Not long after the Strategy Group presented their... not exactly a walkthrough, but a plan to save everyone, Neuvillette's earlier doubts completely vanished.
It was far too detailed!
The plan not only explained how to respond to various situations but even specified which of his abilities to use against each enemy ability. It even outlined the optimal battle maneuvers.
In short, it was a kind of brainless beauty—all he had to do was follow the instructions.
Neuvillette mentally simulated the battle scenario and realized that by following the Strategy Group's plan, he could end the fight quickly and confine the destruction to a very small area.
He was utterly astonished. He never imagined Fontaine harbored such brilliant minds.
How many more undiscovered talents are hiding within Fontaine?!
Neuvillette felt like a truly incompetent administrator. If he had unearthed these talents sooner, Fontaine might have entered an era of rapid development long ago.
Soon, Neuvillette ordered everyone to follow the Strategy Group's plans. This time, casualties were reduced by over eighty percent—a result that stunned him once again.
While the replenishment of manpower had played a role, the Strategy Group's contribution was undoubtedly indispensable!
Moreover, this was the first time the Strategy Group had lacked prior validation experience. With more iterations, they could undoubtedly save everyone!
It wasn't just Neuvillette; everyone deeply admired the Strategy Group's capabilities. Rene even considered poaching their members, thinking their brilliant minds might be ideal for research.
However, under Neuvillette's deathly glare, Rene ultimately abandoned his poaching plan.
Never mind, he thought. We already have enough researchers. Better to focus on convincing more people to believe in the light.
After a brief discussion, the group resumed their efforts. Through repeated trial and error, the number of casualties decreased dramatically with each iteration.
As the death toll dwindled, so did the number of people resurrected in their original positions. The survivors could then retreat to designated safe havens, creating a virtuous cycle. Through everyone's relentless efforts, the number of casualties was finally reduced to zero.
Upon learning of the outcome, everyone erupted in cheers before collapsing onto the ground, utterly exhausted from their repeated efforts.
Having repeated the process countless times, these people found themselves pondering, even in their dreams, how to rescue more people more efficiently during disasters.
Even Neuvillette looked utterly drained, his expression somewhat dazed.
He hadn't truly believed they could save everyone. This perfect outcome filled his heart with peace. Watching the weary people sitting on the ground, chatting with radiant smiles, Neuvillette unconsciously let a small smile slip onto his face.
His gaze soon shifted upward to the Divine Dragon in the sky, who was now looking distinctly impatient.
"Hurry up and state your wish. I'm very busy."
At that moment, only Rene and a few others still had the strength to fight. Navia, though managing to stand by propping herself up with her great axe (a stark contrast to the promotional video—the official concealment left me no choice, though this minor detail contradiction is forgivable), was clearly at her limit.
Furina was suffering the most. Every muscle in her body ached, and waves of dizziness washed over her, but because of her carefully crafted persona, she had to maintain a facade of effortless ease. Oh, family, if only you knew! Please, let this unbearable agony end soon!
Hearing the Divine Dragon's words, Neuvillette slowly replied, "Divine Dragon, you claim to grant any wish, correct?"
"Of course! Who do you think I am? I'm the omnipotent Divine Dragon!"
"Then... disappear."
As he spoke, the power within Neuvillette began to surge.
He naturally didn't expect the Divine Dragon to obediently vanish, so he prepared to give it a little "assistance."
Simultaneously, Rene channeled the last of his strength, hoping to aid Neuvillette in the coming battle.
"Emma, if you'd just done this sooner, it would've been over by now!"
To everyone's astonishment, the Divine Dragon showed no anger whatsoever. In fact, its tone was almost cheerful.
"I understand your wish! I'll go die right away!"
"Finally off work! I'm exhausted!"
With these parting words, the Divine Dragon's form gradually faded into the sky until it completely vanished, and the heavens returned to calm.
The scene left everyone dumbfounded. Given the dragon's apparent eagerness to leave, they'd assumed it was in a rush to finish work.
Neuvillette was the first to regain his composure. Turning to the others, he said, "Thank you all for your assistance in this matter."
"Though there were no casualties, much of the city has been severely damaged. We may need to rely on your support for the reconstruction efforts."
"Monsieur Neuvillette, you're too kind," Rene replied. "We're all Fontainians. It's only right that we lend a hand when Fontaine faces a crisis."
Hearing Rene's words, Navia quickly added, "Exactly! Even if Monsieur Neuvillette hadn't asked, the Spina di Rosula would have stepped in to help regardless."
"As for the reconstruction, the Spina di Rosula will do everything in our power to help everyone return to their homes as soon as possible."
Just as Neuvillette was about to nod in agreement, a shout rang out from the distance.
"Wait!"
The group turned to see a member of the Strategy Group approaching. They couldn't help but wonder if he had objections to their plans.
"You can't rebuild the city like that!"
"We must build the city walls taller and stronger! That way, we can easily defend against enemies even dozens of meters tall!"
"Then we'll install hundreds or even thousands of cannons on the walls, coupled with defensive fortifications. Even if a god himself descends, we'll stand a fighting chance!"
The crowd froze, stunned by the grand vision the man described.
This isn't rebuilding a city; it's constructing a war fortress!
"Monsieur," Furina spoke up, recovering her composure, "isn't this... unnecessary? Fontaine's current threat is flooding, not a god's invasion."
"These elaborate fortifications would only burden us further. Especially with the Day of Prophecy drawing ever closer, I believe we should simply restore the city to its original form for now."
"Small! Too small!"
"What's too small?"
Furina lowered her head as she spoke.
"Your vision! Your vision is too small!"
The man waved his hand expansively, striking a pose as if commanding empires.
"Just because a threat hasn't materialized yet doesn't mean we shouldn't prepare for it."
"Take this incident, for example. It happened so suddenly, catching us completely off guard."
"If the city's security had been prioritized from the start, we wouldn't have suffered such heavy casualties, and the Clearance Difficulty wouldn't have been so high."
When the man mentioned "Clearance Difficulty," the group found it hard to suppress their laughter.
While it was true that no fatalities had occurred, and those who had teetered on the brink of death had lost their most painful memories, giving the situation a somewhat game-like feel, something about his explanation still felt fundamentally off.
"I think there's some merit to what he's saying," Navia said, nodding in agreement.
"Currently, the architecture in Fontaine's cities prioritizes aesthetics over safety," she continued. "The design largely neglects emergency planning."
She paused, glanced at the others, and added, "You must have noticed these problems during the rescue efforts—the lack of shelters, redundant designs, and other issues that severely hampered our operations."
"If we rebuild using the same blueprints," she warned, "these problems will persist."
"Unfortunately, Fontaine has already stretched its resources thin," Neuvillette replied, his voice tinged with resignation. He, too, had noticed these issues but struggled to find a viable solution.
A comprehensive overhaul of all Fontaine's cities would require staggering amounts of manpower and materials—a task impossible to complete in the short term.
"Then let's start by building the shelters and clearing the major transportation routes to facilitate the movement of supplies."
At that moment, the other party proposed a compromise, which would significantly reduce the workload.
"Moreover, if the waterproofing is done properly, even shelters built above ground can still protect the people inside on the Day of Prophecy."
"Then let's proceed with this plan for now. These are indeed issues we can no longer ignore."
Neuvillette finally nodded in agreement. Of course, he couldn't disregard Furina's opinion either.
"Lady Furina, what do you think?"
"I... I have no objections."
Furina didn't see any problem with the plan. After all, it was for the safety and well-being of the Fontainians.
"Monsieur Neuvillette," Rene interjected immediately after Furina finished, "I believe that beyond infrastructure development, we must also focus on conducting emergency response drills in advance."
"Our evacuation speed improved dramatically from our initial clumsiness to near-perfection. By the final drill, we were evacuating more than twice as fast as we were during the first attempt. We can't neglect this aspect either."
"Hmm, I've noticed that as well," Neuvillette nodded in agreement.
"From now on, I've decided to designate this day each year as a Crisis Drill Day, giving all Fontainians a greater chance of survival in the event of a real disaster."
Neuvillette then turned to the Strategy Group member and addressed him:
"The Strategy Group played an indispensable role in achieving this reasonably satisfactory outcome. If you're interested, I'll arrange suitable positions with good compensation for your members."
"Of course, even if you decline this offer, you'll still receive satisfactory compensation for your efforts."
"We need time to consider this proposal. Monsieur Neuvillette, please allow me to return and discuss it with the others first."
Understanding their position, Neuvillette granted them permission to leave.
Next, Navia and Rene bid farewell to Neuvillette and Furina.
As for the Gardemeks dispatched by Wriothesley, Neuvillette had already deployed them to assist with Fontaine's post-disaster reconstruction efforts, likely borrowing them for at least a year or two.
"All things considered, this incident has come to a relatively satisfactory conclusion," Furina remarked on their way back.
She had initially feared she would bear responsibility for countless lives lost, but thankfully, it had all been a false alarm.
This time, Furina's reputation had improved significantly, and people clearly saw a more enthusiastic expression on her face.
However, she bristled at the widespread remark that she was "finally doing something useful." Had she not been doing anything useful before? Honestly, what slander!
Those rumor-mongers should all be locked up in the tower to reflect on their misdeeds!
Hearing Furina's words, Neuvillette shook his head with weary resignation.
If only resolving this matter were as simple as that, he thought. Fortunately, Dark Furina hadn't resurfaced; she likely remained wary after their last confrontation. Otherwise, the situation would have grown even more complicated.
Though he knew what lay ahead, Neuvillette maintained a calm demeanor.
As Furina had said, no matter what happened, everyone was still alive.
However, one thing puzzled Neuvillette: after the Divine Dragon resurrected the dead, their corpses remained. In recent days, Fontaine had been dealing with countless bodies.
Could this be another consequence of the Divine Dragon being an incomplete creation?
This matter wasn't particularly concerning. After speaking with the resurrected individuals and confirming they showed no abnormalities, Neuvillette ceased dwelling on the issue.
What truly captured his attention was the final words spoken by the Dottore Variant as it died before him.
No matter how one looked at it, this matter was far from over. However, Neuvillette's recent preoccupations had drained his energy, leaving him unable to confront Dottore for now. He could only postpone settling the score.
And now, his own Judgment was about to begin.
Upon returning to Palais Mermonia, Neuvillette found Ron already in his office. His expression remained impassive as he calmly greeted him.
"Monsieur Ron, what brings you here?"
"Monsieur Neuvillette, are you truly unaware of my purpose?" Ron replied with a faint smile, sidestepping the question.
"Have you come for tomorrow's Judgment against me?" Neuvillette pressed.
Hearing Neuvillette's deduction, Ron nodded.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, I've heard that two more towns have declared their secession from Fontaine."
Without hesitation, Neuvillette nodded in acknowledgment. This was no secret, after all.
His earlier oversight had led to a major disaster in Fontaine. Although everyone had ultimately been rescued, this didn't mean his mistakes could simply be overlooked.
"Since you're aware of the reasons behind this, Monsieur Neuvillette, I'll cut to the chase."
Ron smiled and then revealed the purpose of his visit.
"Tomorrow, I'll be adding further charges to your indictment."