Lord of Caldera

Max stared at Sylas with an expression that showed he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Sylas calmly began to explain, "There are two situations in which a succubus can't touch someone's mind: if they're crazy or under the influence of drugs."

"Is there something they have in common?" Max asked. Read latest stories on My Virtual Library Empire

"Yes, they aren't in their right mind," Sylas replied. The only difference was that the former was permanent and the latter temporary.

"This is something I've heard too—if a demon tries to interfere with the mind of someone who isn't stable, it causes problems for them. Specifically, they can't manipulate the person's senses the way they want."

It was like trying to play a broken piano—no matter which key you pressed, the wrong sound would come out. Even a genius musician wouldn't be able to play properly on such an instrument.

"This might be an outdated method now, but in the past, it was common for people to take drugs and fight demons," Sylas continued.

"But drugs like that have severe side effects…," Max protested.

"They do, which is why it can only be used three times, at most," Sylas explained. Any more than that, and addiction would be inevitable. But as long as it wasn't too strong, three doses should be safe. Additionally, no one would be able to figure out what exactly was taken, and the urgency of the situation would make it hard to investigate further.

"And I don't plan on using all three doses. Two will suffice. I mentioned three as a precaution."

"Hm, if it's just that, then… Ugh!?" Max suddenly screamed in pain.

"What's wrong?" Sylas immediately pulled Max away from the mist. Max was drenched in sweat from the brief contact with the fog.

"The mist got me. It's much closer than before," Max panted.

"What? But the flame still looks fine…" Sylas noticed something strange. The fire had noticeably weakened compared to earlier. The sword hadn't been affected by anyone—rather, it seemed that the sword itself was deliberately reducing the intensity of the flame.

"This little piece of—"

Heh! It's not so easy now, is it? - The sword mocked.

Up until now, the sword had been using its full power out of fear of pain, but it had figured out the bare minimum it needed to protect itself. At this rate, it would soon only be protecting Sylas and no one else.

"The sword's getting more rebellious," Sylas muttered.

"Are you sure you should still be carrying that thing around?" Max asked, his voice shaky.

"Don't worry, I've got this under control," Sylas reassured him.

Haha… How long will that confidence last? - the sword sneered. Time was on the sword's side. Everyone makes mistakes eventually, and if Sylas ever let his guard down, the sword planned to incinerate him completely.I look forward to the day you despair… - the sword hissed.

"Really? Because your day of despair is tomorrow," Sylas shot back.

What…? - the sword responded, confused.

"You'll see," Sylas said, ignoring further questions as he continued gathering herbs. He needed to hurry to make enough for everyone.

Fortunately, it didn't take long to manufacture the potion. The herbalist's shop had plenty of well-dried herbs, making it quick to grind them into powder. Sylas added a bit of a sedative herb, creating a theoretically effective mixture.

"This is the first time I've ever made this much," Max said, marveling at the quantity.

"It was easier to make than I thought," Sylas noted.

"That's because we skipped a lot of steps. For proper products, I'd have to add several more ingredients and let it sit for days. But for now, we just need something strong enough to do the job," Max explained.

Sylas wasn't interested in the specifics; all that mattered was the final product. The powder was quickly mixed into water and disguised as the mind-protecting potion. Holy knights helped distribute it to the citizens.

"Is the potion distributed?" Sylas asked.

"Yes, once we told them it would protect them from the succubus, it was gone in minutes," a knight replied.

"Did you tell them to wait a little before drinking it, since it'll make them sleepy?" Sylas asked.

"Yes, though some of them drank it right away," the knight answered.

That was fine. It was already close to nightfall, so an hour or two of difference wouldn't matter much.

"By the way, the side effects you mentioned… are they hallucinations?" the knight asked.

"Yes, that's part of it. How did you know?" Sylas inquired.

"The ones who drank it early started saying they feel like they're flying, or that they're floating on clouds," the knight replied.

Sylas's heart skipped a beat, but he maintained a calm expression. "Don't worry. As long as they don't take it more than three times, it'll be fine."

Though he was nervous inside, Sylas knew showing any lack of confidence now would only make the knights more anxious. He turned to Max and gave him a subtle look.

'You said the side effects would be minimal!' Sylas thought.

'They are! People who aren't used to drugs always have a strong reaction the first time,' Max replied telepathically.

'Are you sure it's safe?' Sylas asked.

'Don't worry. They'll be out like a light soon,' Max assured him.

After their brief exchange, Sylas cleared his throat and addressed the knight again.

"The saintess has endured a lot. Make sure she gets a good rest tonight," he said.

"Understood. Should the saintess take the potion too?" the knight asked.

"It's just a precaution," Sylas said. According to his memory, the demon had grown quite strong by this point, enough to challenge the saintess directly. Even if she avoided combat, she still needed her strength, so the potion was a good idea.

A few moments later, Lydia, the saintess, mumbled, "Wow, this potion is amazing. I feel like all my fatigue is melting away."

"R-Really?" Sylas stammered.

"Yes, it feels like I'm flying… or floating on a cloud…" she trailed off, her face becoming hazy.

A holy knight, worried by Lydia's dazed expression, approached Sylas. "Are you sure this is safe?"

"Of course," Sylas replied quickly.

Looking back at the saintess, he saw her face relaxed into a blissful smile as she mumbled again, "Hehe, this feels sooo gooood…"

The knight's anxiety peaked. "Are you sure she's okay!?"

"Relax. It's fine… probably."

"'Probably'!? What do you mean by 'probably'!?" the knight shouted, panicking.