The village I’m in right now is a port city called Nantes.
Once upon a time, before Bern City expanded, this was a waypoint to get to Bern City. However, with advancements in technology, they were able to tidy up the river estuary, causing the port in the middle of Bern City to fall into decline.
In the past, since there were no ports to offload goods while sailing up the river, large cargo was unloaded here.
Among those that Victoria massacred, there was someone who lived here for a long time, so even if their memories are fragmented, piecing them together provides a complete picture.
By the way, the villagers weren’t exactly enemies. They were just citizens living in this village, but they ended up either drowned at sea or took their own lives, unable to withstand the slowly tightening grip of fear.
Was Victoria a cruel and cold-hearted person? Well, not exactly.
From what I’ve seen, she’s a girl who understands that killing someone is a bad thing.
However, in the face of overwhelming power, morals break down easily.
It’s not so much inherent evil in human nature, as it is selective indifference.
For instance, if I have to cross the city ahead to reach my destination, a place I must go no matter what, with time running out, there’s no other option.
If we assume I’m riding a 40,000-ton battleship, do I really need to consider those underneath?
If they don’t avoid it, it’s just natural selection. So, I push forward.
With such clumsiness, 4,439 people became warmth.
Nantes, the port city, is a small town in decline. But because everyone trying to enter Bern City ended up here, more people died than the population of the port city.
Victoria might not be coldly considering this, but that’s how it is for most people.
To put it simply, a missile that can be launched at the push of a button is something an ordinary person can fire without a shred of guilt.
Of course, if others see it, they’ll pretend to be sad, but in reality, only a tiny fraction of them are genuinely hurt.
It’s not because humans are evil, but rather because they can’t emotionally grasp the deaths of others. A weapon that can clearly kill someone with a knife feels more tangible than a gun, and that gun is easier than a bomb that can wipe out indiscriminate masses.
People can understand individuals when they meet, but understanding the masses is impossible. Instead of actually comprehending the masses, a leader guides the perception toward comprehending the masses.
Anyway.
This Harvesting Period was a jackpot.
I hope even more people awaken their psychic abilities.
They can just hand me their warmth without even properly understanding what they’re doing.
Thinking like that, I walked across the dusty river. It’s hard to believe that just a few hours ago, it was wide enough for a giant cargo ship to pass.
It seems that every drop of moisture has been sucked away, and I’m only stepping on dry sand in what used to be the riverbed.
Polaris, who is following behind with a dark expression, doesn’t seem to have gained any psychic abilities. I’m not sure, but those who have awakened tend to test it immediately.
While some, like Tisah, completely hide their abilities, eventually they even secretly test their powers when they are left alone. So honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if I knew whether Harvesting Period gained any abilities.
There’s one more thing I can figure out.
Honestly, it’s tough to know about regeneration abilities unless you’ve sustained serious injuries. But Tisah always knew he had regenerative power from the start.
He just didn’t know how excellent that ability was.
From that observation, I guess you find out about your on/off switch when you awaken your psychic abilities.
However, regardless of anything, I only remember gaining abilities after I started remembering things.
So, I can’t really know how much I actually know, which is a little disappointing.
Anyway.
After crossing the river, I walked along the well-maintained estuary, and to the east, Bern City came into view.
And above it, the sea floats upside down in the sky.
If that’s called the sea, then this is the coast. The thin film of shallow water is visible in the sky, and as I walk toward Bern City, the water gets deeper.
The dimly flickering stars and the moon gradually darken and completely disappear into the darkness, and even though there’s a sea above, the dry air feels like it’s ripping apart reality.
If it were VR, you’d think someone put a sea texture in the sky; it’s that surreal.
Once I officially entered the city, there was no light left in the sky. Instead, the light was beneath me, faintly flowing between the buildings.
At that moment, Polaris approached me quickly and grabbed my hand. But oddly, she clutched tightly, so when I turned to look at her, Polaris was gesturing.
Polaris had seen someone watching us from between the buildings. I could tell because I was looking through Polaris’s eyes, but apparently, she thought I wouldn’t understand.
In fact, this is a dangerous place.
So, Polaris’s vigilance is quite justified.
This location is no longer a gathering of victims who were oppressed and trapped in the city.
It’s a den of would-be rebels who are trying to build their own world through other desires. But who occupies the center of it is critical.
Purple hair and extraordinarily pale skin.
Yes.
Harvesting Period.
Those at the top, including the most senior Harvesting Period, position themselves, while those without strength or intelligence become the subordinates.
If they were to form a special group, I’d prefer that one over there, but there’s no need to share that info. I honestly don’t care what ending this group meets.
“Bell. Be careful.”
“I’m scared, but I’ll walk proudly, Polaris. If I do, it shouldn’t be dangerous right away.”
We appear to be Harvesting Periods of Bern City.
And luckily, no one here recognizes me. Also thankfully, there isn’t anyone among the Harvesting Periods in Bern City who is looking at me.
Right now, all the Harvesting Periods are off to see Victoria.
So I can move freely.
For reference, Victoria is having a conversation among Harvesting Periods right now. Omitting the part where she killed Gaston, she’s explaining how Gaston messed this place up by partnering with three companies.
However, that doesn’t mean much to them.
Because they’ve chosen to create a world where they’re not wronged anymore rather than resolving their grievances.
So they’re eagerly persuading Victoria.
Pointing to the massive sea floating above, they’re convincing her she can become the greatest.
As I walk by and witness this, Polaris tugged on my collar.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m headed to Victoria’s family’s old house from now on.”
It’s where the upper-class people in the southern part of Bern City gather to live.
So I’m walking not through the center, where tall buildings that can really be called Bern City stand, but around the outskirts.
There aren’t many properly built places here.
As the sea floats upside down gradually gets shallower, just as the faint moonlight begins to twinkle like starlight, Polaris suddenly screamed.
“Eek!”
Uh-oh… I can feel it because of the sensation.
I turned to look at Polaris. The clothes she was wearing fell to the ground. The back burned when I protected Victoria earlier. It’s a miracle the clothes didn’t tear while regenerating.
But perhaps that was the limit, as her outfit completely disintegrated, exposing her pale body.
Polaris’s face went bright red, barely visible in the darkness.
“Should we go into a house and get you some clothes?”
“Um, h-how long will it take to get there?”
“It’ll take a while.”
“Then there’s no choice.”
Polaris, hesitantly covering herself with her small hands, walked toward the only half-decent house.
I followed her inside.
And then I spotted a pristine back.
Even if I could move my hands, I had no eyes, so seeing Polaris with this body was impossible. Thus, I saw through the eyes of a Harvesting Period that was barely surviving yet dying.
At that moment, I thought it was like a corpse, but flipping through Polaris’s memories, it didn’t seem to be too severe an injury.
She’s about my height, looking like a small child, and I thought maybe she’d had some luck when tearing apart a Mechanical Puppet with bare hands, but it turns out the Barrington family is known for their physical prowess. Long ago, that’s how they became nobility.
Polaris is the same.
I jokingly called her a Polar Bear, but she really did resemble one.
Her self-assessment was that even with a half-year of convalescence, it seemed she would recover from the wounds.
But walking into an abandoned house at night with a naked girl might look incredibly insane to onlookers.
Even if it’s a girl who’s being followed, if it were bullying in school, I wouldn’t have much to say.
As I entered, I felt something trample beneath my feet and looked down. Half-rotting corpses of a woman and baby were entangled between stone and wooden debris, stuck and crushed together.
It looked like they had died when the house collapsed.
Eugh.
The light long since vanished, and no warmth remains.
Well, if Polaris saw this, it would surely be psychologically damaging.
But I suppose it’s fortunate the owner of the house isn’t inside.
I stepped on the corpses, completely crushing them, and kicked the remains to bury them. Even though the stench of decay wafted, the heavy atmosphere surrounding this town made it nearly unnoticeable.
In the meantime, Polaris found clothes inside and came out dressed.
Just a moment ago, she was a cute girl, but due to the outfit, she suddenly looks like an old lady, which is amusing.
She’s too small to really be considered an old lady, and her appearance is unrealistically cute.
But the outfit itself prioritizes convenience…
No, while it might be suitable for adventuring in such a place, even in a loose outfit, her chest stands out, targeting specific tastes deeply.
If I were in a country in faded memories, I might be thrilled, but I don’t feel particularly that way.
“You’ve changed to look much more like a local.”
“Are you mocking me?”
“I’ll just say you look like an old lady.”
I got hit.
“There are things you can and cannot say.”
“I meant that you’d stand out less. There are many people in Bern City who know me.”
At my words, Polaris nodded.
“I know. There was a big incident about two months ago. That incident brought you and Victoria into the Royal Academy.”
“Yes. That’s why I told you to walk proudly when you were seen by someone from Bern City earlier.”
“Ah, okay. I understand. Since my clothes were rags anyway, I must have looked like someone from here.”
She picked up on that quickly. So I explicitly moved swiftly before Polaris could grasp the origin of the suffocating stench permeating this place.
Polaris followed me.
“With this much damage, can you really find your way properly?”
“I generally remember every place I’ve been to.”
I create a mental map, so even if there’s a slight deviation, I can find my way back quickly.
“Ugh, I hope Victoria is there when we get there. But I suppose she won’t be, right?”
Huh?
“Do you know?”
“The water up there is getting shallower. She’d be in the thickest part over there.”
“But you just came along anyway?”
“Victoria is going to find her parents, right?”
I nodded.
“If you look up, you’ll know exactly where Victoria is, so let’s find her beforehand to avoid wasting too much time. Meeting now would only lengthen our wait.”
If you understand, then great.
With lighter steps, I brushed off the last remnants stuck to my soles and headed toward the house where Victoria’s family lived, dozens of days ago.
