Tower of Karma
Vol. 1 - Ch. 33 - The Battle for Flanders (14): Beyond the End

The war has ended. Arcadia has lost its elite, including Villibrand and Christoph. Nederkus has lost a city and its citizens. A fiercely fought battle that resulted in too many losses. As for the flames that consumed Flanders, and reduced to ruins, no one knows the truth. The people of Arcadia think Nederkus burned it, and the people of Nederkus think Arcadia did. The truth doesn't matter. What's important is how they perceive it, and where those feelings will lead them.

With the 'upper echelon' like Villibrand gone, those who clearly distinguished themselves, like Gilbert, have been swiftly promoted. For Arcadia, who must maintain the appearance of victory, it is necessary to promote those who have achieved military merit.

Gilbert, who decapitated an enemy commander, had been promoted to Captain. Anselm and Gregor, who quietly took the heads of enemy captains, had been promoted to Senior Captains.

While the nation is in a celebratory mood, this particular place exuded the opposite atmosphere.

"...Taylor?"

Clad in black mourning clothes, Gilbert found Carl playing (being harassed) with a dog in the manor's garden.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm not fooling around. But, ah, stop, my pants are ripping."

"Schwert, release him. He's still a guest, after all."

At Gilbert's command, the dog obediently released Carl and sat down. The dog was quite intelligent.

The silence stretched between the two. Carl was visibly pale, while Gilbert appeared calm and silent. During this, the dog remained sitting firmly.

"...I appreciate you coming to the funeral of my kin today."

Gilbert's bow caused Carl to let out a strange sound, and the dog and the little girl playing with it were also startled.

"...Don't be so surprised. I can bow my head too."

Carl inwardly screamed "Liar!" but kept it off his face.

"Villibrand and Christoph were the first walls I aimed to surpass. That they died before I could cross them is unforgivable. I...will never forgive it."

Today, Villibrand and Christoph's funeral was being held at Oswald's manor. Carl had attended the ceremony and was wandering the expansive garden when the dog started playing with (attacking) him.

It seemed Villibrand and Christoph held a special place for Gilbert. He was showing an expression filled with grief, something Carl had never seen before.

"...Gilbert."

Carl understood the pain of loss from his own experience of losing his mother. But he couldn't find the words to offer comfort. He could empathize, but they wouldn't come out.

"Your face looks strange, Taylor."

Gilbert gave a wry smile seeing it.

"Huh? What kind of face? Is it weird? I thought it was normal."

Carl started touching his face, and seeing this, Gilbert let out a light chuckle. The little girl then gave Carl a disbelieving look, and for some reason, glared at him intensely. Carl continued touching his face, not understanding why.

"I was the one who achieved the primary merit in the previous battle. But I believe it is you who deserves that honor. Let me correct what I said before. Well done in stopping that lion-like captain."

Carl tilted his head in confusion. He had no memory of Gilbert saying anything to him before.

Gilbert said no more and silently stroked the dog's neck. The dog seemed to enjoy it.

"Were you assigned to the Second Army?"

The topic suddenly changed.

Arcadia had the First, Second, and Third Armies, each with slightly different roles. Carl belonged to the Second Army, while Gilbert was in the First Army. Incidentally, Hilda was in the Third Army.

"I think so, maybe?"

Carl's uncertain expression made Gilbert sigh.

"At least remember which army you belong to. You're in the Second Army, and so is Gregor."

While there wasn't an obvious difference between the armies, there were significant behind-the-scenes differences. The most martial noble families were in the First Army, the somewhat lower-ranked nobles were in the Second Army, and the Third Army was in a league of its own, not comparable to the Second Army. Their roles also differed, with the First Army defending major cities and the Second Army defending smaller cities and the frontiers.

"So Anselm and Gilbert are in the First Army, right?"

"Yes."

Silence followed. In the end, Carl couldn't understand why Gilbert had brought up this topic.

"...That man will soon become a Captain."

Carl understood who 'that man' referred to.

"Yeah, William is really amazing. He's taken so many heads, and from now on, he'll probably surpass me in no time."

Even if William became a Captain now, their positions would still be the same. But Carl couldn't see William's undefeated reputation being maintainable going forward. If they became equals, their relationship would no longer be as it was. If they lost William, Carl's battalion's combat power would plummet. It was more likely that the myth of the undefeated warrior would crumble.

"How pathetic. Such excessive self-deprecation is unsightly."

Gilbert looked at Carl with a deeply exasperated expression. Carl was perplexed.

"Hmph. You're still the same dim-witted one, I see. Beatrice, guide the guest."

The girl called Beatrice pouted.

"Ew, he's such a klutz."

"He's still my guest. Show some manners."

Beatrice, grumbling, glanced at Carl with annoyance.

"The sun is setting. Get going."

Without further ado, Gilbert left, leading his loyal dog.

Left behind were Carl and Beatrice.

"Hey, klutz. Don't get carried away just because my brother is indulgent."

"Eh? You're Gilbert's sister?"

"Of course, you idiot. You will address me as Lady Beatrice."

"Okay, I'm Carl."

"I don't care. You're a klutz. Follow me, klutz!"

And so, amid being kicked and punched violently, Carl finally managed to leave Oswald's manor. By then, the sun had completely set.

The duke's residence was indeed vast.

༺༻

After inspecting his own trading company, William went around visiting the existing trading companies, tirelessly explaining that the goods they handled were different from what the other companies were dealing in and that they were not encroaching on anyone's territory.

It was something he had anticipated would happen once a certain level of profit was generated. Even with Taylor's patronage, this was a business in another industry, with all sorts of entanglements.

"How many companies have we visited now? It's already night and we've been at it since morning," Ignatz said with a dissatisfied expression. Frank, too, was in a weary mode, his tall back hunched.

"For now, I think we're in the clear. We have no intention of dealing in cheap merchandise, nor will we further encroach on their domains. However, we also won't see any more sales growth."

William was already sensing a dead end in the pharmaceutical business. This was not due to William's misjudgment, but rather because the initial major clients had already been secured, and the speed of the initial movement had allowed them to tap into a wide range of doctors, researchers, alchemists, and even sorcerers as major clients.

The significant brand value of the Taylor family's business also helped them gain a certain degree of trust even in this new industry. They had been able to establish substantial sales quickly.

The illicit underground routes that existed in the Nocturnal Kingdom had also been completely cleared, with William in control of the entire commercial flow. This was only possible thanks to Nyx's protection. Of course, they were still returning a commensurate share of the profits to the Nocturnal Kingdom, but the current situation was one where they were being more helped than hindered.

"...It's too easy to win," William murmured in a voice no one could hear.

The current state of affairs was one of victory after victory. In a matter of years, they could reclaim that ruby and then build an even closer relationship with the Nocturnal Kingdom and the Taylor family.

But it was boring.

"Let's expand the range of goods we handle," William suddenly announced. Hearing this, Frank gave him a puzzled look.

"In business, it is taboo for a single company to spread itself too thin. There are entanglements in each industry, and it would be an extremely difficult task to coordinate it all."

Frank's argument was quite reasonable. He, too, was from a merchant family that had long been engaged in business. The reason they had remained a specialized trading company dealing in gems and precious metals was not without cause.

"Of course, not immediately. But in the near future... I'll have to create a situation where I have no choice. A situation where no one can interfere."

William had a vision, though it was still in the realm of dreams. If he voiced it out loud, it would sound foolish, and he would even laugh at himself. That's why he would keep it to himself for now. All he wanted to convey was that he was not satisfied with the current state of affairs.

"Well, let's visit one more place."

"Huh, no, wait, that's, well..."

"... When William decides something, there's no stopping us, is there?"

"I'm hungry, you know."

For now, this was a time of dormancy. Accumulating money, building strength, and preparing to challenge the world.

William was still far from satisfied. There could never be too much money, after all.

While a new rising star was shooting up towards the heavens, in this world there were also ancient giant stars that had continued to shine brightly from time immemorial.

༺༻

One of the Seven Kingdoms is the Estard Kingdom. Its capital, Ellied. There, in the largest and most magnificent mansion, stood a man. He boasted an overwhelming physique, and the many scars etched into his body hinted at a long military history. An intoxicating aura of battle lingered around him. The great general, the mighty...

"Ah, Volf, is it? I hear you have taken the young lion cub whom you fought against during the Garnian expedition under your wing. That is a man who does not bow his head to others, yet he serves one younger and less experienced. Pray tell, what is the meaning of this?"

The El Cid Campeador, one of the Three Great Giants, the 'Scorching Sun'.

"And those young upstarts from Arcadia who even managed to stop him. The world is stirring, it seems."

His mere presence caused a tremor. His aura was so overwhelming that even the people in the room could barely grasp its true form. Everyone present was being consumed by the man's existence.

"Those impudent fools who dare to reach for the heavens. How displeasing."

Despite his words, El Cid was smiling deeply.

For the longest time, nothing had emerged to threaten his position at the pinnacle of the world. But in recent years, it had become clear that something was different - the appearance of certain peculiar young individuals. Apollonia, the 'Knight Queen' of Arcland; Volf, of the Black Mercenary Company 'Black Wolf'; William the 'White Mask' and Carl the 'Azure Wind'; and Gilbert the 'White Sword'. They had accomplished feats such as stealing the 'Lament Spear' and turning the tide for the faltering Arcadia against the 'Black Wolf'. Any one of them could have achieved such exploits.

"Reach out your hand, and I shall crush it myself."

The longed-for battle was near.

In the theocratic nation of the Holy Laurence Kingdom, one of the Seven Kingdoms, a man knelt before the towering, magnificent cross.

"A great tide of the times is approaching. Lord, are you testing us once again?"

The aura surrounding the man was peculiar. Gentle, cold, and distant. It exuded a presence akin to that of a deity. If a god were to take human form, it would surely be something like this.

"Sir Vercingetorix, the Holy One summons you."

Vercingetorix appeared youthful but had already surpassed middle age. Yet his skin glowed with vitality, and his hair flowed in beautiful, graceful lines. His bursting vitality was no less than that of a young man - perhaps even surpassing it.

"I shall come at once."

His resolute voice echoed through the canopy.

"Lord, I shall overcome the trials you have bestowed upon us, time and time again."

The one who had addressed him nearly fainted from the sheer divine aura.

The man who perceives the flow of the times as the trials given by God, the hero among heroes, the 'Hero King' Vercingetorix. Counted among the Three Great Giants, he has continually protected the nation of the Holy Laurence, surrounded as it is by the Seven Kingdoms of Garias, Ostberg, Nederkloss, and Estard. The fact that the Holy Laurence has remained standing to this day is solely due to his presence.

For half a century, the undefeated monster who has never known defeat quietly awaits the flow of events. And he continues to amass his strength to control it.

And the final giant star, the mightiest man of Ostberg, 'Black Gold' Stracles.

The giant star uttered not a word, his gaze fixed upon the skies of the neighboring Arcadia. The tide of the times was pressing in. Could he, who was both of the past and the present, truly emerge victorious against the future? Stracles himself could not say for certain.

Seared into his mind were the remnants of his glorious past battles. There, the provoked grin of the 'Black Wolf' and the unrestrained face of the 'White Mask' were etched.

The rising stars who would bear the next generation. Would they devour the future, or be devoured by it? Would they become giants or merely one of the countless stars?

Stracles, like the other giants, smiled. Finally, it was coming.

The era of turmoil, the era of chaos, the era of blood.

The foolish human conflicts that had repeated throughout history were about to commence once more.