Coincidence?
Hidden beneath her black robes, Arlecchino was surprised. She had merely been scouting potential locations where Furina might pass by, yet she'd stumbled upon such a perfect opportunity on her very first attempt.
Since the last incident and the sudden surge of bizarre cases in Fontaine, Arlecchino had sensed that the day of the Prophecy's arrival might be drawing near.
Abandoning all subtle probing, she resolved to seize a moment alone with Furina and reveal her true feelings.
Now that opportunity had arrived. Though Arlecchino found the coincidence suspicious, she rose from the bench and strode toward Furina, gradually baring her fangs.
"Hehe, got you!"
"Come here, let me pet you before I let you go!"
Furina had finally caught the black cat. For some reason, she felt this particular cat was different from all others, captivating her from the first glance and filling her with an irresistible urge to pet it.
The black cat offered no resistance, allowing Furina's small hands to stroke its fur. Its beautiful eyes gazed intently at Furina, as if pleading, "Take me home!"
"Alright, little one. It seems we get along well. I..."
Suddenly, Furina felt a pang of dread, as if danger were closing in. Her body trembled involuntarily.
Seeing Furina's reaction, Arlecchino knew her cover had been blown. She immediately lunged forward, her right hand clenched into a claw aimed at Furina's chest.
"Meow!"
Clutching the cat in her arms, Furina whirled around in panic, coming face to face with Arlecchino just a few meters away.
Seeing the black cat in Furina's arms, a flicker of hesitation crossed Arlecchino's face. Before she could gather her thoughts, her target had already shifted.
Ultimately, Arlecchino's hand clamped down hard on Furina's shoulder, the force making Furina wince in pain.
Though her right hand had veered off course, the result remained largely unchanged. Arlecchino sensed that Furina carried no Gnosis whatsoever.
Not only was there no Gnosis, but Furina possessed no power at all—only the lingering aura of an Archon's curse.
This discovery sent a shockwave through Arlecchino's mind. She had considered the possibility that Furina had left the Gnosis within the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale, but she never imagined Furina would be utterly powerless, like an ordinary human.
"Who are you?!"
"Please, don't kill me!"
The oppressive aura emanating from her assailant felt as solid as steel. Furina, overwhelmed by the sudden terror, broke down into hysterical tears. The black cat, startled by the commotion, wriggled free from her arms and fled.
"There's some commotion over there!"
"Let's go check it out."
The commotion caused by Arlecchino drew the attention of others. Seeing this, Arlecchino released Furina's shoulder and straightened her black robe to conceal her true identity.
Finally, Arlecchino cast a deep, lingering look at Furina before her figure vanished swiftly into the night.
"Did someone encounter danger?"
By now, the Maison Gardiennage officers on patrol had arrived, calling out loudly.
Furina hastily adjusted her clothes and wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes. As the two officers approached, she planted her hands on her hips and declared in an exaggerated tone:
"Hurry over here! My black cat ran off. Help me find it!"
"It's Lady Furina!"
The officers' faces lit up with surprise upon seeing Furina. Then, puzzled, one asked, "Strange... I thought I heard someone calling for help just now?"
"Lady Furina, did you hear anyone else calling for help?"
Furina replied with feigned composure.
"Isn't it obvious? Besides myself and you two, is there a fourth person here?"
"Or do you think the cry for help came from me, the Regina of all waters, all directions, all peoples, and all laws?"
"Of course not!"
"Lady Furina, you jest! As the Hydro Archon, how could mere mortals possibly harm you, let alone make you cry for help?"
The two Maison Gardiennage officers dismissed their lingering doubts.
"We must have misheard," one of them muttered.
Seeing this, Furina inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to use the excuse of searching for her cat to dismiss them, a piercing scream suddenly rang out from afar.
"Someone's dead!"
Hearing the scream, Furina immediately rushed toward the source of the commotion. She quickly arrived at the scene: a man lying in a pool of blood, with a black cat pinned to the ground, still struggling.
Furina's pupils constricted slightly. She recognized the black cat—it was the same one she had seen earlier...
-
"Extra! Extra! Last night, Lady Furina, the Hydro Archon, was formally accused!"
"To personally uphold the fairness and impartiality of Fontaine Law, Lady Furina has directly responded to these accusations against her!"
"A grand Judgment concerning Lady Furina will be held at the Opera Epiclese three days from now, in the afternoon. For full details, purchase a copy of the newspaper..."
"Give me one!"
"Holy shit, they're really going all out! Quick, give me one too!"
"I'll take a hundred copies!"
"Hey! Maison Gardiennage? There's a scalper here—come arrest him immediately!"
News of the upcoming Judgment of the Hydro Archon Furina sent the populace into a frenzy.
They had initially believed the recent cases were the most entertaining they would ever witness, but the prospect of a trial against the Hydro Archon herself drew crowds from every corner of Fontaine to the Opera Epiclese district.
Though the Judgment was still days away, many had already pitched tents and spread out sleeping mats, eager to secure their places in the queue.
Yet the Opera Epiclese wasn't entirely idle in the days leading up to the Judgment; on the contrary, it presided over several cases daily.
The sheer number of people gathered had severely disrupted the normal proceedings of the Judgment.
To ensure their safety and maintain order, the Maison Gardiennage had to divert a significant portion of its officers. Yet even with recent recruitment efforts, their manpower was stretched thin, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of bizarre and complex cases.
Eventually, Neuvillette announced that the proceedings would be broadcast nationwide and that seating in the audience would be determined by a random lottery. Only then did the crowds finally disperse.
Meanwhile, Neuvillette arrived at Furina's drawing room. Seeing her small frame nearly swallowed by the plush sofa, he couldn't help but ask, "Lady Furina, is there anything you wish to tell me?"
Furina flinched slightly but quickly regained her composure. Spreading her hands in a gesture of explanation.
"No, nothing at all!"
"You're aware of everything, aren't you? The accident occurred because the black cat fled in fright after I startled it. This matter concerns me directly, and as the Hydro Archon, I have no intention of shirking my responsibilities."
Neuvillette calmly gazed into Furina's eyes, while Furina evasively shifted her gaze, making it clear to everyone that she was concealing something.
However, Furina clearly had no intention of revealing it.
"You and I both know the truth is far from what you've claimed. What really happened that night?"
"I heard from the Maison Gardiennage officers present that they seemed to have heard cries for help."
"Yet when questioned, you insisted you heard nothing at all."
Neuvillette paused before continuing.
"One officer might mishear, but for two officers to mishear simultaneously is highly improbable."
"Moreover, I learned from the kitchen staff that you didn't touch a single bite of the cake on your table that night."
"Even after all this, do you still intend to conceal the truth, Lady Furina?"
Faced with Neuvillette's interrogation, Furina remained stubbornly defiant.
"I've already told you—that's exactly what happened."
"I am the Hydro Archon Focalors. Do you truly doubt my word?"
"Lady Furina, I feel obligated to inform you in advance that based on the current evidence, the situation looks extremely unfavorable for you."
"I-I know that, of course," Furina stammered, clutching herself tightly—a posture revealing her deep-seated insecurity.
"It's alright, Neuvillette. Just deliver your usual Judgment."
"I do bear some responsibility for this matter."
"Even Archons are subject to Judgment when they err. Doesn't this only highlight Fontaine's justice and fairness even more?"
Having finally understood Furina's reluctance to reveal what happened that night, Neuvillette sighed softly before speaking.
"Very well, I understand."
Neuvillette rose to leave, but after only two steps, he abruptly stopped.
"Oh, by the way, Lady Furina," he said.
"Miss 'The Knave' from the Fatui has extended a tea party invitation to you, and asked me to relay the message."
Upon hearing Neuvillette's words, Furina suddenly trembled, her expression freezing into a mask of dread.
Furina desperately wanted to avoid Arlecchino, knowing the Fatui harbinger had discovered her true identity. Her heart pounded with fear.
Yet she dared not refuse the invitation, lest Arlecchino expose the truth of that fateful night to all of Fontaine.
"Th-th-then, Neuvillette, you're coming with me!"
Furina's small head spun rapidly, and she quickly devised a brilliant plan, looking expectantly at Neuvillette.
However, Neuvillette simply replied calmly, "No, I have much work to attend to afterward and cannot spare the time."
As Neuvillette turned to leave, Furina teleported in front of him, blocking his path.
"Absolutely not! You must come with me! I'm taking you with me, whether you like it or not!"
"Lady Furina, it seems you're rather... apprehensive about Miss Knave."
"Ah? Hahaha, how could that be?!"
"I'm the Hydro Archon Focalors! What could possibly frighten me?!" Furina said with forced laughter.
"Anyway, it's settled then! I'll come find you later!"
Without giving Neuvillette a chance to refuse, Furina darted away.
Seeing Furina's reaction, Neuvillette immediately suspected that whatever she was hiding was related to Arlecchino, though he couldn't determine the exact details.
After a moment's contemplation, Neuvillette also left the reception hall.
-
"What's going on? Is Furina really just an ordinary person?"
Lofan was genuinely surprised by his latest discovery. He had suspected it before, but confirming it left him utterly bewildered.
If Furina's claim to be the Hydro Archon was false, where was the true Hydro Archon now? And how could he explain the massive number of Points he had gained from her? An ordinary person couldn't possibly provide such a vast number of Points—a fact he had verified countless times.
But if Furina was the true Hydro Archon, where was her power stored?
The most suspicious place remained the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale. Perhaps Furina had entrusted both her power and the Gnosis to the Oratrice. After all, he knew that Furina herself had personally designed and built the device.
"Forget it. Overthinking this won't get me anywhere."
"Still, that Arlecchino woman is truly insane. How dare she ambush the Hydro Archon Furina?"
"This is quite interesting. I never expected to get so lucky and witness such a spectacle."
Lofan stroked his chin, his expression thoughtful.
"Now that Arlecchino knows this secret too, I wonder what she'll plan next."
"We'll stick to our original plan for now, hoping to uncover as much as possible about the Hydro Archon Furina and the secrets hidden by the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale."
"But before that, I need to finish my work. Time's running out."
Lofan got out of bed, freshened up, and hummed a tune as he headed out, warmly greeting the neighbors he passed.
"Good morning!"
"Morning. Heading to earn Concession Coupons too?"
"Of course. Let's team up."
Lofan and his fellow inmates walked arm-in-arm to the production area, where they began their morning's hard labor.
Afternoons were free time, and Lofan usually chose to relax in his room.
He went to bed precisely at 10 PM, doing twenty minutes of stretches beforehand and drinking a glass of warm milk before drifting off to sleep, waking up refreshed and energized the next morning.
For the record, he didn't have a hand fetish.
This was just another simple, unadorned day for Lofan in the Fortress of Meropide!
Originally, Lofan had planned to do a final check of all the arrangements to ensure everything was in order. But as soon as his consciousness arrived at the Fortress of Meropide, he found himself reluctant to leave.
He worked for half the morning, spending the rest of the time relaxing.
In fact, if he was feeling particularly lazy, he could even skip work entirely. There were daily relief meals available, so he wouldn't starve.
Everything had started anew, with Concession Coupons replacing Mora as the currency for transactions.
Good heavens, this isn't a prison at all! This is paradise!
Lofan even entertained the idea of sending all of Fontaine here to experience this paradise.
He held Warden Wriothesley of the Fortress of Meropide in the highest regard. No wonder the man had been granted the title of Duke at such a young age.
Of course, Lofan remained cautious, suspecting that Wriothesley might interfere with his upcoming plans.
But this only made him more excited. Now this is getting interesting!