Another high-level meeting in Fontaine, but this one was eerily quiet.
Though Clorinde hadn't suffered any harm, the information she had revealed was far more alarming than if she had.
If Clorinde's accident had only made them fear for their own lives, the emergence of a fake Clorinde dying before Furina's eyes now made them suspect that one of the people sitting in this room might already have been replaced.
This possibility was far from remote. The enemy's brazen display of their methods suggested they had something to rely on.
In other words, from this moment onward, they were now engaged in a game of "who's the mole?" with their unseen adversary.
"Let's hand Vacher over to them," someone finally spoke, breaking the silence.
The group, who had previously been arguing fiercely about this matter, now offered no objections. Instead, they cast meaningful glances at the speaker.
Thinking so much about the murderers—aren't you a traitor?
Feeling those strange glances, the man nearly erupted in curses.
He shouldn't have opened his mouth!
The proposal quickly passed with tacit agreement, becoming arguably the least controversial and fastest-approved measure in Fontaine's history.
Yet even after the matter was settled, no one rose to leave. They remained seated, silent, as if waiting for something.
The conference room had become as quiet as a library.
Still, everyone's gaze drifted, consciously or unconsciously, toward Neuvillette, who remained utterly silent.
After another stretch of time, someone finally broke the silence.
"Neuvillette, make a decision. We want to hear your opinion on this."
"I will never hand over the Spina di Rosula President to the murderers. That is my bottom line."
Neuvillette's expression shifted slightly before he spoke.
"But Neuvillette, if we don't do this, countless more innocent lives will be lost."
"And in this chaos, those restless criminals will inevitably act. Fontaine could become a city of pure sin!"
"We won't force her, but at least we should inform the President of the Spina di Rosula. Let her make the choice herself."
Neuvillette turned his gaze toward the noble who had suggested informing Navia, his eyes slightly cold, sending a chill down the noble's spine.
"I've made my stance clear. This is my bottom line."
"And you others—if you dare to take matters into your own hands and inform the President of the Spina di Rosula, you'll be no different from accomplices. In that case, I will personally preside over your Judgment."
Neuvillette's threat pushed many over the edge.
"Neuvillette!"
"We've granted you so much power—has it gone to your head?!"
"Is watching those innocent young girls die the outcome you desire?!"
"Do you realize that if the people of Fontaine were to hear these words, your career as Chief Justice would be over? Everyone would despise you!"
The speakers weren't the most powerful figures themselves, but their representatives—in essence, their mouthpieces.
In their hearts, sacrificing one person to secure Fontaine's peace was undoubtedly the most pragmatic choice. However, unwilling to play the villain, they intended to pin the blame on Neuvillette, the figure with the most visible authority. This way, regardless of how events unfolded, they could absolve themselves of responsibility.
Yet Neuvillette had refused to follow their script, much to their displeasure.
Masters of manipulating public opinion to control the populace, their previous statement was a thinly veiled threat.
Neuvillette fell silent. Though he possessed the power to silence them all, such methods went against his principles.
Taking a deep breath, Neuvillette slowly began to speak.
"Since you all claim to abide by my decisions, my previous words serve as my answer."
"I will not agree to sacrifice a single innocent life to save many others. The value of life cannot be measured by quantity."
"As this is my decision, I alone shall bear all the consequences."
Upon hearing Neuvillette's words, everyone present was satisfied.
Though Neuvillette disapproved of their methods, as long as he took the blame, they were content.
Now that they had this leverage over him, they could seize the opportunity to wrest more power from his hands.
Of course, they wouldn't give Neuvillette much time. The murderer might target them or their families at any moment.
"Neuvillette, the number of victims is constantly rising. Since you've rejected the murderer's demands, you must uncover their methods swiftly."
To this, Neuvillette merely nodded slowly.
-
Meanwhile, Charlotte received Lyney's reply and followed his instructions to Poisson.
Lyney and Lynette, who had been struggling to find any leads, had also sought out Navia, bringing the four together once more.
After exchanging greetings, Navia led them to a nearby restaurant.
"Charlotte, do you suspect that the victims targeted by the murderer were actually people who had regained their memories?" Navia asked.
Charlotte nodded.
"If that weren't the case, the victim's attack on me during my probing would make no sense."
"By the way, you might not know this yet, but even under Miss Knave's protection, a girl who was targeted still met with misfortune."
"Miss Knave told me she detected no anomalies before the girl's death. Moreover, she had knocked the girl unconscious beforehand to ensure her demise wasn't consciously driven."
"Father..."
Hearing Charlotte's words, Lyney and Lynette realized for the first time that Arlecchino had also been involved in the case.
"If even Father hasn't detected anything unusual, then we really need to rethink our approach," Lyney said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. Lynette nodded in agreement.
"Moreover," Charlotte added, "the culprit seems to have made private contact with Neuvillette. They've issued demands to the Fontaine authorities, demanding Vacher in exchange for the hostages."
"Before I left, though no final decision had been made, the Fontaine high command seemed inclined to agree to their terms."
Upon hearing this news, Navia's fists clenched instantly. Images of Lofan and Vinani flashed through her mind once more.
She should have seen it coming, she thought. The reason they hadn't launched a second attack sooner was to use Lofan and Vinani as hostages.
If she had realized this earlier, would things have turned out differently? Would those at the Maison Gardiennage Headquarters still be alive...?
Navia felt overwhelmed by regret and anger. Yet, as she considered this capitulation to the murderer, her heart was filled with a sense of helpless resignation.
Under Neuvillette's personal command, with joint investigations by the Marechaussee Phantom, the Spina di Rosula, and other factions, not a single trace of the perpetrator could be found. The perpetrator had vanished from the world as if they never existed, leaving them completely passive.
But even if they followed the perpetrator's instructions, would the perpetrator truly keep their promise?
Navia voiced her concerns, and the other three fell silent.
After a long pause, Lyney finally broke the deadlock.
"This... isn't something we should be worrying about right now. Let's leave it to Neuvillette. We need to trust the Chief Justice."
"Besides, my and Lynette's 'Father' is also in Fontaine. This matter is likely connected to the Prophecy, and I believe 'Father' will take action as well."
"What we need to do now are two things: first, try to probe the young girl the murderer has targeted, and second, closely monitor Poisson for any anomalies. If the perpetrator intends to make a deal with Fontaine's upper echelons, they must have already made preparations."
No one objected to Lyney's plan, but Charlotte voiced her lingering confusion.
"There's still one thing I can't understand: why did that victim attack me back then?"
To this day, the events of that night remained utterly perplexing to Charlotte.
Lyney considered her question for a moment before responding.
"Perhaps the Homeland holds immense significance for them. Even after becoming a target themselves, they might have tried to silence you, knowing you held a clue to the Homeland's existence, to ensure its continued secrecy."
Charlotte nodded, her lingering doubts easing slightly. She then offered a wry smile. "Looks like I was getting ahead of myself."
"Speaking of which, Lyney, do you have any suitable methods for protecting the victims?"
Under the group's curious gazes, Lyney offered only a cryptic smile before revealing his plan.
"What if we make the victims disappear in advance?"
A crime prediction letter had also surfaced in Poisson, but due to the recent attack on the Maison Gardiennage Headquarters, Captain Elton and his officers were all hospitalized, receiving intravenous drips. The Fontaine authorities had directly dismissed the original Poisson Maison Gardiennage officers, so the letter was instead sent to a local newspaper.
When the Marechaussee Phantom had been stationed in Poisson, they could at least attempt to protect the victims. Now that the Marechaussee Phantom had returned to Fontaine, the Spina di Rosula was left to handle the protection duties.
It was precisely because of this that Lyney and Lynette, with Navia's assistance, were able to finalize their preparations.
Soon, they awaited the arrival of the latest victim.
Lofan, seeing the Spina di Rosula members, skillfully manipulated his body to burst into tears, all the while secretly reveling in the recent surge of Points he had accumulated.
Impersonating Clorinde had netted him a staggering 20,000 Points. While some of this likely stemmed from informing Furina about recent events in Fontaine, the incident itself had still earned him a substantial amount.
Excellent, excellent! Furina truly is my cash cow!
To be honest, this whole situation was quite disheartening for Lofan. After painstakingly orchestrating so much, he had earned less than he did by simply scaring Furina. It was tempting to take shortcuts from now on!
But since he had already come this far, abandoning the plan midway wasn't in Lofan's nature. He could only hope that this incident would ultimately yield enough Points to make it worthwhile.
Neuvillette, however, was a pleasant surprise. The Points he'd gained from this encounter would likely far exceed his initial projections.
Of course, this also meant Neuvillette might possess the strength of an Archon. Until Lofan could fully understand his opponent's capabilities, he needed to proceed with even greater caution.
-
"Miss, please don't be sad."
"Don't worry! With President Navia of the Spina di Rosula personally protecting you, you'll definitely be safe!"
Hearing the familiar voices, Lofan turned curiously toward Charlotte, surprised to see her in Poisson.
He had originally intended to have Lyney and Lynette transferred out of Poisson, but now Charlotte had arrived instead.
As intelligence operatives for the Fatui, Lyney and Lynette possessed sharp instincts. To prevent any leaks that could jeopardize his plans, Lofan had wanted them to temporarily leave Poisson.
Never mind, it's not a big deal.
They're in the open, I'm in the shadows. If I screw this up with such a huge advantage, it would be utterly humiliating.
"What kind of insensitive remark is that?"
"What good is the President of the Spina di Rosula? She's protected other victims before, but did they survive?!"
"Miss, I hope someone will be around to say such heartless things when the murderer targets you next!"
Charlotte's expression froze instantly at Lofan's words.
Damn, this guy's got a vicious tongue!
Suppressing her urge to have Lyney switch rescue targets, Charlotte reassured herself: At least she's stopped crying, right? Your efforts weren't wasted, Charlotte!
"Waaaaah—!"
Just as Charlotte thought this, the woman suddenly burst into even louder sobs.
"My life is so miserable!"
"Not only am I being targeted by a murderer..."
"But now this heartless reporter keeps making insensitive remarks!"
"I'm so utterly miserable!"
Hearing Lofan's renewed and even louder wailing, Charlotte's forehead creased with dark lines, and she couldn't help but clench her fists.
"Ahem... Miss Charlotte, I'll take over here for now."
Melus approached with an odd expression and addressed Charlotte.
Knowing this was his way of reminding her that time was almost up, Charlotte nodded and moved to her designated position.
"Where's the President of the Spina di Rosula?"
"Didn't she promise to protect me? Where is she?"
"Is this how the Spina di Rosula fools people?"
"Now that the Maison Gardiennage isn't restraining you, do you think you can just do whatever you want?!"
Melus tried to calm him down, but it was no use.
The other Spina di Rosula members couldn't hold back any longer and started arguing with Lofan.
To everyone's surprise, Lofan effortlessly countered three of them at once, prompting even more Spina di Rosula members to join the fray.
They weren't aware of Navia's plan, and though they also wondered why she hadn't appeared yet, they refused to let Lofan slander their President.
Seeing Lofan holding his own against seven opponents without faltering, Charlotte couldn't help but feel a deep respect for her. She timed her move perfectly and pulled the rope beside her.