Half a day earlier, inside the Opera Epiclese in Fontaine.
"The trial… is adjourned!"
As Neuvillette's calm voice echoed through the grand hall, the audience began filing out in an orderly fashion— even the radiant figure upon the divine throne, Furina, descended and departed.
Only when the courtroom was empty did a tiny shadow slip quietly from a corner.
Thanks to her small size, Arlecchino-chan had evaded every gaze and guard in the opera house.
Her infiltration was flawless.
Her objective was simple— to meet the true Water God.
Not the lively figurehead Furina who played "god" upon the stage, but the real deity who dwelled behind the curtain—
Focalors.
At last, she stood before the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale, the great machine that served as Fontaine's judicial core.
Its gears hummed faintly, as though breathing.
It possessed self-awareness— and within it, the consciousness of the real Water God.
"Focalors," Arlecchino-chan said lightly, "you wouldn't want your little secret getting out, would you?"
At first, the machine gave no response.
But she wasn't worried.
The deity within had heard her perfectly.
"If the people of Fontaine were to learn," she continued softly, "that their beloved Furina is not the real Water God…"
In the next instant, the world blurred.
And when her vision cleared, Arlecchino-chan found herself standing in a different version of the opera house— a mirrored space of light and water.
Before her stood a tall woman in a regal gown, above whose head hung an enormous sword of judgment.
Focalors herself.
"State your purpose."
Her tone was cold but composed.
Normally, someone might have found the doll-sized Arlecchino adorable enough to hug on sight.
But to Focalors, she was a threat— a trespasser who dared blackmail a god.
So she stood poised and wary, unfooled by that deceptively cute face.
"I've come for your Gnosis," Arlecchino-chan said frankly.
"Hand it over, and I promise the sins of all Fontainians will be forgiven.
You'll also survive what's to come— and, as a token of goodwill, I'll even grant you one reasonable wish."
Hearing that list of terms, Focalors' expression shifted.
She had never shared those secrets with anyone— not even with Furina.
So how could this tiny thing possibly know?
Who told her?
Seeing her doubt, Arlecchino-chan smiled.
"My father—my creator—is a powerful being who came from beyond this world.
He knows what you hide…
and he's willing to help you."
It was a bold claim, but not one Focalors could easily believe.
The Gnosis itself meant little to her.
Compared to the stakes of her divine plan, its value was trivial.
And yet, the "reward" offered was too extravagant to trust.
Realizing that pure persuasion wasn't working, Arlecchino-chan decided to reveal a little more truth.
"My father thinks Furina is adorable," she said solemnly, "and he wants to bully her a bit— but since he doesn't want her to hate him afterward, he's decided to help you.
Of course," she added, "he also wants to bully you, too."
Focalors froze.
"…"
What kind of absurd reasoning was that?
Help her—because he wanted to bully her?
This "Genius" truly was deranged.
Still, absurd or not, she couldn't afford to risk exposure.
If the truth came out now, her centuries-long plan would collapse in an instant.
Failure, at this point, would be unforgivable— even in death.
"You said you'd grant a wish," Focalors murmured.
"Was that true?"
Of course, she already knew she had no real choice.
Either hand over the Gnosis… or lose everything.
A one-question exam with only one correct answer.
"Naturally," the doll replied.
"I have no reason to lie.
Just keep the wish within reason."
After all, even Su Ran—invincible as he was—wasn't omnipotent.
Focalors thought for a moment.
Then, with a faint, playful smile:
"Then… let me bully you first."
"..."
What followed was two and a half hours of pure torment.
Arlecchino-chan became nothing more than a toy in the goddess's hands— pinched by the cheeks, lifted into the air, posed in countless ridiculous ways, and kissed repeatedly on the face.
If not for the fact that they were inside the sealed space of the Oratrice, the doll feared Focalors might have gone as far as trying on outfits for her.
Two and a half hours later, Focalors finally sighed contentedly, her expression softening with a rare smile.
"After all these years," she said quietly, "this might be the first time I've felt truly happy."
Arlecchino-chan could only stare blankly.
"You're unbelievable."
"All right, little one," Focalors said at last.
"You've earned it."
She lifted a hand, and a blue crystal—the Gnosis—floated toward her visitor.
"It was never that important anyway.
The Oratrice holds all the power I need."
Still, there was curiosity in her eyes.
"Your father intrigues me.
When will he come?"
"I don't know," the doll replied, shaking her head.
"But it won't be long."
"Then… will you visit me again?" Focalors asked softly.
"It's been a long time since I've had anyone to talk to."
Arlecchino-chan's tiny fists clenched.
Arlecchino bullies Furina…
and you bully me?
Big picking on small—that's all you gods know how to do!
Still, under the goddess's hopeful gaze, she reluctantly agreed to drop by whenever she could.
Later, as she sat on the table of the House of the Hearth, turning the Gnosis over in her small hands, the real Arlecchino eyed her curiously.
"What are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking," said the tiny one darkly, "that next time, when Father lets us bully Furina, maybe we should make it extra rough."
The real Arlecchino blinked.
"You've already got the Gnosis—why pick another fight?
Shouldn't you be heading back to Snezhnaya with it?"
"Not yet," the doll said flatly.
"Fontaine's story isn't finished."
"You mean…?"
"The matter of the Fontainians' 'dissolution into water.'"
At that, the Lyney siblings shivered in unison.
Something told them the "story of Fontaine" was about to take a very dark turn indeed.
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