With the sound of music filling the room and the men and women dancing, Audrey Hall sank into her role as a spectator who was not a 'spectator'.
Chatting and greeting the guests, having a little of the food and drink offered by the servants. The youngest of the Hall family sat down at one of the many tables and calmly enjoyed her vanilla cake.
Being under 18 and having not made her debut in society, she could not go out dancing; she could only observe everything calmly.
On the dance floor, she watched as her older brother, Hilbert Hall, danced with an elegant smile with a noblewoman.
But despite clearly enjoying the dance, the man's green eyes always returned to her occasionally.
'I know I couldn't come alone, and you had to look after me, but aren't you being a bit overprotective?' Restraining the impulse to bite her cheek, the youngest of the Halls couldn't help but complain a little.
Sitting quietly beside her, Susie watched the party with her brown eyes, her tail wagging in boredom behind her.
'15 guards and all armed... Bakerland is never with less than three guards behind him...' Looking around with a smile, Audrey took the opportunity to take a closer look at the security of the place.
As Chariot said, the party venue was undoubtedly the most secure in the whole house.
Although she had seen the odd pair of guards come and go in the corridors, their number was small compared to those in the hall.
Backerland had spent most of the time on the dance floor since the party started.
Despite being in his 50s, his brown hair and blue eyes were still alive. His good looks made dancing with the ladies easy.
'What a disgusting man.' With crystal-clear green eyes, Audrey did not show her emotions and just continued to observe.
Having seen enough, the most beautiful young woman at the party got up from her seat after finishing her cake.
Leaning back slightly, she gently patted Susie on the head. "I'll be back in a moment; wait here."
With an elegant step, the blonde girl walked a little to the left toward one of the best candidates she could see.
She did not enter the dance floor directly but somewhat skirted it.
This quickly disappointed many, who turned their attention back to their dance partners and gossip.
Audrey noticed this with an internal smile.
She was close enough even if she didn't enter the dance floor.
The brightest gem on the dance floor attracted the attention of several gentlemen who just watched her go by.
Although the young woman had not yet had her coming-of-age ceremony, some men did not care about that.
She had only been on the dance floor for a few seconds when someone had approached her.
"Good morning, beautiful lady. I'm very sorry to bother you, but would you do me the honor of accompanying me to this beautiful piece of music?"
He was a young gentleman. One or two years older than her and good-looking, Audrey could tell from his clothes that he was from Intis.
Audrey followed the courtesies and elegantly declined the invitation. Not only was it not appropriate, but it would also be frowned upon.
But being rejected did not stop the man in front of her. He took a bold step toward her and tried to take her hand in his.
"Is there a problem?" Ambassador Bakerland interrupted between the two young people, his hand gripping the man's hand tightly and giving him a strong look.
"Argh!" Complaining in pain, the man apologized as best he could and quickly fled with his tail between his legs.
'He didn't even have enough time to do anything to get attention, but it didn't take you three seconds to show up and play the hero.' No doubt he had been watching her for a long time if he could react so quickly.
The fact caused a shiver to run down her spine.
Ignoring that, she just got more into her role.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Ambassador." Audrey feigned a little fear and gave an elegant but somewhat quick curtsy with her dress.
Bakerland smiled warmly and laughed softly, "It's unnecessary, Miss Hall. In fact, you would have to forgive me.
"It's my party, and yet I almost caused a scene. I hope you can forgive me and allow me to invite you to a special plate of Intis."
'So bold already. You didn't even ask how I was, and you already want to take the reins?'
Holding back the aftertaste in her stomach, the young Hall was about to say something when her brother finally reached her side.
Grabbing his sister's hand and pulling her towards him, the eldest Hall smiled gallantly at Bakerland, but there was a certain edge.
"Please excuse my little sister, Mr. Ambassador. I will take her and reprimand her for this. Again, I apologize." Quickly dragging his sister along, Hilbert led her away from the dance floor.
Bakerland watched his prey escape with a slight twitch of his lips...
Once back at his table, the blond man approached her and whispered in a heavy voice.
"What were you thinking when you walked across the dance floor? Did you forget that this party has a lot of Intisians? If you wanted to talk to me, you only had to raise your hand, and I would have come running!"
"Don't do that again!"
Blushing slightly, the noblewoman only nodded tensely and looked to one side.
She now shone with innocence, a child who had made a mistake and been severely punished.
Such a sight made Hilbert scowl a little, and he could only growl as he covered his face.
"Just... Just stay here, okay?"
"Yes, brother..." Audrey said with eyes narrowed in sadness.
'With this, Mr Chariot's man should be able to move much better...' Contrary to her outward appearance, Audrey was utterly calm and even proud.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see how Bakerland was all over the music and the drinks while chasing the ladies more intensely.
Being a man who liked risk and women, Audrey knew that losing her had been a blow to his pride, which he was now trying to make up for a little.
Audrey's attention momentarily shifted to the possible Beyonders guards, and she watched happily as they slipped a little deeper into the party.
Her goal of spectating as one of the actors had been accomplished!
Inside, the woman felt something melt to a large extent.
Containing her amazement, Audrey laughed with joy inside.
'So this is another way of acting as a Spectator!
'While a spectator should not be the center of attention. If they are capable of causing a reaction or an expected development, they should not be afraid to get into the act, but they should not be a main character, just a supporting one.'
The young woman immediately thought of a perfect comparison.
It was like when a magician in a circus would grab a member of the audience and ask them to draw a card.
Although the audience member became an actor, they were not memorable. They were just another part of the act that, once it fulfilled its function and the act ended, would be forgotten.
Chariot's man was the main character. She was the audience member, and Bakerland's frustration was the card!
Closing her eyes completely, Audrye could barely contain the cry of excitement.
This was what it meant to be a true Beyonder!
Meanwhile, deep in the Ambassador's house...
A pair of guards walked through the carpeted corridors, their footsteps making little noise and their sharp eyes observing everything around them.
The tables, paintings, and flowers were still in the same places. And it didn't look like anyone other than them had been here.
Being Hunters, the slightest change in such a familiar environment would be detected immediately, so finding nothing strange, they continued their patrol in another direction.
From the shadows of a planter and table, Hazel emerged like a specter from the darkness. Her movements were inseparable from the shadows that embraced her.
Wrapping herself up, the young Swindler moved with the darkness.
She passed several rooms but did not enter any of them, her sense of Marauder not sensing that there was anything of value there.
Every Marauder had a sixth sense for finding things of value. It was not a compass but only an intuition heightened in the sense of 'taking the best.'
Having passed on to Swindler, Hazel knew this instinct well and let it guide her through the house. Avoiding the guards by hiding in the darkness and advancing cautiously, she came to a room that looked identical to the rest.
"It's here..." Nodding gently, the woman did not attempt to force the door or grab the handle, knowing that the possibility of a trap was almost certain.
Most of the guards here were Hunters, even Bakerland himself was a Conspirator.
That there wasn't a trap was impossible!
So, using the burnt band, Hazel passed through the shadows and reappeared inside.
'This must be his room...' The Swindler looked around with a critical eye.
Worthy of an ambassador's quarters, the room was well furnished. The walls were covered with a border of wallpaper. A fairly large bed rested in the middle of the room, a large bookcase full of books on one side, a few landscape paintings, and a table with chairs for sandwiches.
Hazel had chosen a corner shadow so she could observe everything.
Appearing in the middle of the room would have been asking to set a trap, so she chose the least likely place to be caught.
From her vantage point, she scanned every corner she could see.
After a few moments of searching, her gaze inevitably returned to a point on the wall.
"There you are..." Again, she made no move but instead leaped from shadow to shadow until she was there.
"If it weren't for the Scarlet Monarch's blessing, I wouldn't be able to use the Burnt Band so often..." Noticing the lack of spirituality consuming the leap now, she could only nod gratefully.
Looking at the unremarkable wall in front of her, her eyes studied it carefully, taking in every detail as best she could.
After a few minutes, Hazel noticed that at one point, there seemed to be a cut, and the background paper was not the same as the top one.
'Bingo.' Raising her hand, the woman prepared to open the box.
Activating the secret mechanism to reveal the safe was undoubtedly something extremely easy. But Hazel wasn't going to do that.
The possibility of another trap was high, so she would do something else.
Opening her palm and revealing a beautiful metallic pocket watch, she turned the crown to the right twice.
The wall was disordered, along with everything inside it.
From closed it became open, just as if there had been a trap inside it switched from active to inactive.
Click...
A faint click sounded inside the wall. And the wall came away a little.
When she opened what was left of it, Hazel watched in amazement as an open safe stood in front of her.
Inside was a thick envelope, along with several other documents that the woman grabbed after rigorously checking that there was nothing. She didn't even looked at the money there.
After doing so, she carefully opened the envelope and checked its contents. Multiple letters were inside, and from what little they contained, she had obtained what she was looking for.
'By the Goddess... This guy was busy...'
Arms trafficking, instigation of the masses, dealings with gangs, and blackmail material. Not only against the gangs themselves but also with some noble families from both parties...
'This is the definition of a double-edged sword. Not only if someone betrays him, the Ambassador would annihilate them with this information, but if he were to lose it, getting arrested would be the least of his worries!'
What MI9 would do to him would be nightmarish...
This was just what she needed!
Taking out the letters and evidence, she quickly put them in her waistcoat and replaced the envelope as it was.
After doing that, she closed the safe together with the hidden wall.
Click.
The crown of the pocket watch was pressed, and the disordered effect disappeared.
As soon as she did that, Hazel heard someone coming.
Without thinking, the woman quickly sank into the shadows, leaving the room.
Three seconds later, the door was unlocked, and a man entered. He began to look around.
Although his gaze was dull and disinterested, the room did not look normal to him.
Using his power to see Spirit Body Threats as a Marionetist, he scanned the room for any abnormality.
However, seeing and finding nothing, he simply took a coin from his vest and threw it into the air.
Catching it in his palm and seeing that the face was down, a negative result, the man just shook his head and left the room.
In the next room, hidden in the shadows of a corner, Hazel held her hands over her mouth, holding her breath, her heart beating hard.
'That was close!'
"Everything all right, Miss Hazel? Do you require assistance?"
Having forgotten for a moment that her thoughts were being shared, the sudden voice startled her, but Hazel managed to control herself apart from a momentary shock.
Somewhat embarrassed, she quickly replied, 'All good! Just a little scare.
'I have the information Teacher wanted! Let phase 2 of the plan begin.'
"Copy that."
With that, the shadows enveloped Hazel, and she disappeared towards the outskirts of the house...
Meanwhile, in the ballroom, Susie suddenly stretched and walked towards a man.
He was a man between 30 and 35 years old with a thin mustache and elegant posture. He was Duke, one of the MI9 members who came to watch the Ambassador.
"Oh?" Recognizing the mascot of the Most Precious Gem of Backlund, Duke couldn't help but smile a little.
But that smile tightened when he saw the empty, almost human gaze the animal was giving him.
'Hypnosis?' Immediately recognizing the effects caused by a Beyonder ability, the man tensed.
Susie came a little closer and rubbed her muzzle against his leg.
"Oh, please excuse me, sir." Raising his head and seeing the youngest of the Halls approaching, the man straightened up a little.
"She does that when she wants to go to the bathroom; I can't take her outside; my brother won't let me leave the party.
"If it's not too much trouble, could you go with her and ensure she returns safe and sound? I'd really appreciate it!"
Looking into the young woman's innocent eyes, Duke looked away and back at the animal's eyes.
Susie looked at him for a few seconds before blinking very slowly, almost like an invitation.
'Whoever hypnotized her wants to talk? But why? What are they trying to gain? And why a dog?'
Being someone with a decent amount of experience, the older man made a discreet signal with his hand, indicating to the rest of the team to remain alert.
If a Hypnotist was willing to make contact, there must be a good reason, and in Backlund, in an area controlled by MI9, Duke was confident that the danger was within a range he was willing to tolerate.
Smiling at the young woman in front of him, Duke bowed elegantly.
"It won't be any trouble."
He accompanied the golden retriever to the edge of the property and into the forest. Duke remained alert.
At any moment he might come across the Hypnotist, so he had to be ready to defend himself.
When the dog suddenly stopped in front of a tree, the man looked around in search of the person who had called him. After a few minutes of silence, nothing happened.
Frowning, he returned his attention to the dog and observed how it had sat down and was staring at him fixedly.
Raising a paw and pointing to the tree, towards the large hole in its center, the dog barked three times before the brightness returned to its eyes and the intelligence vanished.
The next second, Susie began to chase her tail between happy barks.
Woof! Woof!
'Are the effects of hypnosis over?' Looking at the tree that had been pointed out a moment ago, Duke approached with suspicion.
He kept his distance and leaned in a little more to see what was inside; his distrust diminished and was replaced by confusion.
Inside the hole in the tree, there were multiple letters.
After a little hesitation, he took the one closest to the edge, opened it, and read it.
'This is?!' In disbelief, Duke grabbed another letter, and, checking the contents, he couldn't help but look around in a daze.
Who had left this?
Although the person who did this might have been nearby, he only thought about it for 3 seconds before deciding against chasing the culprit.
The priority was the evidence they needed to capture Bakerland. Once the evidence was secure and the man was arrested, Duke would allow himself to think about the mysterious assistant.
Fush... Fush...
A Golden Retriever emerged from some shaky bushes, barking happily. It quickly pouched on the other dog and started to play.
Duke looked at the two dogs with his mouth hanging open, his eyes trying and failing to find differences.
It was as if they were clones!
Suddenly, one of the dogs got up victorious and looked at Duke with intelligent, almost fiery eyes.
"No one is going to believe you," 'Susie' said in a deep voice and ran into the forest.
"What the fuck?!" Duke took a step back in shock, but before he could do anything, 'Susie' turned into golden dust and ascended to the top of the tree where the letters were.
Following the dust, the man saw a dark figure among the leaves.
This figure waved and disappeared into the shadows.
"..." Opening and closing his mouth in shock, Duke looked at the remaining Golden Retriever.
"Woof! Woof!" Susie, or who this time seemed to be the real Susie, barked happily, her tail wagging from side to side.
Knowing that this had to be reported as soon as possible, Duke recovered through cogitation. With his condition improving, the man took a moment to explore the outskirts of the forest.
However, he found nothing.
Knowing he was wasting his time, he returned to the tree where the figure had disappeared.
Quickly grabbing the letters and putting them in his waistcoat, the man checked his watch and returned to the party.
Leaving the party now would only arouse suspicion, so he decided to stay a little longer, but he was definitely planning to leave early...
'Doing things contrary to expectations is a kind of deception...' Laughing softly from the top of the tree, the young Swindler could only smile as she felt her potion melting at a good pace.
With her mission accomplished, Hazel closed her eyes and sank into the shadows, this time to leave the place...
'Anxious, excited, and not very patient. He wants to leave and complete something urgently but decides to keep up appearances to not ruin the opportunity given...' Audrey watched the man with crystal-clear eyes.
Knowing what that meant, a graceful smile formed on her face. With an elegant movement, a glass of water rose to her lips.
'Second Mission of the Tarot Club, completed!
----
What's going on with this app? It keeps kicking me out when I'm editing, and the chapters aren't being saved correctly.
Thankfully, I save drafts; otherwise, I would have lost my head by now.
These are half the chapters of these days, I will be posting the rest later, when the app returns to normal along with some details of the give out of the box.
See ya later!