"Hmm… looks like we won't have to wait long. They're here."
From her seat near the fountain before the Opéra Épiclèse, Arlecchino—the Knave, Fourth of the Fatui Harbingers—opened her eyes and glanced toward the river.
There, an aquatrain glided smoothly into the station.
On its deck stood Idris, Grand Sage of Sumeru, with Nahida at his side, their figures framed against the misty afternoon light.
Seeing them, Lyney couldn't resist whispering to his adoptive father, "Father, should we approach the Grand Sage later? Perhaps introduce ourselves—make a good impression?"
Arlecchino crossed one leg over the other, a teasing smile curling at her lips.
"No need to rush," she said lightly. "Let him and Neuvillette meet first. I'd say there's a… ninety percent chance they'll fight."
Both Lyney and Lynette froze. "Fight? Them?"
The Knave chuckled lowly. "Neuvillette is a man of law and principle. Idris is a man who bends neither. Two unyielding wills colliding in a city built on judgment—tell me, doesn't that sound inevitable?"
Her crimson eyes gleamed with anticipation as she turned back to the approaching aquatrain.
Onboard, Idris could already sense the weight of several powerful gazes aimed at him.
Two of them stood out distinctly—one calm and ancient like the depths of the sea, the other sharp and predatory like a dagger wrapped in velvet.
Neuvillette. Arlecchino.
"So, it seems we have more… audience members than expected."
Charlotte, who was still clutching her camera, blinked. "Huh? What did you say, Grand Sage?"
"Nothing," Idris said easily, the faintest smirk curling at his mouth. "Just that we've arrived."
"Oh—yes!" Charlotte straightened up. "Grand Sage Idris, Princess Nahida, once you disembark, simply follow the main path. The Chief Justice is waiting at the opera house entrance."
She hesitated a moment, then added with a nervous laugh, "And… I'll just, uh, stay out of your way. For safety reasons."
Then, like a startled pink rabbit, she hopped off the deck and disappeared into the crowd.
Watching her go, Nahida giggled softly. "I can feel her fear. She's terrified you'll start a scene."
Idris smiled faintly. "She's a reporter. Fear doesn't stop them—it only teaches them to run before the explosion starts."
"Come on. Let's go."
Nahida took his hand as they walked together down the sunlit avenue, her eyes bright with quiet wonder. For her, simply being beside Idris—sharing a rare moment outside Sumeru's forests—was already happiness enough.
When they finally reached the front steps of the Opéra Épiclèse, two familiar figures awaited them.
Neuvillette stood tall, staff in hand, his presence radiating authority. Beside him, Furina fidgeted nervously, her expression a mixture of guilt and defiance.
"Welcome," Neuvillette said with calm formality. "Grand Sage Idris, and Princess Nahida. Fontaine greets you."
Idris returned the handshake with an easy smile. "Chief Justice Neuvillette—your reputation precedes you. And Lady Furina, it's good to see you again."
Their words were polite, diplomatic. But beneath that thin surface, tension coiled like a drawn bowstring.
Furina's smile faltered as Idris's gaze briefly met hers. She still remembered how her careless demonstration had set Fontaine ablaze with hysteria.
And yet… he really came.
Once the formalities ended, Neuvillette's expression hardened.
"Grand Sage Idris," he began coldly, "I assume you are aware of the chaos your so-called Bloodline Elixir has caused in Fontaine."
Idris tilted his head slightly, his tone amused. "I'm aware. And I'd say the real problem wasn't the elixir—it was your own recklessness."
His voice was calm, but his words landed like blades.
"In Sumeru, every experimental medicine is tested under full containment. You—" he gestured toward Furina, "—chose to test it live before an audience. And now you blame me for the fallout?"
He chuckled. "You can't call me a fraud when the medicine worked exactly as promised."
Furina's face flushed crimson. Oh Archons, he's really doing this in front of everyone…
Neuvillette's brow furrowed. "So you admit you foresaw this chaos when you gifted that elixir?"
"Of course," Idris replied simply. "There's no such thing as a free gift. Consider it… advertisement for Sumeru's alchemical industry. I just didn't expect the campaign to be this successful."
He said it so casually, so unrepentantly, that Furina nearly buried her face in her hands.
Neuvillette's tone grew colder. "Before your arrival, I placed your actions under official judgment. The Oratrice Mécanique d'Analyse Cardinale—our highest arbiter—delivered its verdict."
He paused.
"It found you guilty."
Idris raised a brow, interest flickering in his eyes. "Guilty? Hah… intriguing."
He understood immediately.
The Oratrice was built from divine energy—Focalors' final legacy, designed to one day render judgment upon the gods themselves.
To such a system, Idris was not just a disruptor—he was a rival. A man who had dethroned divinity itself.
"So your holy machine finds me guilty," Idris murmured. "I suppose it would."
"Indeed," Neuvillette said, his grip on his staff tightening. "And its sentence was clear: imprisonment in the Fortress of Meropide, one year of confinement."
Idris laughed softly. "Imprisonment? For a guest of state from another nation?"
His gaze sharpened. "You really believe your machine's verdict applies to me?"
The air grew heavy.
Neuvillette's voice dropped to a low, resonant rumble. "If words alone cannot make you understand the weight of your crime, perhaps action will."
"Action?" Idris's smirk widened. "You think I'll kneel because your machine told me to?"
He took a step forward, his tone like silk hiding steel.
"Furina asked for a solution, and I gave her one. Fontaine reaped the results of its own choices. And now you want to punish me for it?"
His crimson eyes glinted coldly. "Tell me, Chief Justice—do you think the Grand Sage of Sumeru is so easily bullied?"
Neuvillette's reply was calm, but the fury beneath it was unmistakable. "Then it seems we understand each other, Idris. I will not allow chaos to threaten my nation again."
Both men stood unmoving, but the air between them rippled with power. The faint hum of hydro energy clashed against the invisible force of Dendro and wisdom.
Furina, standing between them, broke into a cold sweat. No, no, no—this is bad.
"C-calm down, both of you!" she stammered, waving her hands frantically. "Idris, Neuvillette is just… overly strict! And Neuvillette, you said guests should be treated with respect—remember?"
Neither moved.
The ground trembled softly beneath their feet, as if the city itself sensed what was about to unfold.
Furina forced a shaky smile. "Heh… maybe we can talk this out before someone destroys the opera house?"
Her voice cracked. "Right?"
No one answered.
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