Upon hearing Lumine's words, the audience, who had just quieted down, became agitated once more.
"Cowell… isn't he the deceased? Why would you search the deceased's personal belongings?"
"There's a saying in Ritou that the deceased is paramount. Even though this is Fontaine, we should at least show some respect to the dead!"
"It seems this Licensed Agent is completely stumped… How could this matter involve the deceased?"
Even Navia, sitting in the audience, frowned slightly.
In her opinion, the only direct link between this matter and Cowell was the established fact of his death.
"Could it be…"
Navia thoughtfully looked at the broad figure sitting in the first row, falling silent, her azure eyes showing a hint of contemplation.
Meanwhile, Yuto, seated in the first row, listened to the conversations behind him and a slow smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"It seems you've discovered what the secret is…"
"Then… let's fully unveil a corner of justice and The Prophecy, Traveler from another land. After this… I'll take over."
As he spoke, a sharp purple glow flashed in Yuto's eyes.
At this moment, he was ready to personally send Vasher, who was still pretending to be a good person beside Navia, to hell.
Just as the audience below the stage widely believed Lumine was at her wit's end and about to give up, Neuvillette once again tapped the ground with his cane.
"Silence!"
As soon as Neuvillette spoke, the audience below instantly quieted down, and he then said aloud:
"Please, the Lyney party, prioritize rebutting the 'facts' presented by Ms. Furina. Whether to continue investigating the sealed evidence will be decided based on the progress of the case."
Hearing Neuvillette's words, Lumine nodded without surprise, then continued to speak:
"When the countdown began, Lyney did enter the tunnel."
"But he immediately went from the ventilation shaft to the Opera House's basement, which is the room where the 'Oratrice Mechanique's' underground core is located."
"Upon arriving there, he heard voices in the empty room. Feeling something was amiss, he decided not to linger and returned directly."
"However, by the time Lyney returned, the current crime scene had already formed. To successfully complete the magic trick, Lyney did not stay long."
"Finally, he returned to the surface and witnessed the accident. This is his perspective; he is innocent! He is not the culprit of the 'Serial Disappearance of Young Girls'!"
Hearing Lumine's rebuttal, Furina lowered her head in thought. After a long moment, she slowly raised her head with a frown, looking at the two people in front of her and saying:
"So… you believe Lyney was completely unaware?"
Lumine nodded, then continued to speak:
"Moreover… Ms. Furina, your logical deduction has a flaw."
"Huh?"
"In your recent argument, Lyney was the mastermind and the culprit behind everything that happened, but Cowell encountering Lyney in the tunnel was an accidental event."
"Everyone, please recall Cowell's cause of death. He was directly crushed by a water tank that fell from above."
"This means that Lyney's tampering with the magic props was specifically aimed at Cowell, but…"
"In Ms. Furina's reenactment just now, Cowell was killed because he 'heard an accidental noise, entered the tunnel, and witnessed Lyney's crime'."
"So… if Cowell hadn't entered the tunnel, who was 'Lyney's tampering with the magic props' supposed to kill?"
Hearing this, Paimon, who had been floating nearby, nodded and quickly chimed in:
"Exactly! If it's the truth of the case as you described, Lyney only needed to kidnap young women to create new disappearance cases. There was no need to kill someone on stage, was there?"
Lumine and Paimon's refutation left Furina momentarily speechless, and the audience below the stage also showed a completely different attitude at this moment.
"This Traveler… is right. If Lyney had already confirmed the target for murder… shouldn't Heirsee have been crushed to death? How could she have disappeared?"
"Indeed… if we analyze Lady Furina's accusation… Lyney really didn't need to kill. The stage setup wasn't insurance; instead, it would expose him."
At this moment, Navia raised her beautiful blue eyes, looking at the young woman standing confidently on the high platform with a smile, and said excitedly:
"Yes, yes, yes! That's it, worthy of being my partner~ The situation has finally turned around!"
Hearing the so-called "analysis" from the audience below, which was almost once again one-sided, Furina immediately became nervous.
"E-Even if you boldly deny my deduction, what evidence do you have to prove you are right?"
To the ball Furina threw back, Lumine sighed softly, then continued:
"Furina, do you still remember how you disproved Lyney's alibi?"
"Of course I remember—wait… are you trying to say that because Lyney wasn't in the magic box or the underground passage, he couldn't have heard that muffled thud?"
Hearing Furina's words, Lumine's expression was momentarily surprised.
—How did this Water God just say what she was about to say?
However, this surprise did not last long. She nodded gently and continued:
"Combining the evidence you just presented, Lyney had already passed through the ventilation shaft and entered the Opera House's basement when the incident occurred."
"So… this is precisely Lyney's 'alibi'."
Upon hearing this, Furina's expression slightly froze. Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly closed her mouth, and after a long moment, she let out an exaggerated laugh.
"Hahahahaha, truly worthy of being a Traveler from another land, an opponent recognized by I, Focalors, the God of Justice."
"Since you say the culprit isn't Lyney, then who could the real culprit be?"
Before she could say something… inappropriate due to her logic being overturned, she suddenly remembered what Yuto had told her.
"Furina… you must remember, you are the God of Justice. Winning or losing is not important; what's important is that you've found a path to justice for the people of Fontaine."
This single sentence forcibly twisted Furina's statement around.
Now, she was no longer merely the 'accuser,' but the God who guided the people of Fontaine towards 'justice'!
Lumine felt a slight doubt in her heart as she looked at the seemingly exaggerated young woman, but considering the Water God's attitude when they first met…
It didn't seem so strange after all.
Thinking this, Lumine slowly spoke: "The culprit of the case is not Lyney, but… the deceased Cowell himself."