--- ??? ---
The mission appeared straightforward at first glance.
Our objective: attack the Midgar Kingdom's Capital, assess Shadow Garden's response, and retreat upon encountering resistance.
No need for elaborate disguises or intricate planning—just create chaos and withdraw.
Executing such a plan should have been relatively simple, especially since our enemies were unaware of our intentions.
Furthermore, the rewards promised to the top two performers in this mission were beyond imagination.
The prospect was nothing short of enticing.
Those two fortunate individuals would not only receive unwavering support from the Cult but also earn the prestigious opportunity to join the esteemed ranks of the Knights of Rounds!
Just thinking about it made my anticipation grow.
Why concern myself with trivial organizations or insignificant targets when the potential reward was so immense?
Without a doubt, securing that position became my top priority.
The desire for immortality has always burned within me, just as it has in every soul gathered here.
Over the past three years, many of our fellow First Children have fallen at the hands of our enemies. Yet, strangely, I find myself filled with a sense of satisfaction.
With fewer competitors, the path to becoming the top contributor is easier, after all!
I'm confident in my abilities.
As I accepted the mission, I was prepared for the chaos and mayhem that was about to ensue. But nothing could have prepared me for the horror that unfolded before my eyes.
---
A figure materialized from the shadows themselves, as if the darkness had given birth to a hellish monstrosity. It was a man with dark hair and blood-red eyes that pierced through the very soul.
With a swift and brutal movement, he wiped our group out, leaving only the two strongest ones which had barely evaded, struggling in his grip.
He held them by the face, their feet dangling above the ground, as they tried in vain to break free, trying to scream with all they could, using their Magical Power... But it was all futile.
"...They did not meet the conditions as well. What a pain."
He muttered something I couldn't quite understand.
Before I could even process what was happening, he crushed their heads with a sickening crunch, like they were nothing more than fragile eggshells.
The blood-curdling screams were abruptly silenced, their lifeless bodies crumpling to the ground like puppets whose strings had been cut.
As I gazed upon his face, I saw no trace of humanity, only the chilling visage of a demon. Fear gripped me like a vice, paralyzing me as I realized the true extent of the terror before me.
If those two, who were much stronger than me, couldn't even use their Magical Power before dying, then what can I—
My heart pounded in my chest as he turned his gaze to meet mine. The look in his eyes was enough to make my blood run cold.
I couldn't shake the feeling that there was an overwhelming surge of magical power enveloping him, like an endless ocean stretching into the horizon.
The pressure it emitted was immense, so much so that even those far stronger than me were mere powerless.
But there's no way a human being can store that much Magical Power...
I was on the ground, trembling in fear, with wounds all over my body.
I tried to retreat, to crawl away from this nightmare, but the demon interrupted all my struggles in an instant.
"Where do you think you're going?"
His voice was low and menacing. He didn't even bother to look at me as he spoke, his attention focused elsewhere.
I don't want to die...
I don't want to die...
The terror that coursed through my veins was like nothing I had ever experienced before.
I was so desperate that I blurted out anything that could please him.
"P-P-Please spare me! I swear I h-had nothing to do with this!!"
Only the desire to stay alive burned deeply in my heart.
I was willing to do anything...
"Right, y-you want to know who we are or what we are doing, right!? I'll...I'll tell you anything I know!"
There was no response for a second, before the man looked at me with a crooked smile, his red eyes gleaming with amusement.
He let out a low chuckle, the sound sending shivers down my spine.
"Finally, someone who meets the conditions," he muttered to himself.
To my surprise, he suddenly gave me a kind smile.
It was a smile that didn't match his monstrous appearance, and it caught me off guard. "Don't worry," he said, his voice softer than before. "You won't die."
"W-Wha..."
Before I could react, he placed his hand on my head. The world around me began to spin, and I felt myself losing consciousness.
I tried to fight it, but it was like my body was being pulled into a deep, dark abyss.
In those last moments before I blacked out, a thousand thoughts raced through my mind. What was happening to me? Was I going to die after all? Would I ever escape from this nightmare?
But it was too late.
--- Akira ---
Mind Manipulation Magic.
This skill is powerful, but a pain to use.
When someone falls under its influence, the caster gains access to their memories and can dictate their every action.
The target becomes little more than a slave, devoid of their own will or consciousness until commanded otherwise.
However, activating this skill requires meeting specific conditions.
While some conditions, like possessing more Magical Power than the target, are relatively straightforward, there's one particularly challenging requirement.
The target must be willing to open their mind to the user, a condition that's hard to fulfill unless the person's character has been severely compromised.
It's more complicated than it might seem at first glance.
To truly wield this magic, you have to shatter their essence, their very core.
What makes them a human being.
Only then does this magic become effective.
Dealing with the minor threats that arrived here expecting to cause trouble wasn't a challenge, but I didn't want to simply eradicate their group.
There are more efficient methods to handle such situations without stirring up any trouble.
But my goal was to create a genuine puppet, one capable of infiltrating the Cult and gathering vital intelligence.
The most straightforward approach to achieve this would be to construct a situation where they realize that, regardless of their actions or intentions, the only inevitable outcome is...
Death.
That's why I went to the lengths of orchestrating such a scenario, and I must admit, I'm quite pleased with how everything has unfolded.
After all, I managed to finally have a pitiful soul meet all the conditions to activate my skill.
Hehehe, nameless Cultist, you will now become my faithful servant.
You were lucky to bump into Yours Truly!
---
Author's Note:
We'll skip Akira's marriage as I will cover that as an extra after we're done with the 2nd Trial(I expect by chapter 102 at most)
Please do join my discord and go vote on the poll on my Patreon :) (Links to both in the synopsis of the novel!)