Chapter 118: Furina Attacked
Watching Neuvillette stand before Carole's grave, his figure somewhat subdued, Conan asked with some curiosity, "Mr. Neuvillette, did you know Mr. Carole?"
"Mm..." Neuvillette glanced at the headstone before continuing. "Mr. Carole was a man worthy of respect. He contributed a great deal to Fontaine... I know what happened earlier today. Thank you for your efforts to clear his name."
"It was nothing — it's what anyone would have done..." Being praised by someone who looked so stern left the group feeling a little embarrassed all at once.
None of them had expected Neuvillette to be this sort of person. Judging by his appearance, they had assumed he'd be difficult to approach, but after chatting for a while they found him surprisingly approachable — someone who could grieve over things, too, not nearly as cold and aloof as he seemed.
In the course of their conversation, the subject of the prophecy came up.
At its mention, Neuvillette sighed. "When I learned of the Primordial Seawater, I connected it to the prophecy at once. I know something of the prophecy myself. Some years ago, in the ancient ruins near Petrichor, I discovered several stone tablets carved with images depicting it."
"What was carved on the tablets?" the group pressed.
Neuvillette answered: "Much the same as the prophecy itself. But one of the tablets showed the previous Hydro Archon, Egeria, kneeling prostrate with her face turned toward the heavens, as though confessing a sin. Why she was confessing, I cannot say."
Haibari was taken aback. "The previous Hydro Archon?! Gods can die?!"
Conan: "So then Furina is the second Hydro Archon?"
Neuvillette paid no mind to the children butting in, and explained patiently: "Gods die just as anything else does. Nothing is eternal — against the erosion of time, all things are fragile. As for Lady Furina, she is indeed the second Hydro Archon. Before Egeria perished, she entrusted the Hydro Archon's authority and duties to Lady Furina. Not long after Furina inherited the throne, she came to me and suggested I take up the post of Iudex — Chief Justice of Fontaine. I did not refuse."
Morose's expression turned odd as he asked, "How did the first Hydro Archon choose her successor, anyway? Did she pick the wrong person? I heard that this Lady Furina absolutely loves watching all the drama in the courtroom — she hasn't missed a single trial. Is the leader of a nation really that free?"
Emori and Kikukawa were puzzled as well. After all, both were second- or third-generation children of politicians and financiers, and at home they'd mostly seen the ones in power hard at work. But for now they only dared wonder about it in their hearts, deeply impressed that Morose had actually asked the question to his face.
Neuvillette didn't take offense at the child's rather rude question, answering in the same mild temper as before: "Lady Furina has never been as frivolous as she makes herself appear. In fact, as far as I know, she has been quietly marshaling various forces to conduct some manner of investigation — I suspect it concerns the prophecy."
"Judging from what the tablets say, I believe the previous Archon knew of the prophecy. But when I asked Lady Furina about her predecessor, strangely enough, she claimed to know nothing whatsoever about her — and after dispatching people to investigate the prophecy, nothing ever came of it... I know she is hiding something, but she has always refused to discuss it with me, and I cannot force the words out of her."
Furina had been investigating the prophecy all along? Seeing that carefree act of hers before, everyone had assumed she genuinely didn't care about it.
But if she did care, why wouldn't she share what she knew? From the images carved into the ruins' stone tablets, the previous Hydro Archon Egeria had clearly known about the prophecy — and Furina, whom Egeria entrusted with her divine seat on her deathbed, could hardly be ignorant of it. So why keep it secret? More people meant more strength; perhaps together they could have found a way to deal with the prophecy.
No one could make sense of Furina's logic, and in the end they had no choice but to set the question aside to puzzle over later.
Seeing how approachable Neuvillette was, they chatted with him and the girl a while longer before taking their leave.
Perhaps comforted by the children's innocent words, Neuvillette's spirits seemed to lift a little. And as if echoing his mood, the rain gradually tapered off as his gloom faded — by the time everyone said their goodbyes, the sky had stopped raining altogether, with faint rays of sun breaking through.
Fortunately, now that the rain had ceased, the trip back to the area near the Fountain of Lucine didn't take long.
Tomorrow was the day of the courtroom showdown, and no one knew whether time would accelerate again today. To avoid some accident making them miss the trial, the group unanimously decided to head to the Opera Epiclese afterward, find a spot, and organize the clues they'd gathered over the past few days while they waited for the trial hour to arrive.
By then, the sun was sinking westward and the sky was steadily darkening. By the time they reached the vicinity of the Opera Epiclese, the sun had set completely.
With no trial scheduled today, there was hardly a soul to be seen anywhere near the opera house.
Suddenly, they heard faint, indistinct voices coming from around the corner ahead. The group tensed for a moment, softened their steps, and crept to the corner, gingerly poking their heads out to see what was happening.
What they found was Furina playing with stray cats.
None of her usual flamboyant gestures, none of her exaggerated theatrics — she held out snacks and patiently fed the strays, looking for all the world like an ordinary little girl. Anyone who didn't know her would never have connected her with the Hydro Archon.
Just as everyone relaxed, realizing these weren't suspicious people after all, and was about to step out and say hello — the genuinely suspicious person appeared.
Before any of them could react, a tall woman in a black cloak that concealed her face materialized behind Furina. Under the group's stunned gazes, she slowly drew her weapon and moved to strike — while Furina, still absorbed in feeding the stray cats, seemed entirely oblivious to the danger at her back.
At first no one was too worried. Furina was the Hydro Archon, after all — surely she had the means to protect herself. The children were even a little curious about how a god actually fought, wondering whether it would make a big ruckus or not...
But to everyone's astonishment, Furina never raised a hand against the stranger. It was only when the stray cats shrieked and bolted that she finally sensed the danger behind her. Turning her head, she caught sight of the scythe slowly rising in the woman's grip — and with a scream, she crumpled to the ground.