Tower of Karma

[Willian Rivius] was raised at a world that stinked of darkish sewer water. He was at the bottomest and was poor to no. This place was the beginning of the world, and was its end too.(TL note: Literal translation. I don´t know what the author means by saying that ->此処が世界の始まりで、此処が世界の終わり。

He would drink muddy water. He would eat bread made of Kabi in small bites, and he would believe that was happiness. It was an unhygienic life where you would be the one of the first ones to die if disease spread. It was a daily life where people´s death was common. There were also times where the starving people would need to nibble on copses in order to make it through the winter. Anything would be done if it was in order to keep living.

If they were beasts, it would be fine like that.

If they weren´t humans, it would be fine like that.

However, may the world take care.

The ones that can change the world are people that at some point in time strayed from the path of humans.

[Al] was crying. [Arlette] would gently embrace him. Just like the [usual], the surrounding corpses would move around them and would keep raising voices of resentment. But there was something different from the [usual]….

“…I can… move?”

It was the fact that [Willian] could move. This spectacle of a dream where [Willian] wouldn´t be able to do the slightest movement changed into a world where he somewhat unconsciously was able to move. [Willian], who in his dreams would only be able to have the point of view that was in a certain way that of a G.o.d, for the first time was able to step onto this world with his own feet.

“…Am I wearing my mask?”

Sweeping his hand at his face, he found a foreign object. That roughness he was familiar with let [Willian] know that the object was the mask he would usually use.

“Well, fine.”

One step.

“Wha-!?”

The ones that were coiling around his legs was the owner of the bookstore of foreign books that had taken care of him in the past, Norman, and his wife. Their appearances were gruesome, and at their eye socks, there was an abyss nothing could be used to describe. With horrid corpse-like looks that had parts with skin and others with only bones, they clinged onto [Willian]´s legs.

“Why did you betray us? Even though we trusted you so much. Even though we thought of you as our own son. WhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYY!?”

“Tch, move over! You were in my way! In order to have myself killed, I needed to kill everyone that knew about [Al]. As to be expected, even with my presence being weak, you guys would´t forget about me. That´s why I killed you! If you understand that, get lost!”

[Willian] swung his leg and sent Norman and his wife flying.

Two steps.

“You aren´t Willian. I am Willian. You aren´t Norman either. You aren´t even Al. Then, who are you? What are you? WhAt aM i? WhY dId I HavE To DiE?”

A red haired corpse was hanging onto Willian´s right arm while being dragged on.

“Ha! Aren´t you stupid and miserable, Willian-kun! In any case, you would have died a dog´s death along the way anyway. Rather than that, you should be thankful, you know? For me to be using your name!”

[Willian] shook off the corpse that was clinging on his right arm and sent it flying.

Three steps.

“WhY?”

Four steps.

“I dOn´T WaNt To DIe.”

Five steps.

“I WanT tO mEet wITH My FamILY.”

Six steps.

“fOr tHe sAKE Of mY nAtiON.”

Seven steps…

[Willian] shook off everything and moved forward. He wouldn´t take any notice of the corpses he had killed. It didn´t matter. It didn´t matter what happened to other people. He wouldn´t even give them a glance.

“…As expected, you guys are really annoying, aren´t you?”

After going through the crowd of corpses, the ones who were ahead was [Al], a black haired boy who was crying while hugging his legs, and [Arlette], a black haired girl who comforted him.

“You are doing such a pathetic expression while using my face.”

[Willian] threw some words at [Al] as if he was spitting them. Getting frightened in reaction, [Al] raised his face. After looking at [Willian], he twisted his face in dislike.

“What are you making this face for?”

[Willian] moved his hand to the sword at his waist. [Al] got surprised, but at that instant, a certain person got in between them. [Willian] frowned.

“Ha, so at the end of the day, you are going to get in my way? Arlette-neesan!”

[Willian] had raised his voice aggressively, but the hand that was holding the sword at his waist didn´t move.

“You aren´t me. I am nee-san´s knight. I am not a monster like you.”

A straight refusal. [Willian] became irritated at that.

“…Don´t be kidding me. You say that even though I became like this because you wished for it! Because I am nee-san´s knight, because you wished that I cleared away nee-san of her regrets! We wished for that! That´s why I am here!”

“That´s wrong! What nee-san wished was for me to live in peace. Despite how I wished to get her revenge, what are you doing now? You killed so many unrelated people and committed crimes that had no meaning, and you still don´t even know the face of the man that killed nee-san. Are you supposed to be nee-san´s knight like that!? All you´ve been doing had nothing to do with nee-san!”

“Th-those were necessary steps. Nee-san is everything to me. That´s why, because they stole her from me, I need to steal from them even more.”

“Even if nee-san wished for something like that, that was only killing count Vrad. It´s not more, nor less than that.”

[Willian] was being talked down by the [himself] who was far smaller and weaker than him.

“Just like Kail had said before, you should have backed out from this war. You are twisted. Too twisted. You forgot her original wish, and you were doing bad things while using nee-san as an excuse. You don´t have any intent on taking revenge on nee-san at all. You don´t really love nee-san. You can´t be loved by anyone.”

At some point in time, a mountain of corpses had piled up behind [Al]. They were wiggling around and roaring out their resentment, waiting for their time to move, wondering when they would be able to engulf [Willian].

“Someone as bad as you can go die. We will kill Vrad in your stead. And after that, it will be over. And then, just like nee-san wished for, we will live in peace. We will live quietly in modesty together with Kail and Havella. Yes, let´t become friends with Karl and Lutogarde too. If only you were to die, everything would….”

While [Al] was in middle of his talking, [Willian] threw his sword, which pierced [Al]´s belly. [Al] stopped talking and looked at [Willian].

“I see. I see… It is just like you said. I am mad. I am a failure as nee-san´s knight.   …But, what about it?”

The eyes that were deep inside the mask were trembling. The ruby hanging at his neck was shining like blood.

“At that time nee-san was eaten, I was born. I thought you had died at that time. But you were still living, weren´t you? And while you were hugging your legs and crying just like that… you were just waiting to eat me! Kuhaha, there is no salvation for me!”

As if to protect [Al], [Arlette] silently stood in the way. [Willian] showed a smile.

“Arlette-neesan. She would always protect me. Even after dying… she was preserving my heart. But I don´t need to be babysitted anymore!”

[Willian] straggled [Arlette]´s neck. With both hands, as if he was gently hugging her…

“I loved her. I loved her more than anything in the world. Even now I love her. But even so, that´s why I won´t use her as an excuse anymore. I can´t do that. Even if it started like that, this path I am going through isn´t revenge.”

He was twisted to a point of no hope. Since the beginning, he was already completely twisted. He didn´t have even a bit of sense of guilt for stealing from others. Rather, it was as if he felt only joy at doing that. There was no way this could be considered a revenge of Karma.

“I am quitting using her as an excuse, lying about doing revenge and trying to make justifications for myself. She is part of me; the excuse that this desire of revenge that had been dormant somewhere in my heart is… But, it is fine now. I became strong. Even if she isn´t here anymore, I am fine.”

Even while she was being strangled, [Arlette] didn´t stop smiling. That was an illusion that existed somewhere in [Willian]´s memories. It was a dream he wouldn´t be able to reach out his hands to for the eternity. It made him want to drown himself into those dreams. It made him want to jump into those sweet dreams. However, [Willian] wouldn´t allow that to happen.

“Are you going to kill Arlette-neesan!?”

[Al]´s angry roar strongly reverberated through [Willian]´s earlobes. With a twisted face, [Willian] looked at his eyes.

“Hey, hey, rather than me wanting to kill her or anything, nee-san had already died a long time ago. This I am holding in my hands right now is just a dream. Would she always be smiling like that? Did she love me? n.o.body knows that kind of thing!”

[Al] was trembling.

“The nee-san that would [sell flowers] we don´t know of. The reason why nee-san wanted to leave that s.h.i.tty house despite the money she would leave to me that we didn´t know of. Did you think you knew her true self? We were satisfied just with the one side of her that was given to us, and we were averting our eyes from the bitter reality. This is what I´ve been doing. This is what you are.”

“That´s wrong! Nee-san loved me, and I also loved nee-san. Here was the world that belonged just to the two of us! That´s why there is meaning in the revenge!”

“There is no way for us to be sure of that anymore. Nee-san is dead. Before we could hear her true words, and before seeing her bad side that perhaps might have existed, nee-san died. Of course, even if I were to know of it, I have confidence I would still love her. Even if she didn´t love me that much, I have confidence I would always love her. However, there is no way for us to know that. This thing that is in my hands is nothing more than a convenient dream after all!”

Without the slightest hesitation, [Willian] broke the neck of the illusion he loved with his hands. Raising a dry sound, [Arlette] had crumbled down for the eternity. [Al]´s scream resounded through that world.

“I won´t use her as an excuse. Of course, I will give Vrad, who stole her, a suitable amount of pain. However, even that I will be doing it because I want to do so myself. If I hate, I will steal. If I am angry, I will steal. If I want, I will steal. In the way I see fit, I will be mad to my heart´s content.”

With his hands, [Willian] broke the revenge called [Arlette].

“The next will be you, little boy.”

[Willian] and [Al] were exchanging glances.

“You are mad.”

[Al] took out the sword the sword that pierced his belly and pushed it at [Willian]´s stomach with all his strength. Without quivering, [Willian] received the attack.

“Yes, I am mad. And from now on… I will continue being mad.”

[Willian] hit [Al] at the side of his face. [Al] was sent flying.

“You had always been inside me. While I was killing people, you were whispering: This is wrong, you can´t do these things. Sometimes, this would hurt, sometimes it would make me hesitate. … The conscience filled with gentleness, love, moral and ethics I was supposed to have already thrown away a long time ago… That is what you are.”

Even while he was down on the ground, [Al] continued to glare at [Willian].

“You are doing wrong!”

“Maybe. But I won´t stop going forward.”

With his right foot, [Willian] stepped on [Al]´s head with all his strength.

“I kept denying you. I didn´t want to see you. The me who kept using nee-san as an excuse. I didn´t want to accept those things.”

[Willian] was rubbing his foot at [Al]´s head. He could hear cries. He could feel the sensation of conquest at his feet. This was joy. This was Karma.

“But I will accept all of you. I am good and evil. I am also the one that stepped over both good and evil. This increasing number of corpses, you, who keeps giving me a glare of disapproval, and also all these excuses; all this are things that composes me.”

“If you want to stop me, you can´t try as much as you want. I will rise even higher. I am so thirsty, but so thirsty that it can´t be helped. I want it so much, but so much that it can´t be helped. I want this and that; money isn´t enough, status isn´t enough, to the me that has nothing, there is no way other than stealing.”

[Willian] headed towards the crowd of corpses. The corpses faltered at the irregularity.

“To steal is to satisfy oneself.”

[Willian] stepped over Norman´s wife, who he had a great debt of grat.i.tude.

“To satisfy oneself is to win.”

He stepped over the red haired Willian.

“After continuing to win and after I satisfy myself, what will be the scenery in front of me? Will it be glittering? Will it be warm? Will it be pitch black? Will it be cold? To begin with, is there even anything that can satisfy me?”

He was stepping over the numerous corpses and was rising up. He didn´t have any hesitations anymore. Without faltering with his steps, he looked straight to the [top]. An absolute confidence, a firm pride. In order to prove that he was himself, step by step, he kept walking and kept proving himself of that.

“You… are doing wrong!”

He could hear [Al]´s shouts from [below].

“Kuku, keep shouting. Resentment is blessing, struggling is commendable; this thundering gospel of cries!”

The shouts of the corpses reverberated. The cries of resentment filled with hatred and the pulsation made by the corpses crawling away so that they are not stepped over followed along his feet. All this was turned into his joy, and also turned into his strength.

“If I show you any openings, you may kill me. If I show weakness, you may overthrow me anytime.”

Of course, [Willian] had no intentions of showing nor openings, neither weakness. However, he was on his guard. The karma he had built up was still midway, but even though he had just started, it was already this tall. If the day he satisfies himself and reaches the top comes, not even [Willian] could imagine how high would it become, nor how many lives would he need to step over.

Because of that, he needed to be cautious. Much more now that he reflected over the number of inhuman misdeeds he had built up, he asked himself whether he would be able to advance forward without hesitations or not. Of course, the answer for that question was…

“This starts from here. World, have you made your resolve? I did mine; the resolve to eat with  might. We are hungry. We are thirsty. We can´t tend ourselves in any way other than stealing. This is who [we] are; a born usurper. May we head forward through our path!” (TL note: Chuuni ^^)

On the tower of corpses, a king was reigning. Now, the tower was still small, and the king was still weak. However, after he continues to reap life and continues to steal, this tower would definitely become far taller. The authority of the king who would reign over it would increase to no bounds.

All this would become the king´s power.

“I won´t give up! One day, I will stop you… and then, I..!”

“Fuh, though I think you were late on that a long time ago… Well, do your best.”

Now that [Willian] had become aware of himself, even [Al] was nothing more than part of the pile of corpses. (TL note: 認識してしまった以上

“…Do as you wish. With your own feet, through your own path…”

Whether those words were [Arlette]´s, or then… (TL note: In that case, would this mean that brother sister fusion mode might come back???? 0.0  I hope so T.T)

“I intend on doing that. Thank you for taking care of me until now.”

[Willian] gave his thanks. He thanked to [Arlette]´s and [Al]´s existences. It was because they spent all this time on him that [Willian] could get the strength to be reigning over at the top of the corpses. If they weren´t here, once he was engulfed by the corpses, he would have been downgraded into nothing but a beast. (TL note: I´m not sure about the “jikan wo kaketa” part… ->此処まで時間をかけたからこそ、『ウィリアム』はこの亡者の上に君臨する力をつけた<>

“Now then, let´s move on.”

The masked king reigned by himself at the top of the tower of dead bodies.