Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 772: Confrontation between spectators

Before preparing to hold this salon for psychology enthusiasts, Audrey discussed with Angel how to conceal the fact that she had been freed from hypnosis. In addition to asking Mr. Fool for an angel's blessing, the most important thing was to guess the content of the hypnosis.

There are two difficulties here: one is the "hypnosis" content, and the other is who will "trigger" it.

Since her memory before and after being released from hypnosis had not changed, Audrey guessed that the person who actually performed the hypnosis was not Hampres, whom she had contacted, but Hvin Rambis who was hiding behind the scenes. In this case, the latter was unlikely to design some instructions that would require him to wake up in person, but would continue to use the identity of Hampres to obtain intelligence in daily contact.

In view of this, the content of "hypnosis" is most likely to make her obey Hampres's orders when she is alone with him, or to make her obey his orders after being "awakened" by a special sentence pattern.

Obviously, this imperative sentence "Report your findings" is an instruction implanted in Audrey's mind.

Therefore, she immediately put on a slightly dull expression, nodded obediently, and said with a smile:

"After investigation, I found several suspicious points about Miss Christine Theresa."

Hampres nodded with satisfaction, and changed his posture to be more comfortable. He looked towards the door from time to time to prevent outsiders from interrupting their conversation, and said:

"continue."

"Yes, she claimed that she invested in the maritime transportation industry in Intis and made a lot of money. Because she is from Loen, she returned to Backlund to settle down. But after investigation, I found many loopholes in her resume. For example, her open industry is not that profitable. She must have hidden many businesses in secret. For example, she is suspected of having dealings with Trier's underground forces. And... she should be a Beyonder."

When Hampres heard the first two obvious conclusions, he didn't care much, but the last sentence made him sit up slightly straighter and his expression became serious:
"How did you confirm this?"

"From various clues, such as when Baron Sindras tried to commit suicide in her home, her power is greater than mine. You know, I have been promoted to 'Hypnotist' and possess..."

Audrey continued to analyze in a calm tone, but was interrupted by Hampres:
"Wait, you've been promoted to Sequence 6?"

"Yes."

There was a hint of joy in Audrey's expression, as if she was sharing her little secret with a good friend.

The Beyonder, who had spent eight years to become a "psychologist", had a changing expression on his face. He opened and closed his mouth, as if he wanted to ask her how she did it, but in the end he just sighed.

"Go on...just state your conclusion without any analysis."

Sure enough, after learning that I had been promoted to Sequence 6, Mr. Hampres was a little overwhelmed. He subconsciously thought that I might break free from the "hypnosis" in advance, so that I could skip the unimportant content and finish the "report" as soon as possible... Audrey seemed to have another self in her heart calmly "narrating", allowing her to stay focused and communicate with the other party while being hypnotized, while throwing out the bait that she had prepared long ago.

She did not dare to use any extraordinary abilities on this member of the Psychological Alchemy Society who would most likely meet Hvin Rambis later, so she could only use her rich experience to provide verbal guidance.

At least it's much easier to deal with than those noble ladies with deep hatred and deep grudges... The other Audrey muttered in her heart, while the "her on the surface" continued:

"I think she is somewhat similar to the wanted Baroness Langdon and Viscountess Cross. She has a special charm in her gestures and likes to get close to unmarried men, but I don't know which potion channel that is."

"Do you feel similarly about her yourself?"

Hampres suddenly took over the topic and asked back.

"...Yes, Christine makes me want to be close to her. I even miss her a little when I haven't seen her for a long time..."

Audrey answered honestly, her face flushed with shyness.

This was not a lie, of course, it was mainly to make the other party fall into the trap that she and Angel had discussed in advance and think in the guided direction.

Sure enough, Hampres looked serious and thoughtful. After a moment, he nodded and said:

"I understand. No wonder Sindras did those things in her residence, causing our plan to fail..."

He immediately sat up straight, his expression became calm again, and he said in a commanding tone:
"Audrey, here are the new instructions: Stop investigating Christine Theresa, pay attention to your father, Earl Hall's relationship with Baron Sinderas, and covertly investigate the reasons why he joined the new party and the content of the agreement, but do not expose yourself."

"Yes, I understand."

Audrey nodded with dull eyes, like a rigid machine.

But the other Audrey in her heart snorted and shook her head:

"This instruction is too blunt. If it were me, I would definitely use a more tactful way to 'persuade' the target to accept my commission."

But she also knew that because the person who "hypnotized" her and the person who issued the order were not the same person, Hampres could only order her in such a dull way instead of implanting hints in the chat. Seeing that she behaved normally, Hampres smiled and nodded, stood up from the sofa, and continued:

"Audrey, forget all the conversations we had after I came in except for the new instructions, and treat these instructions as the actions you expect in your heart."

After that, he immediately pretended to have just entered the room, adjusted his tuxedo, slowly sat back on the sofa, adjusted his bow tie, and said to Audrey, who seemed to have just woken up, with a cheerful face:
"Ms. Audrey, you took the initiative to invite me to the salon this time. I think you want to introduce your mastery of potions, right?"

"Yes, Mr. Hampres, I want to share a good news with you: I have become a 'hypnotist'."

Audrey's eyes gradually regained their vitality, sparkling like bright gems.

----

After escaping from the encirclement of the ladies and young ladies, Angel dismissed a few young men without leaving a trace, and came to the corner of the hall with a cup of fragrant coffee. He yawned as if he was a little tired, squinted his eyes and sat on a single sofa.

She took a sip of coffee produced in the Saint-Desi Mountain of Fennepot, shielding her face with the curling hot steam. The purple in one of her eyes deepened slightly, and she entered the magic mirror divination state, showing the scene in the reception room in the side hall.

Angel smiled and felt relieved as he watched Audrey, after pretending to be in a hypnotic state, throw out the answers they had designed, and even proactively admit that she had been promoted to Sequence 6, interrupting the other party's questioning.

At the same time, she was also using the glass windows and decorative mirrors around the villa to constantly patrol the entire building and all places in the nearby gardens, ruling out the possibility that Hervin Rambis, a member of the Psychological Alchemist Council, was hiding in these places.

Of course, Angel thought that this "manipulator" who liked to hide behind the scenes was unlikely to take the initiative to enter Earl Hall's house. After all, this place was under the protection of the Church of Night, with official extraordinary people stationed here and the archbishop visiting in person from time to time. With the caution of an "audience", he would only let Hampres come to "step on the landmine".

And deep inside the mind of this bait, there must be some hints he has set up, so that even if his identity is exposed and he is arrested by the Nighthawks, he will not reveal everything about Hvin Rambis.

Therefore, when he noticed that the conversation with Audrey was coming to an end, Angel stopped paying attention to the situation around him and stood up again. He took two glasses of sparkling wine from the waiter's tray, which were a bit too stimulating for the afternoon salon, and walked towards the side hall, where he "coincidentally" bumped into Stephen Hampres who was walking there.

"Mr. Hampres, is Miss Audrey over there?" She handed over the wine glass in her hand, winked and said teasingly, "Everyone in the salon is waiting for the owner here, you must not monopolize her."

The thirty-year-old unmarried gentleman took the glass calmly and replied with a chuckle:

"I just discussed some academic issues with Miss Audrey. Her beauty is so dazzling that I dare not keep her to myself."

As he spoke, Audrey appeared from behind him. When she saw Angel, she smiled happily and took the initiative to step forward and greet him.

Hampres gave the two young ladies some space to be alone with a faint smile, then walked back to the salon and watched other guests discussing something in groups of two or three. Like a "spectator" watching everything, he no longer paid attention to what was happening behind him. He raised his glass and took a sip of the stimulating sparkling wine.

Between his pursed lips, a streak of light red blood mixed with the wine, and disappeared instantly as soon as it touched the wine glass, as if it had never existed.

----

In the evening, Stephen Hampres returned to his home in Hillston, changed out of his tuxedo and slim shirt, put on loose room clothes, went to the living room, and asked the maid to bring him a cup of coffee.

Neither of them noticed that there was an old man sitting quietly on the sofa opposite the door. He was wearing a shirt and vest, striped blue trousers, had gray hair, and had a gentle and elegant temperament.

After sending the maid away and asking her to close the door, Hampres sat naturally on another sofa, sniffing the aroma of coffee and looking around boredly, as if he just realized that it was a bit unnatural for him to stay in the living room as soon as he got home.

What should I do... With a confused look in his eyes, he scanned the furnishings in the living room, and suddenly, his sight was focused on the old man.

"Your Excellency, Commissioner."

As if he suddenly discovered the other person, Hampres's eyes fixed, he came to his senses, stood up swayingly, lowered his head and greeted.

Without any politeness, the royal advisor, one of the members of the Psychological Alchemy Council, "Manipulator" Hvin Rambis quickly got to the point:

"Sit down, did the contact go well today?"

"Yes, after I was alone with her and started by addressing her by her first name, she became 'submissive' and reported to me the latest progress of the investigation."

Hampres sat back on the sofa stiffly, conveyed Audrey's words to the old man in front of him, and then frowned and said:

“I think, based on her description, Christine Theresa is most likely a…

"...The Witch of Pleasure."

(End of this chapter)