Chapter 202

It’s time to deliver the final blow.

The soldiers shout loudly and point their weapons at the leader. I stepped forward amidst all this.

As I moved forward, the crowd parted to make way for me. Lucky they didn’t block my path.

So, I quickly arrived in front of him and said this:

“Just spill who ordered you, and you can live.”

Already weakened by the Harvester’s abilities, he had no power left. The leader was completely cornered. Though some were on his side, they couldn’t stand against those who switched to mine.

Because not only did I have a second life, but I also gained psychic powers that nullified others’ strength.

There’s even justice and lives on my side.

As more forces join the winning side, desertions from the losing team increase.

I keep an eye especially on the corporate spies.

If the leader confesses, then at least for now, he’ll survive. But if he does, the company will bear all the blame when he spills the beans.

Slowly, I corner them.

While secretly hoping the corporation loses, I stood right in front of the leader.

Instead of talking, I extended my hand.

The leader looked at me with trembling eyes. There’s some weird emotion mixed in there, but given the situation, what can you do?

“I… I…”

He stammered, dropped his cane, and reached toward me. Perfect. Someone’s sneaking up from behind.

They’re moving with a weapon to kill him.

That’s the look of someone about to murder.

Alright, let’s draw attention here.

“Grab my hand.”

He took a step forward. Just then, the person lurking behind lunged before anyone could react, stabbing the man.

Hehe.

Thanks.

In the next moment, an assassin trying to attack me was killed by a weapon flying in from behind. With a sword stabbed into my gut, I approached the leader lying in a pool of blood.

And I recited the contract.

The man agreed and I obtained the information.

But just as I resurrected, one of the Harvesters suddenly charged forward with a weapon aimed at the leader.

But it failed.

Too many people were already on high alert.

The leader looked at the Harvester who tried to kill him—someone who had listened to him well until now.

“Whose orders were you following?”

“The Chairman of Rocketmobile…”

Yeah, got it.

But what matters is that everyone here hears this.

“What orders were given?”

“To turn the peaceful protest in Bern City into a riot and suppress it… For two years, if you succeed, you’d be made Marquis Gaston.”

This guy’s part of the Gaston family. He’s the half-brother of the person assassinated yesterday.

Murmurs spread through the crowd. This suggests something suspicious is going on. It means there’s a culprit behind what happened in Bern City.

Yeah.

Most of the soldiers here have families in Bern City. They’ve been wondering why they’ve been attacking the city they’re supposed to protect.

But once the truth comes out, things become clear.

It proves the protesters weren’t wrong. And there’s a true enemy lurking.

Especially since what they’ve done qualifies as evil.

They’ll try to erase the real enemy so they can escape their own guilt. To help them, I call out names.

“Pride Industry, Rocket Mobile Company, Gun and Rufu Company. Why would these three companies do such a thing?”

“That… I don’t know. Even our lord said he never heard anything about it.”

Judging by the “two years” mentioned, it seems they didn’t plan to hide it forever.

Still, murmurs grow louder.

At that moment, Victoria walked over and grabbed the collar of the man—who can simply be summarized as Richard Gaston—and lifted him up.

“So you’re saying you wrecked a town for reasons you don’t even understand?”

“It was my only chance to become a proper noble! Who wouldn’t seize such an opportunity? You did the same when your chance came!”

Hehe.

Like a fool, he blurts out his thoughts. The soldiers watching him grow colder with each word.

Unaware, Richard Gaston rambles on about how being illegitimate meant he couldn’t enter noble society and how this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Whatever. I grab Victoria’s hand holding Richard Gaston’s collar and release him.

After letting him down, I ask Gaston:

“Still, isn’t there something suspicious?”

I carry his memories within me.

He’s not the type to blindly follow orders. He knows full well that once the job is done, he’ll be discarded like trash.

Because that’s how he climbed the ranks—he doesn’t trust promises like some idiot. Promises are agreements between equals, not something disposable people should rely on.

“There is. The mechanical device malfunction in Bern City. These devices have fundamental issues, and they eventually broke down. The company believed they could fix it in two years and make it disappear.”

Companies can be simple when they want to be.

For their profit, they care nothing for others’ losses. Human lives mean nothing. It’s what corporations always do.

They secretly dump toxic waste into rivers, bury hazardous materials in the ground, ignore diseases caused by factories among locals, deny responsibility, and erase problems threatening humanity itself—all for profit.

A famous example from faded memories: leaded gasoline. Had one person not fought desperately, the next generation would have died from lead poisoning due to contaminated air.

A company tried to poison all humanity with lead just to maintain profits, dismissing the issue as non-existent.

No grand malice drove them to inflict suffering on everyone—it was all about money.

Thus, corporations are inherently evil.

In a world where gaining profit requires exploiting others, empathy for others fades. Even if it ultimately backfires on themselves, they pretend ignorance until it’s too late.

Because if they don’t, they fall behind, and someone even more ruthless takes their place.

“For just… such a reason? You killed people?”

I pulled the speechless Victoria aside. Pretending to leave because of her, I use her as an excuse to exit the scene.

Right now, corporate spies are hard at work.

They’re tampering with the mechanical devices. Soon, the results became apparent.

BOOM!

Suddenly, a mechanical device tore off a soldier’s head nearby.

“What are you doing?”

“I didn’t do it! Troyon is acting on its own!”

“Stop it! Stop it now!”

“Cavalus won’t respond either!”

“Pull the emergency lever!”

“It’s already pulled! But it’s not responding!”

Troyon and Cavalus are the names of the mechanical devices they ride. Troyon resembles an enhanced exoskeleton while Cavalus looks like a robot.

Both are war machines.

The army fell into chaos.

Now, if the ones riding the mechanical devices were enemies, fine. But the riders are victims.

Caught hesitating over this fact, the mechanical devices take advantage of the pause to kill.

But this is the military.

The confusion lasts only briefly.

Soldiers start destroying the mechanical devices one by one.

Some inside cry out not to die, others beg to be released, and some whose limbs twist uncontrollably plead to be put out of their misery.

Even the Harvesters, who aren’t really Harvesters anymore, attack former comrades with despair-stricken faces.

Screams fill the air as the death toll rises.

Simultaneously, warmth gathers.

This chill isn’t cold—it’s eerie. I hold Victoria and head toward Polaris hiding below.

We’ve seen enough here.

Ironically, the fact the mechanical devices acted on their own reveals the truth.

Besides, this isn’t like fighting monsters or sniping distant villains from afar.

Here, comrades must be killed along with the malfunctioning machines.

It breaks the soul.

Afterward, it gets easier.

The spilled blood will hurt others.

PTSD, right?

Sure, with proper care, recovery is possible. But this is our world—a time where mental illness isn’t even fully understood.

Who’ll care for them?

As always, after the war, soldiers become societal trash, rejected. Only commanders receive honors and medals.

Broken soldiers soon become social burdens.

Which means Harvesters will spread easily.

With our goal achieved, we head west.

From the east, members of Bern City’s Twilight Association approach, viewing Victoria as an enemy to defeat.

Though Victoria may suffer, meeting them will ensure Harvesters spread everywhere.

Spreading everywhere, they’ll become society’s cancer.

Hehe.

It means the production of warmth will accelerate. If Harvesters were only here, I might have left them alone to avoid tarnishing their image like in the second world.

But there are already many Harvesters in the capital, and the royal family loves their princess Aurora.

The Harvester’s image no longer matters.

I need only act as the dumb vending machine making Harvesters, maintaining an appearance of kindness while being clueless about worldly affairs.

I brought Victoria down the way she came and reunited with Polaris.

Then I pointed west, signaling it’s time to return.

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