Night fell, and a swift shadow flashed across the sky.
Luna had transformed into the Phantom Thief White Cat, but her target wasn't treasure - it was something within the Opera House.
Perhaps due to Lyney's previous infiltration of the Oratrice core room, the Opera Epiclese's Maison Gardiennage had more than doubled.
But this posed no challenge for Luna.
The last Maison Gardiennage member collapsed to the ground. Luna stepped over his body, landing on the stage.
There were other ways to reach the core room beneath the Oratrice, but this was the fastest.
She stabbed her sword into the floor's seam, triggering the mechanism.
Click... The stage's center began descending.
The stage mechanisms of the Opera House couldn't be changed after each use. Whether for magic performances or plays, they all required access to the underground space.
Luna leaped down, descending straight toward the core room beneath the Oratrice.
Soon, an indescribable sensation welled up within her. She immediately understood—the core lay beyond this door.
The door was locked, with multiple locks installed. These must have been added by the Court of Justice after Lyney's infiltration.
But prying them open posed no challenge.
Unlocking the door, Luna pushed it open to reveal a vast space illuminated by a single brilliant light—a massive crystal as luminous as a gem.
"So this is the Oratrice's core..."
An immense concentration of Law-Compensation Hybrid Energy gathered here, Luna could sense it faintly.
Lyney had mentioned hearing human voices when he was here.
Approaching the crystal in silence, Luna found herself hearing a sound as well.
But it wasn't speech. It carried a melody...
"Is that singing?"
Luna scanned the area, confirming no recording devices existed nearby. This confirmed the sound originated from within the Oratrice's core.
She'd previously thought Furina's true form might be contained here.
Her theory was that the Archon stored power within the Oratrice, transforming people's faith into Energy... But she'd had no evidence to support this.
Now she could verify whether this was truly the case.
Luna slowly extended her hand, touching the core.
The singing continued, seemingly unaware of her presence.
"Who are you?" Luna asked softly.
There was no response. The singing seemed to go on forever. Even by channeling elemental energy, Luna couldn't perceive anything else.
It was utterly absurd.
Luna withdrew her hand and investigated the room again, but unfortunately found nothing.
"...Let's go back."
This situation had been within her expectations.
The truth can sometimes be harder to obtain than treasure. Luna naturally understood this.
"Luna." A voice came from behind her.
"!"
Luna immediately turned around, but only silence and stillness greeted her.
It was as if everything had been an auditory hallucination.
"..."
Could there be a female ghost in this place?
[Light and Shadow in the Serial Disappearance Case: Can Fontainians Really Be Dissolved?]
A few days ago, within the Opera House, a group of justice-seekers led by Miss Luna and Miss Navia finally brought closure to the twenty-year-old cold case—the Serial Disappearance Case.
The culprit, Vacher, had operated under the alias Marcel while serving as the president of the Confrerie of Cabriere, where he produced and sold Sinthe.
The Sinthe Industries network centered around him would soon face a devastating blow from the Court of Justice.
"We will not tolerate any loose ends," the Court of Justice declared.
The Special Task Force has already apprehended over thirty suspects involved in Sinthe sales.
Captain Chevreuse urged the public: "If you suspect anyone around you is showing symptoms of Sinthe consumption or engaging in its trade, please contact the Maison Gardiennage immediately."
With the truth revealed, Miss Luna and Miss Navia's efforts also resolved the " Callas the Unfaithful Case."
Miss Navia declared: "With Lulu and me here, the Spina di Rosula will flourish!"
Miss Luna added: "We hope everyone will give their full support to Nana and me."
This reporter was fortunate enough to conduct an exclusive interview with these two protagonists of the trial...
The raw material for Sinthe was something called "Primordial Sea water."
When Primordial Sea water was mixed with ordinary water, it became Sinthe. However, using only the Primordial Sea water could... well, it could only dissolve Fontainians.
More and more people began to feel uneasy about this.
"Where's Lady Furina? Save us!"
"W-Will I be dissolved too?"
"Heh, good thing I'm not a Fontainian... Wait, Mom? You said I was adopted? The test says I'm actually a Fontainian? Oh... I'm doomed."
Lady Furina made a solemn declaration.
"There's no need to panic, my people! Fear not, for I, Focalors, am your protector!"
But some voices still began to doubt.
"Can the Hydro Archon really protect us?"
"Why does it feel like she's not doing anything? Just shouting slogans..."
Is the Phantom Thief White Cat in the Opera House?—More than one witness claimed they saw test tubes flying toward them move with extraordinary slowness.
"It was like bullet time in a movie!"
"Only the Phantom Thief could do something like that."
"How do I contact the Phantom Thief White Cat? I want her to be the heroine in my motion capture film! We could skip all the post-production effects—perfect!"
"Maybe we should let the Phantom Thief catch the bad guys instead?"
"Feeling like the Court of Justice... isn't as effective as the Phantom Thief..."
-
A new day brought new headlines.
It was clear Charlotte had put considerable effort into preparing this article.
Luna stirred sugar into her milk while flipping through The Steam Bird.
"Indeed, it's not been published."
The infiltration of Sinthe Industries personnel within the Court of Justice had remained unreported in the newspapers.
Had the truth not been exposed like fire spreading through paper, the "dissolution" might have remained buried. After all, such revelations would inevitably cause public panic.
Yet the Serial Disappearance Case forced the truth into the open.
"Now the people are praying for the Archon's power."
The first thought that came to mind was Furina.
And the first suspicion also fell on Furina.
To become a god, perhaps the most crucial qualities were resilience and composure.
Luna folded the newspaper and finished her milk in small sips.
She'd been busy these past days, but now that she had leisure, she found herself at a loss for what to do.
"Speaking of Furina..." Luna murmured.
Whether at the Opera House or the previous tea party, Furina's behavior had been deeply intriguing.
She appeared confident yet more anxious than anyone else, every glance and smile carrying an indescribable... unnatural quality. In contrast, during their previous performance together, Furina had been remarkably natural.
It was as if she below the stage was the one truly putting on the act.
Neuvillette had mentioned that Furina had been guarding against the Prophecy since early on.
...Perhaps Furina was hiding some secrets.
But none of this was something she should consider now. Unless the sea flooded Fontaine tomorrow, she would continue to follow her own pace.
Right.
Luna suddenly thought of someone.
She was certain that person would also want to see her.
So, that night, in the Special Task Force dormitory:
Chevreuse wiped her dripping hair with a towel, her mind wandering after her shower.
Whether it was the dissolved truth or that incomprehensible White Cat... all of it made it impossible for her to focus on mundane daily tasks.
She walked to her room's door and reached out.
"...You're here again."
She could vaguely sense the familiar presence behind the door.
Chevreuse sighed softly and opened it.
As expected, the window stood wide open, curtains billowing in the breeze. Alongside them swayed those brilliant golden locks.
Luna lay sideways on Chevreuse's bed, propping her head up with a smile.
"Have you missed me terribly, my dear Captain?"
Chevreuse wordlessly closed the door and locked it.
"This isn't a place you can come to just because you want to," she said coldly.
"Exactly because you won't let me come here, that's why I like it. There's nothing that stirs the heart more than defying taboos, don't you agree?"
Luna leaped off the bed with a lightness, her footsteps soft as she circled around to stand behind Chevreuse.
Her hand gently brushed Chevreuse's cheek, slowly turning the woman's face.
Their eyes met.
Luna's fingers brushed against Chevreuse's damp hair as she murmured, "Miss Chevreuse of the Trial Court is indeed worthy of admiration. But Miss Chevreuse now..."
"...is someone one wants to cherish."
Chevreuse averted her gaze. "...So you were the one who stopped them back then."
"If you want to thank me, let me kiss you, Captain."
"Permission denied."
Luna didn't bat an eye. "Then let me dry your hair."
Without waiting for permission, she took the towel from Chevreuse, ignoring the glare directed at her.
"You took my towel earlier."
"Did I?"
"It seems you're a habitual offender. I doubt you'd choose to return it to me."
Luna smiled. "That's not true. I'm willing to return it to Miss Chevreuse, but only if you satisfy me first."
"Then I don't want it anymore."
It was just a towel anyway.