A series of system notifications rang in King's mind, the numbers vast and the emotions complex.
But King felt little joy in his heart.
In a sense, these Emotion Points were built upon the tragedies of countless young girls.
This gave him a sense of heaviness.
King shifted his gaze from where the Oceanid had vanished and turned toward Furina.
Those eyes, which usually seemed indifferent, were now like quenched ice, clearly reflecting Furina's pale and furious face.
Furina bit her lip hard, her nails digging deep into her palms, her petite body trembling slightly from the intense emotion.
The faces of those girls... the faces of the subjects who had vanished under her rule... peaceful, smiling, liberated... yet heartbreakingly tragic faces.
They had reappeared in such a painful form, only to dissipate before her eyes.
Those were all her people!!
They were the subjects who had vanished silently in her kingdom, under her 'protection,' only to die in such a horrific and desperate manner.
If she were stronger, if she were smarter, if... 'Ugh!'
Furina suddenly felt a wave of dizziness, her stomach churning.
She bent over, retching, as tears welled up uncontrollably, mixing with the stomach acid and dripping down.
Five hundred years of acting, five hundred years of loneliness, five hundred years of fear... Furina had thought she was long accustomed to the pressure.
But at this moment, she realized she was still as fragile as could be.
Under the finery of the 'Hydro Archon,' she was still just a powerless ordinary girl.
A corner of the prophecy was being torn open in the most cruel way.
And she was powerless to stop it.
Watching Furina's suffering, King sighed silently in his heart.
"Furina."
"..."
"Snap out of it. I know who the murderer is."
"Who?!"
Furina asked subconsciously, her voice still trembling, not yet fully recovered from her self-blame and anger.
"Who dares to commit such an inhumane crime?"
"Tell me! I will tear him into ten thousand pieces!!"
"Vacher."
"Or rather, his other name—Marcel."
"Marcel?!"
Furina was stunned for a moment, then she gritted her teeth.
Marcel was a famous wealthy merchant in Fontaine, the president of the Cabrerets Trading Company, and also the sponsor of the 'Victims' Families Mutual Aid Association' for the serial disappearance of young girls!
King was accusing a 'great philanthropist' of Fontaine!
But Furina did not hesitate for a single second.
She didn't ask: Where is the evidence? Could there be a mistake? Or any such questions.
Because King was the Divine Guard she had chosen.
Therefore, she trusted everything King said unconditionally!
"That beast... that damned beast!"
"Clorinde!!"
Furina turned abruptly, an unprecedented fire Burning in her heterochromatic eyes. She was going to seek justice for her people!
"Send word to the Opera Epiclese immediately! In my name, notify Iudex Neuvillette to issue a maximum-level arrest warrant at once!"
"Target: Marcel, president of the Cabrerets Trading Company, also known as Vacher!"
"Charges: multiple counts of kidnapping, murder, and Crimes against humanity!"
"Notify the Special Patrol! Blockade all entrances and exits of Fontaine, especially the routes leading to Fleuve Cendre and Poisson! We must not let this demon in human skin escape!"
"Yes! Lady Furina!"
Clorinde stood at attention, a cold light flashing in her eyes.
She also didn't doubt King in the slightest. Instead, she turned quickly and sent an emergency command to the Opera Epiclese via the ship's communication device.
Lynette stepped forward silently, took off her coat, and gently draped it over Furina's trembling shoulders. Frost seemed to congeal in her pale violet cat-like eyes. Then, she stepped aside and began checking her equipment—daggers, poisons, stun batons... Lynette's expression was terrifyingly dark.
Lumine clenched her fists, her voice firm: "Do you need help?"
King shook his head and looked toward Fontaine, locking onto that despicable soul who was currently enjoying the sunlight and praise.
"He won't get away."
...Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the Cabrerets Trading Company in Fontaine.
In the luxuriously decorated president's office, Marcel was holding a cup of rich coffee, standing before a massive floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the bustling streetscape with smug satisfaction.
He wore an exquisite Fontaine gentleman's suit, his hair combed meticulously. A smooth, businessman-like smile was on his face, and the fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes made him look somewhat like a kind elder.
Anyone who saw him would think he was a successful, perhaps even philanthropic, business leader.
Only he knew what a filthy, insane, and obsessive soul was hidden beneath this polished exterior.
"...Vigneire."
He whispered a name, his eyes dazed and tender, but soon, that tenderness was replaced by a twisted madness.
Recently, Fontaine had been on edge due to the arrival of that'strongest man.'
The Opera Epiclese had increased its patrol efforts, and his experimental progress had been greatly affected!
Obtaining 'raw materials' was also becoming increasingly difficult.
The newspaper headlines on his desk still featured the grand banquet at the Opera Epiclese from last night, along with various praises for the newly appointed 'Guardian of Fontaine,' King.
Marcel glanced at it, his lips curling into a hideous smile.
Just another stumbling block.
As long as he continued to capture Fontaine girls, as long as he could find a way to stably separate consciousness and reconstruct a physical body, Vigneire would return!
By then, they would leave Fontaine forever and live a happy life once again!
To achieve this goal, he was willing to pay any price. No one could stop him!!
Marcel took a sip of coffee, planning to go to the secret laboratory under Fleuve Cendre this afternoon for a new round of 'material testing.'
The quality of the few 'materials' caught recently was good; perhaps he could achieve a new breakthrough... Just then, there was a knock at the office door, the sound somewhat hurried.
"Come in."
Marcel frowned.
His secretary, a young man wearing glasses, pushed the door open in a panic:
"President, this is bad! A lot of Equitable Judgment have arrived outside! And the Special Patrol too! They've surrounded both the front and back doors of the company!"
Marcel's heart skipped a beat, but the composure he had developed through years of pretending kept his expression unchanged. He even showed a hint of appropriate surprise: "The Iudexs Court? What are they doing here? Do they have a search warrant? Our company has always been law-abiding..."
Before he could finish, the office door was kicked open!
Fully armed, cold-faced elites of the Iudexs Court filed in, quickly occupying every corner of the room.
Leading them was Clorinde, her face as somber as still water.
"Marcel!!"
A legal official stepped forward, unfolding an arrest warrant stamped with the seal of the Iudex and Furina's divine crest, his voice icy:
"By order of Lady Furina and Iudex Neuvillette, you are hereby under arrest on suspicion of multiple counts of kidnapping, murder, illegal human experimentation, and endangering public safety. Please come with us."
"Absurd!"