The major upheaval was over, and it was time for Furina to start working.
Although the upper echelons of Fontaine were still in disarray, everything was slowly getting back on track.
When Furina and Black Furina investigated, they were astonished by what they found.
Over 80% of Fontaine's leadership had connections and vested interests with the nobles, to varying degrees.
Clearly, if everyone were arrested, the entire operational system of Fontaine would collapse.
There was no choice but to first arrest a few of the most egregious offenders, and slowly replace the rest later, taking Neuvillette's opinion into account, as he was the Chief Justice.
Nonetheless, after this series of events, the nobles' influence was visibly weakened, and a large sum of money was recovered, finally filling Fontaine's treasury.
Furina arrived outside her office door, where her secretary, Ielle, was already waiting for her.
"Lady Furina, these are the official documents generated in Fontaine over the past few days. By rule, only you and the incoming Chief Justice are permitted to approve them."
"Since the Chief Justice has not yet arrived, I must trouble you to handle them."
"Alright, alright, I understand. They're just documents, right? Let me see how many there are."
Furina, holding a half-finished cup of coffee, took a sip as she pushed the door open.
"Wait, how many?"
Seeing the stacks of official documents that took up nearly half her office, Furina's mouth twitched, and she nearly spat out the coffee she had just drunk.
Having no choice, Furina began reviewing the documents.
"I'm telling you, shouldn't Fontaine's system be reformed? All these documents are handed to you? Are the higher-ups just loafing around?"
Furina diligently reviewed the documents, while Black Furina's complaints occasionally echoed in her ear... An entire morning passed.
Seeing that the pile of documents, which had looked like a mountain, had only been slightly reduced despite her efforts all morning, Furina fell silent for two seconds before collapsing onto the floor.
"Lady Furina, your work isn't finished yet, you can't rest now~" Furina heard Black Furina's voice, which sounded like a demonic whisper to her.
Furina: I'm being good, please let me off the hook.
Just then, Ielle opened the door and walked in.
Furina reacted instantly, scrambling off the floor and back into her chair in less than a second.
"Lady Furina, the Chief Justice is about to arrive."
"Ahem, I know. Please invite him to the reception room first."
"Yes, Lady Furina."
... A few moments later, in the reception room.
Furina sat face-to-face with a man dressed in blue-green attire.
His outfit was perfectly symmetrical; the ornament hanging from his collar resembled a scale, and he wore layers of white cravat at his chest, along with a glowing coattail similar to Furina's, giving him an air of nobility and solemnity.
He was Neuvillette.
Neuvillette remained silent, his expression entirely serious.
Furina was slightly intimidated, and spoke to Black Furina with a hint of fear: "Oth... other me, why is this person's presence so overwhelming? Can you talk to him instead..."
"No. The Hydro Dragon Sovereign has extremely strong perception, and even if his authority is incomplete, his sensory abilities are still formidable."
"If I speak to him, the chances of him discovering me are high, and you currently have no way to explain why the Hydro Archon has another soul inside her."
"Furthermore—I don't even know who I am or how I came into existence."
"If he finds out and you can't explain the situation clearly, and he grows suspicious of you, your secret of impersonating the Hydro Archon might fail. And Fontaine then..."
"Stop, stop, don't say it."
Furina didn't want to hear, nor did she dare to hear the rest of those words, so she quickly interrupted Black Furina. "Fine, fine, I'll talk, I'll talk..."
Although she quickly moved past the topic, Furina diligently noted the rule that Black Furina must not be discovered.
"Hello?" Furina tentatively began.
"A pleasure to meet you, Lady Focalors."
Neuvillette replied: "My apologies, I had not previously paid attention to the atmosphere and failed to speak sooner."
"Hehehe..." Furina gave two awkward laughs. So, he wasn't as terrifying as she had imagined?
Just as the atmosphere grew even more awkward, Ielle knocked on the door and entered.
"Lady Furina, Chief Justice, may I ask what you would like to drink?"
"Just a cup of coffee, please," Furina replied.
"Very well, Lady Furina. And the Chief Justice?"
Just as Furina was anticipating what kind of sophisticated drink Neuvillette would request, his answer came:
"Just a glass of water, thank you." Neuvillette said this with a completely calm expression.
"Huh?"
"What?"
Both Furinas voiced their confusion simultaneously.
Ielle was slightly taken aback, but she maintained her professional demeanor as a secretary, nodded, and excused herself.
After that incident, the awkward atmosphere dissipated considerably, and Furina felt less intimidated by Neuvillette.
"Ahem, since this is our first meeting, you can just call me Furina. As the Hydro Archon Focalors, I'm not fond of feeling high and mighty."
"Very well, Lady Furina." Neuvillette maintained the same expression, making Furina wonder if he was even capable of changing his facial expressions.
"Now then, are you aware of the duties you are expected to perform?" Furina asked Neuvillette, adopting the posture of the Hydro Archon.
"They include presiding over certain trials in Fontaine, approving official documents, and executing specific decisions."
Neuvillette continued calmly: "Since receiving your letter, I have given it considerable thought and have ultimately decided to accept your invitation."
"Before coming here, I have already self-studied and mastered the entire legal system of Fontaine."
"Hmm... Wait, the entire system?"
Furina was internally shocked. She had heard from Black Furina that Focalors had sent an invitation to Neuvillette, and she knew roughly when the letter was sent. But only a few days had passed since then—and he had mastered everything already?
"Ahem, it seems your attitude is excellent. Come with me, then. There happens to be a trial today involving a significant case, and you will preside over it. Take a look at the case report first."
With a look from Furina, Ielle immediately handed a thick stack of case reports to Neuvillette.
"To save time, we can read it on the way to the Opera Epiclese by carriage." With that, Furina walked out of the reception room.
Neuvillette did not speak; he simply looked at the report with a grave expression.
Sitting in the carriage, after finishing the report, Neuvillette looked up at Furina with a solemn face.
Furina felt a shiver under his gaze and tentatively asked, "Wh-What is it?"
"Lady Furina, I have finished reading the case. This matter is indeed extraordinary."
"However, why do I only see the verdicts for three of the implicated nobles, and why are two of those nobles receiving sentences clearly lighter than they deserve?" Neuvillette asked with a grave expression.
"Ah, well..." Furina stammered, finding it difficult to explain.
Right, the Hydro Dragon Sovereign, newly introduced to society, certainly wouldn't understand the nuances of political maneuvering and human relations.
"Lady Furina, as the Chief Justice, I believe I have the right to know the outcome for the other individuals involved and the reasons for these specific verdicts."
Neuvillette pressed on, and Furina was unsure how to respond.
"Furina, listen to me, and repeat what I say," Black Furina's voice sounded just in time.
"Neuvillette, precisely because the nature of this incident was severe and the situation complex, we arrived at the most appropriate sentencing after multiple considerations and meticulous deliberation."
"You did not personally experience the details of this case, and the information you gathered solely from the documents is incomplete. Furthermore, you only officially started your post today, so previous matters are not your concern."
"I am satisfied with your commitment to impartial enforcement of the law, and I expect you to maintain it going forward."
"But..." Neuvillette wanted to say more, but the carriage had already arrived at their destination.
"Alright, alright, hurry up and preside over the trial, or we'll be late." Furina forcibly cut off the words Neuvillette was about to speak.
"We finally managed to fool him, half-coaxing, half-deceiving." Black Furina and Furina sighed in relief.
In truth, they also felt it was a pity that the nobles hadn't suffered a worse fate, but this was undeniably the best solution under the circumstances.
Furina also entered the Opera House and took her seat in the Hydro Archon's exclusive box. This was the first trial she had attended since becoming the Hydro Archon, and it was also the first trial held in Fontaine since the recent events.
The targets of the trial were the high-ranking Fontaine officials who had just been investigated.
The trial was about to begin...