Vacher quickly confessed everything, leaving nothing out, no matter how small. The scope and reach of it all were shocking. He even gave up the names of the Fatui's inside agents, which conveniently handed Lynette another free accomplishment.
But the impact of the Vacher case went far beyond that. The scene of the squad captain of the Opera Epiclese guards dissolving into water had been witnessed by everyone present.
Among them, of course, were a large number of Fontaine's reporters. Within just an hour, the news that a Fontainian could dissolve into water had spread across the whole city.
This made everyone in Fontaine suddenly realize something, the prophecy of Fontaine's apocalypse had already begun to come true.
The sea level would begin to rise, the sinful would gradually be submerged, all would dissolve into the ocean, and only the Hydro Archon would be left to weep alone upon her throne.
Fontaine's sea level was indeed rising year by year. People were indeed dissolving into the water. When all of this was happening, the people of Fontaine finally realized that the prophecy of the world's end was not some distant tale; it was right before their eyes.
Even so, prophecy was prophecy. Life had to go on. Entertainment had to be enjoyed. For Fontainians, living well in the present was far more important than some unknowable future.
Besides, if the sky collapsed, surely some taller figure would hold it up. Even if they didn't believe in Furina's wisdom, they believed in the wisdom of Fontaine Research Institute… oh, wait, that no longer existed either. In that case, they'd believe in the wisdom of future generations.
In short, just believe.
"Back then, what did you say to Vacher? Why did he suddenly cooperate so fully? Even when someone tried to break him out, he refused to leave, and even reported the people who came to save him." Furina eyed Richard suspiciously. She suspected his abilities went beyond mere mind-reading, perhaps even into brainwashing.
"I only asked him how it felt to finally take off a mask he had worn for more than ten years. He said it felt… much lighter." Richard lied smoothly without missing a beat.
"Forget it then!" Furina huffed, crossing her arms and turning her head away, refusing to look at the infuriating man.
Even when answering a question, he had to sneak in his nonsense!
"Alright, alright, Lady Furina. In truth, I told Vacher that if he cooperated, I might be able to let him see Vigneire one last time."
At that, Furina's ahoge instantly perked up. She whipped her head around, her apricot-colored eyes wide open.
"You can even do something like that?!"
She could hardly believe it, Richard could let Vacher see his lover who had been dead for over ten years.
"Just some tricks," Richard said casually. "The Fountain of Lucine is the confluence of all Fontaine's waters. Countless memories and emotions sediment there, including Vigneire's. Though she dissolved into water, in a sense, she merged her emotions, memories, and personality into it.
"All I need to do is strengthen Vacher's water-element perception, link his senses to the Fountain of Lucine, and he'll naturally be able to see what he wishes to see. In fact, he could do it himself, since primordial sea water already heightens water-element sensitivity."
Furina thought for a moment. "So you're saying… if we had just taken Vacher past the Fountain of Lucine that day, he could've seen Vigneire on his own?"
"Yes. But then, how would we have flushed out those vermin?" Richard smirked. Besides, letting Vacher see Vigneire… might not even be a good thing for him.
"Wait. How do you even know all this?" Furina had lived in Fontaine for so long, yet this was her first time hearing about the Fountain's miraculous properties.
She had always thought the stories about it being the nexus of all Fontaine's waters and possessing wondrous powers were just marketing to attract tourists. She hadn't expected it to be true.
"Because the first time I came to Fontaine, I stopped at the Fountain of Lucine. I felt its wonders myself." Richard replied.
"Oh? Then what did you see in it?" Furina asked curiously.
"A lot. Happy things, sad things… hard to say. But the one that left the deepest impression on me was a woman's voice."
"A woman's… voice?"
"Yes. It sounded like a woman. The tone was full of despair and pain."
A giant question mark appeared on Furina's forehead. 'Why was that what impressed him most?'
"At the time, I wasn't in a good state either. Everything felt fake: the sky, the ground, the whole world. Everyone was trapped in lies and deception. Despair, pain… in that state, I could easily empathize with that voice." Richard's eyes grew distant as he recalled.
"Despair? Pain? You?" Furina couldn't reconcile such words with Richard. To her, he had always been a man who was impossibly strong, inside and out.
Could someone like him really have felt despair?
"Surprised?"
"A little. Because looking at you now, I can't link words like 'despair' or 'pain' with you at all."
"I told you, it was long ago. Over a hundred years have passed since my first visit to Fontaine."
A hundred years was long enough for many things to change. In that time, generations of Fontainians had come and gone.
Only Melusines remained unchanged; they were long-lived, after all.
"A hundred years… sounds long. But somehow, it feels like nothing has changed. Not me. Not Fontaine." Furina sighed, then asked, "So what exactly did that voice say?"
Richard's eyes lit up. He had been waiting for this. Looking straight into Furina's heterochromatic eyes, he mimicked the voice, sorrowful and drawn-out:
"So long… so lonely… how much longer…"
Furina froze. 'Why… did those words sound so familiar?'
"Lady Furina? Lady Furina? Are you alright?" Richard called her several times before she snapped back.
Her face was stiff, her gaze avoiding his. Flustered, she stammered, "Ahaha, i-it doesn't sound like much. You're just too quick to empathize!"
"Maybe. But the more I think about it, the more familiar it feels. Like I've heard it somewhere before…" Richard studied her face. "Lady Furina, do you have any idea?"
"No! How could I? I-I've never heard that voice. I don't know anything!"
She was like a student caught eating snacks in class, panicked beyond belief, but still stubbornly refusing to admit it.
"You're right, of course," Richard nodded. "Then… why don't I take you to the Fountain of Lucine? Maybe that voice still lingers there."
"No way! If you want to go, go yourself! I won't! Anyway, I have official business to attend to. You may leave now!" Furina lowered her head, pretending to busy herself with the stack of documents on her desk.
At that moment, Clorinde returned from outside and frowned at the scene.
"Lady Furina, weren't those documents already finished? What are you still looking at?"
Furina: "…"
Clorinde noticed Furina's silence, the way her pale, slender fingers gripped the pen as though it were a sword. Realizing something was wrong, she quickly turned to Richard.
"Did I say something wrong again?"
"I wouldn't know, Miss Clorinde. Perhaps Lady Furina feels some of those documents still need revising." Richard replied smoothly.
"Huh? But those are just scrap paper. What could possibly need revising?" Clorinde blurted, then immediately covered her mouth, staring at Richard with wide eyes.
Richard understood her look perfectly. 'Save me.'
He sighed, then decided to change the subject for her sake.
"Clorinde, how was your talk with Navia?"
As expected, Furina's layered negative buffs of "anger," "awkwardness," and "panic" were instantly distracted, no longer dwelling on Clorinde's slip.
Clorinde considered. "The misunderstanding has been cleared. I've fulfilled Monsieur Carres's request. In the future, Navia and I should become good friends."
"Oh, and she also asked me to thank both you and Lady Furina. If possible, she'd like to invite you to a meal. She asked me to check when you're free." Clorinde paused, then added thoughtfully, remembering Furina's sweet tooth:
"Navia makes excellent macarons. In my opinion, they're even better than those at Hotel Debord."
"What do you think?" Furina didn't answer directly, instead glancing at Richard.
"Naturally, Lady Furina decides." Richard shrugged. A meal was a meal, wherever it was. Besides, he had indeed helped Navia avenge her father.
Forget just a meal, even something more would not be too much.
As the saying goes: "A great kindness can only be repaid with oneself."
Though Navia was beautiful, Richard wouldn't pursue her.
These days, only Furina could move him on his own. Yae Miko, and Ei counted together as another. Lynette… didn't require him to act at all.
"Funny how you listen to me now, when before you never would," Furina grumbled.
She had told him not to pry, yet Richard still insisted on digging until the very end.
Even if he'd already guessed the truth, unless Furina admitted it herself, the veil remained intact.
Covering one's ears while stealing a bell, indeed.
"Anyway, after dinner we can stop by the Fountain of Lucine for a walk," Richard said, circling back.
"No one's going there!"
"Shall we visit the Fountain of Lucine after the meal?" Richard asked the ladies after they were full and content.
"I don't mind," Navia answered.
"Same here," Lynette said, sipping her post-dinner tea.
"I-" Clorinde began, but seeing Richard's gaze pass over her to land directly on Furina, she swallowed her words. Silence was consent.
'Is this workplace emotional abuse? Who would I even complain to?' she wondered.
Everyone looked at Furina. With the atmosphere already set, refusing would seem out of place. She could only glare at Richard before muttering, "F-fine. I don't mind either."
"Not forced, right?" Richard's smile was infuriating.
Looking at that handsome face, Furina gritted her teeth. "Not. Forced."
"Good. Then, please excuse me while I bring Vacher." Richard dabbed at his lips with a handkerchief, then rose to his feet.
"Vacher? Why call him here?" Navia frowned. 'Why summon that wretched criminal?'
"I promised him, if he cooperated, I would let him see Vigneire one last time."
"For a criminal like him, is it really necessary to grant such a request?" Clorinde asked, glancing at Navia's suddenly downcast expression.
She wasn't voicing her own opinion, but Navia's. After all, indulging Vacher's last wish might wound her deeply.
In truth, Clorinde had quite a bit of emotional intelligence, but it just didn't always show.
Navia was touched by her support. Yet she also didn't want Richard to go back on his word.
It was only letting Vacher see Vynere one last time. With everything already concluded, it wasn't a big deal.
"Don't mind me. It's all over now. Really, it's fine." Navia said.
Furina interjected. "But couldn't this be done another time? Why now of all times?"
Richard gave Navia a meaningful look, his tone oddly layered. "Actually, I think it will be even better with Navia present."
Though Vacher's crimes deserved death, Fontaine did not practice capital punishment. He was sentenced merely to life imprisonment.
For someone as wicked and already aging as him, that was far too light.
Richard knew this too. That was why he had given Vacher such a promise, and why he chose this moment, when Navia herself was present.
Lynette added softly, "Richard has prepared this for a long time, and even gained Lord Neuvillette's approval…"
She knew him well. Richard was not a man to show mercy to criminals, nor one who blindly followed the law.
If that were the case, the noble family who once tried to harm her would not have been wiped out.
"Since it's Monsieur Richard's arrangement, I trust him," Navia said at last.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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