Kanna built up walls in her heart as if hastily erecting wooden walls on the empty ground of completely collapsed castle walls.
But Kanna tries to hide that as much as possible and tells the story she originally wanted to tell.
It was gratitude.
Gratitude that so much has really changed since becoming a harvester.
I explain her life that has changed from before while stating facts I already know one by one.
She expresses that the way her family looks at her has changed, that the things she can do have increased tremendously, and that returning to normal is this happy.
"Yes. I see."
"Your reaction is really bland. Isn't this what you wanted?"
Ah, so that's why she said this?
It seems she thinks I'm making harvesters to feel some sense of achievement.
Since I plan to live pretending to be a good person, I'll say something appropriate.
"More."
"More?"
"I hope you go further. Kanna."
The happiest future a harvester can obtain.
This world is zero-sum. For one person to be happy, countless people must become unhappy. When they fall into unhappiness and die, I can take their warmth.
If the cause of this is causally in the harvester, I can harvest warmth. Of course, it doesn't seem to be really from beginning to end, and there seems to be some limit, but that's something.
I learned so much from Tis.
For example, when Tis ordered to eradicate thieves in the royal palace, I obtained the warmth the thieves had no matter how far away they were.
Kanna is also a person in such a position.
Therefore, like Tis.
"At the very least, you should pass away peacefully with grandchildren and granddaughters by your side."
If possible, it would be even better if you could have great-grandchildren.
Hearing my words, Kanna blinks her eyes trying to understand. And she smiled slightly.
"What's that. Aren't you looking too far ahead?"
"It's soon for me. Kanna. It seems you don't understand well because of this appearance, but I'm a monster? I live for a very, very long time."
I say this knowing it will sound like a good person speaking.
I don't even know if I can die of old age in the first place. Let alone aging, it's impossible to die from injury. No matter what, I can't end my own life.
"Yes, even if you say you're a monster... Are you really a monster in the first place? Aren't you something like a god? Really? Until now, you've been saving people?"
"I'm neither omniscient nor omnipotent. I often get complicated things wrong, and there were times when I thought I was doing well but later found I was crossing a dangerous bridge. I just live longer than others."
I'm such an evil monster that lives by stealing the warmth of living beings while living for a long time. But I don't intend to say that far. I just cut it off right here.
It's about making sentences that feel like I'm putting myself down while seeming like a kind superhuman.
By doing so, it's just right if they think I'm actually an amazing person but don't want to be called that.
Good people are easy to use and think of as suckers who give them benefits no matter what, right?
Plus, I live for a long time. People will look at me who lives long with anger and envy, and try to get the byproducts somehow.
Since pseudo-religions shake and lead with non-existent byproducts, I can say I'm refreshing compared to that.
Of course, there's a much harsher penalty than pseudo-religions can't compare to, but sometimes people have realities they want to change even if they receive that.
Or, like humans seen in gambling dens, not thinking about such things at all.
"Every time I talk with you, I feel you're not human."
I'm doing that on purpose.
Instead of saying that, I answer with a smile. Then Kanna lets out a small sigh.
"Actually, I'm starting to wonder if it's okay to use you so casually like this."
"Use me to your heart's content. I hand myself over indiscriminately. If you don't die, I'll make your body better once."
"I feel like you're actually taking the most precious thing as payment."
I didn't say anything.
Although she didn't touch the truth, maybe she slightly touched near it, as Kanna's expression hardened slightly.
It seems I'm tormenting her too much, so shall I slightly turn her attention with easy-to-understand words?
"If this is too burdensome... I have one request."
"What is it?"
Even after several days, there's no news from the royal palace. The situation in Bern City is still worsening.
There's a high possibility my request has disappeared. Or many people may have died in Bern City, but they may have passed over it saying it's no big deal.
"Victoria sent a letter to her parents in Bern City, but strangely there's no reply. I'd like you to look into that."
A power holder in the north projects influence to the south.
Now, how will the royal family think? If it's a power group with good relations, it would be resolved somehow, but Kanna feels she owes me a debt.
She must bring me some answer.
The fact itself of approaching the topic of Bern City remains.
And there's room for excuse for now.
I told King Hyperion that people are dying in the south.
I told Kanna that Victoria's family can't be contacted.
At first glance, they're completely different issues.
They're just coincidentally in the same place. So if I'm suspected of not trusting the king, or more precisely, trying to divide the relationship, there's room for excuse.
I'm worried if this will really work well, but my actions so far will reinforce the persuasiveness to some extent.
"Victoria Bete. What's your relationship with her? You're not family, right?"
Then Kanna looks at me with a face that really doesn't understand and asks.
Huh? That side?
Ah. That's right. Since it's a humane part I deliberately created, I thought everyone who knows would think I'm included in Victoria's family range.
In reality, we had no relationship at all, and it seems she knows that fact.
Here, I want to reinforce that relationship a bit more.
"Victoria is the first person I contracted with when I came to this world, and Belle is the name Victoria gave me."
It sounds like there's a deep relationship.
Even parent-child relationships are created by such coincidences. So it looks similar at first glance. It looks like we've formed a relationship like family.
Unlike real family, there's no function of continuing genes though.
Yes. We're not family. We're really not anything.
The name Belle can be discarded anytime, and the first contractor isn't special.
She pinpointed the fact well, but I drag it in the direction of denying it. I add humanity as if those people are no different from my family.
It's an easy-to-understand weakness.
I don't know about more advanced times, but even in noble families that practice survival of the fittest, family is generally thought to be on one side.
And that side is a weakness.
"So that's why you two often go around together."
Kanna made a surprised expression.
Is it such a surprising thing? Rather, looking at the context so far, shouldn't Victoria and I be seen as close friends?
Victoria is a harvester. That means she contracted with me. And during the Bern City incident, we became famous together and entered the Royal Academy together.
It doesn't seem like such a surprising thing?
If you don't know, you should ask.
"Is it strange?"
"Yes. It's strange. You show an appearance detached from the secular world, unlike someone like Victoria. I didn't expect you to ask me to do something for someone else while just passing over your own matters."
Yes.
She's seeing accurately. So that's why she was more surprised.
If you're talking about my own matters, you mean the story of when I was almost bullied for meeting the prince.
But I really didn't care about that. If they attacked, I was rather going to take it as an opportunity to make them harvesters.
Your skin gets better, and your body becomes just the right shape. Generally, this is called becoming prettier.
There are many people who can do anything if they become beautiful.
So jealous people were prospective customers who could easily be made into harvesters.
Anyway.
She knows too much about me. A shock is needed to erase understanding.
At times like this, it's much more shocking to say this rather than explaining in detail.
"Can you compare it to Maleficent?"
"No. Compared to that, it's just girls' jealousy. How can you compare it to something like a witch who lived for hundreds of years... As expected, you dealt with her."
Ah. Come to think of it, they said the royal family dealt with it. But it should be fine since they didn't tell me separately not to tell the truth.
I brought Maleficent's things as a bribe cum trap and handed them over.
"She killed people to an extent I couldn't turn a blind eye to."
She ground up not only harvesters but also those who would become harvesters in the future. Thanks to that, the capital is still in a mess.
Right now, I'm aiming for harvesters to spread in the far future.
If so, it's better for people to live happily and keep prospering.
Why was I trying to blow up Bern City again?
Ah.
It was because I could get warmth. Hehe. A lot of warmth.
Moreover, in the midst of fighting, they'll scrape together things that were there. Among them are things that can break through that situation.
And Morris isn't necessarily needed to use that. I've already put such knowledge into the harvesters' heads.
Because it's needed, technology develops.
Unlike Brightshin which only had the poor class, harvesters made in Bern City are mixed from all walks of life.
If these people are living well, there's a high possibility that the materials I sent will disappear into thin air. Because people with healthy minds never pulled out the information I sent.
But in Bern City now, all harvesters are in extreme situations.
It's just right for my knowledge to penetrate their heads.
And in reality, there are several people tinkering using clockwork machines.
As soon as I entered Bern City, I seized many war machines that became coffins imprisoning people.
Soon, weapons that exert powerful abilities while creating areas where magic can't be used will come out.
When that time comes, many things will change.
As I was thinking about the benefits of connecting Bern City and the Theodor family like that, Kanna chuckled at what was funny about saying I killed her because it was too dangerous.
And we quietly drank tea and ended our conversation.