[After a while, Lyney's magic show officially began in the crowded Opera Epiclese.]
[Cards appeared from thin air, and pigeons materialized out of nothing.]
[Finally, Lynette was locked inside a sealed container filled with water. Under everyone's gaze, Lynette turned into bubbles, which then transformed into the clothes she had been wearing.]
[Lynette herself had vanished.]
[However, amidst the cheers of the crowd, Lynette reappeared on the stage.]
Pain. It was truly painful.
Kael let out an involuntary sigh, his face filled with regret.
Honestly, Lynette put those clothes on way too fast.
Such complex clothing, plus a tail—how did she manage to put it all on in such a short time?
Kael didn't understand.
Before transmigrating, when he saw this scene, Kael thought Lynette had actually been dissolved by the water.
It turned out to be a false alarm.
"Hmm? Kael, what's wrong?"
Lumine asked with concern, noticing Kael's odd expression.
"Kael must be shocked by Lyney's magic," Paimon added.
Kael didn't respond to them.
He simply reached out into the air, and a deck of cards appeared in his hand.
The moment he let go, the cards vanished as they fell. He reached out again, and the deck reappeared in his hand.
This scene completely dumbfounded Furina and the other two.
"You... you know magic too?" A look of pure, innocent 'stupidity' flashed in Furina's surprised eyes.
She looked exactly like someone who had never seen the world.
"And your card trick is even more impressive than Lyney's."
Kael smiled but said nothing.
He clapped his hands a few times.
In the next second, Lumine, who had been sitting on the sofa, was suddenly sitting in Kael's lap.
"This..."
"Eh? Why is Lumine sitting on Kael's lap?" Paimon and Furina were stunned on the spot.
They had no idea how this had happened.
Lumine froze for a few seconds before realizing she had changed positions.
However, she didn't feel any shyness. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Kael's neck and gave him a kiss. "I didn't expect the husband I picked up for free to be a grand magician."
"Life definitely won't be boring from now on."
Furina: "Ahem... when you're showing off your affection, can you look at your surroundings first? Honestly..."
As for Kael, he didn't actually understand the principles of magic.
The reason he could do it was simply through the Spatial Teleportation Technique.
Therefore, compared to his own tricks, he still highly acknowledged Lyney's magic.
"Since you can do magic too, why did you sigh just now?"
"Do you think Lyney's performance wasn't exciting enough?" Paimon's curiosity was piqued.
"Him? He definitely thinks Lynette put her clothes on too fast."
Lumine giggled.
"You even know that?" Kael was startled, then laughed. "No, you know too much."
"I'll have to give you a punishment later."
["Oh! Wonderful!"]
[Thunderous applause rang out in the Opera Epiclese.]
[Even Furina, sitting in the VIP seats, couldn't help but clap and cheer after her initial surprise.]
[She didn't forget to steal a glance at Kael, who was sitting beside her.]
[She found that he was just calmly drinking tea, showing no reaction at all.]
["Um..."]
["Hehehe..."]
["Is the magic show not exciting enough? You don't seem very interested."]
["It's alright. It's pretty good."]
['You clearly didn't even watch it.']
[This dismissive attitude was too obvious.]
[Furina was dissatisfied with Kael's answer.]
[Her mouth twitched in a pout.]
['Since you have no interest, why did you come?']
['You haven't come to see a performance in a hundred years, yet today you suddenly show up.']
['It makes it so I can't even watch freely.']
[Next, Lyney performed another magic trick of teleportation and disappearance for the audience.]
[A lucky female audience member was selected to enter a box at the theater entrance, while Lyney would enter a box on the stage.]
[Ultimately, the two would swap positions.]
["During the transfer process, I hope everyone will shout the countdown together."]
["Starting from sixty down to zero, I will appear at the entrance."]
[Lyney smiled and entered the box on the stage.]
[Instantly, the sound of a loud countdown echoed through the Opera Epiclese.]
[The atmosphere was exceptionally heated and excited as everyone looked forward to witnessing the moment of a miracle.]
[Until the final second.]
[The box at the entrance caused a stir.]
[The moment the door opened, Lyney appeared before everyone.]
["Oh! It succeeded."]
["Amazing."]
["He actually succeeded."]
[A burst of cheers erupted from the scene.]
[Furina even stood up excitedly, her face full of confusion, as if she didn't understand how he had done it.]
[The entire audience was cheering for Lyney's magic, except for Kael, whose brow furrowed slightly, his expression turning exceptionally grim.]
Interesting, Kael's unchanging expression has finally changed.
Live Stream Room.
Arataki Itto: "What's wrong? Brother Kael must be shocked by such a brilliant magic trick too."
Kuki Shinobu: "I don't think so. I feel that Mr. Kael's expression doesn't look like shock at a magic performance, but rather very..."
Lisa: "Fierce?"
Nahida: "Yes, I saw a flicker of anger in Mr. Kael's eyes."
Venti: "Anger? Mr. Kael has such a good temper, would he get angry?"
Yae Miko: "Having a good temper and getting angry seem like two different things."
Lynette: "Why would Mr. Kael be angry at my brother?"
Dvalin: "Did this little magician do something while performing the trick?"
Lyney: "This..."
Arlecchino: "No need to be nervous, Lyney. Just say what needs to be said, it's fine."
Lyney: "Alright, Father. Actually, this magic trick of mine was a ruse. My true purpose was to get close to the core of the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale beneath the Opera Epiclese."
Jean: "Ah?"
Navia: "Lyney and the others were actually raised by a Fatui Harbinger."
Diluc: "The Fatui? Then it's not surprising."
Tartaglia: "You seem to have quite a lot of opinions about us Fatui."
Paimon: "Master Diluc once said that if he had to choose between joining the Fatui or swallowing a Cryo Slime whole, he'd rather be smashed into a crack in the ground by a meteorite from the sky."
Tartaglia: "..."
Osial: "That's harsh."
Arataki Itto: "A real man."
[However, a problem occurred when the box on the magic stage was opened.]
[The selected young female audience member who was supposed to appear was instead crushed along with the box by a giant water tank that suddenly fell from above.]
[The person who died was Lyney's assistant, Cowell, while the previously selected girl had disappeared.]
[After Neuvillette's judgment, the accident caused by this magic trick was no longer within the scope of a simple accident.]
[It was highly likely to be related to the previous Serial Disappearances of Young Women.]
["I see."]
["The one who died when the magic failed was Lyney's assistant, but the one who disappeared was the selected girl."]
[Furina spoke to herself.]
[Suddenly, she seemed to understand something.]
["Thinking about it now, what Lyney said at the beginning about 'from nothing to something, and from something to nothing' was truly a provocation."]
["Is he using the form of magic to cover up the truth of the missing girl?"]
[Furina's words were heard by everyone present.]
[Seeing this, Neuvillette had no choice but to ask, "Lady Furina, can I understand your statement just now as an accusation against Mr. Lyney and his companions?"]
[Eh?]
[Furina was startled, her hands unconsciously blocking her chest in a defensive posture.]
[Her entire aura vanished without a trace due to the fright.]
[She hurriedly said, "I... I just think he... wouldn't it be a bit early to talk about accusations now?"]
["Ahem..." Kael coughed lightly, and a voice immediately reached Furina's ear: "Lord Hydro Archon, please pay attention to your status and the occasion."]
[As soon as these words were spoken.]
[Furina's delicate body stiffened.]
She immediately returned to her previous arrogant demeanor.
"Hmph, what I mean is, compared to such an obvious truth, the opponent before me excites me far more."
"Am I right, blonde Traveler? I recall Lyney helped you before. This time, I imagine you will be helping him, won't you?"
Lumine heard this.
Although she was dissatisfied with Furina's condescending attitude, she nodded firmly, indicating she would definitely help Lyney.
"Hahaha..."
Seeing Lumine agree, Furina became even more arrogant, placing her hands on her hips. "Then there is no problem."
Neuvillette frowned and looked toward Kael in the VIP seats.
Seeing no reaction from the other party, he could only say solemnly, "Since that is the case, the accusation is established."
"Since the accusation stands, a Trial must follow."
"Traveler, ignoring Lady Furina's arrogant remarks for a moment, I must ask for your personal opinion. Are you willing to stand by Mr. Lyney's side, defend him, and act as his representative?"
For the sake of formal Trial procedures, Neuvillette still needed to solemnly seek Lumine's thoughts.
"I am willing," Lumine responded seriously.
"Understood."
Having received Lumine's formal response, Neuvillette announced solemnly, "Very well. The Trial will be held at the Opera Epiclese in one day. Both parties are free to investigate during this time to find the truth."
"However, as Mr. Lyney is a suspect, his magic troupe is not permitted to leave the Opera Epiclese until the Trial concludes."
After Neuvillette finished his announcement.
Furina crossed her arms proudly, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes. "A single day isn't very long. I wonder what kind of waves a famous figure like you can stir up?"
"Hehehehe, I look forward to it with all my heart."
Kael: "..."
Alice: "Eh? What's with Mr. Kael's expression? Didn't he tell Furina to act like that?"
Clorinde: "Uh, I feel like Mr. Kael seems quite speechless."
Neuvillette: "Sigh..."
Furina: "Hey, why are you sighing? It was clearly Kael who told me to do it."
Lyney: "But even without Mr. Kael, we still had a Trial in this life."
Kael: "Is it possible that I told you to maintain a divine attitude because I didn't want others to see how terrified you looked?"
Zhongli: "Commonly speaking, a god would not be rendered helpless by such a small matter. Just now, Furina was clearly so startled by Neuvillette's words that she instinctively took a defensive stance."
Venti: "Indeed. A god shouldn't be frightened like that, otherwise it damages their divine image."
Barbara: "..."
Barbara: "I so wish Mr. Kael could become the Pope of our Mondstadt. That way, he might be able to keep Lord Barbatos in check."
Venti: "If it's Mr. Kael, I would be very welcoming."
Diluc: "Is it because Mr. Kael is financially independent?"
Venti: "Ehe!"
Furina: "Then you should have been clearer! My past self definitely thought you were going to stand up for me, so she got arrogant."
Paimon: "No, Furina, you're arrogant enough in this life already. If Kael stood up for you, wouldn't you just fly off to the heavens?"
After leaving the session.
Kael and Furina left the Opera Epiclese alone through a special passage.
In the corridor.
Furina seemed slightly excited, walking with light steps. She appeared to be in a very good mood.
"I say, Lady Hydro Archon, you should probably focus on gathering some evidence."
"Don't always act so relaxed."
Eh?
Furina froze and turned to look at Kael. "Did you not notice any clues?"
"Me?" Kael pointed at himself. His completely blank expression immediately caused Furina to panic.
"Hey, you didn't really fail to see anything, did you? I thought you spoke up for me because..."
"I only wanted to remind the Hydro Archon that in a public setting, under the gaze of so many people..."
"...your behavior was completely unbecoming of a god."
As soon as Kael finished speaking.
Furina immediately pouted. "Hmph! I was just playing along. You didn't actually think I was scared, did you?"
"Since everyone thinks I'm a cute and interesting god, I naturally have to live up to the image in my people's hearts."
"Forget it, forget it. I thought you had noticed some clues. But even if you didn't, I'm still full of confidence for tomorrow's Trial."
"Fine then. Good luck." Kael smiled.
He walked away on his own.
"Hey!"
Seeing this, Furina stomped her feet several times. "What kind of person is he! He says he won't help, but he wouldn't really just leave me be, would he?"
"Wait a minute!"
"You're not really going to just watch me face off against the Traveler all by myself, are you?"
...
Everyone: "..."
Arataki Itto: "She... chickened out?"
Lumine: "When it comes to Trials, Furina is actually very formidable. If it hadn't been for Navia's help back then, we really wouldn't have been able to beat her."
Navia: "You're too kind, partner."
Ningguang: "So you're saying you won the Trial held a day later?"
Lumine: "I'm not sure if the Navia of the past life was a fanatic fan of the Pope. If she was, and Kael interfered, we definitely wouldn't have won."
Paimon: "Right. But if Navia really helps us find that missing thief from Mondstadt, we're guaranteed to win."
Jean: "A thief from Mondstadt?"
Paimon: "That missing female audience member wasn't from Fontaine, but from Mondstadt. She had been caught stealing in Fontaine by Lyney before. After running away, she came back to watch the magic show and ended up being chosen by Lyney again. She thought Lyney had recognized her and did it on purpose, so she was scared into hiding."
Zhongli asked, "So, does that mean Navia's choice of side will determine the outcome of your trial?"
"But my intuition tells me that since Kael is the Pope, he won't let Furina lose," Lumine said. "Sigh..."
"Besides, it seemed to me that Mr. Kael saw through Lyney's magic trick," Navia noted. "He knew Lyney wanted to touch the core of the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale. He must have known the girl was hiding in the secret passage and will surely take action."
Neuvillette watched their analyses one by one.
He merely offered a faint smile.
Perhaps this time, no matter how much Kael wanted to protect Furina or what other moves he made, it would all be in vain.
The consciousness of Focalors resided within the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale's immense power.
The final verdict of the trial would be based on the result displayed by the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale.
Since that girl was hiding in the secret passage, Focalors' consciousness couldn't possibly fail to sense her.
The likelihood of Lyney's innocence still carried the most weight.
~✦~ End of Chapter ~✦~
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