AWDC Chapter 89

## Chapter 89: Hofer’s Abilities

When I learned hypnotism, I was taught that “attempts to make someone perform immoral acts will fail.” I was taught that even if you can brainwash someone, it’s difficult to make them do something that violates their conscience. For example, even if you hypnotize a young woman and order her to take off her clothes, she will be ashamed and refuse. I was taught that if you force her too much, the hypnotism will be broken. The stories I heard as a student said that hypnotism has its limits and brainwashing is difficult.

Waomou used religion, drugs, or lust to brainwash people. Waomou killed over ten thousand people during the rebellion. That’s an amazing ability, but it was only possible because he wielded the power of a group with organizational strength.

However, although Hofer is a religious person, he didn’t seem to be brainwashing people using religion. He used his position as a bishop to summon Starfen to the capital, but he didn’t brainwash him through religion. It seemed clear that he was using hypnotism or something similar to brainwash him. He even suggested the great sin of murder, brainwashed him, and gave him orders, which Starfen carried out as instructed.

And above all, what’s frightening about his ability is his mastery of post-hypnotic suggestion. Even a skilled hypnotist can’t easily use post-hypnotic suggestion. You can give commands to the person you’re hypnotizing right in front of you. But to make them fall into hypnosis again after waking up, triggered by something, and then carry out the orders… Even the person who taught me hypnotism couldn’t do that.

And the terrifying thing about this post-hypnotic suggestion is that the person acts as if they are doing it of their own free will. People under hypnosis move unnaturally, like puppets, to an outside observer. But with post-hypnotic suggestion, their everyday behavior doesn’t change. Then, triggered by a certain event, they suddenly shift to the commanded action. From an outsider’s perspective, there’s no way to tell they’ve been subjected to post-hypnotic suggestion.

It was an astonishing ability of Hofer.

He’s a religious figure in name only, willing to commit murder for his ambitions. He doesn’t stain his own hands with blood, but makes others commit the crime. It was a truly despicable method.

Not everyone can possess the ability to brainwash. And he wields it freely. It was a truly terrifying power.

“When I hear his voice, I can’t hear anything else. Everything goes dark, and all I can think about is what he ordered me to do,” Starfen frankly explained after I released him from the hypnosis.

“I’m glad. If I had continued to obey him, I would have done something terrible,” he said, looking relieved.

As I suspected, he had met Hofer at the church and was hypnotized and strongly influenced.

“Honestly, I don’t know how much my wife will scold me if she finds out you did this to me,” the henpecked husband said, completely dejected.

(Well, your wife already knows, but I guess I’ll have to tell her to forgive you without telling you that.) That’s what I thought.

Starfen was able to escape the brainwashed state. I almost lost my life and a friend.

Even so, Hofer was a hateful guy. Post-hypnotic suggestion is a very advanced technique. I was amazed by Hofer’s terrifying ability and planning to use it.

He had summoned Starfen to the capital before the coup. He probably knew that if I left the capital, I would stop by Starfen’s place. He must have planned to put Starfen under post-hypnotic suggestion and kill me. It was a terrifying calculation.

Starfen was jealous of me. He was bitter that only I, who used to be in a position not so different from his, was rising in the world. Hofer exploited that dark side of him.

“If you cooperate with me, you can rise in the world like Earl Misaki,” Hofer used sweet words to lure Starfen in.

“I fell for Hofer’s flattery and met him in the capital, where he gave me the order.

I was really jealous of you. I didn’t want to lose to you. I’m such an idiot,” he said, completely dejected.

Even when you’re on friendly terms with someone, there can be betrayal in their heart. I realized once again that people have a dark side. But I wonder if that’s just how people are. They’re not always healthy, and they get sick. It’s natural to have anxiety and worries, and sometimes they don’t feel well towards others.

“You probably won’t be able to forget about this right away, but you should forget it as soon as possible. No one is a saint, so it’s normal to think bad things. But I think that’s normal.”

“I’m sorry.”

“If you care about your wife and children, and if you think of me as a friend, please forget about it quickly.”

I couldn’t bear the thought of straining my friendship with him over something like this. My family would also be sad.

(In that case, the attack in the capital was probably carried out by someone ordered by Hofer.) I felt genuine terror at Hofer’s methods.

During the eight years we were in power in the capital, I was the only key person who was attacked. Richter and Elliot were also caught up in some minor incidents. But there was no one who tried to kill them and attacked them in groups.

Certainly, it could be said that going outside the castle walls with a small number of people was careless, but Elliot and Richter also did that kind of thing.

Prince Raphael, for example, often went to meet women in secret with hardly any attendants. It couldn’t be said that only I was being careless.

It seemed like they were targeting me with the sole purpose of killing me. And then there was the incident involving Starfen this time.

I didn’t understand what Hofer’s relentless targeting was all about.

After the coup, I thought about Hofer’s motives and why he broke with us.

We should have accepted many of his requests. As the No. 4 figure in the Load religion in the country, and with his close relationship with the Queen Mother, we couldn’t ignore his requests. And he didn’t complain.

In the end, he wanted to have more power. There was no other conclusion.

It was impossible for him to join hands with us anymore. I decided to deal with him on that premise.

The most troubling thing was that I didn’t know the limits of Hofer’s abilities.

How many people could he control? I didn’t even know if there was a limit.

And how deeply could he influence people? Could he control everything like a puppet?

Or was he just using simple suggestion?

Above all, how many people are currently under his influence?

I was even worried that his influence had reached my surroundings.

Would he order someone close to me to assassinate me?

Thinking that far, I hurriedly shook my head.

(Don’t fall into anxiety unnecessarily.)

To overestimate the enemy is to admit defeat.

I needed to investigate Hofer thoroughly, whatever his abilities were.

According to Starfen, it seemed that he couldn’t brainwash someone unless he spent about a week with them.

I could assume that he didn’t have the power to hypnotize and brainwash someone in a short period of time.

That’s why he summoned Starfen to the capital.

If his abilities were high, he would have used a simpler method.

I felt like I had found a clue there.

I, too, had met with Hofer many times. But I didn’t think I had fallen under his influence. I had never obeyed him.

(Then, why did Starfen obey him? Think about the difference.)

In order to investigate that, I first considered what kind of people I should leave in the capital.

I sent letters to Elliot and Richter, telling them about Hofer’s abilities.

“Hypnotism is based on trust in the hypnotist, and it’s difficult to fall under hypnosis if you’re wary of the hypnotist. Never be alone when you meet Hofer,” I wrote, warning them.

I also taught my fellow nobles how to avoid being hypnotized.

I received replies from them in return.

“No one has appeared to harm me,” was the change from Richter. And Elliot said the same.

(So Hofer was only targeting me?)

He had been sending people to my surroundings and trying to make contact with them since early on. It was clearly because he suspected that I was a reincarnated person.

And he had been targeting and moving only against me.

I couldn’t say for sure that Elliot, Richter, and Prince Raphael wouldn’t be targeted in the future, but I thought it was unlikely that he would brainwash them and make them assassins.

If he was going to target his comrades, he would have done it while he was in the capital. That would have been more opportunities and a higher chance of success.

Once they returned to their territories, the chances would be less, and more than anything, it would be difficult to find someone to brainwash.

In any case, I decided to keep in touch with them and monitor Hofer’s movements.