"Neuvillette, you've come at the perfect time."
"There's something I want you to see."
Wriothesley's expression was urgent as he led Neuvillette through layers of massive iron gates, finally arriving at a chamber dominated by a single, colossal water valve.
"Recently," Wriothesley explained, "I've noticed anomalies in the seawater around the Fortress of Meropide. After investigation, we discovered that the concentration of Primordial Sea Water in the seawater is steadily increasing. The indicator on this valve has also been rising continuously. I suspect there's a connection between these phenomena."
Upon hearing Wriothesley's words, Neuvillette immediately sensed the gravity of the situation.
If Wriothesley's suspicions were true, this could very well be a precursor to the Prophecy, and this very location might be the place where the Primordial Sea Water was suppressed.
"Although the indicator is still some distance from reaching its maximum, we must begin planning immediately," Wriothesley said, his expression grave. The construction of the Ark Wingalet was only halfway complete, yet the final moments of the Prophecy seemed imminent. Could he possibly finish it in time?
"I've already ordered the surrounding sea areas to be sealed off to prevent unsuspecting people from stumbling into danger."
"I'd like to hear your thoughts on this, Neuvillette," Wriothesley added, turning to him.
After a long moment of silence, Neuvillette slowly replied, "Does the girl named Emily know about this place?"
"I'm not sure about that," Wriothesley replied, shaking his head.
"As you know, I've lost my senses, and there are few people I can truly trust anymore."
"That's why I haven't stationed anyone else here. It minimizes the risk."
"But to be frank, I believe her true target is the Hydro Archon Focalors. While Monsieur Tartaglia proposed the battle with the Fatui Harbinger, Emily's enthusiasm for this matter has been extraordinary."
Neuvillette nodded.
"That's precisely why I came to the Fortress of Meropide—to speak with you personally about this."
"I'll make every effort to be there that day."
"Of course, if I haven't arrived by the time the battle is about to begin, then detain the girl named Emily."
Wriothesley quickly grasped Neuvillette's meaning. Since the latter had promised to make every effort to attend, he wouldn't break his word unless faced with an unforeseen crisis he deemed beyond his control.
And this crisis could very well be a trap set by Emily to delay Neuvillette.
Of course, even if it turned out to be unrelated, they could simply release her after the matter was resolved.
"Very well, let's proceed accordingly."
Wriothesley nodded, bringing their conversation to a temporary close.
-
The next day, Lyney and Lynette's magic show finally took place at the Opera Epiclese.
The siblings had already gained a modest reputation beforehand, and even after their identities as Fatui members were revealed, many people remained grateful for the assistance they had provided to Fontaine.
Additionally, some who had grown tired of the endless Judgments and sought a change of pace came to watch their performance.
As the time for the magic show drew near, the Opera Epiclese's auditorium was packed to capacity. The audience buzzed with excitement, eagerly discussing what spectacular magic performances Lyney and Lynette would unveil.
"I never imagined Mr. Lyney and Miss Lynette would collaborate on a magic show again. After what happened last time, I thought they'd never dare touch magic again."
"They are Fatui members, after all. Their mental fortitude must be far beyond that of us ordinary folk."
"True. Even watching that murder magic from a screen gave me the chills. I can't imagine what it must have been like for Mr. Lyney, standing right there, watching his comrades being brutally killed one by one."
"Ah, well, at least No. 6 is dead now."
"Yes, thank goodness No. 6 is dead..."
-
Neuvillette sat in the audience as well. He hadn't planned to attend today, but he came just in case. After all, he had lent out the Opera Epiclese, and if anything went wrong, he would inevitably bear some responsibility.
Let's hope nothing goes wrong, Neuvillette thought, yet a nagging premonition lingered in his mind.
As the audience buzzed with anticipation, the lights suddenly went out, plunging the hall into darkness.
After a brief moment of panic, the audience quickly regained their composure. Just then, a spotlight illuminated the stage, revealing Lyney and Lynette, who had silently taken their positions.
"Thank you all for attending Lyney and Lynette's magic show..."
After a series of simple warm-up tricks, Lyney introduced the main event:
"For my next trick, which I've prepared especially for you, I'll randomly select a lucky audience member to assist me..."
The audience watched with bated breath as the show continued. The chosen lucky audience member eagerly stepped into the box, brimming with excitement.
Lyney began a sixty-second countdown, instructing Lynette to impersonate him and appear before the audience, creating the illusion that he hadn't left. In reality, he had already slipped through a secret passage beneath the box and into the ventilation system, steadily approaching the core of the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale.
Soon, Lyney emerged from the ventilation system into an empty chamber. Here, he sensed an indescribable concentration of Indemnitium permeating the air.
As he ventured deeper, drawing closer to the Oratrice's core, Lyney felt an oppressive energy in the air, as if it were trying to crush his very being.
The realization that such terrifying power had been secretly lurking beneath the Opera Epiclese's dazzling facade weighed heavily on his heart.
Just as Arlecchino had predicted, the Hydro Archon Focalors must be planning something, quietly accumulating such a terrifying reservoir of energy.
Before long, Lyney could proceed no further. His trembling body warned him that pushing on would likely mean death.
The air was saturated with an appalling density of energy, yet he still had a considerable distance to cover before reaching the core of the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale.
Lyney calculated the time and, feeling it was about right, turned back the way he came.
But moments after turning back, his body suddenly trembled.
Just now, he thought he heard a woman's sigh...
With no time to investigate further, Lyney immediately returned to the underground tunnel. He heard the countdown nearing its end and quickened his pace to a nearby ladder.
Midway up, he felt like he stepped in something sticky, but he couldn't afford to dwell on it or hesitate. Time was critical; he even channeled Pyro Elemental Power to amplify his speed severalfold, swiftly climbing into the box at the center of the audience seating.
Finally, Lyney straightened his clothes and adjusted his expression, ensuring no one would detect any flaws in his performance upon his exit.
"...Four, three, two, one!"
The countdown ended, and the audience erupted in unison.
The magic assistants promptly opened the box on the audience seating side, drawing all eyes to it.
Thump-thump!
Lyney leaped out of the box as confetti exploded around him.
Thunderous applause shook the venue!
Seeing the excitement and fervor on the faces before him, Lyney breathed a small sigh of relief.
Lyney raised his hand and pointed to the box on stage, the spotlight focusing precisely on it.
The next step was to have the swapped audience member emerge from the box. However, at that moment, the magic took an unexpected turn.
"Hey, look at the ground!"
"That... that looks like blood?!"
Hearing the audience's panicked voices, Lyney glanced down slightly, his pupils constricting sharply.
Under the glaring light, crimson blood was seeping relentlessly from the cracks of the box. In that instant, Lyney felt as if his heart had stopped beating.
Upon witnessing this, Neuvillette's expression turned grave. He immediately instructed a nearby Maison Gardiennage officer, "Go investigate the situation at once."
"Yes, Monsieur Neuvillette!"
The officer, as if jolted awake, hurried onto the stage and yanked the box door open.
Bang!
The lifeless body of the lucky audience member slumped onto the stage, eyes wide and staring, as if they had suffered immense agony before death.
"Ah!"
"Someone's dead!"
A collective gasp erupted from the crowd as they beheld the corpse.
The reaction, however, was muted; by now, such incidents had become disturbingly commonplace.
This was the prevailing attitude in Fontaine: the wealthy had long since fled, leaving the poor and the average citizens with no choice but to laugh in the face of their fears.
By treating every murder as mere entertainment, no matter how gruesome the case, it lost its power to frighten them.
Indeed, most recent cases had been absurdly comical, making it easy to lose touch with reality.
Now, upon seeing a corpse, they felt only a mild shock and lingering dread, their minds quickly filling with thoughts of the spectacle to come.
Neuvillette's expression darkened as he turned to face Lyney, whose face was a mask of confusion. He sighed inwardly.
His premonition had proven correct.
This attack targeted the Fatui. Could it be revenge from one of their enemies?
While pondering this, Neuvillette maintained order at the scene.
To his relief, the audience remained remarkably calm—more so than he'd anticipated. Most even resumed their seats, their faces alight with anticipation for what would happen next.
Neuvillette shook his head in resignation before turning his gaze to Lyney and Lynette, who were being restrained by Maison Gardiennage officers.
Since Lyney was the lead performer of the magic show and also one of the volunteers for the swapping trick, he became a prime suspect in the murder.
Lynette, as Lyney's assistant, was also taken into custody.
Both faced imminent murder charges. Despite this, they remained remarkably composed, though Lyney's expression remained somewhat dazed.
As the Maison Gardiennage needed to gather evidence first, they temporarily left the pair unattended.
It was then that Lynette subtly moved closer to Lyney and whispered, "Older brother, what did you see down there?"
Lynette didn't ask about the victim's fate, knowing Lyney's plan had left him no time to check on the deceased.
Without hesitation, Lyney immediately revealed everything he had witnessed.
"Following the plan, I entered the ventilation shaft and approached the core of the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale. However, the area was saturated with Indemnitium, so I couldn't venture too deep."
Lyney paused, then, as if struck by a sudden thought, he blurted out, "Oh, right! I think I heard a woman's sigh down there."
Lynette was equally stunned.
A woman's voice in a place even her older brother couldn't penetrate?
This seemed to confirm they were on the right track. The Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale must be hiding a colossal secret!
Despite their significant breakthrough, their immediate priority was to clear Lyney of the murder suspicion. To do this, they needed to deduce the true murderer.
Lyney and Lynette began meticulously reviewing the case from start to finish, even requesting all the evidence the Maison Gardiennage officers had gathered.
First, they confirmed that no third person had been present in the underground passage, nor were there any mechanisms or secret doors. This meant that, as far as anyone else was concerned, only Lyney and the deceased had been in the passage when the crime occurred.
Moreover, the bloodstain patterns indicated the victim had been killed shortly after the countdown began.
Upon hearing about the bloodstains, Lyney immediately checked the soles of his shoes. Sure enough, traces of blood remained.
He realized the liquid he had stepped in earlier was indeed blood, and he hadn't noticed the metallic scent in the air because he had been rushing and using his Vision.
"Looks like I'm even more of a suspect now," Lyney said with a wry smile.
Seeing the bloodstains, Lynette also felt a sense of foreboding.
Before they could devise a plan, the Judgment was about to begin.
Lyney and Lynette were escorted by Maison Gardiennage officers to the Defendant's Stand, with the Maison Gardiennage acting as the prosecution.
Neuvillette, his expression grave, moved from the audience seats to the Justice's seat and slowly sat down. He scanned the courtroom, taking in the faces of the audience members, some expectant, others excited, as well as the somewhat anxious Lyney and Lynette standing at the Defendant's Stand. Finally, he spoke in a solemn, authoritative voice:
"The Judgment now commences."
"The Maison Gardiennage will now briefly present the details of the case."
"Yes, Monsieur Neuvillette!"
After hearing Neuvillette's words, a Maison Gardiennage officer stepped forward to present the case details and the clues gathered during the investigation.