Yes, Lady Funina!

It should be understood that such rights are earned by countless students who work tirelessly day and night to compete with their peers. To grant such rights directly to a criminal would be far too unfair.

Even if the Fontainebleau Academy of Sciences is plagued by serious corruption and chaotic management, it can at least put on a show, right?

"While Ms. Furina's statement may contain a fallacy of equivocation, I must clarify that education in Mero Petersburg is the most basic form of education, designed to ensure that released criminals are self-reliant and do not return to a life of crime."

"In terms of teaching quality and content, it is definitely incomparable to the Ministry of Education."

"Moreover, as far as I know, there seem to be many people in the Sumeru Desert who cannot receive the corresponding basic education. It takes many years for each village to produce a student from the Academy of Teachings. I wonder what they would think if they knew about this?"

As expected of a veteran media professional, Richard's words, if published in Steam Wu or other influential media outlets, would surely cause even the most steadfast believers of Little Grass God to question their own deity.

However, Richard had a noble and kind soul and would not do such a thing. Not only that, he also kindly reminded Narcida to think more about this issue and not to be led astray by those with ulterior motives.

"Hiss, you know what..." Paimon gasped. From this perspective, Nasita's decision did seem to have been somewhat oversightd.

Imagine if someone with ulterior motives were to exploit this incident while the Little Grass God's regime is still unstable—the consequences would be...

Paimon felt a chill run down his spine just thinking about it, thankfully nothing like that happened.

However, although such a thing did not happen, the fact that these words came from Richard means that it is not impossible for it to happen.

Whether it will actually happen or not depends entirely on whether one of the people present wants to or not.

This is not referring to any one person specifically, because anyone present could actually do it if they wanted to.

It's just that some people are exceptionally capable, making things incredibly easy for them.

Richard tapped the ground with the scepter he had borrowed from Funina, pulling everyone back to reality.

“Ms. Nasita, you must be wary of those with ulterior motives,” Richard said gently with a warm smile.

"I'm sorry, I really didn't think things through," Nasita said with a serious expression.

If Nasita still doesn't understand the meaning after all this has been said, then she is not worthy of being the goddess of wisdom.

Richard meant two things. First, he had the power to shake Mount Sumeru, but he didn't use it not because he didn't have it, but because of Little Lucky Grass King.

Secondly, a mistake is a mistake, and it won't change just because you add a flower or try to whitewash it with morality.

"It seems like Narcida is completely at a disadvantage?" Paimon whispered to Ying.

“After all, Naxida is indeed in the wrong,” Ying replied.

"Should we help her?" Paimon asked again.

“We are merely witnesses,” Ying replied again.

Upon hearing this, Paimon fell silent and felt that what Ying said made a lot of sense.

They are not the main characters in the plays being performed here; their only role is to act as matchmakers. If they get involved any further, they will be overstepping their bounds.

After all, Richard had treated them well. Although he felt sorry for Nasita, it was clear that Richard's arguments were more convincing, and he could no longer speak up for Nasita, both publicly and privately.

"No need to apologize. After all, this is an internal matter of Sumeru. I, or rather Fontaine, have no intention of interfering in Sumeru's internal affairs. I am just expressing some superficial personal opinions."

"Please continue to discuss this matter amicably," Richard said, skillfully steer the conversation back on track.

"In light of your remarks, we can also guarantee that after the relevant personnel are extradited back to their home country, they will be given re-education to ensure they can be reformed and start anew." Yae no Miko's fox-like eyes narrowed slightly as she smiled knowingly.

Even the most broken weapon still has its uses. Even if it's rusted and the blade is no longer sharp, it can at least be melted down into iron, forged into steel, and used in production to contribute to the country.

However, Yae no Miko's words were still too aggressive, and the meaning she expressed was very clear.

That means whether they're stragglers or wanderers, if they fall into her hands, they're definitely not going to get a good outcome.

As the creator of the Scattered Soldiers, Shadow naturally had the means to 'reborn' them, but he hadn't done so before because he felt he owed them something for their creation.

Now that things have turned out this way, she does bear a large part of the responsibility, so she stepped forward this time and decided to settle the matter herself.

“I’m sorry, but I personally cannot accept such a proposal, and we are also willing to take responsibility for educating them,” Nasita said, shaking her head.

Nasita and Yae no Miko then engaged in a heated debate on this issue, each sticking to their own opinion.

It's not so much a consensus as it is a complete incompatibility.

One side talks about the hip joint, the other side talks about the city gate tower.

Although both sides are citing classical texts, it is clear that neither side intends to accept the other's opinion, and it seems unlikely that they will reach an agreement at present.

"Fire, don't you get the feeling that your biological mother is fighting with your stepmother for custody?" Paimon complained again.

“Indeed, but the dispute isn’t about custody, it’s about the right to dispose of the child,” Ying corrected slightly.

Nashida belongs to the conservative faction, while Yae no Miko belongs to the radical faction.

One thought there was still hope, while the other thought there was no hope and they should be sent back to the furnace for a fresh start.

The issue has shifted from dealing with criminals to a clash of ideologies.

Overall, the discussion has been relatively rational, and neither side has started trash-talking yet. After all, they are both decent people, and at most they will use the art of language to satirize each other.

Compared to the public verbal battles that Funina had witnessed in five hundred years, this was at best child's play.

However, given the identities of both parties, this debate is quite interesting.

While Funina watched with great interest, Fukaros was somewhat bewildered. She was unaware of the cause and effect, nor did she know what crimes the people in the audience had committed. She had been dragged here simply to join in the fun.

Navelette gleaned some insights from their conversation, but he was usually the one hosting, and sitting in the audience now felt a bit strange.

During a lull in the debate, Navelette suggested to Richard that in addition to asking both sides of the argument, they could also ask the person involved what they thought.

This is how Richard answered at the time:

"Good suggestion, but we should first understand..."

What is the definition of 'person'? Should the individual involved—a stragglers or a homeless person—be defined as a 'person' before we can ask for their thoughts?

Navelette found the answer somewhat abstract and decided to take another look.

Of course, we can't let this situation continue. Everyone's time is precious, and arguing like this clearly won't get us anywhere.

Both sides have their own reasons, and unless one side compromises, the argument will only end in discord.

First of all, it is certain that Inazuma's side will not compromise. In fact, they had already prepared for the worst when they came here.

If the desired outcome is not achieved in the end, then once the wanderer leaves the border of Fontainebleau, what awaits him is an unstoppable slash; the shadow has already locked onto the opponent's aura.

Even if Nasita helps cover it up, the other party will not be able to escape.

Ying knew the skirmishers too well; once their aura was locked, running away was useless.

If we're talking about who in this world understands the Skirmisher best, besides Skirmisher himself, it's probably his creator, Shadow, and then [Doctor] Dottore.

Oh, the timeline has been changed. In this timeline, the Doctor doesn't seem to have anything to do with the skirmishers. Oh well, that's fine.

In that case, the character behind the shadow should be Nasita, since she can read minds.

In this way, the person who will compromise is already quite obvious.

In fact, judging from Nasita's act of bringing the scattered troops to Fontaine, Nasita had already prepared to hand over the troops.

The reason they are unwilling to budge now is that Inazuma and the people of Fontainebleau have not made any substantial commitments.

A person can be handed over, but how to hand them over and what one can gain after handing them over are all debatable questions.

Did Nasita save the stragglers because they were kind, innocent, had noble souls, and the best intentions?

I doubt it. The reason for protecting the stragglers is simply these few points.

First, there is a shortage of personnel. Sumeru lacks manpower and is severely deficient in high-end combat capabilities compared to other countries.

Secondly, killing the stragglers wouldn't bring any benefit, so it would be better to let the other side try modifying the World Tree to observe the subsequent effects and verify whether the Fairy Tale Recording Method is effective.

Thirdly, leaving behind scattered soldiers can be used to deal with Sumeru's true enemy in the future, the Executor of the Fools [Doctor]. As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Even if the scattered soldiers have indeed harmed Sumeru's interests, as long as they can be used by him, they can be spared the death penalty.

Finally, it demonstrates the tolerance of the Little Auspicious Grass King, forgiving even stragglers and allowing those former subordinates who are not deeply involved with the Great Sage to work with peace of mind.

As long as you work hard, you won't be purged.

Li realized that Naxida must have left behind scattered soldiers for these reasons.

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that she is genuinely kind.

If it is the latter, Richard is worried about the future of Sumeru.

"Having said so much, let's hear what the parties involved have to say." Richard, seeing that the time was right, decided to release the scattered troops.

Some might ask, after all that's been said, why didn't Sanbing say anything? That's not like him at all.

Of course not, because Richard had isolated the person from the very beginning.

It wasn't exactly isolation; it was just a matter of using some methods to allow the skirmishers to see everything happening around them, but not to hear or make any sounds.

Simply put, it means muting your microphone.

Now Richard turned on the microphone for the stragglers, so everyone could hear what the person involved had to say.

"Oh? Is there something I need to do?" The soldier raised an eyebrow, a look of surprise on his face, but more so of impatience.

"I thought you would just discuss it amongst yourselves and then arbitrarily accuse me of something to end this farce."

“Fontaine is a righteous country, so naturally they wouldn’t do such a thing,” Richard replied.

"Ha, a land of justice? Is justice just a bunch of wicked former magistrates sitting on a high platform to judge me?" The stragglers looked at Richard with disdain.

I think this guy in front of me is all talk about benevolence and morality, but he's nothing but a hypocrite in disguise.

“First, I must correct you on one point. I did spend some time in Winter, but I was not an executive officer of the Fools,” Richard said calmly.

"As for being utterly wicked, that's out of the question. Queen Winter gave me what I wanted, and I fulfilled her wishes. The Fools were merely a byproduct of this process. At least when I was still with the Fools, their reputation wasn't like it is now." Li noticed that the soldiers were somewhat blatantly lying.

Back when he was still in winter, the Fools were not the universally reviled troublemakers they are today; all their actions were justified.

Regardless of the purpose, from a moral standpoint alone, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.

Of course, the doctor's actions were a personal matter, and in fact, Richard imposed quite severe sanctions on him.

Richard did most of the dissections on the other side. From this perspective, he might actually be the benefactor of the stragglers.

Back then, the stragglers still considered the PhD one of their own, and didn't really respect him.

"Does donning the guise of righteousness make one's actions truly just?" the straggler sneered.

“I need to correct one of your points, Scaramucci. I have never claimed to be righteous; I have only said that Fontaine is a righteous country.” Richard’s attitude remained mild, revealing no emotion.

“Moreover, whatever I do, no matter what my intentions are, usually ends up being a good thing. But whatever you do, no matter what your intentions are, usually ends up being a tragedy.” Richard sighed, as if lamenting the fate of the stragglers.

"You!" The stragglers felt a surge of anger rising in their chests, an urge they had to vent.

"I'm just telling the truth. Those who can't accept it should reflect on the reasons themselves."

Richard is still firing!

"Or do you think that by changing your appearance and identity, you can erase all your past sins? You haven't even experienced 'death'."

Looking at the scattered soldiers who seemed to have turned red, Paimon couldn't help but sigh:

"This is the first time I've seen him like this. I feel like he wasn't this angry when he was facing the Doctor in his memories at the World Tree before."

"Lies don't hurt, but the truth is the sharpest knife," Ying offered her assessment.

"But what I didn't expect was that Richard would be such a good talker?"

“Indeed, in my memory he doesn’t seem to talk much, but thinking about it carefully, it’s normal for him to have such eloquence, given that he could fight Yae no Kami to a standstill.” Paimon shrugged.

"Little one, I heard everything, didn't I?" Yae no Miko gave Paimon a kind smile.

"Bullyed? I...I...she was involved too!" Paimon hid behind Ying, indicating that he wasn't the only one who thought so.

Ying showed a speechless expression, but didn't seem to care.

"Your surprise stems from a lack of understanding of Richard. When it comes to sharp tongue, at least in Inazuma, as far as I know, no one can match him," Yae no Miko said calmly.

"You're no match for him either?" Paimon found it hard to believe.

“It was true before, but it’s not anymore,” Yae no Miko said.

"Deceive? Is it because Richard has improved?" Paimon asked, looking clueless.

“No, it’s because he can gag himself now,” Yae no Miko said quietly.

"Gag? What do you mean? Are you saying I can't let you speak?" Paimon was somewhat confused.

But Ying, who was standing to the side, seemed to understand. Her face flushed slightly, and she reached out to cover Paimon's mouth, stopping her from continuing.

Stop talking, stop talking, or we won't be able to broadcast it.

Paimon struggled to break free from Ying's restraints and said to Yae no Miko: