Dawn. The attic room of the annex.
The candle flame flickered and sputtered. I spread out a sheet of parchment on the desk and used a quill I'd taken from the study to write out today's plan.
Target: Dining hall servants and Royal Capital marketplace residents. Technique: one-shot suggestive Whisper. Objective: confirm emotional induction success rate and conditions. Observation indicators: pupil dilation, corner of the mouth, hand movements, response delay.
Scratch, scratch. The ink bled slightly.
I folded the parchment and slid it into a gap between the floorboards beneath the bed. It fit neatly beside the experiment log I'd hidden yesterday. One plan, one record. The beginning of a full-fledged laboratory.
From outside the window, a bird called out in a long cry. Morning was coming to this other world.
The third day since my summoning.
I had adapted quickly to life in the annex. I studied this world's history and magic in the study in the morning, and in the afternoon I roamed the capital to observe. I scored bread and thin soup from the communal dining hall on the first floor.
The servants looked at me with curious eyes but didn't approach. The label of Mental-type summoner seemed to frighten them. Rather convenient, actually. No one bothers me with noisy chatter.
While tearing into bread in a corner of the dining hall, one of the maids cautiously approached.
"Um, sir... do you need more to eat?"
"Ah, yes. I'd appreciate one more piece, if you would."
"I'll quietly slip you some extra. Don't mind the others watching."
"Thank you."
A maid who looked to be in her thirties. Her ample chest rose and fell above her apron with every breath. The type with strong maternal instincts. Worth recording.
After lunch, I left the royal palace. I told the guards I was "taking a stroll through the Royal Capital with Her Majesty the Queen's permission." It was a lie. I slipped in a slight Whisper. *This person is no problem.* *Surreu.* The guard nodded and unbarred the gate.
Fucking easy.
I walked through the capital's marketplace. Raucous noise, the smell of freshly baked bread, and the reek of iron from the blacksmith's shop assaulted my nose all at once. The sizzling smell of grilling meat wafted over from a food cart. Men and women in adventurer's garb passed by, their weapons clanging.
I stopped in front of a fruit shop. Red fruits, purple fruits, golden fruits. Things I'd never seen on Earth, but their sweet fragrance was incredible.
"How much for these fruits?"
"Five coins."
A portly middle-aged man. Mustache, apron stained with juice. I smiled and met the merchant's eyes. Soft eye contact, a slight tilt of the head, a smile at the corners of the mouth. The basic techniques of rapport formation.
Then I activated Whisper. *I like this customer.* *Surreu.* A sensation of faint heat escaping from my forehead.
The merchant's expression changed. The muscles around his eyes relaxed, and after looking me over once more, he laughed heartily.
"Can't say I've seen your face before. A new adventurer? Ah, I think I called it a bit high. I'll give them to you for three coins."
"Thank you."
"It's not right to overcharge a newcomer. Come visit again."
Success. I scored an extra loaf of bread. To think this was my first result.
As I received the fruit, I analyzed it. It was merely turning up the volume on an existing predisposition. Merchants inherently possess a baseline disposition of wanting to be kind to customers. Whisper simply raised that volume.
In other words, it cannot create emotions that don't already exist. It *can* raise the volume of emotions that already exist.
If a woman feels even the slightest bit of *I want to sleep with this man,* it means I can amplify that.
It could become the ultimate weapon for MILF hunting.
I spent the whole day wandering the capital, repeating the experiment.
A guard. A young man guarding the southern gate of the capital. He stood holding his spear, forcing his eyelids back up as they slowly drooped under the afternoon sun.
*Sleepy. It's okay to close your eyes for a moment.* *Surreu.*
A big yawn. *Uraaah.* But he shook his head and straightened his posture again. He didn't fall asleep. His sense of duty prevented complete sleep.
Record: Sleep induction. Partial success. Existing drowsiness can be heightened, but sense of duty interferes with complete sleep.
In front of the bakery. A plump lady was arranging the display shelf. I deliberately let my stomach grumble as I looked at the bread.
"You must be hungry."
"Ah, no. It just smells so good."
I smiled and Whispered. *This young man is pitiful. He looks like he hasn't eaten.* *Surreu.*
"Oh, it's fine. Take one."
"Really?"
"A young man shouldn't go hungry. Today's batch came out perfectly."
Maternal instinct. Success. Free bread.
I induced "trust" in the weapons merchant. When I asked about magic weapon prices, he tried to hold back the information at first. With a Whisper—*This person is trustworthy.* *Surreu.*—he lowered his voice and divulged information one after another.
"A lesser demon sword is 50 gold, mid-grade starts at 200. But lately prices have gone up because of the southern front..."
"Is the southern front serious?"
"Very serious. The demons have knocked on our borders three times this year. They didn't summon a hero from the palace for nothing."
The combination of fixed gaze and lowered tone of voice was effective. Information acquired as a bonus.
The final experiment was Kaila.
In the evening, when I returned to the annex, Kaila was waiting in the hallway. Leaning against the wall with arms crossed, her golden eyes looked at me.
"Where did you go."
"I took a look around the market."
"Did you get permission?"
"I was cleared by the guard."
"Hmph."
I naturally activated a Whisper. *I'm comfortable. It's okay to relax in front of this person.* *Surreu.*
Kaila's leopard ears pricked straight up. She sniffed. Her eyes narrowed.
"That smell again."
Failure. The beastkin's sense of smell had detected the magical pulse.
"What smell?"
"Don't play dumb."
"What were you trying to pull on me just now? Try it again and I'll really slit your throat."
Her tail stood ramrod straight. Full alert mode. Her golden eyes were those of a predator that had locked onto its prey.
"I don't know what you're talking about, but it doesn't work on me. Remember that."
She disappeared, her footsteps thudding heavily.
A different approach is needed for beastkin targets. But *when emotions are extremely heightened, resistance lowers,* right? A way to put Kaila into heat. A high-difficulty mission.
First, I'll secure a base by conquering one or two MILFs. Kaila comes next.
⁎ ⁎ ⁎
Night. Back in my room at the annex, I organized the records.
Scratch, scratch. Quill and parchment. The candle flickered, making shadows dance upon the parchment.
Fruit shop merchant. Favorability induction. Success. Price discount.
Guard. Drowsiness induction. Partial success. Sense of duty defended.
Bakery lady. Sympathy induction. Success. One free bread.
Weapons merchant. Trust induction. Success. Information acquired.
Kaila. Comfort induction. Failure. Beastkin instinctive resistance.
Rules Discovered.
Effect increases when aligned with emotions the target is already feeling.
Effect decreases in the opposite direction.
Minimal effect on beastkin. Instinctive resistance plus olfactory detection.
Meeting eyes increases effect. Fixed gaze is the foundation of hypnosis induction.
Lowering tone of voice increases effect.
Physical contact doubles the effect.
Whisper emits a magical scent. Detected by beastkin.
Conclusion: Whisper is weak on its own, but its effects multiply when combined with psychological techniques.
I set down the pen.
I can't fight on a battlefield right away, but I can manipulate relationships between people. Obtain information, earn favor, lower wariness. In the world of politics and power, moving people's hearts is a stronger weapon than a sword. You can behead a king with a Flame Sword, but you can't change a king's heart.
And I have something the Mind Emperor lacked.
Knock, knock. A sound at the door.
"Summoner."
Kaila's voice. I quickly shoved the records into the drawer. My heart thumped.
I opened the door to find Kaila. Not in armor, but in a leather vest and cotton pants. Training clothes.
Oh. Ohh.
The leather vest was soaked with sweat, clinging to her brown skin. Droplets of sweat rolled down past her collarbone, and the shoulder muscles revealed between the leather straps were taut. Black hair was plastered to her temples, and her breathing was rough. *Haah, haah.* With every breath, her breasts heaved above the vest.
My eyes followed the droplets of sweat flowing from her collarbone down into her cleavage, until I met her golden gaze.
"Her Majesty the Queen summons you tomorrow."
"The Queen?"
"Not the throne hall, her office. I don't know what it's about either."
"Could it be good news?"
"Did you really think I'd come looking for you at this hour if it were good news?"
Kaila looked at me with sharp eyes.
"If you do anything suspicious, I'll slit your throat. Don't forget."
Kaila turned away. The hem of her leather vest lifted slightly, revealing a fleeting glimpse of her narrow waistline. Though a warrior's body, the curve from her waist to her hips was distinctly feminine.
Even after the door closed, Kaila's scent lingered heavily in the room. The lingering aftertaste of a wild MILF.
I analyzed the situation coldly.
The Queen is summoning me. After leaving me to rot as useless?
If it were an execution, she'd just send a knight and be done with it. The office. A space where private conversations are possible. Something has come up that requires a Mental-type. Something the Queen wants handled in secret, which she judged a Mental-type could solve.
In other words, she has a weakness.
I'm getting rock hard.
The candle flame flickered and sputtered.
I took the records out of the drawer again. Five experiments, five data points. The one failure with Kaila was the most important piece of data. Because failure teaches you more than success.
I added a small note beside them:
"Tomorrow's interview with the Queen. Observation points: changes in expression, lip movement, blinking frequency, finger tension, breathing patterns, presence of close aides."
Reading what the Queen expects. I need to pretend to move in the direction of her expectations while pulling her toward mine.
Pretend to fulfill her expectations while forming a bond. Tomorrow's first objective.
From outside the window, a guard's shout was heard in the distance. "All clear!" The royal palace pretended to be peaceful, but tomorrow, something hidden beneath the surface would be revealed.
It was finally a night where something began to move.