Shortly after the discussion concluded, Yuto and the others returned to Fontaine without any issues.
There were no bizarre Oceanids blocking the ship, nor any torrential downpours to ruin their mood. All in all, it was a rather pleasant journey.
If not for all the miscellaneous troubles weighing on them, it would have been a nice travel experience.
Of course, there are no such 'ifs' in this world.
Thinking of this, Yuto slightly raised his head and sighed softly as he watched the group stumble along the rugged mountain path not far away.
"I just hope I won't need to intervene with force later…"
"Huh? What force? Yuto, what are you talking about?"
Paimon seemed to have heard Yuto's mumbling, tilted her head slightly, and asked curiously.
"Nothing, I just think… when Mr. Polo and Weil Mang meet later, there's bound to be a rather intense conflict."
"After all, from Mr. Polo's perspective, Weil Mang's suspicion is simply too great."
Upon hearing Yuto's explanation, Paimon was slightly stunned, then nodded gently. Just as she was about to say something… a somewhat sticky sound came from not far away.
Puchi-pa—Puchi-pa—
Hearing this sound, Lauvik and the others, who were leading the team at the front, also stopped.
Paimon slightly raised her head, looking at the two Hydro Slimes and one Cryo Slime suddenly blocking the road, and gently shook her head.
"Should I say it's indeed the wilderness? I thought the road was quite easy to walk, but then we encountered these road-blocking guys…"
Furina pursed her lips slightly, then said indifferently:
"What's there to worry about? With Yuto and Traveler here, we don't need to consider any detours."
"They're just Slimes, they can't possibly be stronger than a Fatui Harbinger, can they?"
It was better if Furina didn't say anything, but as soon as she spoke, everyone's gaze focused on her, as if they were expecting something.
Seemingly noticing the expectant gazes of the theater troupe, Furina blinked rapidly a few times, then asked back incredulously:
"W-what are you looking at me for? You're not expecting me to join the fight, are you?"
Hearing this, Dirfi scratched her head awkwardly and said:
"I just feel like I haven't seen Ms. Furina in action before, and I'm… quite curious."
Lauvik rubbed his forehead helplessly, seemingly speechless by his girlfriend, and then spoke up to help Furina out:
"Have you forgotten? Water Archon gave up all her divine power and converted it into the 'Indemnity Hub Energy' used by Fontaine. Lady Furina herself said this."
At this moment, Furina had no time to correct the address. She quickly picked up the conversation and continued:
"Y-yes, that's right. Now… because I am no longer the Water Archon, my divine power has naturally dissipated."
As if feeling that this explanation was not convincing enough, she pointed to Yuto, who was smiling with pursed lips beside her, and said:
"Yuto can also testify for me! Palais Mermonia issued a statement about it before!"
Hearing this, Yuto blinked slightly, seemingly recalling the still somewhat reserved Furina from before, then said with a sly smile:
"Well… but Lady Furina still has her sword skills even without divine power. Dealing with these Slimes… should be no problem, right?"
Upon hearing this, Furina's eyes suddenly widened. She knew that whenever Yuto smiled like that, nothing good would come of it!
She lowered her voice and said urgently:
"Hey (#`O′)! Yuto, why are you undermining me?!"
Looking at the sly smile on Yuto's face and the increasingly expectant gazes around her, Furina realized just how "unfavorable" her situation was.
After Furina's little brain spun rapidly, she came up with a way that could both fit her current "performance" image and allow her to act spoiled towards Yuto.
"I'm so sorry, I got carried away. Please help me~"
Lumine blinked slightly, watching the interaction between the two, unsure what to say for a moment.
Paimon, on the other hand, shrugged as if she had grown accustomed to Yuto's mischievousness and sudden teasing.
Hearing Furina's soft voice and adorable, urgent words, Yuto nodded with satisfaction, then said loudly:
"But since I've come all this way, wouldn't it be too rude to let Archon take action?"
With that, Yuto transformed into a bolt of lightning and quickly rushed in front of the three Slimes.
Before the three Slimes could even react, a dazzling bolt of lightning flashed from Yuto's hand, slicing the three Slimes into pieces in just the blink of an eye.
Clang—
Accompanied by a crisp sound of a sword being sheathed echoing in everyone's ears, Yuto, who had been standing in front of the three Slimes, had returned to the group at some point.
Lauvik stared dumbfounded at the scattered jelly on the ground, muttering in shock:
"I-is this the Assistant Administrator's true strength…?"
Hearing Lauvik's praise, Furina slightly raised her head, then said proudly:
"Of course, Yuto is my Assistant Administrator, so his strength is naturally beyond reproach~"
Looking at Furina, who seemed to share in the glory, Paimon gently shook her head and muttered softly:
"They're clearly praising Yuto, but it feels like they're praising you…"
"Hmph ╭(╯^╰)╮, well, that's because I have good taste~"
Looking at Furina, who was completely integrated with the group, Yuto's face showed a smile, then he whispered to himself:
"She's really opening up more and more, isn't she?"
As Furina's lover, Yuto would naturally not tease Furina for no reason, nor would he let her make a fool of herself for no reason.
Although Furina had quickly integrated into her current 'role,' in some ways... it was still a bit unnatural.
In order to make her appear more natural, Yuto made temporary arrangements for this impromptu situation, and this was precisely the reason.
...
As Yuto and Furina were chatting and laughing on their way to Weil Mang's residence, on a ship sailing from Snezhnaya to Fontaine, Tartaglia uncharacteristically sneezed.
"Achoo—What's going on… Did my condition decline after the last fight? It shouldn't be…?"
"Even that gloomy guy thought my physical condition had improved a lot, so how could I catch a cold?"
Tartaglia mumbled to himself while tightening the white coat unique to a Harbinger, as if afraid his condition would be compromised.
"Forget it, better safe than sorry. If my condition is compromised because of this and I can't beat Yuto… wouldn't that be a huge loss?"
Tartaglia gently shook his head, then went into the cabin.
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