Ch 30 : It ended before it even began
Su Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, gasping for breath.
That strange feeling again...
Feeling the sharp pain in the palm of his left hand, Su Yuan knew that he had died once again…
Neuvillette saw Su Yuan in this state and asked, "Su Yuan, what's wrong? Did you choke on something?"
"It's my fault—I took away all the food with more liquid..." Neuvillette said, then handed over a bowl of soup.
"Su Yuan, I've only taken one sip of this soup. If you don't mind, you can have it."
"No need, Neuvillette. I didn't choke," Su Yuan smiled and waved his hand in refusal.
"I'm completely fine…"
"Alright then." Neuvillette nodded.
Su Yuan raised his left hand and looked at the engraving on his palm:
...
[Yes, you've died again. This is the second time today, isn't it?]
[Furina will appear in Meropide Fortress tonight. Please be prepared in advance!]
[Do not let yourself be seen by her!]
[Meropide Fortress is too far from Palais Mermonia!]
[Making it back to her bed before she arrives is an impossible task!]
What? Furina will appear in Meropide Fortress?
Judging by this message engraved in his palm, did he run into her in his last attempt?
But… what exactly happened?
Even though Neuvillette and Wriothesley had made thorough preparations, did Furina still manage to arrive at Meropide Fortress during the night?
"Neuvillette, how were you monitoring Furina at Palais Mermonia yesterday?" Su Yuan asked.
"Su Yuan, I must correct you—your use of the word 'monitoring' is inaccurate. In Fontaine, that would be considered an illegal act," Neuvillette stated.
"I merely had the Melusines patrolling for the Marechaussee Phantom report Furina's movements to me at all times."
Although Su Yuan really wanted to point out that this was basically the same as monitoring, he chose to continue, "What about today? Do you know Furina's whereabouts today?"
"This..." Neuvillette paused for a moment. "I don't, actually."
"Because I am not at Palais Mermonia right now, and the Melusines of the Marechaussee Phantom don't know I'm here, I naturally have no way of knowing Furina's movements…"
"Neuvillette, listen to me. Although I don't know the exact time, Furina will appear at Meropide Fortress soon. We should find a place to hide first," Su Yuan suggested.
"Su Yuan, as unbelievable as this sounds, I must say—I am truly impressed by your intelligence-gathering abilities!" Neuvillette smiled faintly.
"Once this strange situation is resolved, would you be interested in joining Palais Mermonia? I'll make sure to arrange a position suitable for you."
Huh? Was Neuvillette offering him a job?
Was he about to become a Fontaine civil servant?
No, no, no—this was not the time to be thinking about that!
"I'm serious, Neuvillette. Shouldn't we really find somewhere to hide? What if Furina suddenly shows up in this infirmary?" Su Yuan asked, still feeling uneasy.
"Trust Wriothesley! This is his territory. Since you've informed him, he must have made all the necessary preparations."
"Even if his subordinates don't dare to stop Furina, as long as they notify him and let him meet her directly, there won't be any problems," Neuvillette said confidently.
"When it comes to scheming, Furina is no match for Wriothesley."
Hearing Neuvillette's reasoning, Su Yuan nodded in agreement.
Wriothesley was a man with a sharp mind beneath his rough exterior—he must have thought everything through.
But soon, Su Yuan sensed that something was off.
If Wriothesley had really made the necessary preparations and managed to stop Furina… then how did he end up running into her in his last attempt?
"Neuvillette, do you think there's a possibility that Wriothesley has gone somewhere secret, and now his subordinates can't find him?" Su Yuan recalled the hidden shipyard beneath Meropide Fortress, built in preparation for the prophecy.
"A secret place? Su Yuan, you even know about that? Your intelligence is truly impressive!" Neuvillette nodded thoughtfully, glancing at Su Yuan.
"But that would be quite the coincidence..."
Before Neuvillette could finish his sentence, a commotion erupted outside the infirmary.
"Lady Furina, the Duke said that the infirmary is under renovation—you can't go in!"
"Hmm? Now that you mention it, I just have to take a look. Consider it an inspection of the renovation style and materials!"
"Duke? Duke?! Where are you? We really can't stop Lady Furina anymore!"
Su Yuan and Neuvillette exchanged glances, at a loss for words.
"A hundred precautions, yet still a slip-up… Even the best plans have flaws," Su Yuan sighed.
"Su Yuan, you should hurry and find a place to hide. You must not appear in Furina's line of sight at night," Neuvillette reminded him.
Hide? But where could he hide?
The infirmary seemed to have plenty of hiding spots at first glance, but none of them felt truly safe…
Su Yuan even glanced at Neuvillette's bed.
Hiding there—wouldn't that be a perfect example of "the most dangerous place is the safest place"?
Seriously, Wriothesley, why didn't you build a secret passage in the infirmary too?!
If there were one, he wouldn't have to struggle like this!
"If you won't let me in, then I must go in! Don't think I'm someone without a temper!"
Outside the infirmary, Furina's voice grew louder and closer…
Having been repeatedly blocked, Furina seemed to be getting irritated.
"Are you people at Meropide Fortress hiding something shady in there?"
"You're acting guilty! That makes me even more determined to go in! Move aside! This is an order from the Hydro Archon!"
With that, Furina forcefully pushed open the infirmary door!
At the last moment, Su Yuan made a bold decision!
Staying in the infirmary meant a slow death—he had to find a way to escape!
Only by doing so could he completely stay out of Furina's sight!
So, Su Yuan chose to hide behind the door!
Fortune favors the bold! The closest place to danger was often the safest!
Plus, this spot was near the entrance—he could seize the right moment to slip away!
However… perhaps because Furina had pushed the door open with too much force, Su Yuan suddenly felt a crushing pressure from the door against him…
It was important to note that most doors had something called a door stopper, usually a magnet, to hold the door in place and prevent it from closing due to wind or other factors.
But the gap behind the door was quite narrow.
Instead of latching onto the stopper, the door was blocked by Su Yuan's body and bounced back instead…
"Huh? It feels like there's something behind the door…" Furina said suspiciously.
Su Yuan's heart instantly turned ice-cold.
It was over before it even began…
Lady Furina, my dear ancestor, why did you have to open the door with such force?!
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