Chapter 147

It’s been two weeks since I came to the royal palace.

Right now, I’m living in one of the rooms at the palace.

However, the king hasn’t called for me since that day.

Though no one has given me any explanation, I know the reason—through the harvesting system.

We’re thoroughly analyzing the harvesting system using experts from the hospital. Most of the people originally there seem to be important figures, so they’re being checked for full recovery under the guise of medical examinations.

But on the flip side, those deemed unimportant…

Take, for example, the orphans from the Bern City incident. We literally tear them apart to examine the harvesting system.

Without proper anesthesia, they conduct inhumane experiments, and conveniently, I’ve overheard everything they say. That’s how I’ve learned a few things.

For instance, blue skin—apparently, if you peel it off, the flesh underneath reverts to its original color. Even hair color returns to normal.

If dropped, it changes back from blue to its original hue, and when reattached, it gradually turns blue again like seasoning soaking into meat.

As for severed wounds, most can regenerate given enough time, though results vary individually.

I also heard that we’ll likely live much longer than average.

Still, beyond that, I don’t know anything else. After all, repeatedly torturing the same person eventually led to their death.

One kid hiding abilities used metal manipulation to blow off someone’s head. But already critically injured, the kid died too.

Regrettably, there haven’t been any more abductions for dissection since then.

For now, I’ll settle with the information I’ve gathered.

Other than that…

Two days ago, there was a press conference where people who contributed significantly during the Bern City incident were honored. Broadcast and newspaper reporters came, snapping photos and recording videos.

The king personally handed out plaques of appreciation and distributed rewards to those who stood out, erasing the efforts of everyone else. By putting faces to pictures, they became targets of jealousy and greed for those without power.

Of course, while it might be hard to steal the plaques, humans are unpredictable. Many will surely try to take the rewards by force.

So what? Let them resist. The warmth will only grow, hehe.

Let’s rewind.

There was this press conference.

I thought I’d get to see Victoria, but I was kept separate, preventing us from meeting.

Still, knowing she’s heading to the Royal Academy and expecting to see me there, I decided to do the same.

By the way, during the broadcast, I made sure to clarify that I’m not God’s messenger and cultivated an image of being a mere puppet following others’ commands.

When asked questions, I simply replied “Yes” or “No.” For difficult questions, I stared blankly at the highest-ranking person present.

Curious to see how people would interpret this, I played along—and it worked beautifully.

Even the harvesting system perceived me as a pitiful person held captive by royalty.

Acting completely passive like this makes the staff around me treat me with disdain. Initially respectful, they gradually relaxed, whispering insults once they realized I rarely react.

Though attitudes have grown casual, no one’s resorted to outright abuse—likely out of fear of the king or because I appear childlike. They treat me like a cute doll instead.

Over two weeks, five different attendants cycled through, but not all treated me poorly.

Time passed quickly.

And finally…

The king summoned me.

Unlike usual, heavily armored soldiers arrived and escorted me somewhere unfamiliar—a beautiful palace standing alone away from the main royal building.

The soldiers stopped at the entrance, allowing me to enter alone.

Inside, I found the king and a young man resembling him.

“Can this brat really save her?”

“Yes. Haven’t you seen the healed patients?”

Their conversation felt a bit stiff for father and son.

The king looked hopeful, while the prince eyed me with suspicion laced with expectation.

No one seemed unhappy about the girl waking up—they must’ve been close.

With that in mind, I silently approached the bed. Mistakenly stepping on a tube caused the prince to yell at me, but the king calmed him down.

Given my height, it was hard to avoid stepping on tubes, so I did just that and stood before the girl. When our skins touched, I said:

“I offer myself to you. In return, once you’ve completed your journey, you’ll reclaim everything you’ve lost. Deal?”

The girl answered that she wanted to live, finalizing the contract.

Click.

Her body turned ceramic-like but froze mid-transformation. Strange markings appeared on her face and chest.

“What is this? It’s interfering with the contract!”

The prince stormed toward me until he noticed what I was pointing at. Both he and the king grew pale.

Something connects her to this.

After all, in a world where magic can revive nearly anyone, and a princess receiving top-tier treatment couldn’t wake up, something must’ve been blocking her revival.

I intentionally waited, letting them memorize the symbols and grow more desperate.

“Can’t even you save Aurora with your powers?”

Despair filled the king’s voice as he questioned me.

The contract was complete, but it felt like trying to pour liquid into a cup sealed with thin plastic wrap.

Very thin.

“I’ll try my best.”

That clarified my effort. Still, neither explained further.

Gathering more information proved impossible, so I tore through whatever was obstructing her and fully transformed her into a harvester.

As I entered her, the room glowed deep violet. Simultaneously, her entire body hardened like porcelain, ejecting all the tubes connected to her.

Then the porcelain shattered, revealing her true form beneath—a girl with blue skin.

Drip drip.

Once the shell fell away, a nude girl emerged. Her hair was now purple, her skin blue, but otherwise unchanged.

And Aurora opened her eyes.

“Uh… Father? Brother?”

She sat up groggily, looking between the king, his son, and me.

“Wait… Is she my little sister or cousin?”

Indeed.

Logical deduction. A girl stands on her bed in a space only family should access.

Recalling her near-death state, she assumed significant time had passed during her illness. Logically speaking, I must be someone’s relative.

But incorrect assumptions aside, I stepped down from the bed. Though Aurora stared curiously at me, I approached the king.

“It’s done.”

The king slowly knelt before me.

“Thank you.”

Silently, I nodded. Despite burying every other aspect of her life, preserving her warmth mattered most.

“Wha—why am I naked?! Why is my skin blue?! Was I THAT close to death? Wait… why is my hair PURPLE?! My hair wasn’t platinum blonde before?!”

Aurora panicked, touching herself everywhere. Her brother, Sorendiges, watched her with tears of joy streaming down his face, while her father, Highpion, sighed with relief mixed with various emotions.

Highpion covered her nudity with a blanket and embraced her tightly.

“Welcome back.”

Awkwardly, Aurora responded through teary laughter.

“They’re quite the family, aren’t they?” I observed from afar. By the way, the queen died after giving birth to Aurora.

In such cases, hating the surviving child seems reasonable, yet they cherished her deeply.

Perhaps that’s why she ended up here with me.

While observing them, I spotted a new upper-class harvester.

Judging from what I’ve seen, creating an automatic warmth-harvesting system in this world feels entirely possible.

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