When the number of disappearances suddenly surged past a hundred in a short span, even the nobles couldn't withstand the pressure, let alone the common citizens.
The unknown methods of the perpetrator made defense virtually impossible.
Moreover, the simultaneous disappearances across Fontaine indicated the perpetrator's vast influence, potentially rivaling that of the official Fontaine authorities!
Realizing this, the nobles felt as though a sharp blade hung above their heads, poised to fall at any moment.
Even though the perpetrator had so far targeted only young girls, could the nobles without daughters truly be so confident that the perpetrator wouldn't change targets?
Compounding their insecurity, Neuvillette had taken the majority of the Marechaussee Phantom with him, leaving the capital even more vulnerable.
Thus, they united to pressure Neuvillette to immediately return to Fontaine with the Marechaussee Phantom, threatening to temporarily strip him of his title and authority as Chief Justice if he refused.
As for the Hydro Archon Furina?
Furina had no idea what was happening!
After Clorinde's departure, Furina, gripped by insecurity, remained locked in her room, refusing to step outside or allow anyone near.
Of course, she still needed her desserts—giving up sweets would be worse than death itself.
While savoring an exquisite little cake, Furina counted the days since Clorinde had left on her fingers.
"Tomorrow... Clorinde should be back tomorrow, right?"
-
At that very moment, Charlotte was ambushed by an assassin—the very young girl named in the criminal's prediction!
Charlotte froze the girl's limbs with solid Cryo, causing the dagger in her hand to clatter to the ground with a crisp, ringing sound. The sudden attack stunned everyone present.
Just then, the girl flashed Charlotte a sinister smile, and her body dissolved into a puddle of water. The predicted time had arrived.
Charlotte's heart pounded. Moments earlier, she had attempted to make contact with the girl, subtly inquiring about the "Homeland." She never anticipated that her question would instantly change the girl's expression.
If Charlotte hadn't spent years walking on the razor's edge of danger and the girl's movements hadn't been so clumsy, she would have undoubtedly been injured.
The current situation was still dire, though. Most critically, she couldn't accept it!
When she had questioned the girl, Charlotte had lowered her voice to a near whisper, ensuring no one else overheard their conversation.
Moreover, due to the sensitive nature of this matter, Charlotte couldn't reveal the truth to others, making any explanation impossible.
To outsiders, she appeared to be an accomplice to the murderer. Given her presence at numerous disappearance sites and the Court of Justice's prolonged inability to identify the perpetrator's methods, suspicions began to arise that their organization had been infiltrated and that the culprit was one of their own. It was under these circumstances that Charlotte pinned down the victim.
One could say Charlotte instantly felt like she couldn't clear her name even if she jumped into the sewer.
Sure enough, upon witnessing the victim dissolve into a puddle of water, the Court of Justice officers cast suspicious glances at Charlotte, as if questioning whether she was colluding with the killer.
Feeling the weight of their scrutiny, Charlotte couldn't help but taste bitterness in her mouth. She tentatively offered an explanation:
"It's not like that! She suddenly lunged at me with a dagger, and I only froze her in self-defense."
With that, Charlotte pointed to the dagger lying on the ground.
Following her gesture, the Court of Justice officers indeed spotted the dagger, and their faces flickered with hesitation.
"That doesn't add up, Charlotte. Isn't it reasonable for a victim to carry a defensive weapon after hearing they've been targeted?" Editor-in-Chief Euphrasie interjected.
Charlotte's eyes widened in disbelief.
Wait, Editor-in-Chief Euphrasie, whose side are you on?!
There's a traitor among us!
"Hmm, that makes sense."
The officers from the Court of Justice nodded in agreement with Editor-in-Chief Euphrasie's deduction.
"Miss Charlotte, please come with us."
"You may defend yourself, but anything you say from this point forward will be admissible as evidence."
Charlotte gazed at Editor-in-Chief Euphrasie, her eyes welling up with tears.
Under Charlotte's resentful stare, Editor-in-Chief Euphrasie felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles. She awkwardly averted her gaze, only to see another figure appear before her.
"Miss Euphrasie, given your close relationship with Miss Charlotte, we suspect you may also be involved in this matter. Please come with us."
Euphrasie: "???"
On the way to the Court of Justice, Charlotte smiled contentedly as she looked at her future cellmate.
Seeing this, Editor-in-Chief Euphrasie glared fiercely at Charlotte, as if to say, "You still have the nerve to smile?"
Charlotte retaliated with an equally fierce glare: "Who do you think caused this?"
Editor-in-Chief Euphrasie awkwardly shifted her gaze: "It was... a moment of weakness."
"Captain, these two are exchanging glances like they're coordinating their stories."
"What? Still trying to pull tricks even after being arrested!"
"Separate them! Keep them far apart!"
Charlotte and Euphrasie: "..."
After a considerable effort, Charlotte finally managed to extricate herself from the Court of Justice unscathed, relying on her years of negotiation experience.
As she walked out alongside Editor-in-Chief Euphrasie, Charlotte felt utterly drained—mentally exhausted.
"Alright, alright, don't be mad anymore," Euphrasie said.
"I was just being reasonably suspicious at the time."
"You know how it is in our line of work—we have to dig deep and get to the bottom of things."
"Anyway, I'm treating you to dinner this afternoon as an apology."
"Hmm, then let's go to Hotel Debord."
"Ah, you're really not holding back, are you?!"
Hearing Charlotte's choice, Euphrasie felt a pang of pain.
If only she knew how meager the Editor-in-Chief's secret stash was!
But today, Charlotte was determined to make Euphrasie bleed financially.
Not just expensive dishes, but the most expensive ones.
And not just the most expensive ones, but multiple rounds of them.
Under Euphrasie's resentful gaze, Charlotte flashed a vengeful smile before subtly adjusting her order to include only slightly more expensive items than usual.
Even so, Euphrasie felt like she'd saved a fortune today!
After parting ways with Euphrasie after dinner, Charlotte returned home.
She still couldn't make sense of what had happened earlier. Why had that young girl tried to attack her?
Wasn't she a victim herself?!
Or was she being controlled?
Charlotte immediately dismissed the thought; there was no need.
Since the young girl had already been chosen as a victim, and all previous victims had behaved normally without doing anything unusual, the likelihood of her being controlled was extremely low.
Unable to grasp the details despite her efforts, Charlotte felt her brain was about to overheat.
After some consideration, she decided to call for backup:
Lyney, Lynette, family emergency, return immediately.
The next day, Charlotte arrived outside the House of the Hearth, planning to use the Fatui's communication channels to send a message to Lyney and Lynette.
However, she was surprised to find herself face-to-face with the Director of the House of the Hearth, Arlecchino, "The Knave."
Charlotte was led to the drawing room, where Arlecchino sat with her legs crossed, sipping tea.
Meeting such a high-ranking Fatui official filled Charlotte with overwhelming pressure.
"Miss Charlotte, please have a seat."
Feeling somewhat flustered, Charlotte sat down across from Arlecchino.
"Would you like something to drink?"
"No, thank you, Miss Knave. I'm just here to see Mr. Lyney and Miss Lynette. I'll be leaving soon."
"Then ordinary tea will do."
With that, Arlecchino signaled for others to pour Charlotte a steaming cup of red tea.
"Feel free to add sugar as you wish."
"Regardless, hospitality is paramount."
Hearing Arlecchino's words, Charlotte keenly felt the woman's imposing presence.
"There's no need to be so tense. You're friends with Lyney and Lynette. I'm quite relieved that my children have made such good friends."
"Is there anything you'd like me to pass along? I can relay your message."
Charlotte hesitated, unsure whether to reveal her current findings to Arlecchino.
"Heh."
Sensing Charlotte's hesitation, Arlecchino chuckled softly and set her teacup back on the table.
"Ah, though meddling in children's affairs might seem like overly strict parenting..."
"This matter has grown beyond what a few children can handle. As their guardian, I should offer them some guidance and support."
"Wouldn't you agree, Miss Charlotte?"
Arlecchino paused, then continued.
"Miss Charlotte must be aware of the Prophecy."
"The entire House of the Hearth is working tirelessly to prepare for the crisis it foretells."
"Lyney, Lynette, and I are all dedicating our efforts to this cause."
Having heard this, Charlotte realized that Lyney and Lynette hadn't kept their previous encounter from Arlecchino. She forced a faint smile and asked, "Miss Knave, is the Prophecy true?"
"Whether the Prophecy is true or not, its predictions are unfolding one by one, aren't they?" Arlecchino replied.
After a moment's hesitation, Charlotte began to recount her discoveries to Arlecchino.
Once Arlecchino had heard everything, she fell into deep thought.
Arlecchino hadn't anticipated that Charlotte's lead would be this.
The clue left her puzzled, as it undermined nearly all her previous deductions.
Consciousness transfer?
Perhaps her earlier theories were flawed. It was impossible for someone to transfer their consciousness back and forth across Fontaine in such a short time.
Setting aside the question of whether such an act would even serve any purpose, anyone capable of it would possess methods almost indistinguishable from those of an Archon.
Yet, during their interactions, Arlecchino had sensed no divine aura.
"Things are becoming increasingly intriguing," she murmured, half to herself, before turning to Charlotte.
"I'll promptly relay Miss Charlotte's findings to Lyney and Lynette."
"If you'll excuse me, I have urgent matters to attend to."
After bidding Charlotte farewell, Arlecchino hurried away, eager to test a hypothesis that had just occurred to her.
Charlotte watched Arlecchino's retreating figure, utterly bewildered.
Wait, aren't I the guest here? Why is the host leaving in more of a rush than me, the visitor?
Could she have discovered something?
On the other side, Neuvillette's mood darkened further upon seeing the nobles' jointly signed ultimatum.
Among the signatories were many highly respected nobles with impeccable reputations among the common people. These nobles had once been his staunchest supporters, but now they had turned their guns against him.
Neuvillette understood the reason behind this betrayal.
Initially, these nobles had supported him to overthrow the old aristocratic order and seize the power vacuum left behind. Later, having made countless enemies in the process, they had become inextricably bound to him, clinging to the same warship for survival.
But when their own lives came under threat, their true, selfish aristocratic nature was laid bare.
In truth, Neuvillette had only taken the majority of the Marechaussee Phantom personnel with him. Remaining in Fontaine were the entire Maison Gardiennage, the Court of Justice, and a remaining contingent of Marechaussee Phantom operatives.
Yet even with these safeguards in place, the nobles were terrified. They feared becoming the murderer's next target, feared dying inexplicably before they had fully enjoyed their wealth and splendor.
In their eyes, personal safety trumped all else. They were even willing to swallow their pride and ally with former political rivals to force Neuvillette to bring the Marechaussee Phantom members back to Fontaine.
Others had more personal reasons: they were fathers of beloved daughters.
Regardless of their motivations, Neuvillette understood them all. Yet no one could comprehend the profound regret in his heart.
Four hundred years ago, a Melusine named Carole had sacrificed herself to protect the innocent and quell the turmoil. Now, four centuries later, would he allow the Marechaussee Phantom to return to Fontaine and let history repeat itself?
But did he even have a choice?
Neuvillette let out another heavy sigh. He had never forgotten the events of four centuries past. The images still haunted his mind: Carole's pure innocence and kindness, Vautrin's furious roars and curses from the defendant's dock.
"Monsieur Neuvillette..."
The call from beside him snapped Neuvillette out of his reverie.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, are you alright?"
"The rain had already lessened considerably, but for some reason, it's getting heavier again. Even while handling cases, Monsieur Neuvillette should take shelter from the downpour."
Hearing this advice, Neuvillette shook his head.
"I'm fine. But you've all been working tirelessly for so long. You must be exhausted."
"Oh no, Monsieur Neuvillette, it's you who's working the hardest!" the Melusine exclaimed, waving her hands.
"Monsieur Neuvillette handles countless affairs daily, and now he's personally investigating this case. I've noticed you haven't slept in days. If you continue like this, your body won't be able to endure it."
However, Neuvillette didn't directly respond to her concern. Instead, he looked at her and said, "Go get some rest."
"The investigation in Poisson ends here. Return to Fontaine, rest for a while, and then focus on your next task."
Perplexed by Neuvillette's words, the Melusine hesitated, glancing at him with unspoken questions. But in the end, she replied, "Yes, Monsieur Neuvillette."