Chapter 67: The Archon Who Rules Fontaine's Stage

Time rewinds to earlier...

In Fontaine's theatrical world—or more specifically, in the traditions of the Opera Epiclese—there was a longstanding custom:

The lottery.

Before each performance, the various troupes stationed at the Opera Epiclese could apply to send an invitation to Furina.

If Furina was willing, she could potentially bring about a stage where gods and humans performed together.

"Are these all the shows scheduled for next month at the opera house?" Furina asked, holding her tea and blowing on it.

"That's right," Blathine nodded vigorously.

"My goodness, that's quite a few," Clorinde exclaimed from the side, her face devoid of any expression.

"Oh, there's nothing you can do about it. Who told me I'm too popular? Everyone wants me to be the star. Sigh, being born so adorable is truly a curse."

Clorinde shot her a glance. "But in the recent survey, 30% of the people thought Melusines were cuter."

"What?!" Furina looked at Blathine in disbelief.

Blathine tilted her head. "Hmm?"

"...They're certainly cute. But as citizens of Fontaine, not choosing your own Archon? That's truly— hang on."

Furina noticed something amiss. "Which survey is that from?"

"The Marechaussee Phantom's."

Then all that earlier talk was nonsense! The Marechaussee Phantom had so many Melusines anyway; of course she'd vote for Melusines if she were in their place.

Honestly... Furina realized Clorinde was pulling her leg with one of her usual unfunny jokes.

She decided to ignore it and picked up the invitation brochure to skim through it half-heartedly.

What is Love? she read the title. No thanks. I've had enough of sappy romance stories. She quickly moved on.

Never Gonna Give you up, Never Gonna Let you Down?

Same old, same old. Is this all we get? Can't they come up with something more interesting?

"Seriously, have all the playwrights run out of ideas?" Furina muttered under her breath, discarding the brochures one after another with a flick of her wrist.

If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking? 

Hmm... That sounds intriguing, but it's still not quite there. Furina rested her chin on her hand and sighed lightly.

I miss seeing that sparkling stage again...

Luna, huh... she murmured, involuntarily searching the text for any mention of the familiar name.

"Hm? This is..."

Reincarnated as the Daughter of the Villain: I Definitely Won't Pay Attention to the White Moonlight Female Lead

What a long title!

Is this... from Inazuma?

Who in their right mind would bring a light novel story to the stage of the Opera Epiclese?

Playwright: Luna

Lead Actress: Luna - Daughter of the Villain role

"Huh?!"

Furina wondered if she was seeing things and rubbed her eyes.

Written by: Luna.

"How is it you again?"

Actress, defendant, and now playwright? This woman... truly remarkable!

To persist on the musical theater stage, one must inevitably delve into other disciplines. The stage is a cohesive whole, encompassing the vast array of human experience. Only by understanding the stage can one truly become a part of it.

Intrigued, Furina couldn't help but recall Luna's previous performance—a show that had stirred her heart for the first time in ages. She began to skim through the play's synopsis.

Noticing Furina's interest, Clorinde leaned over to peek at the paper. "Despite knowing her own fate, the wicked girl tries to avert tragedy by avoiding the protagonist, yet somehow ends up deepening their friendship instead," Clorinde read softly.

Having accompanied Furina to numerous plays and operas, Clorinde naturally had her own take on the genre. "Sounds like a comedy."

Furina nodded in agreement. "Exactly! But considering the state of their troupe, it's not surprising they'd change their style."

Besides, Furina thought, there's nothing wrong with comedy.

"Comedy and tragedy are essentially the same—both can deeply move audiences if performed well, or bore them to sleep, even torture them, if poorly executed."

Only one thing truly matters: whether it's interesting or not.

A simple story means ease of modification, as well as a basic passable threshold. The upper limit, however, depends entirely on the performance quality.

As for this lead actress, Luna, I can vouch for an equally astonishing upper limit—unless...everyone else performs poorly.

But that doesn't matter!

"She's perfect!"

Let this goddess join us in delivering a magnificent show!

Now, back to the present.

After making her decision, Furina immediately ran over.

"Furina, have you accepted the theater troupe's invitation?" Luna understood everything at once.

Furina puffed out her chest. "Exactly. You should feel honored; after all, a god is gracing your stage."

Furina's arrival seemed to catch the attention of the theater troupe members, causing a commotion outside.

"Quick, look, is that Furina over there?"

"She's come to our troupe?!?!"

"Is she saying she'll perform with us?"

Upon hearing of it, Romi rushed over hastily and bowed. "Furina, thank you so much for accepting our theatre's invitation..."

"No need for flattery. Luna, show me your stage and rehearsals. Props, costumes, everything - I want to see it all!"

Madame could tell at a glance that Luna, not the supposed foreman, was the one in charge.

"Everyone, stop lingering outside. Get in place! If I don't like what I see, I'll leave right away!" Furina clapped loudly, her earlier image completely vanished. She was no longer the cute goddess everyone knew, but the Archon of Fontaine, true god of the Theater.

Hearing this, the troupe members scattered, rushing towards the rehearsal stage.

The Madame stood up. "Well then, I won't disturb you any further. And Luna?"

"Yes?"

"You need a manager."

A manager? That did make sense. There was no way she could handle all the invitations herself. But what kind of manager did she need? Luna pondered this.

Furina, hands on her hips, chimed in. "I agree wholeheartedly. You need someone to help you politely decline the things you don't want to do, so you can focus on the path you want to follow."

"I understand. Thank you for your advice, Lady Furina and Madame."

As the Madame left, Luna escorted Furina to the troupe's practice room.

"The costumes haven't arrived yet, but I expect them to be here soon."

After all, Chiori had guaranteed that everything would be delivered today.

Furina nodded slightly. "Let's start by examining the props."

She circled around, meticulously inspecting each one before passing judgment.

"Inadequate! The craftsmanship is too rough. Redo it!"

"Inadequate! This coloring should be brighter. Start over!"

"Inadequate!"

"Unacceptable!"

"Redo!"

In no time at all, Luna was presented with a scene akin to a battlefield strewn with corpses—albeit not of soldiers, but of the logistics team's efforts.

But it wasn't over yet.

"The lighting cue came too late. Make it sharper. And don't make it so dim—brighten it up!"

"The orchestra? Get the orchestra over here for me. What? They're busy? Even if they're busy, they still need to come when I call!"

It was truly a sorry sight.

Luna had heard rumors of Furina's exacting standards, but witnessing them firsthand today confirmed the gossip—and then some. Yet this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

With deities set to grace the stage, how could anything less than perfection be tolerated?

But whether others found it enjoyable was an entirely different matter.

"What's going on?"

Luna turned as Chiori and Navia approached.

"As you can see," Luna said with a smile.

"Why would I ask you if I could understand it myself?" Chiori sighed.

Navia exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, there are so many... bodies on the ground?"

"Isn't it visually striking?" Luna nodded.

Chiori remarked mildly, "Indeed, the photos will surely shock Fontaine... Why don't you join them lying over there?"

"I'd be willing if Chiori stays by my side."

"No way."