Maison Gardiennage Interrogation Room.
"Release me at once! I am the Hydro Archon! You will pay dearly for this insolence!"
Furina, her wrists shackled, sat at the table, a Maison Gardiennage officer facing her from a short distance away.
The officer remained unfazed by Furina's threats.
"Well, well, this imposter has quite the stubborn streak."
"Don't you realize where you are? Still pretending to be Lady Furina? Have you gotten too into the role?"
"I must admit, the act is quite convincing. It's almost as if you were the real thing."
"If Monsieur Neuvillette hadn't personally exposed you, you might have actually managed to infiltrate us."
Hearing these words, Furina nearly exploded with rage.
"I am the real Furina!"
"Heh, sure you are."
Seeing the smug expression on the officer's face, Furina could no longer contain herself.
"I'm telling you, you're fired!" Furina declared.
The Maison Gardiennage officer burst into laughter.
"Ha ha ha! Threatening me with my job? How amusing!"
"Not bad, not bad. I admire your audacity."
"Even here at Maison Gardiennage Headquarters, you dare spout such nonsense?"
"I advise you to confess now. Confess and be leniently treated; resist and face the full severity of the law."
"You! Go fetch Neuvillette for me! I want to question him myself!" Furina demanded.
The officer, growing impatient, retorted, "Enough! You think you can just waltz in here and demand to see Monsieur Neuvillette? Keep dreaming!"
"Monsieur Neuvillette is swamped with urgent matters daily. He has no time for the likes of you."
"It seems you have no intention of confessing."
"No matter. The very purpose of this place is to teach those unwilling to cooperate how to speak properly."
As he spoke, the officer slowly advanced toward Furina.
"Y-you... what do you want?!" Furina stammered, instinctively backing away slightly as the officer approached, her voice betraying a hint of nervousness.
"What are you going to do?"
"Why, something that will make us both happy, of course!"
With that, the officer flashed a smile, one that carried a deeply sinister meaning.
This smile sent Furina's heart racing. She stammered, "I'm warning you! If you dare do anything to me, I'll never forgive you!"
"Everyone who comes here says the same thing," he replied, "but none of them ever appear before me again..."
Furina's pupils contracted slightly at these words, and goosebumps rose all over her body.
"You... you mean you've..."
"Exactly what you're thinking. They'll never see me again."
The officer's smile widened, while Furina's panic reached its peak.
Being brought here by Neuvillette had already been bad enough. Was this Maison Gardiennage officer some kind of pervert?! Was she having the worst luck imaginable today?!
"Y-you bastard! I'm warning you, if you... don't come any closer!"
"Ha ha ha, scream all you want! Even if you shout yourself hoarse, no one will come!"
Neuvillette arrived at the Maison Gardiennage Headquarters and inquired about Furina's situation from the officer in charge.
Upon seeing Neuvillette, the officer immediately greeted him warmly.
"Rest assured, Monsieur Neuvillette. The moment we learned you personally apprehended the imposter posing as Lady Furina, we didn't waste a moment. We immediately escorted her to the Interrogation Room."
"I've dispatched our youngest and most outstanding Maison Gardiennage officer. I'm confident we'll have results soon. Please wait a moment, Monsieur Neuvillette."
Hearing this, Neuvillette realized he might have arrived too late.
"Where is the Interrogation Room?"
"It's at the end of the corridor, around the corner—a small, secluded chamber."
The officer responded from inside after hearing Neuvillette's question.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, are you impatient to conduct the interrogation yourself?"
"I understand. This matter concerns that terrifying organization, so the interrogation results must be of utmost importance to you."
"That's why I instructed the Maison Gardiennage officer beforehand: to extract information from her using the most brutal methods!"
Neuvillette: "???"
This was truly disastrous. He had perhaps acted too hastily in deciding to bring Furina to the Maison Gardiennage.
Of course, he hadn't anticipated the Maison Gardiennage's efficiency would be this high. The moment Furina was brought in, she was immediately taken to the Interrogation Room.
Neuvillette had no idea what kind of torture Furina was enduring, but he hoped things hadn't reached the worst-case scenario yet.
With that thought, Neuvillette ignored the Maison Gardiennage Captain's incessant chatter beside him and strode directly toward the Interrogation Room.
As Neuvillette reached the door of the Interrogation Room, his expression suddenly changed.
He faintly heard Furina's tearful confession.
Boom!
The door shattered into splinters under immense force. Just as Neuvillette raised his hand to stop the atrocities inside, he froze, stunned by the sight that greeted him.
Furina was bound to a chair, her legs secured tightly to the chair's legs, and her hands tied to the armrests.
On either side of Furina, two Gardemeks crouched beside her, incessantly tickling her palms with feathers.
Furina was laughing hysterically, tears streaming down her face, her chest heaving violently as she shouted repeatedly:
"I'll confess! I'll confess everything! Just make them stop!"
Realizing he had misunderstood the situation, Neuvillette froze, his raised arm suspended in mid-air, unsure whether to continue his intervention.
"Monsieur Neuvillette?!"
The Maison Gardiennage officers inside were initially startled by the door crashing open, but their composure gradually returned upon recognizing Neuvillette.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, you've arrived just in time!"
"As expected, under my interrogation, this prisoner has confessed!"
Neuvillette silently regarded the Maison Gardiennage officer claiming credit for the confession, momentarily at a loss for how to handle the situation. The only sounds were Furina's uproarious laughter and her constant cries:
"I'll confess! I'll confess everything..."
Furina was laughing so hard her stomach hurt, while the Maison Gardiennage officer received commendation for his "effective" interrogation methods. Everyone had a bright future ahead!
Slap!
Furina slammed her hand on the table, angrily confronting Neuvillette.
"Neuvillette, why did you reward that scoundrel? He did that to me! Are you out of your mind?!"
Inside the Maison Gardiennage Headquarters, the on-duty officers gasped at Furina's shocking words.
Holy crap! Is there some lucky bastard in our police force about to become the Hydro Archon's consort?!
Neuvillette's lip twitched. He glanced helplessly at Furina, who looked utterly furious and seemed completely oblivious to the scandalous implications of her outburst. With a silent gesture, he signaled the Maison Gardiennage Captain to escort the other officers away and explain the situation to them, warning them not to gossip.
The room quickly emptied, leaving Neuvillette and Furina alone.
"Lady Furina, I can explain this situation."
"Then explain yourself, Neuvillette!"
"You still think I'm an imposter? That's outrageous!"
"If your explanation doesn't satisfy me, I'll start stealing all your desserts!"
As if you don't steal enough already, Neuvillette thought wryly before calmly beginning his explanation.
After hearing Neuvillette's explanation of the events leading up to the incident, Furina immediately burst out angrily.
"So it was those Academy fools all along!"
"They dared to give us a half-baked contraption to use, and now we're stuck with this mess!"
"No, I'm going to the Academy today to demand answers!"
Seeing Furina about to storm off, Neuvillette quickly stopped her.
"Please wait a moment, Lady Furina."
"The device wasn't released without thorough testing. I believe the cause of this outcome likely lies elsewhere, not with the device itself."
Neuvillette recalled that the Academy's previous inventions had always been remarkably reliable, making it unlikely the device itself was at fault.
"What? If it's not the machine, Neuvillette, are you implying I'm the problem?!"
Furina pointed at herself, only to meet Neuvillette's serious gaze.
Suddenly flustered, Furina wondered if he had somehow seen through her facade.
"How could I be the problem?"
"I am Focalors, the Hydro Archon—the Regina of all Waters, of all realms, of all peoples, and of all Laws!"
"I absolutely have no problems whatsoever!"
"Neuvillette, how dare you suspect me? That's utterly outrageous!"
Despite her indignant words, Furina's mind had already begun racing, searching for something she might have overlooked.
A thought struck her: could it be because her fate had undergone such a drastic change? After all, she had once been an ordinary person, but now she wielded two Elemental Powers and possessed formidable strength!
Though she had suffered repeated setbacks since obtaining her Vision, she remained convinced of her true power!
As this realization dawned on her, Furina's confidence wavered. If the problem stemmed from her own nature, she couldn't very well blame others.
"Ahem... Well, the Academy researchers have been working tirelessly day and night for Fontaine," she conceded. "It's only natural they might make a few minor errors."
"Considering their efforts, I suppose I'll forgive them this time."
Neuvillette regarded Furina, shook his head, and turned to leave the Maison Gardiennage Headquarters.
"Let's go. We need to uncover the true cause as soon as possible."
Hearing Neuvillette's words, Furina tensed. She worried whether the Academy researchers might have noticed something amiss.
Seeing Neuvillette walk away, Furina hurried after him.
"Wait for me, Neuvillette!"
Meanwhile, the nobles had all taken their seats at the military exercise grounds, their smiles widening as they gazed at the neatly aligned Clockwork Meka in the distance, all equipped with the latest weaponry.
"Honestly, Neuvillette could at least have mentioned these weapon upgrades to us."
"Heh, we can't seem to understand the Chief Justice's recent actions at all."
"I miss the old Neuvillette. He simply did what he was supposed to do and never interfered in matters beyond his purview."
"Do you think Neuvillette might be trying to completely oust us from Fontaine's governing body?"
This remark from one of the nobles immediately drew the ire of those aligned with Neuvillette's faction.
"Stop spreading baseless rumors! The fact that Monsieur Neuvillette entrusted us with overseeing this military exercise demonstrates his confidence in us."
"Perhaps he didn't inform us earlier because he wasn't sure if there were any traitors among us, fearing leaks."
"Enough bickering, everyone. It's almost time to start. Let's announce the commencement."
A noble stepped in to smooth things over, successfully preventing a conflict between the two factions.
Under the auspices of a Duke, the grand military exercise commenced.
First came the demonstration of the Clockwork Mekas. Initially, the audience couldn't see what was so impressive about these machines, until they witnessed the new models face off against the old ones—one new model against thirty old ones.
This demonstration stunned the crowd. When they saw the new Clockwork Meka emerge almost unscathed, utterly dominating the battle, the crowd erupted into cheers.
If even the ordinary Clockwork Mekas had become this powerful, they could only imagine how astonishing the weapons to be showcased later would be.
The cannon barrage demonstration soon followed. A single ten-minute barrage silenced all other sounds on the field, leaving only the thunderous roar of the explosions.
Finally, when everyone saw the mountain slope, which had served as the target, reduced by several meters in height, an even greater silence fell.
But after that brief hush, a thunderous wave of cheers erupted!
Most people naturally wanted their country to grow stronger; after all, it meant they could stand a little straighter when traveling abroad...
"Ready? It's almost our turn to shine."
As the distant explosions gradually subsided, Alva clapped Jacob on the shoulder with one hand and patted Rene on the head with the other, addressing them with a grin.
Rene glanced at the hand resting on his head, a hint of resignation in his eyes.
Though he knew Alva's gesture was merely due to having nowhere else to put his hand, the posture made him feel strangely infantilized, as if he were being treated like a child.
Even if my talents don't match his, I'm not a child!
Rene resolved to focus on researching how to revert to his original body once he returned.
"Monsieur Alva, isn't this a collective operation by the Academy?"
"Hahaha, I just didn't want you to get nervous!"
Hearing Alva's words, Rene shook his head.
"How could we be nervous? We're not the main characters."
"Monsieur Rene, you can't think like that!" Alva insisted. "Even as supporting roles, we must strive to play our parts well."
"Besides, life is unpredictable. Who's to say we won't become the protagonists ourselves?"
Rene sensed multiple layers of meaning in Alva's smile, but before he could ponder them further, it was the Fontaine Research Institute's turn to present.
Beneath him, the Noah's Ark began to stir, its engines slowly coming to life...