After saying that, Lyney and Lynette bowed slightly to the audience, then disappeared without a trace in a puff of smoke that seemed to come from nowhere.
As the red curtain, signaling a scene change, slowly closed, Lyney and Lynette exhaled in unison, then turned to look at Furina, who was already on stage.
"I always feel like Lady Furina's whole demeanor changes the moment she steps onto the stage..."
Lyney stroked his chin, observing Furina as she gracefully sat on the prop sofa, and remarked.
Lynette nodded in agreement, then shifted her gaze to Yuto, who stood nearby, seemingly pleased.
"Lord Yuto looks... rather excited that Lady Furina can perform on stage. Is there some unknown secret behind this?"
The cat-like girl slightly lowered her head, seemingly contemplating this point.
Although Lynette's gaze lingered for only a moment, even that brief glance was enough for Yuto to realize someone was looking at him.
As if guessing what Lynette was thinking, the Assistant Administrator slightly turned his head, looking at the two young ones from House of the Hearth beside him, and said with a smile:
"It's because Lady Furina... can finally be herself openly in front of everyone, expressing all the pressure she has endured, instead of keeping it bottled up inside."
Hearing this, Lynette seemed to recall something, paused for a moment, then nodded, agreeing with Yuto's statement.
After all...
She had also seen "Furina's" performance in "another Opera House" at that time.
...
As the red curtain slowly parted, Furina's delicate face appeared on the stage.
She did not open her beautiful eyes, but softly said:
"The Prophecy... Since I ascended to Godhood, it has haunted my mind like a curse."
"'Everyone will dissolve into the sea, leaving only the Water God weeping on her throne. Only then will the sins of the people of Fontaine be washed away.'"
"Is it sinful to want to live in this world? Is it an unforgivable sin to want to exist in human form?"
"No... I cannot accept such a fate, nor such an answer."
She slowly opened her beautiful heterochromatic eyes, then looked at a clam shell in the nearby ornamental fish tank, and whispered:
"...The reason miracles exist in the world is to bring turning points to people."
"There will always be a solution, there will always be one..."
Furina said as she stood up, pacing back and forth on the stage, occasionally taking books from the bookshelf, flipping through them page by page, then discarding them as if they were trash.
"No... none of this is right. So what exactly should I... do?"
Furina slightly raised her head, a hint of confusion in her eyes, as if she had returned to the time when she was at a loss about her own future, and the future of all Fontaine.
She looked at the mirror standing by the table, a hint of hesitation in her eyes, as if she had already thought of something, but couldn't bring herself to do it.
"Is that... really the only way?"
"Cannot say anything, cannot do anything, even if misunderstood by the world... still cannot say anything, can only bear it silently alone?"
After a brief moment of thought, the slight confusion in Furina's beautiful heterochromatic eyes was swept away, replaced by a look of determination.
"If this can save everyone in Fontaine—even if it means bearing such a fate, I will not hesitate."
She slowly closed her eyes and softly chanted:
[No life is born to bear sin, no life is born to disappear]
[To exist in the world is not original sin; that lofty arrogance is the original sin]
[Archons love people; as their God, I should save them]
[The sin committed by God should be repaid by God]
Furina's steps were slightly heavy as she walked towards the back of the stage, the spotlight constantly illuminating the protagonist.
When the spotlight's beam shone on the specially treated Oratrice Mecanique D'analyse Cardinale, the previously quiet audience began to whisper.
It wasn't that they lacked respect for Furina, but rather...
A small portion of them had actually read the story temporarily compiled by Yuto.
And now, everything that was happening was exactly the same as the process they remembered.
Only this time, the emotions felt in the Opera House... were completely different from last time.
During the final Judgment, they had entered that space after facing the fear of death, so at that time, their hearts were filled only with fear and panic, making it difficult to generate any heartfelt emotions.
But this time, Furina's performance successfully conveyed emotions that resonated with everyone present.
This experience, which had happened once before but now evoked different emotions, sparked their discussion.
However, this discussion did not last long; they soon quieted down again, quietly watching Furina's subsequent performance.
The girl slightly raised her head, looking at the Oratrice Mecanique D'analyse Cardinale, which emitted a faint blue light, and a hint of a smile entered her voice.
"Since the energy of one God is not enough to break the prison and curse of fate, what if I accumulate a little more energy?"
"Through the Gnosis, convert the emotions generated by the populace during Judgment into energy, and siphon off a small portion to power the city."
"This way, not only can it alleviate the energy pressure within Fontaine, but it can also accumulate energy, seeking an opportunity to break through the prison in one go..."
At this point, Furina put her hands on her hips and nodded her small head slightly, as if praising herself.
"Hmm~ I truly am amazing. Although my brain was bubbling like a clam shell when I came up with this idea, it's finally proving useful now~"
"Although this will make me lose the power a God should have, but..."
Furina said as she turned her head, seemingly looking at a specific spot, or perhaps glancing at the audience below with her peripheral vision.
"But as long as it can break The Prophecy and save Fontaine, it is absolutely worth it."
"However..."
"To avoid unnecessary trouble, it's better to keep all these secrets hidden in my heart, after all..."
"That is the 'original sin' of the people of Fontaine..."
After this line, a red curtain slowly descended, covering the now empty shell of the Oratrice Mecanique D'analyse Cardinale, and the spotlight quickly locked onto the seat where Furina had previously sat.
The audience's gaze also followed the spotlight's shift to Furina's desk, and she sat down in her seat with crisp footsteps.
"Just having the means to deal with The Prophecy isn't enough; I also need... a more precise timing."
"I don't know what magnitude of power is needed to break the prison of fate, so the more 'Indemnitium' accumulated, the better."
"But this also means the timing must be even more precise..."
Furina gently shook her small head. After flipping through all the books on her desk, she seemed to realize something, then began to write furiously.
"Since what The Prophecy represents is dissolution, the rising of the sea... then I just need to have the Fontaine Academy of Sciences create a device to monitor the sea water..."
Furina muttered softly as she wrote something on the paper in front of her. Before long, a complete design requirements draft was created by her.
Looking at the design draft in front of her, Furina nodded in satisfaction, then said to the red-clad man who had just stood before her, Weil Mang, who was playing the role of the "Palais Mermonia Attendant":
"This is the equipment requirements draft I need. Please deliver it to the Fontaine Academy of Sciences and urge them to produce it as quickly as possible; I have a great need for it."
"Additionally, have them submit corresponding data reports to me once a week; they don't need to analyze it."
Hearing this, the attendant blinked slightly. Although still somewhat puzzled, he chose to firmly carry out everything.
How could the thoughts of a God be fathomed by people like them?
Thinking of this, a look of relief appeared on Weil Mang's face. He gently placed the cake in his hand in front of Furina and softly said:
"This is your afternoon tea for today. If you have no other instructions... I will go deliver this report to the Academy of Sciences' specialist stationed at Palais Mermonia."
"Mm, go quickly. The sooner I see that equipment and the corresponding test report, the better."
Furina gently waved her hand, then began to enjoy her cake.
However, the moment she took the first bite of cake... she instantly called out to the attendant who was somewhat hastily preparing to leave the office.
"Hey! Wait a moment!"
"What is it, Lady Furina? Is today's cake not to your liking?"
"No, I am not dissatisfied; on the contrary, I am extremely pleased with today's cake, so I would like to know... who made this cake? Is it a new chef at Palais Mermonia?"
"Ah, no, today's cake is from a popular bakery in Fontaine."
"I see..."
Furina slightly lowered her head, thought for a moment, then spoke:
"Bring this shop owner tomorrow; I wish to meet him."
"Understood, I will arrange it for you immediately."
As soon as the words fell, the spotlight instantly extinguished, and the red curtain, signifying a scene change, slowly descended, only to slowly rise again moments later.
It was at this moment that the two main characters of this entire play... were finally complete.
The audience's gaze fell upon Yuto, who stood by the long table with a shy smile on his face, and a flurry of discussions immediately broke out.
"It's Lord Yuto!"
"Ah... it looks like this is how Lord Yuto and Lady Furina met, right? It seems to be because of... cake?"
"Hehe, Lady Furina loves sweets, and Lord Yuto's dessert skills are already top-notch in Fontaine. I bet these two met through desserts~"
Seemingly noticing the audience's murmurs, Furina gently put down her spoon, then slightly raised her head, looked at Yuto standing by the table, and asked:
"Hmm... if I remember correctly, your name is... Yuto, a name that sounds like it's from Ritou~ So are you really from Fontaine?"
"Although I don't know why you would ask that, but... as long as I can remember, I have lived in Fontaine."
"Perhaps it's because I lost a part of my memory, or perhaps I am just very special..."
Yuto abandoned his previous gentle and considerate demeanor, choosing to display his most shy and naive self from back then.
After all, like Furina, he was an old veteran actor of five hundred years; playing a younger version of himself for a short while was not particularly difficult.
Looking at the "naive and shy Yuto" before her, Furina pursed her lips, as if contemplating something.
But for Yuto, who understood the meaning behind Furina's every little gesture...
She was laughing at his current appearance.
After all... so many years had passed, and for the most part, it was Yuto educating and taking care of Furina, rather than Furina taking care of him.
This sudden sense of contrast had the greatest impact on Furina, who spent every day with him.
However, as an old veteran actor of five hundred years, while Furina's facial expression management wasn't as extreme as Yuto's, who was the Assistant Administrator, it was still quite excellent.
She quickly adjusted her expression, then gently scooped a piece of cake with her small spoon and put it into her mouth, saying with interest:
"Hmm~ Not only are your desserts and cakes excellent, but you yourself are indeed special."
"Living in Fontaine for more than ten years, yet your appearance hasn't changed in the slightest..."
"But... just this level of change isn't enough to alter my opinion of you."
Furina smiled faintly, placed the small spoon on the plate, then crossed her hands and rested her chin on them, supporting her small head with her elbows, and asked with a beaming smile:
"Mr. Yuto, are you interested in working at Palais Mermonia? I really like your desserts; just make me a small cake every day~"
"Lady Furina, I'm afraid... that wouldn't be in accordance with the rules, would it?"
"What rules? I am the God of Fontaine, the Queen of all waters, all lands, all people, and all laws.
I merely wish to recruit a pastry chef for a position that is already vacant in Palais Mermonia. Is there a problem?"
Hearing this, Yuto paused slightly, then bowed respectfully to Furina and said:
"Your command shall be obeyed, Lady Furina."
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