The next day…
“Paimon: Lumine, remember to hold onto the notebook.”
“Lumine: I know.”
Just then, Qixuan-jie walked over, with a Damselette standing beside her.
“Paimon: Qixuan-jie, where did you go… Eh?!”
“Lumine: Isn’t she the one who went missing?”
“Paimon: What exactly happened?”
“Qixuan-jie: We’ll discuss the details later. For now, let’s focus on the trial. With a witness, it will be much easier to explain.”
“Navia: Don’t be nervous. We’ll all support Lyney and Lynette.”
“Paimon: Thank you, Navia. Then we’re off.”
…
“Lyney: How was it? Did the investigation go smoothly?”
“Paimon: To be honest, we might disappoint you… But we brought a witness.”
Then Halsey walked out.
“Lynette: You’re the Damselette from that day.”
“Lyney: This is called disappointment? I’m so happy, my friend.”
“Qixuan-jie: Ahem, even with a witness, this doesn’t clear your suspicion.”
“Lyney: Why is that?”
“Halsey: Um, I was originally a Mondstadter, but later… due to… some reasons, I changed my name and lived in Fontaine. Miss Qixuan saved me from the magic box in advance. I had already gone through the tunnel to the box on the other side, but before that, I think I heard a sound in the tunnel, so…”
“Lumine: So she doesn’t know anything. Even if she wanted to prove Lyney isn’t the murderer, she has no evidence.”
“Paimon: There was still a sound in the tunnel? Besides Lyney, that would be…”
“Lynette: Cowell.”
“Qixuan-jie: Exactly. As for why he would do such a thing…”
“Lumine: The trial is about to begin. Let’s go.”
“Lyney: Please.”
…
And when everyone brought Halsey onto the stage, Furina and the audience were shocked.
“Neuvillette: May I inquire why the missing Damselette is with you?”
“Halsey: Mr. Judge, Mr. Lyney is not the murderer. I was saved by this white-haired lady. At that time, I heard a sound inside the tunnel, but Mr. Lyney had already left.”
“Neuvillette: So, Cowell wanted to harm you?”
“Halsey: …”
“Neuvillette: He had the opportunity to commit the crime, but why would he do such a thing, and what was his motive?”
“Furina: Heh heh, I see. What a classic case of a thief crying ‘stop thief!’ You’re trying to use that Damselette to clear your names, aren’t you?”
“Paimon: No way! Did you even hear what she said?”
“Neuvillette: Then, if you cannot present more evidence, we shall continue the trial.”
“Furina: Mr. Lyney, did you not hear any sound when you were in the box?”
“Lyney: No, besides the countdown, I didn’t hear any sound.”
“Furina: Heh heh, I believe everyone in the audience heard a ‘thud’ sound.”
“Lyney: How could that be…”
The distant scales of Cardinal Judgement were tilting towards Furina.
“Paimon: Ah?!”
“Lumine: It seems things are not looking good. Cardinal Judgement is starting to tilt towards Furina.”
“Furina: How could I face you without thorough preparation? Mr. Lyney and Lynette are actually from the House of the Hearth, am I right?”
“Paimon: The House of the Hearth?!”
“Lumine: Lyney and Lynette are… Fatui?!”
The audience below suddenly understood.
“Bystander A: Heh heh, no wonder. If they’re Fatui, it makes sense.”
The scales of Cardinal Judgement tilted a bit more towards Furina.
“Lyney: What does that matter? My and Lynette’s identities have no connection to this matter, do they?”
“Furina: Indeed. Then you can openly explain the events of that minute from beginning to end right in front of us. For you, getting rid of the charges is the top priority. You shouldn’t have anything you can’t say, unless the script is already contradictory.”
“(The Traveler and her companion are completely silent, haha, this is too easy.)”
“Paimon: Lyney, why didn’t you tell us about this?!”
“Qixuan-jie: So? Have you decided how to counterattack?”
“Lumine: I…”
“Neuvillette: Mr. Lyney, please answer whether the two questions raised by Ms. Furina are true.”
“Lyney: Yes… Mr. Judge, they are all true.”
The scales tilted again, this time reaching their limit.
“Excited Bystander A: Can we pass judgment now?”
“Paimon: What should we do…”
“Lumine: I’d like to say a few words, Mr. Judge.”
“Neuvillette: Please proceed.”
“Lumine: My client concealed key information.”
“Neuvillette: Then, what is your request?”
“Lumine: I request a recess!”
The audience below began to murmur, many indicating that it was already a foregone conclusion and unnecessary.
“Neuvillette: Silence! The request is reasonable. We shall recess now. The trial will resume in one hour.”
After entrusting Halsey to the Gardes, everyone went backstage.
“Lyney: Sigh, I didn’t expect the Hydro Archon to dig this up. This is awkward now.”
“Lynette: I’m sorry.”
“Qixuan-jie: Actually, Lumine is still a little angry, right? But we’re magnanimous, so we’ll forgive you.”
“Lumine: Alright… I am still a bit angry. We trusted you so much.”
“Lyney: I know you’re all upset, and I’m truly sorry. Please allow me to explain. I know about your various entanglements with the Fatui during your journey, and just hearing that name makes you unhappy. The Fatui is a very large organization, and the Harbingers all have different personalities, and what they want to do is completely different.”
“Lynette: Now we want to save people, as many people as possible.”
“Lyney: Hmm, regarding the disaster this nation and its people might face, I believe you definitely won’t stand idly by.”
“I thought that as long as we didn’t reveal our identities, we would become good friends. I didn’t want to lie to you, so I chose to conceal it.”
“Lumine: …I’m not sure if you’re lying again.”
“Lyney: Yes, so it’s up to you to judge. Oh dear… If I were you, I probably wouldn’t be able to trust myself either. A coincidental meeting, a Fatui identity, a magician by profession, whose job is to deceive others with performances…”
“Qixuan-jie: Alright, alright. If you want us to trust you, then don’t hide anything anymore.”
Lyney recounted everything he encountered: Cardinal Judgement, the underground room, the strange sound, and the vase.
“Lumine: Why do you want to know the principle of Cardinal Judgement?”
“Lyney: Of course, it’s also because of that prophecy. To deal with the prophecy crisis, we need to know all the secrets of this nation.”
“Lynette: Only then can we save everyone.”
“Lumine: …”
“Qixuan-jie: What if I told you that your strength is just a drop in the bucket?”
“Lyney: What?”
“Qixuan-jie: In the prophecy, the surging seawater will dissolve all Fontaine residents. Seawater can dissolve people, who would believe that?”
“Paimon: So… it’s not ordinary seawater?”
“Lyney: It seems the higher-ups still have many secrets.”
“Lumine: Time’s up. Since that’s the case, I choose to trust you, but I also hope you won’t deceive me again.”
“Lyney: Thank you.”
“Lynette: Thank you very much.”
…
“Neuvillette: Both parties have returned to their positions. Then our trial will continue.”
“Since before the recess, Mr. Lyney affirmed that the new evidence presented by Ms. Furina was factual, then please, Ms. Furina, present the truth of the case.”
“Furina: It’s been worth the wait. Come, everyone, please listen carefully.”
“First, when the audience’s countdown began, Lyney entered the tunnel. As the flatbed passed, he opened the box and struggled with Halsey, intending to knock her out. But unexpectedly, the muffled thud during the struggle was so loud that the entire Opera Epiclese could hear it, which is why he deliberately said he didn’t hear anything during the previous questioning.”
“Finally, Lyney knocked Halsey out with a vase. To prevent her from being recognized, he took off her outer coat. Just then, Cowell, hearing the commotion, came to the tunnel and encountered Lyney in the act. So Lyney knocked out Cowell again, put him in the box, and Halsey was handed over to an accomplice by Lyney to be taken out, while he manipulated the mechanism to make Cowell die by accident.”
“This is the full scope of the incident.”
Below the stage…
“Halsey: …This isn’t right at all, is it?”
“Neuvillette: Regarding Ms. Furina’s description of the truth, does Mr. Lyney’s side have anything to refute?”
Lumine was still brainstorming at this moment.
“Qixuan-jie: Don’t be nervous.”
“Lumine: I’ve got it!”
“Neuvillette: Please speak.”
“When the countdown began, Lyney did enter the tunnel, but he immediately exited through the ventilation shaft and went to the Opera Epiclese’s basement, which is the room where Cardinal Judgement’s core is located. Upon arrival, he heard voices in the empty room. Feeling something was wrong, he decided not to linger and returned directly. Back in the tunnel, the crime scene had already formed. To complete the magic trick smoothly, Lyney did not stay long. This was his perspective, so Lyney is not the murderer.”
At this moment, the scales of Cardinal Judgement actually balanced.
“Paimon: Wow, Lumine, you’re amazing! You said it all in one breath.”
“Furina: So, you think Lyney was completely unaware?”
“Paimon: Exactly, and your deduction has a flaw.”
“Furina: Eh? Me? Me?”
Furina visibly panicked.
“Lumine: You said Cowell accidentally ran into Lyney. In that case, if Cowell hadn’t entered the tunnel, who was Lyney’s setup intended to kill?”
“Paimon: According to your version of the truth, Lyney only wanted to kidnap the Damselette to create a new disappearance case. There was no need to kill anyone on stage.”
“Furina: You, what evidence do you have that you’re right? No, could it be…”
“Paimon: It’s precisely because Lyney wasn’t in the magic box or the underground passage that he wouldn’t have known about that strange noise. This indicates that when the incident occurred, Lyney had indeed climbed into the basement through the ventilation shaft. And as for why Halsey came out safely, it’s all thanks to Qixuan-jie for transferring her out beforehand.”
“Therefore, there is only one truth! Lyney is not the murderer.”
“Qixuan-jie: Not bad, Paimon.”
Below the stage…
“Navia: Hooray, well done, partner!”
“Furina: …Then, you tell me, if this wasn’t Lyney’s doing, then who was it? And, you mentioned Qixuan, how did she enter the box and save someone in plain sight? Can she do magic too?”
“Neuvillette: Ms. Furina, according to intelligence from Liyue, Miss Qixuan is an Adeptus from Liyue.”
“Furina: An Adeptus? An Adeptus?!”
Below the stage…
“Bystander A: Ah? I remember Adepti from Liyue are hard for even their local people to meet. There’s one here?”
“Bystander C: I heard that Liyue’s Adepti can do many miraculous things. Saving someone without being noticed, with so many people watching, shouldn’t be a difficult task, right?”
“Navia: How amazing.”
“Qixuan-jie: Sigh, how did that get out?”
“Neuvillette: Alright, please, Lyney’s side, answer the question raised by Ms. Furina.”
“Lumine: The murderer is… the victim of this case, Cowell.”
“Furina: Interesting. Tell me your deduction.”
“Lumine: …”
“Furina: Haha, I thought you had some confidence, but it turns out it was just a bluff.”
“Paimon: This is a bit tricky…”
“Qixuan-jie: I’ll speak.”
“Lumine: Eh?”
Qixuan-jie stepped forward, stared into Furina’s eyes for a moment, then turned to Neuvillette and said, “Mr. Judge, I believe there’s another clue on site that the authorities have also concealed, haven’t they?”
“Neuvillette: …Indeed, but this was to prevent unnecessary panic.”
“Qixuan-jie: But now someone wants to target this thing, and you still won’t reveal it?”
“Neuvillette: If you can, please speak. I will have the Gardes maintain order on site.”
Below the stage…
“Bystander A: What clue? Even the authorities are hiding it?”
“Bystander B: I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Navia: It seems Miss Qixuan has grasped some very important information.”
Qixuan-jie took out a small bottle, which contained the water from the Primordial Sea. Neuvillette recognized it at a glance.
“Neuvillette: Miss Qixuan, please be careful with that.”
“Qixuan-jie: Don’t worry. Although there’s only this much, it’s not enough to wipe out all Fontaine residents.”
“Paimon: Is… is that something a good guy would say?”
“Lumine: Probably… yes?”
“Furina: Heh heh, just a drop of water and such wild talk.”
Below the stage…
“Bystander C: Yeah, isn’t it just a small bottle of water?”
“Navia: I somehow feel like that’s the truth.”
“Qixuan-jie: I feel that what I say might not be believed by everyone. So, Mr. Judge, please explain to everyone what I hold in my hand.”
Neuvillette pondered for a moment, then decided to speak.
…