Hello I'm back, thy leg is healed but I don't have molars anymore.
===BREAK===
That afternoon, outside the Palais Mermonia.
Charlotte and other Fontaine reporters, along with a large crowd of curious onlookers eager for gossip, surrounded the palace so tightly that it was practically impenetrable.
Charlotte exerted every ounce of strength she had, finally managing to squeeze her way through the packed crowd and reach the very front.
She didn't even bother fixing her slightly disheveled hair before urgently calling out, "Hello, I'm Charlotte, a reporter from The Steambird. May I have a moment of your time for an interview?"
"Is it true that someone attacked the Palais Mermonia?"
Eula, who had been urgently dispatched to maintain order at the scene, looked at the overly excited Charlotte with a helpless expression. She shook her head and said, "Miss Charlotte, please understand—at present, I have nothing to disclose regarding this matter."
With that, Eula turned toward the restless crowd and raised her voice.
"Citizens, please stop gathering in front of the Palais Mermonia."
"This is not only seriously disrupting the palace's normal operations, but may also put you all in unnecessary danger. Please disperse as soon as possible!"
If the culprit were to return for a second strike, no one knew what terrifying incident might occur. Unfortunately, no matter how Eula or the other members of the security force tried to persuade them, the crowd simply refused to leave.
Just then, another scrawny reporter forced his way forward, panting heavily as he asked, "I'm a reporter from The Gutter Gazette. May I ask, the one who attacked the Palais Mermonia is—"
Before he could finish his sentence, three deafening gunshots rang out from behind him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The onlookers and reporters who had been murmuring among themselves were instantly terrified by the sudden gunfire. Panic spread as they hurriedly turned their heads, scrambling to locate the source of the shots.
They saw Shao Yun, his face covered by a piece of black cloth.
The cloth concealed most of his face, leaving only a pair of fiercely gleaming eyes exposed, cold and murderous.
Shao Yun roared at the crowd with savage intensity, "I'm giving you one minute! Clear the hell out of my way right now! Anyone who doesn't listen—don't blame my weapon for having no eyes and sending you straight to meet Egeria!"
In the next instant, with a whoosh, the once tightly packed crowd scattered in all directions.
The reporters fumbled frantically with their equipment, wishing they had grown an extra pair of legs, while the ordinary onlookers were scared out of their wits and fled desperately into the distance.
In the blink of an eye, everyone except Charlotte was gone.
Why did Charlotte stay behind?
Because she truly wasn't afraid of catching a bullet.
At that moment, Charlotte stared fixedly at Shao Yun, her eyes filled with admiration and awe.
When she saw that Shao Yun had successfully scared everyone else away, she couldn't help but exclaim excitedly, "Wow, Mr. Shao Yun! Your method of dispersing the crowd is incredible!"
Seeing that Charlotte hadn't left, Shao Yun paused slightly, then reached up and yanked the black cloth off his face.
With visible impatience, he waved his hand at her, signaling for her to leave.
"You too, get out of here. What, my words don't work on you?"
Charlotte's smile instantly froze. She pointed at herself in disbelief and asked, "Huh? Me too?"
Clearly, she was shocked that Shao Yun intended to drive her away as well.
Shao Yun nodded firmly and said, "Of course! Now get going. Otherwise, another crowd will gather in a moment. If that causes a stampede, it'll be a real mess."
After Shao Yun finished speaking, Eula stepped forward and advised, "Miss Charlotte, you should leave. Even if you stay, you won't get an interview. You're the only one left now—you wouldn't want to be invited to the security headquarters for coffee, would you?"
The unspoken meaning was clear: you're alone now, and very easy to deal with.
After Eula's persuasion, Charlotte wisely nodded. After all, she had come to report the news, not to cause trouble.
That said, without any news to take back, she trudged away dejectedly.
As she walked, she kept sighing, muttering to herself, "Such perfect news material… just like that, gone to waste. What a shame…"
Watching Charlotte's retreating figure, Navia stepped forward and began speaking with Eula.
"Miss Eula, I've completed the task assigned to me by the Palais Mermonia. I've brought the people over."
Eula nodded. "Thank you for your trouble, Miss Navia."
Then, with a calm expression, Eula turned to Shao Yun and added, "And thank you as well for helping disperse the crowd. Sigh… I never expected this matter to spread so quickly."
Recalling the dense sea of people from earlier, Navia asked with lingering fear, "Does news really spread that fast?"
Eula nodded and explained, "The attack happened in broad daylight, so it was easily noticed. It's not surprising that the news spread so quickly."
After saying this, Eula stepped aside, deliberately clearing a path.
"All right, I won't delay you any further. Go inside and attend to your business."
Navia didn't follow them in. She waved goodbye and said, "I'll head off then. There's still some work to take care of at the Spina di Rosula."
...
At this very moment, inside Neuvillette's office, the atmosphere was extraordinarily tense.
Furina was clutching her distinctive jellyfish-like hairstyle, nearly on the verge of a mental breakdown as she screamed, "Neuvillette, save me, please! I'm begging you—no matter what, you have to save me! That guy Dutch has put out a hit on me!"
Seated behind his desk, Neuvillette looked up at the half-crazed Furina before him and couldn't help but let out a deep, helpless sigh.
Why does she the moment something happens lose her composure… every single time?
As gently as possible, he tried to comfort her. "Lady Furina, please calm down."
But how could Furina possibly calm down at a time like this? Her life was on the line!
She was already teetering on the edge of losing control, shouting hoarsely, "How am I supposed to calm down?! I was this close to having my head pierced by that damn arrow just now!"
As she spoke, Furina pointed tremblingly at her own forehead, her face full of terror.
Faced with Furina's intense emotions, Neuvillette remained composed.
"Lady Furina, please do not exaggerate the facts. The arrow struck the ceiling, not the wall. This indicates that the suspect's true intent was not to take your life, but merely to deliver a threat letter."
"The moment the arrow shattered the window, I immediately rushed to the firing location and found only a crossbow with a timed mechanism aimed at your room. The security force has already taken that device away for analysis. Being anxious now won't change anything."
Furina pouted pitifully and muttered, "Waaah… who did I even offend? I keep getting attacked every few days… waaah…"
As she spoke, she covered her face with both hands and pretended to cry.
However, Neuvillette merely watched her quietly, utterly unmoved.
He knew all too well that despite Furina's earth-shaking sobs, not a single tear had fallen—she was simply assaulting his ears.
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Neuvillette spoke up. "Lady Furina, your fake crying is far too obvious."
At this, Furina suddenly dropped her hands, glaring at Neuvillette with wide eyes as she shouted indignantly, "Hey! You don't comfort me, and now you're mocking me too?!"
"We've worked together for so long! Can't you at least try to comfort me? Even just saying, 'Don't worry, my Hydro Archon, I'll definitely catch the culprit,' would do!"
Watching Furina spiral, Neuvillette felt a wave of speechlessness wash over him.
If she wanted comfort, why not just say it outright? Why go through all these roundabout antics… girls' hearts really are… not as straightforward as the Melusines…
Just as Neuvillette was lost in thought, hurried footsteps sounded from outside.
The office door was pushed open as Shao Yun walked in, complaining nonstop.
"I've barely had ten days of peace—what kind of horrifying thing happened this time, Neuvillette?"
Clorinde, Lumine, and Paimon followed closely behind him into the room.
The moment Furina saw them, her eyes lit up with joy and she cried out excitedly, "Ah! You're finally here—quick, save me!"
Seeing Furina charge toward him, Shao Yun quickly raised one hand and shouted, "Stop! Don't rush around so recklessly. As the Hydro Archon, can't you show a little composure?"
Hearing his shout, Furina slammed on the brakes and stopped right in front of Shao Yun.
Ignoring everything else, she pleaded urgently, "Please, you have to save my life this time! No matter what, you must act as my guards! Money isn't an issue—I'll pay whatever it takes!"
As she spoke, she waved her arms frantically, panic written all over her face.
Shao Yun looked at her helplessly, shook his head, and pressed both hands downward, signaling her to calm down.
"Furina, stop talking for a moment."
Then he turned his head toward Neuvillette behind the desk and asked, "Neuvillette, could you explain exactly what happened? How did things end up like this for Furina?"
Neuvillette didn't know what wind had blown Shao Yun here, but he still explained what had occurred earlier that day.
"Someone fired an arrow using a timed mechanism. It struck the ceiling of Lady Furina's room. A letter was attached to the arrow."
"The letter stated that the sender was displeased with Lady Furina's leisurely lifestyle and her lack of concern regarding Fontaine's prophesied doomsday."
"It demanded that Lady Furina give all the people of Fontaine an explanation—or else… she would be killed."
After hearing Neuvillette's explanation, Shao Yun was already one hundred percent certain.
This was absolutely Arlecchino borrowing someone else's name to intimidate others.
"Then why were we called here?" Shao Yun asked, puzzled. "We're not detectives or police."
Neuvillette looked equally confused. After all, he hadn't summoned them at all.
"I didn't call you here," Neuvillette replied. "I thought you had business with me."
At that moment, Furina raised her hand, drawing everyone's attention.
"It was me! I called you here!" she said. "From now on, could you be my guards on weekends?"
===BREAK===
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