Chapitre 5: The Scheme of Marcel
Every few days, Marcel would overhear someone talking about Furina's supposed lack of power.
"From an outsider's perspective, these comments were odd enough to make a lasting impression on the public. So, when we went to investigate, most people still remembered the comments clearly," Chevreuse explained.
"But due to the time that's passed and the fact that they only saw the speakers briefly, no one could recall the appearance of those spreading these remarks. So for now, we're unable to track down who started these rumors."
"Also, starting from the 20th of last month, Marcel began going out daily. When I cross-checked his movements from that time, they nearly match your daily schedule exactly, Lady Furina."
At this, Chevreuse's report came to an end.
Indeed, she had her own thoughts on the case. However, as a subordinate, she trusted that Felina, as a Archon, would have her own considerations.
Felina had assigned her to investigate Marcel, and her mission was complete. Anything beyond that would be her personal opinion, which could potentially influence others' reasoning or decisions. Unless Felina directly asked her for input, Chevreuse wouldn't bring it up on her own initiative.
This was the professionalism and judgment of the Special Security and Surveillance Patrol' captain.
As expected, after Chevreuse finished her report, Felina fell into thought.
Felina had already suspected that Marcel's attempt to attack Furina stemmed from his desire to acquire information on the primordial Sea and revive his lover.
But one question still remained: Furina was publicly recognized as a powerful Archon, so why was Marcel so convinced that he could send four mortals without Visions to subdue her?
How had he become so certain that Furina lacked power?
After hearing Chevreuse's report, Felina finally connected all the dots.
Here's the conclusion: the faction behind Marcel's attack on Furina was likely the Fatui—or more specifically, the Fatui Harbinger known as the Servant!
"It seems the Servant is targeting the Gnosis of the Hydro Archon," Felina mused.
The Gnosis was one of the powers granted by Celestia to the Seven Archons, each Gnosis harboring tremendous strength.
The Cryo Archon of Snezhnaya had been gathering all seven Gnoses, likely with the intent of harnessing their collective power for some purpose.
To this end, the eleven Harbingers of the Cryo Archon traveled from nation to nation, seeking to reclaim the Gnoses for their master.
Since Furina was the publicly acknowledged Archon of Fontaine, she naturally became a target for the Fatui.
"The Servant must have sensed that Furina might not possess divine powers after all."
"But she couldn't be certain. And seizing a Gnosis carries enormous risks, potentially even war between nations. To proceed, she would need some way of testing Furina."
"The Confrerie of Cabriere is a well-known entity in Fontaine, and Marcel, its president, is a Snezhnayan. So the Servant must have investigated Marcel and learned about his desperation to revive his lover."
The rest was simple.
The Servant had chosen Marcel as her pawn to test Furina.
She exploited Marcel's desire to bring his lover back to life, closely monitoring his daily routine. On Marcel's usual route, she arranged for two children to casually discuss Furina as "the one who understands water best in the world."
This was meant to implant the idea that "perhaps only Furina, the Hydro Archon, could help you revive your lover" in Marcel's mind.
Then, every few days, the Servant arranged for people to discuss rumors about Furina's supposed lack of power in Marcel's presence.
This gradually strengthened Marcel's suspicions about whether Furina truly lacked strength.
People often take the events around them as reflective of the entire world.
For example, a child bullied at school might complain, "Everyone hates me."
In reality, the child hasn't met everyone in the world but is simply magnifying their own experience to encompass the whole world.
The Servant's manipulation of Marcel was based on this same psychological principle.
The people of Fontaine held unwavering faith in Furina as their true Hydro Archon.
For that reason, when an average bystander occasionally heard someone questioning Furina's power, they would be puzzled, thinking, "Where did this skeptic come from, doubting Lady Furina?"
This puzzlement is what caused these people to remember the discussions clearly, even a month later, and recount them to Chevreuse when she asked.
But Marcel's experience was different. While others only occasionally encountered someone questioning Furina, he constantly ran into people casting doubt on her.
The Servant had created an environment around him that suggested, "Everyone seems to think Furina has no divine power and is weak."
Gradually, he would begin to perceive these events as reflective of reality, thinking the whole world believed Furina was powerless and easy to deal with.
Once his suspicion took root, he began secretly tailing Furina, observing her closely.
And upon seeing for himself that Furina appeared to be a naive and weak young girl, the attack on her was set into motion.
"Impressive tactics indeed for a Fatui Harbinger," Felina thought to herself.
And who was Marcel? He was the president of the trading association, the man responsible for the deaths of twenty-four young girls, and a trafficker of Sinthe—a drug-like liquid!
Yet, a man who would be the final villain in any television drama had been reduced to nothing more than a pawn in the Servant's hands.
The Servant had exploited Marcel's desperation to resurrect his lover, placing people around him who subtly but carefully steered him toward Furina.
When Marcel made his move against Furina for the sake of his lover, he indirectly helped the Servant test whether Furina was truly a God or hiding something.
The Servant, truly worthy of being a Fatui Harbinger, had not promised Marcel a thing, spent not a single Mora, nor even met him face to face, yet still managed to achieve her goal of probing Furina.
And Marcel, even now, had no idea that he was being used, that he'd been reduced to a tool to test a Archon.
This way, even if Marcel failed to assassinate Furina and was captured, neither the Servant nor the Fatui would suffer any repercussions. After all, if Marcel himself didn't realize he'd been used, how could Fontaine suspect the Fatui?
And even now, although Felina knew that the Servant was behind this, there was nothing she could do against the Fatui.
Because how could she possibly convict the Servant or the Fatui? What charges could she press?
Accuse the Fatui of planting people on the streets to drop subtle hints that led Marcel to attempt the assassination?
In the face of such accusations, the Servant would merely respond, "As far as I know, there's no law in Fontaine that prohibits citizens from discussing gods, correct?"
"We were simply discussing Lady Furina in public. How could we have anticipated that someone would then get the idea to kidnap her?"
After all, why did no one else take that conversation as a reason to assassinate the Hydro Archon—only Marcel?
"It seems that the Servant's plan to test Furina's powers through Marcel has succeeded."
Felina stroked her chin in thought. "If I'm not mistaken, members of the House of the Hearth were probably nearby, observing the scene during the attack last night."
"The Servant has likely been monitoring Furina for a while, suspecting she may not be a true Hydro Archon. But now that I've shown some strength, the Servant will probably hesitate and devise a new plan, at least holding off on any direct action against Furina for the time being."
As an ardent supporter of Furina, Felina's protectiveness had reached an extreme level.
Although she couldn't legally charge the House of the Hearth, anyone who dared manipulate events to place Furina in danger would certainly face her retaliation.
"Now that the situation is clear, it's time to deal with Marcel first."
"As for the Servant—she can forget about me letting this go. Once I'm done with Marcel, it will be the Fatui's turn."
"When the time comes, I'll make sure she comes to Palais Mermonia personally to bow her head in apology to both me and Furina."
The room fell silent as Felina deliberated, and Chevreuse, not daring to interrupt, held her breath. She glanced at Felina now and then, noticing a flash of calculation and cold malice in her eyes.
As the captain of the Special Security and Surveillance Patrol, Chevreuse had faced many ruthless criminals, but she had never seen this kind of severity and scheming radiate from a deity.
In that moment, she was struck by the thought that this Furina before her seemed different from the one she knew.
She reflected on this and quickly came to an understanding.
Usually, Furina was cheerful and carefree, but come to think of it, she had never exhibited the unique qualities of a Archon.
But now, watching the girl seated before her in cold, intense silence, Chevreuse felt for the first time the pressure emanating from a god.
The atmosphere in the room was thick with tension, at least from Chevreuse's perspective.
Finally, after an indeterminate amount of time, Felina spoke.
The air of calculation and severity vanished, replaced by a bright smile as refreshing as a spring breeze.
"Thank you for waiting, Chevreuse."
Felina stood up. "The investigation seems to be complete."
"Now, I have one more task for you."
After giving Chevreuse a few instructions, Felina dismissed her.
Before she left, however, Felina handed her 100,000 Mora.
"Take this as a reward for you and your team."
"That's not right. Working for Lady Furina is our duty; accepting this isn't proper," Chevreuse replied.
Felina smiled and said, "Don't worry. This money is from my private stash, a personal bonus for you all, so it doesn't require approval from Maison Cardinalice' finance department."
"I've heard that the Special Security and Surveillance Patrol works tirelessly, especially you, often turning to high-calorie foods to relieve stress."
"This money is my personal gift to reward the Corps for your dedication. After this case is closed, you should all take turns going on a well-deserved break."
At this, a hint of surprise flickered across Chevreuse's face.
Very few people knew she used high-calorie foods to cope with stress, yet Felina had noticed it so easily.
Being under a god's watchful eye left her feeling both honored and stunned.
But Chevreuse wasn't particularly expressive, and she didn't know how to convey her current emotions. For someone like her, fulfilling her duties was likely the highest form of loyalty.
So she simply nodded and said, "Thank you, Lady Furina. I'll be sure to pass along your care and appreciation to my colleagues in the Special Security and Surveillance Patrol."
With that, Chevreuse turned and left.
Felina returned to her seat, confident that all was now in order, and all that remained was to wait for her target to take the bait.
Following Felina's instructions, Chevreuse headed straight for the Confrerie of Cabriere after leaving Palais Mermonia.
"This is the Confrerie of Cabriere. May I ask the reason for your visit?" asked the security guard at the door, blocking her path.
Chevreuse displayed her credentials. "I'm Captain Chevreuse of the Special Security and Surveillance Patrol. We have a case that requires your president's cooperation for an investigation. Please have him come out."
The guard hurried inside to report to Marcel.
The moment Marcel heard Chevreuse had come for him, cold sweat broke out across his back.
The assassination attempt on the deity was only a day ago, and now the head of the criminal investigation unit was at his door—how could he not feel alarmed?
He wanted to avoid seeing Chevreuse, but refusing to cooperate now would only make him look guilty.
"How many people did she bring?" he asked.
"She came alone, Captain Chevreuse herself."
Upon hearing that she was alone, he breathed a small sigh of relief, figuring that if she did suspect him, she likely didn't have any concrete evidence yet.
Otherwise, it wouldn't just be Chevreuse—it would be an entire squad of Gardemeks.
"What an honor to receive a visit from the Special Security and Surveillance Patrol' esteemed Captain Chevreuse. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Marcel greeted her at the entrance with a polite smile.
"It's nothing serious," Chevreuse replied, her expression impassive and her tone completely neutral—a professional habit that made it difficult for suspects to gauge her mood.
"You've probably heard about the assassination attempt on Lady Furina two nights ago?"
"Of course, everyone in Fontaine knows about it by now. I'm certainly aware," Marcel replied with a nod.
Chevreuse continued, "I'm here to investigate leads related to the case. The attack took place near the Confrerie of Cabriere, so I wanted to ask if you saw anything at the scene that night."
Marcel was an old fox, and he remained composed.
Scratching his head with a chuckle, he said, "To be honest with you, as I've gotten older, I've had more and more trouble sleeping. The night Lady Furina was attacked, I was up late in my third-floor office."
"It was very quiet at night, and I vaguely heard a scream, so I instinctively looked out the window and saw Lady Furina being attacked."
"I must say, even in a life-and-death struggle, Lady Furina's movements were as graceful as ever, just as captivating as her performances on stage."
"Hmm." Chevreuse nodded. "Did you notice any other suspicious individuals at the scene?"
"To be honest, seeing someone dissolve into water like that left me completely stunned. I can't recall any other details, so I apologize for not being of more help."
"Thank you for your cooperation," Chevreuse responded calmly, though a second later, she cast a sharp glance his way. Her gaze was as piercing as a blade, and Marcel stiffened under its intensity.
"President Marcel, you seem rather nervous."
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone