Chapter 113
Chapter 113
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Master of the Full Moon
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Marquis Guinness was immensely satisfied. It was due to the spell that Cardinal Solon had demonstrated.
Before properly casting the spell on Juliet Monad as the target, they had tested it on a few slaves that the Marquis had purchased.
"It's basically hypnosis."
Two slaves were tied side by side on the torture chairs, with a curtain between them.
"Watch closely."
He drew a complex magic circle on the floor.
As soon as he did, something small and black suddenly popped up from the center.
"!"
The Marquis couldn't suppress his shock.
What had burst from the floor was a black shadow. It was translucent and much smaller than a real person's shadow, but aside from that, it resembled a human shadow, complete with limbs.
"This is a thought entity."
Cardinal Solon explained with a sinister smile.
"We'll insert this into that test subject's body."
"Eup! Euup!"
As if having heard those words, the man tied to a chair in the corner began wriggling in terror.
The small shadow-like thought entity slithered toward the bound test subject and slipped right into his shadow.
"......!"
At that exact moment, the bound man slumped limply as if he had lost consciousness.
"Is that it? It doesn't look any different."
Marquis Guinness muttered skeptically. Outwardly, he just seemed to have fallen asleep.
"It's because we've only injected one thought entity so far. This spell requires a preparation period of at least three days, up to a week."
Cardinal Solon explained without concern.
As the number increases, perfect domination becomes possible.
"In other words, the number of thought entities inserted determines the intensity of the hallucinations heard, but it takes about a week. At first, the body feels languid, and eventually, it enters a complete hypnotic state."
Cardinal Solon counted the days.
"Especially, it exerts its greatest power on the night of the full moon."
That was why the spell bore the name of the full moon.
"After repeating the process of inserting thought entities over several nights—"
Flutter.
When the curtain was pulled back, another slave sat there on the other side, his head slightly bowed.
Compared to the previous test subject, he was remarkably expressionless.
His eyes were glazed over, as if he had lost his own will.
"This is the complete hypnotic state."
"Then I can give commands now?"
"Not yet! You have to say the incantation... that is, the command phrase, for him to recognize you as his master."
Cardinal Solon quickly tore off a scrap of paper with the command written on it and handed it to the Marquis.
Marquis Guinness eyed the crude scrap suspiciously but recited exactly what was written.
He snapped his fingers sharply once, then read the incantation.
"Who are you?"
"The master of the full moon..."
"Is this how it's read?"
Creak.
Surprisingly, the slave on the left, whose head had been drooped like a corpse, lifted it and looked at the Marquis.
"Yes, now he will obey any command you give."
After Cardinal Solon's response, Marquis Guinness rubbed his chin thoughtfully before issuing a command.
"Stand up."
Crack.
Clunk.
Even though he was clearly bound, the slave easily broke his restraints and rose.
"Huh."
The Marquis, observing the scene with interest, tossed a dagger onto the floor.
"Kill that one with this."
Even Cardinal Solon flinched at the command.
But the slave who received the order picked up the fallen knife without hesitation and approached the other unconscious slave.
"Hngh!"
The man tied to the chair with a gag couldn't even scream properly.
The knife of the slave fully under hypnosis targeted his throat, and blood spurted out in an instant.
"Kuhahat! Excellent, this will definitely work!"
Standing in the blood-puddled basement, Marquis Guinness was overjoyed.
"You did well, Solon. Lady Dahlia will surely be pleased too."
"Th-thank you for the praise."
Cardinal Solon forced a smile.
'Just who is Lady Dahlia?'
Solon still didn't know the exact identity of the young woman whom the Marquis followed so blindly.
But he had clearly witnessed the Marquis's cruelty in casually ordering the test subject killed.
No doubt, the woman named Dahlia behind Marquis Guinness was no ordinary priestess. Not when she was instigating things like this.
"Now, if we play our cards right, we can take that Duke's life."
Cardinal Solon, realizing Marquis Guinness's scheme, shuddered.
"Surely you're not planning to use Juliet Monad to kill Duke Carlyle?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
"B-but, wouldn't that be... a bit difficult? This is just hypnosis; it doesn't grant superhuman strength or anything."
Gauging the Marquis's mood, Cardinal Solon spoke cautiously.
"Juliet Monad is just an ordinary woman. Even if she sneaks up and stabs the Duke while he's off guard... she won't be able to kill him."
Even if Juliet fell under hypnosis, the Duke wouldn't die so easily.
"Hoho, you know one thing but not two. It doesn't matter which one dies."
"Pardon?"
Marquis Guinness smiled meaningfully.
"Think about it. Being stabbed to death by the woman I loved, or killing that woman with my own hands. Either way, it's agonizing, isn't it?"
To that extent?
Cardinal Solon realized the depth of the Marquis's grudge against Duke Carlyle.
"So, no hitches in the plan?"
When Marquis Guinness asked, Cardinal Solon forced a smile.
"O-of course. No one can detect or block the existence of these thought entities."
*
Juliet woke early in the morning and hurriedly prepared to go out.
But as she closed the wardrobe and turned, she spotted something suspicious protruding from under the bed.
"......Nix?"
A black tail was swishing.
Chomp chomp.
With its head shoved under the bed and only its butt sticking out, it was suspicious enough, and the sound was unnatural too.
'No way...'
Juliet approached quietly and snatched up the baby dragon engrossed in something.
"Nix!"
"Pak!"
The equally startled baby dragon let out a screech.
"What are you eating?"
"Meak?"
Caught by his body and front paws by Juliet and unable to budge, Onyx quickly blinked his pumpkin-colored eyes with the world's most innocent expression.
"What on earth..."
While eyeing the baby dragon suspiciously, Juliet noticed something black and translucent stuck to the corner of its mouth.
The moment she reached to peel off the paper-like flapping thing,
Slurp.
Onyx swiftly licked around his mouth with his pink tongue.
"........"
Then, chirping innocently as if nothing had happened, he pretended total innocence and cutely nudged his head forward for pets.
"You... shouldn't pick up and eat just anything."
"Pak!"
Reluctantly admonishing him, Juliet set the baby dragon down on the bed.
She was still worried, but she couldn't make him spit it out.
'No wonder it was rustling awake all through dawn.'
Juliet suspected the baby dragon was playing at hunting.
Juliet had no choice but to ask Elliott to watch the baby dragon carefully before heading out.
**
While riding in the carriage to the imperial palace, Juliet gazed at the view outside the window.
"More chaotic than expected, right?"
Jude, the escort knight seated across from her, grinned and asked, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.
The capital's atmosphere was more disorderly than she'd thought.
"Yes, the wedding should help settle things."
The rumor that the palace lake had turned red on New Year's Day was infamous.
With异種族 discovered in the Emperor's forest and such, the tumultuous events nonstop since the year's start—it seemed they'd advanced the Second Prince's wedding to quell public opinion.
The wedding of the Second Prince and Fatima Glenfield had originally been scheduled for spring.
That was why Juliet had been summoned to the palace.
It was common custom to seek help from noble ladies during wedding preparations.
But as she headed to the palace annex, Juliet wondered if the prospective crown princess, Fatima, had truly called for her of her own accord.
Forgotten Juliet