Clash Between Spectators

Before hosting this salon for psychology enthusiasts, Audrey had discussed with Angel how to conceal the fact that she had broken free of the Hypnosis. Besides asking Mr. Fool to grant her an angel's blessing, the most important thing was to guess what the Hypnosis had made her do.

There were two difficulties: figuring out the content of the Hypnosis, and figuring out who would trigger it.

Since her memories had not changed after she broke free, Audrey suspected that Hampres, whom she had met, had not been the one to hypnotize her. It was more likely Hvin Rambis, who remained behind the scenes. If so, he was unlikely to have planted instructions that required him to awaken them in person. Instead, he would continue using Hampres to gather information through their everyday contact.

That meant the Hypnosis had probably made her obey Hampres whenever they were alone, perhaps after a particular phrase "awakened" the command.

Clearly, that phrase was the imperative "Report the results of your investigation."

She immediately adopted a slightly vacant expression, nodded obediently, and said with a smile:

"After investigating, I found several suspicious things about Miss Christine Teresa."

Hampres nodded in satisfaction and shifted into a more comfortable position. His gaze flicked toward the door now and then, wary of anyone interrupting their conversation, as he said:

"Go on."

"She claimed she'd made a great deal of money investing in maritime transport in Intis, then returned to settle in Backlund because she was from Loen. But my investigation turned up quite a few holes in her history. For one thing, the business she publicly owns isn't nearly that profitable, so she must have many other ventures hidden away. She also seems to have ties to Trier's underworld. And... she's probably a Beyonder."

Hampres paid little