Chapter 257: Chapter 257: Furina: “What Do You Mean ‘It Doesn’t Matter’?”

You’re me?

Then who am I?

Nahida stared at the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata in shock, completely unable to process what she was seeing.

“That’s strange…”

“You were the one who came in here yourself—so why do you look so confused?”

Seeing that Nahida still hadn’t reacted, Rukkhadevata grew puzzled as well.

She reached out and gently touched Nahida’s face.

“What’s going on? Didn’t you come here on your own? And the purification of the World Tree—wasn’t that what you were doing?”

When she first saw Nahida, she had been happy, believing her “daughter” was the one who had accomplished all this.

But now that she looked closer… something felt off.

This Nahida looked far too dazed.

“I… I was thrown in here…”

Nahida felt deeply wronged. She didn’t even know where this place was—she had just been tossed in.

But if the other party was talking about the World Tree…

Did that mean she had been thrown into the World Tree?

She looked behind Rukkhadevata at the towering tree, then back at the girl in front of her—someone who looked exactly like herself.

“You’re… the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata?”

Seeing Nahida finally come to her senses, Rukkhadevata smiled with relief.

“So you’ve figured it out, you little muddlehead~”

Yet Nahida didn’t feel happy at all.

Instead, her heart sank even further.

If the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was still here…

didn’t that mean Sumeru didn’t need her at all?

“Hm? Why do you look even sadder now?”

Inside the Oratrice Mécanique d’Analyse Cardinale.

Arlecchino suddenly pushed herself free from Furina’s embrace.

Furina, who had been enjoying it just moments ago, looked puzzled.

“What’s wrong? Why so sudden?”

She hadn’t resisted at all before—why react so strongly now?

“He’s here.”

A combat puppet was still, at its core, a machine.

Even though Arlecchino had developed a sense of self, she could still connect to the network.

She had just received a message—from her Father.

“He? Who?”

“A member of the Genius Society—Rank 85.

My creator. My master. My father.”

Now that Su Ran had arrived, she no longer had the mood to stay here with Furina.

“Your father… is he the one you said could be the prophecy?”

Furina’s expression grew serious.

No matter how lovingly Arlecchino spoke of him from a daughter’s perspective, that didn’t mean he would be kind to outsiders.

“She is.”

“And he’s coming to Fontaine.

No—more precisely, he’s already arrived.”

The combat puppets didn’t often meet Su Ran in person, but they stayed in frequent contact.

That was the convenience of a network.

Sumeru’s people would probably understand this best.

“But… can he really do it?”

It wasn’t that Furina looked down on him.

The problem was that the burden she carried was far too heavy.

She had already gambled too much.

She couldn’t afford to gamble more.

One wrong step—and everything would collapse.

Giving away the Gnosis didn’t really matter; it wasn’t tied to the Hydro Archon’s throne.

But if she personally revealed herself to meet Fatui Harbinger…

She might expose her plan.

She couldn’t risk that.

She wouldn’t risk that.

“Unless the Heavenly Principles are stronger than him,” “there’s no reason he can’t.”

And even then—was Celestia really that strong?

For an Emanator, destroying a star was trivial.

And a Nous-aligned Emanator was terrifying not just because of power— but because of my intellect.

If anything, Su Ran might be the most suitable existence—

second only to an Abundance Emanator— to solve Fontaine’s curse.

“But Celestia is very strong!”

No matter how many wars Teyvat had endured—the victor was always Celestia.

Even Snezhnaya, despite its rebellious intent, still didn’t dare declare open war.

Instead, they were collecting the Gnosis.

Doesn’t that say enough?

“No matter how strong, it’s still weaker than an Emanator— let alone multiple Emanators.”

Arlecchino was confident.

If her Father came personally, what was there to fear from Celestia?

“You keep saying Emanators are strong, but you’ve never seen Celestia yourself.

How can you be so sure it isn’t stronger?”

Furina felt like this little Arlecchino was trying to brainwash her.

She kept repeating how powerful her father was—

but strength still needed proof.

Celestia had won the War of the Thrones.

It was the direct superior of the Seven.

“If Celestia were truly that strong, it wouldn’t be hiding in this tiny world.”

If it were that powerful, why not roam the stars?

Why hide on this backwater planet, playing god over humans?

“…Anyway, I’m not going out.

And I won’t take the risk of meeting him.”

At the end of the day, she still didn’t feel safe.

After being confined here for so many years…

Did she want to go outside?

Of course she did.

But the price was unacceptable.

Furina had endured five hundred years of loneliness and performance.

If she stepped out now—all of that suffering would have been meaningless.

“It’s fine. Father is somewhat interested in you,”

“but he prefers Furina more—so whether he meets you or not doesn’t really matter.”

Arlecchino didn’t insist that Furina come with her.

Whether Furina showed herself or not—

it didn’t matter.

When the time came, she would reveal herself anyway.

“???”

That casual, dismissive attitude finally struck Furina’s nerves.

What do you mean he prefers Furina more?!

What do you mean meeting her doesn’t matter?!

Is she not Furina herself?!

Even if her divinity and humanity were separated—they were still fundamentally the same person!

Still, she quickly calmed down.

She was angry—furious, even—but not enough to lose her reason.

In the end, she walked up to little Arlecchino and pinched her cheeks hard.

If she couldn’t deal with your father—she could at least deal with you.

“…Childish.”

After Furina finished venting her frustration, that was all little Arlecchino said.

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