Chapter 114: The Oceanid
Focalors regarded the little boy's determined expression, a faint, knowing smile playing on her lips. She already knew he hadn't given up. "Alright, I can see the fire in your eyes," she said, her tone light but dismissive. "I admire your tenacity, your unyielding spirit. Truly, I do. But you will soon realize that all of this is quite in vain."
"That Hydro Archon is so annoying," Genta grumbled under his breath.
The others couldn't help but nod in silent agreement.
"Since you insist on persisting," Focalors continued with a theatrical sigh, "by all means, take your time and search for clues. I, however, have other pressing matters to attend to. I shall take my leave."
With that, she turned and departed. Neuvillette, citing duties at the Court of Fontaine, followed suit, leaving Natsume and the detectives to their investigation within the vast, silent halls of the Opera Epiclese.
Finally, after a persistent and thorough search, their efforts paid off. They discovered a notebook, tucked away in a cleverly concealed compartment by the magician's assistant. Its pages revealed a terrifying secret: the existence of Primordial Seawater, a strange liquid unique to Fontaine with the horrifying ability to dissolve its people.
The notebook also mentioned a name—Marcel, the president of the Confrerie of Cabriere.
[Translator Note: The case details have been simplified for narrative flow.]
With a solid lead finally in hand, the group's morale surged. They decided to press their advantage. Seeing as it wasn't too late in the day, they would head straight to the merchant guild to question its president.
As they exited the Opera Epiclese, they began to walk past the grand Fountain of Lucine.
"Wait!" Natsume stopped abruptly, her head cocked. A sound had emanated from the fountain, a whisper distinct from the usual gentle lapping of water. She held up a hand, calling out to the others. "I just heard something from the fountain. It sounded like... someone calling a name. Let's get closer and listen."
At her words, Ran's body went rigid. A flicker of fear crossed her face, but she bravely moved to Natsume's side, her hand gripping Natsume's arm for support.
The children, however, were less apprehensive. The possibility of a new clue was far too exciting to ignore, and they eagerly crowded around the fountain's edge.
"It's real! There really is a sound!" Genta exclaimed, his voice dropping to a hushed whisper as he strained to listen.
"Hmm..." Mitsuhiko nodded, his expression serious. "It sounds like a woman's voice... calling for 'Vacher' or something like that."
"I hear it too," Ayumi added, leaning precariously over the marble lip of the fountain, trying to hear more clearly. "She's calling for Vacher. Who's Vacher?"
"Be careful, Ayumi-chan! Don't get so close," Mitsuhiko warned, his brow furrowed with worry. "You could lose your footing and fall in."
"Oh," Ayumi said, pulling back slightly. But as she moved, she failed to notice Genta right beside her. They bumped into each other, a clumsy collision that sent them both stumbling off-balance. Mitsuhiko and Haibara, who were closest, lunged forward to grab them, but it was too late. Their momentum pulled them forward as well, and with a series of startled yelps, all four children tumbled over the edge and splashed into the fountain's basin.
The sudden turn of events shocked everyone. Ran, her earlier fear completely forgotten, rushed forward with Natsume to pull the children from the water.
But something was wrong. Though the pool was shallow, the moment the four of them hit the water, they fell limp, their eyes closed. They were completely unconscious. No amount of shouting or gentle shaking could rouse them. Just as a wave of panic began to set in and Natsume prepared to call for help, the four children stirred and woke up, all at the same instant.
With Genta and Ayumi's excited narration, supplemented by the more measured remarks from Mitsuhiko and Haibara, the group pieced together what had just transpired.
It turned out that while they were unconscious, they had found themselves in a boundless, blue space that felt like being underwater. There, they met a creature that called itself an Oceanid.
According to the Oceanid, she was once human. She had lost most of her memories, including her own name, and had no idea how she had transformed into her current state. All she could recall was a vague sensation of being enveloped by pinkish-blue water before everything went blurry.
The Fountain of Lucine, she explained, is the place where all the water currents of Fontaine converge, which is why her consciousness had manifested there.
And "Vacher," the name they had heard, was her beloved. They had traveled and adventured across many lands together, never imagining their time would be cut so tragically short.
"So, this Oceanid wants us to find Vacher and reunite them?" Conan guessed, his mind already racing through the implications.
"That's what we thought at first, too," Genta said, shaking his head. "But she said no. The Oceanid told us that if we find Vacher, we have to tell him to stop looking for her."
Ayumi nodded solemnly. "That big sister Oceanid said... there's no point in them meeting again. She said that even though she misses him terribly, her longing can no longer do him any good. She wants her feelings to remain forever at the bottom of the water..."
Listening to their accounts, a chilling realization dawned on the group. This Oceanid had to be one of the "disappeared" young women, dissolved by the very water they had just read about.
"It seems that pinkish-blue water is the Primordial Seawater," Haibara mused, her scientific curiosity piqued. "I wonder what makes it different from ordinary water. And being dissolved by it turns you into an Oceanid... I'd really like to see what one looks like."
Conan shot her a deadpan look. 'Now is not the time to be curious about trivial matters like that.'
He refocused on the puzzle. "From your story, this Oceanid doesn't know about the serial disappearances, which means she must have been one of the earliest victims. But what about the others? If all the victims were dissolved, and the Fountain of Lucine is where all water currents converge, then the others should have also become Oceanids and appeared here. Why is there only one?"
Conan laid out his analysis, but some members of his audience were preoccupied with the emotional heart of the matter.
Ayumi couldn't quite grasp the Oceanid's reasoning. "Why won't the big sister let her lover find her? She's been calling his name for so long, she must miss him so much. Maybe Vacher hasn't forgotten her either. It would be good for them to meet, just to say goodbye."
Conan sighed internally. 'Please, I just laid out a whole chain of logic. Was anyone even listening?'
To his surprise, it was Ran who answered Ayumi's question. She knelt, gently stroking Ayumi's hair. "I think... it's because that Oceanid no longer has a future, but her beloved still has a long life ahead of him. She doesn't want him to stay trapped in the pain of losing her, to let it stop him from living his own life."
Ayumi looked up at her, her eyes wide with curiosity. "Ran-neechan, what would you do if that happened to you? Would you also choose not to see your lover one last time?"
The question caught Ran off guard. Her expression faltered, and a deep sadness clouded her eyes as a certain face flashed through her mind.
"I... I don't know..." she whispered, her voice barely audible.
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