SSS Hypnosis: I Made the Heroines Beg for Forgiveness-Chapter 19: Jack the Ripper

Night had fully descended upon the city, but the noise of life was only growing louder.

Benedict walked down the bustling streets, weaving through crowds of people heading in all directions.

Laughter, conversation, hurried footsteps, and the jingling of coins from street vendors blended into an urban symphony.

The scent of sizzling street food battled with perfume and horse sweat, creating a cocktail of smells only a city like this could offer.

Oil lamps burned in every window, and lanterns hung from tall posts cast a warm yellow glow over the passersby.

Benedict moved silently through the crowd, his breathing shallow.

His right hand gripped the stump where his left arm used to be. It was gone, torn away by a Cyclops in a fight not long ago.

No more hatchet in his grip. No goblin companion at his side.

But this time, his steps had purpose.

He was headed to the Veritas mansion to rest. His body screamed for sleep, every step sluggish and heavy.

Finally, his weary feet brought him to the front of a grand mansion towering in the middle of the darkness.

A tall wrought-iron gate stood strong and proud, framed by high walls covered in ivy.

This was the Veritas Mansion, his current home.

Benedict walked toward the gate, ready to enter. But just before he could step across the threshold, two broad-shouldered men emerged from the shadows and blocked his path.

They were uniformed guards, clad in light armor that caught faint glints of moonlight.

Each held a long spear pointed directly at Benedict.

Their lips curled into sneers, and their eyes mocked him.

"You're not getting in, trash. Not unless you pay a little something first," said the younger one, smirking like a rat who thought he'd caught something juicy.

Benedict looked into their eyes. Without hesitation, he activated his Hypnosis skill.

[Their levels are higher than yours, Master. You need to weaken their mental resistance first.]

He clicked his tongue.

Seriously? After everything, now this?

Did Percival Veritas not pay these clowns enough?

"Are you seriously trying to shake down a Duke's son?"

The older guard let out a bark of laughter.

"Ha! Duke's son? You're just a bastard!"

Benedict narrowed his gaze, attempting to intimidate them, to chip away at their mental walls.

The two guards laughed harder at his glare.

"What now? Gonna fight us with just one hand?" the younger one snorted.

"Where've you even been, trash?" the older one added, cracking up. "You disappear for three days and come back missing an arm?"

Benedict tuned out their words. He'd heard worse before. Much worse.

Without replying, he took a step toward the gate. But before he could set foot inside, both spears jabbed toward his face.

"Take one more step, and we'll kill you, scum."

"You seriously threatening me?" Benedict's voice turned ice cold.

He turned back to them, eyes glinting.

"Tell me... what do you think I've been doing these past three days?"

The guards exchanged looks. They were curious too.

"Let me guess. Got your ass kicked somewhere, and whoever did it chopped your arm off?" the younger one scoffed.

Were all the characters in this novel world truly this stupid?

"You're wrong," Benedict said smoothly. "I killed a Fang-tier monster. Alone."

"Bullshit!" the older one barked.

"You?" the younger scoffed, stepping closer, his spear almost touching Benedict's throat. "You're weak. Lazy. No way you took down a Fang-tier alone!"

"Oh? So you're saying someone with Veritas blood is weak?"

"You're just a bastard son of Lord Percival!"

"You're a nobody!"

Benedict's glare sharpened. He triggered Hypnosis again.

[Hypnosis failed... but you're close to breaching their will.]

He straightened his spine, stepping into the spear aimed at his neck.

"...Yeah. I am a nobody," he said quietly.

The guards blinked, confused by his sudden movement. Why was this idiot leaning into their weapons?

A smirk tugged at his lips.

"The infamous nobody... Jack the Ripper."

The name struck like a lightning bolt. Both guards stepped back, eyes wide. Their spears trembled.

Using the name of that villain—the one currently terrorizing headlines across the continent—was the fastest way to strike fear in anyone's heart.

The same villain who, in the near future, would give the protagonist Enzo absolute hell.

"J-Jack the Ripper?!" the younger guard stammered.

Benedict activated Hypnosis again.

[Hypnosis... nearly successful.]

He knew it wouldn't work yet, but activated it anyway, just enough to make his eyes glow.

When the guards saw the red light in Benedict's eyes, they panicked.

White hair, glowing red eyes, he matched the description from the rumors perfectly.

"Why are you shaking?" Benedict asked with a wicked grin, the same kind Rafaela had once called 'an evil noble smile.'

With each step Benedict took forward, the guards stepped back.

Then suddenly, he lunged.

"AAAHH!"

The younger one screamed and fell backward.

The older one dropped his spear in panic, covering his face with his arms.

Now.

Benedict unleashed Hypnosis again.

[SSS Hypnosis activated! Target: Anton and Andy – Lvl 12 and Lvl 14]

[SSS Hypnosis successful. You may now command your targets freely.]

A wide smile crept across Benedict's face, his white teeth flashing under the moonlight. A pair of fools had fallen right into his net.

He hadn't expected it to be this easy.

The guards' mouths went slack, pink light blooming in their eyes.

"Become my slaves," Benedict ordered.

The light flared. Both of them nodded. Then they dropped to one knee and bowed deeply.

"My Lord, forgive your humble servant" they said in unison, voices flat with submission.

"We shall bear your punishment, My Lord" added Andy.

Benedict stroked his chin, already thinking of how to make good use of these two.

Then he grinned, he had just the right idea.

"I shall forgive you... but first, you..."

both guards nodded.

Brace yourself, Kyroz Veritas...

Your dear little brother's coming.