Chapter 509
Tara and Nia stood silently behind them, watching as the two performed a duet in front of Isabella. The naive girl, Isabella, who had never experienced any deceitful schemes, seemed to immediately believe what Charles and the others said. She instructed the maid to prepare a grand meal.
At this point, it was certainly too late to cook, and there was no kitchen in the art center. However, they could have the nearby high-end restaurant prepare the food and deliver it, which wouldn’t take long, and the food would be delicious.
As for where to eat, the art center had plenty of private rooms suitable for afternoon tea, making it easy to choose one as a dining area.
Isabella settled onto the sofa to the right of Aivina and Charles. On her way over, she racked her brain, trying to figure out how to initiate a conversation and avoid any awkward silences.
“Miss Isabella, have you ever studied painting?” Charles asked directly as soon as Isabella sat down.
“Of course, I know a little...” Isabella replied, looking at Charles with a smile. “Due to my father’s work, I’ve met quite a few artists and discussed their works with them. I was fortunate enough to be a student of a few.” She continued, “But I haven’t mastered it; I’m more drawn to classical music than painting.”
“Are you interested in painting, Miss Charles?” Isabella tossed the question back to her.
“A bit,” Charles nodded, not hiding her motives. “But... the things I like to paint don’t quite align with current aesthetics.”
“Oh?” Isabella perked up at this. “Sometimes, popular taste isn’t necessarily good. Art is very subjective; every piece has its value. What you consider out of step with modern aesthetics might attract many followers who share the same taste.”
Aivina chimed in, listing a few great painters who were overlooked during their lifetimes but later recognized for their brilliance, which drew enthusiastic agreement from Isabella.
With Aivina’s input, the tension and awkwardness in the parlor dissipated. It felt more like a casual tea gathering among a few ordinary noble girls.
“By the way, I forgot to ask, what do you like to paint, Miss Charles?” Isabella turned to her, inquiring.
“Just call me Charles,” she smiled and replied. “I like to paint... death and corpses.”
Perhaps it was because she had been squinting to avoid being harmed by her nemesis for too long, but Charles’s eyes widened slightly. Realizing this, she quickly lowered her head, yet it still made Isabella feel a momentary shiver.
Just then, when Charles finished speaking, Isabella felt as if she were being watched by a venomous snake...
This terrifying sensation, along with the subject matter Charles mentioned, made Isabella think of a name.
Pikeman.
The strange, mysterious artist her father had invited... He always exuded a gloomy, enigmatic aura, and his paintings easily evoked thoughts of the occult.
However, he had never displayed any occult abilities. So far, he had mostly painted in Stuart and had only gifted one piece to her father, Edward...
But that eerie painting had captivated her father, who even hung it above his bed, leaving Isabella with an uncomfortable feeling.
Just now, Charles had given her a similar sense of pressure as Pikeman’s artwork.
After a moment of hesitation, Isabella slowly spoke, “I happen to know an artist who, like you, Charles, enjoys painting such things...”
“Oh? What’s his name?” Charles seemed genuinely interested.
“Pikeman,” Isabella said, pursing her lips before continuing, “He’s currently in the studio upstairs.”
“Oh? What a coincidence!” Charles smiled faintly and asked, “Since there’s still some time before lunch, why don’t you take us to meet this artist? I’d like to discuss painting with him.”
“Sure...”
Isabella’s face showed signs of conflict. She knew that Miss Aivina and her family were likely connected to the occult, but she wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to bring Charles along. She looked at Charles and cautioned, “Mr. Pikeman has a rather peculiar personality... and it’s best not to stare at his paintings for too long; it can lead to... headaches.”
Pikeman was a mysterious and powerful figure. If she were to bring her friends over, she had to be cautious. It would be fine if her father, Edward, were here, but he was out on business now. The thought of going to that studio filled with paintings made Isabella uneasy.
However, Charles and Aivina didn’t seem to mind.
To Isabella, Pikeman was indeed mysterious and frightening... but he was just a Level 1 “Blood Painter.”
Level 1 wouldn’t stir up much trouble in their hands.
Isabella led Charles and Aivina away from the parlor and up to the studio on the third floor. Finally, she stood in front of a studio door, raised her hand, and knocked.
Not long after, the door opened.
Despite it being noon, the curtains were drawn, and a candle in the center of the studio served as the only source of light.
A tall, thin young man slouched his shoulders, looking at Isabella at the door, and mumbled, “What’s...”
As his gaze followed Isabella to the four people behind her, the previously indistinct voice vanished. His slouched shoulders and bent back straightened.
Pikeman swallowed hard, his throat bobbing. He stiffly turned to Isabella and said, “Um... may I ask what you need?”
Even his tone had become noticeably more polite.
Charles scanned the interior of the studio. Not seeing Mond, she turned to Aivina.
Aivina noticed Charles’s glance, and her pupils emitted a purple glow.
At the sight of the purple glow, the experienced Pikeman’s pupils constricted slightly. He instinctively turned to rush into the studio—inside were his accumulated works, and in the studio, his mental influence would reach its peak.
But just as Pikeman was about to move, he found... his body was completely immobilized.
Beneath his feet, the shadow illuminated by the outside light was entwined with white shadowy chains, preventing Pikeman from moving an inch.
This all happened in the blink of an eye, unnoticed by Isabella, as Pikeman was successfully mentally controlled.
At that moment, Charles raised her hand and gently patted Isabella. As Isabella was about to turn around, Charles grasped her chin with a force she could hardly resist, twisting her gaze toward Aivina.
Aivina, too, drew on her energy, and with just a glance at Isabella, the girl’s eyes went blank.
From that point on, regardless of what happened in the next few minutes, Isabella would have no memory of this time; it would become a blank space, filled in by Aivina.
They pushed Isabella into the studio, and the others followed.
With both his mind and body under control, Pikeman couldn’t escape and easily divulged information—he had seen Mond just yesterday, and Mond hadn’t left Ansu City yet. It seemed he had other plans in Ansu City for the next few days.
Mond had promised to take Pikeman away from Ansu once the plans were completed, heading to the Kingdom of Falos together.
It appeared that realizing something had happened to Lafayette, Mond intended to accelerate the spread of the plague, preparing to leave directly after it was unleashed.
Pikeman’s mind was already marked with the “Satan Mark,” allowing Tara to easily command him. However, the “Satan Mark” could only instill loyalty and faith; it couldn’t erase memories. In this case, Aivina was more suitable for the task.
For a “psychologist,” obtaining memories was far too simple. Pikeman couldn’t retain any memory of seeing Charles and the others, and he couldn’t die before Mond was found, to avoid alerting him.
Through Pikeman, Charles also learned a specific address where Mond would be staying for the next few days...
With these conditions, capturing Mond would be straightforward.
After fabricating memories and restoring everything, Charles and the others brought Isabella back to where they had just been. After a rather confused lunch with Isabella, they left the Stuart Art Center.
As for how to deal with Mond, it was quite simple.
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