The news of Furina's return to prison stunned the Fontainians.
Is she actually addicted to serving time? they wondered.
While they regretted not seeing more of Furina's antics in the near future, the public's reaction remained muted.
However, a small number of people became intensely curious about the Fortress of Meropide because of this news.
Among them were Charlotte and the House of the Hearth...
What exactly was the Hydro Archon Furina doing at the Fortress of Meropide? Even after her crimes had been pardoned, she remained there.
Lyney dared not delay and immediately relayed the information to Arlecchino.
Compared to the House of the Hearth's growing tension, Charlotte was much more excited. Her chance to interview Wriothesley—no, interview Furina—hadn't been lost after all!
Upon hearing this good news, Charlotte immediately packed her bags.
That night, two people would find it impossible to sleep.
Neuvillette even temporarily set aside his duties to meet with Wriothesley at the Fortress of Meropide.
Both men wore serious expressions. Wriothesley, looking at Neuvillette, spoke first.
"It seems the situation is far more serious than we imagined."
"Who would have thought that Furina, as the Hydro Archon, would choose to stay here for an ordinary person?"
"Are they still living together?"
"Yes. I can't separate them now. After all, Furina is now the Hydro Archon, not a prisoner under my jurisdiction."
"Emily's sentence has also expired; she's been a free woman for quite some time now," Wriothesley said, shrugging with a hint of resignation.
"So that was her real motive all along—to prevent me from moving our Hydro Archon to a new dormitory."
"I couldn't figure out her plan, though. By clearing the Hydro Archon Furina's name, she freed her from my control, effectively thwarting my plan to relocate her."
"But that strategy risked exposing far too much. Emily... she couldn't possibly be unaware of that. It seems she's supremely confident that everything is under her control."
Wriothesley paused, then looked at Neuvillette and continued, "She fears nothing, not even declaring war on both of us simultaneously."
"Even you can't handle her, Wriothesley?" Neuvillette asked.
"Don't even mention it, Neuvillette," Wriothesley snapped, his tone exasperated. "You have no idea how thoroughly she's infiltrated my ranks. They've been riddled with spies like a sieve."
"Didn't you notice how few guards there were when you entered? They're all under investigation."
Neuvillette: "..."
"Can you imagine? She had someone fill my black tea with salt, even exposing her spy just to assert her presence!"
The thought of it still filled Wriothesley with rage. This was the first time he had ever been so thoroughly humiliated. Now even his most cherished moments—his tea breaks—required poison tests first. Who could endure such indignity?
The taste of that salted tea had even forced him to abandon his favorite blend, switching to entirely different flavors.
Worst of all, he couldn't even confront the girl directly. He had no proof linking her to the incident. Besides, the act hadn't caused any real damage—it was purely meant to disgust him.
Wriothesley strongly suspected this was retaliation for the harsh words he'd thrown at the girl when he'd sought out Furina that day.
Women sure hold grudges!
Noticing Wriothesley's sour expression, Neuvillette calmly remarked, "You seem more concerned about that afternoon tea than anything else."
"Enough already. You know how I am. Apart from combat, afternoon tea is my only indulgence," Wriothesley waved dismissively, unwilling to dwell further on the unpleasant memory.
"In any case, it's not that I don't want to resolve this matter. The problem is, I can no longer trust the veracity of the information my people are bringing back."
Neuvillette was visibly taken aback.
"How did she manage to plant so many spies around you?"
"I wish I knew. All those who betrayed me were veterans who had served me for years."
Wriothesley sighed.
"I don't know who I can trust anymore. Everyone looks like a traitor to me now."
The corner of Neuvillette's mouth twitched, his composure nearly cracking.
Regaining his composure, Neuvillette asked Wriothesley:
"Has this girl named Emily taken any dangerous actions so far?"
"No, or at least nothing I've uncovered."
Wriothesley shook his head.
"That's what's driving me crazy. I know she's dangerous and that her influence has grown to terrifying proportions, yet I can't use overly aggressive methods."
As he spoke, Wriothesley suddenly remembered something and added:
"Oh, by the way, did you read the letter I sent you recently? What were the results of your investigation into Emily?"
"Nothing unusual," Neuvillette replied. At the time, he had thought Wriothesley was trying to shift the burden onto him, but now it seemed Wriothesley couldn't even take care of himself anymore.
"However, such an investigation would be pointless now. It's highly likely she's regained her past memories, and your people might be in the same situation."
"That's probably why their betrayals didn't raise your suspicion."
Wriothesley scratched his head.
"What a pain..."
"Just living with one set of memories is exhausting enough. Why can't these people just forget their past?"
"It seems Fontainians are truly unique. I wonder what happened back then that they still can't forget it even now."
"They've even become strangers to me. Before all this, I never once suspected those who betrayed me."
Wriothesley's voice grew softer, and he suddenly turned to Neuvillette.
"Neuvillette, do you think that in the end, we—the ones without past memories—might be the real anomalies?"
"...It seems you've been under a lot of pressure lately."
Neuvillette was taken aback by Wriothesley's question, pausing slightly.
"I don't think you'd ask me something like that in your normal state of mind."
"Fine, pretend I didn't ask."
Wriothesley shrugged.
"Let's get back to the main issue: How do we handle the Hydro Archon Furina?"
"Perhaps you could try persuading her to return to the surface world?"
Hearing Wriothesley's suggestion, Neuvillette's body stiffened slightly.
"For reasons I'd rather not disclose, Furina is likely terrified of seeing me right now, let alone heeding my words to return."
"Reasons you'd rather not disclose?"
Neuvillette pretended not to notice Wriothesley's probing gaze.
"If even you can't get through to her, this situation is truly dire."
"Until we find an effective solution, we'll have to improvise as we go."
"As the Hydro Archon, Furina is unlikely to fall for ordinary schemes. She might even have seen through Emily's facade long ago, remaining by her side only to uncover her secrets. We must have faith in our nation's Archon."
As he spoke these words, Wriothesley couldn't help but recall the moment Furina had barged into the Duke's Office to borrow Credit Coupons, as well as the time he'd shown her around the Fortress of Meropide.
To be honest, Furina hid her true nature remarkably well. If he hadn't known she was Fontaine's Hydro Archon, he would have taken her for an ordinary girl—no, more like a child who hadn't quite grown up.
To play the part of a wise fool so convincingly, she truly deserved the title of Archon.
"Just passively defending all the time? That's so not my style. What a pain."
Hearing Wriothesley's words, Neuvillette didn't feel any relief.
Having spent so much time with Furina, he genuinely believed her airheadedness wasn't an act. The "wise fool" part seemed to be all "fool," giving him constant headaches.
Still, Wriothesley had a point. For now, they couldn't find any flaws in the young woman's façade. Unless they resorted to drastic measures to break the deadlock, they could only react to her moves.
"Then I'll leave things in your capable hands here."
"You know I can't stay away too long."
"Of course. You're always so busy."
"Fontaine has managed to maintain a semblance of normalcy for its people even amidst this chaos, and that's all thanks to you," Wriothesley said with a smile, genuinely admiring Neuvillette's capabilities.
"The main reason is that the mysterious organization hasn't launched any major operations. Otherwise, Fontaine's situation would be infinitely worse than it is now."
Wriothesley nodded. What Neuvillette said was indeed true.
Back when No. 6 was wreaking havoc, Wriothesley had no effective countermeasures. Otherwise, he would never have stood by idly.
Compared to that time, both the newly emerged Cult of No. 6 and the girl's recent actions were mere skirmishes.
Moreover, they couldn't be absolutely certain that the girl belonged to the mysterious organization. It was possible she was a third faction, having awakened her past memories.
After all, she hadn't orchestrated any particularly heinous incidents so far, which didn't align with the mysterious organization's usual modus operandi.
If the girl truly wasn't affiliated with the mysterious organization, cooperation between them might even be possible if circumstances warranted it.
Of course, there was also the possibility that the girl's plan was simply too grand, and the current calm was merely the lull before the storm. But without any evidence, this remained just speculation.
It was these conflicting considerations that left both Wriothesley and Neuvillette feeling somewhat hamstrung.
"Then I'll take my leave now," Neuvillette said, nodding to Wriothesley. He turned to leave, but Wriothesley called him back.
"What, you've come all this way and you're not going to check on Sigewinne?"
Neuvillette paused, then asked, "How has Sigewinne been lately?"
"She's doing well—free and content. Everyone at the Fortress of Meropide treats her kindly."
"You know how it is," Wriothesley added, "As the Fortress's nurse, no one would dare cross her."
Hearing this, Neuvillette nodded and resumed walking toward the exit.
"Knowing she's doing well is enough. I trust you."
As he watched Neuvillette's retreating figure, Wriothesley chuckled wryly.
The conversation wasn't just about Sigewinne; it also touched upon matters concerning the Hydro Archon Furina.
"Neuvillette is certainly putting me under considerable pressure."
-
Meanwhile, in Snezhnaya:
"Heh, isn't that the infamous Last-Ranked Harbinger, Childe?"
"Why do you look so disheveled?"
Arlecchino returned to Snezhnaya just in time to see Tartaglia storming out of Zapolyarny Palace, his face twisted with displeasure.
Knowing the reason behind his foul mood, Arlecchino immediately began taunting him.
Hearing this, Tartaglia's blood pressure spiked, and he retorted sharply, "I was just set up by that La Signora!"
"Oh really? Did La Signora also make you release the Overlord of the Vortex Osial's seal to attack Liyue Harbor, causing Snezhnaya to be slapped with massive reparations demands from Liyue?"
"You looking for a fight?"
Tartaglia, already furious after being thoroughly berated by The Jester Pierro and Pantalone for this very incident, snapped at Arlecchino's provocation.
"Heh, my free time is quite limited."
"Unlike you, Last-Ranked, who has plenty of time to waste your excess energy."
"And you never seem to learn. In all our battles, have you ever once defeated me?"
"Instead of wasting your time on these meaningless pursuits, why not focus on retrieving the Gnosis and proving your worth?"
Arlecchino's words infuriated Tartaglia, but just as he was about to retort, a sudden inspiration struck him, and a triumphant smirk spread across his face.
"Arlecchino, I recall your Gnosis retrieval efforts have stalled as well, haven't they?"
"Seeing how much you're struggling, perhaps I should offer my assistance?"
"Tsk tsk, how humiliating it must be for you to have a foreigner like me snatch your nation's Archon's Gnosis right under your nose."
Arlecchino let out a cold laugh.
"Oh, this is getting interesting."
"If you believe you're capable, then by all means, proceed."
"Just don't disappoint me with some foolish display."
"Ha ha ha, getting agitated, are we? Someone's getting agitated!"
Tartaglia immediately noticed the stark contrast between Arlecchino's earlier composure and her current irritation, and he couldn't help but revel in it.
"Just watch me! I'll show you how I'll get my hands on Fontaine's Gnosis!"
"I'm going to apply to The Jester for permission to go to Fontaine right now."
"Perfect timing! Rosalyne's gone to Inazuma. Let's see who can get there faster!"
Tartaglia felt a surge of excitement. If he could secure Fontaine's Gnosis first, he'd finally get to wipe the smug grins off those two arrogant women's faces.
As Tartaglia turned and hurried back into Zapolyarny Palace, presumably to seek permission from The Jester, who hadn't yet departed, Arlecchino shook her head slightly.
"Just as I thought—a simple-minded brute."
"Now that our business in Snezhnaya is concluded, I should return in a few days. Something significant seems to be brewing in Fontaine again."
Arlecchino murmured to herself before turning and walking away.