"Waaah! Why is it raining so hard?! We helped Fontaine so much, why didn't Lyney give us an umbrella?!"
Feeling the continuous rain hitting her, Paimon was momentarily frantic.
Yesterday, when they returned from Beryl Region, it was just cloudy, so why was it raining so heavily today?
The bizarre changes in the weather were comparable to Inazuma and Sumeru's rainforests!
Lumine looked at Paimon, who was caught between a rock and a hard place due to the heavy rain, and sighed softly, then took out a black umbrella from her four-dimensional backpack.
"The Duke actually handed us an umbrella, but there wasn't one in your size, so he gave me one."
Lumine said as she opened the umbrella, creating a small shelter for herself and Paimon in the pouring rain.
"Uh... so that's how it is..."
Paimon scratched her head, a little embarrassed, then shook her head and looked at the torrential rain that had even formed curtains of water, feeling a bit exasperated.
She tilted her head slightly, looking at the gloomy sky, and shouted loudly:
"Hydro Dragon, Hydro Dragon, don't cry!!!"
...
After Paimon's brief complaining, Lumine took Paimon to Palais Mermonia.
Aside from needing to rest, they also had to go to Palais Mermonia to find Neuvillette and discuss the future exploration.
As for the remuneration Lord Yuto had promised them earlier... Lumine and Paimon unanimously decided: they would settle it when Lord Yuto returned.
Regarding this, Paimon stated that she would thoroughly settle the score for how Lord Yuto had calculated against them before.
However, Lumine held no hope for this.
Firstly, she didn't think it counted as calculating, and secondly... even if she did think it was calculating, she didn't believe that she and Paimon could outwit the meticulous Lord Yuto.
Because she and Paimon combined only had half a brain.
—She had one, Paimon lacked half, adding up to only half.
And Lord Yuto had been an Assistant Administrator for nearly five hundred years; his understanding of human nature and his schemes were far more formidable than theirs, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he had eight hundred brains.
From this perspective... it was impossible to win.
"Hm? Is that you two? Are you here to see Lady Furina? Or... are you here to see Lord Neuvillette?"
Sedna's voice pulled Lumine's thoughts back to reality. Looking at the adorable Melusine in front of her, Lumine nodded gently.
"We're here to see Neuvillette to discuss the ruins exploration."
"Mm-hmm~ I understand. Lord Neuvillette is currently working, I'll go ask for you."
With that, Sedna quickly walked towards Neuvillette's office.
Paimon, meanwhile, watched Sedna's receding figure, feeling a bit worried.
Although she and Lumine hadn't visited Palais Mermonia many times, they always saw Sedna, and she was always the one handling announcements and similar tasks.
Before Lord Yuto's incident, Sedna used to skip when she walked, as if she was always in a good mood.
But now... she barely skipped anymore; she just walked, without any bounce, as if she had a heavy heart.
This wasn't the main point. The main point was... Sedna hadn't shown even a trace of negative emotion from beginning to end, as if she was completely unaffected.
Thinking of this, Paimon's mood gradually sank, not knowing what to do.
Lumine also noticed Paimon's mood, and naturally, she noticed Sedna's change.
She sighed softly, then spoke:
"Let's ask Sedna later, and when we go to Beryl Region, we can ask Navia if she has more clues."
Hearing this, Paimon nodded quickly like a chick pecking rice, then fell silent.
...
After about three minutes, Sedna came before the two of them.
"You two have waited long enough. Lord Neuvillette said that the time for the ruins exploration depends on you. Since he has a lot of work on his hands right now, he might not be able to arrive immediately, please understand."
"Also, regarding your commission fees... Lord Neuvillette has provided a solution."
At this point, Sedna paused slightly, then spoke:
"If Lord Yuto returns before you two plan to leave Fontaine, then the settlement work will be handed over to Lord Yuto."
"If Lord Yuto still hasn't returned when you two leave, then please come to Palais Mermonia for settlement."
Hearing this, Lumine nodded gently; these details were within her expectations.
After Lumine and Paimon exchanged quick glances, Paimon spoke to Sedna:
"Sedna, we plan to explore that ruin later. Please tell Neuvillette."
"Mm-hmm, okay, I'll go right away~"
However, before Sedna could even move to leave... Paimon called out to her.
"Sedna!"
"Hm? What is it, guest? Is there anything else?"
"Uh..."
Paimon silently scratched her head, and after a long moment, slowly spoke:
"Sedna... we will definitely help you find Lord Yuto!"
Hearing this, Lumine's mouth twitched involuntarily; for a moment, she didn't know what to say.
Sedna, on the other hand, blinked, seeming to understand their concern for her. She shook her head gently, then spoke:
"You two don't need to worry about me so much. I firmly believe that Lord Yuto will return, but..."
Sedna lowered her head slightly and mumbled softly:
"Without Lord Yuto here... it's still a bit unfamiliar..."
After saying that, Sedna looked up and smiled at the two of them, saying:
"For me, as long as I complete all the tasks Lord Yuto gave me step by step, he will be very happy when he returns!"
"This is the work and responsibility Lord Yuto entrusted to me, so I should do it well~"
"Please excuse me for now, you two~"
With that, Sedna walked towards Neuvillette's office.
Looking at that small but resolute figure, Lumine felt a surge of emotion.
"Indeed... you're influenced by the people you spend time with... even the Melusine by Lord Yuto's side is like this, it's truly hard to imagine..."
Lumine thought this while her gaze fell upon the pouring rain outside the window, she murmured softly:
"But... who influenced you?"
...
After bidding farewell to Sedna, Lumine and Paimon rushed non-stop to the location of the ruins.
For them, every minute and every second was precious now.
After all... they had witnessed the tragic scene in Beryl Region.
Honestly, they didn't want to see such a scene happen again, so... they had to quicken their pace, striving to find a glimmer of hope for Fontaine before that outcome arrived.
However, when they reached the vicinity of the ruins... they saw an unexpected figure.
A woman wearing a silver-white women's suit, draped in a thick silver-white cloak, and holding a black umbrella stood in the rain, seemingly waiting for something.
Looking at that figure, Lumine's eyes narrowed slightly, and her guard immediately rose to the highest level.
"Is that... The Knave?! Why is she here?!"
Paimon couldn't help but exclaim, as if what she saw at that moment was not a person, but an elusive ghost.
Arlecchino also noticed them. She gently turned around, looked at the two of them, and said softly:
"You two, do you need some... intelligence sharing?"
-------------------------------
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