Fontaine, Palais Mermonia
The major upheaval had passed, and Furina now had to come to work. Although the upper echelons* of Fontaine were still in a state of chaos, everything was slowly getting back on track.
[T/L: In case you're unsure of the word, it means the top rank?]
Furina and Rina didn't know until they checked and what they found was shocking.
In Fontaine's leadership alone, over 80% had more or less some connection or interest-based dealings with the nobility.
Clearly, if everyone were arrested, Fontaine's entire operational system would be paralyzed immediately.
There was no other way but to first arrest several of the most heinous officials and slowly replace the rest. This also required consulting Neuvillette's opinion; after all, he was the Iudex.
However, following this series of events, at least on the surface, the power of the nobility had been significantly weakened and a large sum of wealth had been collected. Fontaine's national treasury was finally well-funded.
Furina arrived outside her office door, where her secretary, Irene, was already waiting for her.
"Lady Furina, these are the official documents generated in Fontaine over the past few days. According to the law, these documents can only be approved by you and the incoming Iudex. Since that gentleman has not yet arrived, I must trouble you to handle them."
"Fine, I get it, I get it. It's just some documents. Let me see how many there are."
[T/L: Final words lol.]
Furina was still holding an unfinished cup of coffee. She took a sip and pushed open the door at the same time.
"Wait, how many?" Looking at the official documents that occupied nearly half of her office, Furina's mouth twitched and she almost spat out the coffee she had just sipped.
Helpless, Furina could only go and review the files.
'I say, shouldn't this Fontaine system be changed? Passing so many documents to you... are those high-level officials just useless freeloaders?'
Furina worked hard reviewing the documents, while Rina's complaining voice occasionally drifted into her ears.
A whole morning passed.
Seeing that the amount of documents reduced after a morning of hard work had only slightly flattened the mountain-like pile, Furina remained silent for two seconds and then lay directly on the floor.
'Lady Furina, your work isn't finished yet, you can't rest now~' Furina heard Rina's voice, which sounded like a demon's whisper in her ear.
Furina: I've learned my lesson, please let me go.
Just then, Irene pushed open the door and walked in.
Furina reacted quickly, scrambling up from the floor and scurrying back to her chair in less than a second.
"Lady Furina, the Iudex is about to arrive."
"Cough, cough. Understood. Invite him to the reception room first."
"Yes, Lady Furina."
A moment later, in the reception room.
Furina sat face-to-face with a man dressed in blue and cyan clothing.
His outfit was perfectly symmetrical, with an ornament hanging from his neck that resembled a pair of scales. A layered white cravat hung from his chest, and he wore a glowing hemline similar to Furina's, giving off an air of nobility and solemnity.
He was Neuvillette.
Neuvillette said nothing, his face was a serious expression.
Furina was a bit intimidated and spoke to Rina with some fear: 'O-Other Me... why is this person's presence so oppressive? Can you communicate with him instead...'
'No, the Hydro Dragon's perception is very strong. Even with half his strength, his perception is not weak. Once I speak with him, there's a high chance he'll discover me. You currently can't explain why there is another soul inside the Hydro Archon's body. Besides—I don't even know who I am or how I was born.'
'If he finds out and you can't explain the situation, and he begins to suspect you, then your secret of playing the Hydro Archon might fail. Then Fontaine...'
'Alright, alright, stop talking.' Furina didn't want to hear, nor did she dare to hear those last few words and promptly interrupted Rina. 'F-Fine, I'll speak...'
Although she quickly skipped the topic, Furina very seriously noted down the rule that Rina must not be discovered.
"Hello?" Furina spoke tentatively.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Focalors." Neuvillette replied. "My apologies, I did not notice the issue with the atmosphere earlier and failed to speak promptly."
Furina gave an awkward laugh. So he wasn't as terrifying as she had imagined?
Just as the atmosphere was becoming even more awkward, Irene knocked on the door and walked in.
"Lady Furina, Iudex, would you like anything to drink?"
"A cup of coffee would be fine," Furina replied.
"Certainly, Lady Furina. And for the Iudex?"
Just as Furina was expecting Neuvillette to drink some high-end beverage, Neuvillette's answer was.
"A glass of water will suffice, thank you." Neuvillette said this with a calm face.
"Ah?"
"Huh?"
The twins voiced their confusion simultaneously.
Irene also nearly lost her composure, but she maintained her basic professional standards as a secretary. She nodded and then walked out.
After that little episode, the awkward atmosphere dissipated quite a bit and Furina's fear of Neuvillette lessened slightly.
"Cough, cough. It's our first meeting. You can just call me Furina. As the Hydro Archon, I don't particularly enjoy the feeling of being high and mighty."
"Very well, Lady Furina." Neuvillette maintained the same expression. Furina began to doubt if he even had the ability to change his facial expressions.
"So, are you aware of the duties you are to undertake?" Furina put on the air of the Hydro Archon and questioned Neuvillette.
"It includes the presiding over Fontaine's trials, the approval of official documents, and the execution of certain decisions." Neuvillette continued calmly. "Since receiving your letter, I have considered it carefully for a long time and finally decided to accept your invitation. Before coming here, I have self-studied and mastered Fontaine's entire legal system."
"Um... Huh? All of it?" Furina felt shocked inside. She had heard from Rina that Focalors had written to invite Neuvillette, and she knew the general time the letter was sent. But only a few days had passed since then, he had mastered everything already?
"It seems your attitude is excellent. Then come with me. There happens to be a trial today, and the case is quite significant. You shall preside over it. First, take a look at the case report."
With a look from Furina, Irene immediately handed a thick stack of case reports to Neuvillette.
"To save time, let's read while we take the carriage to the Opera Epiclese." After saying this, Furina walked out of the reception room.
Neuvillette said nothing; he just looked at the report with a serious expression.
Sitting in the carriage, after Neuvillette finished reading the report, he looked up at Furina with a face full of solemnity.
Furina felt a bit flustered under his stare and asked tentatively, "Wh... w-ｗhat's wrong?"
"Lady Furina, I have finished reading the case. This case is indeed of no small consequence. However, why do I only see the results for three involved nobles and even then, two of the nobles have sentences significantly lower than what they should be?" Neuvillette asked with total seriousness.
"Ah, that..." Furina stammered, finding it a bit hard to explain.
It made sense; a Hydro Dragon who had just entered society indeed lacked understanding of political struggles.
"Lady Furina, as the Iudex, I believe I have the right to know the results of others' cases and the reasons for such outcomes."
Neuvillette pressed further and Furina didn't know what to say.
'Furina, listen to me, you relay this.' Rina's voice rang out just in time.
"Neuvillette, it is precisely because the nature of this incident is serious and the situation is complex that we have given the most appropriate sentencing after multiple considerations and careful analysis. You did not personally experience this case and the information you understand solely from the files is incomplete. Besides, you only officially started today, so previous matters have nothing to do with you. I am very satisfied with your attitude toward impartial law enforcement; please maintain it in the future."
"But..." Neuvillette wanted to say more, but at that moment, the carriage arrived at its destination.
"Alright, alright, hurry up and go preside over the trial. If you don't go now, it'll be too late." Furina forced Neuvillette to swallow the words he was about to say.
'Finally managed to fool him with a mix of coaxing and deception.' Rina and Furina let out a long sigh of relief.
In truth, they also felt it was a pity that the nobles hadn't met a worse fate, but this was indeed the best solution under the current reality.
Furina also walked into the Opera Epiclese and took her exclusive seat as the Hydro Archon. This was her first time watching a trial since becoming the Hydro Archon, and it was also the first trial Fontaine had conducted in this era.
And the subjects of the trial were the several high-level officials of Fontaine who had just been investigated.
The trial was about to begin.