The Outer God Needs Warmth

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I’m just stuck doing monotonous work in the Fourth World.

In the Third World, however, I get to engage in a variety of activities.

Even if I say “variety,” it’s just the usual things one should do as a person.

Like everyone else, I wake up at dawn, prepare breakfast, eat, clean up, and then head off to school. After attending morning classes, I have lunch with Victoria.

But no, today I couldn’t do that.

Something major happened to Victoria all of a sudden.

Not just anything—an aristocratic boy called her out and confessed his feelings!

Being at the Royal Academy, he can’t be of low nobility, yet here he is confessing.

And he’s not even a child. No, wait. He was still a kid!

So, it’s not particularly shocking. Come to think of it, we are at school.

No matter how small the power struggle, it is a place where kids exist. And where kids are, love can blossom, right?

Eventually, everyone meets someone they love and gets married, right?

Of course, many don’t, but still.

Confessing and then slowly getting into a relationship is also common.

Yet, despite the boy’s actions, he failed!

In short, he got rejected.

Victoria quietly looked at his expression, politely turned him down, and then simply walked away from that spot.

The boy’s face showed a considerable anger just before Victoria turned to leave.

A pretty twisted kind of anger, and it’s like I can see various memories shining brightly.

There are many memories not just of the noble harvesting machine, but of various individuals as well.

So I reviewed those shining memories.

Hmm…?

He thought she would naturally follow him because he’s a commoner, but he got rejected, didn’t he?

If he thought they were on similar levels, that’s one thing, but if there’s a huge gap where he believes he’s the one extending his hand, being turned down would wound his pride.

Isn’t it strange to act like that at a time like this?

And it’s shining a lot in terms of related searches.

I rummaged through those shining memories, and paradoxically, they say that such behavior arises because of this period.

Currently, several royal family members from various nations have enrolled, creating an oppressive overall atmosphere. It’s not just oppressive; it has even caused a drop in overall rankings.

In such a scenario, instincts kick in.

There’s a strong impulse to preserve rank and protect one’s position.

So, in this way, they look for weak targets to trample on. Because it doesn’t feel possible to climb higher otherwise.

It’s not based on sexuality; it’s based on the desire for power.

The sexual crimes that happen in male prisons are because they want to assert their power and showcase their position in an oppressive society.

Even if they get hurt in the process, they’ll hold back if they can rationalize it, but if not…

They’d end up getting murdered by Victoria.

However, they say this isn’t an isolated incident.

It doesn’t mean that boy is weird and this is just a random occurrence. It’s a situation that’s pervasive throughout the Royal Academy.

That boy was merely one of those with the least patience.

In other words, even if it weren’t for Victoria, something like this could happen to someone else.

Now, while watching what Victoria is going through, I sat alone for lunch, when a somewhat familiar girl stood across from me.

“Excuse me. Is it okay if I join you?”

Her long black hair covered much of her face, and she had a plump chest but slouched as she walked, making her look rather chubby. It’s that girl I saw last time.

“Sure. Please sit.”

She slightly bowed her head and sat down across from me. Usually, I eat with Victoria, so it’s rare to sit facing someone else.

Polaris, right?

She’s not free from the ranks above her, either. She went to her designated spot. Having lunch together is a necessity for maintaining factions; it keeps her busy.

I looked ahead. Various cliques sat fragmented in front of me.

There were obviously empty seats among them, but sitting there was a no-go. It may seem petty, but building those layers is a way to suppress opponents and take a position of superiority.

An oddly bothersome ritual.

The reason for that is purely that bother.

They’ll masquerade another reason, but when you look at the essence, it’s a tool for combat. Waiting for someone to make a mistake so they can pounce on them.

So those in higher positions memorize the rules and act accordingly.

If they don’t do what they’re supposed to, the blade will wound them immediately. If there’s even a slight misstep, the way to put the blame on someone is laid out with weapons, right there.

And there’s only one person who can change that.

The ruler.

Having the ability to manipulate those rules is power.

But what if the ruler can’t escape either?

The existing power loses its meaning, and the new power hides its strength. Catching that is part of the society’s job as well.

There’s no productivity in this act.

But it does seize the power to hold productivity.

As always, in any world, the master earns more than the laborer. Thus, it holds more value than labor.

To obtain power, it’s natural for a person to sacrifice everything, but a person who holds power is still human.

Humans have emotions, and they easily fall prey to impulses.

So, a person in power ends up making mistakes they wouldn’t normally make and chooses paths they shouldn’t.

Isn’t that why I can gather warmth?

Thinking that, I watch the girl in front of me as she hurriedly eats. She gives off an overall gloomy vibe, what’s up with that?

Is this a bait?

She looks all seasoned and easy to poke at.

I doubt she’d even complain if I did, and since she’s not at the very top of the power ranks, I might be able to crush her if I play my cards right.

A toy that seems easy to play with and toss aside.

If I went down to the bottom, I could easily turn her into a harvesting machine.

There’s been an invisible pressure lingering for a long time, hasn’t there?

People can withstand strong stress, but prolonged stress weakens them. Add to that an easy target to hit.

After considering that, I debated whether to set a hook on the girl in front of me.

But I opted not to.

Just asking for her name and telling her to call me if needed would suffice.

But the Fourth World…

Over there, Jeber takes care of everything to the last detail. Even if something were to happen and he fell, he’d shoulder all the responsibility, right?

How nice.

No matter whose memories you dig through, I can’t be made the culprit there. I’m merely a mild victim.

Hehe.

In contrast, it’s not the same here.

I’ve gained freedom, but I’m responsible for my actions.

Responsibility means accepting whatever outcome arises from it. Anyone who has been in society knows how daunting that can be.

Why do people avoid taking responsibility like that?

Isn’t there always a good reason for it?

Just because someone can’t take responsibility doesn’t mean there are no escapees, but very few can run away to the end.

If someone has plenty of money and power, they can escape, but almost no one has both in such quantities to take off.

So they don’t create a situation where they have to take responsibility in the first place.

That’s why I’m calmly having lunch.

But I need to speed up a bit. It seems like a handful of students deliberately entered late and are now finding seats.

So unlike last time, I purposely stood up before she finished her meal.

Many feel entitled to privileges when kindness continues, and being a victim doesn’t automatically mean being virtuous.

Well, it doesn’t matter; getting warmth has nothing to do with good or evil. It’s just a difference in the speed at which warmth harvesting occurs—life is short and quick, or long and abundant.

Will they choose to become unhappy?

They’ll figure it out themselves.

Thinking that, I exited the cafeteria.

Once outside, some students hurriedly dashed to the classroom building.

Listening to their chatter, it’s incredibly cold. Although it’s totally spring by season, it must still be chilly.

Considering they live in a city where they can’t see snow during winter, it seems like those kids are particularly sensitive to the cold.

Or maybe it’s just that the buildings are exceptionally warm inside?

At that moment, a familiar boy passed by me.

The boy who confessed to Victoria earlier and got rejected. Looking at his face mixes displeasure with embarrassment and hatred.

He was taken aback when he saw me, then flashed a cruel smile.

And he reached out, grabbing my clothing. My chest is about to stretch.

“Hey. You’re a friend of Victoria Bet, right?”

Oh, what a convenient coincidence, as he pulls on my clothes. My body is being dragged along.

“Tell that arrogant girl. I’m going to make her pay for rejecting me. Or how’s this?”

Suddenly, he looks at me with a gaze full of lust.

“If you can make me feel good, I might let this slide.”

Huh?

What do I even say?

Is this type taught to talk like this somewhere?

At times like these, there’s always an easy thing to say.

“Sounds good.”

A smile spreads across his face. Whatever he’s imagining seems almost palpable. Of course, he’s at that age when he’s bursting with hormones, right?

“You’re saying you want pleasure?”

“Yeah, that’s right! It’s not a bad deal for you. I am the heir of the Count Family of Pasilie. It’s a privilege for a mere commoner like you to be embraced by someone like me!”

Huh. Just because you’re an heir doesn’t mean you’re not low on the nobility chart. But according to the noble hierarchy, the Count Family of Pasilie is quite low.

The only uniqueness is that my mother was a foreign princess. Even that, she’s far removed from the throne, so it’s honestly not that remarkable.

In short, he’s at the bottom of the Royal Academy.

As much as he’s been pressed down, he wants to trample on others.

So I asked him this.

“Do you want pleasure, or do you want to make a deal with me?”

I presented him with two options.

I’m good at this.

He then grinned with the certainty he was above me.

“You want a deal with me? Ha. You think I’ll keep my promises?”

It’s a cliché from someone with no intention of keeping their word.

I didn’t answer but waited for him to make a choice.

So what choice will you make?