Chapter Eighty-Three: The Servant’s Trial, Part Two

Something had gone terribly wrong.

If I were alone here, I could of course choose to confess outright. But that was not the situation now. Furina had brought Lyney here as well, which meant she had guessed what I was thinking. She was warning and threatening me in her own way.

If you dare to slack off, then the children of the House of the Hearth will suffer horribly.

She did it on purpose.

She absolutely did it on purpose.

If this were not deliberate intimidation, then had she merely happened to think of it, casually caught Lyney, and casually placed him on the judgment stand too? Would a god as meticulous and theatrically minded as she be capable of doing something so careless?

Impossible. Absolutely impossible.

She must have anticipated my thoughts, anticipated every possibility, and then devised the exact response needed. She did this on purpose.

She even foresaw this step.

Was that also within your calculations, Focalors?

"Hm?"

Furina tilted her head in confusion.

For some reason, the look the Knave was giving her seemed to have become rather bitter and resentful.

Huh? Why?

She did not know what had happened, nor what the Knave had thought of, but the result was that she seemed to be feeling even worse.

Er? How strange.

This one’s thoughts are truly impossible to guess; she somehow gets even more miserable for no reason at all. Furina secretly sighed, then looked at the Knave with what she considered a very friendly gaze, meant to offer encouragement and comfort.

She was a kind god. Although the Knave had once tried to assassinate her, today she was in a good mood, and showing even the slightest trace of warmth toward this former enemy was something she could manage.

I really am a nice person.

"Creek!"

Seeing Furina’s encouraging expression, the Knave ground her teeth audibly and clenched her fists so tightly that her already shattered composure shattered even further.

Pretending! You are still pretending!

All you ever do is pretend!

From the very beginning, ever since I tried to assassinate you, you have been using false innocence to walk the path of deception, step by step dragging me into this miserable state. And now you are still pretending! Just how far do you plan to drag me into ruin before you are satisfied?

"Hu... hu..." Her voice trembled.

Deep breaths. Calm down. Regain composure.

The Knave slowly closed her eyes, tipped her head slightly upward, and forced back the agitation and fury in her heart as she continued to think.

This Focalors is meticulous, especially skilled at laying traps unseen, ensnaring others until they cannot escape. What she is doing now may be another new trap, and not merely a deliberate attempt to anger me.

I need to think carefully. After being enraged to the utmost, what might I do? Why would she want to see my reaction? What arrangements could she have made, what traps could she have prepared in advance, and how might I cleverly avoid them?

Think. Reflect carefully.

But before she could, Neuvillette on the other side of the tribunal gave her no chance to continue. He fixed his gaze on the Knave and asked in a solemn voice, "Lady Arlecchino, do you accept the accusation of attempting to assassinate the Hydro Archon?"

He is asking whether I accept?

The Knave’s heartbeat quickened. She opened her eyes and looked at the grave-faced Neuvillette, and in that instant she suddenly no longer knew whether she should accept.

Under normal circumstances, I should refuse; but I may be thinking of giving up and simply accept; Furina predicted my prediction, so she brought Lyney over; therefore I should refuse now.

But she deliberately enraged me. I might accept, and in order not to play into her hands or take the wrong path, I should refuse. Yet if she anticipated even that thought, then I should agree. But if not...

Ah. It’s all a mess. How agonizing.

Was this misery of mine also arranged by you? Was this suffering of mine also part of your scheme?

Furina, Furina. I had thought you were merely a mortal pretending to be the Hydro Archon. I never imagined that you would be such a terrifying god of schemes. How dreadful.

By now, I cannot even tell how many layers she has already anticipated. Every time I think one layer further, I feel as though she is looking down at me from an even higher level, laughing coldly while waiting for me to choose.

She seems utterly unconcerned with my thoughts, because no matter how I think or how I respond, I cannot surpass the ceiling of her wisdom. The god of wisdom is Buer? Perhaps Focalors should be called the god of wisdom instead.

She is truly, truly terrifying.

Thunk.

Neuvillette brought his scepter down against the floor with a heavy resonant sound, then continued to stare at the Knave as he said, "It seems I must repeat the question once more. Lady Arlecchino, do you accept the accusation of attempting to assassinate the Hydro Archon?"

The act of striking the ground with his scepter carried a certain element of intimidation. Although it would not affect the fairness of the trial, for Neuvillette this was in fact already something of a special overstep.

Because the one who had been assassinated was Furina.

There is still another Dragon King here.

Looking at the stern and imposing Neuvillette, the Knave suddenly felt a little suffocated. The Dragon King she had to face was not only one. Nidhogg was the terrifying Dragon King in the distance, while Neuvillette was the Dragon King of judgment before her.

Two Dragon Kings, one hidden and one seen, were guarding Furina all this time, protecting her safety. I do not even have the chance to make a desperate counterattack before death.

Sigh.

"Father?"

Lyney looked at the troubled Knave, a trace of concern in his eyes, and said softly, "I have prepared some testimony. If you need it, I can actually..."

The Knave raised a hand to cut him off, then looked at Neuvillette and said, "I accept the charge."

The gallery erupted in murmurs.

"The Knave actually accepted the charge?"

"She really did try to assassinate the Hydro Archon?"

"Unbelievable. Too unbelievable. This almost feels like a script. Would something this absurd really happen in reality?"

"Hey, cheer up, friend. Reality is the most illogical story of all. Fiction has authors who think about plausibility, but the things people do in real life when their brains short-circuit make no sense at all."

"For example?"

"My wife ran off with a vagrant, so I can only go home alone and inherit a million-coin fortune, sob sob."

"...Damn!"

She actually accepted it outright. Furina looked slightly surprised. She had expected the Knave to resist her a little longer and compete with her in wisdom and strategy, but she had not expected her to accept so directly.

Pfft.

Furina laughed.

Her smile found its way into two hearts. Lu Mingfei also smiled in agreement; he loved seeing Furina’s beautiful smile. The other one whose heart was touched by laughter was the Knave on the judgment stand.

Her expression darkened little by little as she thought to herself:

Damn it, I fell for it after all.

As expected of Furina.

The End.