"Finally, with Miss Kelly's help, we reached the area near Miss Vinani's location and began our search. We managed to rescue her at the last possible moment," Lyney concluded.
"It's a good thing we got there in time."
"I never imagined the murderer would resort to such madness. We were so close to the explosion! If not for sheer luck in finding that cave, we wouldn't have escaped unscathed."
By this point, Lyney had roughly recounted the events that had transpired.
The sheer volume of information left everyone around stunned, unable to process it for a long moment.
"Miss Kelly, thank you very much for your assistance," Neuvillette said, nodding slightly to the young girl in gratitude.
"It's nothing. This is for my own sake too," she replied with a wave of her hand and a smile. "If I continued to observe from the sidelines, who knows when I might have become the Murderer's next target?"
"Actually, many of us wanted to help, but we feared being targeted if we revealed our identities. That's why we kept our identities hidden."
"I'm acting as their representative. Even if they remain in the shadows, they can contribute their strength through me."
Hearing this, Lyney finally understood why, despite his efforts to spread the word, Kelly had only contacted them today. She must have been prepared to make a sacrifice.
"Miss Kelly, we will do everything in our power to ensure your safety!"
"And please convey our deepest gratitude to everyone else," Lyney added.
A radiant smile bloomed on Kelly's face. "I will."
Just then, the Melusine who had been examining Vinani's condition rushed over to Neuvillette to report her findings.
When Neuvillette heard that Vinani showed no abnormalities, his heart finally settled.
He then turned to the young woman and asked, "Miss Kelly, can you sense anything?"
"The murderer is severely wounded and couldn't have gone far. He's likely returned to his hideout."
"I'll try."
The girl nodded to Neuvillette and stood motionless, her eyes losing their luster.
Seeing this, Navia, Melus, and Silver exchanged astonished glances.
So that's how it works!
The pieces that had puzzled them before now clicked into place.
No wonder the Maison Gardiennage officer named Henry had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, having been previously unknown.
And no wonder he had periodically entered that state during the pursuit of Vacher—it was to pinpoint Vacher's location.
Navia couldn't help but recall that night. Just in case, she had urged her companions to take a different path, but the Maison Gardiennage officer had been utterly certain it was a trap, even warning them to be careful.
Later, it turned out he was right. The path was indeed a trap, and the Clockwork Mekas were rigged with explosives. Had the two who followed not kept their distance, they likely wouldn't have survived.
This explained why the officer was so formidable, even without a Vision. His combat experience far surpassed that of Melus and Silver combined.
"What's wrong, Navia?" Charlotte asked, noticing the peculiar expression on Navia's face.
Navia simply shook her head. This concerned the officer's secret, and since he had risked exposing himself to help her so much, she had no intention of revealing it.
"It's nothing."
Sensing Navia's reluctance to answer, Charlotte nodded and dropped the subject.
Soon, the young girl's eyes regained their sparkle. Panting slightly as if exhausted, she spoke:
"I've located them. They're moving southwest, but the exact location is still unclear."
Upon hearing the girl's report, the group's faces lit up with excitement.
We've found them! Finally, a lead!
This time, we won't let that bastard escape!
We'll avenge our fallen comrades!
Knowing that striking quickly would prevent the enemy from mounting a defense, Neuvillette swiftly assigned tasks.
"Miss Navia, I need you to ensure their safe return to Fontaine."
Neuvillette gestured toward the support personnel and the two unconscious figures in the group.
"I can do that, but their secret hideout must be extremely dangerous. I'm worried you'll encounter significant resistance."
Navia voiced her concerns after a moment of contemplation.
"Don't worry. My presence alone will suffice."
With those words, Neuvillette released a wave of his overwhelming presence, reassuring the group.
Lyney and Lynette froze, sensing the overwhelming aura emanating from Neuvillette. They suddenly realized the terrifying presence they had felt during the explosion had originated from him.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, you've been keeping your true strength well hidden..." Lyney remarked, a relaxed smile returning to his face. "But with you here, it seems we have nothing to worry about. Navia, we'll leave the rest to you. After all, aside from you and Monsieur Neuvillette, none of us are confident in our chances of success."
Navia nodded and led Melus and Silver to the support staff. Throughout, she avoided looking at Neuvillette. Though her father's name had been cleared, Neuvillette's cold indifference at the time remained a barrier in her heart—a wound that had finally begun to heal.
Neuvillette cast a complex gaze at Navia, following her until she began giving instructions before withdrawing his gaze with a silent sigh. His expression quickly returned to normal as he addressed the young girl.
"Miss Kelly, please lead the way."
To minimize the risk of premature detection and unnecessary casualties, this operation involved only a handful of individuals. Even Charlotte, a Vision user, was persuaded by Neuvillette to stay behind—though she ultimately disregarded his advice.
"As a journalist, I've ventured into countless dangerous places and faced peril time and again," Charlotte insisted. "But I've always emerged unscathed."
"Besides, I've already made up my mind. I absolutely can't miss this exclusive report."
Faced with Charlotte's stubbornness, Neuvillette ceased his attempts to dissuade her.
The team consisted of Neuvillette, the young girl, Charlotte, the siblings Lyney and Lynette, and two Court of Justice officers assigned to protect the girl.
To safeguard the girl's life and prevent her from risking herself, they only needed her to provide the general location of their target.
The group quickly separated from Navia's faction, maintaining a considerable distance between members. Periodically, they used the girl's method to sense the target's precise position.
The enemy proved remarkably cautious. Despite being severely wounded, they repeatedly changed direction and left behind numerous misleading trails.
The rain had subsided significantly by now, allowing them to occasionally glimpse bloodstains seeping into the muddy ground—a clear indication they were on the right track and reinforcing their trust in the young girl.
However, the girl's method of sensing the enemy's location seemed to drain her energy rapidly. The group had to slow their pace to accommodate her, urging her to reduce the frequency of her sensing—just enough to confirm the enemy hadn't left her range.
After some time passed, the girl grew so exhausted she could barely stand, even needing Lynette to carry her part of the way. Finally, the enemy stopped moving.
"They're about three thousand meters in that direction," the girl gasped, clutching her forehead. Her face had turned ashen without anyone noticing. "They've stopped moving. I can't tell if they're collapsing from exhaustion or retreating to their secret base..."
The girl's unwavering determination moved the group deeply.
"Alright, Miss Kelly, you rest now. We'll take it from here," Lyney said with a soft sigh. If it weren't for the need to pinpoint the enemy's location using her method, he wouldn't have pushed her so hard.
Neuvillette looked at the young woman with a hint of apology. While he could have eased her burden with his Elemental Power, doing so risked revealing his true nature, so he refrained from intervening.
After arranging for two Court of Justice officers to watch over the girl and finding them a safe hiding place, Neuvillette instructed the trio on how to signal him in case of danger. Then, he, Lyney, and Freminet swiftly hurried toward the location the girl had indicated.
"Miss Kelly, are you alright?" one of the officers asked anxiously, as they sheltered in their hiding place. The girl responded with a faint smile.
"Don't worry, I just need to rest for a while."
Though her smile lacked its previous radiance, it stirred a deeper sense of protectiveness in the officers. Their faces flushed slightly as they hastened to reassure her.
"Miss Kelly, please rest easy. Leave the guard duty to us."
"Exactly!"
"Thank you," she murmured, leaning against a large boulder and closing her eyes. Soon, the steady rhythm of her breathing filled the air, indicating she had fallen asleep.
Unsuspecting, the officers moved with deliberate quietness to avoid disturbing her rest, refraining from conversation and focusing intently on their surroundings. Occasionally, their eyes met, and they exchanged awkward glances.
-
On the other side, Neuvillette and his group arrived at the approximate location indicated by the girl. The moment they stood there, Neuvillette sensed an anomaly.
As the Hydro Dragon Sovereign, Neuvillette possessed an exceptionally keen perception of Hydro Element. Though a light rain was falling from the sky, a portion of the raindrops that landed within a specific area vanished from his senses entirely.
"It seems to be a formation," Neuvillette announced, alerting the others. They had indeed come to the right place.
Simultaneously, Neuvillette couldn't help but think about the massive formation beneath all of Fontaine—a structure he had deduced from current intelligence to be related to Furina's efforts to gather energy in response to the Prophecy (though if betrayed, he would simply pretend he hadn't seen it). He shook his head, refocusing his attention on the present situation.
"A formation? Leave it to me," Lyney said, nodding to Lynette. She produced a bottle of fine powder from seemingly nowhere and sprinkled it over the area Neuvillette had indicated.
After a brief wait, Lyney announced, "It's ready."
With that, Lyney and Lynette confidently stepped into the formation's area.
Neuvillette and Charlotte followed without hesitation, joining them within the barrier.
The group felt themselves pass through something akin to a barrier, their vigilance heightened. Only when no further disturbances occurred did they gradually relax.
"I never imagined the Fatui would have such expertise in formations," Charlotte remarked, genuinely surprised.
"Yes, it seems Lord Doctor developed this one," Lyney replied. "The Doctor has made immense contributions to the Fatui, even enabling those without inherent aptitude to wield Elemental Power."
"Back then, to avoid being left behind by Lynette, I even brought this up with Father," Lyney continued with a smile. "But she gave me a thorough scolding."
"That was your fault, Brother, for requesting something so dangerous from Father," Lynette countered.
Thinking back, Lynette couldn't help but feel grateful that Arlecchino had refused Lyney's request. Otherwise, the Delusion would have wreaked havoc on his body.
"Yes, yes, it was my fault," Lyney conceded, gazing fondly at Lynette.
"Father was right," he added. "Instead of worrying about lacking the power to save you in danger, it's better to prevent you from facing any danger in the first place."
"I never knew you had such a past, Lyney," Charlotte remarked, nodding thoughtfully after hearing their conversation. "It sounds like Miss Knave was a decent person after all."
"Yes," Lyney confirmed. "Although our 'Father' was strict, everyone respected and adored her."
After confirming Charlotte's words, Lyney continued, "Alright, enough chitchat. Monsieur Neuvillette, it seems you've already made some progress."
Neuvillette took over the conversation. "This must be the entrance. It appears to require a specific method to open."
"However, we can't afford to waste any more time here. Everyone, prepare yourselves—I'm going to force our way in."
As he spoke, a surging aura emanated from Neuvillette, his entire being resembling a turbulent current. A massive pillar of water erupted from before him, slamming directly into the entrance.
The barrier proved far weaker than they had anticipated, either lacking any defensive capabilities or simply being overwhelmed by Neuvillette's sheer power. Not only did the entrance shatter effortlessly, but the water pillar also penetrated over a hundred meters inside, causing significant structural collapse within.
"Let's go," Neuvillette murmured, taking the lead and striding directly into the secret base.
The others exchanged nods and followed closely behind, entering the secret stronghold with Neuvillette.