At an Impasse

Do you have anything to say?

"No further words, please proceed immediately."

Clorinde stood with her sword in hand, the metal blade reflecting the cold white light of the courtroom. Callas had long since exhausted himself; he knelt on one knee on the hard stone bricks, his sword in one hand propping him up against the ground, barely supporting his swaying body.

Callas slowly raised his eyes, looked past the noisy crowd, and gazed at the audience. His gaze landed precisely on Navia, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"Navia, close your eyes!"

The moment he finished speaking, Xingsu raised his hand and gently covered Navia's eyes.

Navia tensed instantly, her soft sobs caught in her throat, she bit her lip, trying her best not to cry out, but her thin body trembled slightly.

The longsword pierced Callas ' heart cleanly and swiftly, leaving him with no further pain.

For a moment, all seemed to fall silent, but after a brief silence, the crowd in the gallery suddenly erupted in thunderous, frenzied cheers, the shouts sweeping across the entire courtroom.

"Good! Unjust Callas! He deserves to go to hell!"

"Well done, Clorinde! Another sinner has been killed!"

"Fontaine! Long live justice! Long live Furina!"

fervent praises rose and fell, each voice cheering for this just trial.

Warm tears rolled down Navia's long eyelashes, one drop after another, soaking into Xingsu's palm.

Scalding hot, heavy, and suffocating.

"Melus, Silver, take the young lady away from here."

Upon hearing the sound, the two people standing by bowed and quickly stepped forward, gently supporting Navia, who was trembling slightly, on either side, and led her away from the Opera Epiclese.

He silently surveyed the fallen figures in the courtroom, listening to the deafening hymns of justice chanted by the crowd, and let out a low sneer.

"Fuck justice."

So many years have passed, and Fontaine's pursuit of justice remains as noisy, as dramatic, and as... attention-seeking as ever.

As if sensing something, Clorinde looked up at the audience, only to see a figure walking further and further away.

Outside the opera house, twilight deepened, and a light, cold rain pattered against the delicate stone railings of Fontaine.

Melus and Silver led Navia out of the bustling Opera Epiclese. The emotions that had been suppressed to the extreme collapsed completely the moment they were away from the frenzied cheers.

The Damselette collapsed to the ground, her thin shoulders trembling violently. The grievances she had been holding back, which she had bitten her lip so hard, finally broke free and turned into a heart-wrenching cry.

"Young Miss... please pull yourself together."

"Young Miss..."

Melus and Silver stood to the side, their faces grave, offering Navia only weak words of comfort.

Xingsu followed slowly behind, raising her hand to signal the two to step back first. Melus and Silver exchanged a glance, and finally retreated to the corridor, leaving the two a quiet space.

Navia lowered her head, hot tears streaming down her face, her voice hoarse and barely audible. "He's innocent... My father... he's completely innocent... How could he possibly kill someone..."

"Everyone is cursing him, everyone is cheering... why?"

"He's been protecting Poisson all along, he's been protecting us... why are they finding him guilty?"

"Clorinde... why is Clorinde also...?"

"Why... why..."

She murmured questions over and over, questioning the utterly absurd trial and the unjust fate of the world. Her body was curled up, like a child abandoned by the whole world, helpless and desperate.

Xingsu reached out and gently patted her shoulder.

"I know, Mr. Callas isn't that kind of person. He didn't do anything wrong."

Navia buried her head, tears streaming down her face even more profusely. "But he's gone... Everyone calls him a sinner, he'll never come back..."

"He's here." Xingsu lowered his eyes to look at Navia, who was crying her eyes out. "He lives in the hearts of everyone he protected in Poisson, and he lives in your heart."

"Today, all the slander, all the defamation, all the unjust verdicts are just labels imposed by others. Navia, if you want to clear your father's name, then pull yourself together now."

Xingsu reached out and gently pulled Navia up, placing his hands firmly on her shoulders, forcing her to look up and meet his gaze.

"Everyone in Poisson surely believes that Callas has been framed, but Poisson is currently leaderless. Only you have the prestige and ability to unite everyone."

He reached out his fingertips and gently wiped away the tears streaming down her face.

"Your father dedicated his life to the Spina di Rosula, and you don't want his hard work to go to waste, right, Navia?"

Navia stared at him blankly, tears still streaming down her face, but a faint glimmer of light slowly appeared in her bewildered eyes.

"Come on, you haven't eaten all day, do you even care about your health? You need to eat to have the strength to clear Callas's name."

Having said that, he turned to look at Melus and Silver, who had stepped aside, and raised his voice to give the order:

"Melus, Silver! You two take Miss Navia to Court of Fontaine for a bite to eat first. Once Navia is full, I'll go with you to keep things going."

Upon hearing this, Melus and Silver exchanged another silent glance, lowering their whispers to a level only the two of them could hear.

"Why does it feel like he's the president of the Spina di Rosula?"

"Mr. Callas instructed us that we could trust him... Let's do as he says."

Without further hesitation, the two quickly stepped forward. Melus gently took Navia's arm, while Silver carefully protected her from slipping on the wet cobblestones.

Navia's eyes were still red, but she understood that Xingsu was right, so she raised her head and walked step by step out of the corridor.

Before leaving, she looked at Xingsu with teary eyes one last time.

Xingsu nodded gently to her, silently giving her a promise.

Watching Navia's figure disappear into the distance, Xingsu sighed.

"Well..."

"Oh, Callas, you 'Callas really found me a great job."

Just a week ago, Callas had specially invited him to dinner to discuss Navia's future, but now...

"What? Fontaine is so famous, the Morning Star that punishes evil and upholds justice, are you just going to leave this old man to die like this?" Callas crossed his arms and looked at the young man in front of him, chuckling softly.

"That's not what I meant. Of course I can help you gather evidence, but about Navia... how do you expect me to bring that up?"

Callas paused for a moment, then shook his head. "My illness is a family matter between me and Navia. I will tell her everything myself when she has truly grown up and is able to shoulder the responsibilities of the Spina di Rosula Society president."

I have only one request: please help her personally deal with the culprit behind this. Firstly, it will bring her sufficient prestige; secondly, it will give her some experience and training. She will eventually have to confront the darkness and injustice in Court of Fontaine.

"Alright, I grant your request. You provide the clues, and I'll gather the evidence. It'll be a way to rid Fontaine of a menace." Xingsu raised his glass and downed it in one gulp.