The Outer God Needs Warmth-Chapter 142: Academy, you’re out of your mind (12)

The next day.

I woke Victoria up when it was time to get up, helped her wash up, changed her clothes, and then stood her by the entrance.

And when Morris left for work, he took her with him.

It was still early dawn, the sky blue. There was a truck parked next to the mansion. I knew it was a truck, but they all looked the same to me.

It had wheels, a large space to load things, and just enough space to sit and drive.

There was space for two kids to sit, but I gave up the front seat to Victoria and climbed into the back.

When I got in the back, there was no objection, so it seemed like there were no laws against riding in the back. Maybe not many people had died yet.

The car started, and I sat in the back.

The car was heading towards Vern City. Since it was close to early morning, there weren't many cars, which was a relief.

I didn't have to sit in the car for too long and could get to the destination comfortably.

On the side of the road, there were taxis, vehicles, and workers with tired faces heading to their jobs.

Of course, the workers were in the alleyways, not the main roads. It seemed like they were separated, like they couldn't come out into the open.

In other words, there was discrimination.

I liked the story.

It means just creating a harvest season automatically kills people.

Hehe.

As I watched the city’s light and shadows, the car arrived at its destination.

When I got out of the car, there was a huge company that required an access pass to enter.

The sign at the building entrance read "Enchant Company."

Was this a company with technology that used magic for something?

The company written on the papers Beatrice was filling out didn’t have this name. It seemed like they worked for different companies.

Well, it’s not necessary to marry someone next to you.

Morris talked to the security and then brought something from inside, giving Victoria and me guest badges.

He then drove the car further inside the building.

Behind a tall building, there was a factory-like building. The car was parked not in the parking lot but somewhere else, and Morris took Victoria and me into the building.

"Wow."

Victoria exclaimed in awe. She began explaining the names and uses of the equipment in front of her. It seemed like these were rare tools.

Morris looked around the empty place before taking us to where he worked.

It wasn't a room but a partitioned area filled with various equipment. On one corner, there was a document hanging with Morris Bet's name and position listed as a member of the development team.

The location was far from the central equipment, so it seemed like it was a place where people wouldn’t visit often.

Morris enthusiastically explained the equipment he had made to his daughter—how it worked, what it was intended for, and how, while it wasn’t efficient yet, it could become an amazing piece of technology with improvements.

Honestly, I wasn’t interested in the technology.

By the way, the technology itself was quite advanced.

Especially the glowing memories?

That was Daegon’s work. Well.

If people were cheap, they could create efficient equipment. They just needed to combine the equipment inside.

In that sense, Morris was indeed a remarkable person.

However, the problem was that this technology wasn't being recognized, as there were no signs of corpses around.

The method was simple. You just change the sequence in the blueprint that Morris had provided and instead of waiting, attach the magic-absorbing part directly to a person.

People were just filters and catalysts? That’s what the glowing memories tell me.

But do they need this?

As I thought about it while watching the father and daughter talk, it seemed like it was time for people to start coming in to work.

Unexpectedly, there was no gender inequality here; the ratio of men and women coming to work seemed about the same. Even the races were diverse.

There were people with horns on their heads, some with long ears, others with fur, and some with ears and tails from the carnivorous species.

But there was one issue.

The people who had entered looked at me with hostile expressions. Some were sneering or looking at me as if wondering why I hadn’t left yet.

As soon as they saw me, they tried to hide their expressions, but hiding their feelings from me was impossible.

Among them, some were openly displaying hostility and heading somewhere.

A reasonable person would probably try to take Victoria out of here.

But I had no intention of doing that.

If possible, I wanted Victoria to do what she wanted.

Feeling a sense of misfortune creeping in, I waited for someone who would trigger that misfortune. It was the perfect time for someone like that to appear.

Soon after.

A middle-aged man with a stern expression and a young woman with a sharp look walked toward us. The young woman was walking one step behind the middle-aged man, so she seemed to be his secretary.

In other words, the middle-aged man was someone of high rank.

He passed me and walked straight toward Morris.

"You’ve brought a child into the lab, Morris."

"Director!"

Morris hurriedly ran out and bowed his head.

If there was any decency, the man wouldn’t curse at his subordinate in front of a child.

"You’ve been taking research funds without producing anything, haven’t you? Didn’t I tell you to show results by this week? And now, you’ve violated company rules. Do you forget this is a restricted area? Morris."

But, there’s always someone without decency.

Morris repeatedly apologized and bowed his head, while Victoria looked at him with a devastated expression.

The factory’s humidity seemed to drop.

The tension was impulsive.

Many people wanted the position in the lab, and even if they worked without rest, there were so many who wanted to work. The person in charge cursed him, asking what he was even doing.

And the curses were harsh.

There was no one watching from around, but I knew that people were eavesdropping. A few of them glanced at me. Some seemed to be just interested, others were smirking, and some were worried that arrows might be flying my way.

Of course, there were those who were worried about Morris, but the fear of the lab director was stronger.

That’s how companies are.

The lab director was just doing his job, and if there were no results, he had the right to say they should leave.

Logically, the person who brought a child into a place where security is important is in the wrong.

It’s a very good situation.

Victoria could cross the line. It would be fine if Morris sold her out.

A person’s life can change very simply. Just straying from the path once.

A small theft, a little lie, a simple choice to sacrifice another.

You would want to live as you please, but would end up living a life where you couldn’t.

Wham.

The director, who had been yelling at Morris, finally lost control of his anger and hit Morris on the head with the folder he had been holding.

"You, our father—"

"Victoria!"

Before the water could quickly tighten around the director's neck, Morris shouted loudly.

"Sorry. Director. Victoria. I don’t think I can show you where I work today. I’ll take you to the entrance. Director, I’ll take the kids outside, and the rest, I’ll bear it."

He wiped his bleeding face and spoke.

And amidst the tears and laments, there was a sense of resolve.

Was this really what being a father means?

Or is it that he hasn’t rotted completely yet?

Maybe it would take a little more rot for him to make a choice that would bring warmth together...

But instead of choosing to gain recognition in the company, Morris took his daughter’s hand and left the building.

In the midst of it all, he made the small mistake of forgetting me, but since he was probably distracted, I decided to let it slide.

"Little one."

"What’s going on?"

As I walked out following the two, the director, who had approached, spoke to me. When I turned around, the director stared at me for a moment, then took a step back.

He seemed to have forgotten what he was about to say as he stared at me.

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The secretary beside him asked if he was okay, and he pointed toward the exit.

"Tell Morris Bet to bring me his resignation."

"Got it."

There were many possible tools, but disappearing like this was also a form of luck. From Daegon’s perspective, it was a very early-stage technology, but it also marked the start of some technologies.

At the time, it was efficient, but as technology developed, it would eventually be discarded because it became mediocre.

Using living bodies as fuel would only be effective if you used the soul too.

I went outside.

As soon as they exited the building, I saw them.

Outside the door, Victoria was hugging Morris and crying, while Morris was patting her head.

"I’m sorry for making you two see this."

As I approached, Morris forced a smile and spoke to me.

"The director is asking for my resignation."

Morris nodded with a resigned expression.

Watching him, I became curious.

"1473256?"

If he didn’t know, or if there was a malicious gleam, I mentioned the most efficient form of the technology he had shown earlier. I changed the order of the equipment I saw before, from left to right: 1, 2, 3. The far right one is 7. I had switched the order.

He stiffened.

Ah, that’s the look of someone who knows.

"Even if you know, let’s pretend you don’t. That’s a technique that shouldn’t see the light of day."

"All technologies developed by this company will belong to the company."

"I know. But why would anyone want to dig up a technique like this? When we leave, I’ll make sure to dispose of everything that doesn’t cause any legal issues."

Victoria didn’t understand what was being said, and she kept looking back and forth between me and Morris. Morris held her tightly and hugged her.

As if to protect her from me.

"You’re a lot scarier than I thought."

"A monster."

I corrected him and stepped closer to him.

Even though it was easy to stray from the path, if goodness was achieved, it should be praised. Most people can’t make such choices and are too busy mocking others’ good deeds.

"You managed to protect your daughter. You should be praised."

So, the monster takes over. On the other side, knowing the value of what he’s done.

And knowing that that value can crumble in an instant.

Morris chuckled awkwardly, wiped the blood from his face, and took out his wallet, handing me some money.

"Please help calm my daughter."

Then he hugged his daughter once and went back inside.

As I watched him, I suddenly thought of something.

This is a man who loves his daughter so much. What would he have done if his daughter hadn’t come back?

I stared blankly at the Enchant Company, which was stained with blood in another reality, then erased it from my mind and grabbed Victoria’s hand as she sobbed, leading her out of the company.

Let’s go sightseeing in the city.