The moment Neuvillette pushed open the door to the break room, the audience in the Opera Epiclese erupted into excited cheers as his figure appeared on stage—it was practically like New Year's Day.
Mixed in with the cheers were curses and shouts of support, but overall, the majority were simply there for the spectacle. After all, this was a cherished tradition in Fontaine, much like Mondstadt's freedom.
In the past, Neuvillette had only felt a faint stir of emotion, but now, standing accused, he truly grasped the absurdity of the scene before him.
Even though this matter concerned the very survival of Fontaine, the audience continued to laugh and chatter excitedly among themselves.
They cared nothing for the Judgment's outcome, only whether today's events would provide fresh gossip for tomorrow.
Suddenly, Neuvillette found himself thinking about the series of increasingly bizarre cases that had plagued Fontaine recently.
Take, for example, the recent case where a father had an affair with his daughter-in-law, the mother pushed the daughter-in-law, the father slapped the mother, and the son brutally beat his father.
Even in the courtroom, the four of them descended into chaos, and the scene nearly spiraled out of control.
Neuvillette had initially believed such outlandish cases made maintaining the solemnity of a Judgment impossible. But now he understood the root cause lay with the audience observing the proceedings.
No matter how absurd the case, a Judgment should be an utterly serious affair, not a farce.
Neuvillette shook his head. While the initial decision to allow public access to Judgments had been partly to ensure transparency and fairness, and partly to collect Indemnitium, it was clear the current situation required reform.
As Neuvillette pondered this, another wave of thunderous cheers erupted. He initially assumed Furina had arrived, but instead, he saw Ron's figure.
Watching Ron walk through the crowd, greeting the audience who enthusiastically chanted "Teacher Ron!" left Neuvillette momentarily stunned.
Had Ron truly become this popular in Fontaine?
The thunderous applause was somewhat unexpected for Neuvillette. It seemed he had been too preoccupied with recent events to notice this level of enthusiasm.
Next, Furina entered the arena, greeted by a considerable but noticeably smaller wave of applause compared to Ron's reception. Perhaps the audience was simply growing tired of shouting.
Furina felt a surge of irritation. She delivered a few crowd-pleasing remarks that managed to elicit a slightly louder response from the audience. This only fueled her irritation further.
If it had been Neuvillette receiving such acclaim, she might have accepted it. But how could this rookie newcomer, fresh to the scene, possibly outshine her, the Hydro Archon herself, in popularity?
"Lady Furina, please take your seat. The Judgment is about to begin," a Maison Gardiennage officer urged from beside her.
Sighing reluctantly, Furina returned to her seat, casting a sharp, puzzled glance at Ron. What talent does he possess to draw such a crowd? she wondered.
I wonder what Clorinde has been up to lately? I haven't seen her in days. Could she have left Fontaine already? Furina surveyed the unfamiliar faces of the Maison Gardiennage officers on either side of her, letting out a soft sigh.
If only Clorinde were here... There's no one I can confide in now.
After her identity was publicly questioned, Furina, fearing a repeat incident, replaced her personal guard with a new group of Maison Gardiennage officers.
While this measure prevented further incidents, the daily sight of unfamiliar faces and lingering memories of being intimidated weighed heavily on her.
Furina desperately wished the Prophecy crisis in Fontaine would resolve quickly, so she could shed her Hydro Archon identity and search for Emily without restraint.
Oh no, just thinking about Emily makes me hungry...
The trial finally began. Seated at the head table, the Justice, feeling as if he were sitting on pins and needles, hastily announced, "The trial is now in session!"
His sole responsibility was to maintain order during the Judgment proceedings and follow established procedures; he wasn't required to render the verdict.
Yet even this limited role placed an immense strain on his nerves.
Presiding over Neuvillette's Judgment filled him with regret for his delayed response when requesting leave. As the last official still on duty, he had been hastily appointed to the position.
"The prosecution may now present its case."
Compared to the Justice, who sat stiffly on the edge of his seat, clearly uncomfortable and ill at ease, the audience was buzzing with excitement.
Finally, it's starting! Today we're going to witness history!
"Very well, Monsieur Justice," Ron nodded, then turned to Neuvillette and continued.
"I accuse Monsieur Neuvillette of dereliction of duty, which led to massive civilian casualties during the recent military exercises."
Ron's words struck a chord with many. They couldn't help but recall the hellish scene of that day, a nightmare some had personally experienced and would never forget.
Yet, few truly blamed Neuvillette. While he had organized the military exercises, the nobles' rebellion was the primary cause of the tragedy.
However, Ron's next statement shattered this internal consensus.
"There's something you may not know: Monsieur Neuvillette foresaw the impending disaster. He even detected the Cult of No. 6's infiltration beforehand, yet failed to purge them."
"Despite knowing full well that an accident was highly likely to occur, Monsieur Neuvillette failed to arrive at the scene immediately, ultimately leading to the tragedy..."
When the audience at the Opera Epiclese and the countless citizens watching the live broadcast heard Ron's bombshell, they were immediately stunned into silence.
Charlotte, who had been specially invited to the Opera Epiclese, frantically snapped photos, determined to break this major news first.
After a brief moment of shock, a wave of boundless anger surged through the crowd. Public opinion toward Neuvillette had finally shifted.
Previously, many had treated the military exercise incident as mere entertainment, believing the blame lay with the nobles. Those nobles had already received their due punishment, and Neuvillette had completely abolished the nobility, ending the centuries-old rigid class system that had weighed heavily on the people.
For the most part, people remained grateful to Neuvillette. Although he had indeed released the Shadow Dragon during the Shadow Dragon Incident, he had also worked tirelessly to save everyone, preserving a considerable amount of goodwill toward him.
But after hearing Ron's words, everything changed. The tragedy at the military exercise site had been caused by Neuvillette's negligence?
Neuvillette had known for a long time that members of the Cult of No. 6 were among his staff, yet he not only failed to conduct a thorough purge, but he wasn't even present to protect them when the incident occurred.
Did this mean Neuvillette had used everyone present as bait? Even if the nobles hadn't rebelled, could he truly guarantee that the Cult of No. 6 members wouldn't have caused any casualties?
"Monsieur Neuvillette, is this true?"
"Have you truly abandoned us?"
Unable to accept this reality, someone stood up from the audience and directly confronted Neuvillette.
"No, there were special circumstances at the time..."
Furina suddenly recalled the events of that day. Neuvillette had originally planned to accompany the nobles to the military exercise, but she had entered his office and triggered the alarm of the Fontaine Research Institute's latest invention, leading to questions about her identity.
It was precisely because of this incident that Neuvillette had to personally bail her out of the Maison Gardiennage, delaying his arrival at the scene.
In other words, the problem ultimately stemmed from her.
Furina stood up, intending to explain the situation to the audience.
Though she knew that revealing the truth would shift the public's anger onto her, she couldn't bear to see Neuvillette ostracized and hated by the people.
However, just as Furina was about to speak, Neuvillette cut in.
"Monsieur Ron's account is accurate. I did indeed foresee the Cult of No. 6's actions, but I failed to take them seriously enough."
"To all the innocent lives lost in this tragedy, I offer my deepest apologies."
With these words, Neuvillette bowed deeply to the audience, to everyone watching the live broadcast.
"I am prepared to bear all consequences."
Neuvillette turned to look at the Justice seated high above, in what had once been his own seat. Standing here now, gazing up at that distant figure, the view felt strangely different.
"Justice, I have no objection to the charges against Monsieur Ron."
Neuvillette's words ignited a firestorm in the courtroom.
Though his sincerity seemed genuine, these were thousands of lives! What good was even the most sincere apology? The dead would never return.
"Neuvillette, I never imagined you were this kind of person! I was truly blind before!"
"Why did you use us as bait? Why did you put innocent people in danger? Were the lives of those who died so cheap?!"
"As expected, outsiders can never be trusted! Neuvillette must have seen that we Fontainians could protect ourselves, so he let the Cult of No. 6 members incite chaos, then seized the opportunity to destroy our Fontainian Noah's Ark!"
"Neuvillette can't be trusted! Even the Melusine he brought might be compromised!"
Hearing the slanders against the Melusine, Neuvillette opened his mouth to speak, but seeing the crowd's furious expressions, he could only sigh helplessly.
He knew the people were beyond reason now, their words nothing more than angry outbursts.
What good was knowing that members of the Cult of No. 6 had infiltrated their ranks? At the time, he lacked any effective means of purging them, and even his own Marechaussee Phantoms had been compromised.
But these truths could never be revealed; they would only ignite public panic. So he had to swallow this bitter pill in silence.
Neuvillette's silence only fueled the public's fury, their accusations and demands growing increasingly harsh.
Furina sank weakly back into her seat, her gaze fixed on Neuvillette, filled with sorrow. He had endured so much for Fontaine.
Suddenly, a pang of guilt struck Furina. She realized that Neuvillette had scarcely known a single day of true peace in centuries. Perhaps those fleeting moments spent admiring the scenery between his duties were his only respite.
And then there was the constant weight of the Prophecy, her own deception likely weighing heavily on his heart all these years.
Even someone as mighty as Neuvillette must eventually tire...
"Silence! Silence!"
Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, the Justice had no choice but to intervene. Yet even his loudest shouts seemed to fall on deaf ears, as if the crowd had simply tuned him out completely.
"Everyone, please settle down a bit."
Finally, Ron spoke, and the clamor in the hall subsided somewhat.
The Justice presiding at the front couldn't help but roll his eyes inwardly. At this point, I might as well just let him take my seat, he thought. What's the point of me being here if he's the one actually maintaining order?
"Please be patient, everyone. The charges against Monsieur Neuvillette are not yet complete."
Hearing Ron's words, the audience finally fell silent. Their icy gazes shifted between Ron and Neuvillette, their minds now fixed on seeing Neuvillette face his due punishment.
"Teacher Ron, you must put Neuvillette away!"
"Make him pay for his crimes!"
"We can't trust Neuvillette anymore! We Fontainians must protect ourselves!"
Hearing the impassioned cries from the gallery, Ron nodded.
"Rest assured, everyone. The Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale will deliver the fairest and most just verdict."
"Now, I accuse Monsieur Neuvillette of unintentionally releasing the Shadow Dragon, allowing it to rampage through Fontaine and causing massive civilian casualties."
"Although he later attempted to make amends, this can only be considered a mitigating factor. He must still be held accountable for his actions."
"Monsieur Neuvillette, do you have any further objections to Ron's accusations?"
After Ron finished speaking, the Justice, steeling his nerves, addressed Neuvillette.
"No objections, Justice." Neuvillette replied calmly. "Ron's account is accurate. The Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale may now render its final judgment."
"Very well, very well," the Justice replied absently. Only then did he realize Neuvillette's current status as a defendant, his expression shifting slightly awkwardly before quickly regaining composure.
"Since Monsieur Neuvillette has no objections to the accusations, we shall now proceed to the final Judgment by the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale."
Meanwhile, hidden within the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale, the true Hydro Archon, Focalors, watched the unfolding drama in utter bewilderment.