novelblue
Chapter 173
Chapter 173
Let’s rewind a bit to the moment when Seol Hayeon was leaving the chairwoman’s office.
I saw her off with a smile, fully aware that she was deeply frightened. In fact, I hadn’t just noticed her fear—I had orchestrated it.
This was all to keep Paimon from becoming suspicious.
*If the chairwoman acted too relaxed and trusting of me, it would tip Paimon off immediately.*
Even if she’s decaying, Paimon is still the final boss. She’s skilled at manipulation, especially with mind control and soul manipulation.
Her minions weren’t ordinary either. Equipped with self-destruct capabilities and even remote surveillance, they were essentially like self-destruct drones with cameras.
*Paimon will want to personally confirm the chairwoman’s demise. If she senses anything suspicious, she won’t attend the academy festival.*
In other words, this was a highly complex situation.
I had to make sure Paimon saw her subordinate self-destruct, and the chairwoman had to perform her role with utmost sincerity—all while ensuring she didn’t actually die.
There was no way to achieve this through conventional means.
*But who am I? The hypnosis master. With perfect hypnosis, I could pull it off.*
The only solution was hypnosis—a flawless illusion capable of deceiving not only the chairwoman and the self-destruct soldier but even Paimon.
With a quick motion, I gave a thumbs-up to the chairwoman as she departed. More accurately, it was directed at Hypnosis-chan, tucked safely in her pants pocket.
Since I couldn’t go there myself, if the self-destruct soldier sensed me, she would flee immediately. Given my S-Class mana, she’d likely detect me from ten kilometers away.
But Hypnosis-chan? She’s a manifestation of my power, a form of *perfect hypnosis* that doesn’t rely on mana. Therefore, she was undetectable by mana sensors.
Hypnosis-chan could approach the soldier without being noticed. And once she was close, our victory would be certain.
*That’s why I spent extra time subtly hypnotizing the chairwoman beforehand—so she wouldn’t notice Hypnosis-chan’s presence.*
Of course, the chairwoman was currently trembling in fear, unaware that Hypnosis-chan was in her pocket. But that was unavoidable; if she became aware, her intuition would likely alert her, *“Oh, I have a secret ace up my sleeve, so I won’t die.”*
With that, I was grateful for her enduring patience in all these years.
---
As I reviewed the plan one last time, I began to synchronize with the wavelength of my creation, Hypnosis-chan, merging my consciousness with hers. Much like Paimon was doing with her self-destruct soldier.
Soon, my field of vision shifted.
*"Huh, Chairwoman. Where are you headed?"*
*"Just taking a walk in the mountains for some fresh air…."*
*Connection stable.*
Through Hypnosis-chan’s eyes, I could see faintly the scene unfolding between the chairwoman and a professor.
I had successfully merged with Hypnosis-chan.
*The tactile sensations and smell, though, are… unfortunate.*
The rough texture of her old work pants, the feel of her skin beneath the fabric, and a lingering scent of mothballs mixed with a hint of ginseng candy—it was unsettling, to say the least.
But minor discomforts were trivial. The chairwoman was facing the terror of impending death, and I had to endure this much to help her.
"Ready for deployment…."
With everything set on my end, I called out to my teacher, Ninomiya Aika, and headed to the academy rooftop, where Suyeon’s emergency helicopter was stationed.
As soon as Hypnosis-chan engaged with the soldier, we would fly out immediately.
"Are you planning to take the helicopter, disciple?"
"Yes. Don’t worry, I’ve put the pilot under a confidentiality spell and hypnosis…."
"It’s faster if I just fly us there, disciple."
"…Then, please go ahead."
And so, I found myself riding Ninomiya Aika instead of the helicopter. After a short wait on the rooftop while linked to Hypnosis-chan, an unfamiliar sight finally appeared in my vision.
A desolate mountaintop under a blue moon, exuding a strange aura.
Without hesitation, I gave the command.
*“Now, Hypnosis-chan! Approach from behind and hypnotize her!”*
With my instruction, Hypnosis-chan leaped out of the chairwoman’s pocket, bounding forward through waist-high grass with determined strides. From her perspective, it was a bit amusing seeing the world at such a small scale.
*Hypnosis-chan executes a Hector Pascal dropkick at the target! “How does it feel to be felled by my kick?” she grins smugly.*
The hypnotic influence succeeded, and the girl only tilted her head slightly, seemingly unaware of Hypnosis-chan’s presence.
We had achieved victory.
"Teacher, it’s done. Let’s go."
"Which way?"
"Just head toward that mountain. You’ll see it."
And so, we headed straight to the location…
*Grap.*
"…Mmph!?"
"This is just so you don’t fall, disciple. Hold on tight!"
Just before heading out, my teacher wrapped me tightly, pulling me close with my face buried in her chest.
*Kaboom! Swoosh!*
And with a flick of her katana, we shot into the air at incredible speed, like a bullet taxi. It was beyond belief; throwing a sword and then perching on it to fly was unbelievable, yet this was Ninomiya Aika.
There was no point in questioning it. Just acceptance.
"Yujin? Is that the mountain?"
"*Pwah!* Yes, it’s there… but we’re going to overshoot it at this rate."
"Not to worry. I’ll adjust."
*Swoosh.*
The katana’s trajectory curved gracefully, and as we neared our destination, the speed decreased, providing a surprisingly comfortable “ride.” Rather than questioning the mechanics, I simply felt relieved we’d arrived safely.
When we reached the mountain summit, the chairwoman and the girl were engrossed in conversation, oblivious to our presence. Hypnosis-chan’s command, *“Focus on your conversation and remain unaware of anyone approaching,”* was working perfectly.
*[Aika, let’s proceed using telepathy from here. Let’s not alert her to our presence either.]*
*[Understood.]*
With silent communication established, we set to work, ready to manipulate everything the girl saw and heard, creating the scene Paimon would witness of the chairwoman’s demise.
*Let’s avoid contradicting her brainwashing. Carefully, let’s begin….*
First, we disarmed the bomb.
The unstable mana within the girl’s body, poised to detonate with the slightest misstep, had to be handled with extreme caution. A careless approach or any awareness on her part would spell disaster.
But who were we? The former and current top-ranked S-Class.
This was child’s play.
*[It’ll take a moment to extract the mana without any aftereffects. Are you good with that?]*
*[Take your time.]*
Passing the mana to my teacher with care, she gathered it calmly in her hand, eventually condensing the power of three cores into a single, glowing orb.
*[We’re done, but triggering her self-destruct now might look odd. Let’s wait a bit, shall we?]*
*[Agreed.]*
Sitting on a nearby rock, we waited for the conversation to reach a climax.
"…A true ruler is one who leads with overwhelming power and authority."
"No, a ruler walks shoulder to shoulder with their people, representing them."
*[Impressive. The chairwoman knows her rhetoric well.]*
*[Does she? Isn’t brute strength more practical?]*
*….*
*I guess when you’re at my teacher’s level of power, it’s a different story.*
Though my teacher’s remarks dampened my focus a bit, it was a remarkable moment. Facing death, the words of a determined individual could carry such conviction and integrity.
I couldn’t help but feel a newfound respect for Seol Hayeon.
"Kiiiiieeeeek!!!"
*[Aika, let’s prepare to trigger the explosion.]*
*[Understood.]*
As the girl—no, Paimon—began to lose her temper after failing in the argument, we leapt into action.
I placed my hand on the girl’s head, preparing to cast hypnosis, while my teacher climbed atop her sword, clutching the extracted mana orb.
*Hypnosis-chan raises her megaphone with a shout, “Leave it to me!”*
Hypnosis-chan deployed a final prop towards the chairwoman for dramatic effect.
And with that, we…
"Executing administrator command. Commencing self-destruction."
*[Now!!]*
*[Got it!]*
The instant the girl mentioned self-destruction, our deception began in earnest.
*I gently brushed away her brainwashing.*
I undid the girl’s hypnosis with a light touch of mana, making it appear to Paimon as though the girl’s entire body was being consumed by mana and she was losing consciousness.
*[Initiate detonation!]*
*Boom!*
My teacher detonated the mana in her hand, creating a massive explosion directed into the air rather than at us. The blinding light and deafening roar would surely trick Paimon’s senses one final time.
*Hypnosis-chan signals triumphantly, “Now!”*
Lastly, Hypnosis-chan manipulated the chairwoman’s expression for a dramatic effect, arranging her face to reflect a serene acceptance in the face of death
. The sight was convincing enough that even I could have been fooled, let alone Paimon.
Mission accomplished.
"Alright, folks! This has been Seo Yujin’s Trick Show~!!"
With the situation resolved, I quickly moved on to post-op measures—because it wasn’t over until it was truly over.
"Teacher, can you handle clean-up here? Before any other awakeners arrive!"
"Leave it to me! You go, and I’ll take care of this child!"
"…Wait, Yujin?"
"Our amazing chairwoman, please follow me~."
"Ugh, but I…."
The chairwoman hesitated, understandably shaken from her near-death experience.
But I grabbed her hand, pulling her along in a frantic escape.
Seol Hayeon, truly legendary to the end. I resolved to celebrate her properly once things calmed down.
A few moments later…
"Find the culprit! They couldn’t have gotten far!"
"I sense traces of mana! It should be somewhere around here…."
*[Madam Chairwoman, we don’t have time to linger. Let’s go quickly…]*
*Thud.*
*[Madam Chairwoman?! Are you fainting…]*
"Ack! I… it’s just that…."
Yujin endured a nuclear-level outburst…
"Over there! I heard something!"
"Shia, please cover us!"
"Don’t worry! The night is my playground!"
*[Aaaaack!!!]*
*[You little brat!!!]*
A deadly chase began, with both of our lives on the line if we were caught.