Chapter 121: The Trial Continues (1)
Conan Edogawa was rendered speechless. "..."
Heh, he thought with a wry internal smile, Leave it to Ran and Natsume to get excited about something that probably won't even exist tomorrow...
Besides, he highly doubted the Sindora Company could simply walk away unscathed after this incident. The politicians and business magnates whose children were currently trapped by Noah's Ark's threat were not the forgiving sort. He estimated that the company was about to face a storm of litigation and public outrage. Whether it could even continue to operate was a serious question, let alone maintain the "Cocoon" game servers.
This was, in all likelihood, their first and last chance to experience a game like this.
On the courtroom stage, Furina continued her argument. "Monsieur Neuvillette, while I don't know why they are so certain that Marcel is the culprit, I have here sufficient evidence indicating that the Magician's whereabouts were highly suspicious during the performance."
As she spoke, she gestured grandly for a court attendant to submit the documents she had procured.
Upon seeing the evidence Furina provided, a wave of surprise rippled through the opera house. The documents suggested the Magician was, in fact, a spy planted in Fontaine by another nation, using his performances as cover to gather intelligence.
, Furina's evidence conclusively proved that the Magician was not present at the performance site during the magic show's runtime. His location and activities during that window were a complete mystery, casting a heavy shadow of suspicion upon him.
Neuvillette turned his impassive gaze toward the accused. "Magician. May I ask where, precisely, you went during the magic performance?"
The Magician, cornered, had no choice but to confess his original plan. He explained that he had intended to use the rare opportunity of performing at the Opera Epiclese to investigate the core hidden deep beneath the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale.
"However," he continued, his voice tight, "I didn't expect to hear a human voice emanating from the core of the Oratrice. It seemed to be saying... 'So painful... how much longer...?' I thought an intruder was present, so I aborted the operation and rushed back to the stage. Because of that, I am unclear on what transpired during that time."
By the time he reappeared, the on-stage "accident" had already occurred.
Hearing the Magician's testimony, the audience below the judgment stand erupted into a sea of whispers.
"Crap," Conan muttered under his breath. "I didn't expect the Magician to have a whole other secret identity. I was so focused on the assistant's notes we found that I never got a chance to properly question him for more clues."
Haibara, however, latched onto a different detail. "He said a human voice came from the core of the Oratrice. Does everyone remember the voice Natsume-neechan heard by the Fountain of Lucine when we first arrived?"
Ayumi's eyes widened. "I remember! Natsume-neechan said she heard someone saying, 'So long... so lonely... how much longer...?' Wait a minute!" A spark of realization lit up her face.
Mitsuhiko caught on to Haibara's implication. "That sentence is almost the same as the one from the Oratrice. Could it have been said by the same person?"
"Perhaps," Moroboshi agreed, his expression thoughtful. He then offered a counterpoint. "However, there is an Oceanid in the Fountain of Lucine. Could the one who spoke also be an Oceanid? And if so, how could she exist in both the Fountain and the Oratrice at the same time?"
Genta puffed out his chest and joined the discussion. "It might not be an Oceanid at all! And I heard the Hydro Archon created this Oratrice thingy. Maybe it developed a mind of its own and wants to destroy humanity! This could be the real source of the Fontaine crisis!"
Genta's mind, still fixated on the recent "Noah's Ark" debacle, began to spin wild theories, conflating the two situations.
The others fell silent. "..."
A dark line formed on Conan's forehead. Did Genta completely forget that the prophecy crisis we discussed was about the Primordial Seawater? And does he really think this is some kind of Matrix or AI uprising? Although, I have to admit, it's starting to look a little like it...
"Ahem," Natsume interjected, gently steering the children's runaway train of thought back onto the rails. "I don't think now is the time to debate the voice in the Oratrice. The priority should be proving that the culprit isn't the Magician, but Marcel."
Her point was sound. After hearing Natsume's reminder, the group quickly refocused on the case at hand.
Although the clues Furina had found caught them off guard, they weren't deterred. They systematically presented their own evidence: the magic assistant's notes found earlier, the testimony of the "lucky audience member" Damselette, and, most damningly, the research notes and vial of Primordial Seawater they had recovered from Marcel's residence. With this, they could prove he was the mastermind behind the Maiden's Disappearance Case, even with the man himself currently unconscious.
During their presentation, Furina managed to poke a few holes in their reasoning. The crowd was especially skeptical when they claimed the Primordial Seawater could dissolve the people of Fontaine. A fresh wave of murmuring swept through the gallery.
"You've got to be kidding! People dissolving in water?!"
"Is something like that even possible...?"
"Wait... this reminds me of that old prophecy that's been going around Fontaine. Surely it's just a coincidence, right?"
A few sharp-minded individuals in the audience made the connection to the prophecy, but they remained hesitant. The vast majority simply couldn't believe that a person could melt away like sugar in tea.
It wasn't until Natsume and the others produced Marcel's experimental logs—which contained a list of test subjects that perfectly matched the roster of missing Damselettes—that the crowd had no choice but to accept the horrifying truth.
As Natsume's group produced more and more evidence to support their claims, Furina gradually found herself with nothing left to say. Her rebuttals grew weaker, her confidence visibly crumbling.
Finally, Neuvillette addressed her directly. "Then, Ms. Furina, do you have any differing opinions regarding the accusations leveled against Marcel?"
Furina's eyes darted about, her expression a mask of conflict. "I, I... um..." she stammered, her voice barely a whisper.
Neuvillette repeated the question, his tone unwavering. "Please answer my question, Ms. Furina. And I should remind you, the trial has not yet concluded. The accusing party is not permitted to leave early."
Having just turned with the clear intention of fleeing, Furina spun back around in shock. "How did you know what I was about to do?!"
Natsume and her companions stared, dumbfounded. "..."
Genta whispered, "Is this Hydro Archon really trying to run away just because she lost the argument?!"
Kikukawa nodded in agreement. "Exactly. She seems like a sore loser..."
Ayumi's shoulders slumped in disappointment. "I always thought gods were supposed to be all noble, powerful, and mysterious. This Hydro Archon, Furina, doesn't fit any of the things I imagined a god would be."
A small, knowing smile touched Conan's lips. "Maybe," he said, his voice just loud enough for his friends to hear, "she was never a god to begin with..."
At Conan's words, Moroboshi tilted his head, his gaze sharp. He noticed that Natsume had also glanced over at the boy detective. For a brief, charged moment, their eyes met in silent understanding.
Mitsuhiko, however, was just confused. "How could she not be a god? Everyone in Fontaine knows that Furina is the Hydro Archon. Could that be a lie?"
Conan didn't answer him directly, only offering another cryptic smile. "You'll find out soon enough..."
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