"Mm… even if that place is an unusual kind of prison, I still hope the two of you enjoy a pleasant little vacation."
Furina smiled politely as she escorted Idris and Nahida all the way to the entrance. Idris offered her a simple farewell before heading off to continue his sightseeing.
Once the two had vanished down the street, Furina finally exhaled in relief. She returned to her office, slumped onto the sofa for a second, then stood in front of the mirror and wiped the fine sweat from her brow.
"Hahh… Whether it's Nahida or Grand Sage Idris, just being near them is exhausting…"
"It always feels like I have zero privacy in front of those two. Like they can see straight through me, inside and out."
"They're terrifying… especially Idris. Last time we met, I thought he was a gentle, reasonable man."
"Turns out the entire man is just made of traps and schemes…"
She dabbed her forehead with a silk handkerchief, muttering the whole time.
But she knew perfectly well she only had about a single day to breathe.
Idris and Nahida were off to the Fortress of Meropide, but Fontaine had no such luxury. Bayda Harbor's expansion, the design schematics for the pneumatic guns, the new railship infrastructure—she had to get everything decisively handled today.
Otherwise, when Idris came back up from the oceanic fortress…
That would be no different from a demon surfacing from the depths.
No one in Fontaine could stop him if he got upset.
"…Tch. Using Bloodline Pills to save Fontaine was almost a huge embarrassment in front of a foreigner."
"Hopefully he didn't notice anything. Otherwise the five hundred years I've endured would've been for nothing."
She took a deep breath, lifted her teacup—Then froze.
Because the reflection staring back at her… wasn't hers.
A tall woman, draped in white, with features subtly resembling her own, stood within the mirror.
The previous Hydro Archon—Focalors.
She could appear through reflective surfaces—but only Furina could perceive her.
Furina's eyes widened.
"You… it's you!"
"Master Focalors! I've followed your instructions for four hundred and ninety-nine years! I've played the role of Hydro Archon faithfully every single day!"
"Does this mean… we can finally save Fontaine?!"
Her voice trembled with both tiredness and hope.
Focalors watched her—watched the fatigue, the fragile relief behind those eyes—and felt a small ache in her chest. Idris' harsh words echoed in her mind as she spoke gently:
"Listen. I don't have the strength to maintain this projection for long… so I'll keep it brief."
"First… I want to tell you something."
"…I'm sorry."
Furina blinked in confusion.
"Eh? Master? Why are you apologizing to me?"
"I've wronged you. In the past, and in the future… I may have been far too harsh with you."
"So—thank you. Truly. You've worked so hard."
Furina's breath hitched. She lowered her head, face flushing.
"I… It's nothing. This is simply what I was meant to do…"
Even as she denied it, tears slid from the corners of her eyes.
She tried to hide them, but Focalors could see everything. And in seeing those tears, she felt a wry pain within herself.
So this is what Idris meant.
Furina didn't need glory.
Didn't need freedom.
Didn't need praise from the world.
She just needed one simple sentence—
"You've done well."
Yet even that… Focalors had never said that before.
What a terrible superior she'd been.
She steadied her voice.
"While you were talking with the little princess, I used a dream channel… to speak privately with Grand Sage Idris."
"He is… far more complicated than I expected."
"We discussed his plans. And mine."
Furina held her breath.
"And? How did it end?!"
This—this was what terrified her most.
Not Idris' sharp eyes or razor tongue—
but whether her plan to save Fontaine would completely collapse.
Focalors sighed.
"As you'd expect… I lost."
"Idris truly deserves the title of human sage. I couldn't win against him in logic… nor do I have the strength to oppose him."
"But—losing may not be a bad thing."
"From the perspective of Fontaine's future… Perhaps this is the best ending."
"And there's something important you must know, Furina."
"Though you must continue acting as Hydro Archon for one more year—"
"This year will likely be the easiest of your entire life."
"No more suffocating pressure from the prophecy.
No more interrogations.
No more running on empty."
Furina's eyes widened—then softened in pure relief.
Five hundred years of pretending.
Five hundred years of forcing herself to be something she wasn't.
Five hundred years of loneliness so deep she forgot what being human felt like.
To hear that it would finally end…
She nearly collapsed with relief.
Focalors watched her with pain in her eyes.
Idris had been right.
The reward Furina truly valued… was simply liberation from that unbearable weight.
Then Focalors asked, voice gentle:
"Furina… In all these centuries… have you ever taken a liking to any man?"
"Or…"
"…how do you feel about the idea of marriage?"
Furina froze.
Then her face turned scarlet.
"E-Ehhh?! Master… are you joking…?!"
Focalors shook her head solemnly.
"No. I'm being completely serious."
Furina's mind nearly exploded.
Marriage?
Her?
After five centuries of acting like a goddess?
And to who…?!
Focalors, unfortunately, had only one candidate in mind—
because the only human man she'd interacted with recently was—
Idris.
Furina would absolutely collapse if she heard that.
Meanwhile
Idris himself was enjoying his day-long "vacation" in Fontaine—collecting rare herbs, researching unique native plants, already thinking about how they could be refined into pills or used in grafting techniques.
Sumeru was strong now—likely top three among the Seven Nations—but that wasn't enough.
The Abyss.
The Heavenly Principles.
The Fatui Harbingers.
There were far bigger threats out there.
Which meant Idris needed Fontaine's technological blueprints, especially the schematics for the atmospheric warship.
The next morning, Idris and Nahida arrived at the entrance of the great underwater fortress—
the Fortress of Meropide.
The Duke himself—Wriothesley—stepped forward to greet them warmly.
"Welcome, Grand Sage Idris, Princess Nahida."
"Though this place was designed as a prison, I believe everyone who comes here finds a chance to start anew—free from the burdens of the surface."
"Of course, those who've committed true atrocities will receive no mercy here."
"But the two of you are no prisoners.
You're here to enjoy yourselves.
Please—explore freely."
The soldiers behind him maintained rigid discipline.
…except Sigewinne, whose eyes sparkled with a strange, unreadable emotion when she looked at Idris.
It reminded Idris of Nahida long ago—when she was still wary, still distrustful, yet too polite to voice it.
He clasped Wriothesley's hand with a polite grin.
"Thank you for the hospitality."
"You know… Sumeru's desert would make an excellent place for a prison."
"We could build one there someday.
Plenty of challenges.
Perfect for convict labor."
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