The Outer God Needs Warmth-Chapter 221: Song of the Betrayed (1)

I quietly watched to see what she would do next.

But Victoria remained still.

Even though I looked around, thinking there might be water floating nearby, I didn’t see any droplets in the air.

Could it be that the overwhelming reality has made her shrink back?

Meanwhile, the citizens were dragging students out of the clockwork machines and killing them.

No matter how much they rode the clockwork machines, this world was different from the faded memories of the past.

Even though there are so many people, a civilian without a weapon couldn’t face a tank, but in this world, even civilians could be incredibly strong.

It’s not just about casting magic; there are civilians who fight monsters for a living.

So, even riding a clockwork machine classified as heavy machinery and wielding its power doesn’t make you invincible.

Unlike Vern City, Victoria is in danger too.

However, if it’s water manipulation, she could probably handle most people.

They’re just ordinary creatures.

I remembered a character from an old faded memory who controlled water and acquired forbidden techniques to fight against an enemy.

They controlled the moisture inside their bodies.

They manipulated blood, but the human body is 70% water. Even the fluid flowing through the brain is water.

Before fully understanding what’s happening, they would die. Even from Victoria’s perspective, without seeing water flowing, I headed toward her.

Surprisingly, Victoria didn’t move right away.

Instead, she quickly turned and fled.

Victoria moved toward me, and I walked toward her.

In that exact moment, Victoria saw me.

I saw her expression.

Her pupils were pale and cloudy. Despair settled beneath her eyes, her face showing clearly that she had lost something important.

I already knew that from the feeling, but seeing it directly was different.

Victoria ran straight to me and, without a word, tightly embraced me. I mean, ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ it’s awkward to do this in public.

But, I understand.

Since I was human a long time ago, I can somewhat understand. But back then, I wasn’t the type to run toward a dream like Victoria.

I just lived aimlessly until one day I realized I was right in the middle of a terrifying cold.

Yes, it’s not like I don’t understand.

She’s hugging me tightly without crying.

But there’s a problem.

"Hey! That’s the student who ran!"

"Catch her!"

"Grab her and kill her!"

The fact that Victoria saw them means they saw her too. After all, if a child who saw the burning school suddenly ran in the opposite direction, they would assume she was a student from that school.

Even if that weren’t the case, they wouldn’t stop.

They killed the child, but she wasn’t a student? Well, so what?

Pretending you don’t know and walking away is what a good person would do. At least, they’re aware that their actions are wrong.

Because of shame, they pretend otherwise.

The more extreme ones shift the blame. They shout, “Why were you there?” This is a typical case of blaming others. They can’t admit that they’ve done wrong.

It’s not because of ignorance. They can’t stand the thought of their honor being damaged.

Ah, of course, it’s not the usual type of honor.

It’s more about the sense of belonging they gained from the community they’re part of. That’s why when many people form a group, they quickly go down the wrong path.

They sacrifice truth, social justice, and even family, just to maintain that sense of belonging.

Religions, companies, and various groups use this.

Where you belong is an extremely important element in human evolution. If you didn’t form a group, you died. If you did, you lived.

That inertia was maintained even as society became more complex.

Why do people in companies endure unreasonable tasks and can’t escape?

Why do people in religions accept forced sacrifices without refusal?

It’s because the old instincts are still rooted deep inside.

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

As society became more complicated and multiple groups emerged, biological instincts couldn’t keep up with the speed of civilization’s development.

An ordinary person struggles with just belonging to one group.

And they settle into it.

Of course, it might be because of low intelligence, broken hearts, or they may have been bullied and trained with violence.

But once they belong, they try to maintain that position.

It’s the same with them.

They would do anything to maintain their group.

They’re the ones who, despite having killed someone, now approach me with tools covered in blood.

"Can Bel bring the dead back to life?"

I heard Victoria’s voice in my ear. It was so cold, filled with malice. So, I responded.

"No. It’s impossible. A dead person is dead."

"Yeah. I see."

The air suddenly became dry.

Moisture disappeared.

Victoria, who had placed her hand on my shoulder, stopped hugging me and stood up.

"There’s that bitch! Kill her!"

"We’re starving because of you!"

"If we kill all of you, everything will go back to normal!"

"She’s a murderer who killed with a clockwork machine!"

"A madman who made the devil’s machine!"

As if trying to prove that what they were doing was right, the people in the group shouted loudly in all directions.

It seemed like they couldn’t live without asserting their own righteousness.

But Victoria was stronger.

Whoooosh!

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

The people who had rushed at her with weapons to strike were separated from their knees forever.

The unfortunate ones had their thighs cut off, and the taller ones had their shins cut off.

The smell of blood exploded, spreading everywhere.

But that didn’t last long.

The scent of blood seemed to vanish as if scraped away by a rake. Even the air that would carry the scent seemed to settle down.

"Ahhhhhhh—ugh!"

The screams that had echoed from the ground soon stopped.

No. To be precise, when they collapsed to the ground, water rose and submerged them. Even though sounds should pass through water, it seemed like the water swallowed up all the vibrations.

Those who were still conscious, despite their severed legs, struggled to move, trying to escape, but that only lasted a moment.

They became unable to move from where they lay.

The arms that came out from the water still moved here and there, but the water that rose from the ground was no longer liquid.

It had turned solid.

"Huh?"

Why?

The warmth didn’t come.

In that form, in that state, no one died.

"Won’t you kill them?"

"Then, shall I?"

Victoria looked at me with empty pupils. I almost shouted at her to kill them all, but I managed to hold back.

The concept must be maintained.

"Do as you wish. Whatever path you take, I just want those who accept me to do what they want."

If you want to kill, blame it on yourself.

I’ll follow the rules I’ve set.

I never lie. I only share myself. I know that just by doing that, I can get the warmth I want.

Yes. The most important thing is warmth.

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

So, no matter how close someone is, I’ll prioritize actions that give me warmth. Even if Victoria massacres them now, I’ll just watch.

"I won’t kill them."

Surprisingly, she chose not to take revenge?

"Really? I see."

The reason I asked earlier whether I could bring the dead back to life was because I was wondering if you were thinking about whether to kill or save them. In other words, you wanted to save them from the start.

Hmm—

Then, I’ll use this.

I started walking toward the frozen pieces of meat.

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

"Where are you going?"

"There’s someone asking for me ahead."

They’re the ones who, in despair, struggle to grab hold of any rotten rope. Just a few seconds ago, these were the same people who wanted to kill Victoria.

So what?

All I see in front of me are potential harvesters.

"Are you going to save them? Are you going to make them like me? When they wake up, they’ll try to kill me again, are you telling me to fight them again? Don’t you know that?"

Victoria continued.

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

"You’re a monster who doesn’t even understand a human’s heart!"

Correct.

But just as I was about to agree, I realized that if I did, the heart of the girl in front of me would truly break.

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Alone, in a place with no one around.

Hmm, what should I do?

Soo’s face flashed in my mind, but I closed my eyes.

Hmph.

I grabbed Victoria’s arm to remove her grip on my collar.

"Victoria. Everyone has a chance. No matter if they’re a good person or a villain. Even if they’ve done a wrong that can never be forgiven."

I mindlessly created harvesters.

The ones filled with greed will make better use of me.

In the first world, I pretended to be good and failed. This time, I’ll experiment with irresponsibility.

"I’ll share myself with those dying right now. Once I do that, if they start fighting again, that’s what it means to be human."

I used my strength to pull Victoria’s hand off. My strength wasn’t that great, so it was probably Victoria who let go. Has her heart been truly broken now?

If this goes on, it might be like Vern City, with a large number of casualties. Then, it will be warm after a long time.

I looked at Victoria, who was staring at me, and walked toward the butchered body lying on the ground.

And recited the contract.

"I’ll offer myself to you. But once you’ve finished everything, I’ll take everything you have in return. How about it?"

Even if they can’t speak, even if they’ve lost consciousness, this contract will reach through all impossibilities.

And the result is exactly as it seems in front of me.

Numerous harvesters woke up, their hair turned purple, and their skin turned pale.