SSS Hypnosis: I Made the Heroines Beg for Forgiveness-Chapter 32: Convincing Rafaela

"E-Eh??" Rafaela’s eyes widened in surprise.

Benedict didn’t respond right away. He simply stared at her while munching on a cookie with his skeletal hand.

"Would you?" he asked again, speaking with his mouth full, crumbs falling onto the table as he chewed.

Rafaela’s eyes darted all over the room. She seemed to be thinking hard.

Then, her gaze settled on her mother at the front counter, wrapping cookies for a customer.

Rafaela pressed her lips together. After a moment, she replied in a quiet voice.

"No, no... I don’t think I can become an Ascendant."

She scratched her left eye right after saying it.

Benedict narrowed his eyes. He recognized that gesture. It was something Rafaela always did when she lied, she’d scratch her left eye.

"Why?" he asked seriously. "Why don’t you want to become one?"

"Don’t you know?" Rafaela said, a hint of fear in her voice. "Thousands of Ascendants die every year. That should tell you how dangerous it is."

"But being an Ascendant comes with a lot of benefits, too," Benedict countered. "Just by opening the Essence System, you get 200 Ep. That’s enough to live on for several days."

"Still..." Rafaela whispered, "the risk of dying is just too high. And there are other dangers that come with being an Ascendant."

"You think Ascendants are just monster hunters and adventurers?" Benedict asked.

Rafaela closed her lips, then shrugged slightly.

"In truth," Benedict continued, "many people unlock their Essence System just to get the 200 Ep bonus. There are also Ascendants who never fight monsters. Some become construction workers because their skills are suited for that. Others become blacksmiths."

Rafaela rubbed her head, gently tapping her forehead with her finger.

"Just give it a shot. Who knows? Maybe your skill will be cookie-related. Then you could open the biggest cookie shop in the entire Solas Kingdom."

Rafaela squinted at him, then burst out laughing.

They both laughed, until tears began to form in the corners of their eyes.

Benedict wiped away a tear, then looked at her again.

"So? Interested?"

"Umm... So what exactly does it take to become an Ascendant?" Rafaela asked.

Of course she didn’t know. Information about the Essence System was tightly controlled, especially among commoners like her.

She’d learn all about it later, once she got into the Solas Academy.

"It’s simple," Benedict said. "You just need to eat an orb, one that drops after you kill a monster. I won’t lie... it tastes absolutely disgusting."

Rafaela tensed up a little.

"Wait... so I have to kill a monster first? Just to get the orb?" Her voice trembled slightly.

She wasn’t a fighter. She remembered once leaving a cookie unattended, only to come back and find it swarmed by ants. She couldn’t even bring herself to brush them off, she just watched the ants take it away.

Benedict smiled.

"That’s right. You need to kill a monster."

Rafaela stiffened again.

"But don’t worry," Benedict said gently. "You just stay here, I’ll go get the orb for you."

Rafaela raised her eyebrows. "E-Eh? Really?" she asked.

"Yes," Benedict nodded.

Rafaela immediately waved her hands. "No, no. That’s not okay!"

"I changed my mind. I don’t want to be an Ascendant," she said, shaking her head.

"What? Why not?"

"There’s no way I’m going to trouble a noble like you! I’m just a regular girl. How could I let you do something so dangerous for me? What if something happens to you?"

Benedict could only smile at that.

"Oh come on... Do you think I’m weak or something? Didn’t you see the magic trick I pulled on that guy harassing you earlier?" Benedict said, resting his head on his skeletal hand.

It was cold.

Rafaela furrowed her brows but smiled back, still confused why a noble like him was being so kind.

"Wait... how are you going to get the orb? Don’t tell me... are you going to fight a dragon for it? Like in those fairy tales?"

"Pfft! Yeah, right. We’ve only met twice. Like I’d risk my life for you," Benedict laughed.

Rafaela pouted. "Then how are you going to get the orb?"

"Simple. I just need to kill some Slimes. Over and over until I get lucky and one drops the orb."

"Ohhh..." Rafaela nodded. "Slimes aren’t dangerous, right?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course not. The worst they’ll do is get their slime all over your clothes."

Rafaela nodded again. "So... when are we going to hunt Slimes?"

"Huh? Didn’t I just say I’d bring the orb to you? You don’t need to do anything."

"Nope. I want to come. I don’t care. How am I supposed to grow if I just rely on others?" Rafaela said with resolve in her voice.

Benedict sighed. He’d need to grow stronger fast, if he wanted to protect her.

"Alright, alright. But you have to stay behind me when we’re out there. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah," Rafaela said, turning her head away casually.

The sound of the crowd outside grew louder, and the mood inside started to shift uncomfortably.

"By the way... what happened to your hand?" Rafaela asked, clearly curious.

"Oh, this?" Benedict raised his skeletal hand and pulled up his sleeve, showing her the full extent of the bone.

"Creepy, huh?" he said with a small smile.

"Yeah... what happened to it?" Rafaela asked.

"Well... a lot happened after I became an Ascendant. One of them was this, my left arm turned into bones."

Rafaela nodded, still a little nervous at the sight of his skeletal limb.

Then, Benedict picked up a cookie with his right hand and held it over the basket.

"Watch this," he said, getting her attention.

He raised his skeletal left hand, curled his middle finger with his thumb, and positioned it for a flick.

But he didn’t flick the cookie directly. He positioned his hand about 30 centimeters away.

Snap!

The air pressure from his flick alone shattered the cookie.

"Woah! That’s so cool!" Rafaela said, her mouth hanging open.

Benedict grinned. "Right? That’s what being an Ascendant gets you. Awesome powers like this."

Rafaela looked impressed, but hesitation still lingered in her heart.

Her eyes drifted back to her mother at the counter.

Her mom had once been a powerful Ascendant too, but that power didn’t last long. The side effects of her abilities worsened her condition over time.

Now, they ran this little cookie shop together. Sometimes, Rafaela would use her savings to buy holy water for her mother every week, just so she could keep going.

That was the only thing keeping her alive now.

Rafaela bit her lip.

Becoming an Ascendant could mean the same fate... but it also meant she could earn Ep, enough to buy holy water on her own.

And now... there was Benedict.

A noble with a bad reputation, but in truth, a kind and gentle person.

They’d only met twice, yet she somehow already trusted him.

"So... when are we hunting Slimes? Also, don’t tell my mom about this," she said.

Benedict smiled and nodded. He swept the cookie crumbs from earlier back into the basket.

"I won’t tell a soul. As for the hunt... we’ll go next week."

He could’ve gone with her tomorrow, but he said "next week" because he needed time to grow stronger. Strong enough to protect her.

And also to look cool in front of her, too...