At that moment, everyone's eyes turned toward the device beneath Neuvillette—a massive mechanism that resembled a scale: the Oratrice Mecanique D'analyse Cardinale.
It was tilting—slowly but unmistakably—toward Furina's side, as if foretelling a decisive shift.
"Everyone, allow me to quote something that the magician himself once said: 'Choose carefully the moment to blink.'"
Furina's voice rang out clearly, reverberating through the opera hall, drawing the attention of all.
She continued.
"As you can all see for yourselves, this is the very moment where the alibi collapses!"
The air instantly tightened, a wave of tension sweeping the hall.
"Of course, I'm not here just to dismantle your alibi," Furina said with a confident smile. "I came thoroughly prepared for this day."
"There is no such thing as baseless confidence. I have everything I need—save the final gust of wind."
She fixed her gaze squarely on Lyney, her voice sharp and deliberate.
"You and Lynette… you're both from the 'House of the Hearth.' Am I wrong?"
...
A wave of murmurs spread through the crowd.
"No wonder…" someone muttered.
"So it was the Fatui behind this all along," another said in sudden realization.
"Honestly, not surprising. The Fatui are always up to something shady," a third chimed in.
The whispers built into a cacophony of speculation, the scene quickly growing chaotic.
...
Lyney crossed his arms.
"So what if we are? That doesn't connect us to this case."
Furina waved her hand dismissively.
"Perhaps not. But in that case, you should have no problem recounting everything that happened in that one-minute gap—down to the last detail."
"For someone in your position, proving your innocence should be your top priority. There shouldn't be anything you can't say… unless your 'script' is riddled with contradictions."
Neuvillette tapped his cane.
"Order in the court. Mr. Lyney, I would like to reaffirm two key points raised by Lady Furina."
"One: at the time of the muffled sound in the opera house, you were neither in the box seat nor the passageway. Two: both you and Miss Lynette are members of the 'House of the Hearth.'"
"Do you confirm these statements?"
Lyney clenched his fists.
"Yes, Chief Justice. Both are true."
Once again, the scale tilted further toward Furina.
The audience burst into reaction.
"I knew it!"
"That's it! We can declare the verdict already!"
"Lady Furina never disappoints!"
...
After a series of fierce verbal exchanges, Lyney was left speechless.
Furina clapped her hands.
"Forgive the interruption, my dear opponents. Have you noticed the audience growing restless?"
"In the opera, there is no greater crime… than a lull."
Lyney bit his lip hard.
"The broken flowerpot… it was to conceal traces of water."
"If there's a way for someone to become water…"
"Wait!"
Furina burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! I sincerely hope you realize how ridiculous that sounds."
"Turn into water? That's a magic trick—not reality!"
Lyney turned to Neuvillette.
"I request an investigation of Cowell's belongings!"
Furina shook her head.
"Is that really necessary? You of all people should know the truth…"
"Magic is just sleight of hand, but in this case, Halsey truly vanished. Don't confuse the two."
But Lyney's eyes remained firm.
"There is always a truth. If all inconsistencies converge on a single point—then maybe that's where the breakthrough lies."
"Until now, we've overlooked the victim. After all, he was already dead."
"But at this juncture, with no progress made, there's no reason not to examine the victim's personal belongings."
Furina sighed.
"Sigh… When you reach a dead end, you grasp at anything. This feels like a pointless expansion of the investigation—just a way to buy time."
Neuvillette tapped his cane again.
"Silence."
"I believe this is a reasonable request from the defense. Since the trial is currently stalled, any new evidence would aid our progress."
"Guards—search the victim Cowell's belongings in the resting area."
...
Some time later, the guards returned.
"The investigation is ongoing, but we've already made a significant discovery that should be shared immediately."
"In Cowell's luggage, we found several test tubes containing liquids, each labeled."
"In his notebook, these liquids are referred to as Primordial Sea Water."
Neuvillette stroked his chin.
"Primordial Sea…"
The guards continued.
"According to the notes, Cowell was part of an organization dealing in illicit substances. He had accomplices."
"The notebook is full of safety instructions and repeatedly references the term 'dissolution.'"
"One of the test tubes was labeled with 'Opera Epiclese' and yesterday's date. It's now empty."
"The notes also state that this dissolving property only works on people from Fontaine. Halsey may have been selected as the test subject."
"Based on this, we believe the theory raised by Mr. Lyney has enough supporting evidence."
...
The audience was stunned.
"You're kidding… People can be dissolved into water?!"
"This insane theory… is actually real?"
"Wait… This reminds me of a prophecy I once heard. Must be a coincidence… right?"
...
"Order, order."
"I understand the shocking nature of this new evidence. However, its authenticity has yet to be confirmed."
"Since Miss Halsey's whereabouts are still unknown, this court will temporarily accept the evidence as valid."
"Security—continue your investigation along this lead."
...
"So people can dissolve into water… Then the real purpose of the water tank was to hide the traces?"
"Cowell was targeting that girl…"
"If that's the case, the only remaining mystery is what exactly happened to Cowell… what led to his death?"
"His notes mention an accomplice. Could that be the key to everything…?"
_
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