Chapter 103: A Spectator’s Intuition

Chapter 103: A Spectator’s Intuition

How could this be… Even if Xio and Fors had not been delayed at all and kept up a relatively fast pace the whole way, they would still need at least fifteen minutes to reach the nearest Evernight church… Fortunately, I was cautious enough. I prayed in advance for Mr. Fool to bestow an angelic blessing, and just now I really did hypnotize Xio and Fors… Thoughts rose and fell in Audrey’s mind in an instant, only to be swiftly suppressed by her.

First, her gaze was vacant; then it revealed a look of realization, as though she had finally awakened from a long dream and remembered all the things that had previously been forgotten and ignored.

“Mr. Rambis, why are you here…” Audrey deliberately made her voice sound slightly drifting, as though she were still somewhat immersed in a hazy dream.

As she spoke, she relied on a Psychiatrist’s control over her own emotions, allowing the unavoidable sliver of anxiety to flash by like a normal thought, without causing the slightest abnormality.

This unexpected change left her uncertain how to proceed afterward.

Without question, she understood that what she had to do first was deal with Hvin Rambis’s coming questions, without letting this demigod develop even the slightest suspicion. But if that was all she did, he might leave in three to five minutes, while Xio and Fors definitely would not yet have entered an Evernight church and completed the step of misdirection. At that point, forcefully igniting the hat ornament and summoning The World would very easily leave flaws in the ending, preventing the hidden danger from being truly resolved.

No. I would rather miss the chance than push the plan forward when preparations are incomplete… Patience, endurance, and caution are the key words of the mysterious world… At least for a long time, Hvin Rambis will only use me, not directly harm me. Even if he wants me to marry a prince, the entire process would take at least half a year. I still have enough time to wait for a second, third, even fourth or fifth chance… The only problem is that I need to inform Xio and Fors, so they can quickly and truly hide themselves… As Audrey’s eyes returned to normal, faintly revealing vigilance and fear, she swiftly reached a decision.

After observing her reaction and hearing her question, Hvin Rambis smiled.

“This should be the first time you have truly hypnotized others. I was worried an accident might occur, so I specially came to the scene and waited. Heh-heh. Given your background, you indeed have very few opportunities to use this kind of ability in daily life…”

His voice was gentle, containing concern. Before she knew it, the vigilance and fear in Audrey’s eyes began melting away bit by bit.

And within Audrey’s mind world, she once again experienced the feeling that her consciousness had split apart, with part of it rising upward and overlooking the “island” and the “sea.”

This allowed her to clearly realize that the goodwill and sense of security she had just developed were both the result of guidance.

Seeing that Audrey’s state had returned to normal, Hvin Rambis nodded lightly.

“How did they answer your questions just now?”

Audrey said frankly,

“Xio said that investigating Viscount Stratford and pursuing the king’s secret came from her own will. She has always been filled with doubt about the cause of her father’s death. Her father was the former royal guards captain, Earl Mason Dill…

“However, she also mentioned that her actions had received the protection of a certain existence.”

While answering, Audrey’s words almost paused. This was because, below the spiritual sky, the “her” that was overlooking the island of consciousness and the sea of the mind saw a figure swiftly climb up from the seabed. Along stairs that had manifested there, that figure pierced through the domain of the subconscious and stepped onto the island of her Mind Body.

The figure wore a black three-piece suit and had a head full of silver hair. It was clearly another Hvin Rambis.

There was not the slightest smile on that Hvin Rambis’s face. His air was extremely gloomy and sinister. Part of his skin was covered in grayish-white scales, while his eyes had not only turned from pale blue to golden, but had also become vertical, like those of some kind of animal.

If not for having experienced something similar before, Audrey, at this exceptionally tense moment, might not have been able to pretend she had discovered nothing, preventing her words from breaking off or stuttering.

In the real world, Hvin Rambis watched Audrey’s pure and beautiful face with a smile and asked further,

“The protection of which existence?”

Audrey shook her head, and her island of consciousness changed accordingly.

“The moment that matter was mentioned, Xio and Fors became extremely resistant. They showed signs of breaking free from the hypnosis, so I did not dare pursue the question.”

Of course, the protection of a certain existence can mean Mr. Fool’s attention, but it can also be understood as the Goddess’s gaze… The Audrey who remained awake below the spiritual sky muttered soundlessly to herself.

Hvin Rambis continued questioning her about the details of the hypnosis just now.

Two or three minutes later, he nodded in satisfaction.

“Not bad. You truly possess sufficient talent for hypnosis. Once the recent matters are over, I will give you the Dreamwalker potion and personally preside over the ritual for you.

“Mm. Do not be too resistant to love and marriage. You are not yet twenty. This is exactly the age when you should pursue such things. Your charm is enough to win everyone’s affection. You can freely enjoy their gazes and their attempts to please you…”

Hvin Rambis used indirect suggestion and guidance to reduce Audrey’s resistance toward love and marriage little by little.

This hateful fellow… Below the spiritual sky, Audrey puffed out her cheeks and muttered angrily, while manipulating the version of herself on the island of consciousness to show a little bashfulness and longing.

Hvin Rambis followed his gradual theory and did not think he could succeed all at once. Seeing her reaction, he withdrew the consciousness that had invaded her Mind Body, letting the illusory version of himself leave that island.

His real body then said instead,

“Forget the words I just spoke. They are thoughts produced spontaneously by your own heart.

“When I leave this place and my back disappears from your sight, you will forget that I came.”

Hearing these words, the Audrey below the spiritual sky could not help secretly breathing out in relief, because this meant Hvin Rambis was about to leave.

Although only five minutes or so had passed since he appeared, not enough for Xio and Fors to enter the nearest Evernight church, Audrey still desperately hoped that Hvin Rambis would leave as soon as possible. Remaining together with a demigod of the Spectator domain brought pressure that was almost unimaginable.

There will be other opportunities. As long as I retain my own consciousness, there will be opportunities. Audrey, do not be dejected. Do not be impatient… Audrey silently comforted herself, watching Hvin Rambis turn and walk toward the hall.

She did not relax. She did not exhale. She worked hard to maintain a normal state.

Suddenly, Hvin Rambis stopped. He turned his head, narrowed his pale-blue eyes, and looked at Audrey.

“When you first saw me, why were you so afraid?”

…Was I too surprised at the time, so a sliver of emotion slipped past my concealment? Audrey felt her scalp beneath her golden hair tingle slightly. Her thoughts moved swiftly, and outwardly, she asked in puzzlement,

“Was I?

“Is that not very normal? When someone suddenly appears beside you, a moment of fright is unavoidable.”

Hvin Rambis nodded, seeming to accept this explanation. He sized Audrey up for a couple of moments, then suddenly spoke again:

“In the past, you always carried a jewelry-type mystical item that could change its shape. Why are you not wearing it today?”

To a Spectator, this was a somewhat abnormal detail.

Oh no… I clearly kept Lie hidden beneath my clothes most of the time. How could he discover that I am not wearing it this one time… Did he secretly read some of my memories? Memories I did not protect in order to appear normal… Facing Hvin Rambis’s question, Audrey felt as though even her thoughts were about to freeze.

The reason she had not worn Lie was very simple: she feared that the accessory would magnify her emotions, making it impossible to completely hide her true thoughts while facing a demigod of the Spectator pathway.

And that meant she had foreseen she might encounter Hvin Rambis today—something that should neither happen nor be possible under normal circumstances!

In an instant, Audrey grasped a spark of inspiration. She smiled blankly.

“It magnifies my emotions and lowers the success rate of hypnosis. In order to prevent any accidents just now, I removed it beforehand.”

Hvin Rambis nodded lightly.

“So that is how it is…”

Just as Audrey’s heart relaxed slightly, this demigod of the Spectator pathway suddenly narrowed his eyes.

“If it were only this matter alone, there would indeed be no reason to suspect anything. But when combined with the fear that slightly exceeded the normal limit when you first saw me, it does not seem so simple…”

As he spoke, Hvin Rambis’s pale-blue eyes turned vertical and were rapidly dyed a gold-like color.

Inside those two golden vertical pupils, the image of Audrey in riding clothes was reflected clearly.

With a hum, Audrey’s thoughts became extremely muddled. Only the “her” beneath the spiritual sky barely maintained a shred of clarity.

Around her island of consciousness, the sea of the mind surged with a roar, its waves rising high and covering over.

At the same time, the gloomy and sinister illusory Hvin Rambis returned to the island, stopping in the part below the seawater. One grayish-white dragon scale after another flew into the island’s foundation—the enormous domain of the human subconscious.

Audrey immediately felt her thoughts twist. She wanted to open her mouth and tell everything, confessing all of her secrets.

Relying on the clarity of the “her” under the spiritual sky, she barely controlled herself and did not reveal anything hidden. She also knew that if this continued, something would definitely go wrong. She hurriedly gathered a small number of thoughts and, with the angelic blessing and divided consciousness, prevented Hvin Rambis from noticing.

Those small number of thoughts included reaching her hand into her left pocket.

At that moment, the Hvin Rambis who had invaded her mind world grew even gloomier. He gave a cold snort.

“There is indeed a problem!”

If there were no problem, Audrey would now have started from the most important matters and told him every secret and every private matter she possessed. She would not have remained silent!

Likewise, because this manipulation had been too rapid, Audrey had no time to sort through all her secrets. Even if she wished to conceal something, the moment she opened her mouth, he would discover whether she still maintained consciousness.

Having confirmed the abnormality, Hvin Rambis hesitated no longer. His gaze became extremely cold, and grayish-white scales covered his skin.

The storm over the sea of the mind suddenly intensified. Audrey below the spiritual sky tottered.

Her final defense in the domain of consciousness was rapidly weakened under wave after wave of assault and was about to shatter.

“Hmph!” Hvin Rambis once again increased the force of the psychic storm, satisfied as he sensed Audrey’s entire island of consciousness begin to sway.

This meant he was about to take complete control of her!

At that moment, an ancient, awkward word sounded beside his ear:

“Fate!”

In the real world, Hvin Rambis lifted his head in shock. He saw Audrey’s emerald eyes dye themselves with the brightest and most enchanting gold.