[Fontaine.]
[The western slopes of Mont Esne.]
[Kael stood with both hands resting atop the pommel of the Splendor of Tranquil Waters.]
"Your Holiness..."
Clorinde gestured toward the distant shoreline, her finger pointing at the white sands of the beach.
"Lady Furina is..."
Kael followed her gaze. He took one look, and that was enough.
Clorinde sighed, pressing a palm to her forehead in a gesture of pure, unadulterated exhaustion.
"The last time she tried to dive into the sea, she was pummeled by the bubbles of a Bubbler Seahorse. Her face was swollen for days."
She paused, the memory clearly painful to recount.
"Since then, she has abandoned the ocean depths. She prefers the safety of the shore now."
"Then there was the incident with the crab... it pinched her arm and refused to let go."
Clorinde's expression was a mask of professional stoicism, but her eyes betrayed a deep, internal conflict. It was a ridiculous scene, yet she couldn't find it in herself to laugh.
After all, Furina was the Hydro Archon. She was the one who had carried the weight of Fontaine for nearly five hundred years.
"Now, she only dares to play with the lazy Blubberbeasts on the sand."
Kael remained silent for a long time.
Finally, he gave a slow, measured nod. "I see. Because a Blubberbeast basking in the sun has no will to fight back..."
Arataki Itto: "Hahaha! The Hydro Archon of Fontaine is a total airhead!"
Neuvillette: "..."
Kuki Shinobu: "Boss, you need to take responsibility for what you say. Even if Furina has stepped down, she was still the Hydro Archon."
Arataki Itto: "But am I wrong? She got slapped by a seahorse, pinched by a crab, and now she's reduced to bullying seals. It's hilarious!"
Raiden Ei: "Hmm... so this is the Hydro Archon. That girl, Clorinde... she looks utterly helpless."
Yae Miko: "My, my. When a god cannot shoulder the destiny of their nation, it is only natural for the citizens to feel a bit... frustrated."
Paimon: "Furina..."
Furina: "W-what? What do you want?"
Paimon: "Have you noticed? That scepter in Kael's hand looks really familiar. It looks exactly like the one you use during your performances."
Navia: "It's true. I've seen Lady Furina's shows many times. The staff Mr. Kael is holding is identical to the one she carries on stage."
Furina: "Wait, you're right! That's my Splendor of Tranquil Waters! Why is it in Kael's hands?"
Alhaitham: "As we discussed before, this is likely a symbolic transfer of authority."
Barbara: "Please, do not cast doubt on Mr. Kael. The Church is fueled by absolute devotion to the gods. Lord Barbatos's Holy Lyre der Himmel is kept within the cathedral as well. It doesn't mean anything sinister."
Ningguang: "When the majority of actual power is concentrated within a specific group, it is only natural for that group to fall under suspicion."
Zhongli: "Indeed."
Cloud Retainer: "Ahem! Is the Tianquan trying to remind this adeptus of the doubts I once held toward the Liyue Qixing?"
Ningguang: "Not at all. I am simply stating a fact."
Cloud Retainer: "Hmph. Every single one of you is the same. Not a shred of respect for your elders."
["Heh!"]
[Furina gripped a wooden stick, poking at the sand. She jabbed it here, then there.]
[The Blubberbeast she was harassing rolled over, its large eyes welling with tears as it let out a pathetic, warbling protest.]
[Eventually, the creature gave up and simply lay flat on its back, accepting its fate.]
[Seeing this, Furina let out a bright, melodic giggle.]
[She continued her 'inhumane' harassment of the poor seal, lost in her own little world.]
[However, just as she was reaching the height of her amusement, a sudden commotion broke out among the nearby members of the Gardes.]
"His Holiness..."
"The Pope has arrived!"
"Lady Clorinde is with him!"
"Your Holiness!"
[...]
[The guards standing watch near the beach immediately straightened their posture, their faces turning solemn as the two figures approached.]
The Pope?
Clorinde?
[Furina froze.]
[A sudden realization struck her like a bolt of lightning.]
[The Pope was here?]
[Her eyes widened with shock as she looked toward the distance.]
[It was just as the guards had shouted. Kael and the Champion Duelist, Clorinde, were walking directly toward her.]
'Why is Kael coming to find me?'
[Furina stood there, stunned. Her mind raced back through the centuries.]
[She remembered when she had first become the Hydro Archon.]
[Back then, Kael was just an outlander who had recently arrived in Fontaine.]
[In Furina's memory, Kael had been a brilliant, hardworking young man.]
[He wasn't just handsome... his ability to learn and execute plans was second to none.]
[In the beginning, Kael had looked at Furina with nothing but respect and admiration.]
[He never missed a single one of her performances.]
[But everything changed after she appointed him as the Pope of The Church.]
[Their relationship had slowly crumbled, fractured by disagreements over policy and the direction of the nation.]
[If she counted the years correctly...]
They hadn't spoken a single word to each other in eighty-nine years.
The truth finally began to dawn on the citizens of Fontaine.
Kael wasn't a native.
He had arrived in their city roughly five hundred years ago.
Because of his extraordinary talents, the Hydro Archon had personally appointed him as the Pope.
The Splendor of Tranquil Waters was likely a gift, a symbol of his office bestowed upon him by Furina herself.
But no one could have imagined the rift between them.
Eighty-nine years of silence?
To the people of Fontaine, the reasons were becoming clear.
Furina had been their god for five centuries, yet no one could remember a single great feat she had accomplished.
The only things she left behind were her flashy outfits and her exaggerated, theatrical personality.
If Neuvillette hadn't been there to maintain order, the fate of Fontaine would have been unthinkable.
As the representative of divine authority, it was only a matter of time before a man like Kael clashed with a god like Furina.
Alhaitham: "It is exactly as I suspected. When the rift between the proxy and the deity becomes too wide, the proxy makes a choice."
Alhaitham: "Mr. Kael decided to strip the god of her power entirely."
The Puppet Master and the Archon
"Sigh... would the Kael we knew, the man as gentle as a summer breeze, truly commit such a betrayal?"
Nahida tilted her head, her eyes reflecting a deep, ancient wisdom.
"Even his status as the Pope was a gift from Furina herself."
Navia crossed her arms, her expression thoughtful. "It makes sense, though. Furina's memories painted him as a paragon of excellence. If we look at Clorinde's account too, Kael has clearly poured his soul into Fontaine for centuries."
"A man of his dedication... eventually, the friction would become too much."
Clorinde's hand rested on the hilt of her blade.
"His dissatisfaction with Lady Furina's conduct likely poisoned their bond. After all those years, he might be preparing to..."
"Wait, wait, wait!"
Furina's voice hit a high, nervous pitch. Her hands trembled slightly as she looked around the room.
"Everything he has, I gave him! He wouldn't actually try to kill me, right? That's not how this works!"
Arataki Itto let out a booming laugh, slapping his knee with enough force to crack a table.
"What are you shaking for? You're the Hydro Archon! Even if Brother Kael is a total powerhouse, taking down a god isn't exactly a walk in the park."
Yae Miko cleared her throat, a sly, knowing smile playing on her lips.
Venti followed suit, his cough sounding suspiciously forced.
"Barbatos, what have you seen?"
Dvalin's voice rumbled like distant thunder, vibrating in the chests of everyone present.
Venti waved a hand dismissively, his eyes sparkling with hidden mischief. "Nothing, nothing... just a bit of dust in my throat."
"He won't kill you," Paimon said, floating closer with a smug look.
"Kael is the face of The Church. Killing the Hydro Archon would be like shooting himself in the foot. No, he'd probably just lock you up... turn you into a little puppet that does whatever he says."
Furina froze. "Eh?"
'A puppet? Me? Locked away in some dark corner of the palace while he runs everything?'
The thought sent a cold shiver down her spine.
"Wait a second," Paimon added, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the Archon.
"Furina, your memory is suspiciously sharp. Eighty-nine years without a single word, and you remember the exact count?"
Lisa's eyes sparkled with predatory interest.
"Something smells fishy."
Lumine turned her gaze toward the flustered Archon, her voice quiet but heavy with implication.
"Is Furina the one with the 'history' with Kael in this life?"
The silence that followed was deafening.
"No... absolutely not... stop talking nonsense!"
Furina stammered, her face flushing a deep, tell-tale crimson.
She looked everywhere but at the others, her fingers twisting the fabric of her sleeves.
'They can't know. They definitely can't know!'
~✦~ End of Chapter ~✦~
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