Snow winced.

  This was the truth of Scarlet Logic.

  They were not heroes as Red called them.

  They were savages.

  Barbarians.

  Nothing more than monsters driven by bloodlust. Through they played a significant role in the defense of the world against Corrupted, their methods were far from admirable.

  “… See that, Red? They have no problem killing their own. But it doesn’t matter to them. They’ve died and regenerated hundreds of times already in their Pools. Cycle after Cycle. See their faces? Red? Each Cycle mutates them. No Healer in the world can restore them to who they once were…”

  Snow had a deeply rooted hatred for people like them.

  Because while Snow was a slave to her impulses, those people willingly chose to embrace violence. One other reason why she was afraid of confronting them here was because they were inside of a Corrupted Zone.

  What happened here would stay here, aside from Scarlet Logic themselves, who could simply die and retain their memories.

  It caused Snow to shudder.

  “I hope you never become anything like them. I’ll make sure of it. I wouldn’t want to see your face end up like…”

  Snow clasped her mouth, pulling herself back behind the rock with a slightly flustered face.

  “… What the hell am I saying. Geez. Haaah. Forget it Red. Please ignore that. Red? Red?”

  She turned to the side.

  Her heart dropped.

  “RED!?”

  She was nowhere to be found.

  With haste, she peered back over the boulder, only to find Red rushing towards what was left of the Fodders.

  “I JUST TOLD YOU NOT TO GET INVOLVED!”

  “Hmm?” The Manager must have heard her voice.

  She turned to Snow’s direction and was greeted by a young girl in a red coat.

  “Interesting. A survivor, are you?” The Manager approached Red with swagger, lifting her hands up like she had just found an interesting toy. “Heh. With the time scale being at ten to one, I’m surprised that you’ve been alive for sixteen days. Could you be an Adventurer?”

  “Why…?” Red asked, her fists curling into balls.

  “Why? I’m interested. Hydrated flesh. Untorn clothes. Intact lungs. You’re quite resourceful.”

  She lapped her lips.

  But Red didn’t notice this.

  All she could see was red.

  “I’m asking you why you had to kill them!?”

  “Ah. Was it about that? How contrived. Little girl. Do you have a name?”

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  The Manager was clearly interested in Red. She was not blind enough to recognize that managing to live for this long in a Corrupted Zone was a notable feat.

  * * *

  “Answer my question!” Red exclaimed, suddenly drawing her hunting knife.

  She held it against the throat of the woman, threatening to decapitate her.

  Strands of her hair fell off.

  The last of her Fodder perished, leaving her as the only one present.

  Nothing angered Red more than watching humans die for no reason. And to think that Scarlet Logic would do this to their own kind too.

  Was she mistaken about them being heroes?

  Was there more to it?

  She didn’t know.

  But what mattered the most was that this woman had drove them to their deaths.

  “WHY DID YOU KILL THEM! THEY’RE HUMAN TOO!”

  This however this show of force only caused the woman to smile.

  “Heeeeh? How fast~ I didn’t know you were this strong. How adorable.”

  Then, she began cackling.

  “What’s so funny to you!? Are you crazy!? Is something wrong with your head!?”

  Status. I want to see this crazy woman’s Stats!

  It was beyond pitiful.

  That makes no sense. Why are they fighting the Corrupted with such low stats!?

  Suddenly, the woman pressed her throat against Red’s blade. Blood began to pour profusely from her wound.

  “Are you… out of your mind?”

  “Ahaha. Of course not. I just thought how fortunate it was to meet a living soul here.”

  Red had no idea what she was talking about, but she didn’t like the look in her eyes nor her tone. She felt like she was dacing on the palm of her hand despite having the clear advantage.

  Red knew that Scarlet Logic weren’t afraid of death, but as a girl trying to learn what it meant to be human, she couldn’t fathom how or why they were like this.

  Unless –!

  “It may be worth sending a Collection Team here after all~”

  Before she knew, the woman there herself across the length of her blade, and her head went rolling off her shoulders.

  “Huh… Why would she…? No, Agate! She has to have something up her sleeve! Something isn’t right!”

  “RED!” Snow shouted from across the field. “I WAS TRYING TO TELL YOU THAT THEY DON’T DIE!”

  Upon that realization, she gained a new Observation message.

  Scarlet Logic

  < Observation Level 1 >

  < Death is not the end >

  “Like me…? Will she–!?”

  Snow, panting from running all the way to Red, grabbed her shoulders and drilled her eyes into her.

  “Red… You… Need to listen to me!”

  She looked off to the side, staring at an army of Bitter Thorns.

  “We have to finish this as quickly as possible. She said the time scale is one to ten, right?”

  “R-right. Yeah!” Red wore a sorrowful look.

  She had made Snow angry.

  But in her heart, she felt like it was the right thing to do.

  Even then, she wasn’t able to save a single person.

  “It’s ok Red… We have time. One day spent here is equal to ten days outside. If it took them this long to reach us, then we have more than enough time to beat the Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns.”

  “What’s the rush!?”

  Snow cupped her face between her palms, drawing their faces near.

  “A Collection Team, Red. They’re sending a Collection Team here for you.”

  “Eh!? Me!? They realized I’m a Corrupted!?”

  “No… Far from it. Red. Listen carefully.”

  Snow was awfully serious about this, to the point where her eyes flickered to a shade of red.

  Red herself didn’t know the severity of this.

  But Snow?

  “They realized that they can use you. Scarlet Logic will stop at nothing to gain what they want. When they realize you’re useful to them, they’ll hunt you down to the ends of this world and lock you in their Replication Cycles!”

  She seemed to know the extent of what this meant for her.

  Suddenly, they were on a timer again.

  From what Snow was able to explain, a Collection Team was a specialized Scarlet Logic unit that focused on retrieving people, whether lawfully or unlawfully. It did not matter to them, nor could the families of the affected fight back.

  Such was the privilege of an Atelier.

  16 Chapters ahead over on the

  Discord! We have cute Vengeful Red emotes!