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Victoria, with a face full of anxiety, headed towards the dormitory she was preparing.

The place she originally lived wasn’t far from the entrance, but now it had been moved to a rather secluded spot.

There were students from commoner backgrounds like Victoria living there, forcibly displaced regardless of their parents’ success or their own abilities.

The wall separating nobles from commoners is high, after all.

Nobles would arrive, and naturally, those who gathered more than a certain number formed territories, pushing others out.

I walked down the corridor.

There were a few people asserting their territory when Victoria passed by, but not now.

They were probably too busy with Solindiges at the moment.

I slipped past that space and ventured deeper inside, near the stairs leading up. It was a noisy place filled with voices, where Victoria and other displaced students had gathered.

I stood in front of Victoria’s door.

Victoria was packing her bag to go to the Mechanical Knight School. The room was still messy. She had cleaned it to some extent, but it wasn’t exactly tidy.

Beatrice would probably be angry if she saw it.

I couldn’t really tell if she’s living properly, though.

Before long, Victoria opened the door.

“Ah? Bell?”

“Are you going out?”

“Yeah. I have class at the Mechanical Knight School today. But what about you, Bell? Haven’t you gone home yet?”

I shrugged.

I still didn’t know. At least, when I left the classroom and headed to the dormitory, there was a steel barricade set up at the main gate.

“I don’t know when it’ll end.”

“Then do you want to rest in my room?”

Saying that, Victoria pointed to her room. I pointed back at her room as I replied.

“It’s a pigsty, though.”

“Hey! I keep it organized, okay!”

Victoria was shouting in anger, but she wasn’t truly mad. In fact, while we were talking, wet objects from behind floated up and returned to their original places.

This is…

It’s highly likely that even if it’s not in view, it can still be seen. Unfortunately, I can’t perceive that sense either.

I have no idea what the harvesting machine is or what psychic ability even is. All I can vaguely guess is that it’s something beyond my shared senses and not related to physical function.

If it were a sense inside the body, I would know not just sight and sound, but also the sensations of my internal organs.

Anyway, I said to Victoria.

“Let’s go out together.”

“Huh? But it would be boring if I go with you?”

Usually, I’d have to just stand outside the school looking clueless if I followed her.

“Let’s go together.”

I spoke in a way that wouldn’t allow her to question the reason. Victoria looked at me with a reluctant expression but soon nodded, as if she had sorted her thoughts.

Once fully outside, Victoria closed the door.

And even without a key, I heard a clunking sound. Right after that, white steam erupted from the keyhole.

Yeah. No need for a key here.

She really uses her psychic ability like a hand.

Victoria and I left the dorm together.

As she gazed at the empty corridor with a puzzled expression, she quietly asked me when there was no sign of anyone.

“What’s going on?”

“Is it easy to go outside?”

“Usually, there’s no one who can hurt me.”

“I don’t mean that. You’ll see when we go out to the main gate.”

After stepping out of the dorm and walking along the white wall on the right, we could hear people outside crying out for food or jobs before we even reached the main gate.

“They’re still at it.”

“It’s a necessary thing to keep doing moving forward.”

Otherwise, it’s hard to survive. The protests are cries for survival.

As Victoria and I approached the main gate, the sounds grew louder.

Turning to the right to glance at the main gate, I saw soldiers and barricades amidst the steel framework of the gate, with many people in the distance holding placards and tools, shouting.

“The gate is closed.”

“This is the only way out. Come on, Victoria.”

I led her forward.

As we got closer to the main gate, a soldier approached us.

“Are you a student? I’m sorry, but please refrain from going outside.”

He politely requested us to turn back.

But I said this instead.

“My name is Bell. I’m going out.”

Upon hearing my name, the soldier showed a puzzled expression. Huh? Didn’t he hear something? At least he wouldn’t stop me from moving, but the soldier muttered that he didn’t remember hearing that name.

“Please wait a moment.”

Saying that, the soldier rushed off to another location. Yep. He’s probably going to ask someone higher up.

Students generally hold a fairly high status compared to soldiers.

And judging by the way he took a glance at my hair and skin before leaving, I’d say good news is coming.

“Are you sure about this?”

He looked at me with a face of distrust. But even if he asked, I could only respond that I was fine.

“If it doesn’t work, just say the protest blocked the entrance and that you couldn’t go out. The person teaching Victoria would understand.”

I asked that while I was aware of what was happening at the Mechanical Knight School.

Victoria grimaced at my words. It was a look of not wanting things to go that way. She doesn’t appear so, but Victoria is diligent.

Unless something particularly special happened until now, she always participated in the classes held late in the afternoon.

That’s how much she dreams of becoming a Mechanical Knight. So practically, her teacher must be giving her instructions, as it’s nearly the same as being expelled.

Moreover, Victoria has to attend the Royal Academy.

If she dislikes the Royal Academy, she could drop out and return to the Mechanical Knight School. But the Royal Academy also serves as a kind of protective observation place.

Talented individuals were brought into the Royal Academy.

What happens if those who can’t endure the Royal Academy leave?

Yep.

They’re buried.

Talented people are dangerous. If they develop evil intentions, they can misuse their abilities. The examples have been shown by three major corporations.

If one refuses to integrate into mainstream society, they’ll be excluded for safety reasons.

Of course, no one explained this directly.

However, at least Beatrice seemed to have an understanding of this, as she earnestly persuaded Victoria at the beginning. I realized this when I made Kanna into a harvesting machine.

However, Victoria’s patience is reaching its limit.

So much has happened. And it was too harsh for a single girl to bear. Not that anyone has told her.

Victoria has already killed a lot of innocent people.

Her power is so immense that, similar to how shockwaves crack the ground when a supersonic plane flies close to it.

Without the intention to kill, she drowned innocent people.

Or maybe she knows. No one said a word, and she didn’t show any signs of it. But the way she handled water might hint at something.

While I am filled with warmth and happiness from it!

If things continue like this, the warmth might pour in again.

But we’ve already seen each other’s faces for a long time, haven’t we? And…

And

And there’s the promise with Soo-oh. Yeah.

So, at the very least, I can be around. I am an extension of her humanity.

I know how to act like a person. I know how to do it and how to feel it.

But even considering all that, I dislike the cold more than that. So I take away the warmth.

No matter how much my heart screams, the cold is more painful. To ease the most painful aspect even a little, I would do anything.

Even if it’s a child like family, if they grant warmth, I’d push them into hell and make them produce warmth. It’s less miserable that way.

If someone claims I’m not human, I’d want them to experience my situation.

Kekeke.

They would surely scream like me, get broken, and crave warmth.

The problem is no one in this world, nor anything, can go through what I have.

Enviably, they can die.

They can choose to vanish without feeling that kind of pain.

I stay still, allowing the cries of agony from Victoria to subside, but I don’t prevent her from facing reality.

Before long, the soldier who just blocked us, accompanied by someone who seems to be the commander, came up to me.

“Are you the one called Bell?”

“Yes. Could you please let me out like this?”

The commander looked at me after my question. Then he slightly opened the main gate with his hand. The soldiers behind him were saying something, but the commander quieted them down by calling out their rank.

I stepped outside through the opened door, calling to Victoria, whose expression was blank behind me.

“Come on, let’s go.”

“Wow, this is actually happening.”

As soon as we walked out, the door was promptly shut behind us.

Beyond the barricade, my accommodation came into view amidst the crowd of protesters, where sheets of metal bolstered the entrance and windows. It’s the same one used when the Gashinamoo was growing last time.

It was originally intended for this purpose.

I stepped toward the protestors. Just as I passed the barricade, the commander shouted at me from behind.

“It’s dangerous to go over there!”

“It’s not dangerous.”

As I stepped out, the crowd of protesters slowly began to quiet down. They stared at me with puzzled expressions as if they were looking at something strange.

I paid no attention to those gazes and walked straight ahead.

After all, they aren’t enemies. Behind me, Victoria hesitated, then sprinted towards where I was. A few soldiers seemed confused, glancing at the commander, unsure whether they should protect me.

I raised my hand to stop them and walked forward to the group of protesters. A large, rugged-looking beastman man immediately drew attention.

He definitely stood out. So, I aimed at him.

“Are you a noble?”

“No, I’m Bell.”

He pointed a wooden stick he was holding at me, it had originally been something more but broke into something akin to a spear. I could see droplets of water suspended in the air.

No, I don’t need Victoria’s help for this. Sure, she could collect warmth, but I want to do something different here.

“I say this purely out of goodwill. Humanity. Go home for today.”

I lifted my crumbling, rotting humanity while gazing at the mass of warmth.