Next came Act 3, where Furina met with merchants and investigated documents in her basement.
Act 3 recreated a day in Furina's life as the Hydro Archon. That night, sitting by her bed, everyone could hear Furina's inner thoughts:
[Finally, today is over. A day as the Hydro Archon leaves no room for even a moment's respite...]
[But what's reassuring is that things are gradually falling into place. I no longer hear any voices of doubt.]
[Perhaps this isn't so bad after all. If things continue like this, everyone will be saved...]
[Hmph... enough overthinking. Tomorrow brings another day. I should rest while I can.]
Act 4:
Handling cases, receiving guests, investigating the Prophecy...
Until evening, sitting by the window, summarizing the day's events:
[Phew... I hope I didn't slip up anywhere today. I must maintain the image of absolute reassurance for the people...]
[Still, I wonder when this endless charade will finally end...]
[The mental exhaustion is overwhelming. I should get to bed early tonight.]
From Furina's tone, it was clear that impersonating a God carried immense pressure, especially draining her mental energy.
This kind of life must have been excruciating for Furina...
Act 5: Watching the Trial at the Opera House, researching documents, investigating the Prophecy... Act 6... Act 7...
Scene after scene flashed by rapidly, finally freezing on Act 182,375.
Furina appeared to be receiving a guest.
"Lady Furina! To be able to speak with you at such close range feels like a dream..."
The speaker seemed to be a woman: "I heard that the first member of our family to have the honor of being received by you was Lady Deotille, nearly twenty generations ago."
From the woman's words, it was easy to infer that a very long time had passed since Furina's ascension as the Hydro Archon.
And Furina... under such immense pressure, repeating the same monotonous routine, had endured all the way to the present day...
Neuvillette had said she was merely an ordinary human, mentally far from capable of withstanding such immense pressure. Yet, against all odds, she had endured.
Putting oneself in Furina's place, many Fontainians might have crumbled long before reaching this point...
"Hahaha... Excellent! What a splendid family! Receiving a devout believer like you—or rather, the descendant of a devout believer—truly brings me the greatest joy."
"Ehehe... You flatter me, Lady Furina..."
The voice seemed to notice something, its tone shifting to confusion. "Uh... Lady Furina?"
"Hm? What is it, my loyal subject?"
"Are... are you crying?"
Only after the woman asked did Furina realize she was crying. She tilted her head back slightly, feigning nonchalance.
"Ah... eh? Hahaha, what's this? I didn't even notice... Eh, it must be because my body is overflowing with Hydro Element. Well, what can I do? I am the God who governs Hydro, after all. Hahaha..."
Anyone could hear the forced cheerfulness in Furina's voice.
But perhaps due to the difference in perspective, the woman conversing with Furina remained oblivious.
"No wonder, no wonder... So this is a manifestation of your divine power, Lady Furina! I am truly honored to witness such a sight..."
-
Seeing this, Charlotte, who had been snapping photos, quietly lowered her camera.
In this space, Charlotte discovered that her camera still worked. Determined to document everything, regardless of the circumstances, she had been diligently recording the events.
But now, Charlotte had no heart to document any of this.
Moved by Furina's tears, she unconsciously took a few steps forward, only to be stopped by an invisible barrier.
In this space, none of them could reach Furina.
Earlier, the Fontainians had been able to murmur words of sympathy, but now they fell into near-complete silence. They stared at Furina, living under the spotlight on the stage, their hearts twisting in unbearable pain.
-
On the stage, Furina sat on the bed.
[ So long... So lonely... How much longer must I endure? ]
As Furina spoke these words, Lumine's head snapped up. [ That voice... I've heard it before... by the Court of Fontaine. So that voice back then was actually... ]
On the bed, Furina wept silently, yet her inner thoughts reverberated throughout the entire Opera House.
[ Has it been centuries already? Perhaps this play will continue for centuries more... ]
[ I never imagined this process would be so agonizing... ]
[ Have I reached my limit...? No, I must have surpassed it long ago. Today, I can't even feel my own tears. ]
[ I yearn to confide in someone, even just one person... But that would render all my efforts meaningless, wouldn't it? ]
[ I've conducted countless investigations over the centuries, yet there's still no hope of breaking the Prophecy... ]
[ Now, all that's left is to keep believing... continuing to play the Hydro Archon is Fontaine's only salvation. Please, you must succeed, The Me in the Mirror! ]
Furina's voice, choked with tears, carried through the hall. Then, the entire stage plunged into darkness.
-
A worker from Fontaine, a survivor of Poisson, vigorously wiped his face with his calloused hands, yet couldn't stem the torrent of tears.
"...Lady Furina..."
When Poisson was submerged by the Primordial Sea water, he had once blamed Furina, believing the God had abandoned them. He never imagined... he never imagined Furina had been enduring far more pressure than they could ever comprehend.
Crushed by overwhelming guilt, he couldn't bring himself to look up.
Head Nurse Sigewinne's large eyes were already glistening with tears.
Five hundred years... such a long, long time... unable to share her burden, constantly performing... their God, tirelessly striving to save Fontaine, never once faltering.
-
The scene continued to advance, now showing scene 182,376:
This time, the setting was neither Furina's secret base, nor Palais Mermonia, nor the Opera House, but a quiet corner within Fontaine.
Furina knelt before a dirty, mud-covered little girl, offering her a bite of the small cake she had just taken.
The girl stared blankly at Furina, her beautiful eyes brimming with reverence and gratitude.
It was... Fidelle!
Lumine blurted out instinctively, her voice audible to everyone.
Hearing this, Wriothesley scrutinized the little girl closely, and sure enough, he recognized Fidelle's unique spirit in her eyes.
"It's really her... No wonder..."
The Fontainians collectively fell silent. This little girl was none other than Fidelle, the one who always stood behind Lady Furina!
The scene shifted again, this time showing Furina leading the Special Task Force on patrol, with Fidelle volunteering to follow behind her.
Scene 182,377:
This time, the setting was Palais Mermonia. Furina sat at a dining table with a knife and fork in hand, a genuine smile gracing her face—a smile completely absent from all the previous scenes.
This smile reached all the way to her eyes.