Chapter 201

“Bell!”

Victoria came running over.

Instead of walking towards her, I just stood still and scanned everyone present in this spot.

If I suddenly ran here, it would make me seem more human, and people would snap out of it faster.

So I needed to plant a seed.

Personally, I’d prefer dozens breaking free of control, but realistically, even one person is significant.

But no matter how low the probability, we must try.

Otherwise it’s 0%, but by trying, there’s at least 1%, or maybe 0.1% chance.

“I’ll take anyone. But unlike me, humans don’t forgive traitors. So choose before it’s too late.”

I deliberately said this, then completely ignored everyone else as I received Victoria who had run over.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I won’t die. If only my hands were left, I wouldn’t have died, right?”

At my words, Victoria’s expression became distant for a moment.

She must have remembered yesterday – my severed hands lying on the ground, and Polaris sitting in front of her, half charred black.

It’s a memory that lingers in my mind too. Quite a gruesome scene.

Only she knows what she thinks about it.

“I thought you were dead.”

“I did too.”

Who would have thought I could survive with just my torso?

And I didn’t know the weapon mounted on that vehicle with eight wheels was powerful enough to melt human bones instantly.

Well, surviving is good fortune.

Through Victoria’s eyes, I see the people around us looking up at the sky while crawling around on the ground.

Fear spreads, and people aren’t snapping out of it as easily as expected.

Did they hear my words?

Holding my hand, Victoria starts walking back the way she came.

Am I walking too confidently?

If I’m abandoned here, the soldiers present would be labeled as traitors.

That’s when it happened.

Flash!

A brilliant light shines, and Victoria sees my head explode to the side.

It’s quite a powerful attack. What is this?

The skull is pretty tough, yet it was pierced clean through. Not a gunpowder weapon – what is it?

Victoria turns her gaze to where the attack came from.

There stands the nobleman who beat me, dressed in aristocratic robes, pointing a cane with a large gemstone at me.

“Get rid of that water above us immediately!”

He shouted at Victoria. Wait, if he’s afraid of the water above, shouldn’t he have shot Victoria instead of me?

Ah…

That’s right.

If Victoria loses control, few living beings here would survive intact.

The massive ball of water swelling up is so huge it reaches all the way to the sky above Bern City to the west.

“Everyone, raise your weapons and aim them at the girl below! Girl, I don’t know who you are, but if you don’t do as I say, the one down there will die too. Understand?”

The current leader of this army.

He’s making some sharp judgments. At least it’s the best choice he can make in this situation.

Following his cries, those wearing mechanical devices and those capable of using magic surround Polaris.

If it weren’t for the fact that magic can’t be used, Polaris wouldn’t be such a strong opponent.

Fighting monsters like these is what the world’s armies do.

But since all their means of resistance are based on magic power, they died easily in Bern City.

We’re still outside the range of influence of the magic-suppressing device here.

Like children following the piper, the Twilight Association, caught up in foolish fervor and rushing here, stopped in their tracks when the sky began to flood.

In this situation, the leader’s choice to make an example of someone and use hostages to resolve the situation isn’t bad.

To reiterate:

Even if you make the right choice every moment, if the premise is wrong from the start, you’ll never reach the correct answer.

“So, something like this won’t kill me. Humanity.”

I moved my upper and lower jaw to speak. With nothing remaining above my nasal bone, air leaked out, making my voice sound deflated, but that made it all the more attention-grabbing.

Crack.

Reality snapped back into place.

Phew. I’ve regenerated significantly twice in the same spot, but unlike last time, the world didn’t crack. Am I getting used to it?

I’ll think about that later.

Looking around at the people staring at me in shock,

Seeing Victoria’s expression of relief makes me realize she’s finally understood how hard it is for me to die.

“Even you, if you contract with me, will hand me over.”

In the first world, religious power was too great, so everything I did was considered the work of God’s messenger or God himself.

But not here.

So here, I show mercy while demonstrating that no matter what the opponent does, the power dynamic won’t change.

“I don’t rule. I support all human actions. If you want something, you should obtain it. Those who dream should achieve their dreams.”

Whatever the dream may be, anything desired is free, right?

“But humanity is different. They oppress, abuse, and dominate.”

I criticize his actions so far. The people of this world have their own sense of justice. They can properly think and judge right from wrong.

They follow what’s right and hate what’s wrong.

Ordinary though it may be.

Especially in the military, no, precisely because of the extreme situation, they need to judge to survive.

Of course, choosing my side is the worst choice!

“I don’t wish for humanity to die. If you stay here, the royal family will label you as traitors.”

Yes, this is ostensibly directed at the leader, but actually aimed at those listening around.

Which side do people think is right?

Will the seeds I’ve sown sprout?

I carefully check the field.

“Humanity needs to dream more.”

And thus, with the hope that they would give me warmth by endlessly repeating killing and being killed, I spoke.

If just one person betrays, that’s enough. In battlefields, traitors are executed.

Especially that leader there would cut someone down instantly. I believe he has the skills to prevent the group from collapsing when morale hits rock bottom.

Trust in humanity’s wickedness.

That’s what I’m counting on.

Just one.

Just one person coming forward is enough.

And someone did.

“I… I will follow you. Y-you saved my sister.”

Sister? Looking at his face, something clicks in my memory. The day Bern City burned. That girl dying of burns whom I turned into a harvester. This is her family.

That’s right. Even if he’s part of Bern City’s defense force, it’s not strange for his family to live in Bern City.

As that young man approached me, the leader exaggeratedly shouted loud enough for others to hear.

“Traitor! How sad that a traitor has emerged in my army! Foolish soldier! Don’t you know what happens to traitors in the army? Immediate execution!”

Flash!

Light swept through, and the man’s upper body was torn apart.

Hehe.

Perfect.

He reacted exactly as I expected.

A human body is surprisingly sturdy, so even if declared dead, it takes time to actually expire.

And that’s the opportunity. You can still make a contract during that time.

“I will offer you to him. In return, when you finish everything, I’ll take everything you have. How about it?”

In the silence, the man whose upper and lower body had been separated began swelling as he fell, turning into pottery.

Then, like a new life hatching from an eggshell, he emerged from the shattered pottery, his hair turning purple, his skin blue.

Approaching him, I said:

“Since I’ve taken residence in you, it’s still okay to dream.”

Ambiguous words like dreams make people interpret them as they wish.

“Thank you.”

As he knelt and bowed to me, another person hesitantly approached from among the onlookers. Seeing this, the leader stiffened his expression and shouted.

“Traitor! Deserters! Fools like you will all be executed immediately!”

Light and flames rage, and people begin dying.

I turn them into harvesters. Even though harvesters wounded here can never recover, the people are too distracted by those reviving to fully comprehend, and rush to protect me.

And then…

“Huh?”

A harvester capable of resisting attacks appears.

The light from the cane scatters harmlessly, like a toy’s.

The countless warmth falling around me slightly eases my coldness. Just slightly.

Where is this going?

Hehehe.

“I will keep saying it. Come to me. I will share myself with humanity.”

Of course, the leader knows it’s too late for him to surrender now that he’s killed so many.

Also, I pretend not to notice there’s a spy sent from Ganenrepu among those who’ve bowed to me. It’s preparation for the next move.

Information gathers, warmth gathers, harvesters increase.

Once again, my choice was correct.

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