If Neuvillette hadn't worked with Furina for five centuries, he would have doubted whether the Furina before him was the true Hydro Archon.
To be honest, setting aside personal feelings, even he felt that Dark Furina seemed more like the real deal, exuding an aura of transcendence.
Yet, she was precisely not the Furina he had always known.
If only Furina could be as reliable as her counterpart, it would save me so much trouble, Neuvillette thought with a soft sigh.
"Is there something wrong with this method?"
"All you need to do is control the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale to render different verdicts."
"O-of course I can't do that!"
Furina turned away, forcing herself to appear calm as she walked to the side. In reality, her back was already drenched in sweat, and her brain was racing so fast it felt like her CPU was about to overheat.
After stalling for time with a pensive pose, Furina finally came up with a plausible excuse.
"If I arbitrarily manipulate the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale to deliver incorrect verdicts, wouldn't that completely undermine its credibility?"
"No, no, no! Neuvillette, you need to come up with another solution!"
Neuvillette was taken aback by Furina's words, as if the person who had previously suggested this very approach had already used the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale in a similar way. Why hadn't she considered these consequences back then?
Neuvillette felt a slight headache coming on.
"Lady Furina, I don't believe you need to worry about such concerns..."
"In any case, I refuse!"
Seeing Furina's resolute declaration, Neuvillette couldn't help but twitch his eyes.
"Then Lady Furina, please consider how you will prove your identity to the citizens of Fontaine yourself."
With that, Neuvillette attempted to abandon this messy situation, leaving Furina to handle it alone.
However, he had barely taken two steps when he felt someone clinging to his thigh.
"Neuvillette, please help me!" Furina cried, clinging tightly. "We've been friends for five hundred years! You can't just abandon me now! You're the only one I can rely on!"
She continued, "Quickly, use your brilliant mind to come up with a solution!"
Hearing Furina's plea, Neuvillette sighed helplessly, took a deep breath, and finally gave up trying to shake her off.
"But given your refusal to demonstrate your Archon's Power publicly, there are no better alternatives."
Furina scoffed. "How could there be no other way?"
"As the most intelligent Chief Justice of Fontaine, you must have other methods, right?!" she insisted. "Don't be modest—just tell me!"
Seeing Furina's hopeful expression, Neuvillette shook his head.
"Then there's only one last option: I will vouch for your identity."
Furina's eyes lit up at Neuvillette's words, and her mood instantly improved.
"Eh, that actually sounds pretty good!"
"Ah, Neuvillette, you should have told me about this method sooner!"
"Then I'll leave the task of testifying on my behalf to you!"
"With the Chief Justice's endorsement proving I'm the true Hydro Archon, let's see if anyone dares to disagree!"
Furina finally released her grip on Neuvillette's leg, patting his shoulder in relief.
Neuvillette was speechless, unsure if Furina genuinely believed what she was saying.
Can a god's identity truly be validated by the testimony of a subordinate? Would the public truly accept this?
He shook his head, deciding to abandon the thought for now.
If Furina was satisfied, he wouldn't interfere.
The more pressing concern now was finding Dark Furina and understanding the nature of her existence.
With that in mind, Neuvillette prepared to leave Furina behind. However, likely still shaken by the Maison Gardiennage officer's earlier interrogation, Furina clung tightly to his heels as they departed the backstage area and emerged before the assembled crowd.
"Lady Furina!"
The moment Furina appeared from behind the stage, the crowd erupted in a thunderous roar of excitement, their fervor far surpassing any previous display of enthusiasm.
Furina was immediately stunned by the overwhelming wave of commotion, needing a moment to adjust.
She hadn't witnessed such adoration in decades. Initially, her followers had revered her, but over time, they'd come to treat her as a mere mascot. Many even spoke of her disrespectfully behind her back, joking about her in ways that crossed the line—it was utterly outrageous!
Feeling a surge of emotion, Furina began to express her gratitude, but she immediately realized such humility was unbecoming of the Hydro Archon Furina and quickly swallowed her words.
Noticing the significant portion of the crowd that remained, Neuvillette frowned and summoned a nearby Maison Gardiennage officer.
"Why haven't you dispersed the crowd yet?"
"Monsieur Neuvillette, they refuse to leave. They insist on seeing Lady Furina one last time."
The man stole a glance at Furina's expression. He had been among those who had rushed toward her earlier, and seeing nothing unusual in her demeanor, he breathed a sigh of relief and continued.
"We've tried our best to disperse the crowd, but there are simply too many people. If they refuse to leave voluntarily, there's little more we can do."
"Mm, you may return."
Neuvillette nodded in acknowledgment of the man's explanation.
He had indeed failed to consider the sheer scale of the crowd. Fountain Plaza was already packed to capacity.
Still, such a massive crowd gathering posed significant risks. What if explosives were planted beneath the Fountain Plaza? Everyone would be in grave danger.
Neuvillette, now somewhat afflicted with PTSD, felt deeply uneasy at the sight of so many people gathered together. Turning to Furina, who was still basking in the crowd's adoration, he said:
"Lady Furina, please ask everyone to go home. It could be very dangerous for them to remain gathered here."
Furina paused, then nodded with a hint of confusion.
"Danger?"
Though she didn't understand why Neuvillette would say such a thing, Furina followed his instructions anyway.
She first puffed out her meager chest, then cleared her throat and called out in a clear, loud voice:
"My dear citizens, I have felt your fervent enthusiasm.
"However, it's getting late. Please return to your usual routines for now. Next time, I'll greet you with even greater vigor!"
Though a hint of disappointment lingered, the crowd began to disperse. Since Furina herself had spoken, they decided not to linger.
"Lady Furina, we want to see the Divine Miracle again!"
Someone shouted, and the crowd erupted into clamor once more. The voices gradually coalesced, becoming clearer as the demand to witness the Divine Miracle again pierced the heavens.
Furina froze. Divine Miracle? She couldn't perform even a scrap of one! If she truly possessed such power, would she need to toil so miserably as the Hydro Archon?
"Please, everyone, calm down."
Furina spoke in a loud voice, and the crowd gradually fell silent.
"I understand your feelings, but the Furina you saw earlier was an imposter. Please pay close attention to the differences between us from now on."
Neuvillette froze in shock. He had never expected Furina to reveal such a truth to the public so abruptly.
Good heavens, how utterly inept at handling public opinion must she be to do something like this?
Neuvillette couldn't help but hesitate. Had he been wrong all this time to shoulder all of Furina's responsibilities?
As expected, Furina's words were met with a deathly silence at first, followed by a chaotic uproar that erupted like a dam bursting.
"What? The Lady Furina we saw earlier was a fake?"
"Impossible! That Furina demonstrated divine power! How could she be a fake?!"
"Doesn't it feel like this Furina is the fake one?"
"Watch your mouth! Do you want to spend the rest of your life in prison?"
"Didn't you see Monsieur Neuvillette standing right beside Lady Furina? If she were a fake, he would have arrested her immediately."
"You have a point, but the Lady Furina we saw earlier didn't seem fake either..."
Some believed her, others doubted her, but overall, the majority remained undecided.
Seeing this, Neuvillette had no choice. Though the timing was far from ideal, he had to step forward to support Furina's words.
With a deep sigh, Neuvillette raised his voice:
"Lady Furina's statement is correct. The impostor posing as the Hydro Archon is likely connected to a mysterious organization within Fontaine. If anyone has any leads, please report them to the Maison Gardiennage as soon as possible."
Neuvillette didn't directly confirm Furina's identity, but by acknowledging the truth in her words, he shifted public attention to the content of her statement rather than her person, thereby mitigating the impact.
This was the best Neuvillette could do to salvage the situation. He could only hope Furina wouldn't cause any further trouble.
Sure enough, upon hearing Neuvillette's claim that Dark Furina might be associated with a mysterious Fontaine organization, the Fontainians' attention swiftly shifted from questioning Furina's identity to worrying about their own safety.
"That's right! That's exactly it!"
"Neuvillette can vouch for my identity! I am the true God of Justice of Fontaine!"
"Therefore, it's very dangerous outside right now. Everyone, please return home immediately and await further updates."
Furina had initially been somewhat anxious, but seeing how Neuvillette's words significantly quieted the crowd's murmuring, she nodded in relief.
Unbeknownst to her, Neuvillette beside her felt an overwhelming urge to bury his face in his hands.
Great. All his previous efforts had just been completely wasted.
Yet Neuvillette quickly regained his composure, resigning himself to the situation.
Well, it's not like he wanted to give up so soon, but it's just too much to handle.
As for the long-term consequences, whatever. If it truly came down to the final moment, surely Furina would have to reveal her true power to prove herself, right?
"If anyone can provide clues about that impostor, I'll reward them with my personally signed autograph!"
Furina's intention was to inspire everyone to take action. However, this condescending gesture only ignited the pent-up resentment among the crowd—especially those who had only begun to soften toward her after today's public appearance.
The atmosphere instantly turned hostile.
"Enough! Who wants your worthless scribbles?!"
A man stepped forward from the crowd, glaring at Furina with undisguised contempt.
"Fontaine has already suffered two disasters caused by Primordial Sea Water, resulting in countless deaths! As the Hydro Archon of Fontaine, shouldn't you be doing something?!"
"You attend those farcical Judgments daily and even insist on holding this absurd gathering as scheduled! If you truly are our Hydro Archon, why won't you save us?!"
Hearing this person's challenge, many others immediately stepped forward to support him.
"Exactly! We haven't heard a word about the situation in Poisson! Do you show even the slightest concern for what's happening there?!"
"N-no, that's not it!" Furina hurriedly explained.
"I didn't cancel the gathering because I wanted to share the good news about Poisson—that there have been relatively few casualties so far—with everyone as soon as possible!"
Neuvillette's gaze swept across those who had spoken out, committing their faces to memory. He then spoke up.
"The situation in Poisson is now largely under control. The casualties are estimated at around three hundred, but preliminary investigations suggest that at least two hundred of these victims were 'Returnees.' Witnesses saw them deliberately leaping into the Primordial Sea Water."
Neuvillette's additional explanation calmed the crowd somewhat, but many remained unconvinced.
With such a large population in Poisson, how could such a severe disaster result in so few casualties?
Some began to suspect the Fontaine authorities were deliberately underreporting the death toll to cover up Furina's dereliction of duty.
"Then how do you explain what happened last time?"
"While Lady Furina was staying at the Fortress of Meropide, Primordial Sea Water erupted, killing over a thousand people within the fortress. The Fortress of Meropide itself has been completely overrun!"
"What exactly did you do about it, Lady Furina?!"
"How can we trust you to protect our lives when danger strikes?"
The looming Day of Prophecy had pushed many to their breaking point. What might have taken longer to surface before now exploded today when they were jolted back to reality from the illusion of Furina's supposed power. The stark contrast between her perceived strength and her actual failures was unbearable.
If Furina had displayed overwhelming power to quell the unrest immediately, it would have reassured everyone and calmed the situation.
In times of peace, people preferred an Archon who could bring them joy.
But during turbulent times, they longed for their nation's Archon to possess immense power.
Yet Furina was merely an ordinary person without any divine power, plunging her into a profound crisis of identity...