Paimon Interrupts the Duel at the Academy
Paimon was trembling with rage. After seeing Yujin up close, she realized sothing.
Stare.
What... how many restrictions are there…?
Up close, Paimon could clearly see Yujin’s soul, and it was bound by hundreds of restrictions. She hadn’t noticed from afar, but now, it was so obvious.
She could see the self-hypnosis Yujin had unknowingly placed on himself, as clearly as if it were written in his palm.
And most of them are related to won.
Paimon could roughly guess what kind of self-hypnosis it was. She couldn't pinpoint all the details, but... nearly all of it seed to be about won.
As she examined it further, she could see that these restrictions were clouding his judgnt when it ca to relationships. He was extrely dull when it ca to romance. But more troubling, his preferences toward won seed... altered.
These things... there are hundreds of them. Not just a few, but hundreds.
Paimon couldn’t hide her shock. To her, Yujin’s soul seed like it was bound by chains.
The cause... there's no need to even look further. Those filthy, seductive won around him are certainly the culprits. It must be easy for them to twist his pure soul to their will.
Paimon’s eyes scanned the area.
Sia and Alice were bickering nearby. Aika was facing off against Yujin. All three were filled with obsession toward him.
It only took a second for Paimon to piece everything together.
Ah. He really was a hypnosis user. This is how it happened.
A pure soul like his would never tamper with soone else’s spirit freely... But he’d been manipulated by those wicked won, turning his own mind into a self-made prison.
Ignoring his free will entirely, he had shaped himself to fit their desires.
It was no longer just about his attraction; this was far more serious.
—Snap.
...To make such a delicate man into a sex slave. Is she insane? This would be punishable by the harshest sentence in the Demon Realm!
To Paimon, Yujin was no longer just a man she wanted to pursue.
He was a victim—deceived by those around him, forced into shackles on his own soul. A man with the purest heart, unable to even question the manipulation.
———She had to save him. He was her prince.
In that mont, the great demon lord, who had once intended to set the world ablaze, found herself in the role of a rescuer—an unlikely savior.
"I will free that poor man!!"
"……?"
What the hell is that crazy woman saying?
To Yujin, it probably sounded like madness. But this was inevitable.
And so, Paimon began to raise her mana. The energy surged intensely, causing her chest to heave with the force of it.
The ominous light in her eyes made her appear every bit the demon lord she was ant to be…
—Flash.
[Disciple, should I kill her?]
[It’s not really an attack pattern, but just in case, please get ready. If anything seems off, don’t ask , just take her head off imdiately.]
[Understood.]
For all her power, standing before the greatest duo on Earth made Paimon’s presence a little less imposing, but still...
This would consu a lot of mana, but if it ans saving him…!
—Fwoosh!!!
"…What the hell is that?!"
"That’s about the mana of two S-Class Gate Cores! Where is that kind of power coming from?!"
"Is this really the ti to be asking that? Everyone protect Chairman Seo Yujin!!"
With that, Paimon sent a powerful surge of mana toward Yujin.
The nearby Awakened were horrified, rushing to defend him from the overwhelming power.
But it was too late.
The flood of mana that enveloped Yujin was enough to turn him into Paimon’s puppet.
[Huh? Why the sudden mana transfer?]
[I know right? It’s pure, stable mana, with no tricks. Why is it going to you?]
[I’m not sure, but I’ll take it for now. I used up my mana fighting with the master.]
[Alright. I’ll help you just in case.]
But contrary to everyone’s thoughts, Yujin was completely fine.
In fact, he began absorbing her mana, unaffected by any harm.
And Paimon, who had been pouring her massive mana into him, stood frozen in place.
Her eyes lost their life, her body stiff as if she had left her own form.
"Am I... inside his soul? Why am I here?"
—Ding.
[Hypnotic-chan welcos the uninvited guest.]
[Wow, I didn’t expect you to actually co in~ Surrender, surrender~.]
"…What?"
In reality, Paimon’s soul had been abducted and was now in an entirely different space.
***
A Little While Later
Paimon’s footsteps echoed through the cave. Unlike her usual steady walk, this ti, her steps were light and soft.
"So, this is his soul, huh? And you’re his... companion?"
Thud, thud.
[Hypnotic-chan shakes her head vigorously.]
[I’m his partner, partner! The best, unbeatable duo!]
In front of Paimon, the sound of Hypnotic-chan’s footsteps also echoed, light and quick. She walked without hesitation, as if this place was as familiar to her as ho.
Paimon tilted her head, intrigued.
"Hmm..."
I understand how I ended up here. He must have had so kind of self-hypnosis device on his soul. It lures in intruders and neutralizes them.
Paimon had a pretty good idea of why she was suddenly drawn into Yujin's soul.
She was the guardian of his soul. A kind of antibody that brought in invaders to eliminate them. Until she was defeated, no one could penetrate his mind.
Small and insignificant, so she’s not much of a threat, but...
The only reason Paimon, like a virus, was unscathed was simply due to their difference in size.
Though both were in soul form, there was an enormous size difference. Paimon, despite being small, maintained a roughly 4-head height, whereas Hypnotic-chan was barely 2-heads tall.
There was no way Paimon could defeat her. So, she wasn’t going to waste any effort in resisting.
This was her guess as to why Hypnotic-chan seed so compliant.
"Quite interesting. With such a powerful ability, it’s surprising that she’s so small and insignificant inside his soul."
The one thing that still baffled her was this:
This was supposed to be the ho ground of a psychic. This was a place where ntal strength could even kill a god.
But, here was Hypnotic-chan, the embodint of Yujin’s power, so weak. It didn’t quite make sense.
"Could it be...?"
[Hypnotic-chan looks around nervously.]
[Could it be that I’ve been found out...?]
"Could it be that she’s this weak? No matter how strong she is, does it an that inside, she’s still just a man? Hah."
There was a strange discomfort, but Paimon brushed it off with her preconceived notions from the gender-reversed world. If he’s a man, then I suppose it makes sense— she thought.
A smile spread across Hypnotic-chan’s face.
[Hypnotic-chan wipes the beads of sweat from her forehead.]
[Just as Master said, she’s weak. She sighs in relief.]
"Hmm? What’s wrong?"
[Hypnotic-chan shakes her head dismissively.]
[It’s nothing. Now that the master’s soul is yours, I’ll show you the way, co on.]
Thud, thud. Soft, soft.
[Illustration available: Click to view]
"Hmm. I like how obedient you are. Fine. I won’t eliminate you. I’ll let you be."
[Hypnotic-chan casually responds with a “Oh~ thanks~.”]
The two of them continued deeper into the soul, heading toward the very core of Yujin’s essence.
***
After that, Hypnotic-chan showed Paimon around the depths of Yujin’s soul.
mories accumulated over ti. Among them, only the happy ones.
"Is that... Ma**o? That pink flat-chested girl, what kind of outfit is that? It’s not even cosplay."
"Hah. A woman’s chest is that flat? If it were , I’d have bitten my tongue and killed myself."
"...Why is he laughing? What’s so funny about the na Bochigon?"
"Two ntally young daughters. Seems like he’s good to be a husband."
"Ninomiya Aika, with all her strength, doing household chores? The sha of being a busty woman!"
Paimon clicked her tongue, watching.
It was the scene of other won getting close to the one she had marked as her mate.
Just watching it made her uneasy, and she couldn’t help it.
—Thud, thud.
[Hypnotic-chan smiles widely.]
[These are precious mories for my master. Treasures... well, not better than the days I spent with him, but!]
"Hmm? What did you say?"
[Hypnotic-chan says that it’s none of her business.]
Hypnotic-chan didn’t pay much attention to her and continued guiding her.
They kept moving deeper, deeper into the very core of Yujin’s soul.
Soon, the two of them stopped in front of a door.
"This is...?"
Such a seal. What’s hidden inside?
Paimon took a deep breath.
The large door was covered in talismans and locks.
Warning signs that said, "Do not enter under any circumstances."
Everything scread that sothing truly important was hidden behind it.
[Hypnotic-chan steps aside with soft footsteps.]
[What’s inside is the truth Master has forgotten.]
[Once you see this, there’s no going back.]
[Are you still going to look?]
Hypnotic-chan looked up at Paimon, with a silent question in her gaze.
Can you open this door?
For so reason, Paimon understood the aning behind it.
There must be an important mory hidden here. A mory he needs to rember.
Gulp.
Paimon’s hand slowly reached for the locked door.
The deepest secret of Yujin’s soul. To free it and give him his freedom.
...She wasn’t trembling. She wasn’t nervous.
She was a demon who controlled souls. A demon lord, stronger than anyone else.
For her, this seal wasn’t even worth a laugh.
—Click.
It unlocked just by touching it? This Hypnotic-chan is really weak.
Indeed, the lock was easily undone.
She rely touched it, and it opened imdiately.
Her hand grabbed the handle and opened the door.
—Creeeak...
Alright. I’ll quickly free him from the hypnosis and make him mine... Huh?
—Freeze.
But in the final mont, she paused, struck by a sudden feeling of unease.
Her 300 years of demonic instincts flared, her spine prickling with warning.
Wait. This seal was so cleverly hidden that I couldn’t sense it until I got close. How could it just break so easily with my soul touching it?
What she realized, belatedly, was that before entering Yujin’s soul, she had noticed the seal.
She only realized it right after facing him. The seal had been so cleverly disguised that even she couldn’t detect it from a distance.
But now, it was so easy to open?
A seal so carefully disguised?
Even if there was a difference in power between Hypnotic-chan, Yujin, and herself, this didn’t make sense.
If it had been this weak, she would have noticed Yujin’s seal the mont she laid eyes on him.
—Creeeak.
It’s a trap!!!
Without hesitation, Paimon moved swiftly.
She was going to crush that small and insignificant Hypnotic-chan and escape from Yujin’s soul.
[Hypnotic-chan grins mischievously.]
[Gotcha, you fool!!]
—Hypnotic-chan had already made her move, unbeknownst to Paimon.
—Creeeak!!
[Hypnotic-chan screams loudly.]
[Mom, just a second! Excuse !!!]
Hypnotic-chan had already jumped up and was hanging from the door handle.
The door, already opening, now swung wider with the force of her action.
Paimon, trying to turn away, or at least close her eyes, found herself caught by surprise as the door opened fully.
—Stare.
[V̴̡̦̣̩̘̳͍͍̤̌̄͌̏̎̋̃͞i҉̨͚̦͈̩̗̓̑͒̈́͊͒́̈́̕d҈͙͖͔̟̰͉̖̫ͨ̓̾͝î̵̡͔̲̩̗̟͎͂̑̕s҉̮͕̝̰̎̊͞͡t҈̨͍̝̪̥̟͛͒͆̈͊͛͠ï̷̢̗͔̖͓̃̓̈̚͠n҈̢͍͎̥̣̝̜̩̱̐̆̔̈́̅̾͠'̴̢̭̯͇̰͍̠̅̑̑̐̎͛͠?̸̲̱͔̯͈͇̥̤̍̒͊̏̇̓̇͜͝]
"………!!!!!!!?"
Sothing sealed deep within Yujin’s soul.
It locked eyes with hers.
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