Chapter 137

The ship had a pretty spacious dining hall inside. Of course, it wasn’t luxurious like a cruise liner or anything, but it looked clean enough. The weird thing? All the tables and chairs were fixed in place. Makes sense since we’re on a ship, but it’s kinda annoying how far away the chair is from the table when I sit down.

There wasn’t much variety in the menu at the dining hall. When I ordered my meal, they brought out food made by mixing meat with flour, some bread, and fresh vegetables. The first two were fine, but… vegetables?

I picked up the vegetable with my fork and held it up.

“Isn’t this hard to preserve?”

“Didn’t you live somewhere that didn’t have storage facilities?”

Storage facilities? That keyword jogged Victoria’s memory, and something came up. There was a mechanism that used magic power to create a special field to suppress flows, which would inhibit various reactions inside and combine with refrigeration technology to preserve all kinds of materials.

But I don’t really get what that means…

Though judging by the mention of “refrigeration,” it sounds like a fridge or something.

“There’s something similar.”

“Don’t leave any behind.”

What’s she talking about all of a sudden?

Looking through Victoria’s eyes, I saw her staring at the broccoli and asparagus skewered on my fork.

Oh yeah…

Come to think of it, there was such a thing as picky eating. Soo-oh ate everything so I never thought about it before.

Besides, back then, we didn’t have the luxury of being choosy about food anyway.

Thinking about that, I brought the fork to my mouth.

Mmmph.

“You sure are eating well.”

“You shouldn’t waste food.”

“You sound just like a mom.”

Is that so?

Technically speaking, Soo-oh wasn’t someone I raised—just someone I lived with. Even though we felt like family, I’d never take the place of her real family.

“For about two years, I lived with a human child, so…”

“Stop saying stuff that gives me a headache. How can someone this small raise another kid?”

“I didn’t raise her! We just lived together. And back then, I was actually taller—about two heads taller than now.”

Choseol’s body was about that height.

She grew abnormally tall due to the strange circumstances, way beyond her age. If I hadn’t intervened and she hadn’t become an offering, Choseol wouldn’t have lived long anyway.

So after I stepped in, I subtly swapped her out for something better.

Victoria shoveled food into her mouth like a possessed person and then said,

“You really aren’t human, huh?”

“You already called me a monster.”

“It doesn’t feel like it at all.”

Victoria quickly cleaned her plate and ordered cake and tea.

While waiting for the cake—a gooey mess of cream and chocolate mousse that screamed American-style sweets from my faded memories—I thought about how it had been a while since I’d had something sweet.

Victoria’s expression said it all—this was normal fare for her.

Cutting a piece with the fancy utensils provided, the sticky goo oozed out, making me feel like my veins might burst if I eat even a little.

Bringing it to my mouth, sweetness exploded in my taste buds.

One bite was enough—it’s greasy. I set it down, not wanting more, but Victoria kept devouring it happily.

“Are you a picky eater?”

“No. You go ahead. Using abilities must be exhausting, right?”

“I’m starving.”

Victoria nodded and immediately started digging in again.

She guzzles down the tea like it’s just to wash everything down.

I don’t care much about either the tea or the cake…

Looking back at faded memories, I guess I liked them somewhat, but this body doesn’t crave physical pleasures, pain, or even nothingness—it’s all the same to me.

It’s like when a game character gets panicked, but the player doesn’t get affected, y’know?

Judging by how much Victoria’s eating compared to her usual amount, using psychic powers probably makes her hungry.

So basically, using psychic powers makes you lose weight.

This could sell well if marketed right, though anyone hoping to lose weight might end up with psychic powers—or worse, no powers at all.

It’d likely require pathological obsession to trigger any changes, but until experiments confirm it, who knows?

After Victoria finished eating, we headed back to our room—or so I thought.

“Let’s check out the ship a bit.”

Beeeep!

Just as we were heading back, the ship’s horn blared as it began moving again.

During our return, hearing the sound reminded Victoria of something, and she suggested exploring the ship.

Since there wasn’t much to do in the room anyway, I nodded.

“Alright.”

“Let’s go!”

When you think of touring a ship, you imagine things like the beautiful nighttime view outside the windows or the grandly decorated main hall…

But Victoria climbed up to the deck and checked out the massive paddlewheel at the back.

More specifically, she was examining the engine driving the wheel.

Her eyes sparkled as she inspected the mechanical devices.

Guess they don’t use screws here?

Is there some kind of restriction? Based on their tech level, they should have screw propellers, but strangely, there’s a paddlewheel system instead.

As I thought about that, I watched Victoria standing in front of a “No Unauthorized Personnel” sign, tiptoeing to peek at the machinery.

That’s when it happened.

Suddenly, a big hand clamped over my mouth and grabbed me tightly.

Turning my head, I saw three men standing there. They dragged me below deck.

Once we descended, the stale air hit me. This seemed to be a relatively cheap third-class area.

At a narrow corridor intersection, they pulled me toward what appeared to be the stern section.

It was a very dark place with loud engine noises. Glancing around, it looked like where lifeboats and other supplies were stored.

A location rarely visited by people, noisy enough that any sounds wouldn’t easily reach others.

There, two burly men waited for the three who had dragged me down.

“Oh, you brought him?”

“Is this really okay?”

“Yeah. He’s a stowaway. On ships like these, if stowaways meet with unfortunate accidents, it’s treated as if nothing happened.”

“Plus, the girl traveling with him is just some random kid. What can she possibly do besides cry?”

One man mimicked a sobbing girl in a ridiculous tone, causing the others to snicker.

From their conversation, at least one of them must’ve seen Victoria and me boarding the ship.

They know quite a bit.

“Hey, look at his complexion. Is he really just some random rich guy’s daughter?”

“Check his clothes. They’re dirty and ragged. Would a wealthy person wear something like this?”

They stripped off my clothes, calling them rags. These were actually the clothes I wore in the second world. Different costumes naturally look strange here.

“Hey, stop moving. Why are you just standing there?”

The man’s hand dropped.

“Hello?”

“Is this chick insane?”

Smack!

Just for greeting them, one slapped me across the face, grabbed my hair, and leaned close to explain his intentions.

Well…

Biologically, they’re fine.

Socially, they may be walking a thin line, but they’ve chosen a victim who can’t fight back, so they consider themselves safe.

“What’s wrong? Not shedding a tear? Or are you too young to understand the situation?”

Five men surrounded me, with one urging the others to hurry while pretending to scold them. Among them, a seemingly helpless girl.

I’m not stupid enough to misunderstand this situation.

So I asked:

“Wouldn’t you prefer a better life?”

“What?”

“Hey, Smith! Shut up and hurry up. Or I’ll go first.”

“Wait, let’s hear this nonsense first.”

Five different men laughing, unzipping pants, and ready for action.

For example, one of the men walks with a limp. Running would be impossible. His pelvis must’ve been twisted and his feet misaligned, indicating he suffered a major injury in the past.

“See that guy over there? His legs drag when he walks. Can’t run, clearly injured before.”

“What, playing detective now, kid?”

I pointed out the most obvious victim first—the easiest to notice during recovery.

“If you make a contract with me, I can heal your injuries right now. If they don’t heal, I’ll do whatever you ask.”

I dangled the bait of desire, watching as the man took the hook.

“Go on, try it.”

“Wow, how proactive! Nothing to lose, right?”

“Where else will you find an opportunity like this? Go for it.”

Encouraged by the others, the man scratched his head and stepped forward. Hidden in shadow, but his face showed a scar that hadn’t healed properly.

“What do I need to do?”

“I’ll offer myself to you. In return, once you finish everything, you’ll get all I possess. How does that sound?”

“Sounds good.”

The moment he agreed, cracks appeared on his face. Skin peeled off like pottery, revealing pristine white skin underneath.

Scar-free, smooth skin. His awkward gait corrected itself, and he moved fluidly.

Anyone could see how smoothly he moved. When he jumped up from a seated position, he nearly hit the ceiling.

“What the…”

“Huh?”

“Reason Brutal?”

The man, whose hair had turned purple, stared down at his own body in disbelief.

I smiled and repeated my question.

One more time.

“Wouldn’t you prefer a better life?”

Now, everyone hesitated and backed away from me.

This is shocking stuff. In a world where only powerful magic or upper-class privileges can fix disabilities, this is extraordinary.

“All your wounds are gone.”

I walked over to the man now known as Reason Brutal and nudged his leg.

“And you’ll grow stronger. Smarter.”

It’s true, though I don’t know the extent yet.

“You all have the chance to live better lives.”

To commit greater atrocities, follow your desires, harm many others.

“But I only have one request for those who contract with me.”

Then I stepped into the center of their circle.

“To live as humans, doing what you truly desire.”

Evildoers rejoice. With new opportunities, they move to unleash their primal instincts.

Those who trample others effortlessly.

Perfect harvest systems.

“If you can abide by my request, contract with me.”

And…

Today, I created five perfect harvest systems.

Super easy.

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