"Did you... save all of them?"
After Navia left, Furina looked at Ellin.
Fontaine would be submerged beneath the sea, and its people would dissolve in the water. That was the prophecy decreed by the Heavenly Principles.
Yet what Ellin had just done clearly went against that prophecy.
That made Furina lower her guard a little.
"Mm-hmm."
Ellin tilted her head and smiled. "As you can see."
Now it was Furina's turn to be confused.
"Why did you save them?"
"Hm? Do I need a reason to save people?"
Ellin's matter-of-fact question gave Furina pause.
Although she had lowered her guard, it was only by a tiny bit.
Even though Ellin had saved the people of Poisson, Furina could not possibly let down her guard completely and trust her.
She could not be sure this was not a scheme Ellin had devised to gain her trust and find proof that she was only pretending to be the Hydro Archon.
Perhaps that suspicion was a little unfair, but as mentioned before, they bore the lives of millions on their shoulders. They could not afford the slightest rashness or misplaced trust.
If the truth came out, five hundred years of perseverance would all be for nothing.
She had no chance to start over. She only had one shot.
To her, this was both a responsibility and a mission. Even if she had to be a bad person who doubted someone's good intentions, she would do it without hesitation.
Regardless, she was at least less wary of Ellin than before. Though she was unwilling to bare her heart to her, she was now willing to talk.
"You said earlier that you knew me very well. Is that true?" she asked quietly.
"Yes, it is."
Ellin nodded slightly. "Your past, your experiences, your pain