[Spirit of Lust] Chapter 144: Potions and apologies. (Patreon)

William explained his concerns to Aoi over the phone, going into more detail of the events now than he did before in the heat of the moment. The older woman listened carefully right up until he mentioned the spray can that Jeremy said would put the girls under his control.

“Do you have it?”

“Yes, I have it right here. Why?” he answered.

“That thing might be exactly what we needed.”

“What do you mean?”

“Remember how I mentioned the black market? Potions and the like are rare, but popular items with how easy they are to use and understand. Mind control potions, however, Function a little differently than most. Usually, feeding someone of those would leave them in a state where they’d have to obey the very first person to give them a command. But for the potion to put anyone specifically under Jack’s control, he would’ve had to add his aether signal to it.”

“Aether signal?” Will asked, and his mind raced to understand what it meant. Aoi began to sound a little excited.

“Think of it as a perfume. By adding his own aether to it, he’s adding his scent. If the girls had been affected, then they would’ve recognized Jack as the one they had to obey.”

“...And this is a good thing because?” he asked, swallowing the irritation her eager tone gave him.

“Because we might be able to use this against him.”

That blew away his irritation. “How so?” he asked, blinking.

“This is only a possibility, and it all depends on Nanami. She’s dabbled in a bit of alchemy, and she may be able to do something with that potion. At the very least, she’ll be able to confirm if it has his signal or not.”

Alchemy? Nanami knew Alchemy? As in, she was able to make potions?

“I’ll tell her to head over to your place right away. In fact, I would prefer if she could work there, under your protection, just in case.”

Will glanced towards Reina and Anna, who seemed to be having a conversation of their own. Would Nanami coming here add more complications? No, it didn’t matter even if it did. They couldn’t let some drama get in the way of getting things done considering the risks.

“Yes, of course.”

“Good. Be ready, William. Depending on how things turn out, we might be able to make a move tomorrow.”

A chill ran down Will’s body, his chest tightening with a cold sensation. “I see. I’ll be ready.”

“I mean it. Try to get some rest, at least, and… Well… if you can find a way to recover your energy…” Aoi stumbled over her words. “Your girlfriend is staying with you, isn’t she?”

Ah. That’s what she meant. He had to feel a little sorry for her, having to deal with the sexual aspects of his powers far more than she was clearly comfortable. But after the beating he got that day, it was only a little sorry.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Honestly, he didn’t know if the mood was right. Anna was here, and both girls looked startled still. Nanami would be coming over, too, and it would be to work on the potion.

“I’ll be there early in the morning. If something else comes up, call me.”

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Will turned to the two girls and explained the situation.

“God…” Anna muttered, sucking in a breath and rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Mind control, potions, magic…”

“And you haven’t seen an incubus…” Reina agreed, shaking her head.

“Incubus?”

“Another time. It’s not relevant now.”

“It’s all real,” Will said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I spent all day getting the basics of it drilled into me. And getting beaten up with a stick,” he added with a small chuckle. The girls looked at him with raised eyebrows, but he had to say something else now.

“Anna, what Reina told you is true. Inside me lives a spirit called Ishtar. She’s an unabashed, unapologetic hedonist who’d have me drown in sex if she could. She made me do things, but I won’t throw all the blame on her. I’m just as responsible for falling for her temptations, and after a while, I began to play along.”

Anna’s body tensed, but she kept listening.

Will’s heart raced. His chest hurt and his mind spun lightly. Even so, he kept his voice as steady as he could. “I approached you because I wanted you. If I didn’t, even Ishtar’s whisperings wouldn’t have moved me. We… I… used her powers on you, to make it all feel better, to make you want me as well. That’s the truth.”

Anna swallowed. “Did… Did you make me bi?” she asked hesitantly. “Did you make me like men?”

Will blinked. “I… don’t know, actually. Did we do that, Ishtar?”

‘Let me talk to her. I might as well do the explaining myself.’

“I’m, uh… I’m not sure if we did, but Ishtar says she wants to talk to you. Do you mind?”

Anna looked to Reina, and his girlfriend nodded easily yet with a wry smile. No doubt Reina had an idea of what to expect, even if she knew Ishtar wouldn’t do anything.

“Alright then,” Anna told him.

Will let Ishtar take over and retreated to a corner of his own mind. A strange experience even now, to see it all with his own eyes yet feeling as though there was an invisible barrier between him and the world. He couldn’t move or speak. He was a spectator in his own body. And so he… spectated as Ishtar sat down cross-legged on the floor and bowed her head to Anna.

“I’m sorry for what I did. I take full responsibility,” she said with her voice.

“Ah?” the girls exclaimed at the same time. Will’s voice would’ve been there, too, if it could.

“Will’s an idiot. I whispered in his mind to make you his the moment he laid eyes on you. I forcefully took control of his body the night of your first date and used my powers on you. He resisted as much as he could, but I forced my way. Will could tell you this himself, but he feels it would only be an excuse and prefers to take the blame for something he didn’t do.”

“W-Whaa…”

Ishtar didn’t let Anna get a word in. “But in doing so, he sells himself short. He’s practically pushing you away, and I don’t want that. He doesn’t want that. And really, he makes it sound worse than it was. We don’t mind-control people, we just make them really, really horny. And no, we didn’t exactly make you bi. It’s just that, with me here, he naturally exudes pheromones that make people attracted to him. Combine that with the small, but many small changes I made to his body, and he’s practically irresistible. Ask Reina. And Ruth. And Cynthia. Oh, and Amelia. Remember her?”

Reina frowned and crossed her arms in a pout, as if she didn’t want to get involved in Ishtar’s excuses but couldn’t deny her words.

Anna covered her mouth with her fist and let out a surprising snicker. Grinning behind her fist, she turned to Reina. “Okay, I totally believe what you said. I can see how Will is the one holding her back.”

“He is,” both Reina and Ishtar said at the same time. “If I had my way from the beginning, all of Ladies Magazine would be worshiping his cock by now.”

Will didn’t want to go back out. He was too busy feeling mortified.