Chapter 222 The conviction was unusual and unexpected...
The curtain has fallen on the drama, the trial has ended—this moment has finally arrived.
Navisette returned to the trial bench, and as Narcida left, she handed him several thick stacks of papers.
"What's this."
The Dragon King opened it and saw the writings of various countries: Sumeru, Mondstadt... even Nata was there.
“It’s a pre-prepared letter of understanding,” the little deity smiled. “For the success of the ceremony, we had to bring our friend to court; similarly, for the sake of a happy new life, I hope the inevitable judgment will be gentle, very gentle.”
Navelette understood that she was pleading for mercy. She figured that if the goddess of wisdom could take Fontaine's hammer, she would immediately declare him innocent in Mainkun's file.
But Navigette was the Grand Inquisitor, and as the symbol of justice, she could not allow personal feelings to supersede legal principles.
"A letter of understanding can only be used to mitigate punishment, not to exempt one from liability, therefore..."
The dragon stared directly at the audience from multiple countries. The shimmering magic circle, the weakened half-demon, and the hearts of humans all pounded violently with tension, as if a mild tsunami were about to strike.
"In my capacity as Supreme Judge, I find Mr. Mainkuhn guilty of wickedness."
"guilty."
Navilette was disappointed with the result.
...
"Tsk."
Dissatisfied murmurs immediately arose from the audience: "Won't there be any plot twist? We're a nation of drama, after all!"
Now that things have come to this, Xu Mifang is actually more composed. Elhesen is noncommittal about the outcome, saying, "We did our best, but after all, we couldn't possibly tamper with Fontaine's code."
"Let's finish the process quickly."
Leosley pressed on, his eyes fixed on Aberdo, "After all, how can you go to jail if you're dead? Friend, when does the ceremony begin?"
...Was that really going to jail instead of going home?
Legal loophole! Fontainebleau only has one prison!
Fortunately, the Duke only has this one sworn brother, so let it go.
The dissatisfied clicks of the tongue gradually subsided, and anxious gazes began to fall on Mainkuhn. The audience urged Navelette, "Hurry up and finish the execution! I want to see him healed immediately!"
The power of the will has been fully poured into the half-demon's severed arm, and the formation is ready to fulfill the people's wish for creation at any time. Everything is indeed ready to be launched.
Then Villette dispelled the slight discomfort in her heart and tapped her cane on the ground again:
"Now, the final decision rests with the Cardinal of Decree."
The scales shone brightly, and Violet reached out and skillfully took out the paper that the machine had spat out.
"Based on the decree and the Cardinal's decision, I hereby pronounce... um?"
The dragon's vertical pupils suddenly dilated, and it fell silent.
"What's wrong? Vilette?"
This sudden slowness caught her off guard, and the ever-anxious Funina immediately asked:
"Could it be... that the result is different from what we expected?"
"Different? Does that mean he's innocent?"
Thinking of this, Paimon instantly floated up, overjoyed. "I didn't expect the creation of this god to be so tolerant and merciful! I thought Mainkun would be imprisoned for at least ten years!"
"No, no, the two words above don't mean 'innocent,' they mean..."
Navelette's hands began to tremble slightly, along with the papers inside.
"…death penalty."
...
"What????"
The first to shatter the silence was Kavi of Sumeru. Though his reaction was quick, his words failed him, and he could only glare and stammer as he berated the Cardinal of Decree:
"No, what kind of broken machine is this?!"
"This, this—"
The divine creation had been insulted, but Funina had no time to defend it. She stood up from her chair in horror, "Why—"
Could it be because I concealed the prophecy? The impact is so significant?
"Navilette!"
The duke, who didn't usually take the trial results too seriously, raised his voice and roared, his voice unusually filled with shock, as he tried to warn the serious judge.
"This outcome is unjust! You know that!"
"!"
Navelette understood what Leosley wanted him to do: a retrial, an overturned verdict, because this outcome was as absurd as holding a nineteen-year-old responsible for a murder committed twenty years ago!
"but,"
But according to the rules originally established by the Fontaine Court, the judgment should be based on the cardinal's decision!
Navigette was law-abiding and respected the law and its statutes. The most outrageous thing she had ever done in the opera house in the past four hundred years was to tear up the file of the head of the 'Wei Shen' family. That was done under the premise that the other party was identified as a stowaway criminal who was not protected by Fontaine's laws!
"This isn't appropriate!"
The audience was outraged, shouting, "There are plenty of people who deserve to die more than him, yet they're all still alive in Mero Petersburg!!"
Al-Hysen lowered his voice, "Ready, everyone."
"What...what are you doing?" Kavi hadn't recovered from his shock.
"Why do you think Lady Nasita would grant us extrajudicial immunity from Fontaine?"
Elhesen summoned his sword, wolf shadows flickered behind Seno, and the skirmisher drew Thor's Heart.
“The worst has happened. Go, go and snatch the wise king away from his brother. Leosley won’t stop us… Don’t forget to take the box containing the severed arm.”
"Just grab it, don't worry about anything else."
The soldier sneered, "Anyway, I don't think that Fengdan God is of any use. He's as weak as a human being."
"N-Naviette!"
The doll was right; Funina had indeed lost all her dignity and was even more terrified than during the court hearing. Her legs were practically trembling.
You can't—
Should I speak? Should I speak? Should I speak? Should I speak? Why did the trial end this way? Will speaking out grant me a chance to re-evaluate the audience's emotions and lead to a new outcome? No, I can't speak, I can't speak, I can't speak!
A dazzling, radiant light began to bloom in the Cardinal's Hall of Proclamation and Judgment, its brightness completely obscuring the broken bones in the box, shining into the eyes of the opera house audience, and flowing along the earth's veins to all nations and peoples.
"Are they about to carry out the execution?! No!"
"Wait! Don't die! Even if you're sentenced to death, don't die!"
"Mainkuhn!"
Leosley rushed forward to block the light.
"No, I won't allow this to happen!"
Amidst the clash of swords and the release of a smoke bomb by Tina, Seno reached out to the half-demon as the crimes of the court were underway. But at this crucial moment, Navelette suddenly felt the paper in her hand tremble.
What? Vilette glanced at it subconsciously, only to see characters slowly forming from watermarks before the words "death penalty," completing the new sentence:
"Water God..."
"……death penalty?"
...
"?!"
The entire arena fell silent; even the swords dropped to the ground. Under the bewildered gazes of the crowd, Funina slowly straightened her legs, her eyes vacant.
"...Huh? Who?"
Who will be sentenced to death?
...Is the machine broken?
Aren't we reviewing Mainkuhn?
The audience has no chance to figure this out.
For the light of the decree of the cardinal judge had already enveloped them all.
Within the light, a familiar female voice seemed to chuckle as it drew closer, and the figure of a giant whale seemed to be forced back by the orange-haired youth.
"Oh dear, it's such a shame to end it like this, so incomplete."
……What?
"Then let me fill in the blanks of the truth. All the waiting and watching, all the loneliness and sacrifice, should be seen and heard by people themselves..."
"In the end, a perfect and carefree ending was achieved."
The light faded in an instant, and the audience opened their eyes in shock. But what they saw was not the familiar courtroom. A great blue sword hung above the stage, and below, a barefoot girl held a box containing a severed arm. She had a face familiar to the people of Fontainebleau.
"Two...two Lady Funina?...No!"
They looked up at the seat of the gods, only to find it empty, devoid of any ornate or extravagant deities.
"...Lady Funina changed her appearance in an instant?"
"You are not Funina!"
Leosley realized what had happened in an instant; he turned around and saw the empty seats.
"On the contrary, it was you who kidnapped Mainkun and Frynn!"
"Don't put it so harshly."
Fukalos gently shook her head.
"Just like you need someone to act as a medium when you communicate with the World Tree, although I can control the passage of time in the spiritual world, I also need another personality to materialize a complete history."
"W-what nonsense is this??"
While the audience was still in disarray, Leosley got straight to the point:
"You can barely be considered to have a valid reason for Furness's disappearance, but it seems to have nothing to do with Maine. Let him come back."
"Yes, we really don't need to trouble him, but..."
Fucarus reached out and drew out an image, mimicking Narcida's appearance.
The god of wisdom plays the past, while Fucarus plays the present. On the other side of the image is a theater similar to this place, only it is covered with colorful cushions, soft and comfortable, where Mainkuhn sleeps.
……No.
The cat's ears twitched slightly inside the plush fabric.
He's about to wake up.
"But are you really sure that when the weak Mr. Kitten wakes up, he won't be terrified to see you?"
Fucarus offered sincere advice.
"How about we leave it at that for now? My family, whom Maine both loved and feared most?"
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” Navelette stepped forward and stared at him intently. “Now that he’s about to wake up, we should be by his side even more.”
Before he finished speaking, Mainkuen slowly opened his vertical pupils, which contracted as the light shone through, becoming as clear as when he was first born.
"...Ugh..."
That clarity was instantly replaced by horror. Mainkun pressed down on his ears and struggled to prop himself up with his only intact arm.
"Zhongli?... Elhesen? Kavi? Zhongli?"
He called out a few times, but no one answered, so he began to tremble.
"Mainkuhn! You..."
Navelette couldn't stand it any longer and was about to order Faucas to release the people when she heard Mainkun scream in a tearful voice.
"Answer me! You didn't send me to Fontainebleau, did you!?"
……!
His fear silenced everyone, and upon hearing this, Fukaros immediately reached out and conjured a small water sprite, which he then threw at the image.
A girl who looked exactly like a god appeared in the image, but her figure was a little unsteady; it was a clone.
"Fukaros?...I didn't bring you date and honey...Fukaros!"
Mainkuhn first gave a vague greeting, then immediately bristled and began to breathe rapidly.
"Your presence here means—"
"No, no, no."
Fukalos's clone hurriedly waved his hands.
"Without trial, without punishment, the people of Sumeru have failed. Leosley and the others didn't even see you like this. You were kidnapped by me as soon as you entered Fontaine."
"Really? You're that amazing?"
"I am also a god, of course I can improve."
The cat was easily fooled, or rather, it simply didn't want to accept another possibility. It quickly slumped back into the plush fabric, looking tired and uneasy.
"I didn't bring you date and honey...I didn't..."
"Good cat, don't think about things you haven't done yet."
Fukalos's clone sat beside him, gently patting his back, as if coaxing a child.
"Would you like to see a screening? It's a very, very long documentary, starting with a little girl from five hundred years ago, and continuing until..."
Is it a comedy?
Mainkuhn interrupted her, panting.
"Please, I need something relaxing to change my mood."
"Hmm, the later stages are pretty good?"
"That means the early and mid-game were absolutely terrible."
"…Ha ha."
Fukalos even felt the urge to laugh dryly.
"...It seems you've become quite clever in Sumeru."
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