Chapter 9: Manipulation of the Mind

The next few days were uneventful.

Hado had not gotten the chance to go beyond the outskirts of the city. So any documentation to forge was impossible to reach.

After getting used to the fact that he would be here for a while without having another opportunity to escape the almost painfully boring part of the empire, Hado began looking around town more carefully now.

The guards had gotten to know him by now, and luckily none of them had grown suspicious of him... Yet.

He scanned their minds on a regular basis, keeping up with any information that these street guards would know. They were easily pleased, he had enough coin sacks of gold to last him for several months.

But he wanted more.

The money was nice, and it was okay to be in control of a small group of easily manipulated guards, but there was something better higher up.

And so, Hado set his first goal. Become a General.

As far as he knew, the ranks in the army were fairly random. There were the normal grunts, like the guards. Then there were sergeants, who ran squads of the grunts, then lieutenants, which were in control of all that. Then the generals, the strongest people in the army, who all had their own mini army of their own, as well as two lieutenants that answered to them. There were captains in the guard but they didn't seem to have much to do with the actual army.

Of course, there was the Emperor and Prime minister, but he would start small.

"Step one, become a grunt," He said to himself as he looked at the impersonator guard cleaning up the mess the guards had made of his house.

His wife had gone to the bathhouse behind their home, cleaning herself of the guard's desecration.

"You're so pathetic you know that?" Hado said, glancing over at Sayomi, who sat quietly in the corner.

But his statement was directed at the man.

"Imagine letting people take advantage of you, I could never allow that, being under someone is wrong, society has failed you... But look, you clean up the mess of your betters, why is that?" Hado finished, stepping closer to the man, a dangerous look in his eye as he smiled.

This was a game he had been playing with the man for the past week.

The rush he got when he baited people into causing a problem, yet they knew they shouldn't, was better than any drug he'd ever taken, any murder he had ever gone through with, this was pure pleasure.

"Because I am inferior..." The man said, pausing his cleaning, closing his eyes as he shook violently.

"C'mon, I know you want to kill me, slice my stomach open, and smear my guts all around the room. I also know you want to get back at me..." Hado said, looking over at Sayomi as the jeweled wasp embedded inside of the man's mind fed him his thoughts.

It was a useful short-term ability, but if he used it too long he started to get a headache.

"Don't you just want to tie me up and use my... What are the words? 'Little Slut' for yourself? She's right over there, go ahead..."

Hado looked the man in the eyes, his smile crooked as the man looked at him, shocked as his thoughts ran wild.

'Can he hear my-'

"Thoughts? Yes."

The man stepped away from Hado looking at the boy in horror as Hado shook his head. "No no no, this isn't what you said you were going to do, here!"

Hado quickly walked over and grabbed Sayomi by the hair, pulling her with him until he threw her in front of the man.

He'd used some of the gold to buy her a new wardrobe, a simple brown dress with frills, which he'd seen a lot of the poorer women around the town wearing.

The face she had made when he ordered her to put it on had been priceless.

"Go ahead, use her body to your full desire, don't be such a bitch, it's only fair isn't it?" Hado said, nearly laughing as he watched the man stare at Sayomi.

Hado couldn't lie, she was an attractive girl, any man would gladly accept this offer, at least in this world.

They were simple, easy to trick, and easy to control. You give them their deepest desire, then they are practically your slaves.

"C-Can I?" The man asked, looking at Hado, unsure of himself as Sayomi began to cry, which seemed like a normal occurrence for her now.

Hado had learned a lot about her in the last few days, starting with her work in the rebellion.

The squad that had attacked him was supposed to ambush the empire's recon troops, but Hado had massacred that group and got attacked instead.

As for Sayomi, she used to be strong and confident, but just a week and a few days with Hado had broken her. She'd long given up hope of being released, her biggest fear was of him raping her.

Hado had no such intention. His only use for her was entertainment, ruining her until she couldn't function like a human being anymore, she was a mere pet. That was all.

"Of course, you can, am I stopping you?" Hado asked, crouching down next to Sayomi and holding out his hands. "Dig in Nagata," He finished, using the man's real name.

Nagata froze, Hado's tone and posture didn't match his words. One movement, and Nagata was sure it would be the end of his life.

"No... I thought so, lower beings such as yourself... Don't deserve gifts from me right?" Hado asked, sighing exaggeratively and stepping back up to the man.

Nagata simply nodded, putting his head down as his Nude wife walked back into the house, ignoring her husband entirely as she walked to Hado.

"Thank you for the work today boss," The woman said with a bow, smiling up at Hado and taking his hand.

Why was she nude? Well, Hado had decided clothes weren't necessary for a 24/5 worker such as Nagata Mayoko.

That's right, Hado had been advertising to several men who spent their time in the pubs or wandering down the streets of a whore you could fuck at any time, except for her two rest days.

Nagata Mayoko only slept when she didn't have a time slot, which for the past three days, was never.

And how much was she paid? Nothing. Her husband being left alive was all the payment necessary.

"Of course, now start stretching, you have an appointment in fifteen, I'll be going now, make sure to leave the payment for tonight's service by the door, I'll pick it up later today..."

With that, Hado gave one last mocking look at Nagata and led Sayomi out of the house.

"Am I going to end up like that? Give it to me straight, what are you planning for me..." Sayomi asked, stopping at the door as Hado read her using the jeweled wasp.

"Ah... little Sayomi, don't hold yourself in such high regard," Hado said simply, knowing it was the perfect response.

She was growing restless, she didn't know if he would use her like Nagata Mayoko, or even worse, and that was destroying her inside. The fear and tension were eating her alive.

Hado smirked as he called back all his jeweled wasps, giving them time to rest as they gave him the deeper information from everyone he planted.

There was even a little surprise from a few of them.

And this came in the form of dozens of eggs.

***

Hado opened his eyes as the creek of the inn door reached his ears. The next thing he knew, the door swung open and Sayomi rushed out, breathing heavily as Hado sighed to himself.

"Is it so much to ask for a night's rest?" He asked, grinning despite his annoyed tone and rushing out the door at subsonic speeds.

He locked his eyes on his target, reaching her with three long strides and grabbing her by the back of the neck.

"Seems like the fly got caught in the spider's web..." Hado said quietly in the trembling girl's ear, the salty smell of the tears pouring from her eyes intoxicating.

His hand wrapped around her throat, choking off all noise before she could scream and causing red lines to appear along her body. She flailed about wildly trying desperately to break free, kicking at the air while struggling to breathe through an airless throat until finally...

"Hahh," Sayomi breathed in deeply as she fell to the ground, coughing as Hado looked down at her.

"Seriously? You thought you could escape? Are you stupid?" He asked, kicking her hard in the face and slamming her head against the wall. "You could be dead right now!" Hado swung down, stopping his fist right before it would have slammed violently against the girl's nose.

Sayomi coughed some more then tried to lift herself onto her elbows but quickly gave up.

"I need loyal subjects..." Hado said, crouching down and helping Sayomi up as a sympathetic look was plastered onto his usual crazed expression.

"I don't want to hurt you Sayomi..." He said, embracing the girl and hugging her tightly against his chest as she widened her eyes, completely shocked.

She trembled in his arms, the adverse warmth compared to the stinging pain in her face was too much to handle.

"O... Ok," She said almost robotically, her arms clasping around Hado.

The boy smiled, trying to keep his laugh down as he heard the Jeweled Wasp crawling around inside of Sayomi's brain making a clattering sound. Like it was laughing as well...

---

As promised, expect another one tomorrow morning, as well as a discord link... And maybe a little competition.