Lumine let out a quiet breath. "It really does feel better once you say it out loud."
Furina nodded. "Mm-hmm. Back then, all I had was the truth. Now, I've finally been freed. Even if I don't yet know which path to take, at least I have the right to choose."
"Alright, that should be about enough. We should head back soon. I imagine the ending of the script has already been written by now."
Paimon nodded eagerly. "Yeah, let's go back together."
At the entrance, they could already see Dulphy from afar, earnestly lecturing Lauwick.
"I told you already—given your current condition, you need to cut down on fried food. And yet you just ate so many fries and fried cakes."
Lauwick protested with a wronged expression. "But the boss of the Spina di Rosula was so generous—everything was free! An opportunity like that absolutely can't be wasted!"
"And besides, unlike you, I don't need to worry about whether my role looks good on stage."
Dulphy snapped back in exasperation. "Who's talking about roles? Can't you care about your health for once?"
"I'm suffering every day because of my illness. Seeing you treat your body so carelessly just makes my blood boil."
[Yae Miko: Hahaha, I ship it. I really ship it. These two are definitely a pair, right?]
[Nahida: That 'disappointed but worried' look is very genuine. Classic bickering couple.]
[Sigewinne: As a nurse, I think I'll look for her later and see if I can help treat his condition.]
[Wriothesley: That's a good idea. Sigewinne isn't just a nurse—she's also the only doctor in the Fortress of Meropide, with centuries of experience.]
[Paimon: Wait, so Nurse Sigewinne is actually that old?]
[Sigewinne: We Melusines do tend to live a bit longer.]
Paimon waved. "You two are arguing again. We're back—can you call a temporary truce?"
Lauwick immediately brightened. "You're back! Honestly, the great hospitality we've received is all thanks to you. The script will be finished soon—we just need to wait a little longer."
Paimon nodded, then asked casually, "So let's chat for a bit. I know Dulphy is playing a Hydro Eidolon who becomes human—what about you?"
Lauwick pointed at himself. "Me? I'm also playing a Hydro Eidolon."
Dulphy teased him mercilessly. "He was supposed to be a crane, but he couldn't fit into the costume, so they changed him into a pig."
"Pfft—" Paimon quickly covered her mouth with one hand. "Sorry, sorry."
[Nahida: This perfectly demonstrates the importance of maintaining one's figure. Playing a pig really is fitting.]
[Sigewinne: I think Mr. Lauwick is quite cute—nice and round.]
[Paimon: Is round really cute?]
[Sigewinne: Yes. I also think the Traveler and Paimon are very cute.]
Furina laughed. "A pig is interesting too. If I remember correctly, that role raises the young Hydro Eidolon, right?"
Lauwick nodded. "Yes. It tells the young Hydro Eidolon, very seriously: 'To become human means hiding secrets, enduring pain and loneliness. Even so, are you still willing?'"
Paimon sucked in a sharp breath. Furina's expression also turned solemn.
[Ningguang: To become a god means hiding secrets, enduring pain and loneliness. Even so, are you willing? Furina… Focalors.]
[Focalors: I never thought I'd be compared to a pig one day. This is deeply unpleasant.]
[Lumine: This troupe leader sounds very similar to Furina. Is that a coincidence?]
[Nahida: Probably. Furina is an artist, and the troupe leader was also an artist. That must be the mutual attraction between artists.]
Dulphy explained, "That line is the core of the script. I think it perfectly reflects the troupe leader's life."
"She never showed us the frustrating side of running the troupe—she only let us enjoy pure performance. It was only after she was gone that we realized how difficult it truly was."
Furina spoke softly. "Earlier, you mentioned… 'home.'"
Dulphy's voice turned heavy. "I was born with a strange illness. When my family realized it couldn't be cured, they abandoned me. When I was young, I worked odd jobs to buy medicine. When my illness flared up, I'd collapse in an alley for days, like a beggar."
"Later, the troupe leader said my voice sounded nice and asked if I wanted to learn singing. I agreed."
"She taught me to sing and act. She bought my medicine and took care of me when I fell ill. All of that was a heavy burden for her."
Paimon sighed sincerely. "She really was amazing."
[Jean: How could there be parents like that, abandoning their own child?]
[Ningguang: Without the troupe leader, Dulphy might not even be alive today.]
[Nahida: To the troupe, she was like a beam of light.]
[Ningguang: And wasn't Furina the same?]
Lauwick spoke proudly. "Of course she was. She devoted everything to the troupe and its members. We were all proud of her."
"As for me… I was the child of a murderer. I grew up without parents and was sent to an orphanage. People constantly picked fights with me, saying that since I was a murderer's child, I must be good at fighting. In reality, they just thought I was easy to bully."
"Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore and ran away. Back then, I thought the whole world was rotten."
Furina smiled gently. "Thankfully, you met the troupe leader."
Lauwick nodded. "Yes. I thought then that I would stay here forever—until the troupe disbanded."
Buraud stepped out of the room and said bluntly, "And in the end, that day really did come."
Lauwick didn't mind at all. Instead, he excitedly introduced Furina. "You finally finished up! Come, let me introduce you. This is our performance consultant—Ms. Furina."
Buraud stared at her in disbelief, scanning her from head to toe. "I—I'm not seeing things, am I? My goodness. Since when did you all become this incredible?"
[Ningguang: The exact expression of a fan meeting their idol.]
[Paimon: Yeah, that reaction makes sense.]
Furina smiled calmly. "No need to be so surprised. I was simply moved by the troupe's story and the leader's story, and wanted to help."
Paimon and Lumine nodded together. "Same here."
Buraud still hadn't calmed down. "Even so… sorry, give me a moment. What was I about to say?"
"Oh—right, the script. Let me explain how the story unfolds in my version."
"The earlier parts should already be familiar. A young Hydro Eidolon, ignoring her family's warnings, becomes human. In a bustling city, she gains friendship and love—but disaster soon follows."
"The people suddenly discover that freshwater is gradually disappearing. The land dries up, plants wither, and panic spreads."
"The Daughter of Water, Corlieu, and her lover shoulder the responsibility and investigate the truth. In the end, they discover that due to humanity's long-term waste and pollution, freshwater has developed a will of its own and is fleeing the land."
Dulphy frowned. "You mean… water has consciousness?"
Furina pondered. "There are many stories where water is written that way."
Buraud continued, "Because the protagonist is a Hydro Eidolon, she immediately understands the water's thoughts. She reveals her true identity and the truth to her lover."
"The lover accepts her, and together they search for a way to bring freshwater back. But at the same time, someone overhears the truth."
"The Daughter of Water is branded as the culprit stealing the freshwater and is forced into an impossible dilemma."
Furina asked quietly, "And then?"
Buraud answered in a low voice. "Then she steps forward and sacrifices herself to save her lover and all of humanity."
[Nahida: The Daughter of Water searches for the truth behind the disappearance of freshwater, is misunderstood, and put on trial… just like Furina.]
[Focalors: You don't need to make it sound quite so tragic. It was merely a misunderstanding—and a necessary one.]
[Zhongli: Even so, being misunderstood is still painful.]
Paimon tilted her head. "But wait—if everyone thought Corlieu was the villain, why would she still want to save them?"
Buraud answered without hesitation. "Because the ones she truly wanted to save were her lover, and those who spoke up for her."
Furina nodded. "From love for one person, rising into love for all humanity. That is what makes the protagonist truly great."
Dulphy disagreed. "I'm concerned about something else. You know the Daughter of Water symbolizes the troupe leader, right? She never had the chance to become a hero. Since this play is meant to commemorate her, shouldn't we record the real ending?"
"The Daughter of Water dies in hatred. Those who love her no longer reveal the truth. Humanity heads toward destruction."
[Zhongli: Whether the troupe leader died in an accident or not, she was still a hero.]
[Nahida: In this small troupe, she burned herself to become a light for everyone else. She was always a hero. A hateful ending would be wrong.]
[Ningguang: If the leader were still here, she would never choose an ending where humanity perishes.]
[Yae Miko: From a novelist's perspective, an ending where humanity dies would earn terrible reviews. Dulphy clearly lacks writing experience.]
[Xingqiu: I agree. The first version is better.]
Furina commented gently. "But that ending is too cruel—and unfair to the audience."
Buraud spoke again, his voice trembling. "It's just like what happened to Leader Aurelie. Meaningless. Sudden. That day, she suddenly told us all to leave the Court of Fontaine and wait outside the city."
"We waited outside for a long time. She never came. When we returned, she had vanished. We searched everywhere. Even the guards found nothing."
"In the end, all signs pointed to her being involved in the serial disappearance of young girls."
Dulphy clenched his fists. "The leader was the best person in the world, yet she became a sacrifice in an experiment that had nothing to do with her."
Furina caught the inconsistency. "If she warned you to hide outside the city beforehand, it means she must have sensed something."
Buraud nodded. "I've investigated ever since, but found almost no clues. Vilmain might know something—but he refuses to tell me anything."
Furina recognized the name. "Vilmain? The actor who played the final antagonist?"
Lauwick nodded. "He's probably the one who's grieving the hardest—who hasn't been able to move on."
Buraud's voice cracked. "Grieving? That's guilt. No one could be sadder than me. Whether on stage or off, I loved Aurelie deeply."
Dulphy froze. "This is the first I've heard of this…"
Buraud straightened himself. "It's time to be honest. If there are still secrets between us, we'll never agree on the ending."
"I confessed to Aurelie once. She rejected me almost immediately. She said she saw everyone in the troupe as younger siblings, and never considered romance."
"I told her it was fine. I would wait—until the day the troupe no longer needed her, until everyone had found their own place to belong."
"But I never got to see that day."
[Ningguang: For everyone else, Aurelie gave up her own life.]
[Yoimiya: Why… why did the rope have to break right here…]
"Buraud…"
After speaking his heart, Buraud became resolute. "So in my script, I will give Aurelie the best ending possible. No one gets to object."
Dulphy sighed. "Then it seems the conflict between you and Vilmain can only be resolved face to face. Those two have always disagreed the most about the ending."
Paimon spread her hands. "Well, since it's come to this, we'll have to go find him."
Furina looked at Buruad. "Are you prepared to face the truth?"
Buraud hesitated. "Honestly… I'm afraid. But for the final performance, I'm willing to do anything."
"Ms. Furina… can you understand how I feel?"
Furina answered without hesitation. "Yes. Let's go."
As they walked, chatting along the way, they happened to run into a few slimes blocking the road.
Paimon sighed. "Didn't expect the road to be this rough—running into monsters already."
Furina looked completely unconcerned. "What's there to worry about? With Lumine here, we don't even need to consider detours."
[Paimon: She needs help, yet she's acting so proud.]
[Furina: Is that a problem?]
Everyone stared at Furina.
She noticed the looks and stammered, "W-Why are you all staring at me? You're not expecting me to fight too, are you?"
Dulphy replied, "It's just that… we've never seen Ms. Furina fight before. We're a little curious."
Lauwick reminded him, "Did you forget? The Hydro Archon relinquished all divine power and converted it into Indemnitium for Fontaine. Ms. Furina said so herself."
[Paimon: Her fake identity was never exposed, after all. And the Oratrice's final verdict declared the Hydro Archon guilty—so Fontaine's people believe Furina truly lost her powers.]
[Neuvillette: Based on this Fontaine citizen's understanding, that does appear to be the case.]
[Paimon: Furina, you held out until the very end.]
[Furina: Naturally. My acting skills are unmatched.]
[Paimon: More like your stubbornness is unmatched.]
[Furina: You flying object—if you have nothing nice to say, stay quiet.]
Furina seized the opportunity. "Y-Yes. Since I'm no longer the Hydro Archon, my divine power naturally faded."
She sighed softly. "Though I'm unwilling to admit it, for now I can only obediently play the role of the one being protected."
Paimon grumbled. "You're talking like it's something to be proud of."
Lumine replied smugly, "Even without divine power, you still have combat skills."
Furina immediately darted behind Lumine and whispered, "Lumine, don't expose me like that—I finally managed to get by."
Lumine turned her head away with a huff.
Furina lowered her voice, pleading, "Sorry, sorry. I got carried away. Please help me out."