After Clorinde learned the full story, she gazed at the liquid on the ground, her heart burning with rage.
Someone dared to impersonate me and die in front of Furina, causing her such unbearable grief.
Though seeing Furina so distraught over her supposed death stirred a flicker of warmth in Clorinde's heart, she had a more urgent task: proving to Furina that she was the real Clorinde.
How do I prove I'm me?
Faced with this question that seemed to belong to no particular field of expertise, Clorinde fell into deep thought.
"You... you're really Miss Clorinde?"
"Could you be Miss Clorinde's ghost?!"
Hearing the Maison Gardiennage officers' uncertain queries, Clorinde sighed in exasperation.
"I'm the real Clorinde. The previous 'Clorinde' was an impostor planted by criminals."
"But what I truly want to know is why the mansion gates are left unguarded. Is this how you fulfill your duties?"
"Only a few officers need to investigate this incident. Why have you all crowded here? Are you here to mourn?"
"What if dangerous intruders were to enter the mansion right now?"
Well, aren't they all here to mourn?
Clorinde's words left the Maison Gardiennage officers feeling deeply ashamed. They were about to return to their posts as instructed when one of them spoke up:
"Hold on, everyone!"
"Don't forget, we still don't know if she's the real Clorinde!"
"What if she's the murderer's impersonator? Leaving Lady Furina's side would put her in danger!"
Hearing this, the other officers nodded in agreement. The logic seemed sound, so they tightened their grips on their weapons and stood their ground, eyeing Clorinde warily as they demanded:
"Are you truly Miss Clorinde?"
"I've already told you, the previous Clorinde was an imposter."
"We've known each other for quite some time now. How can you not tell the difference between the real me and a fake?"
The officers began to debate among themselves, then shook their heads in unison.
We can't tell! We can't tell at all!
Seeing this, Clorinde sighed in exasperation. She couldn't decide whether the imposter had been too convincing or if these officers were simply too dense.
"Then how do you want me to prove I'm the real Clorinde?"
"That's for you to figure out, not us!"
"Exactly! Miss Clorinde would never ask such a question. Miss Clorinde is Miss Clorinde—only an impostor would ask that. So, I believe you're the fake one!"
"Let's analyze this rationally: we saw with our own eyes the previous Miss Clorinde dissolve in the Primordial Sea Water. If she were a fake, why would she commit suicide?"
"Therefore, you're the impostor!"
"Brother, your analysis is spot-on!"
"You vile murderer! Not only did you kill our most revered and beloved Miss Clorinde, but you also want someone to impersonate her and steal everything she holds dear? You deserve to die!"
"Everyone, seize her! Let's avenge Miss Clorinde!"
Just as the Maison Gardiennage officers closed in, a flash of Electro light erupted, and the officers collapsed to the ground.
Clorinde had already given up on relying on these officers. Instead, her gaze locked onto Furina.
Sensing Clorinde's piercing stare, Furina flinched violently and stammered in a panic, "Y-you... what do you want?"
"I-I am the Archon of Fontaine!"
"Think carefully before you act. If you strike me, you'll find no refuge in Fontaine!"
Clorinde took two urgent steps forward.
"Lady Furina, I truly am Clorinde."
"Don't come any closer! Stay away from me!"
Furina's words struck Clorinde like a physical blow.
It was one thing for the Maison Gardiennage officers not to recognize her, but for Furina too...?
Still, Clorinde obediently retreated two steps and tried to explain again.
"I can use Electro Elemental Power."
"She has an Electro Element Vision too!" Furina pointed to the spot where the previous Clorinde had dissolved into water, leaving her clothing and a perfectly intact Electro Element Vision.
Clorinde cursed inwardly at the other Clorinde's thorough preparations as she continued her explanation.
"Lady Furina, please listen. When I went to Poisson this time..."
Clorinde briefly recounted her ordeal in Poisson, only to see a disdainful expression cross Furina's face.
"Shameless wretch! That other Clorinde already told me all about it. Do you think repeating her lies will make me believe you?!"
Clorinde nearly vomited. Why wouldn't anyone recognize her as the real Clorinde?!
Exhausted, Clorinde was weary in both body and spirit.
She had been locked in a prolonged struggle with a formidable foe, barely managing to escape and rushing back to Fontaine at full speed. Without a moment's rest, she met with Neuvillette and then immediately sought out Furina, only to find herself embroiled in this bizarre situation.
"Hmph! You're speechless now, aren't you? Just as I suspected—you're an impostor!"
"You vile creature! Give back Clorinde!"
Clorinde could hardly bear it any longer. Gasping for breath, her chest heaved violently, the collar of her shirt rising and falling with each labored breath.
Just as Clorinde considered seeking Neuvillette to explain the situation to Furina, the top button of her shirt finally gave way under the strain, snapping off and hurtling toward Furina's face at breakneck speed.
"Ahhh!"
Furina failed to dodge, letting out a yelp, but her eyes immediately flickered with recognition.
This scene... the size, the force... it's all too familiar!
"Damn you! You won't harm Lady Furina!"
"Assassination attempt on the Hydro Archon! Seal the area!"
Hearing Furina's cry, the Maison Gardiennage officers erupted in fury. Despite injuries sustained from Clorinde's attacks, they struggled to their feet, their eyes burning with vengeful intent as they glared at her.
"Wait, wait a minute!"
Furina suddenly waved her hand, halting the Maison Gardiennage officers who were preparing to surround Clorinde again.
As the officers looked on in confusion, Furina cautiously stepped forward and threw her arms around Clorinde, burying her face deeply in Clorinde's chest.
"You're the real Clorinde!"
"Only Clorinde could be this... ample!"
Realizing that the person before her was indeed the genuine Clorinde, Furina immediately let out a joyful cry and tightened her embrace.
"I'm so glad you're alright, Clorinde!"
The Maison Gardiennage officers: "???"
Wait a minute... did we just hear something we shouldn't have?
Feeling Clorinde's murderous gaze, the officers grew increasingly worried about being silenced afterward.
Clorinde looked down at Furina in her arms, her expression a mixture of exasperation and helplessness.
She never imagined that after all this time together, Furina would remember this particular detail about her, rather than any of her other distinguishing features...
Still, all things considered, at least she had managed to preserve Clorinde's identity.
"Lady Furina, now you finally believe me, right?" Clorinde asked, her voice carrying a hint of reproach.
Hearing Clorinde's slightly resentful tone, Furina turned her head away, a touch embarrassed, and said, "W-well, actually, I noticed that ages ago. I was just playing a prank on you, Clorinde."
Clorinde immediately rolled her eyes at this remark. If I believed that, pigs would fly.
However, hearing Furina's explanation, the Maison Gardiennage officers' faces lit up with sudden realization.
"As expected of Lady Furina! She's truly remarkable!"
"We were all easily fooled by Lady Furina. Her acting was so convincing!"
"Lady Furina effortlessly achieved what we couldn't even dream of! She truly lives up to her title as our Archon!"
Hearing the officers' words, Furina immediately regained her confidence, her chest swelling with pride.
"Exactly! You've all nailed it!"
Brilliant sunlight streamed through the window, bathing Furina in a golden halo. Combined with her radiant smile, the Maison Gardiennage officers immediately fell into worshipful awe.
Clorinde: "..."
Should I consider replacing some Maison Gardiennage officers? I've heard that stupidity is contagious. I wouldn't want them to corrupt Lady Furina...
Meanwhile, within Palais Mermonia, the Primordial Sea Water retrieved from Vacher's Laboratory had finally been delivered to Neuvillette.
The deep blue liquid filled the glass. Neuvillette lifted the glass, swirling it gently for a moment. After a brief hesitation, he drained it in one gulp.
An ancient power surged into Neuvillette's body. He tensed to react, but with sheer force of will, he suppressed it completely, leaving only a faint flush on his cheeks.
Immediately afterward, Neuvillette accessed the memories contained within the Primordial Sea Water.
At first, there was only a long period of silence and darkness. Then, one day, two figures in adventurer's garb appeared—Neuvillette recognized them as Vacher and Vigneire.
Sure enough, Vigneire accidentally touched the Primordial Sea Water and dissolved into water before Vacher's eyes, shattering him completely.
Before long, Vacher returned, his face a mask of sorrowful resentment.
Immediately afterward, he captured the first and second missing young girls for his experiments.
What puzzled Neuvillette was that he never saw anyone contact Vacher, completely contradicting his initial hypothesis.
However, Neuvillette remained patient, continuing to observe.
Until recently, a Melusine suddenly broke into Vacher's Laboratory.
The Melusine began rummaging through the laboratory, scrutinizing experimental records and meticulously returning everything to its original place after examining it.
At first, Neuvillette assumed she was an investigator working on Vacher's case. Though she wasn't wearing a uniform, he reasoned that wearing plainclothes might be a way to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.
But then she walked directly to the pool of Primordial Sea Water, opened her mouth, and began gulping it down with loud "glug glug" sounds. Neuvillette was dumbfounded.
Even he had only dared to tentatively sip a cup of it. Was she really just guzzling it down like that?
Neuvillette watched in bewildered silence as the Melusine in the memory drank until her belly bulged, then wiped her mouth casually, her eyes showing slight disdain as if she were complaining that the Primordial Sea Water tasted awful.
Afterward, she waddled out of Vacher's secret laboratory, looking as if she were heavily pregnant.
The subsequent memories contained insignificant details until the final moment: the Primordial Sea Water flowed down his throat and into... well, there was nothing more to see.
Neuvillette sank into deep thought. The previous mysteries remained unsolved, and new ones had now emerged.
Firstly, Vacher had utterly failed to extract any component from the Primordial Sea Water that could dissolve humans into water. Instead, he had merely experimented with varying the water's concentration and observing its effects on human subjects, occasionally adding other substances, but without making any significant progress.
This meant his initial hypothesis was likely incorrect. But if that wasn't the reason, why would that organization place such immense importance on Vacher?
And what about that Melusine? Why was she in the laboratory at that moment, and why did she drink so much Primordial Sea Water?
What was her motive? And why did she appear completely unaffected?
While Primordial Sea Water only dissolves Fontainians, it has different effects on other lifeforms. For example, for people from other nations, drinking it increases their affinity for the Hydro Element, but the side effect is heightened mental activity. Consuming too much could lead to severe mental instability.
Neuvillette wasn't entirely clear on the specific effects on Melusines, but he knew it was impossible for her to have remained completely unharmed.
This was as strange as the disappearances of the young girls who had become victims.
Could it be that the culprit hadn't extracted a key component from the Primordial Sea Water, but rather mastered a method to control it?
This hypothesis seemed far-fetched, especially since even he, as the Hydro Dragon Sovereign, couldn't achieve such a feat. Yet Neuvillette sensed that this theory was closer to the truth than any other.
The key lies with this Melusine. If we find her, perhaps all the mysteries will unravel.
With this thought, Neuvillette ordered someone to draw a portrait of the Melusine based on his description and instructed the Marechaussee Phantom to conduct a discreet investigation.
Yet even after taking these measures, Neuvillette's mood remained heavy, as the number of victims continued to rise.
Worse still, the case had implicated the Melusine themselves—even suggesting that some Melusine might have defected to the criminal faction. This revelation plunged Neuvillette's spirits into utter despair, and a torrential downpour erupted once more.
"Goddamn it! When will this end?! Can't a person even hang out their laundry?!"
Realizing he was causing trouble for the Fontainians, Neuvillette desperately tried to control his emotions. Just then, a Melusine rushed toward him in a panic.
"Monsieur Neuvillette! It's terrible!"
Though he hadn't even heard the details, Neuvillette had already given up completely.
The rain intensified instantly.