True to Your Nature (2)
Talent in people—whatever ties it to the soul, I don't know—but when it comes to hypnosis, brainwashing, and aphrodisiac brewing, I don't need any special study. I just do it.
Combat skills or survival training demand grinding away at life itself, piling up effort and experience. But for this? It's literally "just do it."
That's the angle we're exploiting. Incubus meta. More precisely, balancing the human body through dreams.
Chang Yeom and I devised a plan using the abilities of [Regiph] dwelling within me.
—Whether heroines or regular humans, we'll subtly infuse a tiny bit of Chang Yeom into them.
—Chang Yeom?
—Yeah. More accurately, your mana. Chang Yeom mana, with the properties of the demon realm.
—Start with just a trace amount. Like mercury poisoning.
—Mercury? Sounds insanely dangerous.
—It is, actually. The moment Chang Yeom shows up, or any demon realm trace appears, angels will descend.
—So what's the payoff?
—Human evolution? Advancement? Nah, that was a joke. But technically not wrong.
Not evolution as a species, but transformation into better versions of themselves—their ideal selves.
—In the modern world, if you wanted to get prettier or bustier? Surgery. Carve, twist, add, subtract—modern medicine's the only way to "mod" yourself. That's how it was back then.
But in a world with mana?
—Use your medical knowledge as a base, leverage mana's properties, and make humans reshape their own bodies. Like how naughty thoughts make your dick grow fast.
—What's the gist?
—Through dreams, constantly remind them of their ideal self until they change on their own. Dream-based gaslighting, basically.
For example, with Esta the White Sword Saint: show her as an academy professor and married woman. Her happy future, snagging career and man young.
Gaslighting ignores age, skill, gender, race.
—Conveniently, the heroines' ideal futures are logged in your game play data memories. Base their dreams on that.
Only...
—Only?
—Making the "ideal husband" in those dreams feel like you? That's fine, right? Puhuhu. And for specific gaslighting targets, design the dreams to boost their affinity for you.
Do that, and without lifting a finger, just their dreams alone rack up affection for you. Auto-farming meta.
—Isn't that just an idle game?
—Idling while affection auto-farms? Sounds like a win.
—What if it backfires? Messing with human emotions blindly—could they go berserk?
—It's fine. If it goes to plan, the heroines at least won't rampage against you.
We had all sorts of schemes, but one core principle.
Truth is, extras are easier marks than heroines. My mana instinctively screams "I want that" to earthbound beings.
Forged from a demon duke's power, I'm living mana itself to them. Sword form? Ego sword. Translucent spirit? Elemental. Pure power.
—Around third year, when the mana drain incident hits, they'll drool even more.
Modern analogy for us earthlings:
—A winning lotto ticket walking on the ground, no legal or ethical issues picking it up. What would that feel like?
I'm an ownerless first-prize lotto ticket.
—Heroines will crave ownership, but fret over someone monopolizing it. Correction: Super Bowl trophy. Or blank check.
—They'll see women less resistant than them—angel candidates—lose it chasing that "infinite power."
* * *
[Late evening, Unia's room.]
"You seriously just gave Esta Instructor a plain massage?"
"Yeah."
I'd been summoned to Unia's room for interrogation.
"For real?"
"Totally. Worried I did something sketchy?"
"H-Honestly... a little?"
Unia twirled a strand of hair around her finger, answering straight.
"Esta Instructor's... an adult, after all."
"Adults need more caution."
"Huh?"
"Some think it's fine to cross lines if they can own the consequences. Not saying Esta's like that."
"...Ah, got it."
Unia whispered softly.
"As long as they're adults..."
She's scheming something huge inside but dropping hints on purpose. Best to play dumb when she gets like this.
"Um, one thing I'm really curious about."
"Shoot."
"Back at the inn or on the bus, did you do the same stuff to me as with Esta Instructor?"
"You're straight-up admitting 'we were spying.'"
"Well, I'm on your side."
Unia pressed her index finger to her lips, pointing outside.
"Don't tell 'em I spilled."
"Going double agent between me and the academy?"
"N-No, not that. I trust you, but if they get suspicious, I need a plausible excuse, right? Like, rubbing all over Esta Instructor..."
Unia placed a hand on her chest, eyes half-lidded.
"To erase the Apocalypse risk?"
"......"
Couldn't say yes outright.
"Probably pre-blocking some bad future for Esta Instructor. Otherwise, she'd never reach into an obvious trap. And..."
Because I'd done the same to Unia first, and she's sharp enough to piece it together from scraps.
"Me too."
"......"
"Right?"
"Can't say specifics."
Too many variables.
"Just that going off-track could lead there."
"I get it. Futures are unpredictable."
On the first day of term, Unia realized anew.
"Maybe me too, someday..."
Like my warning to her about Esta's future, she could become one too.
"...But."
After the heavy pause, she grinned.
"If I get the same... massage? Treatment? Adjustment? Whatever you gave Esta Instructor, it lowers the odds of turning weird in the future, right?"
"Pretty much."
Unia beamed, flopping onto the bed.
"Ready! Let's go."
"Already?"
"Why not? Oh, wait—is there a 'one per day' limit?"
"Nah."
If I wanted, I could handle 17 at once. Mana-based, efficiency dips, but doable.
"Or... are you tired? Sorry if I'm pushing my own—"
"Not tired. But starting now might mean bolting out mid-session."
"Huh?"
"Unia, picture this: you're in PJs, we start, then emergency calls. You grab your weapon and dash half-dressed?"
"Uh..."
Unia's face hardened.
"You're talking like we'll get interrupted for sure...?"
Part from Esta Instructor's post-bad-dream grumpiness, but she'd caught the hint in my words.
"Rydmila or Evangeline would be fine."
Unia struck a fighting pose, resolute.
"I'll convince 'em. Whoever interrupts, I'll have 'em lie down with us!"
Classic Unia. Harem saint.
"I'll say it's mana circulation massage for fatigue recovery. They don't guard against me much, so one plea and they'll play along. Then you... um..."
Unia pointed at my hands alternately.
"Two hands, so one each? Or I hold out while you do another...?"
"Not that."
"Huh? Oh—if it's only for Apocalypse targets..."
"Nope."
Rydmila's definite apocalypse material; Evangeline, maybe. But I'm not limiting mana infusion and fatigue burn-off to them.
Gaslighting works on all humanity.
My mana can make anyone healthier. Boost low self-esteem sky-high, amp up lacking maternal instincts. Turn barren plains to reed-choked marshes.
—Creating something from nothing. The domain of the newly revered god, no? Puhuhu.
A bit trickier, but possible.
Real issue's elsewhere.
"Unia. Probably right about—"
Knock knock knock.
Crisp, no-nonsense knocks: Sakfeng, Rydmila's.
"Coming~"
Unia rose calmly, opened the door.
"Rydmila?"
"......"
Rydmila scanned Unia top to bottom, then eyed me slouched backward in the desk chair.
"Nothing happening inside, looks like."
"Inside...?"
"Intruder alert."
"Pardon...?"
Rydmila pointed outside.
"Someone's invading the Old School Building to mana drainPhoenix."
"Knew it."
I stood from the chair.
"I'm the eater, not the eaten. Right, Miss Unia?"
"......"
The mirror showed my golden sun-tan skin still.
But.
"If genders swapped, uh, yeah... possible."
As Unia said, swap gold tanning to high school girl: blonde blue-eyed gyaru vibes.
Irresistible.
Not brown tan, but whiter than white?
"Rydmila. Need bait?"
To those "pure-heart" attackers, terrorizing the Old School Building's no biggie.
"Yes. Be our bait."
"B-Bait...? This is the academy...!"
"Old School Building."
Whoever they are, first day and already exploiting rules loopholes.
"Dorms ban trespassing. No such rule for Old School Building."
"......"
Esdinas Academy's Old School Building.
"It's a lawless zone."