Chapter 312: Temperance and Suppression
"Hiss—"
"When exactly did you get here?" Lorne asked in a low voice, audible only to the two of them. "There's no reason I wouldn't have noticed for so long."
As a fellow Sequence 5, even if he had focused most of his attention on the speech and socializing just now, there was no reason he wouldn't have sensed any abnormality for this long.
Especially since the "Monster" Pathway itself was of the high-perception type; his spiritual intuition couldn't possibly have had zero reaction.
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"I wasn't following you."
Hazel's lips parted slightly, but what came out was Sharon's ethereal and cold voice.
Meaning, you actually came in following Hazel?
Hearing this, Lorne's expression became a bit strange, but after a moment, he felt relieved.
Right, that makes sense.
With Hazel's Beyonder level, it was indeed impossible for her to notice a "Wraith" stalking her. As for Councilor Macht, it went without saying; he was just an ordinary person—and even if she were discovered, it wouldn't matter, as Sharon held leverage over Hazel.
Well, he'd figured out how she got here.
However, Sharon's behavior tonight left Lorne very puzzled. This was too risky, and too—not "temperate."
While swaying to the rhythm of her dance steps, Lorne continued in a low voice, "You're being too risky. There are the official people here; aren't you afraid of being discovered?"
"I performed a divination and investigation beforehand—" "Hazel's" tone was as calm as ever.
"What about the Royal Family? With two Royal Family members present, even if everything in this hall is normal, what about outside? There must be Beyonder bodyguards protecting them in secret."
"There might even be Sequence 5s, or even Demigods!"
Lorne's meaning was clear: her actions tonight were too risky. If she was just afraid of her "student" making a fool of himself at the ball, there was absolutely no need to go this far.
Sharon was a member of the Rose School of Thought; he didn't dare imagine the serious consequences if she were discovered on such an occasion—
"The Royal Family members were an accident—"
"However, there aren't any overly powerful Beyonders around them either."
There was a nearly imperceptible fluctuation in Sharon's tone. Clearly, she hadn't expected this situation to occur either.
"You mean they came on short notice?" Lorne caught the key point.
"Mhm."
""
"This—" His face instantly turned cold.
Sheriff Huntington hadn't mentioned this to him before. Moreover, if important members of the Royal Family were attending, there would certainly be special security around the venue, even if this was police territory—
Everything about this matter felt discordant.
That flashy policeman who suddenly appeared here just now was also suspicious—
"Leave quickly, while nothing has happened yet." Lorne took a deep breath and spoke with a grave expression.
"Hazel" looked up; those eyes that belonged to her were clear, but now they held Sharon's characteristic coldness. She gave Lorne a deep look and said, "Wait until this dance is over—"
Saying so, she led Lorne in a graceful spin across the dance floor.
"This isn't 'temperate' at all." Lorne couldn't help but complain.
"Temperance does not mean Suppression—" Sharon replied.
"Heh." Lorne suddenly chuckled, the tense atmosphere becoming somewhat subtle because of his laugh. "I was thinking, what do you plan to do if you're discovered now?"
"Can you escape?"
"6"
", both paused for two seconds, their dance steps never stopping. Then, Sharon replied in her ethereal voice, "Then, I will take you hostage."
This answer caught Lorne by surprise and made him feel a bit awkward.
The "hero of the east end" taken hostage by a mysterious female criminal at a Charity Gala—this would definitely be on the front page of every newspaper tomorrow! The Backlund Daily, the Daily Mail, and even The Times in far-off Bayam would likely report on it.
There was no helping it; gossip was always the most popular, especially the kind with such a strong contrast.
Shaking these untimely thoughts from his head, Lorne followed her topic and made a joke: "Or, we could charge out together."
"I could do that." Sharon directly nodded in agreement with the plan.
"Sigh—I really don't know what you're thinking." Lorne sighed, and while following her increasingly skillful dance steps, he muttered under his breath, "Could it be that you really just wanted to have a dance with me?"
The ethereal voice didn't come again, but "Hazel's" dance steps seemed to quicken slightly.
"I'm curious, after being possessed by you, will Hazel still remember this dance tonight?"
"She will only have a general impression," Sharon replied calmly.
"Meaning she won't remember the details—after all that, I'm the one who has to explain it later." Lorne sighed, then a helpless smile appeared on his face.
"You really are a 'Wraith,' Teacher Sharon."
Seemingly rational existences often have a crazy side. He had experienced this deeply today.
He didn't say anything more; instead, he pulled himself together and seriously cooperated with her movements. At least at this moment, in the eyes of the other guests, he was completely immersed in this beautiful dance.
The two of them were light on their feet and their steps were graceful; for a time, they actually attracted many people's attention.
At least this performance didn't turn into a joke because of the dancing.
As time passed, the music also drew to a close.
"It's about time." Sharon's voice came again; it seemed she was about to leave.
"Wait." Using a turning movement as cover, Lorne reached into his breast pocket, and a cold-to-the-touch Sapphire was instantly grasped in his palm.
"Take this. The activation incantation is 'Door'." As their steps crossed, he quickly pressed the gemstone into her hand.
"What does this mean?"
"Since you're so afraid of me making a fool of myself, I naturally have to ensure your safety. Just... as a precaution."
"You—" She seemed to want to say something but hesitated.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Lorne interrupted her, forcing a smile. "Even if an accident really happens, the official people won't do anything to me.
At a time like this, they certainly wouldn't want the 'hero' they personally promoted to have any blemishes."
"Sorry—"
After a few seconds of silence, Sharon whispered softly.
Although she subjectively did want to help Lorne, she also knew her actions might cause a lot of trouble. Not to mention, she had a bit of selfishness involved.
She was also somewhat annoyed with herself; why did she act so impulsively and perform such an "intemperate" act?
Temperance... as expected, she still couldn't reach her teacher's level. She sighed inwardly.
Temperance indeed didn't equal Suppression, but her behavior tonight had indeed crossed the line a bit.
"It's fine, a teacher can be willful once in a while." Lorne replied with a light laugh, his tone not carrying much blame. "Besides, this dance... was unexpectedly good."
When the music ended, he watched "Hazel's" back as she turned and blended into the crowd, shaking his head slightly.
Why did he suddenly feel that Hazel was a bit pitiful?
"Eh? Strange—what was I just doing—"
Hazel gradually came back to her senses from her daze, feeling a bit bewildered. She... seemed to have, probably, maybe—danced with James Scott?
But—the specific details, why couldn't she remember them at all? Only a vague memory of her body moving to the music remained.