Elliot had only given it three instructions through Hypnosis in total.
And the only one that would make it act on its own was the first-
[Do not harm me under any circumstances. Protect me when I am in danger.]
"Was I in danger just now? Was it protecting me?"
This conclusion gave Elliot a fright, and he felt a chill down his spine.
"What did I do that made it decide I was in danger? Could it be... I can't hypnotize a second one?"
"No, impossible. [Hypnosis] has no limit on numbers. It just gradually weakens over time."
"There must be another reason!"
"Was it [Secret History]?"
That was the first thing Elliot thought of.
He had not reached Middle Rank yet, so hearing [Secret History] would hurt him.
But the timing was wrong. If that were really the case, the first Monster should have acted when he was about to learn [Secret History].
Instead, it had acted when he gave the order.
"If it wasn't [Secret History], what other reason could there be?"
For some reason, Elliot suddenly thought of that [Holy Scripture].
It, too, had devised a complex and ingenious method to circumvent a certain situation.
-to avoid saying aloud that "history had been altered."
At the time, Elliot had been surprised that merely saying it aloud could be detected.
Could what he was encountering now be a similar situation?
A rule was taking effect behind the scenes. He did not know its specific terms, or even that this rule existed!
But this hypnotized Monster knew. It knew Elliot was about to violate the rule, so it had immediately acted to protect him.
It had even been willing to kill its own kind to do so.
The thought alone made his scalp prickle. He had nearly violated