That evening, Dehya finally returned from her outing.
"I got my hands on the latest Akasha Terminals issued by the Akademiya. Take a look."
Dehya handed the two Akasha Terminals to Faruzan and Lumine, and the others immediately gathered around to inspect them for any signs of tampering.
"They don't look much different from the outside," Paimon observed after a careful look.
"It seems we'll have to try them on ourselves," Faruzan said softly, preparing to swap out her own Akasha Terminal. However, Lumine grabbed her arm, stopping her.
Seeing Lumine's serious expression, Faruzan shook her head. "I know you're worried, but I used to work at the Akademiya. I'm the best candidate for this."
"Miss Faruzan, don't be hasty. Let's move to a different location first," Dr. Edward interjected. "If these new Akasha Terminals have a tracking function, staying here will only bring trouble for Miss Dunyarzad."
"Let's test them outside Sumeru City," he continued. "That way, even if the Akademiya detects us, we can escape their pursuit from other directions."
"Dr. Edward is always so thorough!" Dehya said with a smile, stepping forward. "As it happens, I've already mapped out the patrol routes of the Corps of Thirty mercenaries during my outing. I'll lead you out of the city."
With that, Dehya turned her gaze to Faruzan.
Faruzan finally lowered her hand, but her expression remained serious as she spoke.
"You're right. If we're exposed outside the city, it will be easier to escape."
"But don't forget the Fatui Harbinger we encountered before," she added. "If he intervenes, we won't stand a chance of getting away."
At the mention of the Harbinger, Lumine and Paimon froze. The memory of Dottore's overwhelming power was deeply etched in their minds. Even those who hadn't been present could imagine the danger just from their descriptions. If Dr. Edward hadn't given Lumine a pill to unlock her potential before she left, they would never have escaped.
"While the scenario Madam Faruzan fears is unlikely, we must still prepare for it," Dunyarzad said. "That's why we need to go somewhere farther away."
"But if we do that, we won't be able to monitor events in Sumeru City in real-time."
"In that case, I'll entrust this task to Miss Faruzan and Miss Dehya," Dunyarzad proposed.
Just as she finished, Dr. Edward added, "The Traveler and Miss Dunyarzad are both patients. As a doctor, I can monitor their conditions at all times. We'll stay in Sumeru City and keep an eye on the Akademiya's every move."
After considering Dr. Edward's proposal, the group agreed.
Splitting up was indeed the best course of action, but one concern lingered in everyone's minds. If the Akademiya had indeed left something malicious in the Akasha Terminal, Faruzan could be injured while inspecting it.
Yet, there was no better alternative. Someone had to examine the device for problems, and Faruzan, a former Akademiya Darshan, was the most qualified person for the job.
In the end, Faruzan and Dehya slipped out of Sumeru City under the cover of night. As the others watched their retreating figures, a sense of worry settled in their hearts.
"I hope they'll be safe," Dunyarzad murmured, clasping her hands together and praying silently to Lesser Lord Kusanali.
"Have faith in them," Dr. Edward said with a reassuring smile. "Besides, our own task is far from easy. You two are still patients, so you should rest early tonight."
Dunyarzad nodded, but then a thought struck her. She turned to Dr. Edward and said, "Dr. Edward, after this treatment, my body feels much lighter than before. Just now, I noticed the scales on my arm seem to be fading."
"This is incredible, Dr. Edward! Have you actually found a cure for Eleazar?"
As Dunyarzad asked, her eyes shone with boundless hope.
"Ah, so you've noticed," Dr. Edward replied with a gentle smile. "I had a few ideas, but I wasn't certain they could completely cure Eleazar, so I didn't mention it.
"A few days ago, I discovered some new medicinal ingredients. After some research, I found they might have the potential to cure Eleazar. When I saw you having an episode, I decided to try them on you. It seems the effects are quite promising."
He continued, "The formula isn't perfected yet, so it may still be some time before a complete cure is possible. Please be patient a little longer, Miss Dunyarzad. As a doctor, I will do everything in my power to restore you to full health."
Dunyarzad froze for a moment, then an overwhelming wave of joy washed over her.
"Thank you, Dr. Edward..."
She wiped away the tears welling in her eyes. When she'd asked, she hadn't dared to hope for much. Dr. Edward's incredible surprise had moved her to tears of joy.
When she contracted Eleazar, Dunyarzad knew she had been sentenced to death. For years, not a single person with the disease had escaped their fate. Dunyarzad had resigned herself to it, planning to spend her final days doing everything she wanted before leaving this world without regrets. She never dreamed she might have a chance at recovery.
At that moment, Lumine and Paimon couldn't help but smile. Dunyarzad had helped them evade the Akademiya's pursuit, and they were genuinely overjoyed to hear her illness might be curable.
However, Paimon was a little confused.
"Strange... Hasn't Dr. Edward been with us these past few days?" she wondered aloud. "When did he discover new medicinal ingredients to treat Eleazar?"
This minor detail didn't draw much attention. Once Dunyarzad had composed herself, she arranged rooms for everyone to rest.
Lumine stared at the bed before her, her heart pounding with apprehension.
It's like opening a blind box again, she thought. I wonder what strange dream I'll have tonight.
Wait... if I'm unconscious, I probably won't dream, right?
Maybe I should... try it?
With that thought, under Paimon's horrified gaze, Lumine chopped the back of her own neck with her hand and collapsed onto the bed.
A moment later, Paimon's terrified shriek echoed through the room.
"Traveler—!"
-
"I feel like I'm about to collapse."
Furina stared at the mountain of paperwork still piled on her desk, her expression dazed. She had never been good at this kind of work, and almost every day, she had leftover tasks that required her to work overtime.
At first, it was manageable. But the constant overtime took its toll. Her performance plummeted, leaving more work unfinished each time, which in turn led to even longer hours...
Trapped in this vicious cycle, Furina felt like she was about to ascend to godhood—or just drop dead.
Even the body of a dual-element user couldn't withstand this level of exploitation!
Of course, every time the Melusine Doctor finished her physical examination, all her vital signs came back perfectly normal.
This completely dashed any hope Furina had of calling in sick.
But she really couldn't take it anymore!
"I'm so sleepy!"
"I need to sleep!"
"I want snacks!"
"I want Emily's cake!"
(Spy- 📸🤨)
Hearing Furina's outburst, Focalors looked up, exasperated. This was the third time Furina had thrown such a tantrum.
"Keep it up. At your current pace, you'll finish all the remaining work with just three more hours of overtime."
Focalors' words shattered Furina's composure. She slammed her hand on the desk.
"I quit! I'm going to sleep right now!"
"I refuse to work overtime! I'm going to find Emily! Emily is still waiting for me!"
"I can't work like this! I'm an actor, not the Hydro Archon!"
"You're the real Hydro Archon! This should be your job! Why do you have to drag me into it?!"
"?"
Focalors let out a humorless laugh, infuriated by Furina's words.
"Have you forgotten who's been playing the Hydro Archon for the past five hundred years?"
"Why don't you go outside and ask who Fontaine's Hydro Archon is?"
"I guarantee the vast majority of people will say 'Furina,' not me."
"It was your idea for me to impersonate you! It's not like I wanted this!" Furina muttered under her breath.
"Do you have any idea how miserable I've been all these centuries? Living under a false identity, walking on eggshells every single day, terrified of one slip-up exposing me..."
As she recounted her tragic past, Furina wiped away crocodile tears.
But Focalors wasn't falling for it. This was the second time Furina had pulled this stunt.
Last time, she'd managed to offload some of her work onto Focalors. This time, she was trying to dump all of it on her? Not a chance!
Even if it were any other matter, Focalors couldn't help. She couldn't even finish her own work!
"You have the nerve to complain? This whole mess is your fault! If it weren't for your terrible idea, we wouldn't be in this miserable situation!"
As she spoke, Focalors couldn't help but recall their initial workload. Back then, they could still be willful, dropping their work whenever they felt like it. No one could control them; it was all up to their own discretion.
Back then, they worked about six hours a day, including slacking off. What a blissful life that was! And yet, they must have been out of their minds to pile all those charges on themselves.
Now, they hadn't ended up in jail, but their workload had at least tripled.
This life was unbearable!
"Hey, you can't blame it all on me! You were arguing with me back then!"
"If you hadn't argued, the previous Justice might have just sentenced me right away!"
Furina and Focalors locked eyes, then both heaved a deep sigh.
"This can't go on," Furina said. "We'll work ourselves to death before Neuvillette even gets out of prison!"
"Do you have any ideas?" Focalors asked, her curiosity piqued. If there was another way out, she certainly didn't want to keep working either.
"We're in this mess because of that man!" Furina declared, her voice laced with malice.
"I say we kidnap him and threaten him into changing the verdict!"
"What do you think, Focalors? Is that a good plan?"
"A criminal plan, you mean! Absolutely criminal!"
Focalors had thought Furina might have some brilliant insight. But this?
Instantly losing interest, Focalors turned her attention back to the work piled in front of her.
"If you want to do it, do it yourself. I can't handle another few months added to our sentence."
Focalors' words helped Furina cool down a little. Scratching her head, she suddenly realized her impulsive idea wasn't very sound.
But giving up on her devious schemes entirely? Furina wasn't willing to do that.
She wasn't like that iron-willed Focalors—she was genuinely about to die from exhaustion!
It wasn't physical fatigue. As a wielder of dual Elemental Powers, her body was naturally robust; a bit of overtime wouldn't break her. That's why her checkups always came back normal.
The mental strain, however, was immense. Lacking experience, Furina had no idea which of the tasks before her were important and which held hidden pitfalls.
A single poor decision could affect countless people, which meant she couldn't just half-ass her work.
In truth, Furina was less worried about her own collapse and more terrified of making a mistake that would ruin the lives of many.
After a moment's thought, her eyes suddenly lit up. She reached out and pressed down on the document Focalors was about to turn.
"Stop reading for a second. I have another idea."
"We can openly summon that guy, Ron, and use our authority to force him to handle our workload."
"If he refuses, it proves we can't command him. In his eyes, we wouldn't be the Hydro Archon, which contradicts the basis of his previous judgment. Therefore, we wouldn't have to abide by it at all."
"If he does as we say, the worst-case scenario is that three people will be handling this workload, which is still far better than our current situation."
"Besides, I've heard that guy is a notorious slacker. It's a miracle if he shows up on time even three days a month. Once he can't stand it anymore, he'll probably consider revising our sentence or reducing our work hours himself, without us even having to ask."
Under the immense pressure of her workload, Furina's mind had never felt so clear. After she finished explaining her plan, Focalors was so stunned her jaw hung open.
"So? This plan works, right?!"
"Furina, you're an absolute genius!"
Hearing Focalors' praise, Furina tilted her head back smugly.
"Let's summon that bastard right now and give him a taste of overtime!"
"No problem! I'll go get him!"
Focalors excitedly slammed her pen on the desk and stood up.
Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside.
Focalors froze, staring at the Melusine Secretary who had burst into the room without even knocking, looking completely flustered.
"Strange... I haven't summoned anyone yet?!"
"It's terrible news, Lady Furina, Lady Focalors!"
Seeing the panic-stricken expression on the Secretary's face, Furina and Focalors realized something was seriously wrong and immediately composed themselves.
"What happened?"
In response to Furina's question, the Melusine Secretary quickly relayed the news she had just received.
"Monsieur Ron... he's been kidnapped!"