Hypnotized and Brainwashed?

Ansu stared intently at the witch sitting on the desk, thinking that this really did have everything to do with her...

A series of relevant plot points quickly surfaced in his mind.

【World Ending Witch - Celia】, one of the major antagonists in the late game and the leader of the cult organization 【Echoes of Truth】, also known as "The Black Demon Flame That Burns the World."

To be granted the title of "World Ending," Celia's methods were naturally anything but simple.

In the game's lore, she was the most talented mage since the 【Great Magic Collapse】 a thousand years ago. In the late game, this evil witch possessed forbidden magical power capable of destroying heaven and earth. She and her Echoes of Truth cult stirred up trouble everywhere inside and outside the empire, leaving every nation on the continent in a state of constant dread.

Although in the current timeline she hadn't yet become a true cult leader and didn't possess the overwhelming strength of the late game, crushing him like an ant was still child's play. However, what Ansu feared most right now wasn't her power...

It was her personality, or rather, her character.

The witch Celia was an exceptionally scummy witch with a terrible personality.

Despite her top-tier beauty, her temperament was mercurial, and she took pleasure in mocking and tormenting others. The main reason her reputation hit rock bottom was because—

She had killed several popular characters in the game, making countless players grit their teeth in hatred and cry out, "The pain! It hurts so much!" She was truly the kind of character whose design was so irredeemable that even her god-tier looks couldn't save her.

Of course, that excluded players who specifically enjoyed wicked women.

Ansu felt a wave of lingering fear. Fortunately, this was just a "Future Simulation," and he still had a chance to avoid her.

Otherwise, he wouldn't want to have anything to do with this wicked woman under any circumstances...

While Ansu was lost in these thoughts, Celia was also observing him.

Seeing that he neither struggled desperately nor begged for mercy in this situation, she felt a spark of curiosity.

"His mental fortitude is quite good. Do his other aspects meet the requirements of our plan?"

Ms. Mary nodded and reported, "Ansu Morris. He grew up in an orphanage with his sister, Vera. Later, they were both adopted by Dr. Morris to form a family. Three years after his adoptive father passed away, he was admitted to the Benalu Royal Academy."

"Compared to the children of wealthy families in the academy, this student's social connections are relatively simple and he has no background. He is very suitable to be a mole planted by you inside the academy."

Saying this, Ms. Mary glanced at Ansu, who was tied to the chair, and added, "Even if he is exposed in the future, it will be difficult to trace any clues back to us after he is silenced."

Celia nodded slightly in satisfaction. "Mm, not bad."

"To avoid alerting the target, you can withdraw from the operation now. The plan can proceed with him."

Ms. Mary seemed to suddenly breathe a sigh of relief. "Understood, Lady Celia."

As the empire's most esteemed place for cultivating talent, the Benalu Royal Academy was highly prestigious. The risk of her lurking there as a teacher was simply too great.

Ansu had been eavesdropping on their conversation, thinking that Celia's kidnapping of him indeed had such a purpose.

Planting a mole...

He just didn't know what connection this had to the subsequent cult sacrifice ritual...

"Alright, it's about time~"

Celia leapt lightly off the desk.

"Time to get down to business."

As she walked toward Ansu step by step, an uncomfortable aura of black magic, representing the forbidden and the foul, spread through the air.

Ansu noticed that the fair skin on her arms quickly sprouted a texture like black scales. This texture spread from her elbows to her slender fingers until her entire forearm radiated a gloomy black aura, looking like a pair of demonic claws.

As she stood before Ansu, even more exaggerated physical changes continued.

Those purple eyes turned into a pair of blood-red pupils, and her black hair gradually faded, finally transforming into a head of moonlight-like platinum hair.

Except for the lack of a pair of black horns, she looked almost identical to the ancient demon race from the primordial era.

The reason the witch Celia possessed such immense magical talent was precisely due to this bloodline.

"Lady Celia..." Ms. Mary's body couldn't help but tremble.

The mental pollution brought by forbidden magic would quickly erode human sanity. At her level, even a small amount of contact would bring unpredictable negative effects...

"You may leave," Celia said flatly.

"Yes..." Ms. Mary lowered her head and quickly fled the dim storage room.

Only Ansu and Celia remained in the room.

At this moment, a magic circle with complex runes faintly emerged around Ansu's chair.

As soon as this forbidden black magic called 【Soul Dominion】 was completed, Ansu would lose his self-will and completely become a puppet at Celia's mercy.

But Celia hesitated to take the next step.

She watched Ansu with some confusion because this human didn't show the same terrified expression Ms. Mary had just now. He didn't seem to be affected by the negative influence at all.

"Huh?" Celia couldn't help but lean closer to Ansu's cheek, looking him over curiously.

"Aren't you afraid of me?"

"Every time I've cast forbidden magic in the past, you humans would almost always have a mental breakdown from fear, but you..."

He had no reaction at all; he was even excessively silent and calm.

Ansu was actually quite confused himself. He had originally resigned himself to his fate.

It was just a simulation, so whether he lived or died wouldn't affect reality. The reason he didn't resist just now was partly because it was meaningless against an expert of this level, and partly because...

He was already researching how to run away once he returned to reality.

He certainly knew the effect of forbidden magic on ordinary people. In the game, only the "Chosen One" who was the player could ignore the pollution. But as he was now, did he still count as a player?

Strange...

"Could it be that you also have that bloodline?" Celia's brow furrowed slightly. "No, that should be impossible. Perhaps your willpower is strong enough. That is a sign of a very rare magical talent..."

If he really had such talent, turning him into a 【puppet】 would be a bit of a waste...

Looking at the muttering Celia, Ansu could sense her hesitation, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

"My Lady! Please wait!!"

The dark red eyes slowly moved toward him.

"Forgive me, I overheard a bit of your conversation just now..." Ansu acted very nervous, but his tone was sincere. "If my lady needs someone to do things for you in the school, I am willing to cooperate! Please, whatever you do, don't brainwash me into an idiot or something..."

"Oh?" Celia arched an eyebrow. "And here I thought you really weren't afraid at all."

"Of course I'm afraid!" Ansu remembered that in the plot, the 【World Ending Witch】 hadn't yet turned against the cult's higher-ups. She had been building her own team... So if he showed himself to be more useful, perhaps he could...

Live a little longer?

After being controlled by 【Soul Dominion】, one's personality was essentially erased, which was no different from being dead.

Ansu didn't know how long the simulation would last, so he wanted to extract as much information as possible, preferably the inside story of the campus upheaval two weeks later.

Otherwise, wouldn't he be dying for nothing?

Celia's lips curled up slightly. "So, you are willing to join us?"

Ansu nodded hurriedly. "I am!"

Celia observed him with a playful look. "Working for me isn't easy. Do you know who we are?"

Ansu immediately shook his head.

Celia spoke slowly, "Our organization is called the Echoes of Truth. We are the greatest enemy of the Church for the past thousand years. If you are exposed in the future, you will be immediately taken away by the Inquisition of Heresy. At that time..."

"For you, even death might be a luxury."

Ansu put on a shocked and terrified expression at the right moment.

In fact, to any ordinary person with even a little knowledge of this world, the Echoes of Truth cult was indeed a terrifying existence, the kind that could "stop a child's crying at night."

"Um... My Lady, ma'am..." Ansu seemed to struggle internally for a long time before finally taking a deep breath.

"It seems I have no choice. As long as you spare me, I am willing to join..."

A faint, elegant fragrance wafted over as Celia leaned close to Ansu's cheek again. She smiled and said, "But humans are good at betrayal. How do I know you aren't just playing along right now to stall for time?"

Ansu looked at her silently, thinking that she was absolutely right.

"Of course not!"

Ansu said hurriedly, "If I can join your ranks, there are no two suns in the sky! My heart shall have only one sun!"

"I will be forever loyal to you!"

Ansu's intense desire to survive made Celia chuckle.

"Very well then, in that case..."

Celia stared at Ansu, her smile deepening like a beautiful yet dangerous poisonous rose.

"Next, let's give you a little test."

A test?

Ansu was startled and was about to ask something, but in the next moment—

His thoughts instantly became hazy.

Those dark red eyes staring straight at him seemed to contain some kind of magical vortex. Under the guidance of this power, Ansu's eyes gradually grew dim and lifeless.

Magic involving the mind and soul like 【Soul Dominion】 wasn't just for brainwashing; it was a rather profound school of magic.

Celia, who was proficient in such magic, easily cast 【Hypnosis】 on Ansu.

"Speak what is in your heart. Will you truly be loyal to me?" she asked flatly.

A hypnotized person would unintentionally be guided to reveal their true inner thoughts.

"Of course not," Ansu replied with a vacant gaze.

This answer was within Celia's expectations. She never expected a coerced person to suddenly "surrender," but what she was looking for wasn't that.

A person with magical talent naturally had their own value.

"Tell me, what were you thinking just now?"

However, Ansu gave her an answer that exceeded her expectations.

"Villains die because they talk too much..."

"What?" Celia frowned. "What does that mean?"

Ansu replied with a stiff expression, "To make myself look more useful to pique your interest, then extract more information..."

Celia was silent for a long time.

Then, she was directly provoked into a laugh by his audacity.

"Fine! You've certainly piqued my interest now!"

Her claws, radiating a black aura, pinched Ansu's cheeks as she continued to question him, "If I didn't do anything to you, what would you do after joining the Echoes of Truth?"

"I would immediately report to the school's Academic Affairs Office and then to the Church. Currently, several Archbishops and the Holy Maiden are in Benalu City for business... Under the protection of these top-tier experts, no cultist would be able to touch me..."

"After that, I could apply to join the Church with my sister, build connections, and live a worry-free life from then on..."

Celia was suddenly somewhat speechless.

This guy had not only thought about how to deal with her but had even planned out his future life perfectly...

What a beautiful dream he was having!

The 【Hypnosis】 ended.

Ansu's eyes gradually regained their clarity, and his thoughts all returned.

Then he saw the Celia in front of him watching him with a half-smile.

"......"

Ansu didn't know what had happened just now, but that 'I see through everything' look made him realize...

He was screwed!

"Should I call you clever or foolish?"

Celia flashed a cruel smile.

"It seems humans are still not to be trusted. You should just continue to be my slave!"

The foul magical aura quickly swallowed Ansu, and the light of the magic circle suddenly flared up.

"Wait, wait!"

The moment 【Soul Dominion】 took effect, Ansu lost all his will and thought. An unbreakable mental brand was deeply etched into the depths of his mind.

Ansu had completely become Celia's "possession."

After everything was over.

Celia patted Ansu's cheek and broke into a wicked, scummy laugh.

"This is much better, good dog~"

"Come, call me Master~"