The trial at the Opera Epiclese concluded around noon.
In the end, it turned out that the merchant named Fleur had fabricated evidence to frame Kiril—simply to suppress a business rival.
When the truth came out, the spectators burst into cheers, exclaiming that the trip had been well worth it.
Kiril, in turn, countersued Fleur for unfair competition, winning a hefty compensation and leaving the disgraced businessman to slink away in humiliation.
However, the question of who actually stole and destroyed the contract remained unsolved.
If one followed the logic of "the one who benefits is the most suspicious," then Kiril would naturally remain the primary suspect.
But Fleur, blinded by greed, had chosen to fabricate proof rather than conduct a proper investigation—a hasty move that ultimately doomed him.
Besides Kiril, there was another possible beneficiary—the buyer who had originally placed the order with Fleur's company.
It wasn't impossible that the buyer had signed the contract, then discovered that Kiril's clockwork guards were cheaper, and so hired a thief to steal and destroy the original agreement.
Still, such a claim would require Fleur himself to file a report and initiate a proper case.
Meanwhile, Nolan had observed the entire judicial process from start to finish.
He noticed that the so-called Chief Justice served more like a presiding moderator, for the actual verdict of guilt or innocence wasn't decided by him, but by the Oratrice Mécanique d'Analyse Cardinale.
Although the Oratrice had never once issued an incorrect judgment—and its verdicts typically aligned with public consensus—it was still astonishing.
He couldn't help wondering what principle powered it. Could it truly possess intelligence?
Since the Oratrice stood directly beneath the Chief Justice's position, Nolan refrained from extending his spiritual sense to investigate—doing so might alert Neuvillette.
He didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble. But once the Chief Justice left, there would be no harm in examining it then.
Thus, his next plan was set: wait until Neuvillette departed, then investigate the Oratrice—and afterward, follow Furina to see if he could locate the real Hydro Archon.
He might have to pursue both goals simultaneously; once the Chief Justice left, it meant the trial was over, and Furina would surely depart as well.
If he didn't follow her immediately, he'd have to track her down later—though finding her at the Palais Mermonia wouldn't be too difficult.
And with his stealth abilities, he wasn't worried about being detected.
Before long, the audience began leaving the opera house after the trial. Nolan, Lumine, and Paimon exited with the crowd.
Using the Waymark to communicate silently, he explained his plan to the two of them.
"No problem," Lumine replied through the Pathmark.
Since both she and Paimon could hide using his invisibility technique, there was little risk of exposure.
A few minutes later, the trio stepped outside.
Finding a secluded spot, Nolan expanded the Void Starsea, turning them all invisible. Then he summoned one of his Sword God of Lumine, having her also activate her own Void Starsea to vanish from sight.
Because his invisibility had been fused into the world-level skill Lumine's Musou, even his manifested avatars could use the same untraceable stealth.
Once an ability was absorbed into the Starsea, it became part of it—and any entity able to manipulate the Starsea could likewise use invisibility.
This made things much more convenient.
Nolan could summon multiple Sword Gods, each invisible, to perform simultaneous covert operations without issue.
That was exactly what he did now: while one Sword God shadowed Furina from afar, he and the others returned invisibly to the empty opera house.
By now it was midday. With the spectators gone, only a few cleaning staff remained.
The people of Fontaine might love excitement, but they still took cleanliness seriously.
After a brief sweep-up, even the staff departed—leaving the vast theater empty.
Hidden by invisibility, Nolan and his companions stepped onto the stage, stopping before the enormous scale-shaped machine: the Oratrice Mécanique d'Analyse Cardinale.
He silently expanded the Void Starsea, enveloping the entire opera house within it.
Rather than risk using spiritual sense, he used the Starsea itself to probe the Oratrice.
At first glance, it truly looked like nothing more than a giant balance scale—nothing divine or special about it.
He then used the skill granted by Yae Miko at maximum affection skill—"Prophet's Gift of the Fox Shrine Guuji."
Instantly, information flooded into his mind:
[Oratrice Mécanique d'Analyse Cardinale] : A scale over five centuries old, handcrafted by the second Hydro Archon, Focalors. It is protected by divine power and possesses multiple defensive enchantments—fireproof, waterproof, pest-proof, and shock-resistant. As a historical artifact, it holds immense value.
"…That's it?"
Nolan was dumbfounded by the report. It's just an old, well-protected scale?!
Where was the miraculous function that collected "faith in justice" and converted it into Lawful Energy?
He shared the results with Lumine and Paimon, who were just as shocked. After all, they had personally witnessed the Oratrice deliver the verdict moments ago!
"So, if the Oratrice doesn't actually generate Lawful Energy," Paimon said, frowning, "do we even need to work with the Hydro Archon anymore?"
"Even if the Oratrice itself doesn't collect faith," Nolan said, shaking his head, "the Lawful Energy is still very real. If it doesn't come from this machine, then something else must be performing that conversion."
After all, the energy that powered Fontaine's cities for centuries couldn't have appeared from nowhere—there had to be another source capable of such a feat.
Lumine folded her arms, resting her chin on one hand.
"The Hydro Archon, Focalors—her divine authority comes from Celestia, from her seat and Gnosis. But she's also known by another title: the God of Justice.
"That title must represent her true authority. Just like Nahida is not only the Dendro Archon but also the Goddess of Wisdom, holding dominion over dreams.
"So isn't it possible," she continued, "that the power to collect faith in justice and convert it into Lawful Energy… actually comes from the God of Justice's divine authority itself?"
"Eh?! When you put it that way…" Paimon's eyes widened as realization dawned.
"It really could be possible!"
Nolan nodded slowly, beginning to analyze the situation step by step.
"Since this Oratrice doesn't possess divine power then the only one capable of collecting faith in justice and transforming it into energy must be the God of Justice herself.
"But that Furina we saw earlier was only Level 36. If she truly wielded a god's authority, there's no way she'd be below Level 100.
"So the one gathering faith isn't Furina—it must be someone else.
"And among everyone present earlier, the Chief Justice had an incredibly high life level—he did seem suspicious enough to be the true Hydro Archon.
"But the information returned from my ability confirmed that the second Hydro Archon, Focalors, is a female deity—just as Fontaine's records say—so Neuvillette can't be her.
"While it's technically possible that the God of Justice disguised herself as Neuvillette, I can't think of any reason she would do that.
"If I'm not mistaken, the real Hydro Archon must've been present at the trial just now.
"She wasn't seated among the audience, nor was she sitting in the Chief Justice's chair. Most likely, she was hidden somewhere nearby—secretly collecting faith in justice from the shadows.
"I don't yet know why she would do that… Lumine, Paimon, what do you two think?"
He turned to them expectantly.
"Hm… that shouldn't be hard to guess," Paimon said, her eyes drifting toward the Oratrice in front of them.
Lumine parted her lips thoughtfully.
"Since the Oratrice itself doesn't have the power to determine guilt or innocence, then that final verdict must come from the true Hydro Archon herself.
"Remember how the Chief Justice operated it during the trial—the Oratrice produced a small card bearing the ruling.
"That suggests there's a whole mechanism built behind it. To operate such a machine effectively, the best place would be somewhere out of sight—behind the stage.
"If my guess is right, there's a control room behind the Oratrice—and the Hydro Archon is most likely there."
Nolan smiled faintly. "Exactly what I was thinking. Let's go take a look."
Through the Void Starsea, he could already sense a room behind the Oratrice, though it didn't seem like anyone lived there.
Using the Starsea's transfer ability, he teleported the group directly into the hidden space.
The room contained no bed, no table, not even chairs—it didn't look inhabited at all.
In the center stood a massive machine, clearly the mechanism that controlled the Oratrice's rulings.
They moved closer and discovered that the device had a small entrance.
Since they were still cloaked in undetectable invisibility, they didn't hesitate to step inside.
Within the narrow control space sat a young woman with long white hair, her fingers moving across the console.
She looked exactly like Furina—same delicate features, same flawless complexion—except she wasn't wearing a hat, and her long, snow-white hair cascaded like a waterfall down her back.
She wore a pale blue dress, with open lacework at the chest that revealed a hint of fair skin. Her bare, slender legs hung freely, her feet unshod.
Though she shared Furina's face, her aura was entirely different—serene, composed, and far more mature.
"Wait… that's Furina? But didn't she just leave with Clorinde?" Paimon scratched her head, clearly confused.
Nolan quickly checked through the vision of the "Sword God of Lumine" who had been tailing them. Sure enough, Furina was still walking beside Clorinde, heading back toward the Palais Mermonia.
Then this one before them could only be the real Hydro Archon—Focalors. His golden Judgment Eye confirmed it:
[Level: 113]
That was unmistakably the level of a true god.
"She reminds me a little of Ei," Lumine murmured after observing carefully. "Her form is physical, yet I can tell—it's a spiritual body, not a mortal one."
"So you mean… this Focalors and Furina are like Ei and her puppet, the Raiden Shogun?" Paimon asked, eyes wide.
"It's possible," Nolan agreed. "So—should we reveal ourselves and say hello?" He glanced at his companions.
"Uh… we did sneak in here," Paimon said nervously, rubbing her cheek. "Wouldn't it be rude to just pop out? Maybe we should knock first?"
"But she's clearly hiding herself—putting Furina out there in her place means she doesn't want anyone to know she exists," Lumine said, shaking her head, her golden hair swaying gently.
"In that case," Nolan said after thinking for a moment, "we might as well greet her directly. We came to Fontaine to find the Hydro Archon anyway—it's only right we meet her face-to-face."
"True enough." Lumine and Paimon both nodded in agreement.
"If we appear too close, she might get startled. Let's step back from the console first."
They quietly retreated a few steps to keep a respectful distance.
Let's hope this God of Justice isn't the hostile type, Nolan thought.
He withdrew the Void Starsea, and the three of them became visible again.
The moment they appeared, Focalors sensed their presence.
Impossible—her divine authority covered this entire space. No one should've been able to enter unnoticed.
"Who are you?!"
She rose from her seat, glaring at them warily.
The task she'd been working on could not be seen by outsiders. Exposure now could ruin everything—it concerned the very future of Fontaine.
If not for the need to avoid a commotion, she would've seized them immediately, erased their memories, and thrown them out.
But she also understood—anyone capable of bypassing her divine domain wasn't ordinary.
"Hehe, finally someone who doesn't recognize us," Paimon said with a cheerful grin, stepping forward to diffuse the tension.
"Paimon is Paimon, this is Lumine, and that guy is Nolan. We're travelers journeying across the Seven Nations."
She quickly introduced them, then added brightly, "Don't worry—we're not here to cause trouble! We just wanted to speak with the real Hydro Archon about a possible collaboration."
"You've already caused enough trouble!" Focalors said sharply. "Leave at once—and under the authority of Justice itself, swear that you will never speak a word about me or this place!
"If you want to discuss 'collaboration,' talk to Furina. She is the Hydro Archon!"
After hiding in solitude for centuries and nearly reaching the end of her secret plan, being discovered out of nowhere by a few strangers made Focalors want to cry.
Fortunately, her plan was still safe—for now. No one but her knew its details. Being seen wasn't the end of the world…
As long as these trespassers didn't blab about it to anyone else. If someone pieced her secret together, everything she'd built would collapse.
(End of Chapter)
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