Chapter 158

I walked into the accommodation like nothing happened and rested as the day changed.

Today, as far as I’m concerned, another not-so-important class was ongoing, and I just watched it unfold. Unlike regular people, I don’t need to worry about grades or strive for knowledge.

After all, if I need anything, I can just create a Harvester, right?

While observing the class, I also viewed the world through the eyes of the Harvesters.

The Twilight Association in Bern City…

It was originally formed during an accident in Bern City when people tried to survive. Though it was accidentally started by the second Harvester I created, after the incident, it became widely known as a charity organization, even receiving financial support from the royal family.

Officially, the royal family wasn’t directly sponsoring them, and the office staff didn’t have clear evidence of where the money came from.

But some Harvesters had figured out the source of the funds.

I overheard one of them talking about it.

And when that support ended, those who felt they’d suffered losses banded together.

Of course, not all Harvesters were stirring up trouble within the Twilight Association—it’s only a small fraction of them.

But sometimes, the loudest voices represent the majority, and when there *is* a majority, others get swept up in the tide.

There’s definitely going to be a big fight.

Right now, there’s someone outside the office gathering people and inciting them. They’re accusing the office of embezzling money and demanding its return.

The office presents documented proof of the transactions, but the person shouts that it’s all lies. Maybe deep down, even they know it’s true—but here, the truth doesn’t matter.

What matters is their determination to recover what they perceive as their loss, no matter how selfish.

That’s human nature.

And guess what? That’s fine with me.

You deal with others later—first, you gotta take care of yourself. It’s natural for living beings to act this way.

That’s why self-sacrifice is so valuable. Would anyone sacrifice themselves if it weren’t meaningful? I love a world where people sacrifice themselves for others—it means it’s a world full of selfish people.

And sure enough, these selfish people are acting selfishly.

Right now, some of them are storming into the office, flipping tables, kicking chairs, creating chaos.

It’s tense. People shout, grab each other by the collars, and argue loudly—but it doesn’t escalate further. Especially the rowdy ones stop once others intervene.

At first glance, it seems like they listened to reason, but I know better.

They stopped on purpose. This is part of their plan.

Why? Because they’ve learned from experience. If you look at their memories, it all started when they worked somewhere that didn’t pay wages. To get what they deserved, they operated in a gray area between legal and illegal tactics—but the person who took the lead ended up getting arrested.

So now they apply what they’ve learned.

During work, they make excuses to demand extra payment, or if refused, they gather people with tools and raid places until they’re paid. But the leader is always someone else.

People like this have become Harvesters.

Being a Harvester, simply put, just amplifies their abilities—it doesn’t change their nature.

In other words, evil remains evil. Of course, there are exceptions—people who can be reformed—but they’re rare. One in a hundred, maybe one in a thousand.

Put another way, 90% or more remain unchanged—or even worse.

And that’s why I don’t need to do anything; they naturally spread warmth in their own destructive ways.

These are the Harvesters I’m watching now.

They laugh as they leave, bragging about how terrifying they were. “If we do this, others will join us, and then we’ll pin the blame on them while we pocket the cash,” they say.

Hearing their desire-filled laughter makes me feel good too.

I hope they succeed in whatever they set out to do.

Meanwhile, things are similar in Brightshin territory.

Will cleaning up the slums really change anything? After the initial excitement wears off, they realize their reality hasn’t changed, so they revert to old habits. Their newfound strength makes them more prone to violence.

Among them, though, there are those trying to change.

I’ve noticed people scribbling notes on the knowledge I subtly leak. They write everywhere—walls, floors, objects, anything.

Others think they’ve gone crazy.

Anyone would think that.

I’m not sure if they’re properly understanding the information or if I should reduce the amount of memory I send. Last time, when I sent memories to Yasul, I matched the quantity, but judging by this reaction, maybe human memory differs from non-human memory?

If they go completely insane, I might need to adjust the capacity.

Other than that, everything’s flowing smoothly.

Soon, unrest will break out in Bern City, while in Brightshin, individuals wielding the techniques of Daegon and the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign are growing stronger.

Before I knew it, morning classes ended, and lunchtime arrived.

“Bell, I’m exhausted…”

As soon as she sat down, Victoria started whining.

Yesterday, around the time I visited the Royal Castle, Victoria went to the Clockwork Knight Academy for special lessons.

She doesn’t attend every day—only every few days—but it seems pretty tough for her.

Saying that, she began eating the food in her bowl: grains, vegetables, meat, fruit—a rich meal indeed.

Especially with all the spices added, it shows this is a good school.

Back when I lived with Soo-oh, even salt was scarce.

“So, are you giving up?”

“No! It’s just harder compared to before, but I can still do it. Still, hard is hard! Bell, empathize with me!”

Even as she said this while skillfully slicing her meat…

“I met the king yesterday.”

“Hmm. I’ll stop empathizing then. Let’s end this conversation.”

As soon as I said that, the dining hall suddenly grew quiet. Though no one was looking directly at us, it was clear they’d been eavesdropping, so Victoria quickly changed the subject.

It’s suspicious when no one shows interest, isn’t it? So I decided to skip the details and only tell Victoria what she needed to know.

“Well, Victoria, let me just tell you this.”

“For me?”

“I’ll have an escort assigned to me. See ya.”

Confused by the mention of an escort, she looked at me curiously.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s probably because I visited the Brightshin district recently.”

Strictly speaking, it’s less of an escort and more like surveillance—or rather, management meant to control me.

They likely assigned someone to deliver messages since they can’t directly approach me.

And then there’s the issue with the witch.

“I don’t know when the escort will arrive, but once they do, my alone time will be almost nonexistent, won’t it?”

I said this while glancing around, subtly hinting that if anyone wanted to act against me, they should hurry.

“Wow, you’re getting an escort. The newspapers keep calling you a miracle worker or God’s messenger, so I guess it makes sense.”

Victoria nodded.

“So, who’s coming? A man? A woman? Older? Will it be a knight?”

She showed genuine interest in whoever would become my escort.

“I don’t know either. I was just notified, so we’ll find out when they arrive.”

“Well, if it’s your escort, I’ll see them at school too, so I’ll meet them then. Man, this feels like something out of another world. It’s weird.”

Technically, Victoria is a commoner, while most students here are nobles—or nouveau riche, which refers to those with land and capital but lack noble status. Usually, they try to assimilate into the aristocracy by marrying into bloodlines to climb higher.

It’s possible Victoria was brought here because of her ability, but she could also be used as leverage against me.

Initially, I thought it was because she helped save Bern City, but if that were the case, other Harvesters should’ve been invited too.

Many others awakened powers and contributed more significantly to resolving the crisis than Victoria did, and there are plenty of kids her age.

So, Victoria being here is essentially an accident.

“Get used to it.”

“You’re kinda harsh sometimes.”

I shrugged. While I might not sound excessively cruel, perception depends on the listener.

Maybe I should soften my tone when necessary.

Afterward, we finished lunch while chatting casually—though most of it was Victoria monologuing.

This has been happening since we lived together at her house, so she doesn’t seem to mind.

After finishing lunch, we rested briefly before afternoon classes began.

When the teacher left after the afternoon session ended, someone approached me.

Sharp features, long black hair, and pointed ears resembling a carnivorous animal—this girl exuded intensity.

It’s Shekal. I don’t know her name, only that she belongs to the Shekal clan.

“Lord Shiodore requests your presence. Follow me.”

Same as always—her tone rigid and sharp. Since she doesn’t display any hatred toward me, it’s likely just her natural disposition.

Whispers erupted around us as others noticed our interaction.

“What should I do?”

Victoria leaned in quietly from behind.

“Go ahead without me.”

I replied, then turned to the tall Shekal and said, “Let’s go.”

She nodded briskly and immediately turned to lead the way. Watching her now, she’s definitely like a hunting dog.

From the central hall, we headed straight left, then made a sharp turn and continued forward to the innermost room.

Shekal stopped at the entrance after guiding me, and I stepped inside.

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