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Join the ServerThe small town itself held nothing extraordinary, primarily consisting of prison cells. Adjacent to it lay rice paddies, a quarry, and other such areas. These convicts underwent labor reform here, though members of the Heretic God Cult were naturally an exception. Tainted by Heretic God corruption, they could not possibly be confined with ordinary prisoners.
Instead, they were held in the deeper, subterranean levels of the prison.
Gern followed Snow into the dim, underground cells. It was a place utterly devoid of light, oppressively damp. Just past the entrance, several rotting skeletons lay strewn about, their putrid stench assailing them immediately.
Gern instinctively covered his mouth and nose. Even with all the gruesome sights he had witnessed in his previous life, this foul odor was almost unbearable.
The environment grew even darker as they delved deeper. The surrounding walls were saturated with dampness, and Gern even spotted corpses covered in mold.
“Miss Snow, this place looks like it hasn’t been used in a long time.”
“Indeed, that’s right. If we can’t extract any information from those Heretic God Cult members, we usually just eliminate them. After all, they carry potent Heretic God corruption. Should that corruption leak, it would cause immense trouble.”
“However… things are different now.”
Snow gazed at Gern, her eyes sparkling with a smile, extending a hand as if asking for something.
“Hmm? What is it?”
“When we apprehended those Heretic God Cult members earlier, you must have confiscated some hypnotic potions, right? Lend me a bottle.”
“Alright.”
Gern shrugged helplessly, retrieving a clear vial from his storage ring.
“Be careful with this. It’s incredibly potent. It’s best to save it until you interrogate the Heretic God Cult members.”
Gern offered the warning deliberately; he was no stranger to such substances in his previous life, knowing they were ideal for illicit dealings. Sometimes, even the Heretic God Cult’s own operatives were unaware they had become members. Such was the terrifying nature of this potion: it didn’t require administering to the subject. One merely needed to consume it themselves and manipulate the power within to hypnotize others.
In his past life, Gern had often used this very item for unsavory deeds, though, of course, these were always actions he undertook at the behest of the Heretic God Cult.
“Oh? Have you studied it before?”
“Nah, not really studied it. I just know how to use it.”
“Oh, I see. It seems you’ve put it to rather… ignoble uses in the past.”
A faint flush of shame touched Gern’s face at her words. While those actions hadn’t been his true intention, they were, nonetheless, his deeds. He certainly couldn’t admit to them outwardly, so he replied awkwardly.
“I swear to the heavens, in this life, I have never used this hypnotic potion on any innocent person.”
‘Well, he only said “this life,” which has nothing to do with his previous one.’
Snow toyed with the small vial, turning it over and over. As a tool for interrogating prisoners, its efficacy was simply unparalleled.
‘Wait, could this also be used to hypnotize others? For instance… catching the Guild Master off guard, hypnotizing her into becoming my personal doll, then thoroughly ravaging her.’
In that instant, Snow seemed to have opened a door to a new world. The excitement on her face became impossible to conceal.
“Uh… Miss Snow, what’s wrong?”
Snow then remembered Gern’s presence. She quickly put the potion away, her expression turning serious as she spoke.
“Ahem, nothing at all. As for the remaining matters concerning the Heretic God Cult’s infiltrators, I’ll leave them to you. You have experience within the Heretic God Cult and are familiar with its inner workings. I’ll proceed with interrogating the prisoners. Afterward, you don’t need to consult me; just take him and leave.”
With that, Snow vanished from Gern’s sight, leaving behind only a faint, fragrant breeze.
Gern scratched his head, bewildered by the sudden erratic behavior of Miss Snow, who usually seemed so steady and reliable. ‘Never mind,’ he decided. ‘I’ll deal with those thoughts later. First, I need to release Leon, the Heretic God Cult member.’
Gern quickly located Leon’s cell. The man was leaning against the iron bars, apparently having heard the commotion and come out to investigate. Upon seeing Gern, Leon’s entire demeanor immediately brightened.
“You! You, you, you!”
He tried to utter insults at Gern, but for some inexplicable reason, the words wouldn’t form. It felt as if he were bound by a master-servant contract with him.
“Is something the matter, Mr. Leon?”
As Gern spoke, a strange power once again enveloped Leon’s consciousness. He attempted to resist, yet his body was entirely controlled by Gern’s words, and even his consciousness was slowly losing its ability to fight back.
“What… do… you want?”
He painstakingly squeezed out a few words before his consciousness completely succumbed, leaving him utterly blank.
“I am actually an infiltrator within Theoviga Academy, and the Divine Cult’s plan has succeeded. You now need to return and report back to the Divine Cult, resume your normal life, and maintain correspondence with me.”
These words were like lines of code, implanted directly into Leon’s mind. He nodded blankly, his consciousness slowly returning. This time, Leon harbored no animosity towards Gern; instead, a trace of familiarity had blossomed.
“M-Master, are you here to rescue me, then?”
“Indeed, time is of the essence. Now is the optimal moment for us to escape.”
“Understood…”
****
Meanwhile, Snow had finished interrogating the Heretic God Cult’s infiltrators. Compared to her previous fruitless attempts, this endeavor had proven quite successful. At the very least, she had learned that the Heretic God Cult’s infiltration of the Academy was aimed at acquiring the Academy’s technology and all the data related to the Kindling plan. This came as a surprise to Snow. The Kindling plan had always been a top secret of the Witch Guild, a matter that ordinary individuals would never know.
‘Could it be that another traitor has emerged from within their ranks?’
Pondering this, Snow resolved to thoroughly investigate the Witch Guild’s internal affairs in the future, eliminating any possibility of intelligence leaks.
As for the rest, Snow hadn’t gleaned any particularly useful intelligence. This was unsurprising, given how adept the Heretic God Cult members were at maintaining secrecy within their organization. The Academy, on the other hand, had no means of dispatching infiltrators to spy on the Heretic God Cult’s intelligence.
Once these infiltrators became tainted by Heretic God corruption, they would, in all likelihood, become part of the Heretic God Cult. There was no circumventing this. Unless, of course, one employed Gern’s method: hypnotizing and binding captured Heretic God Cult members, transforming them into allies, then sending them back to infiltrate the cult. However, the effectiveness of this method would only be known after Gern had tested it.
The thought of hypnosis brought to mind the potion in Snow’s hand. Just moments ago, while interrogating the cultists, the potion had proven remarkably effective; they answered practically every question she posed. They spoke of what they knew and shook their heads at what they didn’t, with no possibility of deceit.
‘What kind of effect would such a potion have if used on the Guild Master?’
The more Snow pondered, the more excited she became, images of two women entangled already forming in her mind. The smile on her lips grew increasingly audacious.
‘Hmm… While the potion’s effects are still active, should I go find Gern and test it out?’
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, Jinho's Story is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : Jinho's Story
