truth and dare to publish it.
Furina, who had barely managed to regain her composure, immediately flew into a rage and ordered the Court of Justice to conduct a thorough investigation of the newspaper.
However, when the Court of Justice officers arrived at the newspaper's office, they discovered it was a small, obscure publication.
Besides the editor-in-chief, there were only two reporters and a puddle of water on the floor.
The three individuals vehemently denied any involvement, but the officers couldn't ignore the suspicious liquid. Following procedure, they took all three into custody.
The good news was that the investigation later confirmed their innocence in this particular matter.
The bad news was that the investigation revealed they had been fabricating propaganda about Neuvillette. As a result, they faced three years of imprisonment at the Fortress of Meropide...
"This is outrageous!"
Furina glared at the newspaper clippings spread across the table, photos of herself that made her teeth grind in fury.
These images had completely shattered any hope of restoring her dignity. From now on, the public's perception of her would inevitably shift from the revered and beloved Hydro Archon to a laughable comedic figure.
The mere thought of being reduced to a mere mascot for the masses sent tremors through her body.
"Aaaaaah! You detestable scoundrel! I, Furina, will bring you to Judgment!"
"This must be a nightmare! A nightmare!"
Furina curled up on the sofa, clutching her head, desperately trying to escape reality. But reality, ever cruel, was about to deliver two more crushing blows while she lay broken at rock bottom.
"Lady Furina! Disaster strikes!"
A Maison Gardiennage officer knocked on Furina's door. Upon receiving permission, he entered the room, standing thirty meters away as he shouted his report.
"Everyone now knows your feelings for Miss Clorinde!"
Furina: "???"
Seeing Furina's bewildered expression, the officer produced a conch shell recorder and began playing the message to clarify the situation immediately.
"Clorinde, I've always loved you dearly! Please, don't die!"
The familiar voice, choked with sobs, struck Furina like a physical blow, her head ringing. Yet the Maison Gardiennage officer persisted, twisting the knife.
"These recordings have appeared all over Fontaine's streets, Lady Furina! Now everyone knows how you feel about Miss Clorinde!"
Furina's body jolted violently at the news, the light draining from her eyes.