“Are you telling me that everything happening right now is related to the three corporations? They messed up the city and made the army kill citizens?”
Polaris surprised me by asking who the enemy was instead of suggesting we should retreat right away.
So I nodded. Victoria nodded too. She heard it directly from Marquis Gaston.
I heard that, but there was no need to say it out loud.
Now everyone here already knows that fact.
Hehe.
Now there’s only one group left to shake up.
The Twilight Association.
If possible, I’ll make these religious folks rethink things.
Why, you ask?
Because I’m in a bad mood. What other reason could there be?
Of course, Victoria and Polaris wouldn’t want to meet them, but it can’t be helped.
I know they will follow me, but I’ll just do what I want.
And if Victoria wants to return to Bern City in the future, it’s better to face them now, before her resentment solidifies into a solid hatred.
“When we return to the capital, there’s going to be a lot to do. So, you’re saying that the three corporations are the ones who messed up the city. And the reason is to cover up what happened in Bern City. Am I right?”
Polaris asked us, looking for confirmation.
“What exactly happened in Bern City that day?”
I looked at Victoria. She seemed deep in thought. I could explain, but it’s a risk to share what I know.
Just a bit of mentioning the corporation names could expose my ability to see through the harvesting machines.
Even if I get caught, I wouldn’t fall into the abyss immediately, but it could become dangerous later. So I should keep it hidden.
And I don’t really have to say anything.
“I’ll explain what I know.”
Victoria began explaining to Polaris everything that had happened in Bern City and what she had deduced on her way here.
The three corporations are moving as one body, hiding a fatal flaw throughout the mechanical puppets.
If that gets revealed, they could face astronomical compensation claims. Calculating damages and retrieval costs, along with the negative social perception, could lead to truly astronomical figures.
So they plan to sweep it under the rug and change things in two years, she said.
Then Victoria asked for my opinion.
“What do you think, Bell?”
“I really don’t know much about people.”
Victoria shot me a suspicious look. But I stood my ground. The truth is, I really don’t know.
However, I know that Victoria’s assumptions haven’t reached the truth.
Two years. It’s certainly a long time, but it’s way too much to recall or replace all the items sold during that time.
The corporate spies in the army, fighting hard against the mechanical puppets, are just disposable pawns, following orders for cash.
How do I know this?
Because all the harvesting machines that manipulated the mechanical puppets are dead. They were killed by those very puppets. Killing them to silence them—how cunning.
The person who gave the orders has their name and face posted on our server, so as long as they follow orders, not only will they survive, but they were promised additional payment if there were no survivors.
Every victim believed they would be fine.
And there’s a reason for that.
It’s because the people the corporations approached have one common trait: they blew their money on gambling.
They’re all people who’ve suffered serious disabilities. Gamblers are basically patients with severe brain damage. They’re easy to manipulate. They’ll kill for money to get back into gambling.
In a desperate rush to do anything for money, they take the bait without hesitation. Plus, they’re disposable workers, not worth the effort to consider their lives after being used.
Of course, some are cautious.
In such cases, the corporations give them some shoddy tasks a few times, establishing an image that they will be paid for their work.
When the time really comes, they’ll rush to act for the thought of earning some money again, thinking it’s just another trivial task.
And that’s exactly what happened.
Moreover, not every spy has become a harvesting machine, but all those who have became regulars at the same casino. They were turned into spies before the Bern City incident occurred.
In other words, they knew Bern City was going to turn out like this.
When things went south in Bern City, they didn’t act in a panic; rather, they had been waiting for this moment well in advance.
It’s genuinely meticulous.
So it’s strange. They’re only buying two years to fix a flaw?
There must be another reason.
I’m not sure what it is.
However, I don’t need to know about that dangerous plan.
What matters to me is how much blood will be spilled in the process. I was thinking like this when suddenly a hint popped up in my mind.
“You’re telling me they’re doing strange things with the army just to cover up a flaw? The risk of getting exposed outweighs their gains too much.”
Polaris offered a different perspective.
“Isn’t that normal for global corporations?”
Victoria asked. I thought so too.
International corporations sometimes shake whole countries. They use money to buy laws and stand on top of them.
But Polaris shook her head in denial.
“You know, the bigger the city, the more dangerous it becomes for the city defense forces, right?”
At Polaris’s question, Victoria looked puzzled and asked back.
“If a city’s big, doesn’t that mean there are more people, making it safer? Isn’t it more dangerous because there are too many people?”
But Polaris shook her head, looking at Victoria as if it’s strange she doesn’t know that, then suddenly realized something.
“Imagine you’re going to a restaurant. Would you go to a place far away to grab a side dish, or would you go to the one right next door?”
Ah, that’s easy to understand.
Being in a crowd means there are delicious options, right?
“But that means the number of protectors is also increasing, isn’t it?”
“The stronger the monster, the better the hunting ground it has within its territory.”
Only then did Victoria seem to understand Polaris’s words and nodded. The bigger the city, the tougher the defense forces need to be to face such monsters.
To make it simple, it’s like saying a chocolate cake has more calories than a cucumber. Calories = deliciousness, right?
“So even if the corporations succeed, there can’t be any survivors. And look! It’s almost over.”
As Polaris pointed to the opposite side of the direction we were walking, soldiers were grouping together to take down the mechanical puppets 3 to 1 or 4 to 1.
They seem to have figured out how to deal with them, as they are now easily destroying the larger machines and rescuing trapped individuals inside. It’s the smaller machines that are having a tougher time.
That’s because they move erratically, and the people trapped inside have become almost like meat chunks.
Their bodies flail uncontrollably, filled with pain from twisted joints, guilt for killing their comrades, and despair from being entirely helpless.
When a harvesting machine kills someone inside, warmth enters, bringing their memories along. Even if the memories come in pieces, they’re similar enough to piece together.
So most of those inside the smaller machines ended up dead, while those trapped in the bigger ones survived. The army seems to have realized that the mechanical puppets are dangerous.
Especially if the enemy is related to the mechanical puppet’s corporations, it’s safer to demolish them beforehand.
In the end, many lives were lost, but they managed to maintain their army as a group.
Though the fighting continues, it won’t be long before it’s over.
Unless, of course, an enemy full of the will to slaughter that army doesn’t come charging in afterward; they’ll be safe.
As you might guess, that enemy is currently making its way here with great effort.
So I started walking in that direction.
If things go on like this, I’ll meet them in the forest.
I picked up my speed a bit to make sure I could meet them at the border of the forest and the grasslands.
“Bell? Why are you suddenly running?”
“You wouldn’t answer me anyway if I asked. Just follow along, Polaris.”
The two are chatting behind me.
Exactly so.
At least on the surface, I appear diligent. I’m doing what seems to be good deeds sincerely. I make sure to act in a way that makes it look deliberate. Also, I choose my words carefully to maintain that impression.
I’m not that bright.
So I act from the beginning to avoid showing weaknesses.
I don’t particularly want to live a good life. But I don’t want to live a bad life either. I just hope that most people live well.
I wish they wouldn’t kill each other so ruthlessly and just turned a blind eye to those dying off in the distance, living happily off the exploited byproducts.
In doing so, as more people arise, my warmth increases.
Like the corporations visible in the third world, bloated corporations inevitably trample on lives, even if individuals within them are good.
Otherwise, the world doesn’t turn.
That’s why I don’t induce fighting among them unnecessarily. People naturally fight when pointed in the right direction.
No matter how much they suspect me, it’s okay even if I happen to make a mistake that I’m not even aware of. Unless I’m giving up on the world or there’s something more important, I’ll keep acting kindly and continue to do so in the future.
You think I’m foolish?
It actually works.
Victoria and Polaris trust me enough to follow me even knowing that I’m up to something, right?
Hehe.
And just barely.
We met before the Twilight Association made it into the forest.
