Chapter 71: The Lingering Aftermath of Hypnosis

Gern gazed at her disheveled clothes and the utterly chaotic state of her bedroom, her eyes shifting from bewildered confusion to stark shock.

“Could it be that last night we…?”

“Oh, Little Luoya is so clever. We did some very comfortable things last night.”

“My delicious Little Luoya, I truly wanted to devour you completely.”

A shiver ran down Gern’s spine, her emotions spiraling out of control in an instant, and tears began to stream down her face.

“W-wah! You… you don’t… like girls? …Master.”

Those last two words had escaped Gern’s lips as if by instinct, and by the time she registered them, it was already too late.

“Oh, Luoya, aren’t you a girl right now?”

“Wait, you know I like girls?”

“Ugh…”

Gern clapped a hand over her mouth. This was bad; it seemed she had blurted out something significant.

“Gern, have you met me before?”

“N-no… never.”

Gern hastily shook her head, denying it, terrified that Lilia would deduce her identity as a reborn individual.

Lilia frowned, pondering for a moment. Combining the information Gern had inadvertently revealed, she felt as though she was beginning to piece things together.

It was possible Little Luoya had seen her years ago. During that period, Little Luoya had endured a deeply traumatic experience.

This trauma had caused her personality to become exceptionally unruly for a time afterward. Coupled with her status as a princess of the kingdom, she had virtually no friends she could trust.

During that tumultuous period, her favorite pastime was to capture small animals she fancied and turn them into specimens.

She had attempted to reclaim her missing maternal love and friendships through this method. It was only in recent years that her twisted, pathological personality had begun to improve.

If Little Luoya had, through some means, witnessed her actions at that time, developing a psychological shadow would be an entirely normal outcome.

As for Little Luoya claiming that she had killed her during the hypnosis, Lilia had dismissed that statement as mere ramblings.

It was normal for someone to babble incoherently when frightened.

Still… why did she have no recollection of Little Luoya’s appearance? Logically, a white-haired girl like Little Luoya should have been quite conspicuous.

Perhaps, at that time, Little Luoya had already mastered the ability to alter her appearance, which was why Lilia hadn’t noticed her.

Upon reaching this conclusion, Lilia felt that everything finally made sense.

The gaze she directed at Gern now carried an even deeper layer of guilt.

“It’s alright, Luoya. I’m not the same as I used to be, you know. Now, I have you by my side.”

‘Huh? What is she even talking about?’

Gern’s eyes were filled with utter bewilderment, as if a giant question mark were hovering above her head.

“Speaking of which, Luoya, does that hypnotic potion have any lingering side effects?”

Lilia suddenly recalled the way Gern had addressed her moments ago.

Luoya wasn’t under hypnosis now, so logically, she shouldn’t be calling Lilia “Master.”

“Could it be that the effects of this potion are permanent?”

Wouldn’t that mean Lilia could command Luoya to follow her forever?

While Lilia was lost in her wild imaginings, Gern had already composed herself and spoke.

“Actually… M-master… Ugh, the effects of this potion depend on the individual. If someone has stronger mental fortitude, they only need to rest for a period to recover.”

“Oh, so that’s how it is.”

“Then, Little Luoya, what if I continuously hypnotize you? Wouldn’t I be able to make you call me Master permanently?”

“Ugh!”

Gern recoiled, instinctively covering her chest with both hands, her voice trembling as she spoke.

“M-master~ Master~ No, don’t mess around!”

“Pfft~ Little Luoya, say it again.”

“Master~”

Gern’s body was already slick with sweat, dominated by her beastly instincts. She clapped a hand over her mouth, tears welling in her pale golden eyes from the sheer humiliation. This was too much; how could she, a dignified… woman?

She couldn’t bring herself to say the word ‘man’ for some reason, as if her subconscious had been rewritten.

Gern slapped herself, forcing her mind to concentrate, and finally managed to articulate the full sentence in her heart.

‘I am a proper man! How could I possibly succumb to Lilia’s oppressive power!’

After uttering that thought, Gern felt a wave of relief wash over her. She must have been affected by some strange element during the hypnosis. Otherwise, her recent state was inexplicable. Gern suddenly realized something.

Her subconscious was already showing feminine tendencies. Would Lilia slowly train her into a complete girl in the future?

‘Impossible! Impossible!’

‘I am a pure…’

Gern slapped herself again, forcing herself to utter the word in her mind.

‘I am a pure man! I can’t completely turn into a girl!’

Watching all this, Lilia’s mouth twitched. She had no idea what Gern was doing.

“Luoya, are you alright?”

“Ahaha… I-I’m fine… Ma-ster~”

Gern struggled against her body’s instincts, but in the end, that last word still slipped out. She slumped onto the bed, a look of utter despair on her face.

At this point, she was probably a废龙 [TL Note: A ‘废龙’ (fèilóng) literally means ‘useless dragon’ but is used idiomatically to describe someone who has become completely incapacitated or ‘broken’ and is unable to function normally for a period of time.]. It would take her at least ten days to half a month to recover from this, and she had no idea if there would be any lasting side effects.

“Ugh~ Ugh…”

Gern’s small nose twitched, suppressing the urge to cry.

Seeing the adorable sight of this little one, Lilia’s heart fluttered with affection.

“Oh my, that’s such a lovely sound. Would you say it again?”

“M-u-ster~”

No matter how much Gern tried to stop herself, her mouth seemed to act independently, uttering those two words. Crystal tears pattered onto the quilt, Gern’s emotions now completely shattered.

“Our Little Luoya is truly adorable.”

“Wh-who says I’m yours!”

“Someone’s already calling me Master, aren’t they? Doesn’t that make you mine?”

“That’s all because of you!”

Instinctively, Gern shouted, pointing a finger at Lilia’s nose, as if ready to scold her fiercely. But for some reason, a trace of reluctance welled up inside her, as if this body didn’t want to act that way.

“Ugh…”

Gern deflated, looking utterly broken.

Lilia was initially startled by Gern’s outburst, then felt a pang of pity seeing her in such a state. She leaned close to Gern and asked softly,

“Little Luoya, I’m sorry. I apologize, please don’t be mad at me, okay?”

Gern intended to refuse, but when she opened her mouth, it spoke uncontrollably.

“O-okay, Sister Lilia, I’m not mad anymore~”

Gern pinched her own mouth hard, trying to make it say less. Lilia looked at Gern’s current appearance and found it quite amusing. At the same time, she began to wonder in her heart where Gern had obtained that potion. Such a potent drug couldn’t be acquired through ordinary channels; perhaps only those from the Heretic God Cult would have it.