Chapter 52: The Art of Persuasion: A Forbidden Spell and a Warm Welcome

Wang spoke to Cai with an affectionate, doting tone.

“Silly girl, don’t just stand there gaping! From now on, you’ll need to become as capable in a fight as I am. Otherwise, I’ll worry too much about you!”

“Eh, are you serious?”

Compared to moments ago, Cai’s blinking eyes appeared significantly wider, transforming from “puffy broad beans” into “plump almonds.”

Wang observed her reaction but remained steadfast in her pre-determined course of action.

“Don’t misunderstand, silly girl. I’m not forcing you to choose a fighting style; it’s simply that your options are quite limited.”

Cai’s gaze then sequentially followed the hand moving before her.

As Wang introduced them, Cai met the eyes of Little Eagle and the Large Dog, her ears keenly catching every word.

“If you don’t learn swordsmanship from me, silly girl, you still have the alternative option of learning to fly with Little Eagle.”

“But I don’t have wings; I can’t fly even if I wanted to…”

“That’s easily remedied. Silly girl, try sticking hundreds of feathers to your back, then find a tall cliff and jump off.”

Wang believed (or so she claimed) that in a moment of crisis, Cai’s dormant potential would surely awaken.

However, Cai was even more convinced of her own demise.

“Before I could even learn to fly, I’d probably be smashed to pieces. This plan won’t work; please suggest another.”

“Then there’s another option: you can learn reconnaissance skills from this ‘Woof-woof-woof’ dog in front of you.”

“In more detail?”

“When you’re scouting enemy positions and there’s nothing else to eat, you must endure several days of hunger with just a boneless bone.”

Cai silently glanced at the Large Dog. The dog promptly raised a furry paw, gave her a thumbs-up, and offered reassurance.

“Everything’s difficult at the start, Big Sis. Just believe that once you get through the first six months, then…”

“I’ll learn swordsmanship! Please, you must let me learn swordsmanship!”

This distinctly personalized form of “democracy” had once again succeeded.

Wang, in fact, had originally used this very “elimination-style” negotiation tactic to successfully assign everyone in her team to their respective roles.

Having convinced the stubborn girl before her, Wang began to impart her wisdom on swordsmanship right then and there.

“Silly girl, come here! Come on, come on!”

Wang beckoned from the front, while Little Eagle gently nudged Cai forward from behind.

In this manner, a slightly nervous Cai found herself standing directly before Wang, facing her, in what felt like the blink of an eye.

They stood incredibly close, so much so that if Wang lowered her head, her chin would touch Cai’s forehead.

Among women, Cai’s height was not below average.

In contrast, while Wang was also a girl, she possessed a height that was unequivocally equivalent to the average male.

Little Eagle was similar, boasting a pair of enviably long legs.

One thing was certain: compared to the other two, Cai appeared somewhat delicate and petite.

‘From a distance, it wasn’t obvious, but up close, this silly girl is truly short. To put it another way, she’s “excessively petite”!’

Jesting aside, it was time to get down to business.

Wang hooked a finger under Cai’s chin, gently lifting it.

She artificially bridged the height difference between them, bringing her own significantly lowered forehead progressively closer to Cai’s.

****

*Tap!*

Their foreheads met, and at that instant, their eyes were closer than ever before.

A peculiar radiance flickered within Wang’s pupils, and as Cai looked up into her eyes, she was unconsciously affected.

A torrent of unfamiliar information, imperceptible to outsiders, surged into Cai’s mind, like air rapidly filling a paper bag.

The recipient’s mind immediately went blank for over ten seconds.

Only after this interval did her consciousness return, jolted by an internal ache, now imbued with a wealth of new memories.

“What were those mental fragments?”

“Those are my insights into swordsmanship. Since I thought they’d be useful to you, I shared some of my memories.”

“You transferred your memories to me… Could you be using magic?”

The Large Dog interjected, reminding them once more.

“Big Sis, didn’t I tell you? Boss can’t understand those magic books, so how could she possibly use magic on you?”

Elaborating on what her subordinate hadn’t articulated, Wang explained on the spot.

“That wasn’t magic, but a forbidden spell I acquired through a fortunate coincidence. Didn’t our gazes just meet? In truth, at that very moment, you, silly girl, were already hypnotized by me.”

“Then I…”

“Of course, I didn’t arbitrarily alter your memories or personality. I merely used hypnosis to instill certain knowledge into your mind.”

To be frank: Wang could have used the “forbidden spell activated through the eyes” to thoroughly ‘train’ Cai as early as their first meeting.

This meant that if Wang had been someone who enjoyed toying with girls, Cai would have become an obedient s*ave five days ago.

But in truth, Wang was incapable of such an act!

While she might not always be entirely proper, she was utterly incapable of such egregious behavior as trampling upon another’s consciousness, especially not Cai’s.

Unless it was something genuinely beneficial to Cai, Wang would actively avoid using the forbidden spell on her during normal times.

On the other hand, Cai was indeed different from most girls.

Most girls, upon hearing keywords like “hypnosis,” would undoubtedly react violently.

Yet, Cai’s expression remained perfectly serene; the topic seemed to simply pass through her ears without causing a ripple.

Up to this day, she and Wang had shared several experiences, forging a profound and stable bond of trust between them.

Deep within Cai’s heart, one truth she held with absolute certainty was this:

The kindest person in the entire world to her was the girl standing opposite.

There was another matter Cai had likely noticed.

All the conversations between her and Wang, detailed above, were only possible due to one crucial prerequisite:

After enduring numerous tribulations, Cai had tacitly accepted the choice to remain here!

To call it “submission” wouldn’t be accurate; it should be understood as her “acceptance” of that future.

‘I must be feeling happy right now…’

As Cai was lost in this thought, Wang, standing nearby, scratched her head.

Then, with a resolve that seemed out of character for her slightly awkward personality, Wang launched a sudden attack.

She abruptly pulled Cai into a hug, pressing her hands firmly against the girl’s back, as if fearing Cai might leave again and intending to hold her captive this way.

“There’s something I forgot to tell you, silly girl… Welcome home!”

The voice that reached her ears was truly gentle.

“Little idiot, welcome back!”

Was there truly nothing to be done about having her back taken?

Impossible!

Little Eagle pondered for a moment, then decided to wrap her arms around Cai’s neck, exerting only a very gentle pressure.

Embraced by both of them, Cai struggled to keep her emotions from overflowing, managing to utter in an almost inaudible whisper:

“Mm, I’m back… I won’t ever leave again!”

She spoke these equally tender words.

‘Ah, this…’

As the three girls embraced, the Large Dog felt somewhat superfluous.

How could he possibly think that?

It was merely a delusion of his own making…

‘I get it now! Not being able to stand upright is indeed a major disadvantage.’

Following this epiphany, the dog nudged Cai with his head, expressing his welcoming sentiment in this manner.

Tragically:

Since the dog hadn’t spoken at that moment, and Cai’s attention was fully focused on Wang and Little Eagle…

Apologies!

Cai remained entirely oblivious to the presence of the loyal dog beside her.