The Outer God Needs Warmth-Chapter 231: Song of the Betrayed (11)

I walk down the night road with Beatrice.

After walking for a while, when the house in the distance is finally visible, Beatrice suddenly stops walking.

She slowly exhales and then inhales again.

Are you nervous?

Beatrice slowly lets go of my hand and looks at me with an expression as if realizing that something she doesn't know is following her, not her child.

It means she is extremely frightened.

“Bell.”

She calls me in a soft voice.

“Yes?”

“If we make a contract, what happens to us?”

Wait, why are you asking this so suddenly?

She’s usually someone with many questions, but didn’t we just witness the scene of Morris coming back to life today?

“I fill you.”

So, I told her the truth, as I always do.

“I’ve heard that. I’ve heard it several times. But you say that those who ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) make such contracts are unhappy. You say that. You, who never lie, say that. It’s like a demon in a story who doesn’t lie but also doesn’t tell the whole truth.”

Heh.

She’s been watching closely?

Hmm. This is my mistake.

It’s true that I obsessively think that if I lie, the tower I’ve built so far will collapse.

But I make excuses. I can’t help it.

I can’t die, and one mistake stays forever.

Unlike living beings that can escape responsibility by taking their own lives, I can’t do that.

A single misstep can lead to eternal despair.

So, what should I do with the human in front of me right now?

“So?”

I told Beatrice to speak more.

Beatrice clenches her fist and looks at me straight.

“I’ve learned something from making contracts with many people. If something not part of the contract is given as a service, the contract itself is a trap.”

Beatrice used to be a branch manager at a big company.

That’s true.

She must have dealt with various company tasks before reaching that position. She must have learned something there.

“Service?”

“There’s never a mention of healing in any of the contract clauses you always talk about. Only that you give yourself. And when it’s over, it ends with words that are hard to understand, like taking everything.”

Now that I think about it, she’s right.

Most of the Harvesters I personally meet are people who already know that I’ve healed others.

In cases where we meet under the surface.

They are in such desperate situations that they’d grab onto even a rotten rope. They are not people looking for healing, but those who are blindly asking for help.

Or, it could be that the social atmosphere treats contracts as something normal.

The first world was like that. How wonderful would it have been if I could have spread widely? Without having to experiment in this one world, I could have gained stable warmth.

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So, she’s one of the few who doubted the contract itself.

“Can’t understand the meaning?”

“When is it finished?”

“When you die.”

In that case, it’s finished by someone else’s hand.

“What are we supposed to gain from you after death? Isn’t it like asking for money from a bankrupt person?”

Ah, I see.

Right. It might seem that way.

Taking warmth after death could be perceived like that. It’s like asking for something when you already have an empty bank account, which would be physically impossible.

“Do you think there’s nothing after death?”

When I asked, Beatrice was about to answer yes, but then looked at me.

Normally, one would think there’s nothing.

However, it’s unusual to have a monster in front of you that can deny that and prove otherwise.

“Does that mean your soul is mortgaged after death?”

Hehe.

Beatrice asked me a very good question.

“No, Beatrice. I’m not interested in souls. I only need the warmth you all have. That’s why I make contracts with you. The more you work towards your dreams, the more that warmth increases.”

And when you fulfill or lose your dream, that warmth fades away.

But saying it this way could lead to misunderstanding.

It might sound like I need to achieve something in order to get what I want.

Hoping she misunderstands, I drive the point home again.

“So, you came after Victoria. She ran away from reality, didn’t she?”

I quietly stared at Beatrice.

Will Beatrice misunderstand like I hoped? Or will she ask a question that hits the core of the matter?

If it's the core-question...

Hehe.

I wait for her words.

And after a moment.

“You want my daughter to rise again.”

“It’s not just Victoria. Beatrice. It’s Morris too. But both have been through so much. And wanting me to rise again, Beatrice, you feel the same.”

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At my words, Beatrice let out a small sigh.

“I feel an evil intent to deceive someone.”

“Do you?”

The feeling is really good.

As the scale slowly tilts to one side.

Beatrice spoke.

“Let’s make a contract, Bell.”

Suppressing the desire to recite the contract immediately, I asked Beatrice a question.

“Are you sure about this?”

“If something happens to my husband and daughter, no matter what, I will make you pay the price. But...”

Beatrice paused her words there.

And then looked at the house a bit further away, before looking back at me.

“It’s true that you saved my husband and daughter’s lives.”

Really foolishly.

“Like them, I’ll make the contract.”

Hehe.

I moved closer to Beatrice. And I took her hand.

There’s warmth in it. But that’s just a physical sensation.

In reality, I’m not warm at all. The chilling cold that pierces through my flesh is growing stronger.

So I destroy them without any guilt.

“A foolish choice, Beatrice. Now, let’s go inside and make the contract.”

“Inside?”

“Did you forget how Morris made the contract earlier? We need to change clothes.”

“Oh... yeah. You’re right. Let’s go inside.”

Beatrice took my hand and led me into the house.

Hmm.

I’ve saved my life. If I had asked a deeper question, I would have turned Beatrice into a tool and left this place.

Then I would have headed to the capital through the forest.

Even if Beatrice disappeared, they would have thought I met an unfortunate end looking for me.

Catching someone who asks questions that reach the truth is more important than avoiding the suspicion that follows.

Of course, if Beatrice suddenly disappeared, there would be doubts. The powerful Harvester Victoria might come to kill me.

Then, I can just die.

This body doesn’t matter much.

The seeds have already been sown, and I’ve confirmed that the sprouts are coming up. The remaining time is for waiting for those sprouts to grow into trees.

And when the fruits fall, I’ll take them and eat them.

As Beatrice and I entered, Rebecca greeted us.

In the first world, the owner of the body I entered was Rebecca. She seemed to have checked my memories, but honestly, there was not much connection.

Joanna had more of an impact.

Recalling the distant past, I followed her lead inside.

Now that I think about it, the one who made me call earlier was Rebecca.

“Why did you call me?”

“Why would I coldly cast out the one who saved my son and granddaughter’s lives?”

Strictly speaking, she’s my enemy. And I’m thinking of taking another one with me. Wait, is it good for Beatrice to become a Harvester, considering our bad relationship?

Morris and Victoria are not here.

Morris is holding the crying Victoria, comforting her. And just before, Gaon had left the room.

In other words, he entered the living room where we are.

And as he entered, he paused when he saw me. He then walked over to me and greeted me.

“Thank you for saving my son and granddaughter.”

“There’s one more left, someone to make a contract with.”

This is a good moment. If I could, I’d advertise it to humans.

I walked over to Beatrice, who turned her head at the mention of a contract.

“I’ll offer myself to you. But later, when everything is finished, I’ll take everything you have. How about it?”

Beatrice immediately answered yes, and soon, her scarred skin turned sickly pale, and her blonde hair, losing its light, turned purple.

The years that had marked her face completely disappeared, and now, many would believe she and Victoria are sisters.

With this, a family has completely turned into Harvesters.

I looked around at the humans who are still not Harvesters. Then, looking at Beatrice’s face, I said:

“Don’t forget, this is only possible once.”

“You, if you touch my family, I’ll make sure to get revenge, no matter what.”

Hmm. Right.

I laughed at Beatrice’s threat and added quietly in my mind.

It’s too late now.

Beatrice also smiled back, then clapped once.

“Father-in-law, mother-in-law, let’s serve our guests. Since we fought with Victoria earlier, we should help them reconcile.”

And a little later.

I sat with this family and had dinner.