"Miss Clorinde, we've apprehended six more!"
Hearing the Special Task Force's report, Clorinde nodded.
"Take them away."
The numerous members of the Special Task Force escorted the newly captured Cult of No. 6 members, but their faces showed little joy.
In recent days, they had arrested far too many people.
Now that they reflected on it, they realized they had already apprehended several hundred people.
The Cult of No. 6 members were like an endless crop of chives—one batch captured, another sprouted immediately.
They truly couldn't understand it. Not only did the Cult of No. 6's missions have an alarmingly high failure rate, but they also periodically staged public demonstrations where dozens of members dissolved into water. How could so many people still join?!
The members of the Special Task Force were baffled, and Clorinde shared their bewilderment.
If the people they captured weren't so undeniably real—many of them even had prior criminal records and were wanted fugitives—Clorinde would have suspected she was hallucinating.
What puzzled her even more was that those with criminal backgrounds were often the quickest to join the cult.
Conversely, those with clean records, who had previously been model citizens, seemed utterly fearless of death.
If they weren't watched carefully, these fanatics would attempt suicide, often shouting phrases like "Believe in Six and gain eternal life!" before their demise.
Clorinde felt Fontaine's social climate was becoming increasingly surreal. Helpless to change it, she could only focus on performing her duties.
Soon, Clorinde returned to Fontaine and reported her findings to Neuvillette.
After listening to Clorinde's report, Neuvillette fell silent.
"Have there been any movements from the Fatui recently?" he asked.
"I recall you previously deployed agents to monitor those two Fatui secret laboratories, correct?"
Clorinde broke the somewhat heavy silence. Hearing her question, Neuvillette simply shook his head.
"No significant discoveries. The personnel at both secret laboratories remain remarkably discreet, venturing out only to replenish daily necessities and procure monsters as materials."
"However, they appear to be conducting some kind of research on the residual energy left behind by Elynas's corpse, a practice that oversteps ethical boundaries."
"Meanwhile, the informants sent to gather information on Dottore, 'The Doctor,' have encountered considerable trouble. Shortly after disembarking, they helped a young woman being harassed by Fungus Beasts and were drawn into a series of complex events."
"I'm considering sending a new team of informants to Sumeru, but Fontaine itself is far from stable at the moment."
After pondering Neuvillette's words, Clorinde spoke:
"Although Fontaine's situation is tense, we can still spare some personnel with careful reallocation."
"This time, let's send the team from the desert region to Sumeru. That should minimize their chances of getting caught up in trouble."
Neuvillette considered this briefly, then nodded.
Knowing Dottore's whereabouts at this point was indeed crucial.
"I heard you've granted Lyney and Lynette permission to book the Opera Epiclese?"
Just after Neuvillette issued his orders, Clorinde raised another matter.
"Indeed, our methods regarding the Fortress of Meropide have been too heavy-handed."
"I couldn't refuse the Fatui's request."
"Furthermore, Lyney and Lynette made significant contributions to the previous case. I cannot overlook that."
Neuvillette spoke in a low voice.
"But you must know their motives aren't entirely pure."
"I've already made arrangements for that. Our people will handle all the preparations for their magic show. They only need to perform."
Clorinde nodded in response to Neuvillette's words.
"Since you've already taken precautions, I won't concern myself further with this matter."
"I have other business to attend to. I heard there's been another report of the Cult of No. 6's activities near Poisson. I need to investigate. Farewell for now."
Watching Clorinde's departing figure, Neuvillette turned his attention back to the reports on his desk—the sick leave requests from three Justices. A headache began to throb at his temples.
He summoned a Melusine and asked:
"How is the evaluation process for the 'Lawyer' profession progressing?"
Upon hearing Neuvillette's question, the Melusine quickly replied,
"Monsieur Neuvillette, only two candidates passed the bar exam this time."
"However, given the generous compensation, many are now diligently studying Fontaine Law. I'm confident that more will pass the exam soon."
"Only two?"
Neuvillette was surprised by this low number.
Although lawyers were a new profession, they essentially served as Justices without the power of final judgment. Considering the previous popularity of becoming a Justice, one would expect far more than two candidates to have passed the bar exam.
"Could it be that the compensation isn't sufficient to satisfy them?"
"Um... Monsieur Neuvillette, I don't think that's the issue."
"I believe the main problem is that they studied Fontaine Law version 2.0, while the current version is 5.0."
Neuvillette remained silent for a moment, then took a deep breath before speaking again.
"Arrange the next Justice examination as soon as possible to alleviate the workload on the other Justices."
"Notify the department revising the Fontaine Law to set a fixed date for the release of the revised Fontaine Law."
"And tell them to rest more. They mustn't exhaust themselves."
"Yes, Monsieur Neuvillette."
After the Melusine departed, Neuvillette let out a soft sigh and gazed out the window.
Weren't I only supposed to be a Justice?
Neuvillette felt he had been tricked. The original promise was to expose him to the world's disparities, but in reality, Furina simply didn't want to handle the responsibilities herself.
As he reflected on the growing burden on his shoulders over the years, Neuvillette suddenly entertained the idea of returning all the work to Furina for her to handle personally.
But Neuvillette suddenly remembered that Furina was now locked up in jail. Even if he wanted to hold her accountable, he couldn't find her for the time being.
It had already been several days since Furina's imprisonment, yet Fontaine seemed unaffected.
But if he were to abandon his duties, Fontaine would likely descend into chaos by tomorrow.
What is this nonsense...
Meanwhile, at the Fortress of Meropide, Furina had triggered the Strange Tale rule forbidding consecutive work days for three days, resulting in an utterly bizarre welfare meal.
"What... what is this?"
Furina froze, staring at the so-called food before her.
"If this is a joke, it's gone way too far."
The girl beside Furina glanced at the food on her table, her expression shifting to something strange before a faint look of nostalgia flickered across her face.
"Lady Furina, please eat without worry."
"I've already smelled it. As a Special-Grade Chef, I guarantee this is edible—it won't kill you. Well, probably."
Hearing the girl's less-than-confident tone, Furina snapped.
"How could it possibly be okay? This doesn't even look like food!"
"Besides, Emily, you're not even a chef! There's no such thing as a chef who only makes cakes!"
"Wait, let me correct myself—I can also brew black tea."
Seeing the girl's utterly earnest clarification, Furina immediately retorted loudly,
"That's not the point! The point is, how on earth did this thing even end up here in the first place?!"
"Oh right, Monsieur Wolsey probably knows something. I'll ask him."
Furina picked up her complimentary meal from the table and approached Monsieur Wolsey, the canteen manager.
"Monsieur Wolsey, doesn't this look incredibly strange? Did the kitchen make a mistake?"
Monsieur Wolsey's expression turned peculiar as he hastily replied, "Of course not! It's just ordinary food. Miss Furina, please eat up!"
"How am I supposed to eat this?!"
Furina was about to protest further, but Wolsey had already slipped away.
"There's definitely something wrong!"
"What's wrong? I don't see anything amiss. Lady Furina, you should eat quickly, or you'll be hungry this afternoon."
Hearing the girl's words, Furina grew agitated.
"Emily, how can you say that too?"
"...Fine, I'll just buy bread instead."
Furina set the food back on the table and stormed off.
As for the Credit Coupons she owed Wriothesley, well, she'd just have to delay repaying them a few more days.
Wait a minute! This thing appeared inside the Fortress of Meropide, which means it must have something to do with Wriothesley. How can they hold me responsible for it?!
If she told Wriothesley about this strange discovery, he might even reward her with Credit Coupons!
With this thought, Furina's steps grew noticeably lighter.
The girl watched Furina's figure recede into the distance, then glanced back at the untouched food on the table. A mischievous smile crept across her lips as she reached out and took it.
"Lady Furina, wasting food is such a bad habit!" she murmured to herself before leaving with the food.
When the girl returned to her dormitory, she found Furina struggling to gnaw on a particularly tough piece of bread.
Well, even if Wriothesley really would reward her with Credit Coupons, that's for later, Furina thought. Right now, I don't have many coupons left. I couldn't resist spending them all on the girl's cakes, so now I can only afford the cheapest bread to fill my stomach.
Just then, the girl approached with a smile, pulling a freshly baked, fragrant loaf from behind her back and waving it tantalizingly in front of Furina's face.
The aroma was irresistible. Furina immediately lost her appetite for the tough bread in her hand.
"D-damn it, Emily! Don't think you can tempt me so easily!"
"I absolutely refuse to spend Credit Coupons on anything but your cakes!"
Furina was on high alert. Once, she had taken a chance, only to end up deeply in debt to the girl, a debt she still hadn't fully repaid. This time, she would absolutely not fall for the same trick again!
"Hehe, Lady Furina, it pains me to see you eating such things."
"Consider this my gift to you. No need to use Credit Coupons—it's on the house."
"Re-really?" Furina asked suspiciously, scarcely believing she could hear such words from the girl's mouth.
"Absolutely, Lady Furina! Go ahead and eat it before it cools and loses its aroma."
Reassured by the girl's repeated assurance, Furina immediately set aside her reservations, snatched the bread from the girl's hand, and took a huge bite.
Furina had expected it to be delicious, and the texture of the bread was indeed pleasant—soft and fluffy. However, the meat filling tasted remarkably bland, and even the tangy-sweet cream couldn't elevate its flavor. This created a jarring dissonance on Furina's palate.
Furina glanced at the girl, suppressing the urge to ask when she had learned to bake. It was clear she was still a novice, and Furina had unwittingly become her guinea pig.
No wonder she was being so generous, gifting her the bread for free! This was her plan all along.
"How does it taste?"
Faced with the young girl's expectant gaze, Furina couldn't bring herself to say it didn't taste good. She nodded instead.
"It's... not bad."
With that, Furina quickly devoured the entire loaf.
Though the flavor fell far short of her expectations, it was still far better than the bread she had bought herself.
"I can't let this go to waste either. I'll just have it as a midnight snack."
Furina eyed the bread she had bought earlier, reluctant to throw it away. After all, she had earned it with her own hard-earned money!
After giving the bread a quick fix-up, Furina set it aside and turned back to Emily to offer her thanks.
"Emily, thank you for treating me to the bread."
"Oh, no problem at all! By the way, Lady Furina, you're not feeling any discomfort, are you?"
"Huh? Why do you ask?"
"I'm fine. Just a bit tired from working too much, my muscles are a little sore," Furina replied, sounding slightly puzzled.
Hearing Furina's response, the girl nodded.
"It seems my judgment as a Special-Grade Chef was correct! That is edible food after all!"
"I told you, there's no such thing as a chef who only makes cakes."
"Now I can even brew black tea and bake bread!"
"That's still not enough..."
Furina muttered under her breath, then suddenly realized something, her body trembling violently.
"Wait, wait a minute, Emily! You didn't... you didn't put that weird food from before into the bread, did you?"
"Congratulations, Lady Furina! You guessed correctly!"
The girl replied with a radiant smile, placing the empty lunchbox before Furina.
"Don't forget to return your lunchbox, Lady Furina."
Seeing this, Furina felt her head spin.
Just then, a wave of heat surged through her body. Suspecting she was about to collapse, she frantically reached out to the girl for help.
"Emily, quick! Get me to the infirmary for emergency treatment..."