Hello I'm back, thy leg is healed but I don't have molars anymore.
===BREAK===
Just two minutes later.
Lumine and Paimon returned with decisive evidence.
"There are several vials containing liquid in Cowell's luggage, each labeled. One of the vials is marked 'Opera Épiclèse' with today's date, and that vial is already empty."
"There's also a notebook in Cowell's backpack."
"The notes refer to the liquid in the vials as 'Primordial Seawater,' specifically stating that its dissolving effect only works on Fontaine residents, and include many safety precautions."
"The notebook also mentions that Cowell belongs to an organization that traffics illicit substances, has accomplices carrying out the plan, and that the person selected for this operation was indeed Miss Hershey, who was not actually present."
After Paimon's report, Furina nodded and asked, "What about the other luggage?"
"The guards are still searching."
"In any case, Cowell's guilt is confirmed. Since he belongs to an organization, that means there are definitely accomplices. Regardless of whether anything unusual is found in the other luggage, once Cowell wakes up, interrogating him should uncover all his partners…"
At this, Furina suddenly remembered something and hurriedly asked, "How long has it been? Has Cowell still not woken up?"
Paimon gave Patricia a strange look. "The medics said that punch was too strong; they're still treating him."
"So… he's still alive, right?"
"Yes, of course. He's unconscious; he isn't running anywhere… ah! You mean, his accomplices could have dissolved him to silence him?"
"Very possible."
"But the audience never left their seats. Lyney's team is under guard, and even the opera house entrances are restricted. No one could have done it, right?"
"You have a point, but…"
Furina felt uneasy. She looked up and noticed Victor Wang beside her wasn't reacting to this possibility at all, which helped her calm down.
At that moment, a guard investigator ran onto the stage: "Everyone! Just now, we investigated the luggage of other involved personnel, and we also found 'Primordial Seawater' in Lyney's luggage, identical to what was in Cowell's!"
This revelation had an immediate effect—some audience members instantly became excited.
"I knew it! The Fatui are the Fatui; no wonder they'd do something like this!"
"So, the 'Serial Disappearance of Young Women' was being orchestrated by the Fatui… not surprising at all!"
"Heh… what a dramatic turn of events."
Furina, almost amused by the absurdity, asked the investigator, "If I remember correctly, your name is Vaughn, right?"
Vaughn looked confused and bowed slightly. "Yes, Lady Furina…"
"Do you recall I said you were too naive? How could you think Lyney would spend months applying to perform at the Opera Épiclèse, only to publicly dissolve a young woman, ruin his own carefully prepared magic, put himself in the top suspect's position, and push the Fatui completely against Fontaine?"
"This…"
"Can't answer? Let me tell you."
Furina turned to the audience and defended the Fatui:
"The culprit knew Lyney's affiliation with the Fatui. Cleverly, they exploited the negative public impression of the Fatui, choosing such a high-profile performance to engineer an accident, aiming to pin the entire 'Serial Disappearance of Young Women' on the Fatui."
"But the Fatui are well-informed and learned of this plan in advance. They secretly replaced the young female audience members with foreign stand-ins, preventing the 'disappearance' from happening."
"Additionally, the Fatui feared that defending themselves directly would carry no weight, so they chose to remain silent, letting us uncover the truth ourselves."
"For example, knocking out Cowell and presenting him to everyone is a factual way to prove their innocence. Suggesting Lyney was the culprit at this point would be utterly ridiculous."
"Patricia, am I right? You probably already know who the mastermind behind the 'Serial Disappearance of Young Women' is, don't you?"
Patricia blinked, unsure whether to answer. For the sake of the Fatui's reputation, she hesitated and said, "Possibly… but we have strict regulations. Specific operational details can't be revealed. Since you've already guessed most of it, please don't make it harder for me."
"And what do you say, Vaughn?" Furina turned to him.
"This… isn't this a common trope in detective novels? The culprit deliberately places themselves as the prime suspect, arranges events cleverly, then clears themselves, and no one suspects them afterward… this… could happen too…"
Furina widened her eyes in disbelief. "I've said all this, and you still think I'm a gullible fool? Guards! Arrest Vaughn immediately!"
"Lady Furina? Why me? Even if my guess was wrong, I'm innocent!"
"I suspected you the moment you tried to frame the 'water tank incident' as a performance accident. With so many guards present, yet it was you who told everyone Lyney had a problem. I refuse to believe this is another ridiculous coincidence. Clorinde—"
Furina called, and from the shadows at the side of the stage, Clorinde, who had been absent for a while, suddenly appeared. "I'm here."
"Clorinde is one of the few people I fully trust. She followed the guards' investigation secretly, as per my orders. Now tell everyone, what did you witness during this time?"
Clorinde reported truthfully: "Earlier, Vaughn gave Cowell a vial of 'Fontaine liquid' under the pretext of assisting treatment. Nothing happened, so I didn't think much of it. But just now, Vaughn maneuvered to gain access to inspect Lyney's luggage and covertly placed an item inside. So far, I've only observed suspicious behavior from Vaughn."
Vaughn looked at Clorinde, then at Furina. His face had gone pale, and his steps faltered as he stumbled backward. "Y-you… when did you—"
"Are you asking me?" Clorinde said. "A clever hunter is never seen by their prey before taking action."
Vaughn went numb. His hands stiffly crossed to protect himself as he stepped backward uncontrollably. The spotlight on stage was blinding, but more piercing were the eyes watching from below.
Dissolving a compatriot with Primordial Seawater offended more than just the victim.
Every Fontaine resident faced the threat of dissolution—that's one.
And committing such a crime while being a Fontaine resident was undeniably a betrayal of their own people—that's two.
There was no place left for him in normal society.
Vaughn's mind made the correct judgment, but his mouth rambled: "Cowell didn't die… I'll definitely be exposed… I don't want… I don't want this! I should've just let him die! But why didn't he die? I put the Primordial Seawater in his mouth… Lady Furina, Lady Furina, it must have been you! I went astray, please listen to me… give me a chance, give me a chance!"
Though confused about why Cowell drank the Primordial Seawater and didn't dissolve, Furina prioritized the investigation and pressured him: "Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale has capital punishment, though it has never been enforced. Based on your actions, you might still have a chance to spend the rest of your life in the Fortress of Meropide."
"I-I'll speak! I was just following orders! We had to make Lyney take the blame for the 'Serial Disappearance of Young Women'—"
Crack.
From a relatively close distance, Victor Wang heard the sound of something glass shattering. Then, Vaughn's shirt pocket became noticeably soaked with some liquid.
===BREAK===
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