SSS Hypnosis: I Made the Heroines Beg for Forgiveness-Chapter 30: Getting Close to Rafaela, Again.

Benedict glanced out the bakery window, watching as Mike Hawk—the baron’s son serving under the Veritas family—stripped off his shirt in the middle of a crowded street, drawing shocked gasps and screams from onlookers.

He grinned.

He hadn’t expected to run into a baron’s brat here, let alone that baron, the very one in charge of managing the monster territory belonging to the Veritas family.

A coincidence, yes. But Benedict wasn’t one to waste an opportunity.

When he had entered the shop earlier and saw the noble attempting to slap Rafaela, he didn’t rush in to play hero. He weighed his options. There was something more valuable to be gained here.

So, he made his move, not to protect Rafaela, but to humiliate the noble in public.

If the Hawk family disgraced themselves badly enough, the Veritas family would have no choice but to revoke their right to manage the monster zone.

And once that happened... maybe, just maybe, Benedict could convince his father, Percival Veritas, to hand that territory over to him instead.

If he secured that land, grinding for Essence Points would become effortless. No more taxes to the landowner—since he would be the landowner. On top of that, he’d collect taxes from other adventurers hunting monsters there.

But he had to act fast. If he delayed, his brother might snatch the territory first.

As Mike Hawk reached for his belt, Benedict looked away, not interested in watching a naked man dance in the street.

Instead, he turned toward Rafaela.

Both Rafaela and her mother stood frozen, stunned and confused. The man who had been raising hell in their bakery had suddenly gone insane outside.

They turned to Benedict, eyes filled with questions.

"W-what did you just do to him, Benedict?" Rafaela asked, her gaze locked on his, filled with disbelief.

"I just performed a little magic trick," Benedict replied with a calm, friendly smile.

Rafaela could only offer an awkward grin in return.

"...Are you an Ascendant?" Rafaela’s mother asked in a soft, almost whisper-like voice.

Benedict turned to her and nodded. "Ah... yes. I’ve become an Ascendant."

Rafaela’s eyes drifted to Benedict’s left hand. Her brows furrowed as she noticed something unsettling.

It wasn’t a hand anymore. It was bone, pure white, skeletal.

She remembered clearly that the last time they met, his left hand had still been normal.

"Your hand..."

Benedict heard her whisper and casually responded, "Let’s just call it one of the perks of becoming an Ascendant."

Rafaela gave a hesitant smile and nodded, still clearly shocked by the change in him.

Outside, the chaos grew louder. Some screamed, others cheered, and many burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"What did you do to that noble?" Rafaela’s mother asked, peeking through the window. A dense crowd had formed, completely hiding Mike Hawk from view.

"Don’t worry about it," Benedict said with a wave of his hand. "Let them have their fun."

Rafaela’s mother let out a long sigh, then cleared her throat and forced a smile.

"Well then... what would you like to or—" she asked, but a cough interrupted her sentence.

"Cough! Cough!"

Rafaela quickly grabbed a cloth and handed it to her.

Her mother wiped her mouth and clutched the cloth tightly to hide its contents. But Benedict had sharp eyes, he noticed the faint stain of blood between her fingers.

Rafaela’s face twisted with concern. She already knew her mother’s condition was getting worse.

After a few moments, Rafaela’s mother stood upright again and smiled warmly.

"Sorry about that... Now then, how about some gingerbread men? Or perhaps something sweet for a bright day like this?" she offered cheerfully.

Benedict didn’t respond immediately. He stared at her, then turned to examine the display of pastries and cookies.

System, seriously. How do I cure Rafaela’s mother from this unknown illness?

[Her illness is incurable, Master.]

Benedict fell silent in his thoughts, struggling to process the nonsense his system just told him.

What do you mean incurable?! Don’t you know everything?!

[Yes, I do know everything. And among all that knowledge, there is no known cure for her illness. It’s... more like a Canon Event.]

Canon Event? What kind of bullshit is that?!

Benedict clicked his tongue mentally.

Then tell me what this so-called "illness" really is.

[It’s not an illness, Master. It’s more like... a Side Effect.]

A side effect? From what? What’s it called? What are the symptoms? Tell me everything!

[This Side Effect originated from a powerful Legend Sigil passed down through Rafaela’s bloodline. The Sigil granted immense power in the past,cbut its strength fades with time, leaving behind only residual effects.]

Then how do I treat it?

[Simple, Master. You just need to obtain Holy Water from the Sacred Church.]

That’s it?

[Yep! That’s all.]

Benedict stroked his chin, already thinking of how to acquire it. He knew Holy Water didn’t come cheap, it cost 100 Essence Points, the same amount required for a single skill Gacha.

Holy Water in this world was akin to a rare healing potion. And only the Sacred Church had the means to produce it.

"You’ve been staring at those cookies and rubbing your chin for a while now," Rafaela said, suddenly appearing beside him.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Benedict looked at her and cleared his throat.

"Well... I wanted to taste something sweet and delicious, so... may I order one of your cookies again? Just like last time?" he asked, wearing his most gentle smile, careful not to scare her off.

What no one knew was that Benedict had trained before coming here.

Not physically, but socially. He had trained to approach Heroines like Rafaela.

He had discussed strategies with his System, plotted how to make each Heroine fall for him.

The plan wasn’t perfect... but it would do for now.

A soft giggle escaped Rafaela’s lips. She quickly covered her mouth with the back of her finger.

"Y-you’re seriously going to order one of her cookies?" Rafaela’s mother asked, voice trembling with concern.

Rafaela pouted.

"Do you think I can’t bake, Mom? Look, he likes my cookies! The ones who complained before just had no taste." Rafaela said, already slipping on her gloves and preparing ingredients.

Her mother gave a forced smile. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Benedict noticed, and smiled as well.

"Psst, hey." Rafaela’s mother whispered, hand cupped to the side of her mouth.

Benedict leaned in slightly, lowering his head toward her.

"Are you really eating that cookie because you like the taste... or because you’re trying to get close to my daughter?"

Benedict furrowed his brow, slightly caught off guard by her bluntness. Truthfully, he had originally bought the cookie just to find an excuse to talk to Rafaela.

But after tasting it, he genuinely liked the flavor.

"Of course I eat it because of the taste," Benedict whispered warmly. "Tell me, when people go to a restaurant, is it to get close with the chef... or to enjoy the food they cook?"

Rafaela’s mother studied his expression carefully, trying to read whether he was lying.

She had seen many men use her daughter’s cookies as an excuse to flirt.

But Benedict’s expression didn’t shift, not even a little.

Eventually, she straightened back up and nodded, smiling faintly.

Benedict did the same.

"I’ll be waiting at that table over there," he said, pointing to a corner table near the window.

"Alright! Wait right there. I’ll bake the most delicious cookie ever, so good you won’t want any dessert but mine," Rafaela declared proudly.

Benedict chuckled and made his way to the table. After his intense training session with Alice that morning, he could use a break.

Rafaela’s mother watched them both, feeling slightly... odd.

Do young people these days get this close that fast? she wondered silently, more confused than concerned.