"Huh?"
Only then did the group turn toward her, standing off to the side with a faint smile.
"You—"
"I'll go," Yelan said, cutting in smoothly.
"No, no—I'm clearly the better choice! I'm a half-adeptus—"
"I'm the one responsible for investigations—"
"And I'm an oni from Inazuma!"
"…Enough."
Her voice cut through the noise like a blade.
"Quiet."
The room fell silent instantly.
They all looked at her, each wearing a different expression.
A small smile curved her lips.
"So… you don't trust me?"
"Well…" Itto scratched his cheek. "You did get lost earlier…"
The implication hung in the air.
She turned to the other two.
"And you?"
Yanfei instinctively nodded—then immediately shook her head halfway through.
"No! Not at all! Please don't misunderstand!"
"Same here," Yelan added calmly.
…They absolutely did think so.
She let out a quiet sigh.
"Fine. Getting lost was my fault. But I just got here—I'm not familiar with how the Fantastic Compass works. Taking a wrong turn isn't exactly surprising."
No one argued.
"So," she continued, "this has to be me."
Her tone shifted—firmer now.
"You already know what I am, so I won't pretend otherwise. This place is dangerous."
Her gaze swept across them.
"Even a full adeptus might not walk out of here unscathed. A half-adeptus, an oni… or someone with no divine protection at all—"
The ones she singled out lowered their heads.
"This place won't go easy on you just because of who you are. Understood?"
"…Understood."
Her eyes shifted briefly to Shinobu.
"At least someone here knows how to think."
The shrine maiden hesitated, lips parting slightly—but in the end, she said nothing.
She didn't want Lora going in alone.
But she also knew she wouldn't be able to stop her.
With a small gesture, Lora signaled for them to step back.
Then she turned—
and walked toward the door alone.
She paused for a breath.
She couldn't remember what this room was for.
Which only made it more dangerous.
Then—
she pushed the door open.
…
A flash of light.
The world shattered—
and reformed.
…
She was no longer standing.
She was seated.
Before her stretched the grand courtroom of the Opera Epiclese.
A trial was already underway.
And the ones standing at the center—
were Focalors… and Furina.
Her people.
Her family.
Voices echoed through the hall.
Accusations.
Doubt.
Judgment.
Even those she recognized—Neuvillette, the Traveler—stood among them, questioning, condemning.
At the center of it all, Furina trembled.
"I am the Hydro Archon…!"
Her voice cracked.
No one believed her.
Not a single person.
…
Then—
the verdict.
…
The Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale spoke.
A death sentence.
…
The scene shattered.
…
Now—
only two figures remained.
Neuvillette.
And Focalors.
She smiled.
Softly.
Calmly.
Then turned—
and walked toward her end.
…
The blade fell.
…
Light exploded outward.
Water scattered like shattered glass.
And with it—
the authority of the ancient dragon returned.
…
"No… no… this can't—"
Her voice broke.
"This can't be…!"
…
The world collapsed again.
…
Everything vanished.
Focalors.
Furina.
Neuvillette.
Gone.
…
What remained—
was the past.
Far older.
Far deeper.
…
Fontaine.
Long ago.
…
She saw herself.
Not as Lora.
But as Egeria.
…
She saw the birth of the Oceanids.
Saw their wish.
Saw herself grant it—
shaping bodies from the waters of the Primordial Sea.
Turning them into "humans."
…
And then—
punishment.
…
The Heavenly Principles descended.
And with them—
a prophecy.
…
From that moment on—
she carried a secret.
A truth that could never be revealed.
Not to the people she had created.
Not to anyone.
…
So she bore it alone.
…
She sent the "sinners" away—
tasked them with guarding a fracture in the Primordial Sea—
telling the world they were protecting her secret.
But the truth was—
that burden should never have been hers alone.
…
Five hundred years passed.
She died.
…
And the secret—
fell to Focalors.
…
Focalors accepted it.
Struggled.
Searched for a way.
Tried to save Fontaine.
…
But this time—
she failed.
…
The truth was exposed.
Furina was not the Hydro Archon.
The secret reached the heavens.
…
They failed.
…
They failed to deceive the Heavenly Principles.
They failed—
to save Fontaine.
…
The sea erupted.
…
Pale waters surged forth—
endless, unstoppable.
They swallowed the nation whole.
…
People screamed.
Struggled.
Reached for the surface—
for life—
for anything—
…
And then—
they dissolved.
…
Bodies collapsed into water.
Forms unraveled.
Humanity faded.
…
They became Oceanids once more.
…
Voices merged.
Consciousness blurred.
Individuality vanished—
into a single, endless existence.
…
A world—
where the prophecy had come true.
…
"…No."
Her hands trembled.
Then clenched.
Her steps faltered.
The weight of thousands of years crashed down all at once—
too much—
far too much—
…
Power erupted.
…
Water surged outward in a violent explosion—
and the illusion shattered.
…
Outside—
the others had no time to react.
A torrent burst from the room, sweeping everything in its path.
Ushi flailed wildly, letting out panicked cries as he was dragged along.
"What the—?! Where'd all this water come from?!" Itto splashed wildly, completely lost.
As the flood slowly receded, everyone managed to regain their footing.
Yelan glanced around, frowning.
"This isn't groundwater… and there shouldn't be this much of it. This place is sealed."
Yanfei followed her gaze—then froze.
"Look…!"
Ahead—
the room was gone.
Completely erased.
Only Lora remained, standing where it once had been.
Yelan narrowed her eyes slightly.
"…So that was her doing."
Nearby, Itto helped Shinobu to her feet before stepping forward.
"Hey, uh—Your Excellency, you—"
"Boss."
Her voice cut in sharply.
Shinobu grabbed his arm, stopping him before he could get any closer.
"Don't touch her."
"…Uh."
Though confused, he immediately backed off.
The other two stepped forward instead, concern clear in their voices.
"…Are you alright?"