[The Church, the Pope's office.]
[Navia stood before Kael, her slender body trembling uncontrollably.]
[After the recent Trial, the injustice suppressed in Navia's heart finally boiled over.]
[Accompanied by Lumine, she sought out Kael to demand the truth about what happened three years ago.]
["My father, Callas... Your Holiness should still remember him, right?"]
["Three years ago, before the Trial, my father requested a private meeting with you."]
["Immediately after, he stepped into a duel against Clorinde and died by her hand."]
["I want to know exactly what was said between you two back then. What did you say to my father?"]
[Navia never believed her father would murder a friend.]
[Furthermore, that case was riddled with suspicious points.]
[According to the clues from that year, Callas fired two shots to kill his friend.]
[However, one detail had caught Navia's attention.]
[A complete set of clothing was left at the scene.]
[The situation was identical to the people dissolved in the Opera Epiclese, where only clothes remained.]
[This forced Navia to suspect that someone else was present at the scene besides her father.]
[Perhaps that person shot her father's friend and was then silenced with Primordial Seawater.]
[Just like how the officer Vaughn was silenced.]
Paimon: "No wonder the Navia of that life helped us. Her grudge against Kael was because her father went to see him right before he died."
Clorinde: "I always respected Mr. Callas's character."
Jean: "So, what was the outcome of that case?"
Clorinde: "Just as Navia suspected in that life, the person who killed Mr. Callas's close friend was the one dissolved at the scene."
Wriothesley: "So Navia blamed her father's death on Kael, the last person Callas spoke to?"
Venti: "I thought Kael, as the Pope of Fontaine, would be living the high life. Now it seems he's dealing with constant trouble."
Neuvillette: "Sigh, The Knave hasn't even made her appearance yet."
Arlecchino: "Hmph!"
Tartaglia: "What's going on?"
Arlecchino: "It's nothing. I simply applied pressure to Fontaine in my capacity as a Fatui Harbinger of Snezhnaya."
Arlecchino: "But looking at it now, it seems my past self won't find it so easy to make a move."
["It must have been you who sent him to his death, wasn't it?"]
["He must have come to you privately before the Trial because he trusted and respected you, believing you could help him."]
["Wasn't it...?"]
[Navia's face flushed with agitation, her voice growing louder.]
["But you betrayed his trust and made him plead guilty."]
["My father, Callas, was unwilling to admit to murdering his friend, so he was forced into a duel with Clorinde."]
["In the end, he died bearing the name 'Callas the Unfaithful'."]
["And during the last Trial, you intervened forcefully. To protect so-called divine authority, you used underhanded methods to swap out the thief from Mondstadt."]
["Enough!" Clorinde shouted indignantly. "Navia, watch your tone."]
["You are speaking to the Pope."]
["Without actual evidence, your words could easily be defined as an insult to the Pope."]
["A desecration of the divine."]
["Based on what you just said alone, you could be thrown into the Fortress of Meropide."]
[This...]
[Clorinde's outburst sent Paimon stumbling back in fear.]
[Lumine was equally stunned.]
[She never imagined the Church in Fontaine possessed such immense power.]
[At least in Mondstadt, they never felt the Church had such significance.]
Barbara: "..."
Lumine: "This... we'd have to find Barbatos for that..."
["Forget it, Clorinde."]
[Kael waved his hand, signaling Clorinde to stop.]
["I think it's best if Miss Navia comes with me."]
["To where?"]
["The Fortress of Meropide."]
["What!" Paimon and Lumine were instantly shocked.]
[Lumine stepped directly in front of Navia, shielding her.]
["Is the Pope planning to declare Navia guilty without even a Trial?"]
[Lumine glared coldly at Kael.]
[She looked ready to draw her blade at the slightest provocation.]
Kaeya: "Alright, here comes the good part. Lumine is about to cross swords with Kael."
Tartaglia: "Now that fits Lumine's battle-hungry personality."
Diluc: "I can only say she's truly a Traveler wanted by several nations. Drawing a sword against the Pope in Fontaine?"
Lumine: "Wait a minute, what do you mean 'battle-hungry personality'? I'm not battle-hungry at all!"
Venti: "But Lumine, you clearly said you fought Dvalin, Osial, the Raiden Shogun, Shouki no Kami, the All-Devouring Narwhal..."
Zhongli: "She did seem to say that."
Lumine: "Nonsense! I was just talking gibberish because I drank too much. I've always been a gentle and cute girl."
Aether: "I can testify. It's true that my sister is gentle, and it's also true that Kael is a master of manipulation."
Lumine: "Brother, you only needed to say the first half. You can swallow the second half."
Clorinde: "Why does Mr. Kael want to take Navia to the Fortress of Meropide?"
Wriothesley: "Wild guess—Callas probably isn't dead and is currently in the Fortress of Meropide."
Navia: "What? My father didn't die in that life?"
["The Traveler, is it?"]
[Kael glanced at Lumine.]
["Rest assured. I guarantee that however Navia goes in, she will come out completely unharmed."]
["You only need to wait quietly."]
["Besides, I am personally taking her to the Fortress of Meropide. If something goes wrong, wouldn't the finger be pointed straight at me?"]
[Lumine and Paimon exchanged a look and nodded simultaneously after hearing Kael's explanation.]
["I think Kael is right," Paimon analyzed. "If he takes Navia to the Fortress of Meropide in broad daylight and she doesn't come out, people will definitely start talking."]
["The Pope shouldn't be a fool."]
[Paimon and Lumine followed Kael to the entrance of the Fortress of Meropide.]
[The two were asked to wait at the gate.]
[Kael and Clorinde led Navia into the Fortress of Meropide.]
[After passing Wriothesley's office, they arrived at a clean secret room.]
[The person living inside was none other than Navia's father, Callas, who had supposedly died three years ago.]
Spina di Rosula.
Navia's eyes instantly welled up with tears as she saw her father on the screen again.
It was just as they had guessed.
In the past life where Kael served as the Pope of Fontaine, her father, Callas, was indeed still alive.
Paimon: "This... what exactly is going on?"
Amber: "Yeah, even in the past life, didn't Navia say her father died in a duel with Clorinde?"
Eula: "The Fontaine Champion Duelist Clorinde in the past life was Kael's subordinate. She must have been ordered to hold back during the duel."
Clorinde: "I suspect that's the case. In the past life, Uncle Callas must have listened to Mr. Kael's idea and staged a fake death with me."
Wriothesley: "Hey, hey, this doesn't seem like a good thing. This is a challenge to Fontaine's justice."
Neuvillette: "Ahem, didn't the Duke of the past life also receive orders to execute Dugier in the Fortress of Meropide?"
Wriothesley: "That was Clorinde's handiwork."
Clorinde: "..."
["This..."]
[Seeing Callas, who had been dead for three years, Navia couldn't believe her eyes for a moment.]
[Kael gestured for Clorinde and Wriothesley to leave, giving the father and daughter time for a private meeting.]
["Navia..."]
["Father, is it really you?"]
[Navia's voice choked with tears, unable to believe what she was seeing.]
["What is going on? How are you..."]
["Sigh..."]
[Not having seen his daughter for three years, Callas gently stroked Navia's head with affection.]
[Upon learning that Navia had rushed to The Church to confront Kael.]
[Callas let out a deep sigh. "You were foolish, Navia."]
["If the Lord Pope hadn't suggested I fake my death and helped treat me back then..."]
["Even if I hadn't died at Clorinde's hands, I would have succumbed to my illness."]
["So, about your illness..." Navia asked anxiously.]
["Only Melus knew," Callas smiled. "It seems he kept it hidden well and hasn't told you until now."]
["By the way, Father."]
["What exactly happened back then?"]
[Navia desperately wanted to know the answer.]
["Back then..."]
["Since you've already impulsively confronted the Pope, I can't keep it from you any longer."]
[Callas recounted the entire case from three years ago to Navia.]
["You have no idea how I felt, watching with my own eyes as the murderer of my friend turned into a puddle of water."]
["I was terrified."]
["How could a person turn into water?"]
["Moreover, at that time, I learned that those people had targeted you."]
["I spread word that I had uncovered their secrets. If anything happened to you, I would make everything public."]
[Callas gave a bitter smile. "In truth, I was only bluffing. I didn't have any reliable information."]
["Because of that, they viewed me as a major threat and framed me."]
["So, Father, did you tell the Lord Pope about humans turning into water?" Navia pressed.]
[No wonder everyone was shocked by Vaughn's death that time, yet Kael only frowned slightly.]
[She had thought it was just the composure of someone in a high position, but now it seemed he had known all along.]
Clorinde: "It seems Mr. Kael knew about these things as far back as when he was in contact with René and the others."
Wriothesley: "I am not sure, but Mr. Kael likely knew about the Fontaine prophecy hundreds of years ago."
["I had no one I could trust."]
["Because no one would believe that a human being could suddenly turn into a puddle of water."]
["I could only tell the Pope. Fortunately, the Pope believed my words; he believed that I was being framed."]
["That is why he had me fake my death and, through a series of maneuvers, brought me to the Fortress of Meropide to be safely tucked away for the time being."]
["Then why..." Navia was about to ask why the Pope did not make this matter public.]
[Then she remembered—no one would believe that humans could turn into water.]
[Once announced, it would trigger immeasurable panic.]
[Just like the current Fontaine, which appeared calm and tranquil on the surface.]
[In reality, dark undercurrents were surging.]
[Coupled with that idle deity, when the time came...]
["In the end, was the Pope really doing all this just to protect the Hydro Archon, Furina?"]
[Navia's expression was filled with melancholy.]
[Even now, while the people were gripped by anxiety, the Hydro Archon Furina still maintained her carefree demeanor.]
["Sigh, since His Holiness the Pope believed that Father was innocent, why didn't he send anyone to capture the real culprit?"]
["He wasn't caught?" Callas was stunned. "I told the Pope back then that Marcel was very likely the mastermind behind everything."]
["In three years, did His Holiness not find any evidence to bring him to trial?"]
["No." Navia narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly. "In these three years, I haven't heard of a single issue regarding Marcel. He is still living quite well in Fontaine."]
["Why?" Callas looked somewhat dazed.]
[He could not understand. With Pope Kael's methods, how could he fail to find evidence against Marcel?]
[Could it be that everything was just his own conjecture, and Marcel wasn't the culprit behind the serial disappearances of young women?]
[He pondered it over and over.]
[Callas sighed softly. "The Pope is not a god, after all. He has worked hard enough all these years. If the people of Fontaine have to rely on him even for a disappearance case like this, it would be far too much to ask."]
[Hearing this, Navia suddenly perked up.]
["Father is right. I remember that His Holiness was not originally from Fontaine, yet he has contributed so much to our nation."]
["We, the people of Fontaine, cannot always rely on the Pope. There are some things we must accomplish ourselves."]
['It is all because the Hydro Archon does nothing. Sigh.']
['His Holiness has truly suffered. I even shouted at him earlier; thinking back on it now, I feel so ashamed.']
Clorinde: "Strange. Why didn't Mr. Kael arrest Marcel?"
Neuvillette: "Without definitive evidence, it is indeed very difficult to determine someone's guilt."
Navia: "Marcel is indeed an old fox. In fact, if Lumine hadn't pointed out that he was Vacher and mentioned hearing someone call out Vacher's name at the Fountain of Lucine—which brought out Vacher's dissolved lover and caused his emotional collapse and confession—the evidence in that trial wouldn't have been enough to convict him."
Kaeya: "So Vacher's confession was a result of your psychological warfare, causing him to admit his crimes himself, rather than the evidence you held in your hands."
Aether: "When all is said and done, it's still a lack of ability on Kael's part. Sigh, my future brother-in-law, you're just not up to the task."
Yae Miko: "My dear brother-in-law, as for whether Kael's 'ability' is up to the task, you'll have to ask Lumine."
Aether: "What does this have to do with Lumine? If Kael couldn't figure it out, that's his problem."
Kael: "Cough, cough, cough..."
Lumine: "What are you coughing for? Do you want a drink of Primordial Seawater, darling?"
Paimon: "I have a new theory. I think Kael knew what Marcel was doing, but perhaps he was intentionally letting him be."
Navia: "What? What would be Mr. Kael's reason for letting him go..."
Paimon: "Think about it. Kael heard about the Prophecy of Destruction from René. Back then, René and the others were experimenting on how to save the people of Fontaine, but they never considered why Fontainians dissolve in Primordial Seawater. Kael might be taking the opposite approach, wanting to solve the root of the problem."
Lisa: "Are you saying that Mr. Kael wanted to know why Fontainians dissolve? If he solves the dissolution problem, then even if the great flood occurs, he would have a way to save Fontaine."
Paimon: "Exactly. Kael likely thought that way. Since Marcel's girlfriend was dissolved, he was single-mindedly researching the issue. So, Kael turned a blind eye and didn't take the initiative to arrest him."
Navia: "What! Then... if that's the case..."
Everyone was stunned.
If it was truly as Paimon said, then hadn't Kael essentially sacrificed the lives of those young women?
Paimon: "Sigh, just as Uncle Callas said, Kael isn't a god. I think his argument with Furina might have been related to this. He needed the most vital information, but unfortunately, no one was helping him."
Dottore: "To trade a small number of sacrifices for the hope of turning the tide... it seems sacrifice is necessary."
Dvalin: "Sigh, to think there is actually a deity even more unreliable than Barbatos."
Furina: "..."