After that, we restrained Tsugumi's followers who had fallen under the "Mind Control" spell.
Tsugumi was imprisoned in a dungeon. Apparently, she had been restrained by the brainwashed girl soldiers. It seemed Duke Felix's coup was imminent.
The duke fled to the region where the former royal family had been exiled. That area was difficult for us to intervene in, and provoking the demons would only cause more trouble. For now, we decided to leave it be.
We hadn't achieved a fundamental solution, but at least the immediate crisis had passed.
However, a pressing issue remained.
---
At the conference room in the Graus Republic's official residence.
I had been summoned here by Tsugumi.
The table was divided into two sides, each occupied by people. On one side sat Tsugumi, the president, along with her ministers, and on the other, her soldier followers.
In the center stood a well-dressed man with a pale face. A nobleman, perhaps?
"This is about that matter, right?"
"Sit here."
It seemed a seat had been prepared for me. Usually, when summoned, it felt like a subpoena, which always put me in a bad mood, but this time, it seemed I could relax.
The matter that needed resolving as soon as possible—
was undoing the "Mind Control" spell cast on Noa and Tsugumi's followers.
They had been confined to a room in the castle under surveillance. Not only were Tsugumi's rebellious followers a concern, but even Noa, who appeared obedient to me, could have unknown commands embedded in her.
As I took my seat, Tsugumi spoke up.
"Former noble, Count Douglas."
The count flinched, trembling. Surrounded by enemies in this situation, it was no wonder he was tense.
It felt like a trial, judging a criminal.
"Tell us everything you know about the 'Mind Control' skill, unique to otherworlders."
"T-that is knowledge only those close to the king among the nobility possess. Someone like Duke Felix, the king's brother, might know, but a lowly count like me would not!"
The pale-faced man desperately tried to plead ignorance. But mere words wouldn't convince anyone here.
"If you don't know, execution. If you hide it, a gruesome execution. If you know and speak, forced labor in prison. I don't lie, so I won't offer any gentle words like 'acquittal.'"
This woman meant business. And the count, having suffered under noble persecution, knew it best.
The count fell silent, his face still ashen.
"..."
"…Pity. Take him away. We'll torture him first, make him spill the truth—"
"W-wait! I'll talk! I'll talk, just don't kill me!"
He didn't seem particularly strong-willed, so it wasn't surprising he cracked so quickly.
The count waved his arm, and a semi-transparent panel resembling a status window appeared in the air.
Was that the same kind of display the sage-like guy had when I first arrived in this world?
"All abilities possessed by otherworlders are recorded here."
With that, the count threw the translucent panel toward me.
・Mind Control
- Activated when the user places their hand on the target and speaks to them.
- Requires the target to hear the user's voice and for the user's hand to be directed at them. Obstacles are irrelevant as long as the effect range is met.
- Effects are permanent.
- Commands of the same or opposing nature overwrite previous ones.
- Does not work on unintelligent creatures like animals.
- To undo the control, issue the command: "Erase."
"..."
I see.
Duke Felix hadn't been in front of me, so he wasn't affected by "Mind Control." The rabbit was an animal, so it made sense it didn't work. "Obey me" was overwritten by "Obey the duke." And since the effect was permanent, once cast, they became his puppets for good.
Recalling everything that had happened, the description here seemed accurate.
I handed the transparent panel to Tsugumi. After skimming it, she turned back to the count.
"So if this man issues the command 'Erase,' the brainwashing will be undone without issue?"
"W-wait! To use the skill, you need a special badge. I—I have one. Just one. H-here."
The count pulled a badge from his pocket. The same kind Duke Felix always wore when we practiced skills.
"Is this the real deal? You don't have any others?"
"I-it's real. Only the royals and sages can make these badges. Even getting one for self-preservation was all I could manage."
He probably wasn't lying. Deceiving us here would guarantee his execution.
Tsugumi tossed the green badge to me.
"You sure? Weren't you wary of me?"
"I've reflected on this incident. I now understand the rebellion allegations were baseless. I won't repeat the same mistake. Kazusa alone is enough to monitor you."
With Felix gone, Tsugumi and I had reconciled… or so it might seem.
But the truth was, the arson of the hero's mansion had nothing to do with the duke—that was entirely Tsugumi's doing. Meaning, from the start, we were destined to clash.
The rift between us hadn't completely vanished.
But Tsugumi no longer threw around words like "execution" or "stand trial." That was progress, at least.
"I know where Noa's room is, but where are the others?"
"They're in nearby rooms. I'll have someone guide you. Hey, somebody—"
We didn't forgive each other.
But the malice from before was gone.
---
I immediately undid the brainwashing on Noa and the others.
According to Duke Felix, these badges shattered and disappeared after a day of use. If I wanted to misuse it, now was the time—but honestly, I didn't have the energy or courage for that anymore.
Holding Noa's hand, I returned to my room.
"I-I'm sorry."
The first thing Noa said was an apology.
"I caused trouble for you again…"
"I'm the one who's sorry for dragging you into my fight with the duke. I never thought he'd be that much of a villain…"
Even now, just thinking about it made my blood boil. Using Tsugumi's followers to overthrow her. Carelessly letting one of the girl soldiers die. And then, to provoke me while I was grieving, he made Noa—
"Making you go through that… he's trash. Hey, I know it's weird for me to say this, but… you're not traumatized, are you? Like, is it painful to talk to me? Do you tremble remembering what happened? If so… I'll—"
My words trailed off.
Because Noa took my hand.
"Shimojou… you didn't do anything wrong."
"But I—I was excited back then, I pushed you down on the bed, I—"
"I didn't hate it."
"…Huh?"
Wait, what did she just say?
"I'm shy, so I can't… seduce you like that again. But I didn't hate it."
Noa had been under mind control. That much was undeniable.
But being controlled didn't necessarily mean everything she said was a lie. The duke couldn't have micromanaged every word. At most, he'd have given broad commands like "seduce him" or "let him have you." Dictating an entire conversation word-for-word would've been too much effort.
Had her confession that day… not been a lie?
"I was… happy. So… the other day… can we… continue…?"
Noa's face turned bright red, and she looked down, unable to continue.
But that was enough for me.
Noa had said that much.
I was an idiot. I hadn't understood her feelings at all.
"…Sorry for making you say something so embarrassing."
I gently kissed her.
"…Mmm!"
I think I'd wanted this for a long time. Ever since those days in the classroom, exchanging brief words with each other.
And so, we…
=====================
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