Chapter 151: Hypnotic Pure Love

I gulped upon seeing the Hero, who seemed to have entered the trance state described in the hypnosis book.

To be honest, I didn’t expect to succeed on the first try.

As I figured she was quite a formidable Mage, I thought her magic resistance would be quite high.

Realizing anew that forbidden books aren’t forbidden for no reason, I read the warnings written in the book.

“This hypnosis is not permanent. Criminal acts of arbitrarily changing the other party’s emotions and memories can boomerang back at you, so never use it for such purposes. -Nakamura-“

If you knew that, you shouldn’t have published it in the first place, you idiot.

Just like the Purgatory Demon Slaying Sword I saw before, what on earth did you create back in the day, you Japanese reincarnator?

Grumbling, I constructed the magic sequence according to the book’s explanation.

Then, a small magic circle appeared on my palm.

Vanessa, who was beside me, asked with a curious expression.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to change the Hero’s common sense a bit. For now, at least, I need to make her cooperative.”

According to what was written in the warnings, the duration of the hypnosis is a maximum of 48 hours.

After that time passes, the hypnosis wears off, and she regains her original memories, apparently.

Of course, she seems to forget everything that happened in the meantime, but for now, I’ll just be content with being able to put a leash on the Hero.

I rotated my hand holding the magic circle to the right and said.

“From now on, the ‘hostility’ you have towards me will change into ‘liking’.”

The basis of hypnosis is keywords.

It begins by imposing restrictions on the other party’s thoughts through the presentation of specific conditions.

The broader the keywords used here, the weaker the effect, and conversely, the narrower the meaning they encompass, the stronger the effect becomes.

“And you cannot attack me, and you will come to ‘depend’ in psychologically unstable situations.”

“And the desire to ‘depend’ will gradually change into ‘love’.”

I wonder if this is enough?

I decided to gradually complete the hypnosis spell.

“Wait a minute.”

“Huh?”

Vanessa, who was beside me, asked with a sulky expression.

“Why specifically love?”

“Well… because it’s the easiest emotion to exploit?”

For mentally restraining someone, there was no emotion as good as love.

This book sufficiently explained why that is.

“I’m going to tell Ozma.”

“Ah, go easy on me.”

As I said that, looking at her pleadingly, Vanessa turned her head away with a ‘Hmph!’

“You know that the only people I like are you four, right?”

“You four?”

“Of course, among them, you’re the number one.”

I knew it was flattery, but still, right now, soothing Vanessa’s anger was the priority.

And Vanessa, who tended to be soft-hearted, perhaps because such flattery worked, her ears perked up noticeably.

“Shall we go on a date this weekend? I heard a good restaurant opened recently.”

“…Okay. I’ll let it slide this time.”

Vanessa said so, with a visibly delighted expression.

“If it’s uncomfortable to watch, why don’t you go up first?”

“Is that okay? If I’m not here, you don’t know what might happen.”

“I’m not someone who gets pushed around easily either.”

As I said that, striking a pose to emphasize my bicep, Vanessa nodded with an accepting expression.

“Then I’ll wait on the first floor.”

I said okay, then saw her off as she went up to the ground floor.

And back to the study room.

“Let’s begin.”

Rubbing my hands together, I poured a large amount of mana into the spell sequence I had just been making.

---

Heroine Sophia woke up about 5 minutes later.

“Ngh… Where is this.”

Perhaps having lost the memories right before falling under hypnosis, she blinked her eyes with a dazed expression.

Honestly, I was thankful.

It would be troublesome if she were to unnecessarily notice she was hypnotized and cause a scene.

“You’re awake.”

As if nothing had happened, I said so with my hands behind my back.

Then, perhaps realizing my presence belatedly, Sophia glared at me with wide-open eyes.

But perhaps due to the effect of the spell I just cast, the venom seemed to have drained from her eyes.

If my suggestion worked as intended, the hostility towards me must have changed into liking.

She asked.

“How long was I unconscious?”

“About 5 minutes? …But your tone is a bit short? How old are you?”

Then Sophia, tied to the bed, replied with a flustered expression.

“I-I’m twenty years old…”

“Damn it, you brat who hasn’t even dried behind the ears, talking informally to an adult.”

As I naturally slipped into my ‘old man’ groove, the Hero’s shoulders slumped, caught up in it.

But perhaps not giving up yet, she protested in a timid voice.

“But you and I are enemies, you know.”

“Did your home tutor teach you that it’s okay to speak informally to enemies?”

“No, that’s not it…”

“Isn’t a true Hero someone who respects their opponent, even if they’re enemies?”

As I presented my unbeatable logic, Sophia fell silent.

She seemed to have belatedly realized that the Hero is always at a disadvantage in moral debates.

With my arms crossed, I looked at the Hero like that, then asked.

“First of all, you know what your current situation is, right?”

Then Sophia nodded with a determined expression.

“No matter how many times you try to persuade me, my answer is the same. I have no intention of siding with the demons, so do whatever you want, whether it’s roasting me or boiling me.”

I corrected Sophia’s misunderstanding.

“No, no, I didn’t exactly ask you to become a demon’s ally. I just asked you to become my ally.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“I’m bound by a contract with the Demon King, you see. If I succeed in conquering the world, I’ve been promised half of this world. So, if you help me, ultimately you’ll be working for the benefit of humans.”

“That’s sophistry.”

“But it’s true that there’s no better alternative, isn’t it? Do you think the current Kingdom of Oz has any hope? If Prince Tipetarius could have kept the throne, maybe, but since he was deposed, Oz is in a state where it wouldn’t be strange if it collapsed soon. If the Demon King’s army hadn’t taken over under the guise of a Governor-General, the country would have already fallen apart due to rebellion.”

“So, you’re claiming you were a necessary evil?”

“From the beginning, there is neither good nor evil in this world. Such things are merely the ramblings of rulers.”

I work only for myself.

That principle has never changed, from beginning to end.

“Have you ever thought about why demons and humans are hostile to each other? And about how, even if the Hero kills the Demon King, or the Demon King kills the Hero, new successors keep appearing?”

There are Demon Kings who lived long lives, having killed the Heroes who came seeking them multiple times, while others were assassinated less than a year after their ascension.

And conversely, thinking the other way around, it’s probably the same for Heroes.

“From the start, the positions of Demon King and Hero were merely pawns for the goddesses. And at least the current Demon King, Nero Zoroaster, wants to end this evil custom and corruption that has continued for nearly a thousand years. Are you really going to frame stopping the Demon King as justice? That’s just blind fanaticism.”

Sophia said in a trembling voice.

“Those words are blasphemy.”

Hearing that, I chuckled.

“If faith means blindly believing whatever happens up there, then screw that kind of faith. Does such a great goddess kill a Hero with her own hands?”

“What? What do you mean…”

I told her the truth.

“The previous Hero, Artorius, the one who took his life was the Goddess of Courage herself.”

If he had stayed alive, it would have hindered the birth of a new Hero.

---

At the news that the previous Hero was killed by a goddess, she had a stunned expression.

Was this statement really that shocking?

If it were me, I wouldn’t easily believe what an enemy says, but Sophia was much more naive than I thought.

That means she’s quite ignorant of the world, though.

Unconsciously, I asked out of concern.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Then, Sophia, startled and looking up, said with teary eyes.

“I don’t believe anything you say.”

…For someone who says they don’t believe me, you seem quite shocked.

I scratched my head and said.

“Well, whether you believe it or not is up to you. I just wanted to let you know that goddesses aren’t necessarily right, just because they are goddesses, as much as you might think.”

Still, her wariness towards me seemed to have considerably eased.

Having had a rather uninformative conversation, it felt worthwhile.

Anyway, the interrogation I was conducting must continue.

“The previous Count Glorious, who passed down your family lineage, who is he?”

“I cannot say.”

“Then why did you try to steal the petition from my house?”

“I cannot say that either.”

“…If you keep being so uncooperative, I won’t just stand by either.”

Then Sophia haughtily said,

“I’ve long since built up my resistance to pain. Patraash, you won’t hear a single word of truth from me.”

“What if it’s not pain?”

“Huh?”

“You don’t think the only way to torture someone is by inflicting pain, do you?”

Saying that, I strode closer towards Sophia.

At the significantly closer distance, she exclaimed in panic.

“W-what are you trying to do!”

I pressed firmly on her navel with my index finger and said.

“Sensitivity x3000.”

At that moment,

“Hyaaaaaang♥♥♥”

accompanied by a sweet voice I’d never heard before, her leather pants became damp.