"Well, Duke, your ship is quite advanced, isn't it?" Clorinde quipped as she leaped onto the deck of the Wingalet after it docked, approaching Wriothesley with a teasing grin.
"It has a certain back-to-basics charm."
"Enough with the snide remarks. Get your people over here to help."
Wriothesley first directed the rest of the crew ashore, then turned to Clorinde, a hint of resignation in his voice.
Clorinde nodded and immediately organized her people to assist. Only after most of the crew had disembarked did she and Wriothesley retreat to a more secluded spot for a private conversation.
"Would you like some tea?"
"No, thank you. I'm still on duty." Clorinde waved her hand dismissively.
Wriothesley chuckled at her earnest demeanor. After taking a leisurely sip of his tea, he continued, "The Primordial Sea Water erupted far too suddenly this time. It's a miracle this ship survived and can still serve its purpose."
"But I never expected you to be the one arriving. I heard you were attacked and went missing for a while. Are you alright?"
"I sustained no serious injuries," Clorinde replied, shaking her head before asking, "What were the casualties at the Fortress of Meropide?"
"Significant, but most of the dead were convicts recently transferred to the fortress."
Clorinde frowned at this. "Too coincidental, don't you think?"
Seeing her expression, Wriothesley chuckled and continued. "They seem connected to the mysterious group you're investigating. When the Primordial Sea Water struck, they made no attempt to escape."
"My own forces suffered heavy losses as well, though those killed were likely spies."
"Has Monsieur Neuvillette mentioned any of this to you? They've infiltrated my inner circle with numerous spies."
"I never imagined even your place would be infiltrated."
Hearing Clorinde's words, Wriothesley chuckled.
"Judging by your tone, things aren't looking too good in Fontaine either?"
"No, we've had our share of spies as well," Clorinde nodded.
Wriothesley felt relieved.
So, I'm not the only one being humiliated. Misery loves company.
Still, thinking about the sheer number of agents she'd registered, Wriothesley really wanted to punch that arrogant woman. Did she really need to plant so many agents around me? Even the toilet cleaner in my office is one of her people.
What is that woman planning?
This is beyond outrageous!
Wriothesley was furious, but unfortunately, he had no chance to settle things with her in a proper fight now.
To be honest, when Wriothesley learned the reason behind her choice to die, he was utterly stunned.
Someone who was so incredibly difficult to deal with... ultimately decided to end her life because she found the world boring and didn't want to live anymore?
Who is this melodramatic Miss?
Yet, upon reflection, Wriothesley found himself somewhat relieved that her motives were so simple. If she had decided to reshape Fontaine to her liking, they would have faced an even greater crisis—she would have become another No. 6.
"What about Neuvillette?" Clorinde asked.
Hearing her question and recalling unpleasant memories, Wriothesley replied irritably, "I don't know. Our esteemed Chief Justice, the great Neuvillette of the Judgment Tribunal, is far too busy. He dropped off a few trees and left, not even bothering to help cut them down."
"There weren't any proper tools on the ship, so I had to smash them apart with my bare fists."
"You should be grateful we didn't leave you adrift at sea."
Clorinde paused, then continued, "Neuvillette must have gone to find Lady Furina by now."
"Perhaps. After all, my knowledge of the matter is limited."
"It's likely only the Hydro Archon Furina knows the full truth."
Clorinde nodded, then asked, "What about the Fatui Harbinger?"
"I wouldn't know," Wriothesley shrugged. "With his strength, there's no way he'd be outrun by ordinary people."
"Perhaps Monsieur Tartaglia simply enjoys bathing in Primordial Sea Water."
Wriothesley shrugged helplessly; he was surrounded by spies, after all.
"Why don't you contact Snezhnaya first? See if Monsieur Tartaglia's ancestors included any Fontainians."
"Otherwise, we might only recover half of him, which would be worse than nothing at all."
Clorinde was speechless at Wriothesley's words.
Retrieving only half of him? What kind of hellish joke is that?
Clorinde shook her head and continued, "Let Neuvillette and Lady Furina handle things in Snezhnaya. It's not really our concern."
"I'm sure they'll find a suitable solution. We just need to focus on our own duties."
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
"Need any help?" Wriothesley called out, watching Clorinde's retreating figure.
Though not naturally inclined to assist others, Wriothesley maintained a good rapport with Clorinde, which prompted his offer.
"No need," Clorinde replied, waving her hand dismissively. "Monsieur Tartaglia has always resented being captured by Fontaine. Even if he hadn't encountered any mishaps in the Fortress of Meropide, he likely would have seized the opportunity to escape anyway."
"His strength is formidable. If he's determined to flee, I might not even be able to stop him alone. More manpower wouldn't make much difference."
Clorinde waved again, declining Wriothesley's offer. "You should get some rest. You've been exhausted for ages, haven't you?"
"Heh, you're sharp as ever," Wriothesley chuckled.
"Alright, then I'll stay out of this."
"I'll treat you to 'Ermi Wusanba's' famous 'Chatter Meal' sometime."
"We'll see about that later."
Clorinde stood at the edge of the deck, leaped over the railing, and vanished from Wriothesley's sight...
-
Meanwhile, in a small coastal town, Neuvillette found Furina, who was staying there temporarily.
When Neuvillette saw Furina, he could immediately sense that she wasn't in good spirits.
His reason for this observation was simple: the cake on the table had barely been touched.
Of course, Neuvillette already knew part of the reason behind her mood.
He shifted his gaze from the cake to Furina and asked, "Lady Furina, would you please explain what exactly happened at the Fortress of Meropide?"
"Oh, it's you, Neuvillette," Furina said, glancing at him without enthusiasm. "Why don't you ask someone else about it? What they told you is accurate enough."
Furina answered absentmindedly.
Seeing this, Neuvillette shook his head.
"Lady Furina, I'm not interested in hearing a clearly coordinated answer. It's evident you're concealing many details. While I could obtain the full truth through interrogation of others, I would much prefer to hear it directly from you."
"Sigh, the rest is just trivial details anyway."
"It's getting late, Neuvillette. You should go get some rest. We can discuss this further tomorrow."
Furina stood up and gave Neuvillette a playful shove, but he didn't budge an inch.
Neuvillette had no intention of letting Furina postpone this until tomorrow, knowing she would only find more excuses to delay further.
After a couple of futile pushes, Furina gave up and sank back onto the plush sofa.
"Anyway, it's all over now. All those who died in the Fortress of Meropide chose to remain there willingly."
"And Fontaine won't have so many criminals in the future."
"Don't pry into the details, Neuvillette. I have my reasons."
Neuvillette sighed softly.
"Lady Furina, you must understand that this matter involves the forces behind No. 6, which requires utmost caution."
"You're well aware of the fallout from the No. 6 Incident, so I expect complete candor from you on this."
"Otherwise, I'll have to consider transferring this investigation entirely to your jurisdiction."
Furina: "..."
"Fine, fine."
Cornered, Furina had no choice but to explain honestly.
"...That's how it happened. Emily got me to shore, but she fell into the Primordial Sea Water herself."
"Even though Emily is No. 8, she genuinely didn't mean any harm. She even saved so many people in the Fortress of Meropide."
"As for the victims of her crimes, Emily didn't want things to end that way either. She just couldn't control her powers..."
Furina paused, then looked at Neuvillette and continued.
"Anyway, just keep this to yourself, okay? Don't tell anyone else."
"I'll do everything I can to make amends to the victims."
"Emily saved so many lives. I don't want people to misunderstand her because of her identity."
Upon learning that the girl was No. 8, Neuvillette frowned and fell into deep thought.
He had initially suspected the girl was a third-party agent, but now it seemed his original deduction was correct. The mysterious organization's true target was indeed the Fortress of Meropide.
They had kept him occupied while the girl acted independently.
However, something must have gone wrong within their ranks, as the two groups were clearly not working in unison.
Once again, he found himself in a passive position, just as he had during the No. 6 Incident. Because he refused to stoop to their level of ruthlessness, his vulnerabilities were painfully obvious.
Fortunately, although the young woman was a member of that mysterious organization, her heart wasn't evil.
Through this incident, Neuvillette had gained some insight into the organization's internal structure.
It seemed that each numbered member operated independently, somewhat like the Fatui Harbingers. This could explain why there was no information about the other numbered members; their activities might extend beyond Fontaine.
"Emily was such a wonderful person... always smiling, always encouraging others. Her homemade cakes were delicious too..."
Furina drifted into reminiscence, a silly smile lingering on her face.
"She even chose to Return to the Homeland willingly, to prevent more innocent people from being harmed."
"At least she's still alive. You'll have a chance to meet again someday," Neuvillette reassured her gently. He then turned his thoughts to why the young woman had transformed into an Oceanid after being dissolved by Primordial Sea Water.
If this wasn't an isolated case, could it mean that all Fontainians would transform into Oceanids upon being dissolved by Primordial Sea Water?
Perhaps the reason this hadn't been noticed before was because the dissolved individuals were too weak to maintain their forms.
If we look at it from a different angle, could it be that the Fontainians were originally Oceanids transformed into human form, and the Primordial Sea Water's purpose is to reverse this process?
This would align with the Prophecy's statement that "every Fontainian bears the burden of original sin from birth."
Neuvillette felt as though he was on the verge of grasping the truth behind the Prophecy, though many details still eluded his understanding.
"Neuvillette, you're right," Furina said, suppressing the urge to cry and forcing a smile. "No matter how long it takes, we will meet again someday!"
"Until then, I must fulfill my duties as the Hydro Archon."
Hearing Furina's words and sensing her unwavering resolve, Neuvillette nodded.
"Yes, you're right. Let's start with the first step, then."
"I'll transfer the portion of work that originally belonged to you back into your hands."
"Cough, cough, cough! Neuvillette, what did you say just now? I didn't quite hear you!"
"Oh dear, the cake seems to have gone cold. I'll go reheat it first. Just wait a moment!"
With that, Furina hastily grabbed the plate of cake and scurried away.
Neuvillette didn't stop her. He had only been trying to scare her a little. If he were to actually entrust the matter to Furina now, he feared she would make a mess of things. At the very least, he needed to wait until peace returned to Fontaine.
As he watched Furina's retreating figure, Neuvillette sensed she seemed much more vibrant and alive than before.
It seemed the young woman named Emily held a very important place in her heart.
Furina truly considered her her dearest friend, didn't she...?
-
Sumeru.
Arlecchino disembarked from the ship, unsurprised to see her old acquaintance waiting for her.
"Welcome."
"Dottore, you seem to have plenty of free time in Sumeru," Arlecchino remarked sarcastically.
Dottore, the Doctor, paid no heed to Arlecchino's barbed remark.
"My research keeps me quite busy, but since we're both Harbingers, I thought it only proper to personally welcome you."
"Besides, I imagine your real reason for coming to Sumeru was to see me, wasn't it?"
"You want me to investigate whatever's plaguing your subordinates."
Upon hearing Dottore's words, the Fatui soldiers standing near Arlecchino stirred briefly, but quickly regained their composure.
Their loyalty to Arlecchino remained unwavering, and they showed no signs of dissatisfaction or doubt—a testament to their rigorous training.
Of course, the fact that traitors had nearly led to their annihilation several times in the past also played a role. The soldiers' internal resistance to such scrutiny wasn't particularly strong, as they understood that their own safety was compromised by undercover agents lurking among them.
Arlecchino felt a surge of annoyance. She glared coldly at Dottore and said...
"Since you know why I've come to find you, can I assume that your presence here means you're also interested in this matter?"
"Of course. Such methods are exceedingly rare, and your people are invaluable research subjects."
Dottore's words sent a chill down the spines of the Fatui soldiers on Arlecchino's side, while Arlecchino's displeasure with him only deepened.
"Dottore, let me remind you—they are my people. You would do well to watch your tone. They are not your experimental subjects to manipulate as you please."
"In truth, they're not so different," Dottore chuckled lightly. "To me, there's little distinction. Of course, to avoid future trouble from you, I'll employ more... gentle methods."
Arlecchino suppressed the urge to leave immediately, frowning as she studied Dottore's smiling face.
Truth be told, she wanted nothing to do with him. But to investigate the cause of the internal betrayal, she had no choice but to seek his assistance.
Arlecchino refused to believe her subordinates had betrayed her due to coercion or bribery. It was far more likely they had fallen victim to mental or consciousness manipulation techniques.
Therefore, a meticulous examination of their bodies was crucial—precisely what she was ill-equipped to do.
"Alright, we should be leaving now."
"I'll take you to the nearest laboratory. Follow me."
With that, Dottore turned and led the way. Suddenly, Arlecchino spoke up from behind him.
"Dottore, does the situation in Fontaine have anything to do with you?"
Dottore's footsteps paused slightly.
"You wouldn't ask such a question unless you've obtained some incriminating evidence against me."
"Not just some—a great deal." Arlecchino corrected. "The ability to use Elemental Power without a Vision, the complete codenames of core members, and detailed descriptions of your physical characteristics collected from the laboratories—all point to your inextricable involvement in this matter."
Hearing Arlecchino's words, Dottore chuckled.
"So detailed, huh? Heh, it seems that having too much fame comes with its own troubles."
"So you deny any involvement in this affair?"
"Of course. If I were truly responsible, there would be no need for me to conceal it from you."
"However, if you still refuse to believe me, I have no way to prove my innocence."
Arlecchino shook her head.
"It's not about making me believe you. You need to convince Neuvillette that you had nothing to do with this, or you'll be hearing from him sooner or later."
Arlecchino brushed past Dottore and took a few steps before hearing his voice behind her.
"There's no need to worry about that."
Arlecchino frowned, turned back to face Dottore, and saw him approaching her with an unhurried, confident air.
When they were close again, Dottore spoke slowly, deliberately.
"In fact, another 'me' is already in Fontaine."
-
Volume 3 End