"Tartaglia, Fatui Harbinger, you stand accused of attacking the Hydro Archon. Do you have anything to say in your defense?" Neuvillette asked gravely.
Tartaglia looked at Neuvillette, then at Lora in the plaintiff's seat, whose eyes were full of warning. He blinked, nodded, and said, "I admit it. I have nothing to say in my defense..."
His immediate guilty plea caught the audience completely off guard.
Furina quietly tugged Lora's sleeve and whispered, "Lora, are we really going to frame an innocent person like this? He didn't attack me..."
Lora rubbed Furina's head. "Trust me. The Fatui already have a terrible reputation in Fontaine. If we say Tartaglia broke the law, the Fontainians will believe it. Either way, we need to send him to the Fortress of Meropide."
"Why?" Furina asked, baffled.
"It's a secret. You'll know when the time comes. Someone in the Fortress of Meropide is waiting for him."
Since Lora put it that way, Furina stopped asking. After traveling with her for so long, she trusted that Lora would never do anything to harm Fontaine or her.
"Mr. Tartaglia, since you have confessed, the tribunal will now pass judgment. Even as a Fatui Harbinger, you cannot evade the law. Do you understand?" Neuvillette said.
Tartaglia nodded. "Yes, I understand. I plead guilty."
If anyone else had falsely accused him, he would have protested and challenged them to a duel. But since it was Lora, he had no such intention.
The Hydro Archon wanted him to go to prison and had promised him a generous reward once the matter was done. How could he refuse?
More importantly, he could not refuse.
Tartaglia confessed so readily that Neuvillette had nothing more to say. This trial had no drama at all. The audience watched the final verdict come out and could only shake their heads, muttering that it was a pity.
They had expected the trial of a Fatui Harbinger to be especially dramatic.
And this was it?
He pleaded guilty that easily?
What a disgrace to the Fatui Harbingers.
...
Afterward, Tartaglia was led away, and Lora and Furina left the plaintiff's bench as well. Before he was taken to the Fortress of Meropide, Lora went to see him.
"Oh? Miss Lora, what do you need from me this time?" Tartaglia smiled when he saw her.
That "this time" really hit the mark.
Holding back a laugh, Lora said to the guards, "I'd like to speak with him alone. Could you two give us a little space?"
The two guards nodded and stepped several paces away.
Once they were gone, Lora lightly patted Tartaglia on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Listen, Tartaglia... I know you're suffering a bit of injustice this time, but once you're down there, someone will be waiting for you. When the time comes, just show them the way."
"Show them the way? What way?" Tartaglia asked blankly.
"You know... that giant whale. The one you met when you were little."
Tartaglia's expression changed at once. He stepped back. "How do you know about that? Can you read minds? No, I heard only the Dendro Archon can do that. The Hydro Archon shouldn't be able to read minds, right?"
"Don't overthink it. I have my sources." Lora shook her head. "I'm really counting on you this time."
Seeing how serious she was, Tartaglia put away his joking manner and nodded solemnly. "Don't worry. We're friends, aren't we? Friends help each other. That's only natural."
Lora smiled and watched as the guard detail escorted him to the Fortress of Meropide.
As soon as Tartaglia left, Rhodeia came running over from behind. "Lady Lora! Neuvillette is asking you to return at once!"
"What happened?" Lora turned back.
Rhodeia said, "That Dragon Sovereign from Liyue has brought Marcel back, along with the young women he kidnapped! Neuvillette wants you to hurry over for the trial."
"All right. Let's go."
After hearing Rhodeia's report, Lora nodded and followed her toward the main hall of the Opera Epiclese.
...
Escorted by two guards, Tartaglia left the Opera Epiclese and arrived at the Fortress of Meropide. Deep beneath the sea, the Fortress never saw daylight, and its style was completely different from the Court of Fontaine.
After finishing registration, Tartaglia had only taken a few steps inside when he saw three purple-haired women who looked almost identical standing not far away, waving at him.
Makoto smiled at him. "Welcome to the Fortress of Meropide, Tartaglia."
"Uh..."
As a Fatui Harbinger tasked with seizing the Gnoses, Tartaglia had studied every god's profile. A god like the Raiden Shogun, who had remained in power all this time, was someone he naturally knew well—both in appearance and temperament.
But could someone explain why there were three of them here?
Seeing him frozen in place, the Shogun said, "Did he go stupid? Should I smack him on the head?"
"I'll do it," Ei said, preparing to strike.
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't!" Tartaglia snapped back to his senses and quickly stepped away, shouting.
Makoto looked at him and laughed. "Looks like you're back to normal. Good. If you went stupid the moment you arrived, then having Lora send you down here would have been a waste. Come on, we'll take you to Wriothesley."
The three of them led Tartaglia toward Wriothesley. Along the way, many inmates instinctively backed away, clearing a path for them.
Tartaglia noticed something was off. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Ladies... why is everyone here so afraid of you?"
The Shogun glanced back at him. "Oh, someone tried to rob us when we first came in, so I taught them a lesson."