"What sound? Paimon didn't hear anything." Paimon scratched her head in confusion.
She didn't? Nolan could still hear it — a faint woman's voice whispering the name "Vache…" echoing softly through the air.
It seemed to be coming from under the fountain.
This was the Fountain of Lucine, said to be the very place through which all the waters of Fontaine flowed.
"I heard it too. It's calling for 'Vache,' right?" Lumine stood up and looked toward the surface of the water.
"That's right." Nolan nodded.
"W-wait, so you both heard it? Why didn't Paimon?"
Paimon looked at them in shock.
If there really was a voice, why hadn't anyone else in the square reacted to it either?
"It's probably due to water elemental affinity," Nolan explained. "Only those with a high enough resonance to the Hydro element can hear it."
He focused for a moment, sensing carefully — and realized that the sound wasn't coming from beneath the water. The Lucine Fountain wasn't even that deep. No, the voice was emanating from the water itself.
Without strong Hydro affinity, it would be impossible to perceive.
Nolan himself commanded the Hydro element, and Lumine, after resonating with Fontaine's Statue of the Seven during their stay, had also gained the ability to wield Hydro power.
That's why the two of them could hear the whisper carried within the water.
"So that's it… but why would there be a voice in the water?" Paimon said, now understanding but still puzzled.
The fountain's water was crystal clear — you could see straight to the bottom. Nothing about it looked out of the ordinary.
"Maybe if we connect with the consciousness inside the water, we'll get an answer," Nolan said, glancing at Lumine.
"Mhm." Lumine nodded and closed her eyes, attempting to communicate through elemental resonance with the consciousness dwelling within the water.
Nolan did the same.
Their minds extended into the fountain — like raindrops falling from the sky and dissolving seamlessly into the water's surface.
A faint blue spiritual realm unfolded before them, and within it appeared a being seemingly formed entirely of water.
"This is… a Hydro Mimic?" Lumine said in surprise.
To think that there was a Hydro Mimic Spirit right here beneath the famous Opera Epiclese fountain — and no one had ever noticed!
"It's a little different from the usual Hydro Mimics," Nolan observed. "It doesn't have a true elemental body — it's just a consciousness, not a full water construct."
The one murmuring "Vache…" was none other than this watery being.
"Well, let's try saying hello first," Lumine said with a small wave.
"Hello!" she called out.
But there was no reply — the mimic just kept repeating the same name: "Vache…"
"Normally, when we enter a consciousness space like this, a Hydro Mimic would sense us right away," Nolan said, spreading his hands. "Since it hasn't responded, it probably just doesn't want to talk."
"Maybe we're not the ones it's looking for," Lumine nodded.
They called out a few more times, but with no reaction, the two of them withdrew their minds and returned to reality.
"How was it? Did you find anything?" Paimon asked curiously.
Night had fallen, and though the sky darkened, the plaza before the Opera Epiclese was more lively than ever — glowing with lamps and chatter.
"There's definitely something strange," Nolan said, recounting to Paimon everything they'd seen and heard within the water.
"No Hydro body, just a spirit… D-don't tell me it's a ghost!"
Paimon shivered, her shoulders drawing inward as the cool evening breeze brushed past.
"Well, when you put it that way, you're not exactly wrong." Nolan smiled faintly. "Its consciousness is fused with the water — so it's not without a body, but without an independent one either. You could say it's a kind of… water ghost."
"Ghosts? What ghosts?"
A familiar voice spoke up as Chevreuse approached — arms full of fries and other snacks.
"G-good evening, Chevreuse…" Paimon's fear instantly vanished, replaced by sparkling eyes locked on the mountain of food.
Drool welled at the corner of her mouth, her earlier fright all but forgotten.
"Alright, alright… I'll share a little." Chevreuse sighed and reluctantly placed some fries in front of her.
"Yay! Chevreuse, you're the best!"
Paimon cheered and dove straight into the food box, munching happily.
Lumine looked at her with an exasperated expression, while Nolan chuckled quietly.
For someone so composed and soldierly, Chevreuse actually had a surprisingly adorable side.
He then told her about the strange event at the fountain.
"There's a Hydro Mimic in the water calling out for someone named 'Vache.'"
Chevreuse froze mid-bite, wiped her mouth, and frowned in thought.
"Have you heard of that name before?" Nolan asked.
"No… but for a Hydro Mimic's consciousness to be calling someone repeatedly — that's certainly unusual. I'll report it to the Tribunal and have them investigate."
"Maybe then we'll find out who 'Vache' is, and why that mimic keeps calling the name."
Chevreuse thought hard but found no matching memory. Investigating the name was their only lead to understanding why such a consciousness existed in the water at all.
As captain of the Special Patrol Unit, she couldn't ignore such a clear anomaly.
"If you need help, you can always come to us," Lumine said with a smile.
"Oh, right." Chevreuse seemed to remember something. "Here — your commission reward. Thank you for your help today, and for discovering the anomaly at the fountain."
She reached into her Vision's storage and pulled out five gold Mora coins — each worth ten thousand.
For a simple patrol mission, it was quite a generous payment.
[Chevreuse Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 340 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.4 (360/400)]
"Hehe, thanks, Boss Chevreuse!" Paimon exclaimed, instantly snatching the Mora.
"In that case, let's use today's commission money to enjoy ourselves here tonight! Come with us, Chevreuse — we'll treat you to something!" Nolan said warmly.
"No need, I still haven't finished what I already have." Chevreuse pointed at the snacks in her hands.
But as she looked down, she froze.
Half the pile of food she'd been holding was suddenly gone. She turned her gaze toward the floating Paimon.
With that tiny stomach — how could she possibly have eaten that much?! Chevreuse stared in disbelief.
"Uh… hehe, sorry," Paimon rubbed her head sheepishly. "Once Paimon start eating, Paimon just can't stop…"
"Anyway! Come on, let's go. We'll treat you with the commission money!"
This time, Chevreuse didn't refuse.
Nolan, Lumine, and Paimon spent a long while exploring the plaza in front of the Opera Epiclese, even stepping inside the grand theater to take a look.
By seven or eight o'clock, they finally parted ways with Chevreuse and returned to the Wonderland.
As always, diligence paid off — cultivation couldn't be treated like the lazy "work" back at the Space Station.
That night, Nolan continued his usual training with the girls, and by the next morning, after reinforcing the results of their practice, his progress had once again leapt forward:
[Level: Lv.111 (361,262 / 21,000,000)]
With all his buffs combined, a full night and a little over an hour of morning training yielded nearly 200,000 EXP in training progress.
At this rate, it would take him a little over a hundred days to level up.
Of course, when he cultivated with Ei and the Raiden Shogun—both top-tier Archons—the rate of progress was about twice as fast.
But he couldn't favor one side over the other. If he devoted all his attention to Ei and the Shogun every day, the others would certainly have opinions. Cultivation had to be shared equally—fairness was key to keeping the girls happy.
So, even though training with Ei and the Shogun yielded the best results, it could at most reduce the time needed to level up to a bit over ninety days.
Even that speed made Ei rather envious. Before meeting Nolan, she'd already been at the level of a peak Archon, but centuries of accumulation hadn't given her as much progress as a few "close-contact sessions" with him did.
Still, after experiencing the massive gains from clearing out insect swarms in that giant stinger's stomach—where he'd leveled up twice in just a few days—Nolan couldn't help but reminisce.
Though he was quite satisfied with his current training rate, he still missed those days of farming Adventure EXP.
He wondered when he'd ever find such a perfect grinding spot again.
Waiting wouldn't help—Nolan decided that once he met the Hydro Archon, he'd ask Asta when he had the chance.
As the Space Station's director, she most likely knew which parts of the galaxy teemed with lifeforms similar to that insect horde.
If it wasn't too far, he'd go check it out; and if it was, he'd at least keep the location in mind for the future.
With that thought, Nolan climbed out from the girls' warm blankets.
Today was the day of the trial at the Opera Epiclese—the Hydro Archon herself would be present. If they missed it, they'd have to wait several more days for another chance.
Because of that, Noelle stayed behind to rest after their early morning training, and breakfast was prepared by Lumine.
Her cooking skills were just as refined as Noelle's—both could be called top-tier chefs within the Wonderland.
After breakfast, Nolan, Lumine, and Paimon returned once more to Fontaine.
By around nine in the morning, the area around the Opera House was already packed with people. Fontaine citizens truly loved a good spectacle.
"Let's go in before all the seats are gone!" Paimon urged, clearly excited to see one of Fontaine's famous public trials.
Nolan smiled, taking Lumine's hand as they entered. Seating was limited—if they were too late, they really wouldn't get in.
Still, this was just a commercial dispute; neither the plaintiff nor the defendant were particularly notable figures, so it wasn't the most sensational case. Finding seats shouldn't be too hard.
Before long, the three arrived at the ticket booth, bought their tickets, and made their way inside.
The Opera Epiclese's interior was vast and tiered, its grand stage doubling as both theater and courtroom.
On either side of the walls were several balcony stands. The frontmost areas were reserved for the plaintiff and defendant.
Those two, along with their lawyers, would argue their cases from there.
At the very center of the stage stood a massive mechanism shaped like a balance scale—the famous Oratrice Mécanique d'Analyse Cardinale, Fontaine's Judgment Machine!
Above it was a single balcony seat reserved for the Chief Justice of Fontaine, the presiding authority of all trials.
And then, above even that—on the highest, most lavish platform—was the exclusive seat of the Hydro Archon, Furina, a regular patron of the Opera House.
Her elevated position quite literally loomed over everyone, exuding both splendor and authority.
Nolan glanced around and realized he had underestimated just how passionate Fontaine's citizens were about watching trials. The rows of tiered seats were completely packed, leaving only the backmost row open.
But from there, one wouldn't be able to see the Hydro Archon's seat at all. Nolan had already anticipated that when they arrived, so he'd splurged on tickets for a side balcony instead.
That had been thanks to Chevreuse, who'd reminded them the night before while they were out enjoying the fountain plaza.
When she learned they wanted to see the Hydro Archon, she suggested they visit the theater in advance to understand the seating layout—so they wouldn't end up with blocked views.
The side balconies were higher and offered a clear sightline toward the Archon's viewing box, but they were much pricier. Usually, only those who weren't strapped for Mora would pay over a hundred thousand for such seats.
That was roughly a week's wages for an average citizen!
So demand was low, and Nolan and his group had no trouble getting tickets.
Following the directions on them, they reached the highest left-side balcony—one of the closest to the Hydro Archon's box.
There were two short red sofas: one for two people, though three could squeeze in if needed.
Since Paimon was small, fitting wasn't an issue.
As for why they didn't just sit separately to be more comfortable—it was because they'd only bought tickets for one sofa. The other must have been purchased by someone else.
Once seated, a theater attendant brought over tea and pastries, setting them on a small round table between the sofas.
It felt less like they were attending a solemn trial and more like they were about to watch a high-class performance.
Fontaine truly had its own… unique national character.
Not long after, the plaintiff and defendant took their places.
The plaintiff was an elderly man with graying hair and glasses, while the defendant was a portly fellow dressed in extravagant clothes, gold gleaming from his neck and wrists — a walking embodiment of nouveau riche arrogance.
The moment he stepped up, he glared furiously at the man across from him. Clearly, relations between the two were anything but friendly.
From the audience below came a hum of chatter: people laughing, whispering, and making predictions. "Do you think there'll be a twist this time?" "Who's really the villain here?"
It was as if they were watching a stage play rather than a legal proceeding.
Nolan leaned back into the sofa, eyes turning toward the Chief Justice's podium. The time had come.
The long-awaited Chief Justice slowly made his way to the seat.
His hair was pure white—but not the frail white of age. It gleamed softly as he moved, silky and luminous.
His features were so refined that anyone with a sense of aesthetics would have to admit—
What a strikingly handsome man.
Holding a scepter in his hand, the Chief Justice took his seat. As the audience's murmurings continued, he frowned slightly and spoke, his voice deep and resonant—
"Silence in the court."
(End of Chapter.)
RedX43's Note:
➤ Want More? Get up to +40 Extra Chapters on Patreon!
➤ [email protected]/RedX43
➤ +400 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter Drop!
➤ Thanks for reading! 🙌