After the Knight Commander, Uris, departed as the shop's first customer, I looked around at the deactivated magic circle and began a mental review of the illusion she had experienced.
Reviewing and critiquing the service provided to a client was an essential step toward producing better "videos."
"The first customer's experience came out better than expected, thanks to the pilot video."
It was true. The quality was high. The illusion magic was sophisticated enough to deceive the five senses of a Sword Master, and the magic circle's integrity was so high that minor sensory changes in reality could influence the scenario inside. If it could ensnare someone of Uris's caliber, it meant it would work on almost anyone.
However, it wasn't perfect.
"Uris mentioned early on that she recognized the area."
I usually constructed backgrounds based on my own memories. If a location was too familiar to the subject, it could actually break the immersion. While familiarity can sometimes deepen the experience, I realized I needed to be more careful about tailoring environments to the client's perspective in the future.
Furthermore: "The lack of props made it difficult to diversify the scenes."
Most of it had been nipple play—teasing the areolas, using arousal fluids to massage the breasts, and occasional clitoral stimulation. With the right tools, I could have tormented her in far more creative ways, but since it was only the first day, my hands and a chair were all I had. Honestly, I hadn't expected a customer to walk in during the soft opening.
The mana consumption was also a concern. 'I can't recover all my spent mana in a single day.' Efficient mana management was a hurdle I had to overcome. If I had three or more customers a day, I might collapse from exhaustion.
"It's also a shame I can only manually control one character at a time."
While I could program characters to move on their own, the mana cost for such autonomy was too high to sustain a full session. "Optimizing mana efficiency is the priority."
Once that's fixed, I won't have to act out every character myself, allowing for much more complex "casts." I even considered creating "background characters"—extras who don't interact but provide "effects," like the feeling of being watched from a window. Like the crowd in a sports game, they wouldn't take up many resources if they just repeated set animations.
"Instead, I'll just have to make sure the player can't get too close to them." I could create invisible walls, limit the field of vision to just voices, or keep them as distant silhouettes.
"Not a bad idea at all." Imagine the sound of mocking laughter in the distance. No one is actually there, but it feels like the player is being watched.
Finally, I thought about the bandit who had faced Uris. He was the most generic bandit imaginable: tanned skin, a bushy beard, unkempt hair, thick arms, and various scars.
'A bit of a default design, really.' It felt like "Bandit A" from my old programming days. But that was the image she had wanted—a common thug you could find anywhere.
"To think that high-and-mighty woman wanted to be brought low by such an ordinary man."
She had denied it, but the magic circle doesn't lie; it reflects the target's true desires. If she had truly only wanted to "experience failure" for training, the circle would have chosen standard torture and pain.
But the result was: [Uris's Desire: Wants the bandit to make a mess of her.]
Deep inside, the symbol of victory and the Guardian of the Empire harbored a hidden craving to be subjugated by a common man. "You really can't judge a book by its cover." Well, I suppose winning all the time gets boring eventually.
I looked at the spot where she had sat. Even after my cleaning spell, there was a faint, damp outline on the sofa. That wasn't just sweat. If it were, the magic would have removed it instantly. "Just how much did she... feel?"
Despite her 만족 (satisfaction), she had been adamant as she left. "I have experienced quite enough of defeat." I have a feeling I'll be seeing her again very soon.
As usual, Uris arrived at the training grounds at 6:30 AM. "Hmph! Hnnngh!" She swung a 30kg practice sword made of black steel, performing the basic drills of the Imperial swordsmanship. It was a full-body workout that strained her arms, torso, and the legs that maintained her balance.
People only saw her in her elegant uniform on the podium and assumed her style was graceful, but Uris's combat was practical, gritty, and drenched in sweat and dust.
"Huff, huff." Today, her training was far more aggressive than usual. It was as if she were trying to beat the memories of yesterday out of her system.
'The memory won't leave me.' She hadn't slept a wink. Every time she closed her eyes, the vivid sensations of the illusion returned. The feeling of being helpless. The bandit's hands. The mocking gaze. And that thickening scent of a man.
Slap! She slapped her own cheeks until they stung. 'Get a grip.' She had experienced defeat once. That was enough. The humiliation, the shame... and the pleasure.
"..." She looked down at her chest. The area the bandit had relentlessly toyed with. "Wait! Not again!"
She let out a long sigh. Looking around, she saw other knights arriving for morning drills—mostly members of the 1st Order who followed her lead. 'I have subordinates. I am the Commander they rely on. I must be a role model.'
"Commander." Someone tapped her on the shoulder from behind.
"Hieeeek!!!" Uris jumped, twisting her body away in a frantic retreat. It was her vice-commander, Jeco, a man with a clean-shaven head. He looked at her with wide, startled eyes.
"A-ah, Jeco. It's just you." "Whoa, Commander. I didn't know you could make a sound like that." "Forgive me. I'm a bit... tired today." "Haha, it's fine! Everyone gets tired. It was actually nice to see a new side of you, Commander!"
"Anyway, what is it?" she asked, regaining her composure. "Ah, about the mock battle with the 2nd Order. The schedule is set for fifteen days from now at the Central Arena." "A duel between commanders?" "Yes, and a group battle for the squads. The 2nd Commander seems to be sharpening his blade for this one."
Jeco took a step closer. "Commander, you're going to crush him again, right?"
In that moment, the smell of a sweat-drenched man hit her. The scent of a man's pheromones after hard training made her instinctively bite her lip. Her mind immediately flashed back to the Illusionist and his bandit. An overwhelming presence that had made her powerless.
"Commander?" "U-uh, yes?" "Are you feeling unwell today?"
Uris realized, with a jolt of horror, that she had been leaning slightly toward Jeco. Her body had naturally tilted to catch more of that pungent pheromone scent.
"N-no. Don't worry about the 2nd Order. I won't lose." "Haha! I believe in you, Boss!" "I... I'm going to go wash up now."
She retreated and looked around the training grounds. The 1st Order had female knights, but it was predominantly male. She realized for the first time just how thick the scent of men was in this place.
Until now, she had never noticed it. They were comrades who bled and sweated together. But now, because of him, she was aware.
The bandit's scent was different from her knights. It was thicker, more savage... a "strong male" scent that made her want to sniff it again and again.
'What am I thinking? About a bandit in an illusion...'
As she hurried to the women's changing room, Uris didn't notice that it wasn't just sweat running down her legs.
'I am never going back there,' she vowed. 'Never.'