"Spare us, Lady Furina! I was forced into it! They made me do it!"
"Lady Furina, please have mercy! I know I was wrong! I still have a mother and children, a cat and a dog at home waiting for my child support!"
The two men slammed their heads against the stone floor, each thud ringing loudly. Tears and snot streamed down their faces as they babbled about how they had already repented.
They had never seen such a terrifying Hydro Archon before.
In Fontaine, Furina usually appeared as a warm and approachable figure. Yet even so, neither of them had the courage to question Xia Yu's identity.
She looked exactly the same.
She could control water.
If that wasn't the Hydro Archon, then what was?
"Want to live?"
Xia Yu raised an eyebrow and continued frightening them in a mocking tone.
"And what right do you have to live?"
"When you were selling Sinthe, did you ever think about the consequences for ordinary people who became addicted to it?"
"When you dragged these poor girls here, did you ever think about how miserable it was for them to be locked in these cells, tortured by illness and hunger?"
"When you hauled them onto your experiment tables, did you ever think they were living human beings too? That they had families and friends waiting for them to return home?"
"And now that judgment has arrived, you beg me for your lives?"
"What about the ones who died? Didn't they want to live too?"
Hearing this, the two men knocked their heads even faster, the banging growing louder with each strike.
Well, how the hell were we supposed to know that working as henchmen would get us personally arrested by the Hydro Archon…
Xia Yu turned her head and looked toward the girls in the cells.
"Would you be willing to keep a secret for me?"
She gave them a gentle smile.
"Today I came out alone to clear my mind and happened to discover this place. No one else followed me."
"As long as none of you say anything, no one will know they died here."
To be honest, this went completely against Furina's usual personality.
She would never do something like this.
But Xia Yu needed fear to crush these two men. There was no other choice.
The girls stared at her in disbelief.
Aurelie looked at that familiar face before her.
The Furina in front of them felt completely different from the one she knew…
Of course, they didn't realize that Xia Yu had never intended to actually kill the two men—even if they deserved it.
"After all," Xia Yu continued, "they're probably just small fry."
"Neuvillette might sentence the mastermind to death under my pressure, but people like them will probably just end up imprisoned in the Fortress of Meropide."
"They wouldn't receive the punishment they truly deserve."
"That rigid, inhuman man… hmph."
"B–But you are the God of Justice," Aurelie asked involuntarily. "To condemn and kill someone without a trial… is that really acceptable?"
"Seeking justice for the dead is also justice," Xia Yu said calmly, looking at the two terrified men.
"There's no contradiction."
"When it comes to justice, I have a very flexible standard."
"And besides…"
"Today, I'm very angry."
As if responding to her mood, the water at the corridor entrance suddenly surged.
The rushing sound of spinning currents grew louder and louder.
"Lady Furina, I truly know I was wrong! Please spare us!"
The two men didn't even dare raise their heads as they begged desperately, repeating the same few lines over and over.
This proved that going slightly out of character didn't matter much.
After all, they were only henchmen.
None of them had the courage to stand before a god and debate law or justice.
"Look at them," Xia Yu said, pointing at the girls in the cells.
"Look at how miserable and weak they are!"
"Look at how many people died because of you!"
"And you want me to spare your lives? Why should I?"
"Have you done even a single thing to lessen your own crimes?"
As she spoke, Xia Yu slowly manipulated the water currents, letting them drift closer to the two men.
I've already hinted this much. If you still don't understand, you deserve to die.
Unfortunately, as the water crept closer and closer, the two kowtowing fools could only shout for mercy without understanding her meaning.
"Tch."
Xia Yu clicked her tongue in annoyance.
The identity of a god was both convenient—and restrictive.
The convenience was obvious: like now, even when she appeared ready to kill them, the two men didn't dare resist. In their minds, resisting a god was meaningless.
But the restriction was the same.
With that layer of fear shackling them, they couldn't understand the hints she was giving.
If it were just her alone, she could probably fight her way out with a surprise attack.
But she couldn't abandon the girls behind her.
According to the story, there would be many Clockwork Meka here. And she herself was practically a rookie—she had only just obtained the Vision.
Protecting so many people under the attack of numerous Clockwork Meka would be extremely risky.
Besides…
She didn't even know where the exit was.
Without someone to guide them, how could they escape?
But staying here wasn't an option either.
Xia Yu couldn't hide while watching these poor girls die one by one. If they stayed here, they would only starve to death eventually.
There was only one way to get them out alive.
Unfortunately, these two men simply weren't smart enough.
Listening to their dry, repetitive pleas for mercy left Xia Yu helpless.
Come on, guys. Your lives are on the line right now.
Instead of just begging, shouldn't you think about how to actually survive?
"Want to live? Fine!"
Xia Yu decided to give them one final hint.
If they still didn't get it, she would have no choice but to find someone else and use their deaths as an example.
"They're just two worthless henchmen anyway."
"At worst, I'll drag their corpses around and see if anyone else is smart enough."
"Go beg them."
Xia Yu pointed toward the girls in the cells.
"As long as they say they forgive you, I'll spare your lives."
"Otherwise, I came here alone today. If you die here, no one will know."
"Or do you want to gamble on whether they'll defend you after they get out? Accuse me—the Hydro Archon—of wrongdoing?"
Did that even require thinking?
The two men wanted to cry.
Looking at the hatred in the girls' eyes around them, it was obvious they would rather see them dead.
The skinny man, Ethan, slowly raised his trembling head and tried to beg the girls he had helped imprison.
In response, he received nothing but hostile glares.
Even if the Hydro Archon seemed strange today—
She was still delivering justice for them!
As the water currents crept ever closer, Ethan saw that his companion beside him was nearly scared senseless.
None of the girls showed any intention of pleading for them. Instead, they watched with grim satisfaction.
Ethan was on the verge of collapsing.
"I… I still have a mother to support!"
The water did not slow.
"I have children at home!"
Everyone had heard that line before.
"I was forced into this!"
A classic excuse, replayed again.
"I… I…"
Ethan became incoherent.
As the water approached, his mind began flashing through memories like a lantern show.
Childhood mischief.
The struggles of life afterward.
Everything that had happened leading up to now…
And the trials held at the opera house.
Trials?
Suddenly, something clicked in his mind.
"I can make amends for my crimes!"
He shouted desperately.
"I can testify against them! I can expose their crimes for you, Lady Furina! I can be a witness!"
"Please believe me, Lady Furina! I'm really just a henchman! The truly evil deeds weren't even done by us!"
"Testify?"
Hearing this, Xia Yu quietly let out a breath.
Damn it, he finally got the hint.
She deliberately put on a slightly hesitant expression.
"That's not enough to buy your life."
"After all, testimonies and evidence are hardly lacking."
There's hope!
Ethan immediately sensed an opportunity.
For someone who had survived as a gangster's lackey, reading people's expressions was basic survival skill. Earlier he had been too terrified to think, but now that he saw hope, his instincts began returning.
"I… I can also… I can…"
His mind spun frantically, searching for something useful about himself.
But no matter how hard he thought, the water kept approaching while his mind remained blank.
After all, he was only a thug.
He didn't possess silver-tongued eloquence.
If he had, he wouldn't still be a thug now.
Seeing this, Xia Yu shook her head.
She waved her hand, preparing to kill them and drag their corpses around to intimidate the others.
If that didn't work…
Then she would carve a path out one step at a time.
To be honest, for someone who had grown up in a peaceful era, the word killing carried enormous weight.
In the past, she would never have imagined it applying to herself.
But she also knew the world was no longer the same.
Anyone with a brain could understand that in a dangerous world—especially inside a criminal organization's lair—showing mercy would only lead to disaster.
If she wanted to survive…
If she wanted these innocent girls behind her to survive…
Then she had no choice but to cast aside her kindness and hesitation here.
"Lady Furina… please spare them for now."
From the cell, Aurelie spoke weakly.
"I hate them. I wish they would all die."
"But they're not worth it…"
"The principles and justice you've upheld for five hundred years… they aren't worth abandoning for people like them."
"Let the law judge their crimes. Fontaine's laws will give us justice."
"But I've already failed you," Xia Yu said softly.
She turned around, crouched down, and gently rubbed the bruise on Aurelie's leg.
"It hurts, doesn't it?"
Seeing such a gentle god before her, the girl suddenly burst into tears.
Overcome with emotion, she reached through the bars and tightly embraced Xia Yu.
"It's alright. I'm here."
Xia Yu's body stiffened for a moment, then quickly relaxed. She gently patted the girl's back.
"You won't have to suffer anymore."
"You won't have to endure hunger or pain."
"I'll take you back to the world of civilization."
"I'm truly sorry."
"As Fontaine's god, I should have solved this case sooner instead of letting you suffer like this."
Then she turned her head and looked at the two trembling thugs.
"So what are you still standing there for?"
"Get over here and open the cells!"
"If anything happens to them along the way, that will only add to your crimes!"
"Yes, Lady Furina! Right away!"
The two men, who had just escaped death, hurried over and opened the cells one by one, releasing the imprisoned girls.
"Let's go," Xia Yu said, looking at the girls as they supported one another.
"I'll take you home."
Then she looked at the two henchmen.
"Well? Lead the way!"
Watching the two trembling thugs walk ahead, Xia Yu quietly let out a breath.
That should work… right?
It seemed Furina still held quite a bit of authority in Fontaine after all these years.
Xia Yu realized she didn't necessarily need to perfectly imitate Furina.
In fact, forcing it might backfire and expose something suspicious.
It was better to simply follow her own rhythm.
After all, seeing her citizens suffering under such evil—wasn't it perfectly reasonable for the God of Justice to become furious and change her demeanor?
As long as the logic made sense.
And for now, the results seemed pretty good.
Besides, in a nation where gods truly existed, who would dare question a god's identity?
Even if someone did…
It certainly wouldn't be low-level thugs like these.
If they had that kind of courage, they wouldn't be mere henchmen in the first place.