Chapter 003 : Fontaine May Fall, but Its People Must Survive

The solemn and dignified venue for trials in Fontaine was officially known as the Opera Epiclese.

Today, the Hydro Archon Furina and her loyal chief advisor Themis arrived on time.

Neuvillette visibly relaxed upon seeing Furina and Themis.

It wasn't that he couldn't pass judgment, but the cases had exceeded his understanding.

"Bring in the defendants!"

With the heavy sound of Neuvillette's cane striking the ground, the first trial of the day began.

"Lord Neuvillette! I've suffered so much!"

The moment the plaintiff took the stand, they let out a wail that startled the daydreaming Furina and the audience below.

"For years, I've worked diligently, never shortchanging anyone in my business!"

"But out of jealousy, someone hired an assassin to kill me!"

"This is Unbearable! Absolutely Unbearable!"

The plaintiff's impassioned speech left Furina utterly bewildered. It sounded more like a campaign rally than a courtroom testimony.

The Fontaine audience, always eager for drama, was buzzing with excitement: "Hiring a hitman? This is getting interesting!"

The more pessimistic spectators worried: "If there are assassins in the city now, could I be next?"

Others were simply confused: "What's going on? Did I wake up too early? Someone hired a hitman?"

The chatter from the audience grew irritating, and Neuvillette tapped his cane impatiently.

"Order! Order in the court!"

"Plaintiff, please recount the events of the case!"

The plaintiff, a native of Fontaine named Modell, nodded eagerly.

"My name is Modell, and I own a dessert shop. Three days ago, a man approached me, claiming to be a hitman hired to kill me."

"By the grace of Lady Furina, you can't imagine how terrified I was!"

"He tied me up in the wilderness, and I felt utterly helpless."

"But then, to my surprise, the hitman said his employer only paid him 100,000 Mora, which wasn't enough to take a life. So, he proposed a deal: I'd pretend to be dead, and he'd take the money."

"To save my life, I had no choice but to go along with it. We staged a murder scene, and I went into hiding."

The audience erupted in murmurs:

"So, it was all a scam? Talk about a failed plan!"

"How tragic! This poor man must have been so scared and helpless."

"Wait, did they actually get the money in the end?"

"This is outrageous! They should be locked up in the Fortress of Meropide forever!"

Furina listened to the plaintiff's dramatic account, utterly baffled. Hiring a hitman and then pulling a stunt like this? Truly bizarre.

Themis, too, found it strange, though she couldn't help but admire the hitman's quick thinking to cut his losses.

"Mr. John, do you have anything to say in response to Mr. Modell's account? Is his statement accurate?"

Neuvillette turned to the hitman, John, a drunkard from the Port of Lumidouce.

"Lord Neuvillette, everything he said is true."

John looked up, his scruffy face filled with regret.

Neuvillette nodded and added, "According to the guards' investigation and testimonies, after sparing Mr. Modell, you took him to your home to hide him."

"However, while you were drunk, Mr. Modell slipped away and used the correspondence between you and your employer to bring this case to court."

"Mr. John, in the presence of myself, Lady Furina, and Chief Advisor Themis, please recount the events truthfully, or we will have to take stricter measures!"

The guards presented the letters as evidence before the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale.

The scales of justice began to tilt toward John's guilt—a foregone conclusion.

"That's right! Before the Goddess of Justice, your lies are useless. Every word you say will be recorded as evidence!"

"For the sake of your future, I, the Goddess of Justice, advise you to think carefully!"

"Tell us who your employer is!"

Furina straightened her back, speaking in her usual dramatic tone.

The audience cheered: "As expected of Lady Furina! So majestic!"

Furina responded, "Indeed! Before the Goddess of Justice, all crimes will be brought to light!"

Under the intense gaze of the crowd, John saw no point in resisting.

With Furina herself watching, he had no choice but to confess.

John: "I'll talk! I'll talk! My employer was Mr. Jones. He's the one who paid me, and the Mora came from his Fontaine bank account."

Modell: "Oh, by the grace of Lady Furina! Jones! I knew it was him! He must have been jealous that Lady Furina praised my desserts! That's why he hired this drunkard to kill me!"

"Lord Neuvillette, Lady Themis, Lady Furina! You must bring justice for me!"

Themis, sitting beside Furina, was equally baffled. This wasn't what the investigation had revealed. What was going on?

John: "Well... I don't know what's going on between you and Mr. Jones, but he's the one who hired me."

"Then bring Mr. Jones to the Opera Epiclese at once!"

At Neuvillette's command, the guards swiftly escorted Jones to the opera house.

Jones: "I admit I hired him, but I was also hired by someone else! It was Ziegler who paid me 300,000 Mora to kill someone. But he hired me at the wrong time—I had already decided to retire! So, I passed the job to John."

John glared at the calm Jones: "What?! 300,000 Mora, and you only gave me 100,000? Do you have no conscience?!"

Modell: "Wait, so it wasn't because you were jealous of me?"

Jones: "Jealous of what? That you made Lady Furina cry with your disgusting desserts?"

Modell: "Nonsense! It was because my desserts were so delicious! Lady Furina sensed the love and admiration in my creations and was moved to tears!"

Modell then turned to Furina with hopeful eyes.

His words instantly made Furina the center of attention.

Themis, her face cold, interjected, "With all due respect, Mr. Modell, I fail to see how adding slime condensate, jellyfish mucus, and squid ink to desserts is a good idea. I could easily interpret this as an attempt to assassinate Lady Furina!"

Modell: "Nonsense! That was my latest creation! Lady Furina, didn't you say my skills were unparalleled across all of Teyvat? It was because of your praise that I opened a dessert shop and handed it over to others to manage, so I could focus on creating new dishes just for you!"

The audience, thoroughly entertained, whispered among themselves:

"This is so amusing! Today's trial is full of surprises!"

"Lady Furina, you've really been through a lot."

Others looked confused and conflicted: "Is it possible that Lady Furina was just being polite? A little white lie to spare his feelings?"

Modell: "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Lady Furina, tell them it's true, right?"

Furina, now the focus of Modell's pleading gaze, was at a loss for words.

The memory of that "dessert" was a nightmare she never wanted to relive. It had completely shattered her expectations, a culinary abomination that left her traumatized.

But for the sake of her people, Furina forced herself to put on a brave face.

"My dear citizen, your culinary skills are indeed unparalleled. There's no need to doubt it—this is the truth!"

Modell, tears in his eyes, was deeply moved: "I knew it! Lady Furina, you are my eternal goddess!"

Themis, looking at Furina with pity, whispered, "You've been through so much, Lady Furina. Surviving until now is no small feat."

Furina just wanted some peace and quiet. She didn't want to talk anymore.

Neuvillette coughed twice, steering the trial back on track: "Mr. Jones, you claim Ziegler hired you. Do you have any evidence?"

Jones: "Of course! I went to his house to receive the job, and we signed a contract."

He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, leaving everyone speechless.

What kind of genius signs a contract for something like this?

Themis couldn't help but question their collective intelligence.

The guards made another trip, apprehending Ziegler, who was clutching a bag of Mora. After some "friendly" persuasion, they brought him to the Opera Epiclese.

"Bring in Mr. Ziegler!"

Ziegler: "I admit I'm guilty, but I'm also innocent! It was Miles who hired me! He gave me 1.3 million Mora to commit murder! But with that much Mora, why would I do something so foolish? Right, Lord Neuvillette?"

He produced evidence: a photo of Miles and his contact information.

Neuvillette took a deep breath: "Someone, bring Miles here!"

When Miles was arrested, he wailed: "I'm innocent! Lord Neuvillette, Lady Furina, Lady Themis!"

By now, the audience was well-versed in the pattern. Someone shouted: "Let me guess, you were hired by someone else too?"

Miles, looking utterly confused: "Huh? How did you know?"

"How much did they pay you?"

Neuvillette, now completely numb, asked flatly.

"Three million Mora. But think about it—I'm not an idiot! This is the land of the Goddess of Justice! As a citizen of Fontaine, how could I break the law in my own country?"

Themis, watching this unfold, could only comment: "You have morals, but you're also incredibly shameless."

Furina nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, the plaintiff, Modell, had taken a seat, realizing this trial was far from over.

By the time all the accused were brought to the stand, the case had grown to involve ten people.

The tenth, Cabell, was the final piece of the puzzle.

"Tch! I gave you all 10 million Mora, and this is what you do with it?!"

"You're all a bunch of lying scoundrels! No sense of honor!"

Cabell, dressed in luxurious attire, stormed in and immediately began berating everyone.

What a waste of his Mora.

"Mr. Cabell, what was your motive for hiring a hitman?"

"To my knowledge, you and Mr. Modell have never interacted, nor have you had any conflicts."

Neuvillette was thoroughly confused. Why would Cabell do such a thing?

"Motive?" Cabell scoffed, then turned to Furina and Themis.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Everything I did was to see you, Lady Themis!"

"And becoming a criminal was the fastest way to do it!"

"I could no longer bear my longing for you! Three years! For three whole years, according to Lady Furina's schedule, I would have had to wait another three years to meet you in person!"

"My love for you has made this wait unbearable!"

Neuvillette, Furina, and Themis: "What?!"

The audience: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ!!!

Modell: o_O???

"Wait, so you're saying I'm just an unlucky bystander caught up in all this?!"

Modell shouted in disbelief.

Cabell: "Well, not entirely innocent. After all, Lady Themis was quite displeased with your attempts to poison Lady Furina. I simply took it upon myself to deal with you on her behalf."

Modell: "You scoundrel! That was a dessert! How could it be poison? Apologize to my life's work!"

Cabell sneered: "You call that a life's work? More like a lifelong attempt to assassinate Lady Furina!"

Modell: "How dare you! My desserts are beyond your comprehension! Lady Furina loves them!"

The audience whispered among themselves: "So... Lady Furina actually likes that kind of thing?"

Before things could get any weirder, Furina quickly intervened: "Mr. Modell's dedication to his craft is truly moving. However, as a god, his creations may be a bit... ahead of their time for my palate."

The audience admired Furina's kindness, praising her for comforting Modell even in such a situation.

Themis, her expression cold, remained unfazed by Cabell's declaration. She found him utterly tiresome.

"Lord Neuvillette, I believe this case has reached its conclusion. Why haven't you announced the verdict yet?"

Neuvillette, caught off guard by Themis's sharp tone, thought to himself: I was just as stunned by the testimony as everyone else. It's normal to forget for a moment.

"Ahem! With all evidence and testimonies presented, let the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale deliver its judgment!"

The Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale collected testimonies and delivered a fair and reasonable judgment based on the evidence.

"The verdict from the Oratrice is... you are all guilty!"

"Hiring a hitman, accepting money to kill—even if the act wasn't carried out, it still constitutes attempted murder."

Furina, leaning back in her red leather chair, let out a sigh of relief. This dramatic trial was finally over!

Even the Goddess of Justice couldn't help but be stunned by the absurdity of it all.

Who would have thought that the entire spectacle was orchestrated just to get close to Themis?

Furina glanced at Themis, who sat silently beside her, her expression unreadable as she stared down at the table, deep in thought. Furina's feelings were complicated.

It seemed she had spent so much time with Themis that she had almost forgotten how popular her chief advisor was in Fontaine. Themis's reputation was on par with her own.

What should she do? Her chief advisor was so beloved that someone had committed a crime just to see her.

Furina felt a sense of crisis. What if someone threatened Themis just to get close to her?

After all, Themis had been by her side for so long, and aside from her longevity, Furina had never seen her display any extraordinary abilities.

Furina was deeply concerned for Themis's safety and silently vowed to protect her from any overzealous fans.

The chastity and safety of Chief Advisor Themis would be safeguarded by Furina herself!

She would protect the best chief advisor in all of Teyvat!

If anything happened to Themis, who would make her cakes, tell her bedtime stories, sing her lullabies, hold her while she slept, and comfort her?