[What's the situation over there now?]
Startled by the sudden communication from the Prime Dottore, Dottore No. 1 froze momentarily.
Sensing something amiss, the other Dottores turned their gazes toward Dottore No. 1. This caught Neuvillette's attention as well. He had been contemplating how to punish these "Segments," but he temporarily set aside the matter.
"What is it?" Neuvillette asked.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, the Prime has contacted me."
Neuvillette's expression immediately turned grave upon hearing Dottore No. 1's words.
He hadn't expected the Prime Dottore to contact Dottore No. 1 at this moment. It seemed they had dragged things out for too long.
If the Prime Dottore had already sensed something was amiss and prepared accordingly, it would become far more difficult to lure him to Fontaine and capture him later.
Neuvillette had originally intended to resolve this matter swiftly, as Dottore's actions had pushed him to his breaking point. However, a series of major incidents in Fontaine recently had drained his energy, leaving him no time to address the issue. As expected, the longer he delayed, the harder it became to keep the truth hidden. He needed to resolve this matter immediately.
"What did he say?" Neuvillette asked, his tone softening slightly.
The Dottores' faces instantly lit up with faint smiles. Just as Dottore No. 1 was about to speak, Dottore No. 6 suddenly jumped in.
"I know, Monsieur Neuvillette!"
"The Prime is asking, 'What's the current situation?'!"
Upon hearing Dottore No. 6's words, the other Dottores stared at him in shock.
This can't be right! How could he possibly know about the Prime's encrypted transmission?!
Their confusion deepened when they noticed Dottore No. 1 looking equally bewildered. Clearly, Dottore No. 6 was telling the truth.
"What are you waiting for? Reply already! Or do you want the Prime to discover something and doom us all?"
Dottore No. 6's slightly smug tone snapped Dottore No. 1 out of his daze. He let out a cold hmph and sent a reply to the Prime.
[ Situation remains normal. No significant developments to report. ]
"Monsieur Neuvillette, he replied, 'Situation remains normal. No significant developments to report.'"
The moment Dottore No. 1 finished typing, Dottore No. 6 immediately informed Neuvillette, reciting the response verbatim.
This time, the Dottores—who had initially dismissed No. 6's accuracy as sheer luck—could no longer remain calm. They fixed scrutinizing gazes on him.
"How do you know the contents of our conversation?"
"Want to know?"
Dottore No. 6 smirked at the complex glances thrown his way by the other Segments.
"But I won't tell you."
That son of a bitch!
The Dottores felt like they'd been royally screwed over. The sight of Dottore No. 6's smug, petty triumph only fueled their rage.
However, the fact that he could access their conversations in the Mind Chatroom was a serious matter they couldn't ignore. Did this mean he had been eavesdropping on all their private discussions?
But how was that possible? They had even blocked the Prime from accessing the Mind Chatroom. Why could Dottore No. 6 still hear them?
No matter how hard the Dottores racked their brains, they couldn't figure it out. They wanted to discuss this in the Mind Chatroom, but the thought of that repulsive bastard Dottore No. 6 eavesdropping on their conversation made their mood plummet.
Just then, a message arrived from Dottore's side.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, the Prime has inquired about the last Segment you captured. He can't establish contact with him anymore."
Neuvillette nodded. Previously, the Dottores' Segments had handled all these communications themselves, so he had no idea what they had been discussing or whether they had responded according to his instructions.
Now everything was much clearer. Having a Mouthpiece was truly invaluable.
"Just tell him you don't know either," Neuvillette instructed.
"Did you hear that? Monsieur Neuvillette says to tell the Prime you don't know either!" Dottore No. 6 relayed Neuvillette's instructions with an air of smug authority to Dottore No. 1.
"Better be honest. I'm watching you like a hawk!"
You bastard!
Dottore No. 1 nearly lost his composure, a desperate impulse to take everyone down with him momentarily surging through him. But the chorus of "Calm down," "Forget it," and "Don't lower yourself to his level" from the other Dottores gradually calmed him.
For some reason, he felt slightly insulted.
Whatever. It probably doesn't matter anyway.
Dottore No. 1 glared fiercely at Dottore No. 6, shooting him a warning look before relaying his reply to the Prime.
[ I haven't received any messages from him either. ]
As soon as Dottore No. 1 finished speaking, Dottore No. 6 immediately turned to Neuvillette.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, he replied exactly as you instructed."
With a satisfied pat on his chest, Dottore No. 6 added, "Rest assured, Monsieur Neuvillette. With me watching him, he won't dare try any tricks!"
Neuvillette nodded with satisfaction. If only the other Dottores were as easy to manage as Dottore No. 6, capturing the Prime wouldn't be such a challenge.
Stay rational! Stay rational!
Dottore No. 1 took a deep breath, just as a new message arrived from the Prime.
[ I've lost contact with him. Something must have happened. Investigate when you have time.]
[Understood. I'll look into his situation when I have the opportunity.]
[Good. How's Neuvillette? Has he discovered anything?]
[ Probably not. Recently, a self-proclaimed true Hydro Archon, Focalors, has emerged in Fontaine, splitting the government. Neuvillette lacks the resources to interfere here.]
[ Excellent. Just be careful not to let Neuvillette catch on.]
As soon as Dottore's message ended, Dottore No. 6 turned to Neuvillette with a cheerful grin.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, the Prime even said to watch out for you!"
Hearing this, Neuvillette smiled inwardly. If he's talking like that, he clearly hasn't realized anything.
But the other Dottores were far from amused. Their gazes, sharp as daggers, raked over Dottore No. 6, the urge to kill him nearly overwhelming them.
If glares could kill, Dottore No. 6 would have been torn to shreds by now.
Under the weight of Dottore No. 6's piercing gaze, Dottore No. 1 steeled himself and replied to the Prime:
[ I'll be careful... ]
"Ask him what he's been working on lately."
"Did you hear that? Monsieur Neuvillette has spoken! Answer him now!"
As soon as Neuvillette finished speaking, Dottore No. 6 began barking orders at Dottore No. 1 like a lapdog, his arrogance reaching new heights. Dottore No. 1 had never imagined he could despise himself so deeply, longing to strangle Dottore No. 6 with his bare hands right then and there!
But the reality was that Neuvillette stood beside Dottore No. 6, backing him up. Strangling the man was nothing but a futile fantasy.
Helpless, Dottore No. 1 dared not act on his private intentions for the moment and continued the conversation, following Neuvillette's lead:
[ What have you been busy with lately?]
[ Oh? Are you suddenly interested in my current research?]
[ It seems your research is nearing completion.]
[ More or less.]
After a moment's hesitation, the Prime's reply came again:
[ Keep your hands off my research. Once I'm finished, I'll share the results with you all.]
[ If your work there is nearly finished and you still haven't found him, bring some experimental materials to Sumeru for me...]
Dottore No. 6 quickly relayed Dottore's words, causing Neuvillette's fists to clench tighter and his gaze to grow increasingly icy.
This Dottore is incorrigible! He still has designs on Fontaine!
Sensing Neuvillette's rising fury, the Dottores watched with amusement, eager to see how this would play out.
Just then, another message arrived from Dottore:
[ Oh, by the way, I recently captured a group of restless little rats—apparently from Fontaine.]
[ They were originally just prowling around the periphery, so I didn't bother with them. But these past few days, they've suddenly grown more audacious.]
[ So I captured them and subjected them to some minor modifications.]
[ I'll send them to you in a while. They should prove quite helpful in your activities in Fontaine...]
Boom!
Upon hearing Dottore No. 6's relay, Neuvillette lost control for a moment. A vast, sea-like power surged around him, erupting in an unparalleled aura.
The force of his aura struck the barrier sealing the area, sending faint blue ripples cascading across its surface.
Though the Dottores outwardly maintained an air of composure, simply standing upright under such immense pressure was exhausting their strength.
"Dottore!" Neuvillette called out the name with icy detachment. "You deserve to die!"
The actual intelligence agents had been out of contact for some time. Neuvillette had initially comforted himself with the thought that their deep infiltration might have made communication impossible. But now, with the truth laid bare, all lingering hope vanished, forcing him to bear the weight of guilt and rage once more.
After all, it was he who, fully aware of the risks, had sent them into the fire.
"Monsieur Neuvillette speaks truly! The Prime is utter scum!"
"The Prime should have vanished from this world long ago! He's a festering sore on the world's body!"
Hearing the Dottores' agreement did little to soften Neuvillette's gaze. In his eyes, these Segments were no different from the Prime Dottore himself—all were scourges upon this world.
Only I...
Neuvillette looked at Dottore No. 6, his gaze softening slightly.
In this Segment, he genuinely saw the possibility of repentance.
No matter how despicable Dottore had been in the past, Neuvillette was willing to give a sincerely repentant individual a chance. Dottore No. 6 was such an example.
Therefore, he wanted to ensure Dottore No. 6's survival. Until he could capture Dottore Prime and find a way for the Segments to survive independently, he had to keep Dottore Prime from detecting this situation.
Even if it was just to make capturing Dottore Prime easier, he had to do it.
Just then, Neuvillette noticed Dottore No. 6's body twitching violently several times.
When he finally understood what was happening, he realized Dottore No. 6 was now weeping uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face.
"Another innocent life has already fallen victim to the Prime's cruel hand so soon! As one of the Prime's Segments, I am filled with profound sorrow and shame!"
"Monsieur Neuvillette, I share in the Prime's guilt as one of his Segments. I beg you to judge me for my sins!"
Dottore No. 6's impassioned plea left the surrounding Dottores—Qiling, Ba Wu, Si Lu, Qi Qi, and Lei—stunned into silence, thoroughly disgusted.
The sight of this face, so similar to their own, acting so shamelessly sent the Dottores into a furious rage.
Neuvillette, however, nodded repeatedly as he watched the scene, his favor toward Dottore No. 6 increasing considerably.
"This is not your fault," Neuvillette declared. "The Prime is the one to blame; you bear no responsibility. As Chief Justice, I will render the fairest and most impartial judgment, and I will not hold you accountable for the Prime's actions."
Neuvillette's words carried genuine sincerity, leaving the Dottores stunned. They never imagined he would fall for such tactics.
The Dottores considered using the same method to gain Neuvillette's favor, but after briefly imagining themselves weeping and wailing, their brows furrowed, and they immediately abandoned the idea.
Completely impossible!
How on earth did Dottore No. 6 pull this off? That shameless bastard!
Just then, Dottore No. 1 finished dealing with matters on his end. Seeing Dottore No. 6 weeping and wailing, he clenched his fists, though a mischievous thought began to form in his mind.
Although they didn't know exactly how Dottore No. 6 had intercepted their conversation with the Prime, this confirmed that he might indeed possess a method to break free from the Prime's control. This meant his earlier claims might also be true, though he had likely kept some trump cards hidden.
As expected of 'me'—what a sly old coin!
While Dottore No. 1 was infuriated, this might have been a veiled warning from Dottore No. 6. After all, their minds operated similarly, making such insights relatively easy to grasp.
Looks like I'll need to find a chance to confirm this with him later...
Just then, Dottore No. 2 suddenly froze.
Dottore No. 1 frowned and glanced over.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, another message from the Prime!" Dottore No. 2 announced.
Dottore suddenly spoke again, this time eavesdropping on Dottore No. 2's conversation as well. This confirmed that their Mind Chatroom was completely undefended against Dottore No. 6's surveillance.
"The Prime is asking if we've noticed anything unusual about him recently."
As Dottore No. 6 pointed his finger at Dottore No. 1, the Dottores fell into an eerie silence...