After all the gathered onlookers saw with their own eyes the memories of the Fatui Harbinger conspiring with his subordinates—and the undeniable facts of their attacks on the residents and soldiers of Narukami Island—they were utterly convinced. They immediately erupted in furious curses against the Fatui and voiced their condemnation of Snezhnaya.
"Damned Fatui! They actually tried to stir up conflict between us and Watatsumi Island! We nearly fell for their trap!"
"They even wanted to instigate a war between the two islands! How dare they!!!"
"Despicable! They even schemed to seize the Shogun's power! Utterly unforgivable!"
"Your Excellency the Shogun! The people of Snezhnaya have gone too far! We implore you to declare war on Snezhnaya!"
"And that accursed Fatui Executive Officer? Where is he hiding?!"
"Don't let me run into him! If I do, I'll flay him alive!"
"I always knew that Executive Officer was no good. Even his voice is dreadful to listen to."
Facing the furious, impassioned crowd, Kujou Sara quickly called for order and had her subordinates maintain control.
Varnava, who had transformed into the Kujou patriarch, glared at the person in the crowd who had just insulted his voice, a flash of venomous spite flickering through his eyes.
If not for the fact that he couldn't afford to expose himself now, he would have absolutely torn that critic to pieces. After shooting the person a fierce glare, the false patriarch quickly withdrew his gaze and turned to face Yuki, a genial smile spreading across his face.
"Oh! Truly a divine skill! To be able to peer into another's memories with such ease—this gentleman is truly remarkable! This old man is full of admiration!" The Kujou patriarch cheerfully praised Yuki, but inwardly, he loathed the man to the core.
Had it not been for Yuki, his plan would have succeeded long ago. He wouldn't be in his current predicament, forced to assume the guise of the Tenryou Commissioner and lie low, biding his time to plan anew.
But a true gentleman could wait ten years for revenge if need be. He figured that as long as he stayed hidden and re-devised his strategy, once he succeeded, he would have his chance to repay Yuki for today's grievance.
"It seems the Fatui Executive Officer himself is nowhere to be seen at the scene. I imagine the moment his plot was exposed, he decisively fled, did he not? What a pity that we were unable to capture him," the Kujou patriarch shook his head with a look of regret, sighing in a most mournful manner.
His words were met with similar expressions of regret from the onlooking crowd. However, at that moment, Yuki's lips curved slightly upward into a mocking smile directed straight at the Kujou patriarch.
"A pity? No, it's not a pity at all, Patriarch Kujou. Or rather, I should say Varnava."
The moment these words left Yuki's mouth, everyone's eyes flew wide open, filled with confusion and bewilderment. They couldn't understand why Yuki would address the Tenryou Commissioner as a Fatui Harbinger.
Kujou Sara especially—right before her eyes stood her adoptive father. She simply couldn't comprehend why Yuki would make such a claim.
Off to the side, Yae Miko wore an expression of sudden realization. She instantly understood; this explained the strange behavior she had earlier observed in the patriarch.
So he was indeed that Fatui Executive Officer in disguise. That meant the real Kujou patriarch had likely already met with misfortune.
Hearing Yuki's words, Ei immediately began paying close attention to the Kujou patriarch before her. She scrutinized him carefully. Visually, the man was indistinguishable from the actual patriarch.
But when Ei extended her perception, she discovered that the strength radiating from this figure was remarkably formidable—already at a level just beneath that of a god. She immediately realized that the man in front of her was an impostor. After all, though Ei had never carefully examined the real patriarch's strength, he absolutely could not be at this level.
"Mr. Yuki, what is the meaning of your words?" Kujou Sara asked, her face a mixture of puzzlement, confusion, and above all, shock.
Yuki merely gave a cold smirk as he faced the impostor. "How much longer do you intend to keep hiding? You've already been exposed. You might as well reveal your true self. As far as I can see, there's no escape for you anyway."
The false patriarch's expression shifted rapidly, like clouds scudding across the sky, as though he was frantically weighing his options. The more he hesitated, the more certain Ei became. Even Kujou Sara had now begun to see that something was very wrong.
"All soldiers, be on alert! Do not let this man escape!" Sara immediately gave the order, instructing her guards to lock their eyes onto the man standing before them.
Swoosh—clang, clang!
In unison, a contingent of soldiers swiftly surrounded the fake patriarch. Seeing this, the impostor realized that the situation had reached a point of no return.
He stopped pretending and laid his cards on the table. Before everyone's eyes, his form blurred and his features began to shift. Finally, when the face of the Fatui Executive Officer was fully revealed, expressions of horror and shock spread across the crowd.
"It really is that Fatui Executive Officer!"
"What a terrifying ability—he can transform into other people!"
"This is the guy, the mastermind behind it all! Everyone, don't let him get away!"
As Varnava revealed himself, the indignant curses of the people quickly followed. But as a Fatui Harbinger, he had seen plenty of grand spectacles, and he paid no mind whatsoever to the voices around him. He slowly bowed toward Ei in a formal greeting.
"We meet again, Your Excellency the Shogun. I never imagined this meeting would take such a form."
Faced with the greetings of this man who had harmed the people of Inazuma, Ei's face remained expressionless, bearing only a look of icy severity. "So, does this mean you intend to obediently surrender and submit to capture?" she spoke coldly, as though looking at a dead man.
"Ha ha ha!!! Your Excellency the Raiden Shogun jests!"
Ei's words sent Varnava into a fit of deafening, unhinged laughter. His entire demeanor shifted, completely unlike the calm and composed figure he had cut as part of the Snezhnayan diplomatic mission.
Instead, he had become wildly arrogant, utterly maniacal. Perhaps this was his true nature, and the previous facade had been nothing more than a cover to deceive others.
"As a reckless man who dares to set his sights on a god, how could I possibly surrender so meekly? To be captured by you, to endure interrogation in some dank, dark dungeon, and finally to be put on trial before a jeering crowd? That simply does not suit my character at all!"
Varnava's eyes quivered violently as he fixed his stare on Ei before shifting his gaze to Yuki.
"Right now, my mind is filled with nothing but hatred! That's right!" He abruptly raised his hand and pointed straight at Yuki, his expression vicious as he bellowed loudly.
"It is hatred for this man! If not for you, how could I have failed! Therefore... before the god herself, I demand a duel before the throne! And my opponent... shall be this wretch!!!"
Varnava loudly proclaimed this, pointing at Yuki as he made his petition to Ei.
The moment these words left his mouth, they swiftly drew gasps of astonishment from the crowd.
Even Kujou Sara, standing to the side, was visibly taken aback. None of them had expected that he would invoke this ancient rule, issuing a request to challenge Yuki to a duel before the throne.
This instantly drew the eyes of everyone in the plaza squarely onto Yuki.