One month ago.
In a slightly dim room, Yu Xie sat across from a man named Jacques at the table.
The flickering candlelight on the table seemed as if it could go out at any moment.
"You say ... Marcel would threaten me with my wife and daughter to get me to kill Mr. Callas?"
"What I mean is, if, if Marcel really does that, what will you do?"
"...No, that won't happen."
"I know you're conflicted. On one hand, there's Uncle Callas, who has been kind to you. On the other hand, there's your wife and daughter's safety." Yu Xie looked into Jacques' troubled eyes. "Let me take a guess. If this really happens, you'd seek help from Uncle Callas, and Marcel would likely realize this too. At that point, the situation will become even more complicated."
"But everything you're saying is just speculation, isn't it?"
"It's speculation, but considering the circumstances, how likely do you think something like this could happen?"
Upon hearing this, Jacques fell silent.
Yu Xie was right.
Callas in the gradual investigation, has got some evidence of Marcel's crime, in this case, Marcel is bound to not sit back and wait for death, he will do something.
And the most once and for all behavior, is to get rid of Callas.
"Let me offer you a plan," Yu Xie said earnestly, "At that time, you pretend to agree to Marcel' request and fake the act of killing Uncle Callas. When you do, you can hide this in the clothes on your chest."
Yu Xie took out a thin piece of steel material.
"This is something I had specially made. Don't be fooled by how thin it is; it can easily block a shot from a musket."
"You mean ...."
"This is just my guess but, Marcel will definitely have a third person come to kill Uncle Callas for insurance purposes, and maybe even silence you. When the time comes, you'll be carrying this piece on your chest, and after you get shot, the bullet won't be fatal, and then you'll pretend to be dead. By the way, don't forget to prepare a blood bag beforehand."
"What about Mr. Callas?"
"Uncle Callas is very skilled. He'll be fine."
"…What if things really turn out like this? If I play dead, will my wife and daughter be safe?"
"There's a famous saying by Lord Huang: 'If you're alive, you'll die sooner or later. But if you're dead, you'll live forever." *Qoute from the movie "Let the Bullets Fly"
"Which Lord Huang?"
"It doesn't matter. What's important is that you pretend to be dead first, then I'll accuse Marcel. You'll appear as a witness to expose his crimes, and everything will be over. Your wife and daughter will naturally be safe."
Jacques fell silent again for a moment, then spoke again, his voice very soft.
"You trust me this much? Aren't you worried that I might be working with Marcel?"
"Are you?"
"No."
"Then that's settled. Besides, this plan is the best solution for you." Yuxie smiled, "Remember, don't mention our cooperation to anyone. Once you walk out that door, pretend you've never seen me."
"I haven't said I agree to cooperate with you."
"Then think it over."
"..."
"Alright, anyway, that old fox Marcel is not easy to deceive. Until the very last moment, I'll keep playing along. The most important thing in acting is belief, and you need to have that belief too."
"…I understand."
....
Opera Epiclese.
Here, countless trials have been held, but today's trial is unprecedented.
"Can a person really dissolve into water?"
"Since Lord Neuvillette has said so, it must be true, right?"
The murmurs from the audience were like boiling water.
As the chief judge, Neuvillette's impartiality had never been questioned. What he said in the courtroom was beyond doubt for most people.
But the idea of a "person dissolving into water" was still too unbelievable.
"I will have these photographs evaluated by professionals to rule out the possibility of forgery," Neuvillette said, looking down at Jacques. "Mr. Jacques, are you here today as a witness for Champion Duelist Yuxie?"
"Yes," Jacques nodded.
"Please begin your statement."
Jacques took a deep breath and shot a glare at Marcel in the defendant's seat, his eyes burning with anger.
"Marcel, the president of the Confrerie of Cabriere, is a moralistic hypocrite!" He was a bit emotional, "Three days ago, he found me and threatened me with my wife and daughter to kill Mr. Callas!"
The onlookers in the audience, as usual, were watching with a sense of amusement.
"A big twist, huh?"
"I didn't expect this kind of drama!"
"Mr. Yuxie had already anticipated this, so Mr. Yuxie and I had also made a plan to deal with Marcel a long time ago." Jacques continued, "Although Marcel asked me to do that, he didn't trust me, so he sent a third person to assassinate Mr. Callas, and of course, he would want to kill me to silence me."
Jacques stared at Marcel, his anger evident in his eyes.
"I had already placed a material in my chest that could withstand a gunshot. At the banquet, I pretended to be dead to avoid Marcel's attention, and then came forward as a witness to expose his crimes! I can confirm that the photographs taken by this officer are genuine, and the third person sent by Marcel really did dissolve into water!"
The murmur of the audience didn't stop for even a moment.
"Mr. Callas, why didn't you explain what Jacques just said during the defense stage?" asked Neuvillette, the chief judge, turning to Callas.
Callas glanced at Yuxie and sighed slightly.
"I had no evidence. How could I expect anyone to believe such a thing as a person dissolving into water if I said it out loud?"
He was not wrong. In today's time, when the influence of the Spina di Rosula was waning, its reputation was nowhere near as strong as it once was.
Without evidence, making such claims would only make people think it was a farce.
"Mr. Marcel, do you have anything to say about this?" Neuvillette then turned his gaze toward Marcel.
Marcel stood in the defendant's seat, his expression extremely grim.
But then he laughed, as if mocking everyone.
"Hahaha... absurd! One link after another, all of you conspiring to frame me!"
He knew he couldn't confess—if he did, it would be over.
But in truth, it had already been over.
"Vacher, I knew you wouldn't confess so easily. Your mouth is really stubborn," Yuxie spoke up at this moment.
The name "Vacher" reached Marcel' ears, and his body slightly trembled.
"Your Honor, Marcel' real name is Vacher. He is not from Fontaine, and he has a secret lab where he manufactures 'Sinthe' for sale, making a fortune. He also conducts experiments on the young girls he kidnaps. Once that location is found, the truth will be revealed."
"And the location is?" asked Neuvillette.
Yuxie didn't answer. Instead, he looked toward Callas.
"Uncle, Marcel can't escape now. Navia and Spina di Rosula are safe. It's time to make the evidence you have public."
Callas also looked at Yuxie, seeing many complex things in this young man.
From the moment he arrived, this kid had brought many changes to both Spina di Rosula and Poisson Village.
He never expected that his own determination to face death would also be changed by this kid.
"Marcel's secret base is underwater."
End of chapter
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