"Thud!"
"Order!"
As the people looked at the somewhat bewildered Furina and heckled her, amid the clamorous calls for her to prove she really was a capable Hydro Archon, Neuvillette felt his blood pressure soar. He struck the floor hard with the Ritual Sword and shouted.
An overwhelming pressure began to spread through the courtroom, turning some of the heckling Fontainians pale. They fell utterly silent, their bodies beginning to tremble.
After all, Neuvillette was an elemental dragon, and naturally possessed an oppressive draconic presence. He simply rarely used it.
"Mr. Tartaglia, please remember where you are. This is a courtroom, a place for trying cases!"
"If you wish to prove your innocence, please give a clear account of everything you did at Hotel Debord. If you truly are innocent, the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale will naturally deliver an appropriate verdict."
As Neuvillette spoke, he glanced with a complicated expression at Furina, who had shrunk back into her seat again, and secretly sighed.
He did not know just what Furina had been hiding all these years, and lately he had grown increasingly suspicious of her identity as the Hydro Archon.
He truly had never seen her wield any Hydro in all these years, but he had kept waiting for Furina to explain. Unfortunately, to his disappointment, she remained just as carefree even now, when faced with her people's doubts...
"Evidence? I'm not a professional lawyer. Why would I go out of my way to keep evidence?"
"All I remember is being hungry, so I went to Hotel Debord to fill my stomach without thinking much of it. But my excellent instincts told me there was something off about some of the staff. That immediately piqued my curiosity, so I decided to find out what those people were up to."
"Then