The morning air in the Adventurer’s Guild was thick with the scent of cheap ale and desperation. Shino leaned against the massive corkboard, her silver Copper Plate catching the light. Beside her, Kazuto was scanning the higher-ranked requests, his brow furrowed in concentration.
"Nothing but slime culling and herb gathering," Kazuto muttered, his hand resting on the hilt of his training sword. "I thought being an adventurer in the capital would be more... impactful."
Shino’s ears twitched. Her [Analytical Eye] wasn't looking at the gold rewards; she was looking at the patterns. "Kazuto, look. Over the last three weeks, twelve requests for 'Missing Persons' have been posted. All young women, mostly Demi-Humans, last seen near the Velvet District."
She pointed to a fresh parchment, still damp with ink. Reward: 50 Gold Sovereigns. Information on the disappearance of Elara, a feline-kin dancer.
"Fifty gold for a missing persons report?" Kazuto’s eyes widened. "That’s a Knight’s monthly stipend. Someone is terrified."
"Or someone is paying to keep people quiet," Shino whispered, her tail lashing behind her. "Let's take it. My gut says this isn't a runaway case."
The Gilded Cage
Deep beneath the opulent streets of the Velvet District, far removed from the sunlight and the chatter of the markets, lay the private sanctum of Lord Oberis.
The room was draped in heavy violet silks, the air thick with a cloying, sweet incense that made the mind feel like it was sinking into warm honey. Oberis sat in a velvet armchair, a glass of dark wine in one hand and a shimmering, amethyst-encrusted wand in the other.
Before him stood his newest "acquisition"—a young human girl with hollow, glassy eyes.
"Now, my dear," Oberis crooned, his voice a sickeningly smooth silk. "Forget the world outside. Forget your name. You are merely a vessel for my delight. Repeat the mantra."
The girl’s voice was flat, a monotone drone that lacked any spark of life. "I am nothing... I am a doll... My will belongs to the Master..."
As she spoke, Oberis flicked his wand. A plume of dark purple mist swirled around her head. Her eyes rolled back into her skull, showing only the vacant whites of a shattered mind.
"Good," Oberis whispered, a twisted, predatory grin stretching across his face. "Now... show me how much you enjoy your new life. Strip. Slow. Let the others see."
Under the heavy weight of the [Hypnosis: Absolute Subjugation], the girl began to move with mechanical, doll-like precision. She began to strip, her fingers fumbling with her buttons as her eyes remained rolled back in ecstasy-fueled vacancy.
In the shadows of the room, three other women—two humans and a young Cait Sith—were already locked in the same trance. On Oberis’s silent command, they moved toward each other. Their hands drifted to their own bodies, touching themselves with a rhythmic, mindless intensity. They began to stroke their breasts and reach for their lower bodies, their faces frozen in a mask of artificial pleasure.
Oberis leaned back, his eyes dark with a psychopathic hunger. "Beautiful. No thoughts. No resistance. Just perfect, obedient art."
He took a slow sip of his wine, unaware that a certain Librarian from another world was already tracking the scent of his magic through the alleys above.
Back at the Guild
Shino pulled the quest parchment from the board, her claws digging slightly into the paper. A strange chill ran down her spine—a feeling she hadn't felt since her first night in the forest.
"Shino? You okay?" Kazuto asked, noticing the way her ears had pinned back.
"I don't know," she said, her voice dropping an octave. "But whoever is behind this... I think they’re the kind of monster that doesn't show up on a bestiary."
She looked at the copper plate around her neck. In her mind, she saw the faces of the characters from SAO who had suffered under Oberon’s cruelty. Her blood began to hum with a low, dangerous heat.
"Let's go, Kazuto. We have a trail to find."
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