"If an unexpected situation arises, my existence might be our only trump card."
"After all, the Akademiya shouldn't be able to confirm that my consciousness exists outside yet."
Lumine said, "I find it a bit hard to believe that Paimon was the one who thought of that."
Paimon stammered, "Uh, well, that's just how it is. It's better to be cautious, right?"
Lumine then mused, "Speaking of which, have either of you noticed anything strange?"
Paimon didn't understand. "Strange? What's strange about anything?"
Lumine said, "The area seems unusually quiet."
[Paimon: Ah, things aren't actually going wrong, are they?]
[Nahida: Trust Setaria. We've already shown her a miracle.]
[Ningguang: For an ordinary person, such a sign would be enough to intimidate. But I still have a nagging unease. Is the Akademiya really that incompetent?]
[Alhaitham: The Akademiya is definitely not incompetent.]
Paimon said, "It's the middle of the night, of course it's quiet. Are you already getting paranoid?"
Nahida said, "I think Lumine's right. It is indeed much quieter than usual."
"Looking closely, there are noticeably fewer people on the streets nearby. It's unclear if this is the case throughout the entire city."
Paimon's eyes widened. "Is it really not a coincidence? Could Setaria have some ability not only to divert the guards but also to make everyone in the city go to bed early to clear the way for us?"
[Nahida: Setaria shouldn't have that kind of ability.]
[Lumine: I think so too.]
Nahida said, "I haven't yet figured out the source of this unease either. But since we've come this far, let's still go to the meeting."
Paimon said, "With you here, Nahida, I can feel a little more at ease."
Along the way, there were no pedestrians on either side of the street. But at the Akademiya's entrance, a large crowd of people had gathered, their limbs flailing wildly as if they had gone mad.
[Candace: Mad scholars. Why are there so many mad scholars?]
[Nahida: Akademiya... what exactly is the Akademiya doing?]
[Yae Miko: The people of the Akademiya are even more detestable than the Tenryou Commission, which actively started a war.]
[Ei: Completely unforgivable. Only death can atone for their sins.]
A man in an ornate suit and an eyepatch walked out of the Akademiya step by step. "Like a triumphant hero—is this welcome ceremony grand enough for you?"
Nahida was shocked. "You're... the Akademiya's exile..."
The man nodded. "Yes. But now they usually call me..."
"Dottore!"
Dottore exuded an overwhelming presence as he walked and spoke. "As for that female researcher, she's already been locked in the detention room."
"She didn't even notice the listening device on her. She doesn't possess the rigor befitting a scholar."
[Ningguang: Listening devices... so that's what it was. As expected, the Akademiya wouldn't let anyone leave without surveillance.]
[Paimon: How... how treacherous!]
[Furina: Yes, that's just treacherous! Isn't this deliberately setting a trap for others to fall into?]
[Clorinde: Even as a hunter, you must always be prepared to step into a trap yourself.]
At that moment, the citizens of Sumeru City were all acting delirious, applauding in succession like puppets.
Dottore replied, "I just made a slight modification to the Akasha Terminal, allowing it to project information directly into the subconscious."
"Now, all the citizens believe that this Traveler is the hero who just saved the world."
[Nilou: If they just believed she was a hero, why would they act like this?]
[Paimon: Yes, this doesn't look like a welcome ceremony at all.]
[Dottore: As a little extra touch, of course it needs to be more dramatic, doesn't it?]
[Paimon: Dottore... has appeared...]
[Dottore: Of course, I've been watching all your comments. Not bad, very interesting.]
[Nahida: What exactly are you trying to do?]
[Dottore: The Inazuma operation has already failed. At this point, I probably can't do much of anything except watch you all here—unless I can get my hands on a Gnosis.]