"Before that banquet even began, the Boss already knew about the connection between Sinthe and the serial disappearances of young women."
"But the reason the conflict between the two sides erupted so suddenly was because you, Milady, were chosen as the next target for the disappearances."
"What?" Navia froze instantly upon hearing this.
Melus sighed and continued, "The Boss didn't tell you that he had contracted a rare illness. The doctors said he had no more than five years left to live, and the serial disappearances had caused him severe anxiety."
"Five years was nowhere near enough time to resolve such a long-standing dispute. But if the Boss's condition worsened, you would be left exposed to danger, Milady."
Melus gave a bitter smile. "So, he decided to use the information he already had as a form of deterrence. He claimed to possess key evidence of their crimes and informed certain people within the syndicate. As long as you remained safe and unharmed, he would not make that evidence public."
"However, if you were to disappear, then he—or others who knew the secret—would immediately expose everything regarding Sinthe and the disappearances."
"In other words... a desperate gamble where both sides perish," Navia muttered, biting her lip.
"As it turns out, the threat was effective." Melus nodded and continued, "Even now, with the Boss gone, the opposition hasn't laid a finger on you."
Navia grew agitated. "I don't believe it! I couldn't tell at all that he was sick! He clearly... he was the same as he always was!"
"No father wants his daughter to see him weak and dying, especially someone with the Boss's personality."
Melus shook his head with a wry smile. "To him, dying in a duel with a stained reputation was better than losing face in front of his daughter. Besides, that was his way of protecting you, Milady."
"The opposition wasn't going to let things go just like that. A mere threat wasn't enough to make those lunatics back down. For that, the Boss staked his own life."
"Only by doing this—letting the backbone of Spina di Rosula die, letting us stop investigating the disappearances and Sinthe, and letting our reputation decline until we retreated to Poisson and Fleuve Cendre—could you stay safe. Once they judged that we were no longer capable of interfering and feared the potential evidence, you were finally able to live in peace."
"So he chose to die in silence just to protect me..." Navia clenched her fists tightly. "I can't accept this!"
"Milady, you've misunderstood one thing all along." Melus shook his head. "What he wanted to hand you wasn't an umbrella, but a sword."
"If the Boss were lucky enough to hear you tell me that you want to bring justice to everyone involved, he would surely be very gratified."
"That old man... just how many circles did he intend to run..."
Tears welled up in Navia's eyes. "No, he didn't expect to live to see the day I understood him, which is why he prepared all of this!"
"Does he trust me that much? What if I... simply couldn't make it to that step?"
"The Boss gave you the right to choose," Melus said. "You could have also given up the investigation and lived a life of your own."
"Yeah, maybe. According to his design, if I wanted to, I could have lived a mediocre life forever," Navia lowered her head, her voice choking with emotion. "But fortunately, he rarely shared his inner thoughts with me, so he didn't understand me at all. In this regard, he truly worried too much."
"Melus, what was that key piece of evidence?"
"The location of the facility where Sinthe was produced—essentially the enemy's headquarters. When he threatened them, the Boss didn't actually show them the contents of that trump card."
Melus spread his hands. "But now, that card is completely useless."
"True. That place... was already wiped out by Lady Ei," Navia shook her head with a bitter laugh. "I thought... sigh."
★ ★ ★
"Yes, that is the truth behind why my father preferred the dueling grounds over Meropide," Navia said slowly to the three others in Neuvillette's office. "It was to protect me."
"Meaning Spina di Rosula found Vacher's hideout two years ago?" Neuvillette frowned. "Then why wasn't it reported..."
"Alright, alright, Neuvillette, you should say less," Xia Yu interrupted quickly. If he kept going, Navia would start arguing with him again.
"Is it not clear why Mr. Callas didn't reveal Vacher's hideout?" She pointed to the mountain of files on Neuvillette's desk.
"Look at this. From top to bottom in Fontaine—the Gardes, the Special Security and Surveillance Patrol, even the Marechaussee Phantom and the Palais Mermonia—people have been caught. There were even moles planted inside the Palais itself. Tsk, tsk."
"And the nobility? One Duke, three Earls, and more minor nobles than you can count. With that kind of influence in Fontaine, if Mr. Callas had reported it then, do you really think he would have made it to the duel alive the next day?"
Xia Yu sighed. "Ultimately, this is a systemic corruption within the Fontaine government. It reached a point where the people didn't trust the purity of the state and chose to compromise with criminals instead. Does that sound honorable?"
"And look at what they were trying to do. They planted people in the Palais Mermonia. If this continued, would they eventually know exactly what the Hydro Archon had for breakfast every morning?"
Neuvillette looked at the massive pile of dossiers and fell silent.
To be honest, many involved didn't have a direct connection to the disappearances, nor were they bribed by Vacher. Many nobles were just opportunistic, helping out a small circle of peers and assuming that even if things came to light, the consequences wouldn't be severe.
But once Xia Yu slapped on the charge of 'Assisting a foreign criminal in the attempted assassination of the Hydro Archon,' everyone in the chain was doomed. In a nation centered around a deity, that charge was absolute.
Less than a third of those files were directly related to the disappearances; most were caught in the web of the secondary charges. Regardless of their original sins, they now shared one label: accomplices in a divine assassination plot.
Death sentences were unlikely for all, but most would probably never see the outside of Meropide again. Truthfully, this was a lenient approach; if one truly pushed that 'assassination' angle, they'd all be hanging from lampposts. In a theocratic world like Teyvat, it was practically treason.
However, Neuvillette's rigidity had its perks. If anyone else saw Xia Yu involving so many people, they would object for the sake of 'Fontaine's stability.' But Neuvillette didn't care about political fallout. If you were guilty, you went to the Opera House.
If he cared about politics, he wouldn't have watched Callas die back then, nor would he have spent years watching the government erode while doing nothing.
The prisoners would be screened. Those who intentionally tested the Archon would stay inside forever; the ringleaders would face execution. Those who merely broke rules out of 'favors' for friends would serve their time in Meropide but would be barred from government service for life.
As for who would handle all this work... the Hydro Dragon is quite useful, hehe. Xia Yu didn't even need to trick him; he'd work overtime of his own accord.
"Mr. Callas's situation reminds us that the loss of public trust in the government has already begun," Xia Yu said seriously. "A renowned philanthropist would rather trade his life with criminals than seek justice from his God!"
"That was just one man. Because of Spina di Rosula, we noticed his grievance. But what about the countless ordinary people who are ignored? To whom can they take their grievances?"
"We cannot stand by and watch the government's credibility slide! If there is corruption, investigate it. If there is collusion, handle it! Is the Nation of Justice and Law supposed to compromise with illegality?"
Her words won the unanimous support of Neuvillette and Navia.
But the most important voice was missing.
Xia Yu looked helplessly at FuFu, who was busy eating cake.
"Furina, say something!" She sighed, pulling FuFu up from the sofa. "Don't forget, you are the Hydro Archon!"
"Oh, then just do whatever Ei says," Furina said nonchalantly.
"Anyway, you are me. There's no difference between you giving the order or me doing it."
'Is there really no difference?'
Xia Yu looked at FuFu, who was clearly sliding toward a lifestyle of "slacking off," and felt a wave of helplessness.
'Wait, I'm supposed to be the one slacking off first. Is your trust in me a bit too high? You're giving up all your authority and leaving it to me?'
But Furina had her own reasons. 'I've managed Fontaine diligently for so many years. Now that a successor has finally arrived, can't I just relax?'
What? Why was she so sure this was the successor Focalors found?
Please. Look at the appearance, look at the origin, and look at the Vision they both use. The "sisters" identity might as well be written on their foreheads. If Focalors didn't create her, where else could she have come from?
FuFu was absolutely certain.
Meanwhile, Focalors: 'Huh?'