The two petted Aveline for a good while, leaving her feeling quite soft and tingly all over, before finally stopping.
Melusines truly were made of water; many parts of them were especially sensitive, whether it was their antennae or their heads.
"Hmm..."
Aveline rubbed her slightly numb little head, and then politely asked, "Would the guests like some sweets?"
The petting incident was simply skipped over, as it didn't comply with the law, so they pretended it hadn't happened.
As for the sweets, although Melusines' senses were different from humans', and the things they made were often called "dark cuisine" by humans, she had often taken care of Furina, so she was quite skilled in making the small cakes that humans loved.
"Sweets? Yes, please!"
As soon as March 7th heard there were delicious sweets, her eyes lit up excitedly.
"Then, honored guests, please wait a moment. I'll go prepare them now."
Aveline nodded happily and bounced away.
"What a cute little creature!"
Her bouncy walking style, the little tail wagging left and right behind her, and her fluttering little wings almost made March 7th fall head over heels.
"What a shame, I really want to take one back to the train..."
"How about we quietly kidnap one?" Stelle whispered into March 7th's ear.
"Go away, go away! We're the Astral Express crew, doing good deeds, not human traffickers."
March 7th glared at Stelle in annoyance, but then poked her index fingers together.
"But then again..."
"Your thoughts are very dangerous."
Focalors said in a low voice behind the two, and casually conjured a ball of light in her palm to illuminate the lower part of her face. Aside from her slightly mischievous eyes, the rest of her appearance was extremely imposing.
"Whoa~!"
March 7th was startled by the sudden scene, and quickly scratched the back of her head with an awkward laugh.
"Just kidding, hehe I was just kidding, how could I really kidnap a Melusine"
...
Meanwhile, around the Fountain of Lucine at the Opera Epiclese.
The area was now packed with people, three layers deep, surrounding a crowd of onlookers.
In the center of the crowd, there was a criminal being escorted by guards.
This criminal was Marcel.
Ever since Momoshiki told Neuvillette all the details of the missing girls' case, the workaholic immediately dealt with the matter without hesitation.
He secretly and openly cooperated with Lumine's group to investigate, and also went to the underwater factory to gather a pile of evidence, successfully bringing down Marcel at the trial.
During the sentencing, the almost insane Marcel learned that Lumine had heard Vigneire's voice at the Fountain of Lucine, and pleaded to see his beloved before going to prison.
Neuvillette thought for a moment and agreed, which led to the current situation.
The surrounding audience, upon learning that this criminal was the culprit in the missing girls' case, all cursed him and threw trash at him.
In an inconspicuous corner of the crowd, a young man wearing a strange mask held a camera he got from who-knows-where, secretly taking pictures of something.
"Tsk tsk tsk What a tragic love story Wuwuwu~" Aha adjusted the camera angle, smirking.
"It's so touching, Aha Even the big ice block should like it Hahahaha~"
Marcel, no, to be precise, Vacher, was now walking step by step towards the Fountain of Lucine, muttering something.
If you listened carefully, it was probably some crazy ramblings.
"Didn't you ever pay attention to me... Didn't you watch your beloved dissolve before your eyes..."
"Vigneire... I've come to see you..."
"I will revive you... I will make you human again..."
These were roughly the phrases, repeated over and over, as if he had gone mad.
Clorinde stood at the forefront of the guards, her hand on the short gun at her waist, her gaze fixed on the Fountain of Lucine. She always felt that something was subtly wrong.
But she didn't know what it was.
Soon, Vacher walked to the fountain, loudly calling out Vigneire, and then scooped up the water and drank several mouthfuls, thereby enhancing his perception of Hydro elements.
With his unremitting efforts, a soft call soon came.
"Vacher... Vacher..."
The voice was ethereal and empty, as if coming from endless nothingness.
"Vigneire...?"
Vacher listened to the voice, gradually freezing in place, his eyes filled with disbelief, but then his expression became frantic again.
"Vigneire! Vigneire!" Vacher shouted loudly, leaning over the fountain, "I am Vacher!!"
"Vacher...? Vacher...!!"
The voice also seemed to recognize the newcomer, changing from initial confusion to urgency.
"Where are you?! Vigneire! I'm coming to find you!! You must wait for me!!"
Vacher shouted frantically as he stood up, then leaped directly into the fountain.
The incident was too sudden. Everyone froze, then was shocked.
Vacher was a Snezhnayan, after all! Not a Fontaine person, but he was swallowed by the water right before everyone's eyes, dissipating into a blue light!
What a joke?!
Lumine and Paimon in the crowd were all stunned, and even Navia and her two companions were bewildered.
Only the professional reporter, Ms. Charlotte, reacted first, snapping away with her camera.
Aha next to her also followed suit, finding angles.
"Everyone, seal off the scene!"
Clorinde shouted, and the surrounding guards quickly surrounded the Fountain of Lucine, starting to check for hidden passages from the outside.
But in the end, nothing was found. The person just disappeared into thin air.
"Report to Chief Justice Neuvillette immediately!"
...
In a fantastical space composed entirely of Hydro elements, Vacher opened his eyes in confusion.
After he jumped in, he felt his brain go hazy, then he lost consciousness, and woke up here inexplicably.
"Where is this... Vigneire..."
"Vigneire..." Vacher called out softly, his consciousness hazy. He suddenly remembered something and quickly straightened up.
"Right!! Vigneire! Where are you!!"
Vacher anxiously called out, looking around, trying to find Vigneire's figure.
Vacher now was exactly like a player who was told that Firefly wasn't dead after her death, eager to see his beloved.
Soon, a pile of compressed Hydro elements continuously gathered together, gradually forming the appearance of a Pure Hydro Eidolon.
"Vacher..."
The Pure Hydro Eidolon's voice showed no emotion.
"Vigneire!! Is that you?!!"
Vacher frantically walked step by step, reaching out to touch the Pure Hydro Eidolon's cheek, but his hand passed directly through, into nothingness. He couldn't touch anything.
Despite this, Vacher's excitement wasn't extinguished.
"That's great... that's great!!"
"Twenty years! Twenty years!! I finally see you again!!"
Vacher cried tears of joy, dancing excitedly.
"Vigneire... Vigneire, do you know how much I've missed you these twenty years?!"
"I really fantasized about seeing you again every single day..."
He said, choking back sobs, but the Pure Hydro Eidolon slowly spoke.
"But I think... it would be better without you..."
"I... huh? What...?"
Vacher, who was about to say something else, had his brain instantly short-circuit, seemingly not understanding.
The Pure Hydro Eidolon's voice changed.
"Without you, I could have finished law school and become a top agent..."
Saying this, the Pure Hydro Eidolon's voice seemed to change into another person's.
"Without you, I could have continued my dream of painting..."
"Without you, my mother wouldn't have died tragically and alone..."
...
The Pure Hydro Eidolon spoke sentence by sentence. Although her voice was still ethereal and showed no emotion, every word was filled with hatred.
"You... you!!"
Vacher, after hearing all this, was stunned. He took a few steps back in disbelief, his trembling hand pointing firmly at the Pure Hydro Eidolon.
"You're not Vigneire! Who are you?!!"
"I am Callas... I am Limonie... I am Vizeena..."
Every time the Pure Hydro Eidolon spoke a name, her voice would change, as if these people were merged together.
As she was speaking, the Pure Hydro Eidolon's appearance also changed slightly. Many human faces vaguely appeared in her body, as well as hands trying to tear through her skin and crawl out.
These ghostly figures struggled within, their gazes fixed on Vacher, their eyes filled with hatred, wishing they could devour him alive.
More and more faces and hands appeared, and the Pure Hydro Eidolon's appearance was distorted beyond recognition, like a demon from hell.
"Why..."
Vacher collapsed, pounding his head with his fists.
At this moment, his expression showed regret and remorse, and pain, but only fear was absent.
"Then where is Vigneire? Where is she?!"
"She won't come to see you... She's avoiding you..."
The Pure Hydro Eidolon's voice also became chaotic. Her skin seemed finally unable to contain these souls, and it instantly tore open, as if exploding, turning into countless fragments.
"Vacher! Vacher!"
"Vacher!!"
...
The vengeful spirits within crawled out one by one, their bodies constantly overflowing with Hydro elements, rushing straight towards Vacher.
"Die!!"
...
Outside the Fountain of Lucine, Clorinde watched the continuously gushing fountain for a while, sighed softly, and turned around.
"Fall back."
As her words fell, the nearby police force immediately gathered.
Just as everyone was about to leave, a corpse floated up.
...
===
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