Paimon was equally stunned.
"Hey, hey! This doesn't add up..."
Lumine frowned. According to Lyney's account, how could he possibly not have heard it?
Whispers rippled through the audience:
"Exactly! Such a loud sound would have been impossible to miss inside the box."
"I was nearby at the time—it was unmistakable."
The Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale shifted its gaze toward Furina.
Furina: "Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to quote the Magician himself: 'Choose the moment to blink with utmost caution.' You've all witnessed it—this is the exact moment his alibi collapses!"
"Of course, dismantling your alibi is merely one weapon in my arsenal. No one possesses unwarranted confidence; I've prepared meticulously for this."
"You and Lynette... you're both members of the House of the Hearth, aren't you?"
Furina's sharp gaze pinned down Lyney, who looked momentarily flustered.
"The House of the Hearth?!" Lumine quickly pieced it together: Lyney and Lynette—they were Fatui!
After all they'd been through, Lumine no longer harbored the same animosity toward the Fatui as before. But that leniency applied to Angie and her group, not to the Fatui of Fontaine!
The House of the Hearth, if she remembered correctly, was the domain of the Fourth Seat of the Fatui Harbingers—Arlecchino, "The Knave."
-
[ Player World ]
The players' perspectives followed Lumine's, so this was their first time learning that the two were from the House of the Hearth.
Chen Xiyao: "So, you're saying the Fatui Harbinger appearing in Fontaine is Arlecchino, the Fourth Seat?!"
In the Fatui's promotional video, Arlecchino, the Fourth Seat, had left a deep impression on players. Her domineering yet cool older sister archetype made it impossible for them to dislike her.
Now that they knew she would appear in Fontaine, the players, led by Chen Xiyao, immediately grew excited.
[The Knave!]
[It's a dark-themed Eula! We're saved!]
[Currently, only Tartaglia is the only Harbinger in the gacha. Will The Knave be added too?]
[Definitely! She's so popular... uh... actually, I'm not so sure anymore.]
[Did you realize something, upstairs? Ha ha, Mihoyo's acting so weird lately. They never put the popular characters in the gacha!]
-
Fontaine, Opera Epiclese.
The audience had already turned against Lyney and Lynette, their doubts palpable.
Lyney: "What does that matter? Our identities have nothing to do with this case."
Furina nodded emphatically. "Indeed. Then you should have no trouble recounting every detail of that minute, right here, right now. For you, clearing your name should be paramount. You shouldn't have anything to hide... unless the script has contradictions."
Furina's relentless assault silenced Lumine.
Though maintaining a calm facade, Furina was inwardly jubilant.
The Traveler remains silent, looking utterly shocked. Hahaha, now they'll turn on each other! This victory is too easy!
And here I was, so nervous about this trial I couldn't sleep all night. Oh dear, oh dear.
Lyney had no response. Paimon retorted, "Hey, Lyney! Why didn't you tell us about this?!"
The group is already fracturing. Lyney and Lynette are clearly hiding something from Lumine and the others.
Neuvillette summarized Furina's two key arguments, neither of which Lyney could refute. The audience grew increasingly hostile.
Lumine demanded a recess, citing Lyney's concealment of crucial information.
Neuvillette granted her request.
Furina regarded Lumine with grudging admiration.
"You know all this, yet you still refuse to withdraw from defending Mr. Lyney? It seems my opponent's professional integrity far exceeds my expectations."
"My beloved Fontainians, let the joy of victory simmer a little longer! Hahaha!"
-
During the recess, Furina rushed to a corner to continue discussing the case with Fidelle, preparing to corner Lyney and extract the truth he was hiding when the trial resumed.
Meanwhile, Lumine, Paimon, and the Lyney siblings had retreated backstage at the Opera House.
Lumine and Paimon were furious, hurt by the Lyney siblings' betrayal of their trust. To regain their trust, Lyney revealed his entire plan.
They had orchestrated this performance to uncover the inner workings of the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale—to understand why it possessed self-awareness and how it could accurately judge every crime.
During the audience's countdown, Lyney slipped through a ventilation shaft in the underground tunnel and made his way beneath the Opera House to investigate the chamber housing the Oratrice's core.
Lyney confessed that upon reaching the chamber, he heard a human voice. The voice recognized him and attempted to speak to him, but wary of potential danger, Lyney abandoned his investigation.
When he returned, the tunnel was already in its current state. With time running out, he had no choice but to complete the magic trick without further deliberation.
Their investigation into the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale was also tied to the prophecy looming over Fontaine.
Lyney explained that the entire House of the Hearth had been mobilized to prepare for the impending Prophecy Crisis. Since nearly all members of the House of the Hearth, including The Knave, were Fontainians, they felt compelled to act.
-
After the recess, the trial resumed.
Lumine offered a new explanation for Furina's earlier accusations.
"Lyney wasn't actually in the Magic Box at the time. He had used the ventilation shaft in the tunnel to move elsewhere. That's why he didn't hear the muffled thud. Since the tunnel connects both boxes, if Lyney had been inside, he would have definitely heard it."
"This proves Lyney wasn't in the tunnel during that period. He had no opportunity to commit the crime!"
Facing Lumine's explanation, Furina cleared her throat.
"Hmm, let's put aside for now why Mr. Lyney went to such great lengths to travel through the vents. We'll note it for discussion after this case concludes. Even if what you say is true, Mr. Lyney remains a suspect."
Furina clapped her hands, and a law enforcement officer stepped forward.
In Cowell's luggage, the officer discovered several test tubes containing liquids, each labeled. According to the notes, the liquid was called "Primordial Seawater."
The notes also mentioned that this liquid could dissolve Fontainians.
Before the audience could react in shock, Furina declared:
"Originally, there were balloons in the box on stage. My guard, Fidelle, investigated and found these balloons had been filled with Primordial Seawater. The hook discovered at the scene was perfectly suited to pierce these balloons."
"In other words, as Halsey's Magic Box descended, the iron hook retracted, piercing the balloons, and the Primordial Sea water inside fell, dissolving Halsey. Afterward, Cowell retrieved Halsey's clothes from the box, went to the underground tunnel, smashed the vase, and attempted to create a diversion. Just then, Lyney returned."
"Lyney and Cowell had been working together all along. They colluded to manipulate the Selection Device. Then, Lyney, wanting to claim all the credit for himself, decided to eliminate Cowell."
"Since Lyney possessed a Vision, he knocked Cowell unconscious and threw him into the box... The rest is history. Cowell was ultimately crushed to death by the falling water tank."
As Furina finished her rapid-fire explanation, the room fell silent.
Lyney and Lumine exchanged stunned glances, their shock mirrored in each other's eyes. Even Navia in the audience stared at Furina in astonishment.
Furina... she actually uncovered so much? Then... the truth is undeniable!
Navia raised her hand, catching Neuvillette's attention. After securing permission to speak, she hurried to Lumine's side and whispered a few words in her ear. Lumine's eyes widened in disbelief.
They had expected a fierce battle of wits, but Furina's swift analysis had laid bare the truth in an instant.