"I'm sorry, a friend is looking for me." Audrey gracefully excused herself from the ambassador, whose mouth was full of crude jokes he mistook for being witty. Just as she was about to scan the room for a suitable excuse to round out her lie, a voice suddenly spoke.
"Oh, my Angel, chatting with that damned old lecher must have been quite disgusting, right?"
"!" Audrey nearly jumped out of her skin, before replying in a displeased tone, "Mr. Devil, could you please not address me with that term you just overheard?"
"Very well, Backlund's most radiant gem. The sacrifice you've made for Mr. Fool's mission is truly astonishing." With a hint of mockery in his smirk, Snow held up a glass of pale gold champagne and lightly clinked it against hers. "A toast to your sparkling eyes."
"Eh?" Audrey let out a surprised exclamation. Based on her understanding of Mr. Snow, he should have used a different way to tease her, like that "Backlund's hardest diamond" line from last time. To her surprise, he actually used normal social etiquette.
Or rather...
"Mr. Devil, did you use an extraordinary ability on me?" Audrey eyed him suspiciously. Though she had already advanced to a Telepathist, she still couldn't grasp this man's mental state. She didn't find that problematic in itself, but she was... very unhappy.
Yes, quite unhappy.
"While I apologize for causing your dissatisfaction, I haven't used any extraordinary abilities on you--aside from the power used to shield you from the observation of other Spectators. Additionally, in this setting, you should call me Snow or Mr. Pandrax. Though I suppose it doesn't truly matter, since I've sneaked in today. As you know, while Countess Wolf wouldn't mind giving me an invitation, my presence isn't quite appropriate at a ball that has invited ambassadors from various nations."
Information Snow still wore that light smile, but Audrey couldn't help but feel that he seemed... a bit angry?
'Is he angry that I'm suspicious of him?' Audrey thought to herself, feeling a mounting headache. Though she had only been a "Spectator" for a few months, she had grown accustomed to judging others' thoughts through their expressions and mannerisms. Now, facing Mr. Devil, who was completely immune to mind-reading and observation, she felt as if she had reverted to being an ordinary person.
"You don't need to be so distressed. You're only acting as a Spectator, not truly just a spectator. You have your own life, and you don't exist solely to observe others. Remember, you're only acting."
Snow's voice interrupted her thoughts. Having her mind read as a Spectator immediately pulled her out of her inner conflict. She puffed out her cheeks in slight embarrassment and changed the subject with a forced, casual tone. "By the way, there are Beyonders guarding this ball. Is it really fine for you to have sneaked in?"
"You can try to recall. When did I first appear by your side?" Snow narrowed his eyes.
Audrey almost blurted out an answer instinctively, but the next moment she fell silent. To her shock, she realized that Snow... seemed to have been waiting at the entrance of the ballroom, and from the moment she arrived at Countess Wolf's home, he had been following her like a butler!
"Mr. Snow, stalking a lady isn't gentlemanly behavior!" Audrey felt a chill creep into her heart as she realized just how terrifying Mr. Devil's abilities were. She could even imagine him following her all the way home without saying a word.
"Oh, my Angel, you can't say that!" Hearing Audrey's accusation, Snow clutched his chest in a theatrical display of grief, like a stage actor working hard to prove his heartbreak. "I've maintained a respectable social distance the entire time, and I haven't followed you into any sensitive areas! Besides, weren't you just letting your imagination run wild?"
"Fine, Mr. Snow. Let's not talk about that. Can you tell me your purpose for today?" With a slight blush on her face, Audrey forcibly maintained her "Spectator" state to keep herself from throwing a punch.
Snow turned his head casually toward Ambassador Bakerland, who was currently chatting with some noblewomen, and smiled. "Don't you already know?"
"Are you planning to act today?" Audrey felt a pang of worry--not for the ambassador, but for...
"I'm not that reckless. Acting in this setting might implicate Countess Wolf, which goes against my principles. Besides, Bakerland is a Sequence 6 Conspirator. Fighting him could easily involve innocent bystanders. In contrast, that ambassador frequently hosts balls at the embassy, promoting the status of Intis merchants to factory owners, wealthy individuals, lawyers, and bankers. Only by making him die on his own territory can we avoid a major diplomatic incident. After all, an embassy is theoretically foreign territory, isn't it?"
Hearing Snow's confident words, Audrey relaxed slightly. She soon though of something else and frowned. "But in the embassy, shouldn't there be quite a few powerful Beyonders?"
"That's why timing is everything!" Snow quirked his lip with a "I have a plan" expression. "Well, I've spent quite a bit of time chatting with you. If I don't leave soon, your friend from MI9 might notice something off..."
"Friend from MI9?" Audrey blanked for a moment, wanting to ask more, only to find that Mr. Devil had vanished again. Immediately, a familiar male voice reached her ears.
"Audrey, don't be misled by that Ambassador Bakerland. He's a lecher! I don't know how many ladies he's tricked onto his ship!"
'Mr. Snow is truly too cunning!' Under her voluminous and magnificent tiered dress, Audrey gave a light stomp of her foot. She then forced herself back into her "Spectator" state and turned to look at Cons, who was walking toward her. "Cons, do you have some misunderstanding of me? Oh, Goddess! How could I possibly be misled by that Ambassador Bakerland?"
...
Snow watched Audrey and Cons begin their conversation, turning away with a chuckle. He hadn't lied to her; he truly didn't intend to act today. But in reality, during the time Audrey and Bakerland had their awkward chat, he had tried to blow that guy's head off four times.
Unfortunately, even in a peaceful ballroom, a Sequence 6 Conspirator maintained a considerable degree of vigilance. Though the ambassador hadn't noticed Snow under the double shielding of "You Are Not Me" and "How Do You Know the Fish," every time Snow tried to approach within two meters or move for an attack, the man would instinctively shift into a defensive posture--even if he wasn't consciously aware of it.
While a long-range sneak attack still had a high probability of causing harm, failure to kill him in a single strike would easily lead to a riot.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]