Hipnox was earnestly hoping for night to fall soon. It wasn’t because she preferred the night or became stronger in it.
Simply, once humans fell asleep, she didn’t need to concern herself with them anymore. For her, who always prioritized quality over quantity, simultaneously hypnotizing many humans was an immense strain.
Her specialty was focusing on one or two key figures—rarely more than five—and subtly influencing their perceptions to steer situations favorably for the Demon Tribe.
Even with ordinary humans who lacked mental barriers, their sheer number—nearly eighty—made it far more taxing for Hipnox than trying to hypnotize a dragon.
Her hypnosis worked by subtly altering perceptions within the bounds of common sense after infiltrating someone’s mind. With around a hundred minds to juggle, she had become so disoriented that she couldn’t even remember whom she’d hypnotized with what.
Fortunately, the Hero’s mind was relatively easy to manipulate, but the Half-Dragon’s mind, protected by thirteen layers of barriers, was wearing her down every time she entered it.
Worse still, Akashi, who was supposed to be cooperating, had started causing trouble, accelerating events that were meant to unfold gradually. Hipnox sighed, wondering if she might need Elize’s help after all.
Night had to come soon. Rubbing her aching head, she implanted another false perception into the townsfolk, making them believe they were sick.
Until the Demon King arrived at Landekrihen, Mari had to remain in this village with them. Opening a rift and leaving early would only result in death at the hands of the crazed individuals there without the Demon King’s presence.
“…You. Didn’t you just agree to cooperate? Why are you messing with that dragon?”
“I never agreed to anything. When did I say I’d take your side? If anything, I’m on the side of fun.”
As Hipnox was about to get angry, her headache worsened, so she cut off any further interest in Akashi. He smirked unpleasantly while stirring a pot with a stone ladle.
“And besides, haven’t I helped your side already? Wouldn’t it be fair to help theirs too? What do you think, Hipnox?”
He was as contemptible as ever. Hipnox thought it made sense why even the previous Demon King had avoided him. Having mocked and belittled the old Demon King during his reign, he was nothing but a disdainful figure, whether the original or a clone. Hipnox decided not to waste more time thinking about him.
“Try harder, horn-heads. Show me something interesting, and maybe I’ll take your side. Not interested? Well… let’s just boil some soup then.”
He remained as contemptuous as ever. Hipnox left after rethinking her stance, noticing an elf passing by with clean bedding.
…I’m sure I planted the suggestion that this bedding is dirty. Did I also suggest it to the Hero and the Half-Dragon?
A chilling premonition struck Hipnox, leading her to the old woman’s house where the Hero and Half-Dragon had just entered. Upon entering, she saw them eyeing her suspiciously.
…I didn’t implant any suggestion here, did I? I don’t recall ever doing this kind of continuous, mass infiltration before. It must have been unprecedented. Struggling to maintain her focus, Hipnox looked directly into Myungho and Alterra’s eyes.
“…The bedding the elf just took away was filthy. And I am merely a poor injured girl…”
It was twice as hard to hypnotize someone if they suspected her, so Hipnox, clutching her throbbing head, managed to plant the suggestion into their minds.
“…We need the Demon King here sooner rather than later. The weak ones will slow our march because they care too much for each other.”
Hipnox wished for the Demon King’s swift arrival at Landekrihen.
“…I feel like I was doing something just now… What was it again…”
“You said you were going to help the elf, right? It seemed like too much for you to handle alone.”
“…Did I? Yeah… It looked too dirty to deal with alone… Alterra, let’s go help.”
“…Something feels off… Don’t you think so too, Myungho? Like I forgot something…”
Hearing their words, Hipnox worried that perhaps her hypnosis hadn’t taken hold, but seeing them still confused yet heading towards the well, she breathed a small sigh of relief.
It was probably time to release the villagers from the false illness. Redirecting all her remaining mana to reinforcing the suggestions on those few, Hipnox thought.
Carefully avoiding drawing the departing group’s attention,
—
Those who could still move went outside to collect food, and those too ill to move had it delivered to their homes.
We tidied up the elderly man’s house that Yuna asked us to help with earlier. Before we knew it, the sun was slowly setting in the east.
Though familiar now, it was still a strange sight when you really paid attention. Even though my appearance would’ve likely been laughed off as cosplay back home, I rarely had the leisure to look around properly amidst the constant busyness, which made everything seem more fascinating.
Though my body rested often, it felt like my mind hadn’t been this relaxed in a long time. Ashi and Mari were drying the dishes, and Yuna was taking on the heavy tasks.
…Here I am, relaxing while everyone else works. Where did Alterra go? Come to think of it, I haven’t seen her or the girls for a while.
That’s odd. Just moments ago, she was angrily collecting dishes from people’s homes, complaining about why she had to do it. Where did she disappear to?
“…Hey, guys. Have you seen Alterra?”
Thinking one of the party members might know something, I asked, but no useful answers came.
“Hmm…? Weren’t you with her, Myungho? She’ll be back soon anyway. Ah, if you’re not busy, can you help out a bit?”
Yuna mentioned the stains wouldn’t come off and requested assistance. But I politely declined, deciding instead to find Alterra.
“Hmm… Alright. If you’re worried, go look for her. Maybe ask some of the healthier villagers to help too. In exchange, Myungho does the dishes tomorrow?”
“Got it. Just bear with me today.”
Yuna nodded, telling me to hurry back before returning to her chores. So… I’m sure she was somewhere around here.
I checked the narrow alleys between houses, searching for where Alterra might’ve gone. Soon enough, I found her absentmindedly following two girls.
Is this another hallucination? Is it time for them to start acting up again since things have been quiet lately?
-This isn’t something I’m showing you. Since you’ve grown to firmly trust your lover, if I need to show you something…
When I blinked, the surroundings darkened, revealing Alterra in the distance, mutilated and bloodied—
“…Stop it right now.”
-It’s merely an example. You’ll see this often, so wouldn’t it be better to get used to it now?
Even knowing it was an illusion, I felt a chill and immense irritation. As the devil’s tricks grew more excessive, anger surged, mixed with fear that this might indeed be Alterra’s fate.
Closing my eyes and reopening them, Alterra was still following the girls.
…I felt uneasy. A statement Alterra made came to mind: someone was deceiving us. Could it be these girls?
Now that I think about it, the taller girl seems familiar. Definitely seen her somewhere. White hair, tall stature, blue eyes…
But who? I couldn’t recall. Something blocked my thoughts whenever I tried.
Whoever they are, if they harm Alterra…
…I’ll cut them down without hesitation.
Silently drawing my sword imbued with the spirit of a witch and casting a sound-muffling spell, I carefully followed the girls. They continued deeper into the forest, seemingly unaware of my presence.
“…Lady Hipnox, do we really need to go this far? I think it’d be better to consider the humans in the village…”
“Just take care of this, and the rest won’t matter. We can suppress them all if they attack, but this is different. You understand. We can neither recruit nor kill them, but we can incapacitate them until the Demon King arrives.”
“No, that’s not what I mean… I’m worried the Hero might follow. He may not be very strong, but…”
“Didn’t you hear me? The others don’t matter. Even the Hero can be subdued instantly.”
They seem to be plotting something sinister. Should I wait longer or act now? The decision didn’t take long.
They haven’t started harming Alterra yet, but…
It needs to be dealt with before it’s too late. Clutching my sword, I drew upon my soul’s mana.
I originally intended to leave the spirit trapped in eternal torment within the blade.
But isn’t helping my daughter like this the right thing to do?
