The Outer God Needs Warmth-Chapter 205: Beauty and the Beast (15)

But Victoria still raises her arms.

"I don’t want to... I have to kill everyone here. If I let them go now, they’ll just torment me again."

That’s true.

Would they give up just because of this?

To live safely, it’s right to kill them all.

They jumped into this for greater desires, so if I don’t kill them here, it’s dangerous.

If none of the Harvesters were using the knowledge I provided, I would have let them all die without a second thought.

But I can’t do that.

Finally, a Harvester using the technology appeared.

Now, I need to see how they will shape this world.

"It’s because of those bastards that this happened! Vern City is completely ruined, and now I can’t even see my mom and dad! Do you think I don’t know? They want to kill me! What’s wrong with that?!"

Everything I had built up until now spills out with rage.

To be precise, their beginning was normal. They just wanted to uncover the truth behind the large fire in Vern City.

It was a legitimate question.

If we are to discern right from wrong, the three companies are to blame for bribing Duke Gaston, who governs the land where Vern City lies, to cover up the problem.

"It’s bad."

So I said it. I said, according to human standards, it was bad. Victoria glares at me, her face contorting in anger.

She glares at me like a lost child, frustrated and unable to help it.

Yeah, I get it.

What you’re supposed to do with a child is empathize and stand by them, blaming the enemy together.

But I won’t do that. Instead, I press her.

"Victoria already knows who the truly bad ones are."

She knows that the three companies are the culprits.

"The best thing Victoria can do here is not kill them but persuade them."

Honestly, I could say this is the best thing, but if I put my personal feelings of self-interest in there, it’s not truly the best. Being next to Victoria has been her misfortune.

She’s already standing at the ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ edge of misfortune, so misfortune has piled up.

Being harsh isn’t for her benefit. I also think they won’t be persuaded.

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

If I do that, maybe Victoria will feel better. Maybe she’ll even become dependent on me.

If she depends on me, she’ll become a puppet that follows whatever I say.

But neither option is worth the small benefit compared to the risk.

If I encourage her to kill people, I’ll contradict the good actions I’ve taken up until now.

If Victoria becomes dependent on me, I can manage Victoria, who has great power. But that’s something only people who don’t understand Victoria would do.

This child has made the strongest choice in the worst situations.

She’s done it once, and she’ll do it again.

I fear what will happen if her resentment toward me turns into something worse.

So I deliberately treat her harshly. I force her to stand straight and face the truth.

"Victoria, the person who is doing the worst here is you."

"Bell, don’t you feel angry about this situation? Or are you fine because you’re their god? You’re a god to them!"

Yeah. She’s really pissed off now. She points at me mockingly with her finger.

"I’m not that kind of crap."

Huh?

Why?

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Why did she suddenly get quiet? Victoria looks at me with a very surprised expression, and Polaris behind me is looking at me with a strange expression too.

It’s like they think I said something I shouldn’t have, something bad.

I’ve acted introverted, but I never said I had no emotions.

I’ve just been passive, but when action was needed, I stepped up. They must have both seen that, so why are they looking at me like that?

"Or should I say this? A person should do what they want."

I try to steer the conversation away a little, since the atmosphere feels off. It’s natural to be confused when someone who has been pushing suddenly pulls back.

Right now, the purple shield in the water is cracking, about to break.

The various abilities outside the purple shield have been swallowed up by something closer to black solid matter than water, disappearing.

But there’s still some leeway.

If you just push blindly, people will push back, so I’m trying to persuade Victoria while pulling her in.

Victoria opens her mouth at my words.

"Why are you stopping me?"

A reason. A reason.

I won’t say it’s for Victoria, because that would be a lie.

So I need another answer.

A reason to spare them. Not for me, but for Victoria.

Ah, I’ve got it.

"Are you going to fight the companies by yourself? We need to grow our allies who know the truth."

I subtly removed the royal family, who might seem like they’d help. They strangely tend to see Victoria and me as a family.

So, if Victoria asks, the king will listen.

Plus, I’ve stirred the nation into chaos and recruited those who carry out royal orders. There’s no reason not to act.

But that’s for another time. Frankly, the people in the water aren’t going to help. It’ll be fortunate if they don’t cause trouble later.

They might even harbor a grudge against the people I foolishly spared.

So, the most perfect choice is to kill them all, but one of the Harvesters used technology.

There are talents that could change the era sleeping here. They must be protected.

"The army in Vern City knows the truth now. Shouldn’t the citizens know too? Don’t they deserve to ask who turned Vern City into a horrific battlefield, or who neglected the accident?"

Maybe even if they find out, at most half will change their minds.

They’ve already given up on the country.

But Victoria here doesn’t know. I manipulate the facts and present them to her.

A cold-blooded person or a psychopath would have rejected the proposal flatly.

But Victoria isn’t that kind of person.

"Right, you’re right. If the really bad people escape, I don’t want that."

Victoria looks up at me with a very twisted expression. She slowly lowers her arms. Her hands move toward her eyes. She closes them, and her hands go up. Tears flow.

"I miss mom and dad..."

Victoria mutters.

I’m glad.

The purple shield barely saved the people inside. The once transparent shield now had cracks, and there were shields leaking water. If it had been just a little later, they would have been completely wiped out.

But the hardened mass no longer pressures the shield.

Having avoided annihilation, my plan has succeeded.

"Let’s head back to the capital. Victoria Bet. Quickly, let’s get out of here. It’s okay if we learn the truth later, right?"

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

I was trying to move them before the survivors said something strange and got killed. There were also signs of movement in the forest. The military will be here soon. Some are already hiding.

"No."

As Victoria lowers her arms, the scream that hadn’t come out is released, and cold air soars high into the sky.

And instead of the water splitting, the metal seems to crumple and crack as a black mass breaks apart. Isn’t that really not water anymore? Judging by the spread of the cold, is it ice?

But does ice compress like that?

From inside, a cracked eggshell-like shield appeared.

"Come out."

Victoria grabs my shoulder and pushes me behind her, moving forward.

No, I can’t let her kill them...

The air is still thick with life. But I couldn’t move. Polaris grabbed me.

It’s hopeless.

In character, I can’t push her aside and go to Victoria.

The terrified members of the Purple Twilight Association look up at Victoria. No one here isn’t scared of Victoria.

Is that really how it is? Shouldn’t I shout a bit louder?

Pressure from all sides pushes in, and the shield gradually shrinks until it starts cracking?

If they were shameless, wouldn’t they shout even louder at the person they scared?

"I don’t know what you’re thinking coming here. I don’t care to know. But before you do anything else, listen to me. You’ve fought to know the truth, so you have the right to hear what I know."

As the cold continues to spread from the black mass, people, trembling from the chill, slowly move forward.

In front of them, Victoria opens her mouth and explains what she’s learned.

The story of the three companies and Duke Gaston. The fact that Duke Gaston killed them. And the army above them was a mess because the winding mechanism went out of control.

And that the corporations caused the chaos.

To those asking for proof, Victoria picked up the machine she had held before attacking people, and placed it in her hand.

And then she told them where it was.

Some of the people inside reacted. Some knew the machine Victoria was holding, some knew the winding mechanism was moving beneath the capital, and some knew about the transmitter attached to a programming device Victoria didn’t remember.

Now, everyone here knows about the critical flaw in the power devices.

And to my surprise, Polaris intervened, talking about what happened on the airship.

It was a royal airship, but the winding mechanism inside killed people and tried to kill him too.

It’s a strange sight.

After overwhelming violence, everyone was in a daze, yet they are having a steady conversation. Even the Harvesters, who were thinking of taking the country, and those trying to create a religion to become the leader of a new sect, are now seriously participating in the conversation.

They’re thinking critically to uncover the truth.

What happens next is even more horrific.

From behind me, a Harvester with its left arm severed, hiding in the forest, steps out.

A Harvester named Richard Gaston joined the conversation.

Haven’t we been killing each other for so long?

They acted on desires and impulses, and like fools, they should have given me warmth, shouldn’t they?

Fools.

No.

That’s right.

Unfortunately, once you become a Harvester, your mind sharpens.

Only malicious cunning increases, and as long as you’re good at stealing from others, you get better, but your overall abilities improve.

Even more so, standing here as an individual, you think more rationally.

You shouldn’t be doing this.

What are you doing?

If we keep fighting, they’ll try to escape through the gap. Not on the passenger airship with Polaris, but the royal direct-flight battleship is coming this way right now.

If we walk a bit north, everything will end when we join up.

Then the Purple Twilight Association and Gaston’s army will scatter like baby spiders, and they’ll spread their misfortune everywhere.

It’s like having guerrillas throughout the kingdom.

Then, the Harvesters who have turned miserable will more eagerly accept the knowledge I send, and begin to change the world.

Why did this happen?

I watched from afar as those who weren’t denying their sins, seriously seeking the truth, continued their conversation.

This is failure.