The So-Called Trump Card

"In court, Felina continued, "Moreover, if I am not a god, then why have I lived for so many years?"

"And who else but a god could have created the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale, which gather the power of justice to supply all of Fontaine with energy?"

"Hmph, that hardly proves you're a god!" Marcel scoffed, his voice laced with contempt. "There are many long-lived beings in this world; does that make them all gods?"

"And who's to say that whoever created the Arbiter's Scales must be a god?"

Felina glanced at Marcel, exasperation evident on her face.

"Mr. Marcel, this is a court, not a children's squabble. I hope you realize just how ridiculous your claims have been. In a court, the burden of proof lies with the accuser. I have no obligation to play along with your demands to prove myself."

"You're accusing me of impersonating the Hydro Archon, so show us your evidence."

"I've taken my place on the defendant's stand as a courtesy. If you have no proof, then I have no reason to entertain your childish games any further. You can make your way to Fortress of Meropide on charges of slandering the Hydro Archon."

With that, Felina began to rise, ready to leave the stand.

But in that moment, Marcel's desperate shout echoed out.

"Wait!"

Felina paused, "Oh? What now?"

"Who says I don't have proof?" Marcel's face twisted into a crazed grin, the look of a man driven to the brink, ready to make a final stand.

"Hahahaha!" He let out a wild, unhinged laugh, his gaze locked onto her with barely concealed rage.

"I wasn't planning on using this last piece of evidence, but since you refuse to admit that you're impersonating the Hydro Archon, don't blame me!"

"Chief Justice, honorable citizens! I possess decisive proof that Furina is not the Hydro Archon!"

Marcel, standing on the high platform, raised his arms and began his speech.

"Ladies and gentlemen, as you may know, the location where Furina was attacked recently was very close to the Confrerie of Cabriere. That night, I happened to be on the third floor, where I had a full view of the entire scene."

"I noticed one detail: Furina had grabbed one of the assassins, intending to interrogate him, but when the assassin chose to dissolve himself, Furina recoiled, releasing him and stepping back immediately, as though terrified of touching Primordial Seawater."

"In her recent interview, Furina disclosed that she knows Primordial Seawater dissolves people of Fontaine. Yet, when faced with a dissolving assassin, she let go and retreated, keeping her distance as though she feared the same fate."

"Doesn't this mean she, too, fears dissolution by Primordial Seawater?"

A ripple of shock spread through the crowd at Marcel's words, and even Neuvillette frowned.

Noticing the crowd's reaction, Marcel's face gleamed with triumph, and he pressed on.

"The guards on duty that night also witnessed the entire event. Chief Justice, you can summon them as witnesses!"

Neuvillette nodded. "Summon the guards who were on duty that night and recorded the incident."

Within moments, the patrolling guards from that night arrived, and under questioning, they confirmed Marcel's account, affirming that Furina had indeed panicked and stepped back upon encountering the dissolving assassin.

With this confirmation, the look of madness on Marcel's face grew even wilder.

"Ladies and gentlemen, everyone knows Fontaine is a nation of water, and the Hydro Archon is revered as the deity of all waters!"

"And what is meant by "all waters"? That includes the Primordial Seawater itself!"

"You also mentioned, Furina, in your interview with the Steambird, that the original Hydro Archon was created by the gods from the Primordial Sea. As the second Hydro Archon, you should have inherited this divine authority over water, remaining unaffected by the Sea's waters!"

"You even said it yourself—the people of Fontaine are incomplete humans who dissolve when they come into contact with Primordial Seawater!"

Standing in the courtroom, he seemed to imagine himself the main character, basking in the glory of his bold rebellion. He sneered at Felina, his voice a snarl:

"Logically, as the Hydro Archon holding dominion over water, you should not fear the Primordial Sea. Yet when faced with a dissolved person, you scrambled to avoid it, proving you're afraid of dissolving into nothingness yourself!"

"If you insist that you are indeed the Hydro Archon, then I invite you to place your hand in Primordial Seawater and prove it to us all!"

At these words, the Arbiter's Scales tilted twice in Marcel's favor, and the courtroom erupted in a chorus of frenzied chatter.

"Order!"

Neuvillette's staff struck the floor, his commanding voice silencing the room at once.

He looked at Marcel, his voice solemn. "Mr. Marcel, this is a courtroom, not a stage for your dramatics. Control your emotions."

Then, turning his gaze to Felina, he continued, "To demand proof in a way that could potentially endanger the defendant's life is against the court's procedure. Lady Furina, you have every right to decline such a method of proof."

But the murmurings resumed in the crowd, and many of them now cast doubtful glances toward Felina.

Marcel, however, said nothing further, only fixing Felina with a smug, victorious stare.

At this point, he didn't need to say more.

This was why he had dared to accuse her.

That night, though he'd failed to capture Furina, he had unwittingly witnessed a critical flaw in her act, finding the key to defuse his own crisis.

It was this discovery that had given him the confidence to try to topple Furina from her divine position.

Now, having played this final card, Marcel simply watched her with an amused look, feeling fully at ease.

Neuvillette's remark that this method was against procedure no longer mattered. He had already reversed their positions. Where once he had been pushed to the edge, now he had Furina cornered.

Whether procedure mattered or not was irrelevant. Should Furina refuse to touch the Primordial Seawater, it would be seen as a tacit admission of her retreat—and, by extension, proof that she was not the true Hydro Archon.

Once a seed of doubt was sown, the people's suspicions would drag her down from her throne.

And should she dare to touch the Primordial Seawater, she would meet a dissolving, irreversible fate.

This was his final gambit, his last desperate move to seize victory before Furina could deal him his end. Today, he would bring her down from her divine pedestal, or perhaps, even bring her life to an end.

The grand, lavish opera house roared with excitement for the drama unfolding on stage.

A mere mortal had succeeded in driving a god to the edge of the cliff. Here, on the stage of judgment, a human was using the law to challenge the Queen of all Water, the embodiment of justice itself.

Such a trial had never before graced the history of Fontaine, and it had drawn an audience of unprecedented numbers. Their gazes were fixed upon the Archon standing at the defendant's stand, their eyes brimming with suspicion but also with hope, yearning to see their Archon overturn this precarious situation and bring about an even greater twist in this most dramatic of trials.

Amid the multitude of watchful eyes, Felina lounged with one leg crossed over the other, reclining in her seat at the defendant's stand. With her chin resting in one hand, she bore the look of a villain sneering at the hero, of a god staring down at a rebellious mortal.

From the moment Marcel had revealed his final trump card and delivered his fervent, impassioned speech, Felina had not uttered a single word. She delighted in watching him revel in his own hysteria. His triumphant demeanor only made it all the more satisfying for her, for she knew that when she chose to act, his inevitable downfall would be far more spectacular.

"Finished?"

Under the gaze of countless spectators, she opened her eyes and spoke, her tone calm but with the unmistakable authority of a deity looking down upon a defiant subject.

"If that's all you have, then I believe this trial has reached its conclusion."

With those words, she turned her gaze to Neuvillette.

"Neuvillette, if I remember correctly, you've recently arranged for some Primordial Seawater to be collected, haven't you? Bring it here. I want the highest concentration available."

At her request, Neuvillette's face grew solemn. The guards' testimonies had suggested that the Primordial Seawater posed a threat to Furina. Knowing her as well as he did, he worried that Furina might be succumbing to public pressure, trying to prove herself at any cost. Yet, the Furina standing before him now was entirely unlike the flamboyant persona he'd known. Here, she exuded an unshakable confidence and solemnity befitting a true Archon.

His worry lingered, but as the Chief Justice, his duty was to uphold fairness. Despite his concerns, the protocol must be respected.

Finally, he nodded, signaling for the Primordial Seawater to be brought to the stage.

Within moments, a basin of the pale blue water, faintly shimmering with starlight, was placed on the platform—a clear indication of its high concentration.

Felina approached the basin, stopping just before it as she glanced at Marcel.

"I had no need to participate in this charade, but since you've staked this basin of water as your ultimate weapon against me," she declared, her voice rich with disdain, "then I'm more than willing to shatter this last illusion myself—and grant you a taste of true despair!"

With those words, she reached into the basin before the crowd, lifting the water to her lips and drinking it in one swift motion.

In that moment, every onlooker held their breath, and silence fell upon the room so thick it seemed they could hear a pin drop.

Felina's delicate hands had lifted the water; she drank it, then stood there on the stage, silently, for an entire minute.

In this minute, she alone was the center of attention. Without uttering a word, she captivated every gaze in the room, each eye fixed on her still figure for the full sixty seconds.

After that, still unharmed and without any sign of dissolution, she lifted her gaze toward Marcel on the prosecutor's stand.

This minute may well have been the longest of Marcel's life.

In those fleeting seconds, his expression shifted from exhilaration to hesitation, from hesitation to disbelief, and finally, as disbelief gave way to dawning horror, the look of near-madness settled on his face. In one minute, his visage had traveled the full arc from triumph to defeat.

"Well?" Felina asked, her calm gaze settling upon Marcel, looking at him as one would a fool throwing a tantrum.

"This… this can't be!" he stammered. "Why are you unaffected? Why haven't you dissolved?"

"If you're truly unafraid of Primordial Seawater, then why did you retreat that night?"

He shook his head wildly, stumbling backward like a beaten dog, completely unraveling.

Felina did not deign to answer his desperate questions. Instead, she turned once more to Neuvillette.

"It seems he has no further cards to play, Neuvillette. I believe it's time to render the verdict?"

Neuvillette nodded. "Lady Furina has just provided proof by touching and drinking the Primordial Seawater. As we've all seen, it had no effect on her—she did not dissolve."

"In light of this, Mr. Marcel's accusation has been thoroughly disproved."

"Now, I hereby announce the verdict: Lady Furina—acquitted!"

"Following protocol, the Arbiter's Scales will proceed with its official ruling on today's trial verdict."

Neuvillette activated the judgment machine, and moments later, the result was delivered into his hand.

"According to the Arbiter's Scales' final decision, Lady Furina is exonerated."

"And so, I declare Mr. Marcel's accusation against Lady Furina null and void. This trial is now adjourned!"

With Neuvillette's announcement, Marcel finally grew still, though his gaze was fixed on Felina with naked hatred.

As Neuvillette began to turn to leave, Felina's voice rang out once more.

"Ah, Neuvillette, no need to leave in such a hurry."

Neuvillette stopped, turning back to face her. "Is there something further you wish to add, Lady Furina?"

Felina smiled. "Regarding the accusation just now, I have no further objections. However, I have a new charge to file, and I'll need you to remain in the presiding chair a while longer."

With those words, she directed her gaze at Marcel, her voice carrying through the courtroom.

"Your accusation against me is over; now it's my turn to make an accusation against you."

"Accuse me?" Marcel chuckled, his voice laced with scorn. "Lady Furina, are you perhaps charging me with slander?"

"Slander is a false accusation made without any basis or evidence."

"I saw you retreating in fear from the Primordial Seawater with my own eyes. Though you've proven that it has no effect on you, my suspicion and accusation were still reasonable; there was no slander in that."

"Indeed!" Felina nodded, her eyes gleaming with something between amusement and malice.

"But my charge isn't one of slander."

Standing at the center of the stage, Felina raised her voice, addressing Neuvillette.

"Chief Justice!"

"I hereby accuse Marcel of conspiracy to assassinate the Hydro Archon, of drug trafficking, and of being the true culprit behind the serial abduction of young girls!"