The Outer God Needs Warmth

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I’m putting myself into the light of the one who granted me permission.

Suddenly, the cube-like box inflated into a massive lump of flesh, and before long, it hardened like stone.

Then, like an egg cracking, the shell split open, and seven men and women burst out from inside. Two of them had blue skin, which likely meant they were in a life-threatening state.

No, it’s even more horrifying.

They had only the organs necessary for survival, a brain to suffer, and a few sensory organs left, yet their skin was white.

Whether they were physically altered or not doesn’t quite indicate a life crisis.

While they were dumbfounded, checking out their own bodies and laughing and crying, Aliura, now a harvesting machine, slowly rose from her spot and immediately approached the baby she had birthed.

She grabbed it by the neck and lifted it…

*Clack.*

A small warmth enveloped me. The baby had also become a harvesting machine. But it’s tough to overcome an adult, especially biologically, it’s still the mother, right?

Aliura discarded the cold thing and approached me with a frigid expression.

“What do you want from me?”

Then she asked me.

At that, those who were previously lost in joy turned to look at me with surprise. They quickly turned their heads toward me.

They seemed delighted to have their limbs back after such a long time, but they also understood that there was something that could revive them.

And everyone alive had contracted with that something.

It’s common sense that a wizard shouldn’t casually enter into contracts.

But in their situation, they had no choice but to grab onto even a rotten lifeline. That’s the last memory. They were willing to do anything to escape this hell.

So even when aware it was an unfair contract, they all entered into it.

What they pondered up until the end is stored in my memory.

Well, the contents of the contract are rather chaotic.

I receive everything.

Many have failed because they didn’t understand this. They lost their warmth to me.

And before me are those destined to have their warmth taken, watching me warily.

So if they ask me what they desire, I have only one reply.

“Go and do what you want, achieve what you desire, and live as you wish.”

Don’t you all have something to do right now?

Right now, it’s Jeber who is incapacitating and killing the wizards surrounding this city with psychic abilities.

“Is that what you desire? Don’t make me laugh! What do you even have? Can I trust a mysterious monster like you…? No. Fine. Then just don’t get in my way. Absolutely.”

And Aliura spilled the fact that the experiences she endured all remained as horrifying memories.

Days spent pretending to love that person.

The humiliation and despair that she had to endure that in front of her family.

And that she was giving birth to a baby while water was leaking out of her body, that sort of story.

“I’ll kill them all. Everything related to that bastard will be wiped out without a trace! If it bears any of his marks, I’ll erase it from this world!”

Aliura’s hatred gradually morphed into madness, crushed by memories of the past. I never imagined I’d witness a person’s descent into insanity in real-time.

She was clutching her head, her eyes contorted in a monstrous manner.

The dreamer princess who once wanted to make this world a better place was nowhere to be found.

All that’s left is a woman hell-bent on revenge, intertwined with her purpose.

And even those from the Rempinion Family behind her agree with that.

For almost a year, she had to be a mere ornament, neither dead nor alive in a cube. Her body has changed for the better, but her heart remains the same.

Aliura’s madness infects those who hear her words.

So I pointed to the person standing behind me with my finger.

“How about putting on some clothes first?”

In response, one of the Rempinion, a girl named Abia, looked at me with an expression of disbelief.

“You should put some on first…”

Me?

Oh, now that I think about it, I’m naked. I just got pulled out from the factory. They removed just the life support device and brought me out in the nude.

But recently, I’ve taken on a human form, so I’m not in an awful state.

It was necessary for the rejuvenation event.

The prospective harvesting machine was speaking to Nephrabda outside and stepping into a small room. The prospective harvesting thought Nephrabda was there, but in reality, it was me, wearing the same clothes and having the same face.

And the prospective harvesting took off her dress. When she stepped outside, Nephrabda nonchalantly pretended to be the one who did it.

That brief moment of meeting the prospective harvesting, my appearance was just as human-like as anyone.

Well, at that time, I thought I looked human because I was dressed, but now, under someone else’s gaze, I realize that’s not quite right.

First of all, there are marks where limbs were severed. The difference in color above and below the amputation line indicates that.

And at the ends of the ribs, there are holes where machines can connect. A liquid, presumed to be body fluid, is seeping out of those holes, giving off a stale odor.

What I have isn’t proper flesh; it’s designed so that if you inject a nutrient solution, it can be digested immediately. So, it’s not like gastric juice or intestinal fluid.

Well, strictly speaking, it’s similar but not quite the same. Whenever I move to a different location, I normally cover the holes with caps.

But since I got dragged out hastily this time, the caps weren’t put on.

And there’s a grotesque red jewel embedded right in the middle of my chest. The flesh around that jewel is discolored and twisted.

There’s really nothing resembling a proper human here.

So that’s why Abia was wearing a sour expression. She approached me quickly.

“Do you want revenge too?”

When Abia asked, the expressions of all nearby harvesting machines shifted to that of comrades.

It was as if they were looking at someone who had suffered the same hardships against a common enemy.

Revenge?

I have no such intention.

I’m not very fond of just inflating artificial humans or engaging in mass murders without any thought.

However, I also don’t intend to disregard the groundwork laid for me up to this point. Moreover, I’ve learned a lot about harvesting machines.

What I should be careful of is, not to lie.

Only tell the truth.

And at the same time, I’ll pass all the responsibilities onto those in front of me.

“No. The ones who needed a contract were you.”

Below, I see Jeber, who smiles as he uses psychic powers to freeze wizards rushing at him and then kills them with magic. That’s a smile intoxicated by power.

And I observe Aliura’s expression as she crosses the irreversible river.

“Hehe.”

“Since we’re here, I entered into a contract.”

At that moment, a hand grabbed Abia from behind and pulled her back. Then Aliura moved in front of me.

“What’s the price?”

“You heard everything when we made the contract, right?”

She extended her hand and choked my neck.

“So then, it means I can kill you here, right? That artificial human. They’re all those who contracted with you! You were helping that bastard!”

Aliura couldn’t finish her words. She looked at the jewel embedded in my chest. Then slowly, she extended the hand that was choking my neck and caressed around it.

“What is this torture device…?”

“If it hurts, it means you need a contract.”

I let my body go with the flow. Even if I die from being choked here, as long as the physical connection exists, I can regenerate.

After all, this body is plagued with defects and will rot if treated improperly. That’s how it was modified.

If someone were to take me secretly, without proper facilities, I would die.

So, if they see me as a victim, I guide them to view me that way.

“You. So, that means we won’t have to pay any price, right?”

“As you go along living as you wish and die, in that final moment, I’ll come to claim the warmth you had. Until then, please feel free to do what you want.”

As I told them to do what they wanted, the mood became heavy in an instant.

Right now, in the eyes of all the living harvesting machines, the flames of revenge burned brightly.

I told them to go and take revenge, and they understood me perfectly.

Aliura turned around.

At that, all the members of the Rempinion family, including Abia, nodded. She pushed me lightly.

I stumbled and sat down on the ground.

Are they going to kill me?

But she whirled around.

“Everyone, put on some clothes. We are taking revenge on Jeber ibn Haideka.”

As soon as those words fell, the members of the Rempinion family immediately sprang into action. They searched the room for clothes and started reading the materials in the room.

Some were using magic. If I recall correctly, it was some kind of charge. A magic that was preloaded then triggered.

But while I remember how to feel magic, what they were doing felt entirely different and unrecognizable.

I started to give up on magic.

Anyway.

They sharpened their swords.

Ah, by the way, most of them are indeed Rempinion. They’re Aliura’s cousins. It’s just that Jeber is unique; the majority of wizard families are intertwined by blood relations.

They united thoroughly and prepared to kill Jeber.

Time passed.

But even after completing some preparation, they didn’t go out.

Curiously observing, I saw Abia, perhaps unaware, ask her brother.

“Brother, why aren’t we going to catch him now? I’m in better shape than when I was in the palace.”

“If we go out like this, we’ll be mistaken for artificial humans created by that guy. Right now, other clan wizards are gathered, so it’s better to wait till he returns here and stab him.”

And murmured that by then, Jeber would likely be tired. It’s a bit amusing that no one expects Jeber to lose.

Well.

As it turns out, he did win.

When cornered, Jeber discarded all notions of a wizard’s pride and used his psychic abilities thoroughly as a tactic to catch the opponent.

Upon receiving psychic power for the first time, there was no one who could break it.

So the wizards surrounding Jeber’s city began to disappear one by one.

And by sunset.

Jeber killed the last resisting wizard. Upon confirming the army fleeing in all directions, he burst into laughter.

He expressed his surprise at being this strong, declaring in a voice full of confidence and ecstasy.

“Hahaha! I’ve won! I’ve won it all! I am truly the Mage King of this world!”

The legendary wizard who conquered all magic. An transcendent being who completed the path of magic. A figure out of wizards’ fairy tales.

Saying such things while having achieved victory using psychic abilities is quite comical, but surrounding him were only artificial humans with no intact parts.

That means there’s no one to deny him.

And he returned to his mansion, step-light with joy, to his nest filled with traps meant to kill him.