After being questioned like that by Arlecchino in the group chat, Furina didn't know how to respond.
She knew very well that she was only playing the role of the Hydro Archon Focalors, yet she still carried the responsibility and duty of being the "Hydro Archon."
But…
She truly didn't know how to deal with the coming eruption of the Primordial Sea.
"…Just wait a little longer… it should be fine if we wait…"
Her soft murmurs echoed through the luxurious suite.
The Cemetery Near Poisson
Arlecchino also appeared here.
From their conversation, it was revealed that she had helped Navia quite a lot.
For once, the Fatui were portrayed in a relatively positive light. Arlecchino told everyone about a ruin she had discovered.
Lynette and the others wanted to explore it themselves, but the sudden disaster at Poisson had delayed them, so they entrusted the task to the Traveler.
Since they owed the Fatui a favor, Lumine agreed to go take a look. Navia also decided to accompany them, hoping the exploration might distract her from her grief.
Inside the Ruins
The ruins were also contaminated with Primordial Seawater.
The group carefully crossed a bridge—but suddenly, it began collapsing.
Everyone tried to run to the other side.
But the collapse spread too quickly.
Navia stepped into empty air and fell from the bridge.
Lumine leapt forward, stretching out her hand with all her strength—but she was still too late.
She could only watch helplessly as Navia fell toward the water below.
Navia's Vision
When Navia opened her eyes again, she saw familiar faces.
Melus and Silver.
In the opera house, countless people demanded that Navia be declared guilty and forced to stay forever.
Melus and Silver sensed something wrong and immediately objected.
They urged Navia not to plead guilty while arguing against the accusations from the people of Poisson.
Then Navia realized something—
Every face in that opera house…
Had already died in the disaster.
"Order!"
A stern voice echoed through the hall.
"Come here," Neuvillette called to Navia.
"Goodbye, Miss," Melus said with relief.
"Take care," Silver smiled.
Navia suddenly woke up.
It felt like a dream.
A dream where Melus and Silver were still alive, protecting her during a chaotic trial.
Neuvillette explained that the ground beneath them had collapsed. When he arrived, he saw Navia falling toward the Primordial Sea.
She would have dissolved instantly.
But for a fraction of a second—perhaps less than a tenth—
He seemed to see two Lochfolk spirits catch her and protect her.
That brief moment gave him just enough time to save her.
[Extraordinary Chat Group]
Nilou: Oh my… Even after sacrificing themselves, Melus and Silver protected Miss Navia once more. 😭
Zhongli: A remarkable will.
Venti: Truly admirable!
Raiden Ei: To protect their young lady in life—and even after death. Such unwavering resolve is hard to imagine for mortals.
Nahida: This is the beauty of humanity.
Collei: That's so touching… If I ever pass by Poisson, I'll definitely visit their graves! 😢
Melus: Well… if the atmosphere is right, should Silver and I leave now? 😅
Silver: Guess it's time for us to go!
Collei: GGG?! Sorry!! I got too immersed in the story—I forgot you two are still alive! 🙏
Melus: Since the event hasn't happened yet, there's no need to be sad. Just a joke to lighten the mood.
Silver: Exactly!
Navia: Thank goodness… thank goodness you're both alright…
The Ruin's Secret
Inside the ruin, the group discovered a chamber.
Four stone tablets were meant to be displayed on the wall—but only three remained.
The first tablet was missing.
They examined the others.
Beneath the second tablet were words:
"This is a nation that should have been destroyed.
I will record its future history in the past."
The second mural depicted people kneeling in worship, facing a floating island in the sky.
The third mural showed Furina falling into water, surrounded by a circle of people.
The fourth mural resembled Fontaine's prophecy:
Everyone dissolved into the sea, leaving only the Hydro Archon weeping on the divine throne.
Neuvillette touched the tablet but gained no information due to the missing first piece.
After discussing the clues, Neuvillette once again mentioned Furina.
She clearly hid a secret and would never easily give it up.
But the more she resisted, the more Neuvillette felt he had to fulfill his duty—to make her understand the reality.
After all, Poisson had already suffered a disaster, and the catastrophe was steadily approaching all of Fontaine.
Meeting Mona
After leaving the ruins, Lumine and Paimon returned to the Gray Harbor base to rest.
Unexpectedly, they ran into Mona.
Learning her full name—and the ridiculous triple surname of her mysterious master—left them utterly baffled.
After chatting, they rested well and regained their strength.
A Secret Meeting
A few days later, on a ship near Poisson, several people gathered:
Lumine
Paimon
Lynette
Lynette
Freminet
Clorinde
Neuvillette
Clorinde compared the situation to hunting.
But it was only a metaphor.
They would never truly call their actions "hunting." Their relationship with Furina was not that hostile.
All they wanted was the secret she was hiding.
Investigating a god's secret was extremely disrespectful—but to prevent Fontaine from sinking beneath the sea, they were willing to take the risk.
[Furina in the Chat]
Furina: …
Furina felt uncomfortable watching this.
It felt no different from publicly discussing how to assassinate her.
Though she held a painful secret, she still believed that in the end—
Everything would lead to a good outcome.
The Witch's Message
Back at the Spina di Rosula headquarters, Lumine and Paimon noticed a strange cup filled with warm tea.
The cup could speak—or rather, it transmitted someone's voice.
Lumine guessed the identity:
A member of the Hexenzirkel, codename "N."
From her, they learned something shocking:
The prophecy would definitely happen.
The mysterious witch left behind several hints.
The information troubled Lumine deeply. She lay awake for a long time thinking before finally falling asleep.
Later, she confirmed the witch's identity with Mona—but the clues still left her confused.
Public Accusations
A few days later, Furina attended a performance at the Opera Epiclese.
During the intermission, several spectators suddenly began accusing her loudly—blaming her for doing nothing about the prophecy crisis.
More and more people joined in.
The situation spiraled out of control.
Unable to calm them, Furina left the opera house, claiming the audience had ruined the atmosphere.
White Dew and Black Tide
Lumine and Paimon found Furina in Poisson.
She stood silently, staring at the traces left by the disaster.
"…Just give up. It's meaningless…"
"See? It still happened. Everyone died."
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
"Give up, Furina… don't keep trying anymore…"
She sobbed while apologizing to the ruined town.
"I'm sorry… but what else can I even do…"
"Furina…" Lumine approached.
Furina panicked at first, but relaxed when she recognized them.
She joked that she thought some angry mob had come to demand her confession.
Paimon noticed the tears on her face.
Furina insisted it was because the opera performance earlier had been too moving.
Suddenly, people began chasing them.
Lumine and Paimon grabbed Furina and ran, hiding inside a house.
But the building began to shake.
Furina's emotional defenses were finally reaching their limit.
In the small room, with no one else around, Lumine urged her to reveal the truth.
Furina hesitated.
Again and again, she almost spoke.
Finally, she made up her mind—
Just as she was about to reveal everything—
The four walls of the house collapsed outward.
Suddenly, she found herself standing on the stage of the Opera Epiclese.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Neuvillette announced,
"My opening performance is now finished."
"And now… the trial of a god may begin."
Furina immediately understood the situation.
She regained her composure.
She declared that she embodied justice itself, and that judging justice was absurd.
Neuvillette calmly replied that this could be taken as her refusal to stand trial. If so, she could defend her honor through duel by combat.
Clorinde silently stepped forward with her sword.
Furina looked nervous—but tried to act intimidating.
Then slowly…
She raised one hand.
Then both.
She surrendered.
She explained that she had been avoiding certain things all along.
Now, she would finally face judgment.
"I, Furina, will demonstrate true justice in this trial!"
I will protect you all…
"Rejoice! Applaud!"
"In this opera house, a spectacle beyond imagination unfolds!"
"A dramatic stroke upon Fontaine's stage!"
"The trial of the Hydro Archon Focalors—begins now!"
The audience erupted in excitement.
Neuvillette sighed.
Lumine sighed too.
Furina had almost revealed her secret earlier—but now things had taken a different path.
Still, if they defeated her in court, the truth would come out.
The Trial of Furina
The accusation:
Furina is not a god.
She denied the charge completely.
But as more questions were raised, more people began doubting her.
Finally, they proposed a dangerous experiment.
Since humans dissolve in Primordial Seawater, they placed some before Furina.
She stared silently at the water.
She hesitated.
She was afraid.
But in the end—
She reached out and placed her hand into it.
The court gasped.
Sigewinne examined her and confirmed:
Furina had been affected by the Primordial Seawater.
Which meant she was human.
Yet she had knowingly risked her life just to maintain her identity as a god.
Why?
Furina panicked.
"Listen to me! Please listen!"
"Don't look at me like that! That doesn't count!"
She desperately argued:
"You can't prove that gods wouldn't be affected by the Primordial Sea!"
"And if I were human, why would I dare put my hand into it?!"
"Please… listen to me…"
"I really am the Hydro Archon…"
But the argument no longer worked.
Neuvillette delivered his judgment:
"As Chief Justice, I declare that Furina has impersonated a god while being human and deceived the people. Guilty."
Then he looked at the Oratrice's verdict.
He froze.
"…The result reads:"
"The Hydro Archon—guilty."
"Sentence: death."
The courtroom erupted in shock.
Only Furina sat silently in the defendant's seat, tears streaming down her face.
The Truth of Fontaine
At that moment, Freminet arrived with the missing stone tablet.
Now all four were complete.
First Tablet:
Fontaine's people were not true humans. They were created by the previous Hydro Archon from Lochfolk spirits.
Second Tablet:
Creating humans angered Celestia. The Oratrice's judgment of the Hydro Archon likely referred to this sin.
Fourth Tablet:
The prophecy of Fontaine's destruction.
Third Tablet:
The final scene—where the Hydro Archon sinks beneath the sea.
Neuvillette extracted the information directly from the tablets, confirming everything.
The meaning of the third tablet was now clear:
The people would one day judge the Hydro Archon in court.
As for the disaster shown in the prophecy—
Neuvillette said Lumine had already seen the cause.
The Whale Appears
Suddenly—
A violent earthquake struck.
The audience began fleeing toward the exits.
A massive void opened in the center of the opera house.
A gigantic whale leapt out.
Neuvillette tried to suppress it but failed.
The whale turned toward the escaping crowd.
Just then—
Tartaglia, in his Foul Legacy transformation, emerged from the abyss and attacked the whale.
Together, he and Neuvillette forced it back.
Childe glanced at Neuvillette.
He snorted.
Then raised his hand and gave him an upside-down thumbs-down before losing consciousness and falling back into the void.
When the chaos settled, everyone realized something terrifying.
It might already be too late.
Lumine suddenly remembered the hint left by Witch N.
What exactly was Furina's secret?
The Truth Revealed
Suddenly, the Oratrice went out of control.
The death sentence began execution.
Lumine ran toward Furina with all her strength.
She reached out—
A tear fell from Furina's cheek onto Lumine's hand.
In that moment, Lumine entered a mysterious space.
At the same time, Neuvillette was swallowed by the Oratrice's light and appeared in another realm.
Standing before him was a strange-looking "Furina."
Above her head floated a massive sword-like construct of energy.
Neuvillette stared in shock.
"You…"
"Pfft… hahaha…"
"Sorry. Your shocked expression is just too amusing."
"You're not Furina. Who are you?" Neuvillette asked.
"Well, since you're so surprised, that means I fooled you successfully."
She smiled.
"I am the Archon Focalors."
"Why deceive us?" Neuvillette asked.
"Oh, my goal was never to deceive you."
She laughed softly.
"The one I truly wanted to deceive…"
"…was Celestia."
Neuvillette fell silent in thought.
[Extraordinary Chat Group]
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