Chapter 125: The Trial is Underway 5
Previously, Conan and the others had been assured that Fontaine had long abolished the death penalty; the worst possible sentence was imprisonment in the Fortress of Meropide. It was this understanding that had emboldened them to proceed. How could there suddenly be a death sentence?! And for the Hydro Archon herself, no less. This outcome was so far beyond their expectations it felt like a nightmare.
Ran Mouri shot to her feet, her voice tight with anxiety. "Wait! Can we withdraw the charges now? We want to cancel them! If we do, the verdict from the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale won't have to be executed, right?"
Under Ran's desperate, pleading gaze, Neuvillette slowly shook his head, a deep regret etched onto his features. "I am sorry. The judgments of the Oratrice cannot be withdrawn."
Conan, however, had already latched onto a subtle discrepancy in the verdict's wording. "But, Lord Chief Justice, you said it was a death sentence for the Hydro Archon, correct? We just proved that Furina is not the Hydro Archon. In that case, the subject of the sentence issued by the Oratrice… it shouldn't be her."
Haibara chimed in, her voice crisp and analytical. "He's right. And if the subject of the trial was Furina, then the fact that the verdict refers to her as the 'Hydro Archon' would imply she didn't impersonate a deity or deceive the public. Wouldn't that make her innocent of the charges brought against her?"
Listening from the sidelines, Okiya Subaru murmured, his voice a low hum, "A classic paradox."
"Exactly!" Genta exclaimed, pounding a fist into his palm. "Is there something wrong with that Oratrice thing? Maybe it really did make a mistake!"
"That magician said he heard a voice coming from its core before, didn't he?" Ayumi added. "Maybe that was a sign it was malfunctioning."
Neuvillette was about to explain that the Oratrice, as a divine creation, was virtually incapable of error and that such a verdict must conceal a deeper truth. But before he could speak, Lyney—the magician who had been a suspect in the serial disappearances—rose from his seat, looking as though he had just received critical news.
"Everyone," Lyney announced, his voice projecting across the silent opera house. "I believe I may know what the 'Hydro Archon's' sin truly is."
All eyes turned to him. Neuvillette regarded the magician, his expression a mask of confusion as he silently prompted him to explain.
Lyney had several large stone slates brought forward, their surfaces covered in ancient carvings. "As you all know," he began, "ruins were recently discovered in Poisson, containing a number of these slates. What you may not know is that the set was incomplete. One piece was missing. From the moment I heard the slates' contents were related to the prophecy, I have been dedicating all my manpower and resources to finding that final piece."
He let out a heavy sigh, his gaze sweeping over the audience. "I know you are all curious as to why I am so concerned with Fontaine's prophecy. But I must tell you—the prophecy is not a joke. It is not a legend. It is an inevitability, something that will happen!"
His voice gained a new layer of intensity. "And though I was raised in the House of the Hearth in a foreign land, I am a son of Fontaine. I cannot simply stand by and watch as the disaster of the prophecy unfolds. This is the real reason I was willing to risk investigating the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale, this sacred, divine creation."
A wave of murmurs rippled through the gallery.
"How can that be? He's joking, right? The prophecy is just an old wives' tale."
"Yeah, it's been around for centuries and nothing's ever happened."
"Maybe… maybe not. People have been dissolving into water. Hasn't the prophecy already been partially verified…?"
While most of the audience remained skeptical, a seed of genuine fear had been planted. Some faces were now clouded with worry.
On the courtroom floor, Conan and his friends leaned closer, carefully observing the stone slates Lyney had presented, their minds racing to process the new information.
Lyney paid the doubtful whispers no mind. "Finally," he declared, his voice ringing with conviction, "our hard work has paid off. We have found the missing stone slate. And from the images carved upon it, we have learned the truth—the truth about the sin of all Fontainians mentioned in the prophecy."
He then proceeded to explain, in detail, the true nature of this original sin, a burden carried not just by the people, but by the Hydro Archon herself.
As it turned out, all Fontainians were once Oceanids. Their creator, the previous Hydro Archon Egeria, had yearned to grant their desire to become human. To do so, she stole power from the Primordial Sea—a forbidden act. This was the reason Fontainians alone dissolved when they came into contact with the waters of the Primordial Sea; they were simply reverting to their original form.
This transgression was never permitted by the heavens. Thus, from their very inception, the people of Fontaine have carried the original sin of "stealing the power of the Primordial Sea."
Conan stroked his chin, his mind working furiously. 'If that's the case, then the previous Hydro Archon, Egeria, knew the origin of the prophecy. As her successor, Furina must have known as well. So why didn't she ever say anything?'
Just as Conan and the others were lost in thought, and the rest of the audience was reeling from the terrible truth, a Garde suddenly burst through the doors of the opera house.
Ordinarily, no one would dare interrupt a trial at the Opera Epiclese unless the matter was of the utmost importance. For a guard to rush in with such disregard for protocol could only mean one thing: an emergency of unmatched scale. Natsume's mind immediately leaped to the prophecy that had loomed over them all.
The Garde's frantic words confirmed her fears.
"Lord Chief Justice, it's terrible! We've received a message from the Duke of the Fortress of Meropide! The special containment device deep underground has begun to fail! He is already working to contain it, but he needs you to get there as soon as possible to perform a seal!"
"What?!" Neuvillette shot up from his seat, a rare crack in his stoic composure. For a moment, he seemed to forget the verdict entirely. "I'm going there right now!"
Furina, who had remained impassive during Lyney's explanation, finally broke. Tears streamed from the corners of her eyes, her voice choked with self-reproach and worry. "This is all my fault… It's all because of me. I failed to do what I promised… I failed to… protect you all…"
Mitsuhiko's sharp mind caught the key detail. "We heard the Fortress of Meropide is an underwater prison. If something's gone wrong there… could this be the cause of the rising sea levels in the prophecy?"
Conan's eyes widened in realization. "Mitsuhiko is right! That has to be it!" He spun around. "Ran! Natsume—"
But before he could finish, Natsume, who had already reached the same conclusion, called out to the Chief Justice. "Lord Neuvillette, let us go to the Fortress of Meropide with you! Perhaps we can be of some help!"
Neuvillette's gaze fell upon the group, a crowd composed mostly of children. He opened his mouth, clearly about to refuse, but was cut short as a violent tremor shook the entire Opera Epiclese, sending dust raining from the ornate ceiling.
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