Venti's wine sprayed out with a "pfft."
He hurriedly wiped his mouth with his sleeve, but his shoulders were already shaking like a sieve.
"Cough, cough, cough... Sorry, I choked, I choked..."
Tears of laughter were clearly visible in the corners of his eyes.
Ganyu covered his face, peeking through the gaps between his fingers.
Taking advantage of Lumine's shock, Paimon broke free from her grasp and flew high, his large eyes darting around.
"Guard, Furina hasn't been assassinated, he..."
Paimon didn't finish his sentence.
Because countless shouts rang out like thunder, drowning out his voice!
"The god of water has been assassinated?!"
"Which god-forsaken person dares to touch Lord Furina?!"
"Where is it? Where is the assassin?!"
"Everyone, grab your weapons! Protect the god of water!!"
"Charge—!"
Outside the Opera Epiclese, the citizens who were still reveling in King's return instantly erupted into chaos.
One second, the people of Fontaine were waving ribbons and shouting "Long live King," and the next, they switched into full berserk mode.
The fishmonger grabbed his scale weights.
The vegetable seller raised his shoulder pole.
The pastry shop owner's wife gripped her rolling pin tightly.
Even the old man sunbathing by the roadside stood up shakily with his cane, a fierce light flashing in his cloudy old eyes.
The crowd surged toward the Opera Epiclese like a floodgate opening, rumbling forward.
The soldiers patrolling the perimeter of the Opera Epiclese reacted even faster.
Almost the instant the last note of that Guard's howl hit the ground, hurried footsteps and the clanking of armor rang out from all directions.
One squad, two squads, three squads... Fully armed Fontaine elites popped up from every direction like bamboo shoots after rain, surrounding the Opera Epiclese so tightly that not even water could leak through.
Spears were like a forest, all pointing toward the center.
"Where is the assassin?!"
The squad leader barked sharply, his eyes as sharp as a falcon's.
And at this moment, amidst the chaos.
That young Guard who brought the news was still shouting frantically.
His face was flushed red, the veins on his neck bulging. He drew his sword halfway with a "clink," the cold light flashing as he looked around with an air of justice, as if he were about to transform into the Fontaine version of the Conqueror of Demons in the next second.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and his sword pointed into the crowd at a woman who was covering her face with her hand, clearly looking "guilty."
"It's her!!"
The young Guard's voice cracked from excitement, his throat going hoarse.
"It's her! This sneaky woman!"
"Covering her face! Afraid to be seen! She clearly has a guilty conscience!"
"The god of water was ambushed by her! Brothers, take her down!"
He roared at the top of his lungs, full of an air of justice.
Ganyu: "???"
Ganyu was completely stunned.
He just felt that the scene before him was a bit too intense, so he subconsciously raised his hand to cover his face.
How did he become an assassin?
"I... I'm not an assassin..."
Ganyu hurriedly lowered his hand, revealing that gentle and beautiful face, and defended himself in a soft, innocent voice:
"I am Ganyu, an envoy from Liyue. Lord Rex Lapis sent me to Fontaine to study..."
He spoke softer and softer, his face turning bright red.
Although being mistaken for the culprit who assassinated the god of water was a misunderstanding.
But if word got back to Liyue, Cloud Retainer would probably go around spreading rumors again—
"Regarding the Matter of My Disciple Successfully Assassinating the god of water Amidst a Crowd of the Strongest"
Just imagining that scene made Ganyu want to find a hole to crawl into.
However, his explanation, instead of calming things down, only made the young Guard more excited.
"Liyue? Envoy? Study??"
The Guard's eyes widened like brass bells, his face flushed as if he had uncovered a shocking conspiracy:
"Aha! I knew it!"
"Your Liyue just formed an alliance with our Fontaine, and then immediately gave us ten trillion Mora unconditionally. This is far too abnormal!"
"An excess of courtesy masks a hidden motive!"
"So this was your plan all along!"
"First, use a massive sum of money to lower our Guard, then send an assassin disguised as a weak woman like you to infiltrate the Opera Epiclese and take the opportunity to assassinate the god of water!"
The more he spoke, the more he felt his reasoning was flawless, and his voice even carried the excitement of solving a case:
"Brothers, quickly seize this female assassin from Liyue! This is a conspiracy by Liyue!"
Ganyu: "..."
He opened his mouth to retort but found himself at a loss for words.
How on earth did he come to such a ridiculous conclusion?
Does this guy have something wrong with his brain?
The soldiers of the Equitable Judgment who had rushed over finally came to their senses.
They looked at their young colleague, who was still waving his sword and spitting everywhere, and their expressions shifted from initial tension and shock to something indescribably complex.
Do you have water in your damn brain?
Lord King is right here.
Lord King is standing right here!
This Guardian of Fontaine, who had fought his way through Inazuma, crushed the Filthy God, and terrified the Prince of the Abyss, was currently standing right there at the entrance of the Opera Epiclese.
What assassin could bypass this man to assassinate the god of water?
Are you treating Lord King as a furnishing, or are you treating us like fools?
Forget an assassin; even if the God of Ice came in person and all the Snezhnaya Harbingers were present, they would first have to ask if Lord King's fist agreed.
The squad leader took a deep breath, staring intently at his clamoring colleague with a look that said, "I think you really want to die." His lips moved as if to curse, but he couldn't find the words.
A deathly silence fell over the surroundings.
No one moved.
No one responded.
The young Guard finally noticed the atmosphere was off. His waving arm froze mid-air, and the passion on his face slowly solidified into awkwardness.
He turned his head and met the soldiers' "caring for the mentally disabled" gazes.
"You... you guys... why aren't you moving? The assassin is right there!"
No one paid him any attention.
The soldiers all looked away in unison, beginning to intently study the stone carvings on the Opera Epiclese porch, the cracks in the floor tiles, and the dust on the tips of their boots.
A few who really couldn't hold it in quietly stole glances at Lord King out of the corners of their eyes.
King's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly as his gaze swept up and down the young Guard, who was still performing frantically and seemed eager to carve the words "I am an idiot" onto his own face.
Something's not right.
This isn't just simple stupidity.
This is intentional.
King's gaze turned cold.
Like a blade tempered in ice, devoid of any emotion.
A second later, he turned his head and looked at Neuvillette.
Sure enough, Neuvillette's expression went from dignified and solemn to slightly pale, and then to a dark, livid hue.
In just three seconds, he perfectly demonstrated what it meant for one's blood pressure to hit the ceiling.
He wasn't a fool.
Neuvillette had sat in the position of Iudex for five hundred years.
What kind of monsters and demons had he not seen?
A Guard who had been on the job for less than three months, just happened to be assigned to patrol the Opera Epiclese today, just happened to rush in to report, and just happened to point the finger at the envoy from Liyue.
How could there be so many coincidences in this world?
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"