"But the Heavenly Principles is merciful."
"So we still have a chance to atone for our sins."
Furina looked at Neuvillette as she spoke.
Neuvillette pondered for a moment. "In other words, the priority now is to recognize our mistakes and correct them. I have no objections."
Even if he were to say that his ultimate goal was to judge the Heavenly Principles itself...
After the recent incident where the Binding Domain enveloped the entire world, the clarity in his eyes became unmistakable.
What would becoming the Complete Dragon even matter?
Still feeling full of yourself?
No, no, not anymore.
I've learned my lesson, please spare me!
Besides, it was only ever a slogan to begin with.
Just like how Furina used to boast in the past, saying things like, 'As the God of Justice, I can even judge the deities of other nations.'
But if another nation's archon actually showed up...
Do you think Furina would dare?
Same logic applies here.
Moreover, upon hearing that Fontaine could still be saved, Neuvillette became even more proactive than Furina and Focalors themselves.
Before Focalors could even continue speaking, he was already deep in thought.
"From what you're saying, it seems the Heavenly Principles no longer intends to hold the people of Fontaine accountable for their original sin. From now on, they should truly be able to live as humans. That way, all our efforts won't have been in vain."
"Mmhmm." Similarly, Focalors was quite pleased.
"However, if Fontaine ceases to exist, even if everyone becomes human, it would be pointless."
Neuvillette cut straight to the heart of the matter.
"Therefore, our primary task is to find a way to reconstruct the destroyed Divine Throne. To restore the Hydro Archon—that is, you—to your position."
"Furina could serve as the Hydro Archon too. In fact... she might be even more suited for the role than I am." Focalors glanced toward Furina.
Furina hastily waved her hands and shook her head. "No, thank you! I... I just retired... I don't want to be the Hydro Archon again!"
"Alright, alright~" Focalors was incredibly indulgent toward Furina.
This other version of herself was like a younger sister to her.
However, reconstructing the divine throne was easier said than done. In reality, it was an immensely difficult task.
After all, the original Seven Archons were merely chosen by the Heavenly Principles after the Thrones were created, and they simply ascended to them.
What principles governed their creation?
How would they know?!
In fact, the fact that Kiana hadn't told Focalors about the composition of the Hydro Archon's throne was a bit of a mischievous trick on her part.
To make things a little more challenging for them.
If everything could proceed step-by-step with a clear guidebook, would it even count as a punishment? There had to be limits to how much one could go easy on them.
Focalors knew this.
Furina knew it too.
Neuvillette was also aware.
So they all tacitly avoided mentioning it, choosing instead to figure it out on their own.
It was known that the Hydro Archon's throne was connected to the Archon's authority.
Back then, Focalors used the massive amount of energy accumulated over five hundred years to summon a guillotine, ending her own life and destroying the Hydro Archon's throne.
What was released from it was the ancient dragon's authority of the Hydro Dragon Sovereign.
If you thought about it from this angle...
The primary component of the Hydro Archon's throne should be the ancient authority of the Hydro Dragon.
This also revealed that the essence of the Seven Archons' thrones was the ancient authority of the seven elemental dragon sovereigns. And the Archons' Gnoses were the remains of the Third Descender.
One belonged to the world's former native rulers.
The other was a unique existence. In a sense, both had the function of stabilizing the elements and suppressing the ley lines.
It made a certain amount of sense.
The Archons' main role was to gather faith and, in doing so, activate the throne's functions.
It was also a form of suppression.
However!
They were the administrators, not mere tools.
"I... can return the ancient dragon's authority." Neuvillette showed little hesitation, his tone resolute.
To be honest, as the newly born Hydro Dragon Sovereign, he was inherently incomplete. But precisely because of this incompleteness, he instinctively yearned for the Hydro Dragon's authority.
He had never considered it before, but Focalors did return the ancient dragon's authority to him, making him whole again.
So one could imagine how important the Hydro Dragon's authority was to Neuvillette. If there had been no hope of obtaining it, he might have resigned himself to its lack.
But how many people, once they had obtained something so precious, would be willing to give it up again?
Yet at this moment, Neuvillette was utterly serious. It didn't seem like an impulsive decision at all.
Although Focalors had considered this possibility, she was still mindful of Neuvillette's feelings. How could one ask for a gift to be returned?
However, Neuvillette had precisely perceived her concerns, which is why he brought it up himself.
"Don't hesitate, Focalors."
Neuvillette spoke calmly, without any trace of reluctance.
It was clear that he wasn't being forced by circumstances; he had made this decision himself.
He said, "I must admit, your calculations over the past five hundred years were successful. I used to believe that my most important pursuit was the ancient dragon's authority. But when it truly returned to me, I found... I wasn't happy."
He said, "I love Fontaine. I love its people. I love every corner of this land..."
"Just as you could calmly face death for the sake of Fontaine's people, I too can give up my most precious possession for this nation."
"Moreover!"
"Perhaps it never should have been mine to begin with."
"I was born as an incomplete dragon. Maybe... it was precisely this flaw that allowed us to meet, that brought me to Fontaine, and without me even realizing it, gave me a place to call home..."
"But you must understand!"
Focalors looked intently at Neuvillette. "Returning it is easy, but severing it from yourself would be a monumental task. More importantly, even if you succeeded, you would be severely wounded. The cost would far outweigh the gain."
She and Furina stopped beating around the bush.
They directly explained the plan the two of them had previously discussed.
"As long as we have the ancient dragon's authority, we can forge a divine throne. Since the authority resides within you, why not use you as the foundation to create a throne that belongs solely to you?"
"The problem with this approach, however, is that you would likely have to remain Fontaine's Hydro Archon forever. It couldn't be changed, nor could it be passed on to anyone else."
"But..." Furina looked at Neuvillette with encouragement.
She was pleased. "Neuvillette, you have always, always been the Chief Justice. In truth, you seemed more suited to the role of Hydro Archon than I ever was. I only helped with some decisions; you were the one who handled the real work."
"If you could become the Hydro Archon... wouldn't that be truly deserving?"
Furina smiled.
Neuvillette, however, seemed hesitant.
He weighed his words, then shook his head.
"If the ancient dragon's authority is separated from me again, I'll only suffer some injuries. I can recover with time; it's not a major issue."
"On the contrary, Fontaine is already burdened with sin. The crime of destroying the Hydro Archon's throne, like a traitor undermining the system of the Seven Archons, has directly or indirectly affected the entire world. None of this can be treated as if it never happened."
"Furthermore, allowing a remnant of the old order to become one of the Seven Archons..."
"No matter how you look at it, it just doesn't seem right, does it?"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
20+ advanced chaps on my patreon.
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.