EFB Chapter 267 Audrey is extremely worried
Chapter 267 Audrey is extremely worried
Chapter 267 Audrey is extremely worried
"Are these people reliable? Won't they just sell us out?"
Upon hearing Audrey's suggestion, Hippel thought about it for a moment, but still felt it was not very reliable.
After all, how deep could the relationship be if they met at a occult gathering? He wouldn't even dare to entrust things to the noble scions he knew, so how could he listen to Audrey and casually entrust these matters to strangers?
Audrey was a little annoyed. Although she knew that in her brother's eyes she was still an innocent little sister, she was still unhappy to hear Hippo's disapproval of her suggestion. She said irritably, "Brother, I'm all grown up now. How could I not have thought these things through beforehand?"
Seeing Audrey's spoiled little tantrum, Hilbert couldn't help but chuckle. Just like when they were children, he patted Audrey's head and said with a smile:
"Very well, you are indeed almost an adult now. So, Miss Audrey, who has grown up, please tell me the result of your careful consideration!"
Audrey, embarrassed and annoyed, shook off Hippet's hand from her head and said somewhat irritably:
"Earl Robert Horn is my father's political ally and has a good relationship with our family. We are also acquainted with Baron Evan Horn."
"When assigning the mission, I can use Baron Evan Horn's influence as a shield. After all, he's now the deputy director of MI9, their direct superior. With that kind of authority, I believe no one will leak our mission."
Hibbert looked at his sister with some surprise, not expecting that Audrey had actually thought of this in advance.
Like drinking water, only the person drinking knows whether it's hot or cold. Despite the Hall family's immense power in the political arena, Hibbert knows very well that his family cannot determine the fate of extraordinary individuals within MI9, a legitimate organization for extraordinary individuals.
While political heavyweights can indeed influence or divide the authority, missions, and even organizational structure of MI9, they cannot determine the life or death of any extraordinary individual.
Therefore, if Audrey entrusts the task of investigating "Alice" to MI9, and they betray them, the Hall family can at most affect their promotion or demotion, but they cannot have absolute control over them.
However, the matter they were commissioning was something that absolutely could not be known to others, which is why Hilbert distrusted Audrey's suggestion.
However, if a high-ranking member of MI9 were to act as a figurehead, it would surely create sufficient constraints, preventing those who accept the commission from harboring any ill intentions.
After all, no matter how unruly the members of MI9 are, they wouldn't dare to go against their superiors. Superiors can use perfectly normal means...
Those who send them to their deaths are especially those from organizations like MI9, which handle both extraordinary individuals and intelligence matters.
Assigning a high-difficulty task at random can drive someone to the brink of death. If they dare not carry out orders, they can be killed on the grounds of "insubordination on the battlefield." After all, MI9 is a military organization, and it is perfectly acceptable for them to apply battlefield regulations.
"But that raises another question: how do we use Baron Evan Horn's name?"
We should control the scope of this information as much as possible, and it would be best if Baron Evan Horn didn't know what we were investigating.
Although Evan's brother Robert Horn and their father, Earl Hall, were political allies who supported each other in the political arena, Hilbert knew that today's friend could be tomorrow's enemy, so he didn't want to reveal this to Evan if he could avoid it.
However, it is a serious taboo to use Evan's name to intimidate others without permission. This is equivalent to using his authority without informing him and then making him take the blame if something goes wrong. So, if this is discovered, it will lead to a deadly feud.
This is somewhat similar to the world of Evan's previous life, where officials had to guard their official seals very closely, and daring to touch someone else's official seal was considered an irreconcilable feud.
Audrey, however, had clearly considered this matter beforehand, and smiled as she said to Hippel:
"We can openly approach Baron Evan and tell him that we want to borrow members of MI9 to investigate a beautiful lady."
The reason is that you've fallen in love with her, and because it's a private matter, you don't want too many people to know.
I'm sure Baron Evan will understand and grant this romantic wish!
Audrey winked mischievously, making the seasoned Hilbert blush slightly. He couldn't help but tap Audrey's forehead with his knuckles and stammered:
"What are you talking about! How could I possibly like a woman of unknown origin!"
Hilbert rambled on in a weak voice, but it only strengthened Audrey's previous observations and her determination to find out "Alice's" identity.
After all, not only Hilbert had read the novels of Emperor Russell, but Audrey was also a long-time fan of the novels of Emperor Russell. She was very worried that her brother would be harmed because of "Alice".
Audrey rubbed her head, wincing slightly, and said with displeasure:
"I never said you liked 'Alice,' I was just using that name to explain things to Baron Evan. Your reaction is so strong, could it be that I actually hit the nail on the head?"
Hilbert's expression froze, and he realized that he seemed to have inadvertently given himself away. He could only awkwardly keep explaining:
"How could that be? You're overthinking it. What kind of elegant ladies hasn't your brother seen? How could he possibly fall for a woman of unknown origin whom he's only met once? You're really overthinking it!"
Seeing her brother arguing so vehemently, Audrey scoffed inwardly, but didn't delve into it further. Instead, she continued:
"Alright, alright, I know you haven't fallen for 'Alice,' okay? You don't need to explain anymore."
But what do you think of my solution? Is it feasible?
Hibbert was stunned. Although Audrey said she believed him, he had a feeling that Audrey already knew his thoughts and was just being perfunctory and didn't want to hear his excuses.
However, Audrey's last words brought his thinking back to the right track. He felt that the plan was very comprehensive, taking into account all aspects, and was almost flawless.
This made him look Audrey up and down again, feeling that Audrey today was very different from his usual impression of her.
"Tsk tsk tsk, I never thought our Audrey had really grown up! This setup is just like something an engineer would do. If you were a boy, Father might have immediately chosen you as his heir!"
Hilbert valued his status as the eldest son and heir very much, and he was estranged from his younger brother Alfred Hall because of the issue of succession. Therefore, his evaluation was a high praise for Audrey.
Fortunately, Audrey was a girl. If she had been a boy, he might have been jealous of her talent, which could have ruined their relationship.
As a "mind reader," Audrey understood Hippo's thoughts and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She had finally convinced her brother, and now it was perfectly legitimate for her to approach Evan about this matter. Ever since her brother misunderstood her as having feelings for Evan, Audrey hadn't dared to mention Evan in front of him.
"Tomorrow is His Majesty the King's birthday, and Baron Evan will certainly be attending. Let's discuss this with him at the banquet!"
"Okay, let's do it this way. We'll meet him together then!"
Hibbert agreed to Audrey's suggestion, and then quietly left Audrey's room to prepare a gift for the King's birthday the next day.
After Audrey was persuaded to leave, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. All the things she had said to her brother and all the reasons she had given him were not actually meant to convince him to believe in her plan, but simply to make him feel that there was a foolproof plan.
After all, both Fors and Evan, whom she knew, were trustworthy people in her mind, and there was no risk in asking them for help.
Audrey's confidence stemmed not from her ability as a "mind reader" to sense the credibility of their character—after all, discussing character with members of an intelligence agency living in the shadows is utterly ridiculous.
Audrey trusted them because they were all members of the Tarot Club.
After spending time together, Audrey was absolutely convinced that the seemingly aloof "Fool" was a kind and secretive being, and therefore he would never tolerate a member of the Tarot Club betraying another.
Therefore, Audrey believed that if she sought help from Evan or Fors, she would definitely not encounter the situation that Hilbert had just worried about.
But Audrey had to find some reasons to convince her brother, otherwise she worried that the whole thing would get out of her control and that Hilbert would find another way to investigate "Alice," which would bring unpredictable risks.
Audrey had her own judgment about Alice. During her interactions with Alice, she discovered that this beautiful young lady, whose appearance was no less than her own, had a very stable "psychological" state. She rarely experienced psychological fluctuations when facing anyone and treated everyone "equally".
This kind of impartiality is not the kind of respect that kind people show to everyone; rather, it's a kind of impartiality that places oneself in a high position and looks down on others.
Therefore, Audrey was certain that if her brother acted without authorization and made the other side feel threatened, they would not show any mercy because of their brief encounter at the embassy or Hilbert's identity.
Furthermore, if the massacre at the Intis embassy was indeed orchestrated by this mysterious "Alice," it further proves her indifference.
However, Audrey could not leave it to chance, so after careful consideration, she decided to entrust the matter to Baron Evan Horn, who was equally mysterious and powerful in her heart.
That's right, Audrey never intended to ask Fors for help from the beginning. Fors was just a pretext for her to deal with her brother. She wanted Evan's help from the very beginning.
Audrey still remembers the shock she felt when she heard from a friend who had joined MI9 that Evan had become a powerful figure in MI9, the deputy director in charge of intelligence work for the Fursac Empire, in less than four months, thanks to his merits and the support of his brother.
Combined with what she had seen and heard at the "Tarot Club" and the rumors about Count Robert Horn that Audrey had heard at other occult gatherings, she believed that Evan was the best person to deal with the mysterious "Alice".
Furthermore, since "Alice" claims to be a member of the Einhorn family, the royal family of the Fussac Empire, it would be a perfect fit for Evan, the deputy director of MI9, who is in charge of intelligence work in the Fussac Empire, to deal with her.
Thinking about all this, Audrey felt incredibly clever. Not only had she resolved the threat that Alice posed to her and Hilbert, but she had also found Alice a formidable adversary to curb her activities in Backlund.
After all, regardless of Alice's true identity, her presence in Backlund would not be a good thing for the Kingdom of Rune. If possible, Audrey would also like to contribute her own strength to the stability and peace of Backlund.
Dad said that the three major churches and MI9 used every means to determine that the person who instigated "Beckron" to massacre the embassy was a "witch".
If Alice is truly the mastermind, then she is a witch? But would the Einhorn family have extraordinary individuals with the witch pathway?
Could it be that the "Hunter" and "Witch" pathways controlled by the Einhorn family are adjacent pathways, just like the "Sleepless" and "Acquirer" pathways that Mr. Fool mentioned?
Judging by Alice's beauty, she might very well be the legendary, stunningly beautiful "witch"!
Audrey suddenly remembered that Mr. Power, Evan, had once introduced her to the characteristics of the "Witch" path at the Tarot meeting.
Those who are extraordinary through the "Witch" pathway can transform men into beautiful women after advancing to Sequence 7 "Witch".
Thinking of this, Audrey's expression suddenly became strange.
Um, could Miss Alice be a man who strayed onto the path of becoming a witch?
Audrey shook her head violently, trying to shake off the thought that had just crossed her mind, and even felt that she was ridiculous.
"I've heard that men who embark on the 'Witch' path are all forced into it. If Alice were a member of the Einhorn family and a male, it would be impossible for her to choose the 'Witch' path given the choice."
After all, the "Hunter" path is an extraordinary path that the Einhorn family has complete control over.
Is it because I've known Fors for a long time and read too many of her novels that I have this strange idea?
Audrey, wake up! Don't go astray!
Audrey blushed at her own guess and couldn't help but pat her face, reminding herself not to be curious about things like "male-male" and "female-female" relationships!