Chapter 1449: Research on Manipulation (15)_1

"Like I said before, the parties I attended as a child with my dad and the Magical Festive banquets I attended as an adult, were all just small-talk affairs. We would chat about fluctuations in magic material prices, whose Mage Tower had exploded, and the latest progress a certain Black Magician had made on the forbidden texts..."

Zatanna held her forehead, saying, "I didn't realize I was so ignorant about the ordinary world."

"I doubt Jonathan and his old friends would be discussing real-world common sense at a banquet," Shiller said, tilting his head toward Zatanna, looking at her from above his eyes.

"True, Little Zha, I think you're overthinking this. The 'common sense' they refer to is industry knowledge, the type you could directly use to write a paper. It's perfectly normal if you're not familiar with it," Constantine quickly reassured her.

Zatanna shook her head, saying, "Besides, my social etiquette was awful. I'm starting to question myself, as if without magic, I can't do anything."

"Perhaps it's because antilanguage magic is too convenient," Zatanna, pursing her lips, said. "A casual gesture can levitate a fallen wine bottle, a swipe of the hand straightens a crumpled rug. Over the years, I messed up so many things, but I could always fix them with magic. Not this time."

Constantine opened his mouth, intending to express his indignation to Zatanna and to assure her that Crane was a deceiver trying to undermine her self-esteem, but he didn't expect Zatanna to realize some truths through the incident.

Reflecting on his brief but passionate relationship with Miss Magician, Constantine had to admit that Zatanna wasn't very mature. She had her strengths, such as sincerity, straightforwardness, naivety, and vitality, like a freshly fallen apple. These were the reasons Constantine liked her so much.

However, her shortcomings were somewhat numerous; they were common among young people, such as recklessness, not considering the consequences, and being easily deceived by others. Her biggest issue was that she was a child wielding a powerful weapon: magic.

She possessed rare antilanguage and mental magic in the magical realm, could use them anytime, anywhere, without a price, and could even manipulate others by entering their minds. These abilities, combined, would undoubtedly attract envy.

Yet, Zatanna didn't have the self-control to match her powers. It was like a child brandishing a golden sword in a bustling market; any problem solvable with magic was not a problem at all. Over time, her magic grew stronger, but her brain stayed the same.

Constantine couldn't come up with a reason for Zatanna to believe that she could handle Shiller with her mental magic after seeing his Tower of Thought. But Zatanna thought she could.

She wasn't underestimating Shiller, but she was too confident in her own abilities. She indeed had reason to be proud, but such pride would cause her to stumble greatly.

Constantine had wanted to warn Zatanna, but he wasn't in a position to do so. He was no more gifted than she was, had messed up more often than she did, and therefore wasn't qualified to lecture her as an elder.

But Zatanna did lack guidance, especially after the disappearance of her father. She had no one to instruct her on when to use her powers and when not to, or on the potential consequences of relying too much on magic.

Thinking of this, Constantine fell silent. He thought it might not be so bad to let Zatanna stumble a little. After all, Shiller was there. He was the one who sent Zatanna to the chemistry lab; he wouldn't stand idly by if something happened to her.

"So what do you plan to do?" Constantine asked.

"I don't know." Zatanna covered her face with her hands, shaking her head slightly. Her disheveled hair at her temples swayed, looking a bit ridiculous yet genuinely naive.

"I think you should apologize to him," Constantine suggested, grabbing Zatanna's wrist, "It's no use hiding like a turtle in its shell, otherwise you'll feel indebted to him forever. Apologizing might at least bring you peace."

"You could try it," Shiller suggested, "I don't think Jonathan would blame you. Young people often make a fuss at parties, and you are a young and beautiful lady. If you apologize sincerely, no one will be offended."

A strained look crossed Zatanna's face, and Shiller's words were the final straw.

"Or are you saying that you don't want to mix with ordinary people at all and are unwilling to lower your proud head to apologize to them?"

"Of course not." Zatanna stood up, looking somewhat angry at Shiller, "I apologized to you, and even used magic to manipulate someone's mind for you when I never usually do."

"I'm sorry." Shiller turned his head back, took a sip of his wine, and when Zatanna's expression had eased a little, he added, "But you were pretty comfortable entering my mind. I thought this was something you did regularly."

"That was an accident," Zatanna stomped her foot, but her tone was somewhat less decisive. She pursed her lips and said, "I was just very concerned about the Curse of Evil. There must be some reasons that make my behavior seem more sympathetic to a therapist, right?"

"Yes, miss, if you tell me directly that you are silly, I may readily accept it and let you know that you're forgiven."

Zatanna covered her chest, drawing a deep breath. She grabbed her bag, walking towards the exit in her heels, turning back as she walked, "I will go apologize to him right now. I don't need your therapy!"

After Zatanna left, Shiller shook his head slightly in resignation, while Constantine sighed, "She's such a silly girl."

"Bruce wasn't much better than her." Shiller held his wine glass to his mouth, "Or I'd say, he was even worse than her a few years ago."

"I appreciate the beauty and vitality of these young ladies, silliness included. Their innocent or embarrassed expressions always provide some aesthetic value to those around them, eliciting smiles. But foolish boys don't have that ability."

Constantine gave a smirk and said, "Except for Bruce Wayne, I think he would look pretty good with that expression on his face."

"But seriously, Shiller." Constantine put down his wine glass, leaning in closer and asked, "What's the deal with that Crane? Are you sure it's okay to let him teach Zatanna?"

"Jonathan once described to me that Zatanna is a bit like Bruce was in the past, I don't agree with that, because he prematurely judged Bruce without having a deep understanding of him," Shiller responded.

"Zatanna is indeed a bit rash, and her self-control is weak. She relies too much on power and lacks intellect, but she's a normal person. By any standard, she is not a madwoman, these shortcomings are common to human beings."

"To a certain extent, I don't even think Zatanna's reliance on power is a weakness. If you were born with three hands, would you deliberately not use the extra one? If you did, would you be accused of abusing it? For Zatanna, magic is as simple as instinct, so why shouldn't she use it?"

"Therefore, she doesn't need instruction. She can just mess around for a few years to understand all this. I'm confident that Jonathan's aim to manipulate her will be frustrated," Shiller added confidently.

"Why?" A confounded Constantine asked, before quickly adding, "You saw it. Professor Crane has made Zatanna start doubting herself in less than a month."

"I made Bruce doubt himself in just three days."

"I'm not comparing your academic abilities."

"But that's the fact," Shiller shook his head, emphasizing once again, "Jonathan Crane's intentions for Zatanna Zatara will not succeed, he is missing something very important."

Raising an eyebrow, Constantine leaned in further and fixed Shiller with a questioning gaze. "And what would that be?"

"Love," Shiller uttered the word with absolute conviction. "Jonathan Crane is a born killer, he lacks the ability to love."

Constantine stared at Shiller, hoping for a more elaborate explanation. Shiller was willing to oblige, but first he asked, "Have you read any works on Stockholm Syndrome?"

"A bit."

"I continually stress to my students that victims of Stockholm Syndrome are not masochists. They do not enjoy violence and control, no one does. They fall in love with their assailant because they sense love from the violence and control."

"So, are they truly loved?" Constantine grasped the crux of the matter.

"Most of the time, yes. But this love can be twisted. If the kidnapper hated the victim, they could simply kill them instead of holding them captive. Many of those who have kidnapped victims for long periods of time are motivated by a twisted form of love."

"The perpetrators pour their illegal and immoral, strong, twisted emotions into their victims. The victims aren't emotionless; in their confined scenarios, they will feel these emotions to some degree."

"Emotions are complex. There are many distinct aspects within a single emotion. There's a softer side to even the most twisted of emotions that is easier for ordinary people to accept. Once the victims accept this side, their brain's self-preserving instinct will instinctively persuade them to accept the more twisted parts, eventually inciting them to tolerate violence and control."

"During confinement, the victims do not have any other source of emotion. They feel fear and panic, and the sole source of safety comes from the emotional bond with the perpetrator. It is the victims' embellishment and understanding of the perpetrators. When victims rely on this sense of security for an extended period, they naturally feel an unwavering attachment."

"Even after being rescued, they instinctively seek this security, manifesting itself as Stockholm Syndrome."

"This is the perspective of the victims. This angle is typically used in the field to analyze similar psychological states. But if we see it from the perspective of the perpetrators, they master this mentality and can intentionally cultivate this syndrome."

Shiller looked back at Constantine and said in a casual tone, "It's not that hard. Even though I'm not the best student in the field, I can not only cultivate one, but several simultaneously."

In an instant, Constantine was drenched in cold sweat. He stared at Shiller for a long moment before looking away, blocking his mouth with his hand. He coughed lightly and said, "You're saying that because Jonathan Crane lacks the ability to love, he can't do what you've done to Bruce?"

Shiller nodded in agreement.

"So, you're saying, you love Bruce?"

"Yes, as his teacher."

Constantine's face contorted in disbelief. "So you loved him so much that you meticulously planned for him to voluntarily accept harsh confinement?"

Shiller nodded again, his candid attitude completely shocked Constantine. Then he heard Shiller continue.

"Otherwise, with Gotham's endless trivial matters, where would he find personal time to adjust to the multitasking thinking mode after his personality split?"