As the words, originating from Ancient Hermes, echoed, the area where Audrey and Herabergen Rambis stood dimmed simultaneously.
It's as if someone walks by, blocks the nearest window, and then quickly moves away.
When the light returned, in the illusory world, the island of consciousness shrouded by the terrifying Mind Storm changed from Audrey's to Herabergen Rambis's, while the one who had invaded the Mental Body changed from Herabergen Rambis to Audrey.
" The Fate Siphon " Charm!
This is a talisman made using Amon's " Worm of Time " as material and imbued with the power of the " The Fool." It can Stealing the target's Fate for a short period of time and swap it with the user's future!
This was the fee Audrey received from Gehrman Sparrow when treating Hibbert's mental breakdown. With the help of this talisman, she Grafting her future—a future where her consciousness barrier was about to break and her mind was about to be Manipulation —onto Herabergen Rambis, Stealing from him the ability to control the " Mind Storm," open the Door of the Mental Body, and directly modify and plant the Fate of the corresponding consciousness.
In an instant, the situation reversed, and Audrey went from the brink of collapse to having an absolute advantage.
Of course, this advantage can only last for a very short time.
Frankly, if Audrey hadn't anticipated how to struggle and save herself if she were in dire straits in the previous two days, she definitely wouldn't have thought of using the " Fate Siphon " spell. Or rather, by the time she did think of it, it would have been too late. Similarly, at this moment, just as she had rehearsed many times in her mind, she suppressed her surprise at the effects of the " Fate Siphon," quickly assessed her condition, and, taking advantage of her current position, unleashed a " Mind Storm " mixed with " Hypnosis " effects, instantly opening the door to Herabergen Rambis's Door of the Mental Body.
Herabergen Rambis froze, like an ordinary person who had been Hypnosis by focusing all their attention on Audrey's golden eyes.
Yes, at this moment, as Demigod of the " Spectator " pathway, he was being mind- Manipulation Audrey was only Sequence 6.
In this way, even if the " Fate Siphon's" effects end, it won't change the fact that it's already happened!
However, Audrey knew that she had only used the magical spell and Herabergen Rambis's own abilities to open the Door of the Mental Body and complete the initial Manipulation. If she wanted to do anything else, she would inevitably suffer corresponding rejection, and at her Sequence level, she could not resist or control the stronger ones.
Moreover, she could clearly sense that Herabergen Rambis was subconsciously resisting this state, and a few grayish-white scales were beginning to appear on his face in the real world.
Before long, he will be able to break free from my initial Manipulation of his mind... This realization flashed through Audrey's mind in an instant.
She then turned her gaze to Herabergen Rambis's head, somewhat regretting that she hadn't brought a powerful pistol with her; otherwise, she could have taken this opportunity to fire several shots and try to kill him.
Soon, she remembered the "dragon scales" she possessed, and believed that Herabergen Rambis must also have them, but they were even stronger and more durable, and could not be broken by ordinary attacks, nor even by most magical items of the corresponding Low-Sequence!
If he cannot be killed in one blow, Herabergen Rambis will surely be able to use this opportunity to regain his senses and break free from control.
Without hesitation, Audrey, lacking sufficient means of attack, quickly made a decision:
Hypnosis him!
He is most skilled at Hypnosis and has a strong resistance to it, so he won't prepare any extra items to defend against its influence... I can't let him do anything against his own will. Given the difference in our levels, I definitely can't resist the corresponding subconscious resistance... A series of thoughts flashed through Audrey's mind, and she carefully spoke, her lips slightly dry.
She tried hard not to show anything unusual, looking into Herabergen Rambis's eyes, and said in a rather soft voice:
"Find a place to wait at Glaint's mansion, and come find me in the garden in fifteen minutes..."
The implantation of this subconscious idea did not provoke significant resistance, and Audrey successfully Manipulation Herabergen Rambis, he had indeed come to see Audrey today, and the planned meeting place was Glaint 'Viscount mansion. Audrey's Hypnosis only altered the time and specific location, and the difference was within a very small range. Therefore, it aligned with Herabergen Rambis's will, requiring little effort and encountering no strong resistance.
"Okay..." Herabergen Rambis responded to Audrey's words.
Audrey, without even a moment to breathe a sigh of relief, perked up and continued looking into the other person's eyes, softly saying:
"You won't be coming to see me for another fifteen minutes, so you haven't seen me yet today."
Since you haven't seen me yet, everything that just happened must not exist; it will be forgotten.
Since Herabergen Rambis had already undergone the previous Hypnosis and followed the corresponding logic, his instinctive resistance, though present, was not strong and quickly vanished into nothingness in those bright, deep, and captivating golden eyes.
"Yes, I haven't seen you before, nothing happened just now..." Herabergen Rambis repeated, his expression slightly blank, as more gray-white scales appeared on his skin.
Having accomplished this crucial step, Audrey resisted the urge to pat her chest and thought for a second before saying:
"When you hear my singing, you become quiet."
She had intended to use allure to aid the Hypnosis, but found herself unable to strike any seductive poses or make any corresponding expressions. So she simply raised her hand to gather her fallen golden hair, tilted her head slightly, her eyes sparkling, and her smile brightened.
Immediately afterwards, she hummed a melody from " Manor Under the Moon " in a nasal tone.
Looking at the beautiful girl before him, as lovely as sunshine, flowers, and jewels, and listening to her ethereal voice, Herabergen Rambis's heart gradually calmed down, and he no longer felt any resistance.
Seeing that the initial Manipulation was about to be broken, Audrey didn't hesitate and pointed to the other side of the corridor:
"Go over there, regain consciousness when you see that stained glass, and remove the dragon scales."
She knew very well that on the other side of the corridor, towards the main entrance, were rows and rows of exquisite white stained glass windows.
The instruction posed no danger whatsoever, nor did it contradict Herabergen Rambis. He immediately strode forward, quickly making his way down the corridor, and turned right.
Only after his figure disappeared from sight did Audrey slowly exhale, letting the overwhelming feelings of lingering fear, terror, and tension surge and rage within her.
Her body trembled slightly, her mouth opened slightly, and she began to inhale and exhale in small breaths uncontrollably.
After ten seconds, Audrey used a " Placate " technique to calm herself down.
Then she glanced at the wall clock, stood there, raised her hands, clasped them together in front of her mouth and nose, and whispered the name of "Mr. The Fool ".
She prayed for the Angel's blessing once more and asked this great being to tell "the world" Gehrman Sparrow that she had determined when Herabergen Rambis would arrive and would summon him two minutes in advance, instructing him to arrive at the appointed time, not to rush, and not to get too close, lest Herabergen Rambis realize there was an ambush.
During this process, Audrey only briefly mentioned what had just happened, without going into details, so as not to waste time.
Then, she raised her hands, pressed them against her cheeks to restore her expression to normal, and began to Hypnosis herself, making herself hum the melody she had just heard whenever she saw Herabergen Rambis.
After doing all this, Audrey went to the hall and first found the golden retriever Susie, from whom she retrieved the " Lies " necklace and the " Alcohol Nemesis " diamond brooch. The latter could only be worn for a maximum of half an hour, otherwise the damage to the liver and brain would be irreversible. Therefore, Audrey planned to wear it after leaving Glaint's mansion, in case Herabergen Rambis came looking for her along the way.
Susie didn't notice anything unusual about Audrey as she watched her fasten her lapel pin and put on her necklace.
Several minutes later, Audrey folded a thin black glove and put it in the pocket of her knight's uniform. Using the excuse of going to the restroom, she took a detour into the garden of Glaint Viscount's house.
Then, gazing at the large clock on the spire of the building, she tensed slightly as she tried to remember the time.
She was both afraid that Herabergen Rambis wouldn't come, and worried that he would arrive early or late.
Time ticked by, and Audrey used the word " Placate " twice to calm herself down.
With two minutes and fifteen seconds remaining, she removed the feather accessory from her hat and snapped her wrist.
Crimson flames rose up, igniting the white feather.
This is the " Flame Manipulation " ability that comes with " Lies ".
The flames burned until they turned pale, and in just two or three seconds, they turned the feathers, a byproduct of the Artificial Death, to ashes.
Nothing changed in the surrounding area.
Audrey glanced at the clock again, then took out a white tin charm and uttered a word in Ancient Hermes:
"Lightning!"
The talisman then lit up, as if many tiny electric snakes were intertwined within it.
This is the spell to summon Gehrman Sparrow.
When the lightning subsided and the talisman completely disintegrated into the void, the surrounding area remained quiet, without a trace of noise.
Hugh and Fors should have already found the Church of the Evernight and begun to pray... Audrey calmed herself down and pretended to admire the remaining autumn flowers.
She didn't look up at the clock again, but silently counted down the time in her mind.
Three seconds, two seconds, one second... She slowly raised her head and looked around, but she didn't see Herabergen Rambis.
Did he notice something amiss and move away from here? Audrey's heart tightened suddenly, and she couldn't help but recall if she had made any mistakes.
Just then, a gentle voice sounded in her ear:
What are you looking for?
Audrey's pupils dilated suddenly as she caught a glimpse of Herabergen Rambis. His voice seemed to carry a hint of doubt.
Having already Hypnosis herself, she didn't hesitate at this moment. Following her subconscious response, she hummed the beautiful melody of " Manor Under the Moon ".
Amidst the ethereal and otherworldly voice, Herabergen Rambis calmed down and listened intently.
Suddenly, he realized that the distance between him and Audrey had become very, very far, even though neither of them had moved.
Evernight fell over the afternoon garden, and a huge red moon rose above the nearest house. A figure stood there, wearing a black trench coat and a top hat, his face obscured by the backlight.