This world was full of filthy Illusion Magic.Turning love into hatred, manipulating the brain to trigger uncontrollable dopamine surges, distorting memories, turning lovers into enemies, amplifying personality flaws, hypnosis, brainwashing, and all sorts of perverse applications⋯⋯.
Among these, there were also cases where cunning tactics were used to bypass people’s Mental Barriers. A prime example of this was Senior Scarface’s 『Puppet』 spell, which worked by slipping past defenses with a “I’m not a threat, just harmless data—let me in” type of tactic.
While researching these terrifying Illusion Magics for a TRPG, I suddenly became horrified by the realization that falling under a single spell could leave me like a brain trapped in a jar.
Who could predict if some deranged wizard might kidnap me, imprisoning me in an endless Illusion, or if some red-eyed ninja might cast a global Illusion Magic on everyone in the world1 ?
I’d rather be cooked to a crisp by a fireball than lose my sense of self to Illusion Magic. With that resolve, I poured all my energy into fortifying my Mental Barrier.
At first, I took the approach of adding modules piece by piece.
I installed a Backup-Retrieving Module to counter hypnosis and perception manipulation, as well as a visual-audio manipulation module with an artificial brain to process sensory data and so on.
As I added more and more, my mental barrier became like Howl’s Moving Castle2 —a chaotic patchwork that occasionally malfunctioned.
“Ah, wasn’t that the time when you brought lamb meat, and they freaked out like a cat in front of cucumber⋯⋯?”
“Yeah, the barrier misinterpreted the lamb as an illusion spell and triggered the Flying Spaghetti Monster filter to warn the master.”It took me a while to pinpoint which module had caused that glitch.
I needed to find a way to harmonize all these Illusion Magic defenses in my mind, and the breakthrough came from TRPG.
If I couldn’t solve it with science, why not take a literary approach? So, I created an entire world in my mind where all the modules could function seamlessly.
I built a virtual world in my head, modeled after the modern map I knew best.
Though it wasn’t my original intention, this structure turned out to be incredibly effective against entities that could cross between mental and physical realms.
-Please, let me out of here⋯⋯, I’m sorry⋯⋯!!
And this was the result of that.
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There was a cozy haven woven from the minds of those who had surrendered to pleasure—a palace of indulgence nestled deep within the mind, known as the Succubus’s Paradise.
With a mere thought, they could drain energy from others, and no matter how much they indulged in bodily pleasures, they would never grow tired. But that wasn’t all. Simply wandering through this palace would naturally replenish their strength and sharpen their abilities.
This was because the very act of experiencing the apex (極致) of Mental Magic with their own body brought new realizations.
Who could possibly weave together human minds to craft such a world? What wizard could accomplish this grand feat? Only the Queen. Their Queen, the sovereign of dreams, who was capable of toying with the minds of countless as she willed.
If someone grew tired of such boundless indulgence and sought a more intense『Stimulation』, all they had to do was bow their head before the Queen.
The pure white Queen would bestow upon them a pleasure so intense that a single second felt like decades of ecstasy.
“Ah, ahah⋯⋯!!”
That was⋯⋯ the pinnacle of unimaginable pleasure.
Succubus Isabella, who had experienced the Queen’s grace with every fiber of her being, had lived every moment since then for the sole purpose of reliving that fleeting instant of bliss once again.
Love, laughter, fulfillment, orgasms—all of it was meaningless. After tasting the heights of pleasure beyond human comprehension, every form of happiness in reality seemed dull, colorless, and insignificant.
Isabella had become the perfect slave to pleasure.
One day, the revered Queen summoned Isabella. She crawled toward her, heart racing, her naked body prostrate on the ground. It was a level of submission lower than that of a dog, but none of it mattered.
“You may raise your head.”
Even her voice was exquisitely beautiful.
With overwhelming emotion, Isabella lifted her gaze. White. The Queen’s skin was like pure alabaster, and her silky, snow-white hair cascaded over her naked body.
The mere sight of her made Isabella’s brain throb, and a thin stream of blood trickled from her nose. Her mind flooded with chemicals of pure pleasure, as if it were on the verge of collapse. She was happy—so happy she could die.
Succubus Isabella trembled, her eyes nearly rolling back in ecstasy, as she bowed deeply before the Queen.
“I-Isabella⋯⋯ humbly presents herself before you, my Master⋯⋯!”
“I have a task for you at the academy. You are in agreement, aren’t you?”
“Of course, of course⋯⋯! I was just thinking the same thing, actually⋯⋯!”
Eagerly nodding without even knowing what the task was, Isabella listened as the Queen explained her mission slowly.
Seduce the Third Prince and spread the drug throughout the Academy.
The academy was under the watch of『The Corpse Flower that Consumes Fear』, but she was more talented in brute strength rather than in plotting. Therefore, as always, a gentle push from behind was needed.
『The Virgin that Drinks Pleasure』 had given her orders.
And so, Isabella was expelled from paradise and dispatched to the Academy.
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Those with cracks in their minds were incredibly simple to manipulate. Driven by a deep need to fill that emptiness, they would eagerly consume anything, even if it was a sweet poison.
Succubus Isabella effortlessly seduced the Third Prince, Sledo Crown, and captured his heart.
From there, everything fell into place. Operating in the shadows under his name, all she had to do was set up her traps and wait for them to spring.
One by one, people succumbed to their desires and took the drug. Once they did, mental connections formed, allowing the succubus to slip into their minds and tempt them even further.
With that, she successfully planted a number of Dark Mages throughout the academy, but then…
“How could that crazy bastard do such things to the students⋯⋯!!”
The ‘Crazy Wizard’s Nightmare’ incident wiped out nearly all of them. Everything had been progressing smoothly, and then—it all fell apart, as sudden as lightning on a clear day.
If things kept going wrong like this, the Queen’s reward would slip through her fingers.
Consumed by a mix of fury and dread, Isabella chewed her nails, vowing bitter revenge on that Wizard from the Purple Magic Tower.
No matter how skilled this Illusionist was, he was still just a man.
Isabella stood in front of the mirror.
Her nude body, finely sculpted and graceful, stood in perfect balance, with pink hair cascading down to her shoulders. Though her figure wasn’t aggressively voluptuous, there was an undeniable allure about her.
With these arrogant eyes, how many men had she seduced and corrupted?
And after all, succubi were creatures that moved seamlessly between illusion and reality. No matter how talented a wizard was, not one could rival her in when it came to Mental Magic.
Wasn’t that the reason why using Divine Power to banish nightmares was more common than relying on Illusion Magic? All she needed was a single opportunity.
If she could just invade that wizard’s mind once⋯⋯!
“I can hear a heartbeat from 30 meters away. I don’t want to argue, so just tell me. Where’s my substitute player?”
It was here. Her opportunity had arrived.
The Wizard of the Purple Magic Tower had infiltrated the underground facility to rescue his student, and Isabella discreetly sprinkled a drug on his clothes.
The drug heightened sexual desire and stoked aggression, causing mental cracks to form—perfect for a succubus to invade. It was a concoction the Queen herself had created, infused with her own honey.
Unless he was eunuch⋯⋯ no, even if he had sexual dysfunction, it would still work. Crazy Wizard would gradually become a lecher.
This was both a precursor to her mental invasion and a calculated attempt to ruin his reputation.
She waited patiently for the drug to take effect. And then…
And today⋯⋯ Isabella silently entered Crazy Wizard’s dream.
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The human dreamscape is vague and amorphous. With the slightest stimulus, unrelated memories could surface, becoming intertwined in a chaotic, incoherent tangle. It was a realm of disorder.
Who among humans could fully control the workings of their mind? It was a natural imperfection.
That was why when someone invades the human mind⋯⋯ they usually encounter a shadowy, mist-filled space. While the specifics may vary depending on the individual’s Mental Barriers, this was generally the case
Succubi often referred to this space as the 『Mental Realm』.
Above it lies the conscious mind, and below, the submerged unconsciousness.
This was where Isabella would begin her operation—digging up hidden secrets, dredging up painful memories, and sinking pleasant ones deeper into the abyss.
She could implant subtle suggestions into the unconscious, or enter dreams directly to seduce and drain her target’s energy.
Most Mental Barriers take the form of physical structures—walls or locks, designed to block or conceal forbidden areas of the mind.
More aggressive Mental Barriers could manifest as traps. It would be designed to launch threatening attacks when a Succubus triggered them.
That was the usual pattern, but this time⋯⋯
BEEP BEEP-!!
“Ah, crap. Hey, old man! Get a move on! Can’t you see the light’s red?”
“Who are you calling old man, huh! How old are you?!”
“No, the light is red. So step on the damn gas and just fucking go already! Are you some kind of outdated model?!”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯?”
Why was there a city she had never seen before in front of her?
Something was off. People were carrying around strange devices, rode unfamiliar vehicles, and there were tall buildings touching the sky everywhere.
And⋯⋯ at the center of the city. There was a large, black dome.
A pitch-black hemisphere that seemed to devour the surrounding colors, towering ominously against the skyline. Just looking at it filled Isabella with a sense of foreboding.
Succubus Isabella blinked, then pinched her own cheek, pulling at it. Her skin stretched like mochi, confirming this was, indeed, a dream.
She clenched her fist and extracted a surface memory. With some effort, she grabbed hold of a memory where the Crazy Wizard was resting his head on the Purple Magic Tower Master’s lap.
Her powers worked here. This was undeniably the 『Mental Realm』. But, no⋯⋯
“⋯⋯It can’t be.”
How? How could a mere human construct an entire world within his mind?
Even Her Majesty needed to bind together the thoughts of hundreds to form such a world. How was this possible?
Even if he had the talent, his head would have exploded!
“⋯⋯No, no. It’s fine.”
It didn’t matter. She had just been caught off guard. Isabella’s goal was to shatter the Crazy Wizard’s mind and control him. As long as her Mental Manipulation worked, the appearance of the dreamscape wasn’t important.
Isabella reached out with both hands to pull out the Crazy Wizard’s painful memories. She felt something within her grasp. Everything seemed to be going smoothly.
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
Suddenly, a chill crept down her spine. So, she looked around.
The city had gone completely silent. The roaring engines, the voices, the billboards blaring advertisements, the footsteps—all of it had stopped, as if time itself had frozen.
Then, all at once, the people stopped moving and turned their heads toward Isabella.
“⋯⋯W-What is this? What’s going on?”
“────.”
“D-Don’t look at me like that! G-go away, won’t you?!”
It was terrifying. She felt like she had fallen into a nightmare. Hundreds—no, thousands—of people stared at her, motionless, like wax statues.
Then, one of them opened its mouth.
“Succubus.”
The word spread.
“It’s a Succubus.”
“It’s a Succubus.”
“A Succubus is inside.”
The murmur spread like wildfire. As if confirming amongst themselves, the people chanted “Succubus” over and over, all while staring straight at her. The city became deafening with their voices.
Wriggle.
Isabella, frozen in terror, glanced down at her hand. What she had pulled out should have been the Crazy Wizard’s memory, but…
A mouth had formed on the surface of the memory, whispering, “It’s a Succubus”.
“Hee, heeee⋯⋯!”
Drop.
Isabella flung the memory away as if shaking off insects. The bundle of memories tumbled across the asphalt, continuing to mutter “Succubus” as it rolled.
She had to run. Her instincts screamed at her. She had to run away right now!
Terrified, the poor Succubus ran away in fear.
1. Naruto reference2. Reference to a novel, Howl's Moving Castle. More commonly known for Ghibli's movie adaption of it.It is a giant moving castle made out of miscellaneous components.