Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

Chapter 16: Evester’s Long-Awaited Arrival

She pressed the wrong button?!

As he fell, Lynn was hit with a wave of dread.

Fortunately, it wasn’t as high a drop as he’d feared—just three or four stories, and the chair cushioned his landing. He even found a layer of water at the bottom. All in all, it wasn’t a life-threatening fall.

Relieved, he took a deep breath, mentally reinforcing the second lie he’d told himself with the power of Lie Eater to keep up the hypnosis act. The shock of the fall had almost snapped him out of it.

Once he’d regained his composure, he turned his focus to his surroundings.

Unlike the brightly lit lab above, the scene around him was pitch black, with only two large golden lights hanging overhead. Oddly enough, the light didn’t illuminate the surroundings; it barely kept him from stumbling around in darkness.

This was pure bad luck. He’d passed the tests, only to end up down here.

Just like in the original story, he thought wryly, Evester’s subordinates were consistently incompetent. They’d let the protagonists escape countless times in the earlier arcs, only to scramble in fear when those protagonists became demigods by the finale.

Frustrated, Lynn waited patiently for someone to rescue him. Minutes passed with no sign of help. Gradually, he noticed a faintly metallic odor and a warm, humid draft in the air.

In his hypnotized state, he tilted his eyes upwards, observing the two golden “lanterns” that flickered in and out. Strangely, they seemed to be drawing closer to him, their distance shrinking by the second.

Wait…hold on!

Finally grasping the situation, cold sweat ran down his back, almost breaking him out of his fake hypnosis.

Those weren’t lanterns—they were pupils, belonging to some giant creature!

From the moment he’d fallen, it had been watching him.

Suddenly, the massive creature stirred.

With a thunderous rumble, it lowered its head, bringing its enormous, scaled face close to him.

Under the faint light, he made out its shape—a snake-like neck, a mouth filled with sharp fangs, wings that could blot out the sky, a tail dragging a chain, and thick, armored scales.

A juvenile black dragon, over ten meters tall.

---

“Your Highness, you’re here?”

As a tall figure entered the lab, Milanie walked over, her face breaking into a smile.

Evester, who had been wearing a military uniform earlier, was now in an elegant black gown. Her long black hair, once flowing freely, was gathered into a sleek high ponytail that trailed down her back. She looked every bit like a cold, untouchable goddess.

“How is he?” Evester asked, visibly relaxed in Milanie’s presence. She trusted Milanie, who had been with her for nearly eight years, treating her almost like a sister.

Despite Milanie’s youthful appearance, she was an adult—her body simply hadn’t developed due to some unknown cause.

Gently patting Milanie’s messy brown hair into place, Evester watched as Milanie activated a device made from mana stones.

A projection appeared, showing Lynn sitting below in a seemingly dazed state.

“This is the final test. Most of the previous 125 subjects died at this stage,” Milanie explained, her expression now cold and clinical. “If he passes, he’ll be under your complete control—acting as usual, but entering a hypnotic state the moment he sees the Eye of the Mind.” 𐍂ÂＮÖ₿Ê𐌔

Evester nodded, a flicker of determination in her eyes.

If Lynn was indeed faking it, she would save him—but she would also be disappointed.

---

At that moment, the dragon’s massive golden eyes were right in front of Lynn, its breath hot and putrid. He could feel his heart pounding, fighting against the terror of being so close to a dragon.

Dragons exuded a powerful aura that came with their ancient bloodline. Even this juvenile black dragon had strength surpassing that of a human at the fourth rank. Under its pressure, his disguise would be hard to maintain.

Lynn felt Lie Eater’s effects slipping as his body fought against the overwhelming urge to flee.

Here he was, just an ordinary person, less than a meter away from a hungry, powerful dragon with gleaming fangs still stained with blood.

Attempting to steady his breath, he cursed Milanie internally. Why hadn’t she sent anyone to help yet? Didn’t she realize what kind of monster was lurking below?

No… wait!

A sudden thought struck him. Had she really pressed the wrong button? Or was this another test?

Gazing at the dragon’s gaping maw and the saliva dripping from its teeth, he fell silent.

Two options lay before him.

Option one: drop the act and scream for help. Maybe someone would come—but maybe not. After all, calling for help would only expose his disguise, not magically speed up Milanie and her guards.

Option two: maintain the act and endure, gambling that this was part of the test.

Both options were dangerous, and either choice carried a high chance of death.

But for Lynn, the choice was clear.

If he took the first option, he’d only display his desperation, and he’d likely still die.

So, he chose option two.

He remembered Milanie’s words—Evester had told her to spare his life. He didn’t know her motives, but he chose to believe her, to trust that she would keep her promise.

With all his remaining strength, Lynn pushed Lie Eater to the limit, lying to himself and maintaining his dazed, hypnotized expression.

Even so, under the dragon’s oppressive aura, his will was nearing its breaking point.

“Roar!”

The dragon, displeased by its unresponsive prey, raised its head and roared.

The sound rattled his soul, leaving him on the verge of fainting yet again.

As the dragon’s gaping maw inched closer, its breath nearly caused him to pass out.

At the last moment, a searing red light sliced through the darkness.

“Boom!”

With a deafening explosion, the black dragon let out a pained cry, its enormous body crashing backward under a powerful force.

The next second, the familiar scent of roses wafted to Lynn’s nose, and he looked up to see an all-too-familiar figure, her black dress fluttering like a banner.

I knew it!

Lynn felt his entire body relax, a wave of relief washing over him. The very woman who had nearly killed him moments ago now felt like a welcome sight.

Evester raised her right hand, her fingers splayed, as if commanding the black dragon.

“Retreat.”

Her voice rippled outward, the sound waves traveling along the dragon’s thick scales and reaching its mind.

The dragon, once fearsome, now cowered. A flicker of fear passed through its golden eyes, and it obediently backed away, vanishing into the darkness.

Even a dragon couldn’t defy the villainous princess—it bowed like a tame pet.

After everything was settled, Evester lowered her hand and looked at Lynn, her gaze complex.

“Find him a room in the estate,” she ordered. “Let him rest, and bring him to see me once he wakes up.”

With that, her figure vanished.

A few moments later, the guards finally arrived.

Lynn let himself fully relax. He knew he’d escaped death, at least for now, and he could finally get some rest.

As sleep overtook him, his last thought was a peculiar sight he’d caught when Evester had arrived.

Was that… purple?

He drifted into unconsciousness with a smirk.