"I... I..." Vaughn's face twisted as he struggled for a moment before finally breaking down. "We had to make Lyney the scapegoat for the serial disappearances of young women. Everything had to be pinned on the Fatui. The higher-ups said this was the perfect chance."
Furina frowned. "That's not what I asked. Who ordered you to do this?!"
"It was... it was that person..."
Before Vaughn could finish, his entire body suddenly began trembling violently.
Lora was the first to notice something was wrong. She immediately leapt onto the stage, rushed to his side, and raised a hand toward him.
Brilliant azure light burst from her palm.
Divine power spread outward, enveloping Vaughn completely as she forcefully separated the Water from the Primordial Sea contaminating him, doing everything she could to preserve his human form.
Neuvillette quickly realized what was happening and immediately joined her.
Working together, the two barely managed to pull Vaughn back from the brink of dissolution.
But this was no different from fighting against the laws of the world itself, and the burden on Lora was immense.
Saving Vaughn was practically the same as recreating an entire person from scratch. In some ways, it was even harder.
She had to preserve not only his body, but every memory and every fragment of his personality.
"Lora, are you all right?" Xianyun asked worriedly.
Zhongyue stepped closer as well, her brows tightly furrowed as she stared at Lora with concern.
Lora's face had turned slightly pale.
Neuvillette frowned and said, "Miss Lora, you should rest for a while."
She shook her head.
"There's no need."
Then she lowered her gaze to Vaughn lying on the floor and coldly demanded, "Speak. Who was it?!"
He still had not fully recovered from the shock. Looking at Lora in panic, he stammered, "It... it was the president of the Confrerie of Cabriere... Mr. Marcel..."
Hearing that name, Neuvillette looked toward Lora and frowned.
"So that's why you specifically asked me to investigate Marcel before?"
"Perhaps that investigation cornered him and forced him into making this desperate move," Lora said with a frown.
She took the victim list from Neuvillette and quickly spotted Aurelie's name among them.
"Bring Marcel in immediately! And there should still be survivors connected to the people on this list. Find them at once!"
Zhongyue patted her chest confidently.
"Leave it to me! No matter where they're hiding, even underground, I'll find them."
After saying that, she turned and headed toward the hole in the stage.
Before jumping down, she glanced back at Neuvillette and quietly muttered, "Kid, you're really not very dragon-like."
Then she leapt into the tunnel and disappeared from the Opera Epiclese.
Neuvillette: "..."
Chaya: "..."
Xianyun pressed a hand to her forehead, while Lora let out a helpless sigh.
The Gardes were already dealing with the situation onstage.
Lora turned toward the audience below and said calmly, "Everyone, you've all seen it for yourselves. Water from the Primordial Sea can dissolve Fontainians. From now on, be extremely careful. Do not come into contact with any suspicious water."
Hearing her warning, the crowd hurriedly nodded.
Even though Lora's public identity was merely Furina's bodyguard, everyone instinctively trusted her words.
After the audience had completely dispersed, Furina finally walked down from the VIP section, still shaken as she stared at the spot where Vaughn had nearly dissolved.
Seeing her troubled expression, Lora gently rubbed her head.
"Don't think too much about it. Let's go home."
"Okay..." Furina obediently nodded.
At that moment, Lyney and Lynette approached them.
The siblings hesitated for a moment before speaking to Lora and Lumine.
"We're sorry. We hid our identities as members of the Fatui because we hoped you wouldn't hold it against us. We know the Fatui's reputation across the continent..."
"But don't you think we'd care even more after finding out this way?" Lora asked in return.
Then she added, "I personally don't mind. You can explain things properly to Lumine later."
After saying that, Lora left the main hall together with Furina, leaving Lumine and Paimon behind to continue talking with the siblings.
As they reached the entrance, Lora noticed someone following behind them.
She discreetly glanced back before quietly saying to Furina, "Can you wait for me outside the Opera Epiclese? Stay near the Fountain of Lucine and don't run around."
Furina looked at her strangely.
"What are you planning to do?"
"Just listen to me," Lora replied.
Furina blinked. Though she had no idea what Lora intended, she still obediently nodded.
"All right... but come out quickly."
Once Furina had left, Lora finally turned around and looked behind her.
"Sneaking around like that isn't exactly what good people do. You can come out now. Furina's already gone."
After hearing Lora's words, the person secretly following her finally stepped out.
The woman smiled brightly and greeted her.
"My, my, you really are impressive, Miss. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Navia, president of the Spina di Rosula. And these two are Silver and Melus."
"You need something from me?" Lora asked.
Navia nodded and stepped closer.
"There's something I want to ask you. Is the real mastermind behind the serial disappearances of young women truly Marcel, just as Vaughn claimed?"
"What do you think?" Lora asked instead of answering directly.
Navia frowned slightly.
"It's hard for me to believe... no matter what, Marcel was still my father's friend..."
"The word 'friend' isn't always as wonderful as people think," Lora said softly as she looked at Navia.
Navia nodded.
"I understand. If he truly is the culprit, then that would finally clear my father's name... Thank you very much, Miss Lora."
As she spoke, she bowed deeply.
Watching her, Lora suddenly asked, "The headquarters of the Spina di Rosula is in Poisson, correct?"
Navia froze briefly before nodding.
"Yes. It seems Miss Lora has looked into us before..."
"You need to leave," Lora said directly. "If I remember correctly, the Court of Fontaine already sent a warning to Poisson some time ago, didn't they?"
Navia nodded again.
"Yes. Some time ago, the Court of Fontaine did notify the people of Poisson, hoping we would relocate to higher ground. But most people there have lived in Poisson for generations, so very few are willing to leave."
"Then leave now," Lora said as she looked at Navia.
"This time, it's no longer optional."