Healing and Lesson

by Xalova

The prophecy has passed, and nobody has dissolved. Furina becomes a very timid girl that had to deal with the aftermath. People hate and despise Furina. But Clorinde and Navia adored her while regretting their action to forcefully drag Furina into the court. Furina's healing journey that filled with hurt and comfort, along with lessons she received from everyone.

Healing and Lesson

Fontaine shall once flood with water, and people dissolve back into the sea. Only then, people of Fontaine's sin will be washed away. That is what the prophecy said. But Focalors manage to deceive the Heavenly Principals, let the prophecy come but still save everyone. Water that once flooded Fontaine, sunk back into the sea. The water recedes, and people do not dissolve. Cheer sound and happiness filled the atmosphere. The prophecy is wrong.

At that moment, Furina witnessed the scene with her own eyes. Her people do not dissolve, they are still there. Sun shines brightly as if blesses the people after such a storm passes. "The prophecy... is wrong." Said Furina, with a gentle smile on her face. Her task had been finished and she didn't need her facade anymore. She immediately went back to her room, packing every essential into her suitcase, and left Palais Mermonia as soon as she could. She intends to go without anyone's notice, but it is a failure since Neuvillette spots her just when she is about to leave.

"What are you doing with that suitcase, Lady Furina?" said Neuvillette, gazing at Furina's suitcase. Getting caught red-handed makes Furina panic a bit. She didn't know how she should respond, so she didn't answer right away. There is a brief silence between them until Neuvillette continues the topic. "Are you planning to leave?"

The dragon correctly guesses what Furina is doing. Not like it isn't obvious from a single glance though. Anyway, Furina nods and explains why planned to leave. "Yes, Neuvillette, I am leaving from here. After all, the prophecy already passed." Said her, with her eyes gazing to the floor. "I am tired and I want to take a break. Please don't stop me." Furina said with a low voice.

The sign of exhaustion from her tone was clear to Neuvillette, but he couldn't help despite worry about how she would do once she left. "I see... I understand if that's your decision. But, do you have any place to stay? Where will you go once you step your foot out of Palais Mermonia?"

Furina tilted her head in confusion. Why does this dragon care about where she would live? "Is that information important to be known? You know I am not an Archon anymore... Well, it is not like I was an Archon before. Besides, You had gained your full dragonhood, the Authority of Ancient Dragon, and that makes you the sole ruler of this nation now." Said Furina weakly. After she knows that she doesn't need to act like a god, she speaks with a low voice and becomes much more timid than she usually is. All the information she got was from Focalor's memory that comes to her along with her final wish and message which told Furina to live happily as a human.

Neuvillette knows that based on her attitude, Furina doesn't give herself enough credit for what she had done. "I need to know where you going to live because this nation owes you for everything you have done. So I need your address to fulfill that matter. For example, send your pension salary. But my reasons are not restricted to the formal manner. I also have to keep updated with your life condition, moreover after such a long... long time constantly putting up the act." Said Neuvillette.

Furina sighs and smiles. Who thought her dragon companion, or former companion, actually had such a thought. "Thank you for your concern, however, I don't need that Mora. I believe I have more than enough in my possession. Five hundred years of playing opera as a professional, at the biggest stages in Fontaine, and not to mention my belongings that I keep collect over the last hundred years that can be sold at a high price."

It reminds Neuvillette that Furina has plenty of exotic collections in her room. He keeps forgetting that Furina is a highly-paid actress and the thing that makes that feat shadowed is she acts like a brat around him. "I am glad to hear that Mora is not the main concern for you." Said Neuvillette with a soft tone. "Still, I need to keep updated about yourself. You may not be an Archon anymore, but you are not a commoner either. Other than that, we had worked together for 500 years to rule out Fontaine. How can I suddenly cut ties with you?"

A brief moment again for both of them. Something tingling inside Furina's stomach that she wanted to spit it out. Oh yeah, does Neuvillette have anything to tell her about the lies she did to Fontaine all these centuries? "Are you... not angry with me?" said Furina.

"Pardon?" A genuine confusion appears in Neuvillette's eyes.

"I lied to you for hundreds of years, I am annoying and I am aware of that, I know you often get tired of me, I keep making mistakes that you need to correct me constantly, and I often leave the job unfinished that you have to finish it for me." She is wondering if a dragon working below a human that disguises herself as an Archon is considered humiliating.

Neuvillette smiles. "Indeed, Lady Furina, you are annoying, you make ruckus, and you often leave the additional job to me. I can keep pointing out more of your behavior since we worked together for so long." As Neuvillette finishes his sentence Furina looks sad although she is smiling.

Seeing that makes Neuvillette feel guilty despite meaning no harm to Furina. Don't want Furina to be continuously sad, Neuvillette tells Furina his thoughts about her. "However, I am never seriously angry about that because I know you mean no harm behind your actions. As a dragon, I don't have the same common sense as a human. In fact, I barely understood you and other human feelings and thoughts in the past. But through your actions, I manage to grasp how human emotion works. Sometimes when you are cornered you raise your voice out of confusion and talk faster than usual. When you are happy you never stop talking. When you are sad you barely talk. You smile when you eat a good cake. And you pout when you run out of them."

Neuvillette knows despite being cheeky, Furina is a good girl at heart. She wants her people to be happy and successfully done that. Although Furina doesn't seem like one who puts a lot of thought into something, that's just because she has always done that behind the curtain. "Lady Furina, you know that I know your secret investigation towards the prophecy. I've seen you work very hard with my own eyes. You tried your best, Lady Furina, and the fruit of your hard work will push Fontaine even further."

Furina's eyes widened. She didn't expect this dragon could say something like that because all she imagined Neuvillette was like the court itself. Although, she feels happy to hear such meaningful words from Neuvillette. Why had he never told her before? Maybe that is because she always acts high and might to represent Hydro Archon, not Furina. But now her job is done, she doesn't need to act like a god anymore. "But, I lied to you. Didn't you feel betrayed?"

Neuvillette understands that there is still war inside Furina's heart, so he gives Furina a gentle head pat to reassure her that he doesn't feel like what she thinks. "I am not angry nor disappointed. I understand your position to keep the secret, playing the role of Hydro Archon to aid Focalors in deceiving Heavenly Principle. You had done the right thing for Fontaine and prevented Fontaine from falling to its doom. Perhaps did you think you had done the wrong thing?'

Furina shakes her head. "No, I don't think I've done the wrong thing. It was needed to achieve what we have now. It was required to save Fontaine and fool that Heavenly Principles." Yes, Furina isn't naive. Despite being a fake Archon, she still has the capabilities of a human to rule out a country. She is strong and determined, knowledge and experience she gained over the past five centuries really comes to fruition in her very person.

Neuvillette thought from his perspective as a dragon, Furina was very strong. The responsibility she bears to rule out Fontaine the Nation of Justice, the love she had for Fontaine people and giving them comfort and joy through her act, and the determination of her heart to endure centuries of mental torture from unending act. Despite being a normal human she is able to fulfill her duty. He personally believes although Furina has a body of humans, her mind is comparable to a god.

On Furina's side, despite her acceptance if people call her a fake Archon, there are still regrets deep inside her heart. She wasn't able to save those cherished lives that dissolved into the water without a trace. She can still hear people pray to her, the absolute trust from them that the divine power will come and save them when disaster strikes. Yet, she does nothing because she is as same as powerless to those people who are dissolved. Bad memory starts to come in, the prayers of Fontainians and their scream of sorrow and fear.

'Believe in Lady Furina on the stage. She is the one you can trust.'

'She is a great Archon and she brings joy to her people.'

'Surely this nation would be saved from the prophecy.'

'Our Archon will save us.'

'Oh divine power, save us!'

'Oh Archon! Where are you?'

'Why you didn't do nothing.'

'We trusted you.'

"Lady Furina?" Neuvillette interrupts Furina which seems lingering around her mind. "Are you okay?"

Furina back to her feet and immediately shook her head. "I am okay Neuvillette, probably it's just me who is exhausted." Furina knows there is no way she could get away if she doesn't fulfill Neuvillette's request. Besides, it will be bad if he keeps prying on her and knowing Furina actually isn't okay. Not wanting him to know, Furina picks a piece of paper from her pocket and gives it to him. "This is my address, I understand your concern for me, thank you very much. But, please do not bother me too much, okay?" Said Furina as she tapped the dragon's shoulder as she walked past him. "Until then Neuvillette, I am going. Thank you for everything."

Neuvillette stares as Furina gradually walks away further. He had a feeling that no way Furina was perfectly fine and could just brush it off like it was nothing. Even if she does, it isn't right to just leave her as it is and not give her anything in return. He stares at a piece of paper in her hand. "So this is where she lives." He folds a paper neatly and puts it in his pocket.

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Long story short, Furina arrives at her abode. She quickly observes the building structure from the outside. No crack, no major damage from the outside, there is no broken window, and the wall paint is still intact. For the full summary, her house is perfectly fine except it is wet after flooding, but well sun will dry the wall sooner or later. She looks around and sees people of Fontaine are very busy with their own problems. Mostly because they have to recover after the flood and obviously their home need some care after it. Anyway, she goes inside her house and closes the door. She went straight to her bed and lay down her exhausted body. But once she got inside, she gave a big sigh because she could not rest immediately. Everything is wet, she has to take care of a thing or two before she can lay her body on a bed.

Three days after the flood, construction started to happen here and there. From inside her house, she can hear the hammer clacking sound and the saw cutting the wood. As for her daily needs, she already bought all of them yesterday. Good thing some stores are still open even after the flood. She mostly buys stocks of macaroni for an entire week and different kinds of sauce.

On this day, she doesn't have anything to do, she only lays down on her band and stares blankly at her ceiling. Nothing feels bad about that, she doesn't hate to be alone, she feels comfortable. Maybe this is what it feels to rest after 500 years of acting as a mighty god. In the end, Furina spends her entire week just lying down on her own bed and staring at the ceiling. She is not completely alone though, Clorinde pays her visit as instructed by Neuvillette and gives her a letter from the dragon that her pension salary is already in her bank as well as an appreciation word. "That Neuvillette, I told him I don't need that Mora."

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A week has passed and there is not a single problem until today. Except her weekly stock of macaroni had been empty. She found out that even macaroni would feel this tasty if it was from her own hard work to make it. Back in Palais Mermonia, she had her own chef to cook all kinds of food and served it to her and Neuvillette. So, it is time for her to go outside and buy her weekly stocks again for another week. She goes out of her house and walks toward the shop she bought all her supplies last time. But, unlike the last time she bought her supplies, now she feels the sharp stares from people around her and the uncomfortable words she heard from their whispers.

"What is she doing here?"

"Look! That is a fraud god who forsakes everyone."

"Isn't she supposed to be sentenced to death?"

"What a sin, a human assumed the role of god."

"She must have an easy life in Palais Mermonia."

"Did our tax go to her own wallet?"

"Wow, maybe I also can act like a god to live in there."

The whispers go on until she arrives at the store where she bought all her supplies. Good thing, the owner of the shop was an old lady who didn't care much about her surroundings. So she is able to buy her weekly supplies without much hassle. As Furina went back to her house, the whispers continued, along the way until she was inside her house.

Once she closes her door, Furina leans her back to it. Her legs shake until she collapses and sits behind the door. Her breath is heavy as she hugs her supplies in front of her chest with both of her hands. She feels afraid.

Far, far long time ago. She already anticipates this kind of treatment from her people once she is caught as a fake god. But, when she is struck by it directly seems the whole anticipation falls short. Even though she already made up her mind that she didn't do anything wrong, she still feels hurt if people she loves very much mock her while she obviously could hear them. But, she still accepts their mockery because regardless of her sacrifice, from the Fontainian's perspective, she is a fake god that deceives people and fails to save them. She understood their anger and feelings of betrayal to a god they believed in for generations from the bottom of their heart. After all, she also couldn't forgive herself for the people she failed to save, so how did she expect people will forgive her?

"I am sorry... I am so sorry." Furina mumbles with a shaky voice while tears fall down from her cheeks. With her mental state that is still unstable, a train of bad thoughts went into her head. She feels scared and her body is shaking, feeling dissolved people now right in front of her and haunting her. "Please... forgive me." Then she fell unconscious.

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In Palais Mermonia, the sole ruler, Neuvillette, is working with a bunch of paperwork in front of him. It is mostly proposals for reconstruction because Fontaine has been really busy with that matter lately. The door opened and Melusine came in front of him, telling Clorinde wanted to meet him which Neuvillette permits.

"Pardon Monsieur Neuvillette. I am deeply sorry to disturb you in your job." Said Clorinde formally as she bowed to respect the iudex in front of her.

"Miss Clorinde, what matter brings you here?" replied the iudex.

"I am here to get your permission, I want to leave my post for a while because I want to visit Miss Furina in her house." Clorinde was Furina's bodyguard as well as a champion duelist. It may seem like the connection between them is just a superior and their subordinate, but Furina never treats her that way. Instead, her attitude towards Clorinde is more like a friend which Clorinde happily accepts.

"How are things going in your post? Does everything go well?"

"Things go as you planned. The building framework had finished, and materials would arrive sooner than we expected. With that going on, I believe we could finish the project sooner than what had been planned."

"As efficient as ever. Good job Miss Clorinde, thank you for your hard work. With things going on, you may visit Lady Furina in her house. But I believe I had been assigning your schedule to visit her, why do you want to visit her outside the schedule?"

"With all respect, Monsieur Neuvillette. I do not visit Lady Furina just because it is work for me. To me, Lady Furina is someone I consider a friend, just like Navia. I wish from the bottom of my heart her well and happiness."

Neuvillette smiles. "Glad you see it that way, Miss Clorinde. I thought you only see things from the formal side and have little attention to non-formal manner."

"I was, but working under Lady Furina's care changed the way I see the whole thing." She remembers she was a strict person than what she is currently. Working under Furina's care makes her see things from a different perspective. Navia said she has changed a lot since back then, in a good way. Besides, her change also makes her closer to Navia as she becomes friendlier and less formal. Then the intimacy between both of them is increasing over time. "Well then, thank you for granting this permission, Monsieur Neuvillette." Once again, Clorinde bows out of respect then leaves Neuvillette's room, and goes to Furina's house.

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Clorinde knocks on the door. "Lady Furina, it is me. Are you at home?" Said Clorinde. But even after a few seconds passed, she didn't hear any reply from a person inside the house. She knocks on the door a few more times, but still no answer. Clorinde starts to feel uneasy because it is unusual for Furina to fall asleep at a time like this, at least back in Palais Mermonia. She thought this happened due to her new lifestyle as a normal human, but Clorinde cannot help herself. In preparation for the owner of the house being angry for getting into her house without permission, she tried to open the door with the expectation it was locked. But to her surprise, the door isn't locked. It has gotten even more strange since she cannot push the door because something blocks the door. "What is this? Did she forget to lock the door? And what with the thing blocking the door?"

She hesitates at first, but purely out of gut she pushes the door to just enough for her to slip in. To her surprise, there is a body leaning on the door. This body doesn't seem like another body because this is the house owner herself. "Lady Furina!" screams Clorinde, rushing to inspect the unconscious body in front of her. "She breathes normally and there is no sign of physical injuries." She looks around to observe another thing that might relate to this abnormal circumstance. "There is no sign of struggling and her belongings are just fine." After confirming the scene isn't related to robbing or attacking, she starts to pay deeper attention to Furina. She notices the tear marks on Furina's cheeks and assumes that Furina was crying and sleep in the process. After making sure everything is okay and no danger lingers around them. She carries Furina's body to her bed, makes her comfortable, and puts on the blanket. She stares at Furina for a moment. "What the hell did just happen?" She mumbles and puts her hand on Furina's forehead. "Light fever, thank god it is not that bad."

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"Ugh, my head hurts." Said Furina weakly as she woke up. "What did just happen?" She looks around and finds out that she is on her bed as the memory surges back to her head. "I remember I was in front of the door." She tried to sit and a wet towel fell onto her lap. "Compress?" She looks around to find nobody but herself. Furina thought it was a dream until Clorinde entered her bedroom.

"Lady Furina, you are awake." Clorinde put a cup of warm tea she brought from the kitchen to the nearby table.

Furina bewildered. "Clorinde? Am I dreaming? Why did you here?" She is shocked by the unexpected appearance of the champion duelist inside her house while today isn't the day for her visit. Also, how did she get inside her house?

Clorinde explains everything that had happened to the point they got here. "I am sorry to brag inside your house. Out of my gut, I found your unconscious body blocking the door as I barged in."

"I see, that's what was happening. I am sorry for the trouble and thank you for helping me." Said Furina with a weak voice. This is very awkward, she was found in her most embarrassing condition by her ex-guardian.

"No problem, Lady Furina. That is not important anymore as long you are fine. I also prepare some tea here, please drink it before it gets cold. Some sugar is good to replenish energy after exhaustion." Said Clorinde as she offered the cup and let Furina drink.

After a while of silence, Clorinde began to ask Furina. "Lady Furina, if I allowed to know, what was happen? I believe you are not the type of person to sleep on the floor and behind the unlocked door intentionally." She saved the part about unusual tears because she feels it isn't right to bring it up unless Furina tells her herself.

Furina was jolted by a sudden on-point question from Clorinde. She thought it wouldn't end well if she truly told her what was happening, so she tried to dodge her question. "Clorinde, I am not your superior anymore and I asked you the last time you visited to please drop that "Lady" title on me."

Clorinde chuckles. "I am sorry, habits die hard. Anyway, what was happening? You had a light fever so I was giving you the compress. Even if you are sick it will get even worse if you sleep like that."

An idea to cover her story, thank you Clorinde. Then Furina giggles to make sure no aura of sadness comes from her face. "I am sorry I made you worried. I guess my stomach doesn't add up yet to my new lifestyle. After all, I only eat macaroni with different sauces the whole week." Said her.

Furina felt guilty to lie to Clorinde. Even after she doesn't need to play as an Archon anymore, she is still lying.

"You... Didn't I say to you last time to pick your food properly?" Clorinde starts pissed.

Hearing Clorinde pissed about her makes her abandon her guilt. She gets pissed back instead. "Hey, what is wrong with macaroni? It tastes good. Besides, I want to eat macaroni so I eat it."

"And get yourself sick like this? Now tell me, why do you only eat macaroni for a whole week? I bet it is because you can't cook for yourself."

"That's!... Well, I admit I am terrible at cooking. But! I also like simple food like macaroni so my cooking skill doesn't add up to your argument."

Clorinde takes a deep breath before continuing, she leaves speechless with how Furina is done with her diet. Well, she had expected someone who has a personal chef to cook for her everyday naturally cannot cook. That is why Clorinde brought a recipe book for Furina on her visit last time, only to find out that the book has zero use for Furina. "Did the book I brought last time too hard for you to make? Then, I will bring another cooking recipe to my visit tomorrow. This time I will bring one that is specialized for newbies. It would be relatively easy to make so you will have a variety of healthy food on your table. I believe you can cook it easily."

"Hey! Are you insulting my cooking skills?!"

"That is your imagination, Furina. I am not insulting anybody here."

Furina pouted before she sighed. Despite her being stubborn, she felt happy that there is somebody had an eye for her. "Well, thank you for your concern." Furina starts to feel guilty because she thinks she has been rude to Clorinde. "I am sorry that I am very stubborn. But really, deep inside my heart, I appreciate your care for me. Please don't get me wrong."

Clorinde who put on an angry face is now soft. She is happy when her former superior is honest with her feelings. "Huft... that is okay, I wasn't angry even in the slightest. I just feel a bit annoyed." Not that Clorinde is actually angry with Furina for being stubborn. It was just she wanted Furina to be healthy, so it pissed her a bit seeing Furina didn't take care of her health correctly. Just like how a mother cares about their child I supposed.

Furina is curious why Clorinde is here. She should be at her post at a time like this. "Clorinde, shouldn't you at your post today, why did you here? Also, your visit schedule should be tomorrow right?"

"Same question as Monsieur Neuvillette, isn't it?" Clorinde huffing. Well, after working together for the last 500 years did they start to share the same brain cell? Or is it just because a champion duelist acts strangely so everyone thinks the same?

"Why did you think I would visit only when it is scheduled? Was it so strange for me to visit my dear Furina? I am sincerely concerned about how you doing. Even if I didn't get the task of formally monitoring your condition, I would go and visit you anyway. I know I don't look like the type to care about such things, but in reality, I cherish and care for my friends."

Furina's eyes widened, she never thought someone would consider her as a friend even after what she had done. "A friend..." Furina mumbles, tears coming from her eyes and running down her cheeks.

Seeing Furina cry for such a simple thing as a friend hurt her heart. Clorinde immediately hugs Furina. "Must be lonely, right?" She could feel Furina trying really hard to fight her tears while Furina nodded in silence while hugging back Clorinde.

Time flies fast. It is time for Clorinde to get back to her post. "Alright, I am sorry Furina. I wish I could spend more time with you, but I have to go back to my post soon." Said Clorinde.

Furina replies. "Yes, I understand. Thank you very much for your visit Clorinde. I appreciate it a lot. Though sometimes I like it when it is quiet, sometimes I also long for company. I must be very lucky to have such a friend like you." Hearing that, Clorinde can't help but give Furina one more gentle heat pat which Furina accepts gladly.

"Very well then, eat well Furina. Until then, see you again." Said Clorinde as she headed back to her post. Went outside Furina's house.

What Clorinde did to her left Furina with a warm heart "A friend..." she said as she giggled. She thought this was how it felt to have a friend. Something she could only dream in the past as she couldn't let intimacy with other people go too far or people would start to see through her disguise.

However, there is still a problem that arises, the people of Fontaine hate her and she doesn't know what to do about it. She also didn't want to tell anybody about it. What's left on her plate, she has to finish it herself. Besides, she didn't want to bother Clorinde or Neuvillette about this matter.

The next day, she awakes from her sleep and hunger is the first thing that greets her this morning. She goes to her kitchen and sees the goods she brought yesterday have been arranged neatly by Clorinde. But before she started to cook, she thought she saw a bunch of papers right below her door. What with those papers? It may come in because someone slips it under her door.

She reaches for the paper and reads the content inside of it. That is not a postcard because it is poorly packed, rather it doesn't have any envelopes after all. When she reads them, she gasps as tears come out from the corner eyes and feels devastated. "W-what..." The content inside those papers is either insulting her or asking her to leave. Some of the content is written that she should just dissolve into the primordial sea water to wash her sin for deceiving the people. Some write that she would bring misfortune if she is near them. Even worse, there is a threat that they will kill her if she doesn't leave this place.

Furina is breathing heavily. She knows people might hate her, but she never expects it to be on this scale. Just like how she prepared to suffer from taking the role of fake Archon but almost broke her in the end. After that, she smells a terrible scent from outside of her house. It smells like rotten animal meat, pierces through her nose, and makes her cough. She has to go outside to confirm the source of this terrible smell. She feels hesitant to do that so she has to gather the courage to open the door even though she is still trembling in fear after reading those papers. When she opened her door, she found a few carcasses in front of her.

She wants to cry even more upon seeing that. First the paper and now she has to deal with this rotten dead animal. But she remembered Clorinde would have her visit this noon, so she quickly wiped her tears and tried her best to ignore the sadness she felt. "I must clean this, Clorinde will get here later. You don't want your friend to see you in this state so you better not make her worry." Then she went back to her house and back with some cleaning tools and soap then started to clean the mess.

Her new house is right beside the street. When she started cleaning the sun rose higher and people started to come out and mind their own business walking on the street. Some of them are her neighbor who gives her a sharp glare and insults her. Some of the people who aren't her neighbor give her confused looks and some even see her with pity in their eyes. Furina tried her best to ignore them and thought they were just winds that come and pass.

She has finished her cleaning and managed to dispose of the dead animal's body, then she goes inside and locks the door. Good thing her front hair covers a good amount of her face, so she can hide her tears while people insult her. Cleaning her front house took longer than she realized. The carcass disposal is pain and the smells are hard to get rid of completely. Inside her house, she is still sobbing. "It hurt, but it is okay. I am fine." When she is struggling to cope with her feelings, the door behind her is knocked.

"Miss Furina, it is me Clorinde." Said a person behind her. A formal greeting means she is here as an officer in her duty.

Furina jolts and quickly wipes her tears again. She takes a deep breath to calm herself down and when she finally calms down, she opens the door. "Miss Clorinde, welcome to my house. Please come in." Said her as she opened her door.

"Thank you, I brought some sweets for you. Here, please accept it." Clorinde handed her the gift she brought to her.

"Thank you very much. Please take a seat, I'll prepare us tea." Furina then proceeded to go into the kitchen and prepare tea for both of them to chat.

Meanwhile, Clorinde took a seat and thought. She feels something fishy going around here. It is the second time in a row that Furina is literally behind the door every time Clorinde goes into her house. Also, as a champion duelist, her senses are much sharper than normal human beings. The reason she knows Furina is behind the door is because she heard she was sobbing there.

Clorinde started to look around, her house was still the same as yesterday, a bit dusty and a bit messy. But it was just the front door that had been cleaned thoroughly. Normally, a person would clean the inside first before proceeding to clean the outside. The reason Clorinde doing her own investigation is because she is well aware that Furina is a master of acting. If Furina decides to hide things from her then definitely Furina would succeed if she relied on information directly from Furina. For example, she sure she heard Furina was sobbing behind the door, but right now she seemed perfectly fine.

Furina comes back with 2 cups of tea and a teapot. She makes sure to brew the highest quality of tea sea has to be served for Clorinde "Sorry for the wait. I hope you are not waiting for too long." Said Furina as she placed the cups and the teapot on the table. Good thing she is able to press down her emotion.

"It is fine Miss Furina." Then she takes a sip from her cup after Furina pours it for her. "High quality as always, I like it." Said Clorinde praising Furina's tea taste. But then, high tea quality comes with a price. Although Neuvillette had informed her about Furina's financial condition, she couldn't help but worry. "Well, are you fine to buy such a high-quality tea? I believe it takes a good amount of Mora."

Furina shook her head. "No concern, Miss Clorinde. Even though I don't look like it, I have more than enough possession of Mora in my hand."

"I see, years of hard work pays off. Oh, you are aware that Monsieur Neuvillette gives you a pension salary right?"

"Yes, that's a thing I want to discuss with you now. I believe I told him that I don't need those Mora, but he forced it on me in the end."

"I believe he said it is one of Fontaine's forms to respect your hard work all this time. Please accept that as the honor Fontaine gave to you."

"But, I don't think I deserve such a reward. All I do is act and make sure nobody suspects me of being a fake. Neuvillette and Focalors are the true savior of Fontaine."

Clorinde let a small sigh. She didn't want Furina to look down upon herself. "Don't underestimate your role, Miss Furina. You are also the savior of Fontaine. Everyone just has a different role. That is the only difference between you and them. Besides, in this case, I believe your role is the hardest one. Enduring the madness of high expectation of Fontainians while constantly working with the administration, attending every single trial in court, all while you don't even know the whole grand scheme from the god Focalors."

Clorinde grabs both of Furina's hands and gently squeezes them. "Miss Furina, I cannot even imagine your resolve, without anyone help you hold that burden alone. Humans naturally need each other to confide, encourage each other, share emotions and burdens, to keep sane and alive. Yet you didn't even falter even once. You are amazing, Miss Furina. Your resolve alone is praiseworthy."

Furina smiles, a precious motivation from her precious Friend. So, that is what it feels like to be human. What it feels to have someone to share your burden and thoughts. Honestly, this feeling is still alien for Furina, but it indeed feels good. "Thank you very much. I don't know what to say, I just feel... happy. I feel warm and fuzzy inside."

Feeling accomplished, Clorinde is happy to give this precious human in front of her a bit of happiness. In her heart, she promised to do as much as she could to help this strong human yet looked very fragile to heal. She genuinely thought Furina deserved much much much better than this. She also cannot imagine, a gentle, modest, and soft-spoken human like Furina, forced to take the role of almighty god. Seems a very contrary combination. Perhaps, her acting skills are truly deceitful.

"Oh, about Mora. Can you please pass my message to Neuvillette? He can give my salary to help Fontaine rebuild the broken infrastructure or anything that might help Fontaine recover."

Clorinde is surprised by Furina's request because this indicates a selfless behavior which is dangerous. This indicates her work still has a long way to go and things can start after Furina gets the rest she needs. Nevertheless about Mora, after thinking for a while she refuses her request. "I am sorry Miss Furina. I think that won't do even with a written letter. Monsieur Neuvillette was persistent about that. I am afraid I cannot convey him enough to pass down your message. You have to tell Monsieur Neuvillette himself."

"That dragon really makes it hard for me huh." Furina huffing.

Clorinde tilts her head, feeling confused. "Miss Furina, why did you seem not to want to meet him?"

Furina turns her sight to Clorinde. "Miss Clorinde, you really don't understand? I am a commoner now, while he is an Iudex of Fontaine. It isn't like I don't want to meet him. It just feels like too much work to seek an audience with such a high position in this whole nation, just for simple business."

Clorinde thought Furina had a misunderstanding about how Neuvillette see her. It is completely normal because both of them never talk to each other for a while. "Miss Furina, Monsieur Neuvillette also cares about you, he even planned to check on you himself once everything had been taken care of. Also, you don't need any formalities if you want to talk to him because he will gladly accept you in Palais Mermonia. That is your home after all."

"I don't feel like that to me. I think I'll just use the formal route." Said Furina persistent.

"Miss Furina, whatever route you choose. If we see your name, we will respond immediately. I don't see any reason to treat you the same as other strangers as you have been working there for even longer than I lived. On the contrary, there is nobody knows that place better than you do."

With that, Furina just huffing in defeat. But, happiness cannot be hidden from her face. "You know, Miss Clorinde. When I stepped down from Archon's throne, the first thing that came to my mind was, I thought I won't be able to see everyone anymore." Tears of happiness flow down her cheeks. "But... but, to think you still wanted to accept me in there... I don't know what to say."

Clorinde gets up from her chair and hugs Furina. "We could never reject you, Furina." Clorinde drops her formality because she cannot stand when Furina is in tears. "You are our precious, how can we don't care about you." Clorinde gives Furina a tight and comfortable hug. Clorinde knows very well that Furina needs a lot of healing. It may be far than enough to completely heal 500 years of loneliness, or even worse it couldn't never be healed properly. But as things go on, she feels things going on the right track.

A knock on Furina's door. Another person seems to want to visit Furina, but Furina herself doesn't know who they are. "Did Neuvillette send another person to come here?" Furina asks Clorinde, as she lets go of their hugging session.

Clorinde also has no idea. "I believe nobody is tasked to check on you besides me."

Another knock and the voice could be heard from the other side of the door. "Excuse me. Lady Furina, are you at home? It is me, Navia."

Navia? What is she doing here? Clorinde looks at Furina, who seems also have no idea why the president of Spina di Rosula coming here. Furina stands from her chair to greet the unexpected guest. She hesitantly opens the door. "U-um.. Navia?"

With a warm smile, Navia greets her back. "Hello, Lady Furina. I am sorry for the unplanned and not properly prepared visit." Said her as she handed over a pack of fine desserts she bought. "I hope you don't mind, I didn't bring much."

"Um... I don't mind... and you don't really need to bring me anything, Also... it's just Furina. I am not an Archon anymore." Said Furina stammered and she was very hesitant to see Navia in her eyes. Navia is really shocked to see a 180-degree change from Furina, from a boisterous, self-centered, and flamboyant god into a timid and shy girl. "A-anyway, please get in, I'll get you some tea."

"Please pardon me." Said Navia as she got inside, only for her to meet Clorinde in the guest room. Neither of them seemed to expect each other presence and the moods were rather awkward. So Furina told both of them to wait here for a moment as she would prepare another cup for Navia.

"Navia? What are you doing here? How did you know Miss Furina's address?" Clorinde asked her.

Navia giggles. "I am not here for any business, I just wanted to check on Furina. I know her house is because back then when I was strolling around the city, I found you were not in your usual place at the time. Because I am curious, I followed you secretly. To my surprise, you are visiting Furina, that's all. Anyway, why are you here? Are you not in your post at this time?"

Clorinde feels strange. So that's how people see her as a strict individual. Not only Neuvillette and Furina who think that way, but Navia too. "I was tasked by Monsieur Neuvillette to check Miss Furina's condition. So here I am." Said Clorinde in short. She also wonders how she could be here when Poisson is still recovering. "How is Poisson? Does everything go well?"

Navia nods and happily explains. "Poisson doing well, construction progressed rather quickly because everyone worked hard together. Also, House of Hearth helped us with food and material supply so everything went very well." She thought that Neuvillette sent Clorinde to take care of Furina, she must be cherished by both of them.

Clorinde is happy to hear that good news. "I am glad everything went well on your side."

They get interrupted by Furina who comes bringing another clean cup. "I am sorry if I take too much time. I bring another cup for Navia." As she walks toward the duo, before realizing there are only two chairs for three of them.

Furina remembers she doesn't have any third chair, even though she only bought another one recently because the first time Clorinde visited, she only had one chair in her bedroom. So Furina sits on her bed and Clorinde uses the only chair she had. Now after bought another one she has two chairs and decided to put them along with a table in the guest room, separated from her bedroom.

"Um... seems I only have two chairs..." Furina confused. What should she do? She cannot use her bed because that means we have to move the chairs and a table to her bedroom.

Then after some awkward discussion, Navia decides to be the one who stands while Furina apologizes for the bad facility in her house. "It's okay, I am not planning to be here for long." Then she walks closer to Furina to see her face clearly. "I am really happy you are doing well. I was very concerned about your condition after that trial. I've heard you are not in Palais Mermonia anymore so I asked Melusines where your address is, but nobody knows where you are."

Furina confused. Why does Navia worry about her? She even went all the way to ask Melusine about her house. Didn't her inaction is the reason Melus and Silver dissolved when tragedy struck Poisson? Furina cannot think of a glimpse of the reason why Navia visits her. That makes her uncomfortable and uneasy. A person she expected to be disappointed and angry came because she was worried about her.

Navia and Clorinde are aware that Furina feels uneasy. Clorinde is passively observing the scene while Navia who thinks she is a nuisance at the moment decides to take her leave soon. She might not be well accepted now, but she is satisfied to see Furina doing well. She also knows where Furina lives, so she can make another visit but with proper preparation next time. "I think I will go now, it is rather a short visit but thank you for having me. I'll leave the cake here."

Before Navia manages to say any parting word, Furina calls her to wait. She feels very sorry for Melus and Silver and guilt soaring in her chest. If she didn't confess right now she may not have a second chance in the future. "Navia... please wait." Furina clenched her fist on top of her lap and tried to gain as much courage as she could. "Why... why did you worry about me? Melus and Silver... as well as people in Poisson... they dissolved because of me. I... I took away your precious partners and... your precious Poisson." Furina is hoping that Navia will get angry with her or disdain her. She even prepared to get any punishment from Navia to pay for what she had done.

"Furina..." Clorinde mumbles sadly. Furina still feels deeply guilt about that tragedy.

Hearing that, Navia stops her step to get outside. She turns around and takes a deep breath. Her face suddenly gets serious. "Melus and Silver, both of them are heroes for Poisson." Said Navia. Furina nods. "They saved people and sacrificed their lives on their own will. When disaster fell upon Poisson, they were guiding the ones who were confused, helping the ones who were troubled, and tending those who were injured. They never stop and couldn't be stopped."

Seeing Navia's facial expression, Furina trembles. She is unable to see Navia's eyes and looks to her floor. But Furina is ready, even if Navia would take her anger upon her. "I am sorry... Navia, I don't intend to condescend their heroic action. Please... forgive me."

Clorinde feels Navia is about to burst so she tries to calm her down, but Navia's face suddenly gets softer. "I just know that when I was almost dissolving into primordial sea water, back when I was trying to discover the slates. Melus and Silver didn't dissolve out of fear. They dissolved bravely without any fear or regret. Even after they dissolved, they still helped me."

"I am... sorry." Tears once again stream down her cheeks Furina starts to break. She is drowned in her own emotions.

Then Navia grabs both of Furina's shoulders. "Furina, whether you are an actual god or just another human being, you can't stop Melus and Silver. Both of them are unstoppable. They won't yield even if god appears before them. And... both of them are good gentlemen at heart."

Furina nods weakly. Tears don't stop coming out and she is still looking down.

Seeing no change in Furina, Navia smiles. "Listen, what I am trying to say is, that Melus and Silver are sacrificing their lives on their own will. It isn't your fault, nor your disguise's fault. Whether you are a god or human, both Melus and Silver would still be ready to sacrifice their life. They don't lean on divinity power."

"B-but, other people."

Navia cannot stand Furina being continuously being sad. So she squished both her cheeks and wiped her tears. She is forcing Furina's eyes to meet her eyes. "Furina... regardless of the people who are dissolved. I know very well you have done your best. Fontaine stands still in peace for 500 years, it is all thanks to your hard work." What she sees in front of her, really wrenching her heart. "Furina... please don't cry. Seeing you like this makes me want to cry too." Navia could feel her eyes start to get wet but she tried her best to stay strong. "Furina, you know god sometimes also fails to save their dearest people. It is just something that we are unable to predict. Things that are out of our plan are common to happen. Also, it is impossible to save everyone from the very beginning. You had done your best, you had minimalized casualty to a very minimum." Navia tried to calm Furina down. Telling her it is unfair to blame everything on herself.

"I- I am... I am sorry." Furina is breaking. She feels deeply sorry for the people she betrays. "I betray their trust." Her love for the people of Fontaine is endless.

Clorinde is just watching silently. She has no idea what to do. She is afraid that she would worsen the condition which had escalated faster than she anticipated. Furina is strong, but she has been too strong for a very long time. Longer than her own life. Now Furina is in an unstable condition because her mental health has only started to recover. That's why she becomes very fragile and emotional very often.

Furina couldn't stop crying and there was nothing they could do. So they decide to give Furina time to let out her overwhelming emotion while Navia makes sure Furina gets a warm hug. After a while, Furina starts to calm down. Although she is still sobbing, she is in a state where they can hold a conversation.

"I am sorry, I let out too much emotion." Said Furina, wiping her tears.

"You don't need to apologize, Furina. Letting out negative emotions is healthy and could make you recover faster." Navia picked her handkerchief out of her pocket and dried Furina's teary eyes. "Take a deep breath, you are still sobbing."

Furina takes a few deep breaths as instructed. Gradually she calms down until her sobs stop.

The sky turns orange as a sign it is evening already. With things having been resolved, Furina thanked both of her companions today. After that, they finished their last bit of tea. Well, with only two chairs for three people. But somehow it went better than what they had imagined, a warm and comfy atmosphere filled the room until both of the guests prepared to go back home.

Navia gives Furina the last bit of her advice. "Spina di Rosula is often asked to help in court to defend the defendant. We always had a plan before we stepped on the court. But, most of the time, our plans are failed because there is something we cannot 'see' yet. Things applied the same to you, Furina. Sometimes things go out of your plan, so casualty is happening. It even becomes more true when you are mostly alone and working hard for everyone's sake. In the end, it is impossible to achieve our ideal condition."

Furina is silent, she tries her best to receive the meaning of Navia's advice. It is impossible to save everyone from the start. Even god's knowledge still has flaws in it. Just like how Heavenly Principle had been deceived by her and Focalors. Learn to accept the bitterness of reality. Then after she let Navia's words sink in, she takes a deep breath. "I understand, thank you, Navia. I'll try my best to accept it. Also, I am very lucky to have both of you on my side-... err... sorry for assuming." Furina almost slips it from her mouth. Deep inside Furina's heart, she is still afraid to say Navia is her friend. Moreover, it reminds her of her last trial. Although she never held a grudge against them in the end, it still had an impact on her.

Navia noticed Furina's hesitation. So she reassures her that they are on her side now. "Eh? What are you so hesitant about? We are on your side. Right, Clorinde?" She turns to see Clorinde.

Clorinde nods. "Yes, we are. You can rely on us if you need help." After said that Clorinde couldn't help to give Furina one head pat before they went back home. Then after that, Navia and Clorinde bid Furina farewell.

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Navia and Clorinde walk together for a while. Strolling the city together as they are not in a very tight schedule right now.

"I didn't expect, Furina is actually have a timid personality. She is very talented at acting. When she assumed the role of Hydro Archon nobody suspected her for centuries." Said Navia. Back then when she came, she was expecting her Archon still the same. But in reality, it is totally different.

Clorinde nods. "In the end, she is just human like us. Not a deity with different common sense and thought. She can feel tired and scared just like us. Now I think about it, how did she feel when we accused and gang while setting our trap on her? She must feel terrified." She tried to imagine how sad Furina was because the people around her turned their back on her.

Navia was huffing and her face turned sad. "Now you mention that it makes me feel guilty. Seems like we still have some debt we haven't paid yet to Furina. She must have been terrified when we forced her into the court. I still can remember how shocked she was when the giant magic box opened and found out she was at the center of the stage." Navia was in the front seat and could see Furina's facial expression very clearly, the face bewildered as a result of their plan.

Regardless, Clorinde starts to remember the strange situation that she found when she was visiting Furina. She was abnormally sleeping leaning to the unlocked door with a tear stain on her face. Only the outside of her house had been cleaned but she didn't clean the inside. The next day she found out she was also behind the door and sobbing. There was a tear stain on her cheeks. That literally means she was crying just before Clorinde arrived at her house.

Clorinde told Navia the strange things she found. Navia also thought the same as Clorinde. With that being said, both of them assume that Furina is hiding something from them for whatever reason she has. But they agree this matter cannot slip under their nose as they felt something terrible would happen if they were ignorant about that. It also might be truer since they didn't deal with normal situations.

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A few days later, Navia and Clorinde together want to visit Furina again to check their former Archon condition. As both of them arrive in front of the door, they smell it very fragrant with a good scent. As they suspected, it had been thoroughly cleaned. They knocked on the door to let Furina know the guests had arrived. After a while, Furina opens the door and greets both of her guests. They noticed Furina isn't in her usual outfit today, and what's more concerning is that Furina wears a bandage and blood can be seen through that. Clorinde and Navia's eyes widen. What the hell happened to you, Furina?

Clorinde is very skilled when it comes to tending the injury. She is a duelist and often gets injured when she is training. She changed Furina's poorly applied bandage, cleaned her wound, and reapplied the bandage again. Navia observes her around and the inside of the house is very much the same as before, a bit dusty. It is very different from outside of her house. Clorinde asked Furina what was happening, but Furina just giggled that she had some accident when she was cleaning her home. She told them she isn't used to cleaning at all, so this has to be expected.

After Clorinde finished treating Furina's wound, Furina thanked them and was persistent about getting both of her guests some tea and snacks to eat. So she went to the kitchen although both of them said it was okay and Furina didn't need to force herself.

Clorinde and Navia see each other and agree that they won't peer deeper to force the answer from Furina. If they do that, it will just make Furina wary and uncomfortable around them. If that's the case then it will lead them to ultimate defeat. So they will pretend to buy Furina's act and believe her. Clorinde and Navia are aware, if they didn't make any assumption before and didn't know Furina is good at acting. They definitely will believe what Furina says and never suspect her because she hides it like it is natural and lies as she breathes.

Furina comes back with three tea cups and a teapot. This time, Furina has enough chairs for three of them to sit comfortably, unlike the last time when only had two chairs so Navia had to be the one who stood. The conversation goes normally as they would do. Clorinde makes sure Furina lives comfortably, gives Furina advice about healthy food, and tells her how to tend the wound and change the bandage herself. Navia gives her mental and moral support. Then after a while, Clorinde and Navia bid Furina farewell.

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"This time she got a wound on her head." Said Clorinde with her hand under her chin.

"Does that wound tell you something?" replied Navia. She knows about wounds well as she is an investigator. But a person beside her is surely more capable of addressing matters related to wound type.

"That wound was definitely caused by a dull and hard object."

"Dull and hard object... what kind of object could cause that?"

Clorinde starts to think. It reminds her that Furina has few decorations inside her house. "Well, something like wall decorative that heavy enough could cause that. She has quite heavy decoration inside her house."

Navia also knows that some of Furina's decoratives are pretty heavy and if it hits one's head, that will definitely cause an injury. All makes sense except one thing. "But all her decorations were inside her house, right? I am aware the house is still the same as before. It doesn't get cleaned except only outside of her house that getting cleaned."

Clorinde starts to think again. There is no way she placed her decorative outside. "Outside of her house, there are only two lamps and they are heavy enough. But that things most likely won't fall except if the wall itself is fragile or the screw is loose. Although it most likely won't be the case because if the screw loose or the wall itself had been cracked, I will definitely notice that."

"Is there anything possible other than decorative?"

Clorinde didn't want to assume the worst, but she had to tell Navia the possibility. "Rock is also one of the possible things to cause such a wound." Said Clorinde with a grim face.

Navia starts to feel concerned about the situation. "Rock... do you think it has any correlation to why Furina only cleans her outside house?"

"Like she was thrown by a rock so she had to clean the mess after?" Said Clorinde.

Navia also thinks that is a possible reason. "That could be one of the reasons. But her house is fine, I mean there is no sign of rock had been thrown and damaged the wall."

Both of them lack of information. Albeit it is dangerous to make too many assumptions if they are lacking in fact. But they didn't want this lead to fly over their head so they decided to take direct investigation. "Anyway, it is one lead I need to investigate." Said Clorinde.

"Count me in." Navia agreed.

The next day, both of them secretly observe Furina's house. They take a disguise, hide their Vision, and change their clothes so nobody recognizes them. They watch Furina's house from afar so people around there have no idea that place is observed. There are not many people outside because it is still early until they see a stranger throw the carcass in front of Furina's house.

"What..."

"That is... carcass."

Their observation continues as they hold back their anger. Clorinde makes sure to remember that person's face. Times move on, many people start to do the same. Some of them throw carcasses, junk, and dirty liquid, and even slip some paper below her door. They assumed people threw rocks at her. But they are surprised because they see people even do more terrible things to poor Furina.

Clorinde is boiling in anger, but it instantly fades once she sees Furina open her door. She brings cleaning tools as if she had expected the junk will be there. Then, as they expected, Furina cleaned those things that had been thrown to her house, disposed of the carcass, and read the paper that was slipped under her door before managing to dispose of it. They can see Furina's sad expression from their place even though Furina tried to hide it under her hair. Clorinde grits her teeth, she wants to blast those people who treat her like this, but Navia calms her down.

The sun rose and more people started to crowd this area. Seems those haters only do that early in the morning so nobody caught them. After finish cleaning her house, Furina went outside and brought some Mora with her. Looks like she wants to buy something outside, and then Navia and Clorinde follow her. Along the way, they can hear some people mock her, or whispers but intentionally loud so Furina could hear it, or insult her with harsh word. Some people give her confused looks, some people see her with pity, and some people just walk around minding their own business, but nobody helps her.

"Hey, fake god! Wasn't you supposed to be beheaded?!"

"How shameful, if I were her, I would going far away from Fontaine."

"You sinner, you damn bitch."

"It must be comfortable to live in Palais Mermonia for centuries right?"

Furina didn't respond to their insult. She keeps walking, facing down, and hides her eyes with her hair. Furina manages to get into the shop. Luckily the shop owner is an old lady and she is the only one who treats her with respect. When Furina intends to head back to her house after finishing her shopping, some people throw Furina with rocks. Furina writhed in pain for every rock that hit her body, yet she still didn't respond or defend herself. She is just walking, hiding her face under her hair. Until, one particular person threw a bigger rock and managed to hit Furina's head which was still covered with a bandage, making her fall unconscious, and scattering her goods. Fresh blood streamed down from her head through her face. Not a single person there tried to help her. The one who throws that rock seems to panic and run away.

Navia dismisses her disguise and takes out her Vision. Clorinde also cannot stand to watch it anymore. She instantly takes out her Vision and quickly runs from her place. "Furina!" her disguise is falling off and makes people around there start panicking and hide that they were involved. A champion duelist from the Court of Fontaine runs towards the unconscious body with Navia the president of Spina di Rosula following the champion behind. Clorinde quickly carries Furina's unconscious body to her house and Navia takes care of Furina's goods.

Both of them remember every single face that is necessarily able to be dragged into the court. They swear they won't let them go.

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Furina groans as she slowly opens her eyes. She feels her head hurts so much. She stares at the ceiling and recognizes it. "This is my house." Then she tried to sit, ignoring the pain she had in her head. She observed her surroundings and recognized them. "This is my bedroom". Not long after, a small-figured human with Melusine trait came into her bedroom.

"Miss Furina, you are awake." Said Sigewinne. She told Furina to keep lying down.

"Sigewinne? W-what is happening?"

"Miss Clorinde went to the Fortress of Meropide with a formal request from Monsieur Neuvillette for me to nurse you until you get better. Please don't move too much, you get a bad injury on your head and plenty of bruises all over your body. Miss Navia was here but she already went to the court."

"Navia? Clorinde?" Furina is still not fully conscious so she tries to find those two, but only Sigewinne is there.

"Both of them are in the court now. Those people who threw rocks at you are detained because of the act of violence."

"I... see..." Furina slowly gains consciousness. She assumed Clorinde and Navia were bringing her back to her house after she fell unconscious.

"For now, just rest Miss Furina, your wounds are still fresh. Better not thinking too much so you could be healed faster and get back to activity sooner."

"Alright, thank you."

Furina follows Melusine's instruction, resting her head back on her bed. It feels so hurt. Her body screaming in pain. Furina tries to control her breathing in the hope of reducing the pain she feels. She feels so tired. After a while, her body starts feeling comfortable in its position. Drowsiness starts to sink into her head until she falls asleep.

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The court finished quickly, those guilty people were sent to the Fortress of Meropide. Clorinde, Navia, and Neuvillette finished their business and decided to visit Furina. Which house had been guarded by some Gardes.

Sigewinne notices some guests come in. "Monsieur Neuvillette, how's there?"

"Everything had been taken care of. How is Miss Furina's condition?" Neuvillette asked.

"She is sleeping right now. I have to remind you to lower your voice so she doesn't disturbed. About her condition, right now she is stable. Her condition isn't that bad, but not that good either. Injuries around her torso are far from lethal, but the injury on her head was pretty concerning. Though it had been properly tended by using my Vision power."

"How long will she be able to fully recover?" Clorinde asked.

"It depends on her food, her rest, and of course medical treatment. But if anything went as its best I believe in a month she would be in pretty decent shape."

"A month..." said Navia. "Can we see her?"

"No, she is sleeping. You can check her later once she wakes up."

"Alright, thank you for your help, Miss Sigewinne." Said Neuvillette thanking Sigewinne.

"Your welcome Monsieur Neuvillette."

After that, the trio went out to get the fresh air. It is nighttime, and the cloud starts to gather. "Furina had sacrificed her life for Fontaine, but instead of praise and applause, she got disdained by the people." Said Neuvillette. Not that he never expected it, but it more likely he didn't wish for it to actually come true.

"Should we make a public declaration regarding this matter? We could get into detail later to make sure this won't be happening again." Clorinde gives a suggestion.

"But, to make a strong statement specifically for Miss Furina, I don't think it is a good move. Only a few people know the truth and the reason why she fools every single soul in Fontaine. Even people from Poisson also aren't ready to forgive and forget it." Navia feels that isn't the right solution.

Clorinde proposed another idea. "How about we spread the truth? We could ask Charlotte from Steambird Publisher to help us with that."

"That is probably one of the best logical solutions to this problem." Navia agreed. She thought this solution was the most accurate way to solve the root of the problem, that not everyone knows the truth. "What do you think? Monsieur Neuvillette?"

Neuvillette think about it. He knows Clorinde's idea is a good solution, but they didn't include Furina in this matter. "It may sound like a good move. But, I believe we shouldn't be hasty to do it. After all, it is about Miss Furina herself. From my point of view, I believe she is intentionally refraining from spreading the word about it. I had worked with her for 500 years and although she was very loud, cheeky, and annoying, I could feel her love for Fontaine is endless. Just like her divine counterpart of hers, Focalors, both of them are ready to give away their life for this nation. What I meant to say, we have to discuss the matter on hand with Furina first before we take action. The last thing I want to do is disrespect her choice, just like last time we dragged her into a humiliating court."

Navia and Clorinde stood silent. It reminds them that in the court they were ganged together to forcibly make Furina spill the truth. Using a trapping strategy to cornered her. If they succeed and Furina spills her secret before Oratrice produces the last Indemnitium, then Fontaine would be doomed. This makes them remember, that none of them makes a single sincere apology for Furina after what they had done.

"If I think about it, I never apologize to her," Clorinde said with a sad face. "Who knows if she still despises me after raising a sword against her? This is even worse when my job is actually to protect her from any harm, her guardian." Clorinde remembers when she first visited Furina in her new house. Furina still accepts her with a warm smile.

Navia also has some taste of guilt on her tongue. "I also... didn't apologize to her yet. Even if it is part of the prophecy, I think I treated her too harshly. And there is definitely a much better option rather than forcing her into a court and cornering her publicly."

Suddenly the atmosphere is gloomy and dark until a Gardes from Furina's house rushes into the trio. "I am sorry for the disturbance! Monsieur Neuvillette, Miss Clorinde, and Miss Navia. Miss Sigewinne ask you to go back."

"Understood." Said Clorinde and Navia. They proceed to quickly head back to Furina's house. Once they arrived, they heard Furina writhing while sleeping.

"I am sorry... I am sorry... I failed you all. I am sorry... I betrayed you all. I am sorry... Please forgive me..." Furina writhing. She moved violently making her blanket entangled all over her body.

Furina having a bad dream, and Sigewinne cannot handle it. "Sorry to bother your time, but she had been like this for a while. My expertise is in anatomy and physical medicine and this is something I need you guys to help. I tried to light up an incense that was supposed to make her calm down, but it had no effect. That is why I am calling you, maybe a familiar voice could help her. She is moving so much, it would be bad for her if this continues."

Neuvillette then releases his power, it is a gentle stream of energy in her hand and he uses it to grab Furina's trembling hand. Gradually, Furina calms down. She stops wailing and writhing. Her breath become stable and controlled.

Navia and Clorinde breathe heavily as they see the scene. What kind of nightmare this lovely girl had in her dream? She is supposed to recovering now, but why does the bad dream have to come? Why despite having finished her task perfectly, is she still suffering like that?

After Neuvillette successfully stabilizes Furina's condition and chases away her bad dream. Things went controlled. Sigewinne thanked Neuvillette for helping her with it.

Clorinde and Navia asked if they could stay here this night but Sigewinne doesn't allow them. So they decided to head back to their own house. Neuvillette also back to the Palais Mermonia.

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The next day, Furina awakes from her sleep. She learns that for the next few days, Sigewinne stays at Furina's house to nurse her and help her with various activities. During that time, Clorinde and Navia cannot go to her house as they are originally very busy with their own work. Things go the same for Neuvillette.

Days passed rather quickly. For Furina herself, it just like goes back to her usual day. Lay down her bed and stared at her ceiling. She sometimes enjoys the solitude, but sometimes she also feels lonely. Luckily, this time she isn't completely alone because Sigewinne is here. However, if she could be honest, things rather go awkward for her. She barely knows this melusine that works under the water for most of her time. But Sigewinne is very well known to handle humans, so despite being almost completely stranger, Sigewinne's presence is much more acceptable.

"Miss Furina, time to change your bandage." Said Sigewinne

"Yes." Said Furina. "Sorry for the trouble, thank you very much for helping me."

Despite being no human, accepting sincere gratitude from her patient makes Sigewinne feel happy. Moreover, when she isn't in Fortress of Meropide and the duke isn't here with her, it makes her daily duty here much more pleasant.

"No worries, Miss Furina." Said Sigewinne as she happily did her job.

She managed to open up the old bandage, apply new fresh medicine, and apply the new bandage. While she doing that carefully, she becomes aware that Furina's skin is pretty silky and pleasant to touch.

"Miss Furina, you have such a good skin."

"E-eh? What do you mean?" Furina was shocked by random out-of-topic from Sigewinne.

"Most of the workers I help in Fortress of Meropide have a thick and hard skin."

"Maybe that's because my job wasn't involved in many physical activities."

Sigewinne nods. "Yes... figures- Ee!-Umm, I don't intend to say you are not a hard worker! What I meant is I am fond of your skin because it is comfy to touch." She is panicked because her sentences could be misinterpreted as an insult.

Furina giggles. "It is okay... I know you don't mean it. Although, I don't have any objection if you do."

Sigewinne knows despite smiling, Furina is sad inside her heart. "Really, how can people throw rocks at you? Did they not know getting hit by that is very painful?" Sigewinne rambles. She cannot believe people just easily throw rocks at other people. "If I were in your position, I would throw the rocks back to them."

Furina giggles. "I bet you will do it."

"They were definitely sentenced to Fortress of Meropide. I will learn their name and make sure to scold them properly for you once I return to the fortress."

"Thank you, but please don't be too harsh to them. They just didn't know anything."

Sigewinne huffing. "About your sacrifice? That is not relevant Miss Furina. Regardless, they shouldn't throw out the rock."

Furina didn't respond.

Sigewinne has an idea to punish those people. "Maybe, making sure their meal in Fortress of Meropide wouldn't be pleasant will teach them a good lesson."

Hears that Furina panicked a bit. "Miss Sigewinne, please don't treat them like that. Even if they had done something terrible to me, I still don't want them to suffer there. I don't really know how Fontaine of Meropide treats the criminals. But, I believe good food is the essence of life. Even I heard Electro Archon is very fond of Dango Milk. So, giving them bad food every day could be too much for them.

Sigewinne chuckles. She cannot believe this kind of person exists. Even after receiving such terrible treatment, there is still room in her heart to think about others. "Fufufu, you surely are a cute one Miss Furina. I was joking about that. But I understand, your love for Fontaine is very deep. Even after receiving such terrible treatment, you still didn't wish for their misfortune. I bet you also don't want them to be sent into Fortress of Meropide in the first place." Said Sigewinne and Furina nodded.

"So I am right then. But Miss Furina, rest assured. After the duke takes over, Fontaine of Meropide becomes an underwater home rather than a jail. People are treated nicely there, some people even stay there when they are supposed to be free."

Furina exhales after hearing that. "I see, I am glad to hear that."

Sigewinne is sure there is something that needs to be corrected in Furina's mind. "But Miss Furina, you, on the other hand, are the troublesome one. You are unable to resist if people treat you badly. You don't fight back or become angry. That day is the first time I see Miss Clorinde look very pale when she was rushed to the fortress, bringing a letter from Monsieur Neuvillette asking me to personally take care of you."

Furina jolts hearing such trouble that she causes. "I am really sorry for the trouble- It hurt!"

Sigewinne which still working on Furina's bandage tighten it up intentionally. "There you go again, at least try to protest against it."

"I am really sorry. I will try next time." Although Furina isn't sure whether she is able to or not. Because it had been for a very long time she anticipated and accepted it. This is what awaits her once she steps down the throne.

Sigewinne huffs. "But Miss Furina, whatever happens to you, Monsieur Neuvillette, Miss Clorinde, and Miss Navia will surely get your back. They sincerely wish for your happiness. They love you and adore you very much. When you were unconscious they are terrified and the last thing they want is you get hurt like this. So please, if you cannot do it for yourself, at least do it for them."

Furina stays silent. She thought Sigewinne was right, she is a very terrible person to let them worry about her.

Smelling sad sense from Furina, Sigewinne changed the topic. "Now now... getting sad aren't we. I am terribly sorry, I choose a bad topic to begin with. What did we talk about before? Oh! Your skin is pretty. Do you have any secret for that?"

Furina shook her head. "You don't need to apologize. I am the one who is thankful to get your positive support. About my skin, I don't think I have a special secret. I just take a bath using soap that was provided in Palais Mermonia."

"I see, so that's natural... Lucky you. Ah, also I think your eyes are very beautiful. It is rare heterochromia!" Sigewinne tried to see Furina's eyes closely. "It is like a very expensive jewel." Said Sigewinne, feeling satisfied after observing Furina's eyes closely. "It was one of my wishes to see it this close." Sigewinne giggles.

Furina who is embarrassed is hiding her eyes using her front hair. "T-thank you for. I never thought people were actually interested in them."

"Well? Why wouldn't they? I bet many people are also interested to see that up close such I did. Lucky me."

Furina giggles. "Miss Sigewinne, you are the strange one."

"Melusines are capable of perceiving more than ordinary humans you know. I'll take that as a compliment."

Now that she thinks about that, Furina is actually very pretty. There is an idea to tease her when she had a chance. "Now that I think about it. Miss Furina, you are very cute, aren't you? You have a petite body, beautiful big eyes, and a timid personality. Perhaps... did you ask to be dominated?"

Furina's eyes frown in confusion. "Pardon?"

Sigewinne stops her job to change Furina's bandage and gets closer to play with Furina's cheeks. "Now now... we are alone. No one bothers us. Even if you scream, they may think I am just doing my job. You don't have Vision or a combatant type. You basically giving yourself to be eaten to be this defenseless, Miss Furina."

Furina is trembling. "E-eating me? W-what do you mean? Melusine doesn't eat human right? Right?" Furina gets scared and scared as Sigewinne's face gets closer before suddenly pulling it away.

"I am kidding!" said Sigewinne. "What a way to change the atmosphere. Teasing you is really fun!" Sigewinne looks very happy and satisfied at the same time.

Furina makes a pout. "Uhh! Miss Sigewinne! Whatever. B-but... melusine don't eat human... right?" Furina hesitantly asked as she stammered.

"Huh?" Sigewinne doesn't believe this former Archon is clueless about that. She immediately makes a mental note to never tease Furina about that thing anymore. "Honestly... what kind of court you had been done in the last 500 years..." Sigewinne huffed.

Furina just tilted her head in confusion as Sigewinne finished changing Furina's bandage.

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Days have passed. Navia and Clorinde back to visit Furina after they had finished their work. Gardes are still there to guard the house. Clorinde knocks on the door. "Pardon, this is us, Clorinde and Navia."

Sigewinne opened the door. "Hello, Miss Clorinde, Miss Navia. Please come in." Said Sigewinne.

There had been days since the last time they visited. It looks much different than what they know. Rather than different, it is emptier. Furina's decorations are not in place anymore.

"Clorinde, Navia, hello. It has been a few days. Are you eager for a tea party? I'll prepare some snacks too." Said Furina. She is more cheerful than before, though her bandages are still there.

Seeing Furina able to smile, Clorinde feels very happy. She thought it was the very first time she saw Furina smile like this after she stepped down from the throne. "If you don't mind, I want to. But don't force yourself too much okay?" said Clorinde

"Don't worry, I am much better now thanks to Sigewinne." Said Furina then she headed to her kitchen, preparing some tea and snacks. Meanwhile, Clorinde, Navia, and Sigewinne are sitting in Furina's guest room.

"How is Furina's condition Miss Sigewinne?" said Clorinde

"She is doing very well. Most of her wound had been healed. She doesn't writhe anymore, but she still needs to rest and someone had to make sure she won't do things too much as she tended to overdo things." After living with Furina for a while it looks like Sigewinne is Furina's mom rather than a nurse.

"We are glad to hear such amazing progress." Navia lets a breath. "But... is it just me or this place is emptier than before? Where are the decoratives in her house?" Navia sees around and no matter how hard she tries to process, it is emptier.

"Ah... about that." Sigewinne is hesitant to tell these two about Furina's plan. "Um- Miss Furina planned to leave Fontaine. So she sold those decorative for Mora."

"W-what?" Said Clorinde. "She wants to leave?" She just could breathe after seeing Furina make good progress. Now she is struck by this news.

Sigewinne nods.

"Hello, I am sorry it has taken so long. Please pardon me, I bring some snacks too." Said Furina as she put down the tea and the food. "I hope you like it. I make the snacks myself. Trust me it tastes good, right Sigewinne?"

"Yes, it is Miss Furina," Sigewinne replied. "You have to taste it Miss Clorinde, Miss Navia."

Putting aside the problem, they are enjoying the food Furina prepared for them. Surprised by the taste, Navia and Clorinde praised Furina's cooking skills. They thought it was amazing, just in a few days she could make a good snack. Furina giggles because of their praise. She told them that she wanted to do a lot of things that she could not do before when she assumed the role of god.

Clorinde and Navia look at Furina. She smiles more than before. She looks eager and excited about the snack she successfully makes. Just like a child, they thought. In the end, they eat and drink in peace until they run out of snacks, and all of them thank Furina for the food.

Then comes the main problem. "Furina, Miss Sigewinne said you wanted to leave Fontaine, is that right?" Navia asked.

Furina jolts by sudden change of atmosphere. But she could understand if they wanted some explanation from her. "Yes, Navia. I've planned to leave Fontaine once Miss Sigewinne allows me."

"Why do you want to leave Fontaine? Is that because people here don't want to accept you?" In Clorinde's heart, if Furina wants to leave Fontaine because she wants to, then she has zero problems. But the case is different if her reason is because people here wanted her to leave.

One pretty long pause from Furina. She wasn't sure how to answer that because what Clorinde had guessed was absolutely true. "I think this is for the best. If my presence doesn't bring people around me happiness, then it is only normal for me to leave isn't it?"

"If that is the case I will protect you and make sure nobody would hurt you. I will make sure everyone who do that is sent into the fortress. If I could do that, you don't have to leave Fontaine right?" Said Clorinde.

"That won't do Clorinde. It doesn't make any sense to forsake other people just for me."

"Could you think about it again? I don't want the reason you leave Fontaine just because people here wish for you to leave. We... we have some plans to clean your name. Steambird publisher is ready to assist us in spreading your tales. Your reason to do all of it to save Fontaine." Said Navia.

Furina shook her head. "Navia, Clorinde. Thank you very much. But even if you spread the word about it, nobody going to believe it. This is the story of a fake Hydro Archon after all. Also, I don't think that is a wise move because people might think the authority is impartial towards me because I know you guys. This is the country of justice, doing that will cause doubtfulness from the people. Also, I was supposed to be executed by death after my trial, yet the government is not taking action." Furina smiles. "Besides, out of my egoism, I don't want a lot of people to know about it. Just you guys know about it... I am very content with that."

Clorinde grits her teeth. "Well, why you don't tell me that people treat you like that back then? We have to secretly observe you to know the truth because we know you would hide that from us!"

"Clorinde, you are a very capable person. I don't want you to waste your energy just for me. Besides, if a champion duelist was publicly seen with a criminal like me... it would leave a bad mark on yourself."

"I know what I do! And stop calling yourself a criminal!" Clorinde pissed off.

"Miss Clorinde, please calm down." Sigewinne tried to make Clorinde calm down.

Clorinde might think this is the right moment for her to apologize. "... Sorry, I don't mean to raise my voice like that. I just pissed off to myself. It was because of that stupid trial we were held to pry your secret. As your guardian, to raise my sword against you whom I sworn to protect, giving me a bad taste every time I think about it. Furina... I am sorry for what I did back then. I know it may be too late and I may be one of your reasons to leave Fontaine, but I sincerely hope you'll accept my apology. Please, don't leave."

"Clorinde isn't alone with that. Now if I think about it, sending people to make a mess during opera that day is unethical. There is definitely a much better way than that to not hurt you. I am very sorry, Furina."

Sigewinne takes the plate Furina brought here for the snack earlier, and proceeds to wash them. Leave the three so they can get some privacy. After all, she doesn't have anything to do with it. Back then she was merely an expert doing her expertise to tell the facts about the effect primordial sea water gives on the Fontainian's body.

Their apologies leave Furina bewildered. Did they think she was angry about that? Furina really never expected things would be turned like this. "There is no need to ask for my apologies. You guys did nothing wrong and I do not hold any grudge even in the slightest. Whatever happens that day is a part of the prophecy, that things is unavoidable. On the other hand, you guys did it because you care so much about Fontaine. In the end, our goals are the same. That is to protect Fontaine."

"But, even that is part of the prophecy, there is definitely a better way to fulfill it. Our method back then was ruthless because we thought you just didn't do anything. We failed to trust our Archon." Said Navia.

"Navia... that is a very normal reaction when people are dying but their god seemed doesn't care about it. Don't blame yourself. I also make a lot of mistakes and I am very thankful to you guys because you still accept me. Clorinde, you are a champion duelist, my pride in Court of Fontaine. You didn't do anything wrong. You were there, raising your blade to make sure justice is served because your duty is to protect justice. I am proud of you, even god doesn't make you back in fear."

Clorinde starts to sobs but she holds her tears to fall from her cheeks. She is frustrated because they are here to help Furina and cheer her up. Instead, they are the ones who get comforted by Furina. "Don't leave Fontaine. We still owe you so much."

"Clorinde, don't make it harder for me."

"Does Monsieur Neuvillette know about this?" said Navia

Furina shook her head. "Not yet. I am wondering whether I should tell him about this. After all, it is a very trivial matter."

"You have to tell him. He would worry if you left without telling him."

Furina nods. "Okay... I'll send the letter to him once I am finished with my treatment. After all, I must thank him. Miss Sigewinne is here to help me because Neuvillette personally sent her the request."

"You could just barge into his office. Palais Mermonia is your home after all." Said Clorinde.

"You know I won't do that." Replied Furina.

Clorinde and Navia are feeling down. What should they do? Is there any way to convince Furina that she doesn't need to leave Fontaine? Both Clorinde and Navia are really frustrated. They feel devastated. There must be a way.

Seeing Navia and Clorinde sad, she remembers what Sigewinne said back then. Clorinde, Navia, and Neuvillette feel hurt whenever they see Furina getting hurt. She told her that at the very least, fight for them. Don't make them worry about yourself. After remembering that, Furina takes a deep breath, seeing her friends feeling down is the last thing she wants to see. If she wants to make Clorinde and Navia feel happy, it should be started from herself right? So she tried to be as cheerful as she could. "Clorinde, Navia, let's make some good memories together?" said Furina with a bright, dazzling smile.

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A month finally passed. Furina has recovered a lot. Even though the wound on her head had not completely healed yet, it didn't cause any problem thanks to Sigewinne's help. She also learns how to change her bandage properly and cook the proper meal thanks to Clorinde, Navia, and Sigewinne. They spend their last month making a good memory which Furina cherishes very much. Furina talked to Neuvillette before, and he left the decision in Furina's hand.

The day has come. For Furina to step out from Fontaine. Still, she bears no hatred nor despises the people. In fact, she loved them from the bottom of her heart. There is Navia and Clorinde, who accompany her in the harbor. To bid farewell to their former Archon.

"Don't be sad, both of you." Said Furina. She wipes both of her friends' tears from their cheeks. "It isn't like we will never meet again. I'll make sure to write letters for you." Furina smiles.

"In the end, we failed to prevent you from leaving, huh." Chlorine voices are weak. She takes a deep breath and hugs Furina tightly before her ship arrives. "Please be careful out there. Promise me."

Furida nods. "Yeah, I promise."

"Ironic isn't it? This is the nation of justice, yet you didn't get the justice you deserved." Said Navia.

"Dear... don't say that. I already got the justice I want. That is you guys are still here even after the prophecy passed. Fontaine is saved." Said Furina with an endearing smile.

It isn't long until Furina's ship arrives. "My ship is already here, time for me to go. See you again Navia Clorinde." Said Furina. Then she walks to her ship, leaving Clorinde and Navia.

"See you again... Furina." Said Clorinde and Navia.

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As the ship went away from Fontaine, Furina kept gazing to that direction. She definitely misses her homeland. A place where she poured her heart and energy to safe. A place of her tales and stories.

"This is for the best. Thank you for everything, Fontaine. Until then, I wish you are ready to forgive me when I return to this land." Said Furina. Not long after, a blue bright light appears in front of her. From thin air, something formed and spun up in the air before gently falling onto Furina's hand. "This is... Vision?" Her face is bewildered. "That dragon..." She said. She grabs her Vision and cares it. "Now... what am I supposed to do with this?"

In Palais Mermonia, Neuvillette is gazing far into the sea. "For your sacrifice, that is a heavy burden on your shoulders. For your endless love, that Fontaine you saved from harm. For your heart, that doesn't falter even once. For your nobility, you forgive people who treat you wrongly. For your strength, that you walk on Teyvat crossing the border. There is nothing worthy I could give to your greatness. But, I hope my gift will aid you wherever you go. Shall my blessing always be with you."

END.