Looking at Weil Mang, who had his head bowed, Yuto took a deep breath, then slowly closed his eyes.
Today's events once again confirmed his earlier thoughts.
Before he had the power to contend with the world, even if he knew that many disasters and tragedies would occur in this world, he was helpless.
Even if he reinforced the legal barriers against lesse, even if he mobilized all the Melusine who would obey him to search for Vasher and lesse... he still couldn't prevent Audrey's demise.
Thinking of this, Yuto sighed softly, already planning to find Neuvillette tonight to test that set of procedures.
And just as Yuto was arranging things for the evening... Paimon scratched her head and somewhat sheepishly raised a question.
"Although I think this is a bit impolite, I still want to ask..."
"According to Weil Mang's narration just now, that so-called 'mysterious person' had no reason to harm Audrey, right? Why did something like this happen?"
"Also, Polo told us earlier... Audrey's demise was related to the Serial Disappearance of Young Girls, but it seems... these two matters don't have much connection?"
Hearing Paimon's words, everyone present fell into a strange silence.
From the information they had gathered so far... Weil Mang's words contained significant loopholes and completely mismatched the investigation results of Polo and the Marechaussee Phantom.
Could it be... that there was some other hidden truth to this matter? Or was this just the beginning?
Feeling the suspicious gazes of the crowd, Weil Mang fell into a long silence, only speaking after a moment:
"The day after I handed those vulgar scripts to Group leader Audrey, that guy came to me and asked me what I had considered and if I was willing to cooperate with them."
"Just as I was thinking about how to refuse him... Group leader Audrey suddenly walked in from outside the door and took responsibility for the matter herself."
"She righteously refused that person and returned those scripts to him on the spot."
At this point, Weil Mang took a deep breath, as if the words he was about to say were constantly attacking his psychological defenses.
"As a result, that guy thought we were going back on our word, and using the fact that we had already browsed the scripts, he claimed we had violated his business privacy and information security, demanding high compensation for it..."
"At that time, he gave Group leader Audrey two choices: first, compensation, and second... to become his slave..."
Hearing this, Furina's eyes suddenly widened, her pupils rapidly contracting, as if she had heard something unbelievable.
"Huh??? Become... a slave?!"
Paimon's shocked voice echoed through the mountains, as if the astonishment she expressed was not just her own, but that of everyone present.
"Exactly... The reason that guy brought us those vulgar scripts was actually to plot against Group leader Audrey, wanting to use such means to make her submit."
"Group leader Audrey certainly didn't want to submit, so she chose the first option, saying she would raise as much money as possible to give him, with the only condition being that he not harm the other members of the troupe."
"That man agreed without hesitation. At the time, I still thought this person could at least be reasoned with, but now it seems... he was just confident."
Upon hearing this, Polo's face, which had some color, instantly turned pale, and his legs began to tremble, almost causing him to stumble and fall onto the lawn.
"A-and then..."
Looking at the pale-faced Polo, Weil Mang sighed softly, then continued:
"As the payment deadline approached, that guy became increasingly difficult to deal with, basically coming to Group leader Audrey every day to pressure her, wanting to achieve his goal faster."
"Under such circumstances, I had already figured out what I should do: either perish with that guy, or just watch Group leader Audrey become a plaything."
"But when I intended to do that, Group leader Audrey stopped me. She said this was trouble brought by the troupe, not my fault."
"She also told me... that guy was coming for her, and as the center of the incident, she naturally had a way to handle it."
"At the time, I was still a bit surprised, unable to think of any way for Group leader Audrey to successfully resolve this matter."
"It wasn't until that morning, when Group leader Audrey very calmly told us to leave Fontaine first, that I knew what she intended to do."
"She wanted to exchange her life... for our safety."
Weil Mang slowly closed his eyes, then said in a somewhat low voice:
"It was then that I understood the true meaning of that sentence—as long as she died, that guy wouldn't continue to trouble the troupe, or us..."
Before Weil Mang could finish, Polo was already losing control of his emotions.
He took a few quick strides to Weil Mang's front, first punching Weil Mang hard in the face, then grabbing his collar and roaring loudly:
"You bastard! You knew she was in danger! Why wouldn't you say anything?!"
"It had already reached that point, what were you afraid of?! You should have let us save her?!"
"Do you know how ridiculous what you did was?!"
Polo's eyes turned blood red, like a beast ready to devour someone.
He had originally thought this outcome was due to external pressure or being inexplicably chosen by that beast named Vasher, but it turned out to be because of an internal traitor in the troupe?
Looking at the almost frantic Polo, Weil Mang slightly closed his eyes, then shouted as if giving up:
"So what, I'm the one who killed Audrey, are you satisfied?!"
"You bastard!!!"
Polo said, intending to swing another punch at Weil Mang, wanting to vent the anger in his heart.
But... this punch did not directly hit Weil Mang's face; instead, it was blocked by a sudden lightning barrier.
Bang—
Accompanied by a crisp sound of shattering glass in their ears, Yuto, who had been standing on the outermost edge, had also arrived beside the two of them at some point.
Perhaps because they were somewhat surprised by the sudden appearance of the barrier, both of them froze for a moment, clearly a bit... at a loss.
Yuto, taking advantage of their momentary Stunned (daze), easily separated the two with a slight effort, then stood between them and said:
"Mr.s, please calm down. Even if you kill each other now, the matter won't be resolved."
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