A wave of frustration washed over Alain. The complete research reports lay before him, yet he couldn't understand them. It was the most demoralizing blow, especially for a proud genius like him.
And this wasn't an isolated case; he couldn't comprehend the vast majority of the reports.
Something must be wrong somewhere, he thought. It's impossible for Fontaine to have produced so many geniuses whose talents might even surpass mine and Rene's.
After a long silence, Alain sighed again.
He finally understood why Sandrone had suffered such a devastating blow. His own state was hardly any better than hers—it was truly crushing.
Although he had stopped his own research after deciding to protect Sandrone in secret, he shouldn't have fallen this far behind the times.
Moreover, Fontaine hadn't seen a surge of advanced technology. If Neuvillette wasn't deliberately concealing it, then these research reports must have appeared only recently.
Alain pondered. Indeed, several major events had occurred in Fontaine lately.
However, since Sandrone didn't care about such matters, he knew little about recent events in Fontaine.
"Have the subordinates gather intelligence," Alain muttered to himself. He reached for the communication device on his person, ready to issue the order.
But halfway through the motion, he froze. He suddenly remembered that Sandrone, in her effort to erase all traces of their entry into Fontaine, had recently ordered all her subordinates to sacrifice themselves.
Alain was speechless. He abandoned the idea and sat back down on the rooftop edge, quietly contemplating life.
The wind is restless tonight...
-
Wriothesley felt invigorated after delivering an "Ora Ora" barrage to the dozens of Gardemeks whose programming had been altered.
The Gardemeks had recently been upgraded. In the past, his strength allowed him to take on a hundred at once, but now, even fighting three was a challenge.
Yet, under the enhancement of [Star Platinum], he felt his combat power skyrocketing. The feeling was simply exhilarating.
What surprised him even more was that after reducing all those Gardemeks to scrap metal, he was only slightly out of breath.
"Lord Warden!"
Drawn by the commotion, several Overseers approached Wriothesley's location. They froze at the sight of the wreckage strewn across the ground, their gazes turning to Wriothesley with profound awe.
"What's the situation elsewhere?"
Hearing Wriothesley's question, the Overseers dared not delay and quickly reported.
"Most inmates have returned to their cells. The few who refused to comply have been detained."
"We were caught off guard by the internal betrayal. Dozens died at the hands of the Gardemeks."
At this news, Wriothesley's eyes turned cold. His aura shifted abruptly, radiating a chill that made the Overseers tremble.
"Do we know their objective?" Wriothesley asked again, retracting his oppressive aura and allowing the others to breathe easier.
"They appear to be members of the Cult of the Dragon—all fanatical worshippers of Monsieur Neuvillette. This time, they're trying to break him out of the Fortress of Meropide."
"Break Neuvillette out? What a ridiculous idea," Wriothesley said coldly. "If Neuvillette weren't here willingly, no place in this world could hold him."
"Perhaps that's just an excuse. They might have other motives."
"But whatever they're planning, they've harmed my people. They'd better be prepared to pay a heavy price."
Wriothesley clenched his fists.
"To the Production Area. They probably think Neuvillette is there."
With that, Wriothesley immediately led the Overseers toward the Production Area in the lower levels of the Fortress of Meropide.
The machinery here was still running, its rhythmic, muffled clangs of metal echoing through the space.
As expected, Wriothesley encountered a group of people. Their attire made it clear they weren't Fortress personnel, leaving no doubt as to their identity.
"You're so lucky," Wriothesley said, his voice dripping with irony. "To run into me at a time like this."
Wriothesley paid no mind to the weapons aimed at him, advancing step by step as his aura steadily intensified.
Though his tone remained calm, those who knew him well understood he was furious.
These surface-dwellers, utterly ignorant of his methods, had dared to pluck the tiger's whiskers.
"I usually only leave a few survivors at the start," Wriothesley said, his voice chillingly serene.
The moment he finished speaking, his opponents pulled their triggers without hesitation, unleashing a torrent of bullets and missiles toward him.
"Protect the Lord Warden!" the Overseers cried in alarm, hastily directing their only two Gardemeks to shield Wriothesley.
But Wriothesley had already moved. Faster than the approaching Gardemeks, he quickly widened the distance, his figure weaving through the barrage like a phantom. Finally, under the terrified gazes of the men before him, he raised his fists.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"
"ORAAAA—"
A minute later, half the group lay dead on the ground. The survivors, severely wounded, writhed and screamed in agony.
Yet, no one present felt a shred of pity. The Overseers, remembering their fallen comrades, reveled in the enemy's agonized cries.
In his fury, Wriothesley had struck harder than usual, but he still knew to leave some alive for interrogation.
"Interrogate them. Make them reveal the others' locations as quickly as possible."
"I'll check if anyone else is hiding here."
With that, Wriothesley departed alone.
"Yes, Lord Warden!"
One of the Overseers advanced menacingly toward the Cult of the Dragon members. He grabbed one by the collar and slammed a fist into his stomach, making the man retch up bile.
"Did you hear the Lord Warden's orders? Spit it out! Where are the others?"
"Hahahahaha! Who the hell does Wriothesley think he is?!"
"When Monsieur Neuvillette was saving Fontaine, what did he do?"
"Now that Fontaine is at peace, he forces Monsieur Neuvillette to stay with irredeemable criminals! He deserves to die!"
Enraged that the man refused to answer and had even insulted Wriothesley, the overseer snapped. He rained down blow after blow, striking with lethal intent.
Soon, the overseer stood coldly over the man, who lay on the ground, barely breathing.
"I'll give you one last chance," the overseer said. "Where are the other members of the Cult of the Dragon?!"
"There are plenty of others here. I'm sure someone will talk even if you don't!"
"Cough, cough, cough... You want to know?" the man rasped, a twisted smile spreading across his face. "Lean closer."
The overseer sensed a trap—the man's grin was far too unsettling. Still, he decided to risk it, cautiously lowering his body. He kept his gun firmly in hand, ready for any sudden moves, his movements slow and deliberate.
But just as he drew near, the man lunged with astonishing speed. His hand shot out and clamped around the overseer's gun hand, sending a chill of dread through the guard.
The overseer tried to wrench his hand free, but despite the man's near-death state, his grip was impossibly strong. The overseer couldn't break away.
Just then, the Overseer felt a powerful tug. He was yanked to the ground, his body pressed against the man's. The man's face drew close to the Overseer's ear, and he whispered in a voice dripping with mockery and madness.
"Long live Monsieur Neuvillette!"
BANG!
The sound of a gunshot echoed. A bloody hole appeared in the Cult of the Dragon member's chest. His eyes widened in shock, then glazed over as the light faded.
The Overseer stared blankly at the corpse, unable to process what had just happened. A growing unease tightened in his gut.
The man had pulled the trigger himself!
"Are you alright?"
Other Overseers, alerted by the commotion, rushed over, their faces etched with concern.
The Overseer shook his head, about to speak, when the entire Fortress of Meropide shuddered violently. A deafening explosion reverberated through its depths.
The Overseers instinctively clapped their hands over their ears, fighting back nausea as they crouched to keep their balance.
When the tremors subsided, they exchanged stunned glances. And in that moment, the roaring sound of rushing water filled their ears...
-
"Did you hear? The Cult of the Dragon attacked the Fortress of Meropide!"
"How could anyone not have heard? It's huge news! I heard a lot of people died in the Fortress this time."
"Wait a minute... Isn't Monsieur Neuvillette at the Fortress? Why didn't he intervene to stop the chaos?"
"I don't know about that. Monsieur Neuvillette probably has his reasons."
-
"Lady Furina, Lady Focalors, hundreds of people lost their lives in the Fortress of Meropide during this incident."
"All members of the Cult of the Dragon who participated in the prison break have been brought to justice."
Hearing this news, Furina and Focalors felt their hearts sink. They had believed that after the last incident, with Neuvillette having reclaimed his full power, Fontaine would finally enter an era of true peace.
Yet, the peace had barely begun before another such heinous event occurred.
What made it even more unsettling was that this incident was orchestrated by Neuvillette's own fanatical followers.
Neuvillette had always strived for peace, yet his admirers and worshipers were the ones creating chaos.
"What exactly happened? Give us the full report," Focalors instructed the Maison Gardiennage officer before her.
The officer composed himself and began to recount the details he had received.
"The Cult of the Dragon created disturbances throughout the Fortress of Meropide to draw the attention of the overseers and Lord Wriothesley."
"Meanwhile, another group secretly approached several critical valves within the Fortress and planted explosives."
"The Cult of the Dragon used explosives to destroy the valves, causing seawater to flood the Fortress of Meropide."
"Because Lord Wriothesley had ordered everyone to return to their cells at the time, most people were completely unprepared when the seawater flooded the Fortress. This is what led to such heavy casualties..."
After hearing the officer's account, Furina spoke in disbelief.
"Why would the Cult of the Dragon do this? A prison break is one thing, but why flood the Fortress of Meropide with seawater?"
"Because they couldn't find Neuvillette and assumed he was deliberately avoiding them." Focalors took a deep breath, a bitter smile touching her lips.
"So they used this method to force him to appear. If Neuvillette had been there, he would never have stood by and done nothing."
"And by escalating the situation so dramatically, they ensured that even for the sake of the people in the Fortress, Neuvillette wouldn't continue to serve his sentence there."
"But... Neuvillette isn't in the Fortress of Meropide right now..."
"Sigh... You may leave."
"Yes, my lady!"
At Focalors' words, the Maison Gardiennage officer immediately left the room.
"What about Rene? I thought he went to the Fortress of Meropide too," Furina asked, her voice tinged with confusion.
"Focalors, you told me before that Ron saw Rene when he went to the Fortress."
"Did Rene leave Fontaine with Neuvillette?"
"I had someone look into it," Focalors explained. "The Old Fortress of Meropide lacked suitable research facilities, so Rene was transferred to the New Fortress to continue his research while serving his sentence."
Hearing this, Furina's face turned deathly pale.
"Neuvillette has barely been gone, and already such a disaster has struck."
"I don't know how I'll face him when he returns to Fontaine."
"Neuvillette entrusted Fontaine to the two of us, and now this terrible incident has happened on our watch."
Furina was filled with self-reproach. The Cult of the Dragon had been causing trouble for some time, but they had never taken it seriously.
Instead, she and Focalors had spent their days orchestrating one farce after another just to avoid work. It was hard to say whether their antics had driven the Cult to such extreme measures.
Focalors realized this as well. Imagine two national leaders: one works diligently, even saves the country, only to be thrown into prison. The other does nothing of substance, spends all their time slacking off, and throws the nation into chaos. Anyone would naturally sympathize with the former.
It was understandable, then, that the Cult of the Dragon felt Neuvillette had been wronged.
What they didn't know was that Neuvillette had gone to the Fortress of Meropide to secretly deal with Dottore. This misunderstanding had ultimately led to this tragedy.
At this moment, Furina and Focalors would have gladly worked double shifts to prevent this disaster. But it was too late for regrets.
"Alright, Furina," Focalors said, her tone firm. "What's done is done. We can't undo it."
"We need to make a decision now and minimize the fallout."
"Everyone knows Neuvillette isn't in the Fortress of Meropide anymore. If we don't come up with an excuse quickly, Dottore might catch wind of it and become suspicious."
Taking a deep breath at Focalors' words, Furina asked, "But what reason could we possibly give everyone?"
Focalors was also troubled by this, unable to think of a good excuse.
"Actually, we don't need an excuse," a voice said. "We just need to create a big enough commotion to draw everyone's attention. Then, naturally, no one will have time to wonder where Monsieur Neuvillette is."
Just then, a knock sounded at the door, and a figure slowly entered the room.
When Furina and Focalors saw it was Ron, their hearts leaped in alarm. Furina pointed a trembling finger at him and shouted, "What's a member of the Cult of the Dragon doing here?! Guards, seize him!"
"..."
Ron's smile froze on his face.
Focalors quickly raised a hand to stop Furina and dismissed the Maison Gardiennage officers who had rushed over at the commotion. Only then did she turn to Ron.
"Ron," she said, her voice steady, "you knew all along that Neuvillette had left Fontaine, didn't you?"
"Yes. Monsieur Neuvillette asked me to coordinate with him."
Hearing his explanation, Focalors took a deep breath. Many things suddenly clicked into place.
"So those bills were amended specifically for this? To restrict Furina's and my movements?"
"Yes, that's correct."
Ron nodded and said with a smile, "So, Your Excellencies, please don't make things difficult for a humble person like me. I had no choice, you see."
"No choice, my ass!" Furina retorted, fuming. "I remember when the verdict was announced, you were the one laughing the loudest in the entire courtroom!" She recalled the scene with perfect clarity.
Hearing her accusation, Ron coughed awkwardly. "Ahem, ahem... That was just an act."
"Besides," he continued, trying to change the subject, "that's not important. What is important is that I have a way to keep Monsieur Neuvillette's whereabouts hidden for a while longer."
"What do you mean, 'not important'?! That's very important... Wait, what did you say? You have a way?!" Furina, who had been mid-rant, suddenly realized what Ron had said and stared at him with renewed excitement.
"Quick, tell me!" she demanded. "If it's a good plan, I'll forgive everything you've done!"
"It's simple," Ron said calmly. "We summon Monsieur Neuvillette to court and sentence him again."
"Huh?!"
Furina and Focalors stared at him, completely baffled.
"This time," Ron explained, "the charge will be for escaping from prison."
"And how is that a good plan?!"
Furina snapped back to reality and rolled her eyes, exasperated.
Ron, however, remained unhurried in the face of her skepticism and calmly began to explain.
"Lady Furina, while I don't know what Monsieur Neuvillette is planning this time, I do know it must be incredibly important. I believe he would agree that certain sacrifices—such as his reputation—are necessary for its success."
Ron paused before continuing.
"The fact that Monsieur Neuvillette is no longer in the Fortress of Meropide has been completely exposed. Our only option now is to divert everyone's attention to this new 'Trial.' As long as the 'Trial' is ongoing, people won't be too concerned about his current whereabouts."
"Then, we can issue an official statement claiming that Monsieur Neuvillette will participate in the 'Trial.' This will create the impression that he is still in Fontaine."
Hearing this, Furina and Focalors fell into deep thought.
Admittedly, the plan wasn't ideal, but they couldn't think of a better excuse that everyone would believe.
However, there was one crucial problem with this plan: who would actually do it?
The Cult of the Dragon had already become radicalized. Anyone who stepped forward to accuse Neuvillette now would face their relentless retaliation, their life constantly under threat.
"If you both agree to my plan, Lady Furina, Lady Focalors, then I will be the one to make the accusation," Ron said. "Besides, it wouldn't be the first time."
Hearing this, Focalors quickly interjected, "But this time is completely different!"
"You must understand, the situation now is nothing like before. The Cult of the Dragon has already caused such a terrible incident—they've crossed the point of no return."
"Yes, I've already thought this through, Lady Focalors," Ron replied calmly. "But some things just have to be done, don't they?"
He smiled nonchalantly. "And I'm the most suitable person for the job, given my current popularity and my previous experience accusing Monsieur Neuvillette. If I'm the one to make the accusation, people will believe this 'Trial' is serious."
"But..." Furina trailed off, at a loss for words.
Furina's eyes welled with tears as she listened to Ron's noble words.
Thinking back on her own pettiness, she felt a pang of guilt. He had only been doing his best to help Neuvillette cover his tracks, yet she had taken advantage of his kidnapping to seek revenge. I'm truly inhuman! she thought, berating herself.
Focalors pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Let's proceed with this plan. For now, it's the best we have."
"Ron, we're counting on you for this."
"Also, you must be extremely careful during this time. We will arrange everything to ensure your safety, but please limit your movements as much as possible. It will make it easier for us to protect you and prevent any accidents."
Hearing Focalors' concern, Ron smiled. "You're too kind, Lady Focalors."
"As a citizen of Fontaine, I've long since accepted the risks to my own life."
"You can even use me as bait to lure the Cult of the Dragon into making another move."
Ron's words sent a jolt through Furina and Focalors, filling them with profound respect for his selflessness.
"If there's nothing else, I'll head back to prepare."
Focalors nodded at Ron, then said, "Please, be extremely careful."
"Thank you for your concern, Lady Focalors. My Ladies, I'll take my leave now."
With that, Ron left the room.
Watching his retreating figure, Furina and Focalors were deeply moved.
"Furina, spread the news as quickly as possible," Focalors instructed.
"As for Ron's safety, let Vinani handle it. They seemed to get along well before she was reassigned to the Marechaussee Phantoms and they saw each other less."
Focalors paused, then continued, "We must provide the people with a satisfactory resolution this time. Fontaine cannot rely solely on Neuvillette to bear all its burdens."
"Right!" Furina nodded, her eyes filled with unwavering determination.