"Emily, what are you doing here?!" Furina exclaimed, surprised to see the young woman.
"Lady Furina, we're roommates, after all! My bunk is over there," Emily said, pointing to the other side of the cell. She then ticked off reasons on her fingers. "'To help Lady Furina adjust to her new life in prison as quickly as possible, we need someone to guide her.' Hmm, that's what the Duke told me."
"So this was Wriothesley's arrangement!" Furina nodded smugly. "I knew they wouldn't just abandon me! After all, I'm the God of Justice of Fontaine!"
"Excellent, Emily! Now I'll get to eat your delicious homemade cakes every day!" The thought made her heart race, and she unconsciously swallowed hard, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Of course, Lady Furina!" Emily beamed. "Just provide Credit Coupons, and you'll have my freshly baked cakes daily!"
"Ha ha! Thank you in advance, Emily... Wait, Credit Coupons?" Furina froze, confused.
"Of course, Lady Furina!"
"You'll need Credit Coupons to eat anything!"
The girl leaned closer to Furina's ear and whispered, "Or are you, as the Hydro Archon, planning to dine and dash?"
"N-no! Just Credit Coupons, right?" Furina retorted, striking a confident pose with her hands on her hips, though her smile seemed a bit forced.
"As the Hydro Archon, earning a few measly Credit Coupons is child's play!" she declared. "Rest assured, I'd never freeload."
"Just tell me how many Coupons you need."
"Three hundred Credit Coupons per cake," the girl replied immediately.
"Oh, and Lady Furina," she added, "your morning's earnings were four hundred Credit Coupons. So if you want cake tonight, you'll have to work this afternoon too."
Furina: "..."
"Emily, is the cake price a bit steep?" Furina asked, her expression on the verge of tears.
"Not at all, Lady Furina! I charge five hundred Credit Coupons to everyone else. You're getting a special discount!"
"Oh, really? You're so kind, Emily."
Hearing the original price was five hundred Credit Coupons, Furina suddenly dared not negotiate further.
Five hundred Credit Coupons! Even half a day's work wouldn't earn her enough to buy a single slice of cake!
Thinking about it that way, three hundred Credit Coupons seemed almost a bargain...
"If Lady Furina finds it too expensive, there are always regular cakes to choose from!"
Furina burst into tears. After tasting that luminous cake, how could she possibly settle for anything else?
Suddenly, Furina couldn't help but wonder if the gift the girl had given her earlier wasn't a pre-planned trap to ensnare her.
But that cake was so delicious! Even knowing it was a trap, she wouldn't regret it for a moment!
"If Lady Furina wants to taste my handmade cakes, she'll have to work hard!"
The girl flashed Furina another captivating smile, but this time, Furina sensed a hint of mischief in it...
The next day, after receiving her unprocessed parts, Furina stood at her workstation, utterly bewildered.
By then, everyone else was already hard at work, while Furina's station remained idle.
Never had Furina felt so helpless. Her first instinct was to look for the girl, but she suddenly remembered that the girl had used her Credit Coupons to skip work that morning.
Why was the disparity between people so vast?
Furina silently shed tears, wishing she too could use Credit Coupons to skip work!
But if she did that, she wouldn't get to eat the cake the young woman had made by hand...
Faced with a choice between slacking off and cake, Furina naturally chose cake.
Without cake, her life would lose all meaning!
"Hey, what are you spacing out for? Get back to work!"
The supervisor, noticing Furina's lack of progress, strode over impatiently.
"I'm not 'hey'! I'm Furina!"
Furina glared at the supervisor, indignant at his disrespect toward the Hydro Archon, but he showed no signs of backing down.
"Duke Wriothesley has decreed that everyone entering the Fortress of Meropide is to be treated equally. No matter your former status, you're now just another ordinary prisoner under my command!"
"Get to work, or you can forget about getting your Credit Coupons for today!"
Hearing this, Furina's heart skipped a beat. She quickly retorted:
"Fine, I'll do it!"
"But if you don't give me my Credit Coupons, I'll report you to Wriothesley!"
As she spoke, Furina placed the machine parts onto the workbench.
"You remember what I explained earlier, right?"
"If not, I'll go over it again."
The supervisor was well aware of Furina's true identity, but his loyalty lay solely with Wriothesley. He treated her with cold indifference, strictly adhering to Wriothesley's directives.
Still, he patiently explained the machine's operation to her in detail one more time.
"What's this? It's actually quite simple!"
"Just as I thought, I can master this machine's operation effortlessly!"
"Come to think of it, this doesn't exactly seem like a skill worth bragging about..."
Gradually, Furina grasped the knack of it, becoming increasingly proficient.
Just as she was about to finish her work for the day in one go, the machine suddenly emitted a strange noise.
"W-what's wrong?"
Furina realized that no matter how hard she stomped on the pedal, the machine remained unresponsive, as if jammed. She immediately began reviewing the operating procedures in her mind.
"'If the machine breaks, fix it with your fists!' I think that's what it said!"
While thinking this, Furina swung her small fist and slammed it against the machine.
QWQ!
Furina hid her trembling little hand behind her back, biting her lip hard, and forced an impossibly strained smile. Tears welled up, but she swallowed them down.
To prevent others from suspecting her Hydro Archon identity, she couldn't afford to lose any more of her dignity!
Watching the machine resume its work, Furina feigned nonchalance and declared, "Fixed it with such ease! Truly, I am amazing!"
"Don't cry, Furina! It doesn't hurt at all!"
"Are you... are you alright? Should we go to the infirmary to get you checked out?"
The foreman, seeing Furina's distressed state, asked with genuine concern.
Yes, please! I desperately need to! Furina thought to herself, but what she actually said was:
"Heh, are you questioning whether I, the Hydro Archon, could be injured by something so trivial?"
Hearing this, the foreman suddenly remembered that the person before him was none other than their Hydro Archon.
"If you're fine, get back to work immediately!" he barked, before stomping off to patrol the other workstations.
Why are you shouting so loudly?!
The people of the Fortress of Meropide are so barbaric!
Just look at my fans—they speak to me so gently and respectfully!
Yet this lack of recognition as the Hydro Archon seemed to lift a burden from Furina's shoulders, leaving her feeling unexpectedly lighter.
Now she was just Prisoner Furina, not the Hydro Archon Focalors.
Furina resumed her unfinished work, her face radiating intense concentration.
Although the task of polishing parts was simple, her purpose in completing it wasn't to maintain her Hydro Archon status...
By noon, Furina wiped the sweat from her face, revealing a streak of pale skin across her dust-covered forehead.
Then, with immense satisfaction, she handed the finished part to the foreman.
"Hurry up and hand over the Credit Coupons!"
If I, Furina, put my mind to it, I can learn anything!
The foreman examined the clearly substandard part in his hand, then glanced at Furina, hesitating.
Ultimately, he deferred to her Hydro Archon status and reluctantly handed her four hundred Credit Coupons.
"It's your first day. I'll overlook the defects this time."
"But tomorrow, if there are still any substandard parts, I'll deduct Credit Coupons accordingly."
"Got it, got it!"
Clutching the Credit Coupons tightly in her hand, Furina felt an unprecedented sense of accomplishment surge through her.
Bursting with excitement, Furina raced back to the dormitory area, muttering to herself as she ran.
"Cake, cake..."
"Don't forget to collect your Relief Meal!"
The overseer called out before Furina ran too far, but she didn't respond, leaving him unsure if she had even heard him. Furina quickly returned to her new home. As soon as she stepped inside, a wave of hot, steamy air rushed out, carrying a faint floral scent.
"Lady Furina, you're back!" Furina's smile froze as she saw the young woman soaking in the bathtub, gently swirling a glass of red wine in her hand. Her aching limbs reminded her of the day's hardships, and tears welled up in her eyes, forcing her to swallow them back down.
"Y-yes, I am."
"I've earned enough Credit Coupons. I want to eat your cake."
"As expected of Lady Furina! You've adapted so quickly!"
The young woman drained her glass of wine in one gulp and rose from the tub, nonchalantly displaying her elegant figure before Furina.
But just as quickly, she draped a nearby towel around herself, covering those tantalizing regions.
"It seems Lady Furina has already gotten a basic sense of what the Fortress of Meropide is like."
"This place is nothing like the outside world. You can obtain almost anything you desire, but you'll need Credit Coupons to exchange for it."
"I'm going to bake a cake now. While you wait, Lady Furina, please take a good soak and clean yourself up. For hot water, simply activate the device next to the tub, and it will automatically refill with fresh, heated water."
As the girl's figure disappeared through the doorway, Furina turned to gaze at the pristine white bathtub, her heart suddenly fluttering with excitement.
Truthfully, the bathtubs in Furina's own home were many times larger than this one, yet at this moment, she felt a joy she had never experienced before.
The room wasn't particularly suited for bathing, but after a moment's hesitation, Furina brushed aside her reservations. Following the girl's instructions, she refreshed the water and luxuriated in the steaming depths.
The hot water quickly washed away much of her fatigue. Furina let out a soft, contented sigh, then flushed crimson, realizing she had lost her composure. She hurriedly ducked her head beneath the water.
It was at this moment that Furina finally saw her reflection in the clear water—she had completely transformed into a giant tabby cat.
The thought of appearing before passersby, before the young girl, in such a disheveled state made her face flush even deeper crimson.
Even without her Hydro Archon status, she was still a major celebrity. This was the first time in years she had ever been so careless about her appearance.
Oh no, she panicked, will people suspect my identity now? After all, how could the Hydro Archon ever appear before the public in such a disheveled state?
But Furina quickly reassured herself, realizing that few would likely recognize her in her current state.
She hastily washed her face thoroughly, then couldn't help but glance at the bottle of red wine resting nearby.
Soaking in a hot bath while sipping wine... what a perfect indulgence!
In the end, Furina couldn't resist reaching for the remaining wine.
A sneaky sip won't hurt, right? No one will notice!
After some time, Furina heard movement at the door and rushed to greet the visitor.
"Emily, you're back!"
Though Furina greeted the young woman, her eyes remained fixed on the lidded plate Emily carried. Her nose twitched slightly; she had already caught the irresistible aroma.
"You must have been waiting a long time. Come, taste it!"
Emily smiled radiantly as she placed the plate on the table. A quick glance at the wine bottle revealed it was noticeably emptier, deepening the smile on her face.
Hearing Emily's words, Furina could barely contain her impatience. She eagerly lifted the lid of the plate, and a dazzling light erupted from within.
"It's glowing again!"
Furina closed her eyes, realizing the last time hadn't been a fluke.
"A dish that doesn't glow isn't a good dish," Emily declared with a smile.
While Furina found it strange that the cake glowed, and only briefly at that, the delicious dessert before her left no room for pondering such mysteries. She immediately devoured it with gusto.
Furina's blissful moment was short-lived.
"So... so delicious!"
"Emily, how on earth did you make this cake so incredibly delicious?"
Furina licked her fork as she questioned the young woman.
"Of course, it's all thanks to the years of hard work I've put into perfecting my cake-making skills!" Emily replied.
Furina was deeply moved by Emily's words.
This young woman doesn't look that old, she thought. How much sweat must she have shed to achieve such perfection in her craft?
"Lady Furina is no less remarkable!" Emily continued. "Even as an Archon, you refrained from using your divine power to complete your morning tasks. I deeply admire that!"
A hint of embarrassment flashed across Furina's face, but she quickly regained her composure, crossed her arms dramatically, and declared:
"Naturally! After all, my role here is merely that of an ordinary prisoner!"
"Using divine power to complete my duties would be unfair to the other inmates, wouldn't it?"
"Lady Furina, you truly are a just and magnificent Archon!"
The girl showered Furina with lavish praise, making her feel quite puffed up.
"Well then, my Archon, it's time to settle the bill."
Furina's expression froze instantly. With visible reluctance, she pulled three hundred still-warm Credit Coupons from her pocket—hard-earned, no less!
"Here!"
Furina squeezed her eyes shut and thrust the coupons toward the girl.
But the girl didn't immediately take them. Instead, she smiled gently and said, "That's short."
"Short?" Furina asked, her voice tinged with confusion. "Didn't we agree earlier that a slice of cake costs three hundred Credit Coupons?"
"You—you can't go back on your word now!"
Hearing Furina's flustered words, the girl smiled again and replied calmly, "Hehe, Lady Furina, the cake is three hundred Credit Coupons."
"But you also need to pay for the red wine you drank—worth about a thousand Credit Coupons."
Upon hearing this, Furina froze.
"Let me calculate... Lady Furina, you probably only have about four hundred Credit Coupons on you right now. Even if you gave me all of them, you'd still owe me six hundred."
"And don't forget the cake tonight... Lady Furina, it seems you'll need to work harder."
Looking at the girl's beaming face, Furina felt like crying.