"You want me to care about you? Why should I?! Did any of you ever care about me? Did you suffer what I did? Did you watch the one you loved most dissolve before your very eyes?!"
"No one helped me. No one even believed me. Decades ago, even the Justices said to me…"
"'How could a person possibly dissolve into water?' They told me I must have suffered some accident and lost my mind."
"Vigneire's death was dismissed—completely ignored by every single one of you!"
"Now you finally know the truth—but it's too late! The ones who dissolved… they're never coming back!"
"This is all your fault! Parading your noble trials, your pursuit of justice, your ridiculous theatrics—yet you turned a blind eye to the suffering of ordinary people!"
"Vigneire is dead! We made a promise—we said we'd go everywhere together! That was our vow!"
"But…"
Vacher's voice trembled violently, like a dying candle in the wind, flickering and on the verge of extinguishing.
"I… I'm not even from Fontaine! This cursed thing doesn't work on me! How could I possibly dissolve?!"
His face contorted In terror and despair. He clutched his clothes tightly, his body shaking uncontrollably.
Frantically, Vacher pulled out a small vial—the Primordial Seawater.
He fumbled with the cap, uncorked it, and downed the entire contents in one desperate gulp. But to everyone's disappointment, nothing happened. The mysterious liquid had no effect on him whatsoever.
"You see?! It's useless! I can't go there! What do you expect me to do—just stand by and watch?! That's why… that's why I had to find a way to bring her back!"
His emotions boiled over. He stared with bloodshot eyes and shouted in hysteria.
At that moment, Vacher looked like a wild beast trapped in a cage, lashing out madly. He hammered his fists against the barrier in front of him.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The impact echoed through the air, drawing startled glances from the audience.
"Damn it! I can't believe I got played by that sly old fox Callas!"
Vacher cursed through gritted teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.
"I lived my whole life cautiously, watching every step—and I still got stabbed by his idiot daughter! Hahaha! What a joke!"
…
Hearing this, Neuvillette shook his head with a sigh and said softly, "It appears the defendant's mental state is no longer stable. Gardes, please proceed and restrain him."
As Neuvillette finished speaking, several guards marched toward Vacher with practiced precision. Sensing their approach, Vacher sprang up like a frightened rabbit, backing away and shouting:
"Stay back! No one come near me! I still have to save Vigneire! We made a sacred promise!"
"Vigneire… Vigneire…"
He kept muttering her name, his gaze growing unfocused.
"Don't blame me… don't blame me… I really wanted to keep our promise…"
…
"Pfft!"
Furina tilted her head and glanced at Shajin, puzzled by her sudden laughter.
Shajin waved her hand. "My apologies, I just couldn't help laughing when I thought about what's going to happen next."
"Hmm?"
Shajin turned toward the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale, sensing that same familiar fluctuation once more.
She tapped Furina lightly on the head.
Furina swatted her hand away and glared.
Shajin grinned. "Fufu, want to meet Her?"
Furina froze. Her body began to tremble slightly before settling into calm once more.
She shook her head, a faint, bitter smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"She hasn't called me yet… which means it's not time for our reunion. I… can still wait…"
Shajin gently patted Furina's head.
"It'll all be over soon—I promise~"
With that, she dissolved into golden light and faded from view.
Furina rested her chin in her palm, staring at the now-empty seat beside her. Whatever she was thinking, she kept it to herself. Then she rose and walked toward the high platform.
"If it's not over yet, then I am still the God of Hydro—Furina de Fontaine."
…
"It appears the trial has reached its conclusion. With Miss Navia's charges upheld, the accusations against Mr. Tartaglia are hereby dismissed."
"Whatever. It was a bit of a downer at first, but that debate was worth watching. My mood's fine now."
Neuvillette rapped his cane gently.
"Then, the judgment against Mr. Vacher shall now be finalized by the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale."
A blue light radiated from the Oratrice, enveloping the entire Opera Epiclese.
As the glow faded, a single card appeared before Neuvillette.
"According to the ruling provided by the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale—Mr. Vacher…"
"Guilty."
"Well, what a spectacular performance. The culprit unmasked, the wronged vindicated—everyone's happy~"
Childe said as he brushed off his coat and stood.
"A show that good? I'll let you off the hook for grabbing the wrong guy. I've got other business, so I'll be taking my leave…"
But Neuvillette called after him.
"Please wait a moment, Mr. Tartaglia."
Childe turned back, eyebrows raised.
"Oh? I thought this had nothing more to do with me."
Neuvillette explained, "According to the judicial process, since this trial was instigated due to your involvement, we must still render a final ruling on you're actions."
"Come on, is that really necessary? You've already found the real culprit—I'm just a side character, my cue to exit's already passed."
"Please respect Fontaine's law. This is standard procedure."
Childe sighed and threw up his hands. "Fine, fine. What a pain. I'll stand on the podium—just make it quick, alright?"
…
Once Childe was in position, Neuvillette began the declaration.
"…Based on the open proceedings of this case, Mr. Tartaglia has no direct connection to the series of missing girls."
"The true perpetrator has been identified, therefore Mr. Tartaglia is, by law, not guilty."
"Finally… we leave the final judgment to the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale."
The blue light flared once more. Neuvillette took the card in hand.
"Hmm… According to the judgment of the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale, Mr. Tartaglia…"
"…Guilty."
_
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