I thought I was going to be immediately enrolled in the Royal Academy... but that didn’t happen.
First reason:
It’s vacation time.
The schools in the capital all have their vacations around the same time, and right now it’s summer vacation. By the way, both the Royal Academy and the clockwork knight school Victoria attended are located in the capital.
Second reason:
To honor those who helped people during the Vern City incident, they were invited to the royal palace. This includes Victoria, among others.
By officially awarding them, public sentiment is improved, making it a profitable endeavor in terms of maintaining order.
However, it’s unpleasant that the media only focuses on the miracle of those who helped during the sudden disaster, leaving out any mention of why the disaster even occurred and only concentrating on individual stories.
In other words, it’s highly likely that the Vern City incident was either manipulated or is a catastrophic problem that can’t be solved immediately.
While expecting a second disaster, I was shipped off to the royal palace.
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Yes. I was shipped.
That afternoon, on the very day the letter arrived, a literal airship hovered above my house. People dressed in exoskeletons came down and dragged me into the airship.
Although they said I was being escorted, it was practically kidnapping, given I had no right to oppose them.
I was taken to the capital in just one day.
From the airship, I looked down at the royal palace.
The walls looked like they were painted wood, with brass decorations and structures, and sparse large glass windows and cast iron frames in between.
On the other side were high spires made of stacked stone and pointed roofs. Arches extended in all directions.
Two different eras of architecture harmonized in the vast garden. The area around the palace was surrounded by military bases.
The airship landed at a dock some distance from the palace.
As I came down, I glanced at the airship again.
It had propellers, but they seemed too small to be used for flight. It was probably using lightweight materials. I didn’t have time to inspect it thoroughly, but I thought it might be hydrogen-powered. I followed the heavily armored people.
By the way, they reminded me of space marines from faded memories. Human aesthetic sense must not vary too much after all.
Anyway.
I arrived at a specific location in the palace.
It looked much sturdier than other places. A building designed for practicality over aesthetics.
I thought I might be dragged in to drink some spicy broth through my nose, but that didn’t happen.
After passing several rooms, the number of people following me decreased, and eventually only one remained.
I met a man whose face was full of fatigue.
I recognized him from TV. He was the king of this country.
“Hello.”
When I greeted him, his eyes slightly narrowed. His face showed signs of disgust.
But judging by his expression, it wasn’t so much hatred for the person but more of a fleeting disgust from a lack of proper manners or etiquette.
Proper etiquette is a tool to control the lower ranks and divide the social levels.
That’s the concept of habitus.
The reason why a newly rich person is despised as a parvenu is simple. It’s because they don’t know the behavior patterns that true wealthy people have, so they become rude boors with only money.
So, when someone acts inappropriately, it’s natural for people to frown.
I must look like that kind of person.
“Are you Bell? The foreigner who granted the miracle of blessings to others?”
His tone sounded strange.
Was he briefed about me? Why would he speak like that?
Or is this some kind of test?
I couldn’t really tell beyond reading his emotions.
Well, let’s continue with what I was doing. No lies, consistency. Just one thing to do.
“I go by the name Bell now.”
Meaning it’s not my real name.
“What was your original name?”
“I don’t have one. When you’re alone, a name isn’t necessary.”
I have a title, but there’s no one to call me by it.
Ah, of course, if I leave things alone for too long, a kin could emerge, but I’ve killed anyone who tried to steal my warmth, and I’ll continue to kill anyone who shows up.
Stealing warmth?
I can’t just stand by and watch that.
Meanwhile, he examined me thoroughly.
He scanned me from head to toe, and I stared blankly at him.
There was no reason to be nervous. Of course, with the prospect of him being a potential harvester, I’d have to charm him into making a contract to create an automated harvesting system.
But I didn’t do that.
No matter how much my brain isn’t functioning, I know what I know.
The moment I show any desire, it would choke me to death.
I’m not arrogant enough to believe I can win in a fight against an expert who uses social power as a weapon. One mistake could be fatal.
So I held my breath, enduring and waiting until I’m sure I can strike.
Humans eventually grow old and weak.
Will I be able to hold off that one chance?
It’s very difficult. Most humans would succumb.
Creatures can resist pain and degradation, but resisting the urge to improve themselves is nearly impossible. It’s not about others; it’s about improving oneself, right?
They can’t even envy themselves. After all, it’s them.
If they were suffering from adult diseases, it would have been a shorter time, but...
The person in front of me is excessively physically trained for someone in power.
What a waste.
“Right. I’ve heard many stories about you. About the blessings. Do you have any intention of using them for the royal family?”
I barely held back a smile.
So, do you want me to become a harvester voluntarily? I want to say "Sure," but here, I need to hold back. Not yet.
A bit more.
“I do whatever is asked of me. Do you want me to?”
The choice is yours, and I’m just a simple machine that does whatever is requested.
I move objectively, so the subjectivity is entirely yours.
The king responded to my question.
“I want it.”
“Alright.”
I nodded. Originally, they said it would be three people a day, but in this world, I’ve already created thousands a day.
Saying "three people" is not just about controlling harvester production; it also means that once three people are made, the one who has captured me doesn’t need to worry about it until the next day.
In other words, the vigilance decreases.
Now, with the knowledge I’ve gained, I understand that Yasrel let me go pretty freely because he was comfortable after creating three harvesters a day.
Foreign media, who listen to everything, aren’t a problem. The issue was when someone approached them, who listened so well.
The target of vigilance shifted from me to those who came to approach me.
In that sense, it was a good choice.
But it’s too late, so let’s move on.
Anyway, the king calmly explained what I’d do here. Follow his orders, attend the Royal Academy, learn what I need to, and so on.
There was no explanation of why any of this had to happen. It sounded like a slave’s command.
Then, he said:
“From now on, you’ll stay in the royal palace. If you follow our instructions, we’ll make sure you can accomplish whatever you want.”
What you desire is exactly what I want. But I swallowed those words. Everything was going so smoothly, I wondered if this was okay.
Then the king called the man standing at the door. Surprisingly, it was the general.
Isn’t the general supposed to be in command, stuck in a command center somewhere? Why is he wearing such heavy armor?
Or is this a world where even generals are expendable?
While I wondered about such trivial questions, they briefly spoke to each other and left the room, the king following them.
Wait? Aren’t we going to be locked up in a cage for training?
They told me to follow them, so I did, heading somewhere with them.
We exited the building and headed towards a military base-like location on the outskirts of the palace, surrounded by dozens of soldiers.
Then we entered a stark white building there.
Inside, people tried to salute the man in the front but then knelt and bowed to the king behind him.
The king, with a tired expression, told me to follow him inside. We stopped at a certain location.
It was just a room with chairs, but through the windows, long hoses and strange devices were hanging on people.
Ah.
It was a hospital.
I knew they could solve issues like severed limbs with magic, but there were quite a few people seriously injured.
Some were covered in blisters, others had limbs that were turning green. There were soldiers, and even children who couldn’t be considered soldiers, lying there.
At that moment, an old man came out from the glass door.
“Your Majesty, you cannot go any further.”
“You’re still so stiff even after leaving the position of doctor.”
It was rude, but neither the king nor the doctor paid it much attention.
The soldiers behind glared at the doctor, but when the general gave a silent signal, they all lowered their eyes.
“I’m just doing my job as a doctor.”
The old doctor didn’t seem to care at all.
Then the king pointed inside and said.
“Take a look at the patients inside. With this person, we might be able to heal them all.”
The doctor stared at me intently. His face was wrinkled, but his eyes were clearer than a young person’s.
The doctor had us wear special clothing. After wrapping us up tightly, the king and I went inside.
Inside, they said only patients who couldn’t be healed by magic were here.
I recited the contract.
It didn’t matter if they were unconscious. I was transmitting it through light.
All the people inside had their hair turned purple. And almost 90% of them. Their skin turned blue.
But, not one of them was missing. They all regained their health.
While the old doctor looked at me with an examining gaze, the king said to me.
“Thank you.”
So I replied.
“You wanted it.”
The responsibility is all yours. I’m not planning to take any responsibility.
Some were shocked by their revival, others were amazed at their skin turning blue, and some cried and prayed while looking at me.
But I was watching the king.
I could read a strange desperation in his expression.
The attempts to verify my abilities were happening too quickly.
There is someone?
Someone who needs me.
Hehe.
I could easily dig in.