TN: And we're back! sorry for the week long hiatus, it was not intentional since I had to get my right leg in a cast after tripping 3 floors down a stairwell (like an idiot ://) and be unable to use my PC setup upstairs BUT I should be OK now.
Anyways, Thanks for Arcanic Madness, WeissAkumu and WolfWTF for becoming as Supporters!
===BREAK===
As soon as they entered the lounge, Yanfei could no longer suppress the anger boiling inside her, and she lashed out at Lyney and Lynette in a furious rant.
"I made it very clear yesterday that you were required to tell me everything without holding anything back. Yet something as critically important as your identities—you actually kept that from me!"
Lyney knew he was in the wrong. He slowly lowered his head, guilt written all over his face, and admitted, "I… I truly had no choice. Miss Yanfei, as someone from Liyue, you should know better than anyone what kind of reputation the Fatui have."
Hearing this, Yanfei muttered irritably, "I'm starting to regret agreeing to be your legal representative…"
Lyney's heart clenched at those words, and he hurriedly said, "Miss Yanfei, you're not actually going to abandon us like this, are you?!"
Yanfei's earlier words had only been spoken in a moment of anger. As a professional legal consultant, her sense of duty was always firmly rooted in her heart.
Gritting her teeth, she steeled herself and decided to continue handling this troublesome case.
She took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and said to Lyney, "Alright, alright. I was just venting."
"But since we're in recess right now, hurry up and tell me everything you did on stage, from beginning to end. Especially when you were hiding inside the magic box—what exactly were you doing?"
Faced with Yanfei's stern questioning, the pressure on Lyney mounted. Left with no choice, he honestly confessed the truth.
Using the magic performance as cover, he had secretly gone to investigate the mysterious core beneath the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale.
After learning what Lyney had truly been doing during the performance, Yanfei used this as evidence to provide him with an alibi once the recess ended.
The moment Furina heard that Lyney had been investigating the core beneath the Oratrice, she interrupted in alarm, "Wait a moment—Lyney, you were secretly approaching the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale! That's espionage!"
At this point, Neuvillette, seated at the judge's bench, addressed Furina's new accusation with a calm reminder, "Lady Furina, accusing Lyney of spying on the Oratrice is unrelated to this case. If you wish to pursue charges of espionage, please do so after this trial has concluded."
Seeing this, Furina could only temporarily set the matter aside and said to Lyney, "Very well. But after the trial ends, Mr. Lyney, I will continue to pursue espionage charges against you."
...
After that, the trial continued.
Although Lyney secured an alibi by explaining that he had been investigating the core beneath the Oratrice, the final conclusion identified Lyney's magic assistant, Cowell, as the true culprit.
However, regarding the missing girl, Yanfei was unable to draw a clear conclusion based on existing information, so she requested permission to search Cowell's personal belongings for new clues.
Neuvillette then issued an order to search the personal effects of Cowell and the others.
As expected, Vaughn reported that the search uncovered Primordial Seawater and instructions for its use—stating that it could dissolve Fontainians.
Thus, how the girl had disappeared became clear.
But then, Vaughn suddenly added that a test tube of Primordial Seawater had also been found among Lyney's personal belongings.
The moment those words were spoken, an uproar erupted throughout the courtroom.
Seeing the opportunity, Furina immediately seized upon Lyney's identity as a Fatui member and made a spectacle of it.
She accused Lyney of being in league with Cowell, claiming that after dissolving the girl, Lyney knocked Cowell unconscious and stuffed him into the magic box meant to be destroyed, all to frame him.
After all, incidents of the Fatui turning on one another for personal gain were hardly unheard of.
Seeing that Yanfei was still unable to present new decisive evidence or a clear logical argument to prove Lyney's innocence, Neuvillette solemnly addressed her once more before formally announcing the verdict.
"If no further evidence can be presented at this time, I will render a final judgment based on the facts currently before us."
At this moment, Lyney was already on the verge of losing control. The matter had nothing to do with him, and being forced to accept baseless charges was utterly unacceptable.
His face flushed red as he shouted emotionally, "I'm being framed! I truly have no idea why Primordial Seawater would have another method of use, or why it would appear in my luggage!"
Seated at the plaintiff's side, Furina watched Lyney's helpless state and felt a surge of secret delight.
The corners of her mouth curled upward as she said leisurely, "Heeheehee, just look at you—so powerless, yet still trying to argue."
"What, are you going to claim that the officer responsible for inspecting your luggage—'Vaughn'—slipped it into your bag during the inspection?"
Facing Furina's taunt, Lyney shot back without backing down, "Why should that possibility be excluded? Perhaps that is the truth!"
However, his words only made Furina laugh even harder, to the point her stomach began to ache.
Clutching her abdomen, she mocked him, "Hahaha! How utterly ridiculous! Do you really think anyone would believe such an absurd story? Don't kid yourself!"
"Not only do I not believe you, but neither the audience here, nor Neuvillette, nor the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale would believe such nonsense! You'd best confess and accept your punishment!"
Furina was already envisioning herself defeating Liyue's finest legal consultant.
Even if it didn't compare to defeating Shao Yun's group, it would still be a sensational victory.
With that thought, Furina cast a subtle glance toward the Oratrice, preparing to savor the final outcome of the trial.
Just as the Oratrice's scales had tilted heavily against Lyney and conviction seemed imminent—
Navia, Fontaine's most influential patron, burst onto the scene and shouted, "Wait! We've discovered something new!"
Immediately after, Navia appeared with the girl who was supposed to have vanished—"Halsay," whose real name was Liliane.
With the girl's clarification, it was confirmed that Lyney had indeed been framed. Cowell had acted alone, and everything Lyney said was true.
In the end, just as Lyney had claimed, it was the security officer Vaughn who had secretly planted the test tube of Primordial Seawater in Lyney's luggage.
However, when questioning Vaughn about who the mastermind was, he suddenly dissolved into a puddle of water in full view of everyone.
Thus, the case accusing Lyney came to an end with Vaughn's silencing through dissolution.
...
Back in the present.
Navia and Yanfei finished recounting everything that had happened in the courtroom to Shao Yun's group.
Navia stroked her chin and said, "That's the general flow of the trial. Who would have thought it would ultimately be connected to that chilling series of missing girls?"
"And even more terrifying—the victims actually dissolved in water. It seems that prophecy was real."
Compared to Navia's focus on the dissolved victims, Lumine and Paimon were thinking about something else entirely.
After hearing the account of the trial, Paimon pressed a hand to her forehead and muttered softly, "So that's how it was… I still can't believe Lyney and Lynette are Fatui… mm…"
Then, as if suddenly realizing something, she snapped her head up, turned toward Shao Yun, and showed a deeply apologetic expression.
"Shao Yun, I'm sorry. I don't even know why I'm apologizing, but deep down, I just feel like I should."
At the same time, Lumine showed little curiosity about the verdict itself. She, too, was deeply shaken by Lyney and Lynette's true identities.
Her eyes widened as she murmured in disbelief, "Lyney and Lynette are actually Fatui…"
Then Lumine glanced at Shao Yun, a complicated look in her eyes, and said softly, "Looks like we really stayed up late last night. Missing the trial… might actually count as a blessing in disguise."
As she finished speaking, Lumine gently reached out and stroked Shao Yun's cheek, saying apologetically, "I'm really sorry about that slap this morning. I acted too impulsively…"
Looking at Lumine and Paimon, Shao Yun felt secretly relieved that he had successfully spared them from witnessing Lyney and Lynette's revelation firsthand.
He shrugged casually and smiled, replying, "Hey, it's fine. You could say it turned out to be a good thing after all."
Navia, standing nearby, was no fool. Hearing their exchange, she immediately understood that Shao Yun and Lumine had likely shared some intimacy the night before.
Feeling slightly awkward, she coughed lightly a few times to break the atmosphere and said, "Ahem… well, since the trial is over, do you have any other plans? If there's nothing urgent…"
She deliberately paused, waiting for their response.
Shao Yun exchanged a knowing look with Lumine, then replied tactfully, "Sorry, we do have something important to discuss with Mr. Neuvillette, so we're a bit pressed for time."
Hearing that they had matters to attend to, Navia naturally didn't want to delay them.
"I see. That's no problem. But if you find some free time later, could you visit the Spina di Rosula base near the Grey Canal? I do have some important things I'd like to discuss with you."
Upon hearing this, Paimon nodded and replied, "Mm! Grey Canal, right? If we have time, we'll definitely come by."
With that mutual understanding reached, the two groups parted ways at the entrance of the opera house.
Shao Yun, Lumine, Paimon, and Yanfei entered the Opera Epiclese together.
Inside, Eula—who had been working nonstop for an entire day and night—was sitting on a sofa, looking visibly fatigued.
Taking advantage of this rare moment of rest, she had intended to catch up on her studies.
However, the sudden relaxation after prolonged tension made drowsiness wash over her uncontrollably.
"Ugh… I'm so tired… I really want to go home and sleep properly… No, I can't. I still need to keep going and prepare for the exams…"
As Eula muttered to herself while forcing herself to stay alert, Yanfei spotted her at once.
Yanfei turned back to bid farewell to Shao Yun's group.
"I'll go find Eula now. Let's meet again next time. Bye-bye!"
With that, she turned and walked toward Eula.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side, Charlotte was fully engrossed in organizing her draft reports.
She clutched the manuscript tightly, her eyes sparkling.
"Wow—this is huge news! I need to write the official report right away. Totally worth camping overnight at the Opera Epiclese to get firsthand information!"
Seeing how absorbed and excited Charlotte was, Paimon shook her head helplessly.
"Looks like Charlotte's really busy. We shouldn't disturb her."
With that, Paimon quietly led Lumine and Shao Yun away.
...
On the trial stage of the Opera Epiclese, Neuvillette was speaking quietly with Lyney and Lynette.
Although the shocking case had concluded, this was still the crime scene, and by regulation, the opera house would need to remain closed for the next two to three days.
On one hand, this was to preserve crucial evidence; on the other, to conduct thorough maintenance of the entire venue.
As they discussed arrangements, Shao Yun strode onto the stage with arms spread wide, bringing Lumine and Paimon along.
"Hey, Mr. Neuvillette, about that thing you promised me—shouldn't it be time to make good on it?"
Neuvillette turned around and looked calmly at them, saying, "Oh, my apologies. I didn't expect the magic performance to uncover the serial disappearance case and delay our original plans."
Shao Yun replied evenly, "No worries. As they say, good things are worth the wait. Now that everything's settled, perhaps we can…"
As he spoke, Shao Yun pointed toward the exit of the courtroom.
Neuvillette nodded in understanding and said, "No problem. Please wait a moment. I need to arrange some final matters first. Once that's done, I'll personally escort you to the Palais Mermonia."
Shao Yun nodded lightly in agreement.
"Alright, we'll follow your lead."
===BREAK===
Like the story and want more chapters?
Join and support me by joining my Patreon!
[email protected]/SiRoasa