Chapter 160

It’s raining in the sky.

Looks like it’s only raining around here since it doesn’t seem to be coming down in Bern City.

Anyway, after changing into the clothes prepared for me at the dormitory and having breakfast, I head toward the Royal Academy.

I walk along the edge of a road so wide that six cars can drive side by side.

Maybe because it’s raining, there are a lot of cars heading inside. The path from the dormitory to school is all colorful now.

Like flowers blooming, umbrellas are everywhere.

I’ve also got my umbrella that someone handed me as I left. Luckily, the wind isn’t blowing too hard.

As I keep walking, I come across a roundabout with a big statue in the middle. At its edges, cars are parked, and students are getting out.

Since it’s raining, lots of people came by car. That’s why the line of vehicles stretches on forever.

After passing that spot, there are stone pillars that look like temple columns. Beyond them, there’s an entrance gate carved with the kingdom’s emblem. I push open the wooden door and go inside.

Once inside the building, there’s a spacious central hall. In front, the building stretches left and right, and there’s a staircase going up. I head to the left on the first floor.

Then, there’s this long straight corridor. My classroom is about halfway down. Just as I enter…

Victoria has left the dormitory.

She doesn’t need an umbrella. Raindrops fall from the sky but stop mid-air like they’re being blocked by some invisible sphere and slide off to the sides.

Psychic Ability.

Kinda makes me envious.

Not that I can’t do something similar, but if I tried, the world might break… It’d cause a major disaster. Still, she’s using an ability that’d be tough for me, so she’ll probably get here fast.

Meanwhile, in the slums of the capital, Brightshin has been bustling with activity since dawn as people wake up and start working.

But this morning, a sad event happened.

Between the Brightshin district blocks, there are small plazas. Some were created when buildings collapsed, others just naturally formed during construction.

Until yesterday, those spaces were filled with writing. Words detailing technology from memories of Daegon and the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign.

People who had already filled their homes with text started spilling over into these areas.

Interestingly, even normal folks who saw it got hypnotized and joined in, adding more words.

Sadly, the rain wiped all that away.

Since things like permanent markers don’t exist in the slums, they used ash leftover from fires to write.

And now the rain erased it all. Once the writing disappeared, people snapped back to reality, one by one waking up and returning to their daily routines.

Writing like that was proof that knowledge was truly sinking into their minds. If they had kept going, it could have been amazing…

Rain, you’re such a bummer.

*Doze*

While waiting for class to start, Freesia bows her head in greeting and goes to her seat. I always thought she was sharp, but checking Kanna’s memories shows she’s actually pretty blunt.

Turns out, her awkwardness around people isn’t because she’s sensitive or sharp, but because socializing is genuinely difficult for her.

Understanding someone’s emotions doesn’t mean you fully understand them. Interpretations change depending on perspective.

Maybe…

Among the people I’ve met so far, have I misunderstood someone else like this?

From now on, I need to observe more deeply.

“Bell! Good morning!”

Victoria quickly entered the classroom and sits next to me.

“Don’t they say rainy days aren’t supposed to be good?”

Thinking about it normally, that’s why I asked. Even with superpowers, wouldn’t intense physical activities still be tiring?

“The world feels crystal clear when it rains—it’s great! Oh yeah, Bell, stand up for a sec.”

Victoria says something incredible. Judging by her words, she might be exerting control over the raindrops falling from the sky.

Realizing her power is stronger than I imagined, I stood up as she asked. Suddenly, every drop of water under my shoes floated into the air.

With a flick, Victoria sent them flying out the window and stared blankly outside. Her unfocused gaze suggests she’s deep in thought.

Suddenly, Victoria stands up and heads toward the teacher’s podium despite class not starting yet. Though unusual, it’s not problematic.

“I’m feeling damp. Come forward! I’ll dry you off!”

She loudly announces to the students. However, no one rushes forward—maybe due to her position?

Then, a male student cautiously steps up. His left ankle is soaked, possibly from stepping in a puddle on the way.

“Can you dry me?”

“Of course.”

With a wave of her hand, not only his ankle but all moisture from his clothes floats into the air, drifting toward Victoria before she flings it out the window. She then smiles at the student.

“How’s that?”

“Perfect.”

The student wiggles his legs a few times, chuckles, and returns to his seat. Gradually, other students line up in front of her, and Victoria dries each person individually.

She could remove all the moisture in the room at once, but she’s deliberately doing it this way.

She’s stamping her face onto everyone’s memory while helping them.

Smart use of her powers. Helping a group would make her actions blend in, but dealing with individuals creates personal connections.

It also ensures people become aware they received her favor, whether they like it or not.

By the time most students are all dried and back in their seats…

Even the teacher, upon entering, sheepishly joins the line. Victoria greets him warmly and dries him off thoroughly.

The teacher thanks her and encourages the students to applaud. Without complaints, they clap, and Victoria happily returns to sit beside me.

“The ability you gave me. It’s comfy and great.”

“I’m glad to see you using it well.”

Of course, it wasn’t an ability I consciously chose to give her.

The harsher the situation, the easier it is for psychic abilities to manifest. Victoria’s circumstances were brutal enough that she couldn’t escape without them.

Meanwhile, 49 new psychics emerged in Brightshin.

That’s fewer compared to Bern City. Since Brightshin isn’t facing any special hardships, it seems psychic abilities weren’t necessary.

Bern City faced urgent situations, whereas Brightshin didn’t, leading to this difference.

Class starts, ends, lunch happens, afternoon classes begin. School life is pretty static.

After class, Victoria departs for clockwork knight studies. We’ll be here for four years, yet she’s keeping herself incredibly busy.

She should probably take some time to relax…

Yeah, maybe interfering that much isn’t right. People live passionately in different ways.

When dismissal time comes, the rain has stopped. I return to my living quarters, walking past students heading home or elsewhere.

In the U-shaped building, the sections bending left and right aren’t classrooms. They’re more like club rooms, after-school study halls, or spaces for strengthening faction bonds.

Places where students gather to study, chat, or receive tasks and reports.

So, before dinner, I stay there semi-mandatory and eventually head back.

Kanna does the same.

Of course, not everyone does. Polaris, for instance, seems to hang out in lighter settings.

Kanna thinks that shows a lack of leadership…

Oh, speaking of Kanna…

Today, Kanna isn’t at the Royal Academy. She suddenly returned to her family estate yesterday.

Right now, she’s meeting with her family.

I thought she’d act more cruel now that she’s recovering physically, but instead, they’re hugging, crying, expressing relief, talking about how her hair color changed, how pale her skin is—all very familial stuff.

In short, they’re sharing genuinely family-like conversations.

And now…

Kanna gathers all family members to say something.

Huh?

Kanna announces she intends to leave the family.

Where did the warrior spirit of the family go?

Or is she still figuring out her full potential and gathering everything within her grasp…

Wait…

Her reasoning doesn’t make sense. She says peace brought on by her own distortions will be ruined, so she wants to leave to preserve it.

She claims honor is meant to protect family, not trample it.

She tells the gathered crowd, including her father as the head of the house, that a family built on internal strife will drown in its own blood.

When asked if she’s abandoning the family name, Kanna laughs. She says the shell isn’t important—it’s what’s inside that matters.

What happened to all the inferiority complexes she carried?

Didn’t she envy her family members focused on their own pursuits?

Didn’t she try to create a space for herself by bonding with them emotionally and surviving together?

Isn’t human desire supposed to grow harsher as one gains power?

Why is she letting go of everything like some enlightened person?

Ah!

Maybe it’s because she’s too young. One day, she’ll realize how powerful the name she threw away could have been—a formidable weapon.

Once she understands what she’s lost, she’ll change. She hasn’t faced reality yet.

Within a class system, there’s a limit to how far one can rise based solely on ability. I look forward to when she hits that wall.

One person can be a little strange, right?

Out of ten, let’s consider Kanna as that one oddball. It’s disappointing she’s among the higher-ups, though.

But don’t worry.

The Harvesting System works exactly as I wish.

The world flows smoothly according to my plans.

There are always groups who forget their inconvenience, pretend they worked for charity, and only care about their own interests. Ten percent of the bad apples in Bern City’s Harvesting System.

They band together and start causing trouble.

Is it because clouds moved? Now it’s raining in Bern City again, and they lead a mob toward an office.

Yep.

That’s it.

Go in there and take their warmth.

I especially like how the person who initially incited them stays safely at the back, ready to rebuild the group if needed.

Their strength has doubled. A single strong blow could easily kill someone. Each of them carries construction pipes or tools.

It’s strange that no one has died yet.

Creak.

The door opens, and people rush in. There, praying, are those who cut out newspaper clippings of my picture and worship it. Take their warmth.

Clatter.

Wait. What?

Why are they dropping their weapons and joining the prayer?

Why are they collapsing, weeping like they’re repenting? Why are the harvesters nodding knowingly and patting them on the back as if understanding everything?

Did I ask for this? All I wanted was for them to live selfishly and provide their warmth through suffering and death.

The initial instigator yells, asking what everyone’s doing.

Yes. That’s it. No one gives up their desires easily! And plenty of people follow loud voices, so there will be fighting.

No.

Why are they opening up about their uncertain futures and collapsing?

Especially the second-tier harvester I made, the one with the worst past sins. Why is he comforting people at the forefront, saying salvation isn’t far away?

What are you even saying…

This is weird.

Where did you go? The humans I know. The plans I set.

What does it even mean that the world runs smoothly according to my plans?

Nothing is running smoothly at all.

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