After some time, Furina finally arrived near the New Fortress of Meropide.
Neuvillette was currently out tracking Arlecchino's whereabouts and hadn't yet returned. For safety's sake, Furina refrained from using her Elemental Power, instead walking step by step toward the fortress entrance, maintaining her usual dignified posture.
"L-Lady Furina?"
The Overseers and staff at the gate were visibly astonished to see her.
"Has Neuvillette been here?" Furina immediately asked the gate Overseer, who dared not hesitate and replied promptly.
"Monsieur Neuvillette was here earlier, but he seems to have left already. There was a prison break recently, and he went to pursue the escaped convict."
Hearing this, Furina finally understood why Neuvillette had abandoned her so abruptly. Still, it seemed she was a step too late.
Knowing Neuvillette would undoubtedly return to the New Fortress of Meropide if he failed to capture the fugitive, Furina decided to wait for him here.
She strode past the Overseers and into the fortress. However, just as she was about to pass a Gardemek, the mechanical guard suddenly reached out, seized her by the collar, and hoisted her into the air.
Furina: "?"
Furina's eyes met the Gardemek's mechanical gaze, her mind reeling.
"Quick, the Gardemek caught the imposter! Let's move in!"
Someone shouted, and two more Gardemeks rushed forward, pinning Furina's limbs.
"What are you doing?! I'm the real Furina!"
"Silence, imposter!" An Overseer roared, cutting her off.
"You fooled us once before, but don't think we'll fall for it again. We're not fools!"
"Monsieur Neuvillette said Lady Furina is currently in Fontaine. How could she possibly be here?"
"Therefore, there's only one truth: you're a fake!"
"You... you bunch of fools!"
Furina's blood pressure spiked at their words.
But thankfully, she was no longer a powerless ordinary person. She had grown stronger!
She was no longer the Furina she once was. She could handle this situation with ease!
With that thought, Furina immediately activated her Anemo Vision.
Having anticipated the need for concealment, she had placed it in a dark pocket of her clothing.
Furina attempted to use her Anemo Energy to destroy the Gardemek's arm pinning her down. To her surprise, the Gardemek's arm emitted a piercing metallic screech under the force of her wind blades. A bright yellow Pneuma Barrier flickered rapidly around its body, but the arm remained intact, still functioning.
Furina was stunned. Her current strength was far from weak—how had Fontaine's Gardemeks become so resilient?!
Noticing the Gardemek's unusual reaction, the Overseers who were about to capture Furina immediately realized she had intervened. A seed of doubt sprouted in their minds: Could we have been mistaken?
But seeing the Gardemek emerge unscathed, their confidence returned. If she can't even handle a Gardemek, she's definitely an imposter!
"I... I'm giving you one last chance! I was holding back earlier because I didn't want to hurt you!" Furina's voice, pale with strain, failed to shake the Overseers' resolve. "If you keep this up, I'll hold you accountable!"
Her weak words failed to shake the Overseers' conviction. Soon, Furina was dragged before Wriothesley, the Overseers eager to claim credit for her capture.
"Duke, we've captured the imposter posing as Lady Furina!"
"I've told you idiots a thousand times, I am the real Furina!"
Furina roared furiously at the Overseers, then glared at Wriothesley.
"Wriothesley, how do you discipline your subordinates?!"
Faced with Furina's seething resentment, Wriothesley's brow furrowed instantly. He sprang to his feet and pointed at the Overseers.
"You're all spies!"
If the Furina before him were truly an imposter, how could someone capable of effortlessly breaching the New Fortress of Meropide have been captured by the Gardemeks?
Moreover, the aura emanating from this Furina was strikingly similar to the one she had exuded when she came to borrow money from him. No, it was the same person! This one was clearly the real deal!
So these Overseers were trying to frame him!
The Overseers froze, dumbfounded by Wriothesley's accusation.
"N-no, Duke! We're not spies!"
"Hmph, that's exactly what every spy says."
"Guards! Take them away for rigorous interrogation!"
Several guards swiftly entered the room and dragged away the Overseers, who continued to protest their innocence.
Finally, Wriothesley glanced at the Overseer who had entered behind him, who nodded in understanding and turned to leave.
Then, Wriothesley's smile returned as he ordered the Gardemek to release Furina. He then said apologetically, "I apologize, Lady Furina. It was my negligence that allowed spies to infiltrate our ranks."
"Thanks to your timely intervention, we uncovered their plot before irreparable damage could occur. The consequences would have been unimaginable otherwise."
Furina, still somewhat bewildered by the earlier scene, snapped out of her daze at Wriothesley's words. Her expression softened slightly, and she waved her hand dismissively with a hint of smugness.
"Very well. Since they were spies sent by others, I won't hold you responsible for this matter."
"However, those traitors must be punished severely! How dare they attack me, an Archon? Their audacity knows no bounds!"
"If I hadn't spared them out of consideration for their status as citizens of Fontaine, not a single one would have survived my wrath!"
Wriothesley didn't contradict Furina's words, instead offering a smile that seemed to say, "I believe you."
"Rest assured, Lady Furina. I will thoroughly investigate their identities."
"Just investigate them thoroughly. Whether they'll be punished depends on the investigation's findings."
In truth, Wriothesley didn't genuinely believe they were spies. He was merely using this method to shield them from Furina's wrath, a roundabout way of saving them.
But I really need to investigate these people thoroughly now, he thought. I don't recall recruiting such foolish subordinates.
"Very well," Furina nodded, reasonably satisfied with Wriothesley's response.
"Wriothesley, can you contact Neuvillette right now?"
"That's asking rather too much of me," Wriothesley replied, shaking his head.
"Lady Furina, you can wait here for now. Monsieur Neuvillette has been gone for quite some time; I believe he'll return shortly."
Furina wasn't particularly disappointed by Wriothesley's answer; she had already braced herself for this possibility.
"I heard someone escaped from here. Was it the person impersonating me who did it?"
"No, the escapee was someone else entirely. The impersonator was merely an accomplice, helping her escape."
Intrigued, Furina immediately pressed Wriothesley for more details.
"For her to take matters into her own hands... Who exactly managed to escape?"
"I don't know this person's identity either. Monsieur Neuvillette captured them himself; I've never seen them."
Wriothesley spoke with unwavering composure. As for the surveillance cameras installed throughout the New Fortress of Meropide, he claimed ignorance, stating simply that they hadn't captured anything relevant.
"Let's wait for Neuvillette's return to personally enlighten Lady Furina."
Hearing this, Furina refrained from pressing further. Instead, she requested Wriothesley to take her to the prison cells.
Wriothesley had no choice but to comply.
Soon, under Wriothesley's guidance, Furina arrived at Arlecchino's cell.
Her jaw dropped at the massive breach in the wall—a testament to the immense destructive power unleashed within.
A wave of relief washed over Furina. Thank goodness the one who approached me earlier was merely a projection. If the Prime had come here directly, I would have been utterly doomed today. Before long, Fontaine itself might have been completely submerged by the Primordial Sea Water.
The worst-case scenario loomed: What if they had eliminated me, impersonated me, and gained access to Neuvillette's inner circle?
Then, even Neuvillette would have been in danger, and Fontaine would have been truly lost.
Thank heavens none of that happened.
Ah, if only I could wield such power someday...
Wriothesley naturally noticed the shock on Furina's face, and a flicker of doubt stirred within him.
Could this Furina truly be the Hydro Archon?
What if I'm wrong? Could this be the fake one instead?
No, I need to test her, just in case.
With that thought, Wriothesley turned to Furina.
"Lady Furina, we salvaged some items that floated to the surface after the Fortress of Meropide was submerged. Among them were Miss Emily's personal belongings."
"One item appears to be the secret recipe for Miss Emily's signature cake. The pastry chef in the kitchen studied it, and I wonder if Lady Furina would be interested in trying it?"
"Emily's exclusive cake recipe?"
Upon hearing Wriothesley's words, Furina's long-dormant memories stirred anew. Tears involuntarily streamed down the corners of her mouth.
"Quickly, take me there! I want to eat it!"
This confirms it—she's definitely the real Furina.
Wriothesley withdrew his gaze from Furina and turned to walk in another direction.
"Allow me to guide you, Lady Furina."
Some time passed before Neuvillette finally returned to the New Fortress of Meropide.
Even now, Neuvillette couldn't understand why the rescuer had saved Arlecchino, who seemed entirely unrelated, instead of one of Dottore's Segments.
Of course, this outcome was far preferable to Dottore's Segment being saved. As long as her inner boundaries remained uncrossed, Arlecchino's actions were generally rational.
Upon arriving at the Duke's Office and finding no sign of Wriothesley, Neuvillette frowned. He approached an Overseer and inquired about his whereabouts.
"The Duke and Lady Furina have gone to the kitchen for refreshments," the Overseer replied.
Hearing this, Neuvillette felt a flicker of confusion. Why would Furina come to a place like this?
Moreover, given the timing, traveling by Aquabus couldn't have been this quick. So Furina has been concealing her true capabilities all along, he thought. But what could her motive be?
Shaking his head, Neuvillette set out to find the pair.
Long before he reached the kitchen, he heard a familiar voice.
"Your cakes don't even glow!"
"How can a cake that doesn't glow possibly be delicious?"
"If you can't make a cake that glows, how can you ever become a Special-Grade Chef?"
"Lady Furina, I'm not a chef! I'm just a pastry maker who does it for fun!"
Hearing this exchange, Neuvillette felt a headache coming on even before he saw Furina.
Here he was, rushing about for Fontaine's safety, while Furina was leisurely enjoying cake. It was hard to suppress his resentment.
Neuvillette took a deep breath and stepped forward.
Inside the kitchen, Furina was devouring the cake on the table. While it didn't quite reach Emily's level, it was still remarkably delicious, with the sweetness perfectly balanced, a testament to the maker's solid skills.
Yet this wasn't enough to satisfy Furina. Believing there was still room for improvement, she couldn't resist urging the pastry maker on between bites.
"Since you've obtained Emily's exclusive cake recipe, you're practically half her apprentice now."
"You must work hard and strive to create a cake that glows someday!"
Hearing Furina's words, the pastry maker froze in confusion, instinctively turning to look at Wriothesley.
"Did he get Miss Emily's exclusive cake recipe?"
Wriothesley nodded solemnly. "Yes, he did."
"I'll do my best, Lady Furina!"
The pastry chef was on the verge of tears, but upon further consideration, he realized Wriothesley was far more intimidating. He immediately deferred to Wriothesley's wishes and addressed Furina.
Seeing the chef's newfound enthusiasm, Furina nodded in satisfaction. With this magical stone, she believed she'd soon be tasting a cake that glowed!
Just then, a knock sounded at the door, and Neuvillette entered the room.
Neuvillette scanned the room and spotted Furina and Wriothesley as expected. He also noticed a pastry chef standing nervously before Furina, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Any progress?" Wriothesley asked, releasing his crossed arms as Neuvillette entered. Neuvillette simply shook his head.
Upon seeing Neuvillette, Furina abandoned her cake, hastily wiping her mouth with a nearby napkin before rushing to his side.
"Neuvillette, something terrible has happened! I need to tell you something urgently."
Worried Neuvillette might dismiss her as exaggerating, Furina quickly added, "It's about the person impersonating me. I had an encounter with her earlier."
Upon hearing Furina's words, Neuvillette's expression immediately turned grave.
"I still have work to attend to. I'll take my leave," Wriothesley said, sensing the gravity of the situation. He tactfully excused himself, taking the pastry chef who had been drawn by curiosity with him.
Neuvillette watched Wriothesley's retreating figure until he was out of sight, then turned back to Furina and asked, "What did you say to her?"
"Neuvillette, this is awful! The impostor's goal is to destroy Fontaine!"
Furina's opening words plunged Neuvillette's spirits into despair once more...