Chapter 205

But Victoria just kept her arm raised.

“Hell no… I have to kill them all here. If I let them go now, they’ll just come back and bother me again.”

That’s right.

Would these guys really give up this easily?

Killing them all is the safest option if we want to live in peace.

Since they jumped into this out of greed, letting them live would be dangerous.

If there weren’t any Harvesting Systems among them using the knowledge I gave, I would’ve just left them all to die.

But that can’t happen.

A Harvesting System that uses technology has finally emerged.

We need to see what kind of world they’ll create from here on out.

“It’s because of those bastards that everything turned out like this! Bern City is completely destroyed, and I can’t even see Mom and Dad anymore! Like I wouldn’t know? They wanna kill me! What the hell did I do wrong!”

All the frustration she’d been holding back so far burst out in anger.

Strictly speaking, their starting point was normal enough. They just wanted the truth behind the massive fire incident in Bern City uncovered.

It was a legitimate question.

If we’re talking about right and wrong, it was wrong for the three companies to bribe Marquis Gaston, who ruled over the land where Bern City stood, just to cover up their mistakes.

“That’s wrong.”

That’s why I said it. By human standards, it’s wrong. Victoria scowls as she glares at me.

She looks at me like a lost kid who’s mad but doesn’t know what to do.

Yeah, I get it.

What kids really need is empathy—someone standing by their side, condemning the enemy with them.

But I won’t do that. Instead, I push her harder.

“Victoria already knows who the real bad guys are.”

She knows the three companies are the main culprits.

“What Victoria should do right now isn’t killing them but convincing them.”

It might sound like the best course of action, but it’s not truly my “best” choice—it’s selfish. Victoria’s misfortune began the moment I appeared by her side.

She’s already at rock bottom, and now things have gotten even worse.

Being tough on her isn’t for her benefit. I also think these people won’t be convinced.

I just want to comfort her and praise her for doing well.

Then Victoria might feel better. Maybe she’d start depending on me.

If she depends on me, I’d have a puppet who follows my every word.

But neither option offers much reward compared to the risks involved.

Encouraging someone to kill is wrong, and it contradicts all the good deeds I’ve done so far.

Victoria obeying me because she depends on me—that’s something only someone who doesn’t know her would think.

This kid has made the strongest choices in the worst situations before.

And she’ll do it again.

The thought of her resentment turning toward me scares me too.

So I treat her harshly on purpose, forcing her to face the truth.

“Victoria, if anyone’s in the wrong here, it’s you.”

“Do you not feel angry about this situation, Bell? Or are you fine because they look up to you? You’re like a god to them!”

Yeah, she’s definitely ticked off now. She points her finger accusingly at me.

“I’m not some damn thing like that.”

Huh? Why? Why did everyone suddenly go quiet? Victoria stares at me in shock, and Polaris behind her gives me a strange look too.

It’s like they’re thinking, “He shouldn’t say such foul words…”

Even though I’ve acted introverted, I never said I lack emotions. I’ve always moved passively but stepped up when necessary. Since both of them have seen that, why are they looking at me like this?

“Or how about this? People should do what they want to do.”

The atmosphere feels weird, so I slightly change the subject. When someone who’s been pushing suddenly pulls back, it’s bound to confuse people.

The purple barrier submerged underwater is cracked all over and about to break.

All the strange abilities outside the purple barrier have been absorbed by something that’s more like black solid matter than water.

But we still have time.

People will rebel if pushed too hard, so I gently pull while trying to persuade Victoria.

Victoria finally opened her mouth.

“Why are you stopping me?”

Reason. Reason…

I don’t plan to say it’s for Victoria’s sake—that’d be a lie.

So I need another answer.

A reason to save them—not for my sake but for Victoria’s.

Ah, I got one.

“Are you going to fight the company alone? We need allies who know the truth.”

I subtly removed the royal family from the equation—they tend to see Victoria and me as one family.

So if Victoria asks, the king will likely comply.

Besides, I’ve caused chaos in the country and recruited someone carrying out the king’s orders. There’s no reason not to act.

But I’ll leave that out. The humans trapped in the water right now won’t be of any help anyway. It’ll be lucky if they don’t cause trouble later.

They might foolishly bear grudges against the very ones I spared.

Therefore, wiping them all out would be the most perfect choice—but there’s a Harvester using technology among them.

There’s talent sleeping here that could change the era. They must be protected.

“The army of Bern City already knows the truth. Isn’t it time the citizens found out too? Shouldn’t the citizens ask who turned Bern City into such a battlefield or neglected that accident?”

At most, half of them might change their minds even if they learn the truth.

Because they’ve already given up on the country.

But Victoria doesn’t know that. I twist the facts and present them to her.

A cold-blooded or psychopathic person would’ve dismissed my suggestion outright.

But Victoria isn’t that kind of person.

“That’s right… I hate it when truly bad people escape.”

Victoria looked up at me with a distorted expression and slowly lowered her arm. Her hand moved toward her eyes. She closed her eyes, and her hand rested on them. Tears streamed down.

“I miss Mom and Dad…”

She muttered quietly.

Phew.

The purple barrier barely saved everyone inside. The once-clear barrier is now cracked all over, leaking water. If we had delayed even a little longer, everyone would’ve perished.

But the hardened mass no longer pressures the barrier.

My plan succeeded—we avoided total annihilation.

“We should head back to the capital first. Victoria Bet, let’s go quickly. Figuring out the truth can wait, right?”

I tried to move the survivors before they said anything strange and ended up getting killed. Sounds were coming from deeper within the forest. The army will soon return here, with some already hiding nearby.

“No.”

When Victoria lowered her arm, the pent-up scream escaped as a chilling frost soared high into the sky.

It wasn’t water splitting—it was metallic chunks warping and tearing apart. That stuff isn’t water anymore, is it? Given the spreading cold, is it ice?

But does compressing ice make it behave like this?

Inside, a shattered eggshell-like barrier appeared.

“Come out.”

Victoria grabbed my shoulder, shoved me behind her, and moved forward.

No, she shouldn’t kill them…

Her killing intent is overflowing. Yet I couldn’t move forward. Polaris held me back.

Guess I’ll leave this to her.

Given my character, I can’t shove her aside and run to Victoria now.

Terrified members of the Twilight Association stared up at Victoria. No one dared to look at her without fear.

Wait, is that all? Shouldn’t she shout louder?

Pressure surged from all sides, slowly shrinking the barrier until cracks formed.

Wouldn’t an utterly ruthless person yell louder at the people they terrified?

“I don’t know why you came here, and I don’t care. But before you do anything else, listen to me. Since you fought to uncover the truth, you deserve to know what I’ve learned.”

As icy air spread from the black mass, trembling people gradually approached.

With them in front, Victoria began explaining what she discovered.

Stories about the three companies and Marquis Gaston. How she killed Marquis Gaston herself. How the army above was wrecked due to runaway mechanical devices.

And how the companies caused that malfunction.

When someone asked for proof, Victoria took the mechanical lump she’d been holding before attacking and placed it in her hand.

She explained where it came from.

Some people inside reacted—they recognized the machine Victoria held, knew about the automata moving beneath the capital, or understood the transmitter beside the programming device in Victoria’s memories.

Now everyone here knows about the critical flaw in the power source.

Surprisingly, Polaris interjected midway through, recounting what happened on the airship.

Even though it was a royal airship, the mechanical devices inside tried to kill people—including her.

It’s a bizarre scene.

Right after overwhelming violence, everyone is somehow having a calm conversation despite being mentally unstable. Not just the Harvester who sought to rule a new nation, but even the one planning to establish a religion—all are seriously engaging in the discussion.

They’re carefully thinking through the truth.

But then something even scarier happened.

From behind me, a Harvester with his left arm cut off walked out from hiding in the forest.

Richard Gaston, the Harvester, joined our conversation.

Weren’t we supposed to be mortal enemies after all this time?

Wasn’t it stupid of him to give me warmth out of pure impulse?

Stupid…

No.

That’s right.

Unfortunately, becoming a Harvester sharpens your mind.

It’s not just about developing cruel cunning to exploit others; overall intelligence improves.

Especially when you stand here as an individual rather than part of a group, you think more rationally.

You shouldn’t be doing this.

What are you doing?

They planned to use this opportunity to fight and escape. The passenger airship Polaris and I arrived on isn’t here, but a royal battleship is heading this way.

If we walk a bit north, we can meet up, and everything will end.

Then both the Twilight Association and Gaston’s army will scatter like baby spiders, spreading their misery everywhere.

It’ll be like guerrillas popping up across the kingdom.

Then the unfortunate Harvesters would actively embrace the knowledge I send them and start reshaping the world.

How did it come to this?

I watched from afar as serious individuals calmly discussed their sins without denial, seeking the truth.

This… This is failure.

---