After learning the details from the Oceanid, the "sacrificial victim," the "serial disappearances" case was no longer a mystery.
At least, they knew the true culprit, Vacher, and his deeds.
However, ever since leaving the Oceanid's consciousness space, Furina had been in low spirits.
[Furina] exchanged glances with Fairy Ely, and as if understanding each other, Fairy Ely said to Lumine in her childish voice, "Lumine, shall we go somewhere else?"
"Hmm?" Lumine was puzzled, but seeing the two in front of her, she seemed to understand something and nodded.
She and Fairy Ely left first, leaving Furina and Jiang Qiao alone.
In the dimming twilight, clockwork automatons danced gracefully in the ballroom. They were the "Icewind Suite" Coppelia and Coppelius, designed by the Fontaine Akademiya.
Although different from humans, accompanied by lyrical music, the seemingly soul-infused automatons dancing tirelessly in the ballroom were truly a captivating sight.
"What are you thinking about?"
The clear, gentle voice of the girl broke the harmony of the music, like a pebble thrown into still water, disturbing the momentary silence.
Furina lowered her voice, "…I'm truly incompetent."
She had been so close to the Lucine Fountain, passing by it countless times, yet she had never noticed anything unusual about the water.
The "serial disappearances" case had been going on for nearly twenty years. Blaming the Hydro Archon entirely would undoubtedly be shirking responsibility.
But to say she had nothing to do with it—Furina couldn't convince herself.
After all, as the "Sovereign of All Waters, All Opulence, All People, and All Laws," she hadn't even heard the cries of Fontaine's citizens right under her nose.
Wasn't this a dereliction of duty?
Of course—she was just a "substitute," bearing the name of the Hydro Archon but lacking the true power. But this was undoubtedly the source of Furina's pain.
Loved and expected by Fontaine's citizens, as the "Hydro Archon," she could only watch helplessly as the prophecy approached, as tragedies unfolded. The feeling of "I can't do anything" lingered in her heart, and it was truly… agonizing.
Biting her lip, Furina wondered—if someone else were the Hydro Archon, would they do a better job?
Confusion swirled in her eyes until a warm sensation from behind her neck interrupted her gloomy thoughts.
The pair of automatons danced gracefully in the ballroom, also acting as silent witnesses—watching the black-haired young man whose neck was embraced by the blue and white-haired girl's pale arms.
The close proximity allowed them to feel each other's body heat. The captivating scent of irises emanating from her hair seemed to revitalize him.
The automatons continued their dance, the soothing music calming their minds—the combination of these factors brought Furina an unprecedented sense of peace and serenity.
Self-blame, pain, even worries, all seemed to fade away.
All that remained was a comforting tranquility.
This was something Furina had never experienced in the past five hundred years.
"Have you ever slacked off in the past five hundred years?"
"No… Well… occasionally, just a little bit!" Furina wanted to sound more assertive, but after some thought, she still relented slightly.
It was impossible to never slack off. After all, no matter how strong she was, she was still human.
If she was always tense… she would truly break down!
That being said—five hundred years had passed, and she seemed to be reaching her limit… no, she had probably already surpassed it long ago.
"I understand~ Everyone needs a moment of rest."
"But other than that, have you ever neglected your duties?"
"No! Absolutely not!"
"Then you've already done everything you could." A sweet, warm breath brushed against her ear as the girl whispered softly, "You've already done your best."
"…I've already done my best…" Furina was stunned. "But…"
She wanted to say something, but a gloved finger gently pressed against her lips, stopping her.
"It's alright~ Since you've already done your best, no one will blame you."
"At least—I won't allow it."
The gentle yet firm words, filled with unwavering conviction, echoed in her ears.
The slightly domineering tone made Furina feel dizzy.
An indescribable sense of security filled her heart.
Of course—the more obvious signs were her slightly flushed cheeks and ears. Although being made like this by her own body felt strange, …she was so amazing!
Undoubtedly, the innocent [Furina Qiao] was completely captivated by the experienced, smooth-talking heartthrob.
"I know, I know… Let go of me…" Mumbling softly, Furina shyly broke free from [Furina]'s embrace.
"What are we doing next?"
According to Furina's own plan, they should immediately bring that Vacher to justice, but she still instinctively asked for Jiang Qiao's opinion.
"Next, we need to find the young miss of the Spina di Rosula."
"Navia?! What for?" Furina was puzzled.
If it was to gather evidence—Jiang Qiao undoubtedly already had enough witness testimony to convict Vacher.
And Navia… Furina couldn't think of any connection between the Spina di Rosula young miss and this matter.
Wait… could it be that there was something between Jiang Qiao and Navia?
Furina instinctively recalled their brief conversation during the day. Jiang Qiao should have been in this world for the first time, and it was also his first time meeting Navia. There shouldn't be any connection.
Could it be… love at first sight?!
Furina immediately thought of the classic trope in stories, her expression changing slightly.
No way! That fast?!
Subconsciously biting her nails, Furina was concerned.
Of course—she wasn't concerned about whether there was anything romantic between them!
"Do you remember her father?"
"Callas Cassapa."
While Furina was lost in her thoughts, the name Jiang Qiao mentioned made her pause, then she nodded in realization:
"Oh, it's him. Of course I remember him."
Although the Spina di Rosula was just a gang-like civilian organization, it was actually quite special—especially its founder, Callas Cassapa.
He was kind, righteous, and had helped the residents of Poisson greatly. He had also made significant contributions to Fontaine's government, such as the Navia Line waterways currently operating throughout Fontaine, which were built with the help of Callas and the Spina di Rosula.
In recognition of Callas's contributions, Fontaine's three waterways, the "Callas Line," the "Clementine Line," and the "Navia Line," were named after Callas and his family. The Palais Mermonia had even intended to grant him the title of Count.
She was the one who approved the decree.
However, it seemed that he hadn't accepted it.
"Callas… I remember he… a few years ago… That's right! He died because of the serial disappearances case!" Furina exclaimed after recalling, "He… he was wrongly accused!"
The fact that Callas, who had contributed so much to Fontaine's development, was ultimately implicated in the serial disappearances case and died at the opera house had caused a great sensation at the time. It was also something Furina remembered clearly.
However, as time passed and the prophecy loomed, she hadn't had the time to dwell on this old matter.
Now, after learning about Vacher, Furina instantly realized—they… they had wrongly accused a good man!
"After that incident, Callas was labeled 'Callas the Unjust,' and the Spina di Rosula's reputation plummeted."
"This…"
Furina's eyes widened in surprise.
She hadn't known about this.
"Callas the Unjust… This…" Savoring the derogatory term, Furina fell silent.
Having ruled for five hundred years, she had witnessed the rise and fall of the Spina di Rosula and the man's rise to prominence. She knew his character very well.
And yet, such a man, who had contributed so much to Fontaine's development, had not only died at the opera house due to the serial disappearances case, but had also been posthumously labeled with such a stigma.
"T-this won't do! How could this happen?!"
Having been too focused on the prophecy, she hadn't noticed such a terrible thing happening right under her nose. Furina said urgently, "We have to do something!"
No matter what kind of justice, she couldn't ignore this.
"…Wait, I understand. You're planning to have Navia be the accuser, right?"
The blue and white-haired girl smiled and asked, "Isn't this a good thing?"
There were many ways to deal with Vacher.
Having the Steambird or the Gardes do it could boost the Palais Mermonia's prestige and restore the public trust lost due to the serial disappearances case.
And if he—in Furina's form—exposed him, it would further solidify the image of the God of Justice.
But Jiang Qiao didn't intend to choose either of these options.
In his opinion, the most suitable person for this task was Navia, the young miss of the Spina di Rosula.
This wasn't because it was originally Navia's role.
It was simply—this was how Fontaine's justice should be.
…
"Lady… Furina?!" In the Debord Hotel, Navia, invited by [Furina], looked at the figure sitting at the dining table and changed her address with surprise and slight awkwardness.
Unlike most Fontaine citizens, perhaps because she had more contact with the lower class, or perhaps because she had witnessed too many "absurd" trials, Navia wasn't particularly impressed by Fontaine's upper echelon.
Of course, this was mainly directed at Chief Justice Neuvillette and those bureaucrats.
As for Furina—she was a cute "mascot."
But it was difficult for Navia to view her as the Hydro Archon and treat her with reverence.
Even so, she still chose to use an honorific.
Then, Navia's gaze fell upon [Furina Qiao].
For her now, the person she was most interested in was undoubtedly this individual, who was closely related to the clues she was pursuing.
Furina, sensing her gaze, lowered her head, avoiding eye contact.
Besides being afraid of being seen through, it was probably mostly guilt.
After all, there was the matter of Callas.
"Is he one of yours?" Navia asked [Furina], half curious, half inquiring, after observing for a moment.
"You can think of it that way." The blue and white-haired girl shrugged, not denying it.
This reply made Furina blush.
What do you mean, I'm 'one of his'?
We've only known each other for a short time!
Even if there was any affiliation, it should be him being "one of hers," right?
Furina was inexplicitly struggling about this strange point.
Unfortunately, she didn't have the courage to speak up.
"..." Navia nodded knowingly.
Although she felt that their Hydro Archon was quite useless, a complete mascot,
She was still a god, and should have some skills. This wasn't surprising.
Besides, she had been wondering how this person knew about it. If he was one of the Hydro Archon's people, then everything made sense.
"So, have you found the answers you seek?"
"…Mmm, Melus has told me everything." Navia glanced at the elderly man beside her and nodded, her voice slightly subdued.
She hadn't expected that the thing she had been searching for was right beside her all along.
If it weren't for someone else's reminder, she might never have realized it.
Of course, she wasn't angry.
Or rather, her anger wasn't directed at Melus for concealing the truth. He had only done so because of her father's instructions, to protect her.
What truly angered Navia was the mastermind behind the serial disappearances.
Navia had been prepared for the possibility that her father was truly guilty.
But… he had actually done it to protect her…
Navia's eyes stung, and she fought back tears, maintaining her strong facade.
"Then that means you're prepared to take the next step."
"Of course, I'll definitely bring that bastard to justice!" The blonde girl gritted her teeth, as if wanting to tear the culprit to shreds. "No matter the cost."
[Furina] smiled:
"Miss Navia~ You wouldn't want to see the culprit behind the serial disappearances escape justice, would you?"