Chapter 30

My dear older sister, Adela.

In this vast Demon Realm, she’s one of the top ten absolute powerhouses, and a pitiful yet steadfast Demon who wouldn’t hesitate to give her life for me.

Adela suffered an accident when she was little that slightly lowered her intelligence. But in return, she seems to have inherited all of Father’s talent—her martial arts are incredible. She trains alone by clearing the treacherous Demon Forest all by herself.

Of course, I’ll be entering the Demon Forest too, but at least I know all the dangerous spots and what lives where. Adela, on the other hand, just barrels through everything head-on with brute force. There’s no comparison.

There’s about a thousand years’ age gap between my sister and me, but that’s a minor detail.

Anyway, our amazing older sister Adela is currently, surprisingly, completely defenseless. So much so that even I, a total scrub, could attack her and she wouldn’t be able to block or dodge. Unless it’s a Cross; I can beat her as hard as I want, but she won’t get a scratch.

“When did Adela start acting like this?”

“W-what do you mean by that?”

“How long has she been in this state? Roughly how many hours ago?”

“It’s been… about three and a half hours…”

“I see. Not much time left then.”

Using the magic power from Horus’s egg and my illusion skills, I’ve temporarily suppressed Adela’s mind. But this won’t last forever. If I could permanently seal her like this, I’d be the Demon King already.

And I don’t really want to do that to my lovely Adela anyway.

“Young Lady should go back now. Act as you normally would. Report Leonard’s disappearance about three days later. And since your new investment opportunity is now me, it’d be wise to follow my advice.”

“Ah, understood. Then I shall take my leave.”

“Yes yes, please take good care of me going forward!”

“…I will also ask for your cooperation.”

“Hehehe…”

Young Lady stumbled slightly as she straightened herself up and exited the room. Once she was gone, I let out a mischievous giggle and approached Adela.

The remaining time is… ten minutes? No, make that nine minutes after wasting some time just now.

Alright. The show’s over, but maintaining proper tension makes life efficient. Like how kids rush to finish their homework when inspection approaches, or students who slack off until the night before exams suddenly cram textbooks, time limits keep me motivated.

I pulled out a black Rosary from my pocket. As I expected, this Rosary won’t react to Adela.

She may be born a Demon, but she’s incredibly kind. She isn’t the type of Hero who charges into injustice without hesitation, but she protects those around her and loves her family. That’s what Adela is.

Creak…

Oh, as usual, my predictions never fail. The black Rosary only trembles slightly in front of Adela, unlike when it faces something like Retavis, emitting no purifying flames. It hisses faintly like a cat, but that’s insignificant.

Wait, does the Cross not reacting to me mean I’m actually nice? Could it be because my character is so pure that it doesn’t feel any resistance? Hmm, that makes sense. My heart is super soft, and my disposition is as noble as a Saintess.

With two fingers, I held the chain and raised the Cross in front of Adela’s vacant eyes. Since I’m much shorter than her, I had to stretch up onto my tiptoes to reach.

Anyways, once I brought the Cross close, I started gently swaying it side to side.

“Adela, look at the Cross. See how it swings steadily, tick-tock? Follow its rhythm.”

Hypnosis lies in suggestion and control. Just like inviting someone into a chair when they enter a room or offering water to a thirsty friend, hypnosis works through appropriate balance between control and suggestion.

Some say we live in a world of manipulation. Every conversation and non-verbal expression in daily life is essentially an act of controlling others.

Hypnosis isn’t difficult. It’s like a kidnapper tempting a child with candy, coaxing them wherever you want, whether human or Demon.

Flick, flick, flick, flick…

Consistency is key. Adela needs to fully adapt to the rhythm of the Cross. Start with something simple. Although I’ve used Horus’s egg to make her more susceptible, every detail matters when dealing with someone as strong as Adela.

Flick, flick, flick, flick…

“One, two. One, two. Good, the rhythm is perfect.”

Her dull eyes followed the Cross back and forth. I smiled watching her.

Soon enough, I began whispering softly like a sparrow chirping.

“There’s a lake. A massive, deep lake so vast that if you fall in, you’ll never come out.”

Flick, flick, flick, flick…

“Adela is standing in front of the lake. She has something in her hands that she wants to discard but is hesitating.”

Flick, flick, flick, flick…

“In Adela’s grip is a pebble. A pebble that troubles her greatly because it’s not just any ordinary pebble.”

Flick, flick, flick, flick…

“The pebble says ‘memory.’ It contains memories from the banquet the other day to the events leading up to entering Oscar’s room. Don’t you want to throw it away immediately?”

“…”

“Do you not want to throw it away right now? Really, don’t you?”

“…”

Uh oh, this might be getting risky. She’s not budging. Should I stir her emotions?

“Can you recall anything?”

Nod…

“What comes to mind? Can you tell me?”

In response to my sweet question, Adela spoke in a mechanical, emotionless tone.

“Clearly… during the banquet… Young Lady was trapped… inside Oscar’s closet…”

“And then? What happened next?”

“The door… disappeared… My head… felt foggy… My senses… blurred… It was… very strange…”

“That’s enough, Adela. From here on, we’re going to perform a therapy that will make you feel better.”

“Feel… better… therapy…?”

“Yes, Adela, we’re removing the illness in your heart. You’ll feel relieved once it’s gone. Just imagine that.”

Flick, flick, flick, flick…

One fortunate thing is that low-intelligence beings are more susceptible to hypnosis. Of course, my hypnosis skill is so advanced that even Dragons praise it, but I learned this fact after failing to hypnotize the Emperor of the Empire for the first time.

Flick, flick, flick, flick…

“How do you feel recalling these memories, Adela? Be honest about the emotions you’re experiencing.”

“Um… scared… frightened… unsettling… creepy… feelings like that…”

“Right? It’s extremely unpleasant, isn’t it? Like being lost in endless darkness, feeling utterly helpless?”

“Hmm…? Now that you mention it… it does feel sort of like that…”

“You need to let go of the bad things. It’s simple, Adela. Raise the pebble in your hand high above your head. Then, throw it into the lake. You’ll feel relief.”

Flick, flick, flick, flick…

The lake represents the depths of memory. Just like we cannot recall the moment of our birth, these are memories that fade beyond reach. Into this abyss, we bury Adela’s recent recollections.

Flick, flick, flick, flick…

Adela lifted her arm blankly, as if holding something invisible.

“Pretend you’re drawing a bow and pull your arm back. Then, throw it with all your strength toward the lake. Anywhere will do since the lake is so wide, you’ll definitely hit it.”

Flick, flick, flick, flick…

My arms are starting to hurt. I quickly said before my muscles gave out.

“Throw it! All the painful memories, Adela. Right now!”

Whoosh!

Her empty hand swings through the air fiercely, creating a refreshing breeze. This shows how terrified she was while under the illusion.

“Plop.”

The pebble hits the lake and slowly sinks deeper into the water.

“Your heart never betrays you. It knows you best. Just now, you did exactly what you wanted most.”

“Uh…”

Due to buoyancy, the pebble doesn’t sink fast, but it continues downward endlessly until it reaches the bottom.

Flick, flick, flick, flick…

Oh no, time’s almost up. When will it reach the bottom? Is Adela’s memory depth so profound because she’s lived for a thousand years?

Flick, flick, flick, flick…

Looks like it’ll be tough to synchronize with the time. Keeping my hand steady while swinging the Cross, I stretched out my foot to close the open wardrobe door. Despite needing great flexibility, it was no problem for me at nine years old.

Flick, flick, flick, flick…

Roughly 30 seconds left, judging by my estimate. Once Adela regains consciousness, the hypnosis will immediately wear off. Since my current clothes are soaked in Retavis’ blood, I need to think of a solution.

“…Plunk. The pebble just hit the bottom of the lake. Now it will never resurface.”

“…”

No reply. No time to worry about it.

I hurriedly put away the Cross. The hypnosis is over, and Adela remains in the same dazed state she was in when I entered the room.

I took off my clothes. Thankfully, the dried blood from my journey back from Endros Cliff didn’t soak the floor in blood.

I crumpled the clothes and shoved them deep under the bed along with the gloves. After turning off the lights, I naturally pulled back the covers and climbed into bed, letting the soft blanket envelop my tired body.

Thus, 30 seconds passed.

“…Hmm?”

Adela’s voice rang out. Her tone carried a liveliness different from before.

“This place… Where am I? Is this Oscar’s room…? Ugh, my head…”

Adela wobbled. She pressed her forehead with one hand, retracing her memories. At least that’s what it seemed like in the dim light.

“Why am I… here…”

Perfect, right about now. Time for me to step in.

“Wh-who? Could it be Sister Adela?”

“…Oscar? Are you awake?”

“I heard Sister’s voice… What are you doing in my room, Sister?”

I asked in a muffled voice, pretending to have just woken up.

I’ve just awakened, still groggy. Fully regain awareness.

“Oscar, do you have any idea why I was here? Ugh, my head feels like it’s splitting.”

“Well… I’ve been sleeping since dinner because I wasn’t feeling well, and I just woke up hearing Sister’s voice…”

“Not feeling well… Could it be the effects of your injury persisting? Nonsense, this isn’t the time to deal with headaches. Wait a moment. I’ll fetch medicine for you soon.”

“Eh… Medicine? I’d prefer elixirs over regular medicine…”

“I can’t sit idly by while my younger brother is sick. I’ll stay up all night nursing you tonight. Rest easy, Oscar.”

“…Yes?”

“It’s my fault you got injured, so I absolutely won’t neglect you. I’ll be right back.”

With that, Adela swiftly left the room. Moments later, she returned carrying a bundle of herbs.

Hey, Sister? I fought all night… With this nine-year-old body pushed to its limits, I really need sleep now…

---