If Kael had not shown Lumine and Furina his magic in advance, they would definitely be as clueless as the audience in the livestream room.
Some believed Navia was an undercover agent Kael sent to Lumine's side.
The reason was naturally that Kael himself was wary of Lumine, the Traveler.
But this theory was quickly dismissed.
After all, before Navia appeared, Furina already had the victory in her grasp.
There was no need for Navia to wade into these muddy waters.
If it were a bitter drama staged specifically to act as a mole, it would impact Furina's own divine authority.
The only possibility was that Kael had tampered with things, making Hywel, who should have appeared, vanish.
"Kael, that magic you used to teleport me into your arms earlier..."
"Was it really magic?" Lumine asked curiously.
In truth, she already had the answer in her heart.
This must be the same method used for Hywel's disappearance.
"My wife is so smart. You've already forced Furina, a master of the Trial, to think she's wrongly accusing a good person."
"How could my little tricks escape your eyes?"
Kael gently pinched Lumine's cheek.
The interaction between the two made Furina and Paimon shudder.
"These two are really too lovey-dovey."
Furina kept rubbing her arms.
She couldn't help but feel nervous.
Could it be that once her memories were restored, she would be just like Lumine?
Leaning in Kael's arms, laughing radiantly while being teased?
However, Kael did seem like a very gentle person.
["This is impossible..."]
[Navia could not believe her eyes.]
[Hywel's disappearance left her feeling deeply frustrated.]
[Warm-hearted and strong-willed, Navia instantly cast a sharp gaze toward Kael.]
[Melus and Silver would never betray her.]
[Then the only person who could stop this Trial was the Pope, who was determined to maintain divine authority.]
[Navia did not understand how Kael made Hywel disappear, but her intuition told her he must have done something.]
["Lyney..."]
["I am sorry."]
[Paimon's eyes were full of apology.]
["Lumine and I couldn't help you."]
[Lyney just smiled and comforted her: "It is fine. Everyone did their best."]
[Lyney saw Navia's shocked expression clearly.]
[It seemed she hadn't come just to join the fun or cause trouble intentionally.]
[The only one capable of stopping all this was the Pope sitting in the VIP seats, Lord Kael.]
[Just as Father Arlecchino had said.]
[When the House of the Hearth takes action, they must be extremely careful and ideally avoid the eyes and ears of Pope Kael.]
[Unfortunately...]
[Lyney never expected that the first wrongful conviction in Fontaine in 100 years would fall on his head.]
Livestream Room.
Paimon: "Sigh, Kael really is on Furina's side. I remember when we won in this life, Furina wanted to storm off, but Neuvillette stopped her. She was so depressed."
Lumine: "I remember too. She even said there were so many people there, could he at least give her some face."
Paimon: "She was like a punctured balloon, instantly deflating. With Kael backing her up in the previous life, we won't see her backing down."
Lumine: "Yeah, what a pity."
Furina: "Hey, you two..."
Lisa: "Oh my, lovely Miss Furina. You stole Lumine's man in your past life, so let her vent a few words. It doesn't matter."
Clorinde: "Pfft..."
Arataki Itto: "I'm just wondering how Kael did it. How did he make a living person vanish into thin air?"
Kujou Sara: "If you could understand it, wouldn't Reincarnator Kael's value drop?"
Skirk: "It really is strange. Just what kind of method did Mr. Kael use to make a person inside a box vanish without leaving a single trace at the scene?"
Tartaglia: "Master, are you saying even you couldn't do it?"
Skirk: "I couldn't make someone disappear silently under the watchful eyes of a crowd."
Venti: "The brilliance lies in the silence and the perfect execution."
Zhongli: "To let Navia and the others prepare everything, only for them to find the person gone when it was time for the reveal... a masterful stroke indeed."
Dvalin: "To destroy the spirit as well as the person... Mr. Kael is far more ruthless in Fontaine than he was in Mondstadt. He must have picked up some bad habits during these centuries in Fontaine."
Neuvillette: "Fontaine will not take the blame for that."
Lynette: "Poor brother still admires Mr. Kael, yet he was wrongly accused by him."
Arlecchino: "I suspect Mr. Kael has other intentions. It isn't purely to save Furina's face."
Lyney: "Father, is it because I went to the core of the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale? Is that why Mr. Kael wants to target me?"
Torres: "Interesting. He maintains Furina's dignity while using The Knave's child to send her a warning. Reincarnators aren't just powerful; they have quite the bag of tricks."
[Neuvillette stared at Kael for a long time.]
[Kael remained calm, a faint smile on his lips. "Lord Neuvillette, are you not going to announce the final verdict?"]
["Right... right..."]
["Neuvillette."]
["It's time to let the Oratrice decide."]
[Furina spoke up, acting tough under his protection.]
[However, she lacked any real confidence.]
[She was timid, but she wasn't stupid.]
[This situation was indeed very strange.]
["No!"]
["There must be something wrong here!"]
[Navia pointed at Kael in anger.]
["Lord Pope, I clearly caught that thief from Mondstadt, Hywel."]
["I placed her inside that wooden box for her entrance."]
["She encountered Lyney while stealing in Fontaine and was called onto the stage during the magic show at the Opera Epiclese."]
["She thought Lyney had recognized her, so after entering the tunnel beneath the opera house, she tried to escape."]
["But she happened to run into Lyney's assistant, who tried to harm her. She knocked the assistant unconscious and placed him in the wooden box."]
["She had no idea the water tank would fall and kill him."]
["That is the truth of the matter!"]
[Navia argued desperately.]
[The citizens of Fontaine in the audience began to whisper among themselves.]
["It doesn't feel like Navia is lying."]
["Could there really be something we don't know?"]
["Let's just leave it to the Oratrice."]
[Kael nodded slightly after hearing her out. He didn't stop Navia from expressing her views.]
[Nor did he oppose her logic.]
[He simply said one thing: "In that case, you should have personally escorted her to the stage to prevent her from escaping midway."]
["Right?"]
["If she escaped, wouldn't you be the one in trouble, Navia?"]
[Navia was left speechless.]
[What Kael said made too much sense.]
[If Hywel had escaped, no matter how much Navia talked, she wouldn't be able to explain the circumstances.]
[A trial required evidence, not just words.]
Navia: "Sigh, I'm completely no match for Mr. Kael."
Clorinde: "Even the fiery Navia loses her spark when facing Mr. Kael."
["Silence!"]
[Neuvillette signaled for everyone present to be quiet.]
["The remaining judgment will be left to the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale to make the final determination."]
[Click, click, click...]
[Everything was ready.]
[The Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale emitted a series of soft mechanical sounds.]
[Blue elemental power swirled continuously.]
[Streaks of blue light flashed through the channels in the walls of the Opera Epiclese.]
[After a brilliant flash of light...]
[The verdict for Lyney's trial finally appeared before Neuvillette.]
[Opening the verdict in his hand...]
[Neuvillette froze instantly.]
[But two seconds later, maintaining his duty as the Iudex of Fontaine, he spoke calmly:]
["The Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale has made its final determination."]
["I now announce..."]
["Mr. Lyney and Ms. Lynette..."]
[Neuvillette paused.]
["The result given by the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale is..."]
["Not Guilty!"]
["What?" The crowd froze in unison.]
[Even Kael showed a flicker of confusion.]
[He instinctively turned his gaze toward the even more bewildered Furina.]
["Not guilty?"]
["Lord Neuvillette, this..."]
["That's impossible. Could the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale have made a mistake?"]
[Neuvillette had been in Fontaine for centuries, and his judgments had never shown any favoritism.]
[The people of Fontaine believed in this implicitly. They would rather believe the machine was broken than believe Neuvillette had personal motives.]
["The conclusion given by the Oratrice is indeed 'Not Guilty'."]
["If there are any objections, official personnel may come forward to review the verdict."]
[Navia had indeed found Hywel.]
[A flash of suspicion crossed Neuvillette's eyes.]
['Furina has done plenty of nonsensical things before. Why did Kael insist on intervening so forcefully this time, acting as if he were determined to see Lyney convicted?']
The audience in the livestream was equally lost.
Hywel's disappearance should have signaled a guaranteed victory for Furina. That was supposed to be set in stone.
Based on the evidence and logic, unless Hywel actually appeared, there was no way for Furina to lose.
Ningguang: "What is going on? Does Fontaine's Oratrice possess its own will? Did it decide on its own that Hywel isn't dead?"
Navia: "It's truly strange. We don't know what happened either."
Venti: "Hehehe, this is the most interesting part of the story. The hero defeats the dragon to protect the princess, but the princess bites the hero to protect the dragon."
Hu Tao: "What do you mean?"
Klee: "Klee wants to know too."
Zhongli: "It means Kael tried his best to protect Furina, but at the last moment, Furina stabbed him in the back."
Furina: "No, I didn't! Stop talking nonsense."
'Luckily Kael and Lumine know I'm not the Hydro Archon, otherwise this misunderstanding would be huge...'
Kael: "Tragic. I'm just too tragic."
Yae Miko: "Don't cry, hero. Let big sister comfort your wounded soul. Forget about saving the princess."
Furina: "Lumine, come out and do something!"
Lumine: "..."
Kamisato Ayaka: "Mr. Kael is indeed pitiful. I saw him freeze for a moment after the verdict was announced."
Sangonomiya Kokomi: "If Mr. Kael sacrificed so much for me, I would surely entrust my entire body and soul to his arrangements."
Lisa: "You... those words seem to have a deep meaning..."
[The Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale has a problem.]
[All fingers point at Furina.]
["This can only be explained by Lady Furina."]
["Exactly. After all, Lady Furina is the supreme manager of the Oratrice."]
["What is going on, Lady Furina?"]
[Swish swish swish...]
[Feeling all the gazes shooting toward her, Furina wished she could leave this place immediately.]
["This..."]
[However, just as Furina was at her wit's end, the sound of clapping came from the VIP seats.]
[Furina looked up. Who else could it be but Kael?]
[At this moment, Furina felt a sharp pain in her chest. She lowered her eyes, not daring to look at Kael again.]
[But she heard Kael laugh:]
["All of this was naturally arranged by Lady Furina."]
["Just as I told Navia earlier, excessive pursuit of theatrical effects can easily lead to accidents."]
["A Trial is not a play. Using magic to make a prisoner appear could very well lead to unimaginable consequences."]
["I believe if the Gardes open the doors of the Opera Epiclese, they will find a suspicious Mondstadt girl just ahead."]
["That person is Hywel, who just escaped from the wooden box."]
[As soon as Kael finished speaking, the Gardes went out. Soon, they caught Hywel and brought her to the scene.]
[According to Hywel's description, the previous events were exactly as Navia had said.]
[Finally, she added that she was afraid of being judged, so she used the underground passage of the Opera Epiclese to escape while she was in the box.]
["I see."]
["So Lady Furina really was in control of everything. That means Lady Furina knew the entire development of the case from the beginning?"]
["This..."]
[What's the situation? The Hydro Archon Furina had never been like this before.]
["Ahem!"]
[Hearing the crowd's discussion, Furina cleared her throat: "Things are exactly as the Pope said."]
["I am merely using Lyney's case to remind everyone that a Trial is not a play, nor an opera. It is a very serious matter."]
'It's over!'
'Although I don't know what happened, I can see Kael's expression doesn't look right.'
["Actually, I knew Lyney was innocent all along."]
[After finishing, Furina forced a smile and looked at Lyney and the others: "Congratulations, Lyney. You are cleared of all charges."]
["This..."]
[Lyney and Lynette, the siblings, were at a loss. The changes happened too fast for them to react.]
[But fortunately, they weren't sent to the Fortress of Meropide. Lyney said respectfully: "Thank you, Lady Furina."]
Alhaitham: "Don't you find it strange? Why does Furina seem to know nothing about anything?"
Yoimiya: "I noticed too. She clearly said the Oratrice is powered by her, so how could she not understand it?"
Kuki Shinobu: "I can't figure it out."
Tartaglia: "The people of Fontaine aren't giving any explanations."
Arlecchino: "We'll understand if we keep watching. However, with Mr. Kael by her side, Lady Furina has certainly avoided a lot of grievances."
Bennett: "Is it possible that Furina is a fake Hydro Archon, and Neuvillette is the real one?"
Thoma: "The most likely thing is that the Pope is the real Hydro Archon, and Furina is a fake."
Kujou Sara: "Are you stupid? Kael is a Reincarnator. He doesn't belong to any specific country or character. If he weren't in Fontaine, would Fontaine just not have a Hydro Archon?"
Raiden Ei: "Hmm..."
Yae Miko: "Wow! Ei, did you figure something out?"
Raiden Ei: "No. Based on my intuition, Furina doesn't seem like a god."
Kael: "That's not necessarily true. Back then, the Anemo Archon told a nun to her face that he was the Anemo Archon, and no one believed him. I heard from Lumine that when she and Paimon were in Liyue, Rex Lapis held his own funeral. Lumine traveled with him the entire time and didn't realize Zhongli was Morax."
Zhongli: "Mr. Kael is not wrong."
Venti: "So..."
Kael: "Furina is so vibrant and refreshing, she must be the Hydro Archon."
Paimon: "Huh? Even if you're making excuses, could you at least find a decent one?"
Furina: "..."
~✦~ End of Chapter ~✦~
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