Chapter 183

And so, nothing out of the ordinary happened for an entire week after that.

There hasn’t been any major movement since I tossed away the Witch’s Treasure. Of course, this so-called treasure is a cruel and merciless weapon.

But I believe that if it falls into human hands, they’ll use it wisely.

Perhaps they’ve already sent a small group to retrieve all of the Witch’s Treasures, but as far as I know, I’d have to return to that place to confirm.

The valuables kept inside the castle?

They’re just mere metals. If the world were to break apart, one could create a sun-sized lump of gold; who would need such trivial things?

I don’t have much material desire.

If the body were merely a simple game avatar, at least there’d be some fun in customizing it.

But this isn’t that kind of place.

It feels more like being buried in the ground with only your head exposed, starving for days while food is placed just out of reach.

Even if you can’t reach it, you know your neck will be slit the moment you try to taste it with your tongue.

So endure.

If there’s a reason, one can endure.

When gritting your teeth and enduring, a faint warmth actually seeps in gradually.

Through perseverance, you’re rewarded.

Use that pillar to keep holding on desperately. But is smelling the food okay? Is looking at it alright?

Thus, be a little more proactive.

Create a harvester.

Being in such a state, anyone conducting a psychiatric evaluation would declare this madness.

Therefore, material things aren’t important.

The only thing that matters is the hope that warmth will come to me in the future.

With such thoughts, and honestly, once you gain control over reality, material things truly lose their allure. There’s a minor flaw in this—reality might break—but…

Knowledge becomes far more valuable.

Maybe the reason I turn people into harvesters has something to do with collecting knowledge.

Because memories start shining brightly.

Rather than memory being a sign of consciousness where you think, “Is this it?” it feels more like a search engine highlighting keywords: “Are you looking for this?”

Though sometimes, in specific situations, certain memories light up uniformly, probably because they’re shared experiences.

Or maybe, like Maleficent, it’s a fresh memory recently acquired that gets referenced immediately upon searching.

Anyway,

My memory is excellent, and my search ability is top-notch.

Do you know what that means?

“Test papers? Let’s go.”

“That~”

You can still manage exams without studying.

Right after a week-long school break, we had an exam on the first day of classes—not a pop quiz, but a midterm.

From the very morning, the teacher made a cruel announcement, causing the returning students’ eyes to dim with despair.

The morning was filled with sighs of sadness and hopelessness.

By comparison, I breezed through the test easily.

Unless it’s something I haven’t been taught or requires application, rote memorization isn’t a problem for me.

However, since it’s the Royal Academy, half the questions are simple, and if you get all the hard ones wrong, you end up with a fifty-fifty score.

Using everything I know, I should at least hit average.

Incidentally, no one noticed Merriweather had disappeared by the time the exam ended.

It was as if no one even realized she existed. She didn’t even show up on attendance.

This shows how powerful a wizard Maleficent truly was.

According to Maleficent’s memories, manipulating perception can make nonexistent documents appear. It’s not just about scientific-like magic—it changes the world itself.

So, it seems no one noticed.

Even if there’s something to claim, it seems like everyone decided to let it slide since it seemed like it was received.

As long as there’s no fatal contradiction, like finding pieces of Merriweather’s corpse, it’s hard to undo.

This witch…

She was overwhelmingly strong against humans.

If she were human…

Well, when facing someone like Daegon, after a fierce battle, it turns out there are techniques specifically designed to deal with beings like her.

Since she’s never fought anything similar, she never realized her own weaknesses—making her surprisingly easy to catch.

After all, when a top predator drops a tier, it’s not strange for them to be massacred instantly.

Even if you think it’s just a matter of gaining something new on your head, countless creatures went extinct without resistance when predators invaded islands where they had none for hundreds of generations.

Without survival instincts ingrained, they vanish meaninglessly.

Even the intelligent Maleficent seems to have fallen victim to this.

Even the Primordial Heavenly Sovereigns have records of eliminating such malevolent entities.

Cross-referencing these, it seems those who are gifted with raw power from birth, having never experienced failure, generally end up as resources.

Resources in the sense of providing materials.

A world filled with hatred is terrifying.

Anyway.

After the exam, I was about to approach Victoria, who was sitting there like a soulless husk, when someone blocked my way.

Freesia Tabakian Shekal.

She stood before me, perking up her triangular ears atop her head.

“Bell. Lord Shiodore is calling for you.”

Her tone is stiff but softer than before.

Ah, right. Over the weekend, Kanna, who returned to the capital, asked Freesia to fetch me. I forgot since it was the next day.

“Yes.”

I waved goodbye to Victoria, who was heading to the Taewha Knight School later in the evening, then followed Freesia.

From the main gate, past the central hall to the left, continue westward, then take a 90-degree left turn and go straight. Among the many rooms, enter the one furthest inside.

“Did you arrive?”

Eh? Kanna Temrane Shiodore?

I thought she hadn’t changed, but hearing her voice directly makes a difference. Her tone is over 30% brighter compared to last time we met.

Is it because she tried to leave the Shiodore family but they desperately held onto her?

Or because she regained the ability to move her body? Or maybe both? The resigned atmosphere clinging to her has completely vanished, leaving behind a refreshingly cheerful young woman.

Hmm~?

Ugh. Perhaps observing someone through their perspective doesn’t allow you to fully understand them.

Based on Kanna’s perspective, I thought she hadn’t changed. But comparing her directly now, the differences are clear.

Isn’t it true that people don’t notice their own weight gain unless they see numbers? Could it be that all five senses are synchronized, making gradual changes harder to perceive?

Discovering such flaws in this manner…

Observing through someone else’s perspective isn’t perfect after all.

That aside, let’s greet first.

“Hello.”

“You haven’t changed at all. Come, sit down.”

Freesia quietly bowed her head and left. Kanna glanced at her with a wistful expression before turning toward a nearby cart laden with snacks and a teapot.

In front of my eyes, she pours tea into an empty cup.

Referring to Kanna’s memories, this is what nobles do when meeting each other.

Reason? Poisoning.

There’s also a hidden etiquette: “Am I giving you something you can recognize?”

If you don’t respond properly with compliments about the ingredients, you might be treated as ignorant.

But I ignore all that cleanly.

Kanna doesn’t care either.

Here, etiquette has long been embedded into the soul, and that fleeting disdain during our first meeting was self-loathing.

According to memories, it wasn’t directed at me.

Reading emotions isn’t perfect either.

Even discovering flaws in tools I use doesn’t shake me because I’ve only made passive and safe choices until now.

Yeah. If I had gone around thinking I could dominate hearts with this, I’d have made a fatal mistake somewhere.

Truly, an ordinary noble wouldn’t care about proper etiquette and would drink the beverage given without hesitation.

“Tasty, right? We often drink this near home, but it’s hard to find here, so I brought plenty.”

By the way, near Kanna’s home, they mix this with high-proof alcohol.

And Kanna drinks it that way when alone in her room.

Also, in this world, alcohol and tobacco aren’t banned for minors.

Instead, consuming them in moderation is considered healthy.

“Are you doing what you want?”

I asked after pausing for a moment.

Upon hearing my question, Kanna blinked a few times and smiled widely.

“Yeah. I’m doing exactly what I want.”

If my desires involved the elite becoming dirtier, driven purely by greed, I’ve somewhat let go of the current era’s harvesting systems.

Bern City is handling the supply, and with rebellions forming in real-time, rivers of blood will surely flow.

It’ll definitely be warm, huh?

Hehe.

“Rather, I should be thanking you. Oh, and you! I heard you fought a scary witch in the capital. How was it?”

Ah.

So that’s what you wanted to ask.

There’s no hidden conspiracy or scheming here. With sparkling eyes full of pure curiosity, she looked at me and asked.

Moreover, the emotional distance between us has drastically shortened.

So, feeling it was fine to share a bit, I described Maleficent’s current form with my hands.

“Maleficent turned into a crown like this.”

“Eh… yeah, sure.”

The emotional distance widened again.