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Now, what will they do? I just quietly watch.

But Victoria stands still.

I look around to see if there’s water floating about, but I don’t see any floating droplets.

Is reality just too overwhelming, making me feel small?

Meanwhile, the citizens are pulling students out of the Mechanical Device and killing them.

No matter how much they’re riding the Mechanical Device, this place is different from the faded memories of the past.

In a world where even unarmed civilians could face tanks, here, there are civilians who are incredibly strong.

It’s not just about casting magic; it means some civilians have jobs where they fight monsters to make a living.

So, even if they ride the heavy-duty Mechanical Device and swing that power around, they’re not invincible.

Unlike Bern City, Victoria is also in danger.

Still, if she can manipulate water, most people should be able to hold their own against her.

I recall a character in some faded memory who could control water, which earned them forbidden techniques from a villain.

Controlling the moisture inside one’s body, you know.

They controlled blood there, but 70% of the human body is water. The fluid within even flows through our brains.

Before they fully understand something is happening to them, they’d be dead. Even through Victoria’s eyes, I see no water flowing, anticipating such a technique, so I head towards where Victoria is.

To my surprise, Victoria doesn’t move immediately.

Instead, she turns around and runs away.

Victoria is moving towards me, and I’m moving towards her.

Really, in the next moment, I popped into Victoria’s sight.

I also see Victoria’s expression.

Her pupils are white and cloudy. Despair is sinking below her eyes. It’s an expression that clearly shows she’s lost something important.

I already felt it, but seeing it directly hits differently.

Victoria rushes towards me without a word, tightly hugging me. No, please don’t do this in public.

But I understand.

I was a person long ago, so I can understand a little. Back then, though, I wasn’t someone running towards a dream like Victoria.

I just lived day by day and found myself stuck in the terrifying cold.

Yes, I’m not unaware of this.

She hugs me tightly without crying.

But there’s a problem.

“Hey! That student ran away!”

“Catch her!”

“Grab her and kill her!”

The fact that Victoria saw them means they saw Victoria too. A child who saw a burning school would surely see a student running away from it.

Still, they won’t stop.

They killed a child, and what if she wasn’t a student? Who cares?

It’s nice to pretend you don’t know, right? At least they’re aware their actions are wrong.

There’s shame, so they hide.

The worst of them will shift the blame. They shout, “Why were you there?” That’s called turning the tables. They can’t acknowledge they did wrong.

It’s not ignorance. They can’t endure the damage to their honor.

Ah, of course. It’s not ordinary honor.

It’s closer to the sense of belonging they gain from their community. So, when many people gather, they immediately break.

They’re willing to sacrifice everything—truth, social justice, family—to maintain that sense of belonging.

Groups like religions and companies take advantage of this.

Belonging to something is crucial for human evolution. Without a group, you die. People in groups survive.

That inertia kept holding even after society became complex.

Why is it that at work, people can’t escape even when unfairness is done in the name of the company?

Why can’t they refuse to sacrifice in religion under the guise of faith?

It’s because old instincts are deeply rooted.

But back then, society was small. There was only one group.

As society got complicated and various groups formed, biological instincts didn’t keep up with the pace of civilization’s development.

Ordinary people struggle to belong to just one group.

And they try to settle there.

Of course, it could be due to low intelligence, mental breakdown, or being bullied violently.

Anyway, once they belong, they try to maintain it.

They’re the same.

To keep their group, they’ll do anything.

They’re coming this way with bloodied tools, not knowing who they’ve already torn apart and killed.

“Can Bell revive the dead?”

I hear Victoria’s voice in my ear. It’s a voice filled with coldness and malice. So I answered.

“No. It’s impossible. The dead are dead.”

“Yeah. I see.”

Suddenly, the air became dry.

The moisture vanished.

When Victoria, who had her hand on my shoulder, stopped hugging me and got up.

“That girl! Kill her!”

“It’s all your fault we’re starving!”

“If we kill all of you, things will go back to normal!”

“The murderer who kills people with that Mechanical Device!”

“The madman who created demonic machines!”

As if proclaiming righteousness, those in a group shout loudly in all directions.

It’s as if they wouldn’t survive without appealing to their justifications.

But Victoria was stronger.

Swoosh!

In an instant, thin strands of water scattered in the air.

And those running at Victoria with weapons had a permanent farewell with their knees.

The unlucky had their thighs severed, and the tall one lost his shins.

The smell of blood exploded and spread all around.

But only for a moment.

That bloody smell seemed to be scraped away, as if even the air that carried that scent had sunk.

“Aaahhhhh!”

The screams ringing from the ground soon stopped.

No. To be precise, when they collapsed to the ground, water surged up and buried them. The water should allow even sounds to pass, yet it seemed to swallow everything, swallowing the waves of sound.

Those still conscious were alive even after losing their legs, writhing and trying to escape, but soon…

They became unable to move from that spot.

At least the arms that were outside flailed about, but the water that rose from the ground was no longer fluid.

It had turned solid.

“Huh?”

Why?

There’s no warmth coming in.

With that state, and looking like that, no one has died.

“Aren’t you going to kill them?”

“Then should I?”

Victoria looks at me with empty pupils. I almost shouted to massacre them, but somehow I held back.

I need to keep the concept.

“Do as you please. Whatever path it is, I hope the one who accepted me does what they want.”

If you’re going to kill someone, do it your way.

I’ll keep the rules I’ve pursued.

I’ll never lie and just share myself. Because I know that’s enough to gain the warmth I desire.

Yes. The most important thing is warmth.

Thus, no matter how close someone might be, I’ll prioritize actions that could give me warmth. Even if Victoria goes on a massacre like this, I’ll just watch.

“I won’t kill.”

Surprisingly, she doesn’t choose revenge?

“Is that so? I see.”

When she asked if dead people could be brought back, it was because she was unsure whether to kill or to save. So she probably intended to save from the beginning.

Hmmm—

Then I’ll make use of these.

I walk towards the place where frozen meat chunks are located.

No, I tried to walk. But Victoria grabbed my arm.

“Where are you going?”

“There are people asking for me ahead.”

They’re desperate, grasping at even a rotten lifeline. Just moments ago, they were the ones trying to kill Victoria.

So what?

All I see is a potential harvesting machine right in front of me.

“Are you going to save them? Make them like me? If they wake up again, they’ll try to kill me, so you want me to fight again? Don’t you know anything?”

Victoria continues speaking.

With a truly disappointed expression, she grasped my collar and lifted me up.

“Because you’re a monster who doesn’t understand human hearts!”

Correct answer.

But I realized that if I accepted that, the heart of the girl in front of me would truly crumble.

Alone in a desolate place.

Hmm, what to do?

Soo-oh’s face comes to mind, but I close my eyes.

Hmph.

I grab Victoria’s arm that’s holding my collar to pull it away.

“Victoria. Everyone deserves a chance. Whether they’re good or evil. Even if they did something unforgivable.”

I unceremoniously create harvesting machines.

The more filled with desire they are, the better they’ll use me.

In the first world, I failed while pretending to be benevolent. Here, I’ll experiment with irresponsibility.

“I’ll share myself with those dying right now. After that, if they start to fight again, then that’s what it means to be human.”

I exert force to pry Victoria’s hand away. My strength probably isn’t that strong, so she must have let go. Has her heart broken for sure now?

Like this, we might create a large number of casualties like in Bern City. Then, it would feel warm after a long time.

I approach the people collapsed like butchered meat, looking through Victoria’s eyes at myself.

And I recite the contract.

“I’m going to offer myself to you. In return, once you finish everything, I’ll take everything you’ve got. How’s that?”

Even if they can’t speak or have lost consciousness, this contract penetrates through all impossibilities.

And the results are as visible as they appear before me.

Countless harvesting machines awaken, their hair turning purple, and their skin becoming white.