"Pretending to be a god?"
When Neuvillette first heard those words, he was utterly perplexed. Furina had served as the Hydro Archon for five hundred years; how could she possibly be an impostor?
But after a second of stunned silence, the realization hit him.
A powerhouse of Jibril's caliber had no reason to lie about such a thing. And upon reflection, it was true—in all those five centuries, Furina had never once demonstrated the power unique to a Hydro Archon. She hadn't even shown the most basic mastery over water.
He had always assumed she chose to withhold her power to grant the right of judgment to the people. Now, it seemed there was a much simpler explanation—Furina wasn't an Archon at all, so she simply couldn't manifest divine power.
That would also explain why she had come to him for help without even a hint of intent to fight back... she physically lacked the ability to resist!
"Lady Furina, regarding this matter, you—"
Neuvillette immediately tried to seek confirmation.
In response, Furina covered her ears and shook her head, sobbing hysterically.
"No! No, it's not like that! I am the Hydro Archon! I am the Hydro Archon Focalors! You can kill me, do anything to me... but you cannot doubt that! You must not!"
Seeing the blue-haired girl on the verge of a total mental breakdown, the members of the chat group looked at one another through the screen. Even Jibril's expression turned slightly awkward.
"Did I... do something too overboard?" she muttered.
As a fellow member of the harem, Jibril naturally didn't view Furina as a mere ant. She had only meant to point out where the girl was wrong; she hadn't expected her to snap like this.
Why was a Rank 0 weakling so obsessed with masquerading as a god? Why cling to a lie even at the cost of her life?
[Rin Tohsaka: "Being the Hydro Archon seems to be incredibly important to the newcomer. It doesn't look like she's doing it for personal gain."]
To persist in a lie while facing Jibril's overwhelming pressure proved that Furina valued the deception more than her own survival.
[Furina: "I'm not! I'm not an impostor! I am the Hydro Archon!"]
Despite her weeping and terror, Furina didn't give up. She wiped her eyes while continuing to argue in the chat, leaving the members baffled.
[Shiroyasha: "Little girl, I don't know why you're doing this, but I believe you have your reasons."]
[Shiroyasha: "However, no matter the reason, is it really necessary to maintain the lie in front of us? We aren't from your world. Lying to us brings you no benefit!"]
The cunning "White-Haired Loli" pointed out Furina's logical blind spot.
[Furina: "Eh?"]
The blue-haired girl froze, the gears in her head finally turning.
Oh, right! Since Jibril is this powerful, it means they weren't lying—they really are from beyond the stars.
"The other me" had only told her not to expose the secret to this world. She hadn't said anything about what to do with beings from outside of it. Telling the truth to people from another universe shouldn't violate the rules.
[Rin Tohsaka: "Exactly! Besides, whatever reason you have for lying—whether it's an oath to a powerhouse or some unsolvable crisis—it doesn't matter anymore."]
[Rin Tohsaka: "Now, you have Jibril, a Rank 6 powerhouse, on your side. She can flatten any obstacle or enemy. And if she can't handle it, Lord Su Mo can. Why keep lying?"]
Everything suddenly clicked.
[Furina: "You're right!"]
Furina stared blankly.
She feared the destruction of Fontaine. According to the prophecy of "the other her," if she failed to keep the secret, all of Fontaine would sink into the sea. That was the ending she feared most—one she was willing to die to rewrite.
But now, compared to Jibril's threat, even the prophecy didn't seem so terrifying.
The prophecy could only lead to the destruction of Fontaine at most. Jibril, however, could casually wipe out all of Teyvat. By comparison, with Jibril here, the "inevitable" prophecy suddenly seemed a lot more... negotiable.
Realizing this, Furina blinked and looked up at the Flugel girl standing before her.
"But... would you really help me?" she asked, her voice small and trembling.
Jibril certainly had the power to shatter fate and prophecy, but she had no reason to help. From Jibril's perspective, Furina was just a bratty girl who had been rude to the Admin. She had come here to teach her a lesson; why would she be kind enough to offer aid?
Just as Furina was losing hope again...
"Of course I will!"
The voice sounded like heavenly music. To Furina's eyes, Jibril's wild, predatory gaze suddenly looked as pure and holy as an angel's.
"Th-thank you—"
Furina was overjoyed, stammering her gratitude.
In the next instant, Jibril vanished and reappeared behind her. She grabbed Furina by the scruff of her neck like a kitten, hauling her to her feet. Then, she slapped the girl's shoulder with a boisterous grin.
"We're all f***ing sisters! No need for the formalities. Just leave the simple stuff to me!"
Looking at Jibril's arrogant yet casual expression, the weight that had been crushing Furina's heart finally lifted. This "World-Destroying Demon King" suddenly looked a lot more approachable.
"Thank you so much! And... and Miss Hatsune, I need to apologize to her..."
Having kept her secret alone for five hundred years, Furina finally found someone she could lean on. She didn't break down immediately; instead, her first thought was to make amends for her earlier behavior.
She had thought the chat group was full of scammers or calamity-bringing monsters. But now she realized they were sisters who were actually willing to help her. "Member Mutual Aid" wasn't a lie after all!
Seeing Furina's teary-eyed attempts to apologize, Jibril waved her hand dismissively.
"I told you, don't be so stiff. Miss Hatsune knows everything. Why do you think she sent me of all people? You really think it was just to scare you?"
"Eh? It wasn't?!"
Furina was slow on the uptake, only just realizing that Jibril might have been sent as a protector.
"Of course not," Jibril nodded.
Furina's abnormal persistence was something even Rin Tohsaka had noticed, let alone the Chat Group system. Everyone knew the group's true nature—if she was qualified to join Su Mo's harem, it meant her core essence was good and she was worth helping.
On the surface, Miku had sent Jibril to "settle things offline," but in reality, she was sent to observe and protect. Otherwise, she wouldn't have authorized a member with such a high power level to go.
As Jibril finished speaking, Miku finally spoke up in the chat to validate her.
[Hatsune Miku (Admin): "It is no matter."]
"Waaaaah!"
Feeling such intense kindness and receiving such powerful support for the first time, Furina broke down and wailed. Five hundred years of accumulated tears poured out in a single moment.
Finally... she didn't have to endure it alone anymore.
She had friends to talk to. She had comrades to help her.
She was no longer alone.