Alie moved to the black curtain hanging in the room and began sketching with a white pencil, drawing a rough representation of Lodi's ability. She explained as she drew.
"'My Soldiers' is a manipulation ability, but it doesn't work like most. Lodi doesn't force people into submission through brute strength or fear. Instead, he manipulates loyalty itself.
When he gathers enough loyalty from someone—through honest means, like kindness, leadership, or shared purpose—they start to follow him without question."
The white lines on the curtain formed a figure with people gathered around, indicating Lodi at the center of his "soldiers."
"They don't even realize they're being controlled," Alie continued, her voice grim.
Mika, who was a manipulator in the group, added.
"An ability like this is strong because it needs real emotion from the user."
"In its core, the user needs to be true to people that he wants to use his ability on."
"Which means that when the conditions are met, the target cannot be saved without a specialized nen master or an exorcist."
"I also believe, because of honest need from Lodi, the user makes the ability and the people it can control more than thousands or even ten thousands."
Alie looks at Mika and then nods.
"Thank you for explaining it," she says and continues.
"They believe in him; trust him completely. And the more loyalty he earns, the stronger his influence becomes. He can order them to do almost anything, and they'll follow willingly, thinking it's their own choice."
Leonard felt a chill as he imagined the implications of such an ability.
Manipulating loyalty through genuine means, not force—it was insidious, subtle, and far more dangerous than a typical form of manipulation.
It turned allies into willing servants, without them even realizing they were under Lodi's control.
Alie paused for a moment, her gaze lingering on the drawing before turning back to the group.
"That's why Lodi is so dangerous. He doesn't need to control people through fear or intimidation—he earns their trust and loyalty. And once he has it, they're his. Completely."
Leonard's mind raced. A manipulator who bends people's will by earning their loyalty.
This wasn't just about brute force; it was psychological warfare. Lodi's power could be everywhere, even within their ranks, and no one would know until it was too late.
"It is a problem," Leonard thought.
It has been just one day since he came to this world, and he already entered complicated situations.
Alie stepped back from the drawing.
"Lodi's been building his influence on Black Island for a while now. If we're going to take him and the Five Lords down, we'll have to be smart. We can't afford to let anyone fall under his control, or we'll lose everything."
Leonard, listening to the details about Lodi's ability, narrowed his eyes and asked, "Is it clear that the other Lords are controlled by Lodi? I mean, does he use his ability on them too?"
Before Alie could answer, Mika, one of the group members, stepped forward and spoke up.
"Other than the Second Lord, Nimafi, who knows about Lodi's ability, the rest of the Lords are under his control. They follow him not because they want to, but because they've fallen prey to his ability, 'My Soldiers'."
Leonard processed Mika's words. It made sense now why the Five Lords operated as a unit under Lodi's leadership.
Nimafi, the Second Lord, was strong enough to resist or at least remain aware of the manipulation, but the others were nothing more than puppets, manipulated by Lodi's ability.
"That means," Leonard thought, "we aren't just dealing with the Five Lords—we're facing an entire system of loyalty that Lodi has built through manipulation."
Kade, who had been quiet up to this point, spoke up, his voice calm but filled with an underlying tension.
"Nimafi acts as Lodi's protector. He's the only one not under Lodi's control, but he works for him willingly.
All the other lords follow Lodi's strategic plans, manipulated by his ability, while Nimafi handles anyone who gets too close to challenging their rule."
Leonard frowned, absorbing this new piece of information.
Nimafi wasn't just strong—he was loyal, willingly serving Lodi. That made him even more dangerous.
Alie then added, "I know Lodi from outside, before all this." Her tone grew more serious as she continued. "He took the Hunter Exam with me. He was a hunter, back before he got sent here to Black Island."
Leonard raised an eyebrow; curiosity piqued.
"A Hunter? What could've caused someone like Lodi to end up here, on this prison island?" He pondered the possibilities, wondering what could have driven a Hunter to such a dark path or how someone of his caliber became a prisoner.
"What would cause a Hunter to be imprisoned here?" Leonard asked aloud, voicing his thoughts.
Alie gave a small, knowing smile.
"That's the question, isn't it? Whatever he did, it was serious enough that even the Hunter Association couldn't overlook it."