"What the hell just happened?"
Someone didn't want a lawyer to look over the magical contract?
Hard to find the loophole or escape clause without access to the actual terms agreed to.
Or even worse, imagine if the "drags you bodily to Hell after five years" isn't actually agreed to anywhere at all in the compact. Evidence the Succubus Queen is routinely in breach of contract whenever she does that sounds like something that be used by a competent magician to fuck her over.
Also, they were deliberately altering the minds of their clients in order to secure repeat custom."
Yeah, not really the best showing.
Not comfortable calling a low level charm mind control.
Humans attitudes being influenced by external factors is the norm more than the exception.
Way more attention is routinely given to who is doing the talking than what they are saying.
Are they pretty, do they smell nice, do they act self assured even if they are sprouting utter bullshit.
This sounds like one more of those things, that influences but does not actually control.
Like the magical equivalent of subtle perfume, big tits, a come hither look, and a sexy giggle.
Actually, I think we've seen more overt control exerted by OL in the story.
Didn't he used to use instinctive desire control to help entice others to accepting deals he was proposing?
If OL wasn't brought up on charges of
Mind Control™ for that then this just smacks of hypocritical bullshit.
No. Custom is an actual word.
It means to give someone your business.
As in if a custom is something you habitually do, then if what you habitually do covers going to the same place...
You get custom as another way to say "the money you get from me because I chose you as a service provider over a competitor."