The criminals were handed over to the Melusines, who escorted them to the Fortress of Meropide.
Once the trial concluded, the crowd gradually dispersed. Only after leaving the hall did they finally let out long sighs of relief.
"Hey, didn't you feel like you could barely breathe in there just now?"
"Yeah! I don't know why, but it felt incredibly oppressive."
"Exactly… I didn't even dare to speak. I have no idea what that was about…"
These were the kinds of conversations the people of Fontaine shared as they walked away.
Furina stepped down from the VIP seating and called out to Lora.
"We should head back. There won't be any performances here today."
Lora looked at her and smiled. "I still have a few things to discuss with Neuvillette. You go on ahead."
"But you're my bodyguard…" Furina frowned.
Lora smiled gently.
"Be good. Listen to me."
Seeing Lora smile as she told her that, Furina felt no resistance at all. She gave a soft "Oh," then turned around and left the Opera Epiclese together with Hélie.
"So obedient," Neuvillette remarked.
He stepped down from the Chief Justice's seat and came to Lora's side, watching Furina depart. "She's never been this compliant before. Not just her—the audience today was quieter than ever as well. All because of your presence. Thank you, Lora."
"Fontaine's trials used to be this quiet," Lora said calmly. "I don't like excessive noise during judgments, so whether it was the audience or the plaintiff and defendant, I never allowed any behavior that disrupted the court."
Neuvillette nodded. "It's also because Furina loves drama that trials have taken on their current form."
"You've worked hard these past few centuries, Neuvillette," Lora said, then added, "But… I need some personal space now. Could you leave me alone for a while?"
Neuvillette inclined his head. "I understand. I'll take my leave."
"Thank you…"
Only when the Opera Epiclese was completely empty did Lora let out a long sigh. She turned and looked toward the direction of the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale, then walked around the judgment platform and stopped outside its chamber.
She stared at the door, hesitating.
After a moment of mental preparation, Lora finally grasped the handle and pushed the door open, stepping inside. The room was completely empty, save for the enormous Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale mounted on the wall.
As she drew closer, she sensed what was concealed within it—the aura of the Gnosis, and the presence of the Hydro Archon's divine seat that belonged to Focalors.
Lora stepped forward, gazing at the Oratrice. Her lips pressed together slightly before she spoke in a low voice, "I… I'm back, Focalors."
As her words fell, she lifted the concealment of her divine power, allowing her true presence to spread outward.
The moment Lora's aura was sensed, the previously tranquil Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale erupted in brilliant blue light, its core spinning wildly.
The expanding radiance enveloped Lora, and the scene before her eyes abruptly shifted.
When her vision cleared, she realized she was no longer in the original room. Instead, she stood within the Oratrice itself, inside a domain created by Focalors—one that closely resembled the Opera Epiclese.
A massive greatsword, similar to the "Judgment of the Raging Sea," hung high above, gathering power.
"…You… it really… really is you?" Focalors stood beneath the sword, staring at Lora in utter disbelief.
Lora nodded at her. "It's me. I've come back, Focalors."
Focalors rushed toward her in a surge of emotion, but when she reached Lora, she suddenly hesitated, standing there awkwardly, unsure of what to do.
"Calm down, Focalors. I'm real," Lora said gently, seeing her unease.
Focalors pressed her lips together, her eyes reddening as tears spilled over. She threw herself into Lora's embrace, sobbing softly, "You're back… that's wonderful… you're still alive…"
Her sobs grew louder, as though she were pouring out all the grievances and loneliness she had endured.
Lora held her quietly, letting her release nearly five hundred years of solitude and sorrow.
Only after that did Lora gently stroke Focalors' hair and back, comforting her. "Yes, I'm still alive, Focalors. Stop crying now. You've suffered so much all these years. I really was an irresponsible god, leaving all of Fontaine to you like that."
"No… you are the greatest god!" Focalors lifted her head from Lora's arms and looked up at her with utmost sincerity. "For Fontaine, you are fully worthy of the title of God of Justice. You are the mother of all the people of Fontaine, and the god I admire most."
"But it is precisely because of that that I bore the 'Original Sin,' and caused all of you to bear 'sin' as well," Lora said with a sigh.
Focalors shook her head.
"That isn't your fault! You merely responded to the Oceanids' wish to become human. You bear no 'Original Sin,' and the people of Fontaine should not bear 'sin' either."
"Yes. The people of Fontaine should not bear 'sin.' That is exactly why I survived—to resolve this matter," Lora said, nodding.
"Lady Egeria, I already have a plan," Focalors said as she looked at Lora, laying out her entire scheme. Here, there was no need to fear the scrutiny of the Heavenly Principles, nor to worry about the plan being exposed.
If she had not sealed herself within the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale, she might have already known that the sustainer of the Heavenly Principles was dying—that the Heavenly Principles themselves had fallen into slumber, leaving only their established rules to carry fate forward.
Watching Focalors speak with such seriousness, Lora felt a sharp pain in her heart. She asked, "But in this plan, the only one who has to die… is you."
Focalors nodded.
"Yes. Only my death is needed to exchange for the rebirth of the people of Fontaine. This is what I must do as the God of Justice—and it is also what you once taught us: to love and show compassion to all."
"Are you not afraid?" Lora frowned, looking straight at her. "After enduring five hundred years of loneliness, to face such a desolate end?"
Focalors fell silent for a moment.
Then, as if she had found her answer, she lifted her head and met Lora's gaze. Her eyes were filled with a resolve and sincerity unlike anything before.
"Because…" Focalors said softly yet firmly, "they are my people."