Tower of Karma

Chapter 66 Last night before final mountain battle

"What is this happening all of a sudden? At this rate—"

Nikka's voice echoed within the enclosure of the Noir Guard. Volf stopped polis.h.i.+ng his sword and said,

"At this rate, it will look like the war has stagnated because we took command? Exactly. That was their aim. It was the work of the perfectionist, White Mask."

Ywain and the others stopped drinking.

"With that, no one in the Nehderk army will think of letting us have command. And even if there are any, they would be the minority. Now that it has already happened, we probably won't get the right to command unless we can turn the situation around. But White Mask won't do something as stupid as just letting us have our way. We would have to do it in an instant."

He wanted to remove the Noir Guard from the center of the battle even if it meant losing a little. One could also look at it like he was afraid of Volf's command to that extent.

"The battlefield just became rigid all of a sudden. In reality, our form was still not broken. It looks like we are being pushed but, we are holding our own properly."

It would look as if the Nehderks were overwhelmingly being pushed back throughout the whole battlefield. In fact, everyone surrounding the current commander are probably thinking something along those lines. But it is only made to be seen like that. It isn't actually as bad as it looks.

"They will also probably come aiming for the commander's head. We have two options, to sit back doing nothing and lose or be prepared to be taken down and strike the enemy while making many sacrifices."

Nikka tore off her bandages without saying anything. Her wounds have not yet healed. Her silence, which protested that there was no way they would lose and retreat like this.

Ywain and the others also dropped their wine and started equipping their weapons.

(Kukku, you guys are all idiots. Really, that's why you guys are the best.)

There was no way Volf would sit and watch them lose like this either. He was confident that he was much more superior. He was confident that he had better troops. If that's the case then, there is no way they would lose.

"Alright, we will take the White Mask's head tomorrow and let Oppai-chan join us!"

"Alriiightttttttttt!!"

And just like that, their morales had risen.

"Okay, you die today."

Nikka threw a knife with all her strength at Volf. Volf slightly dodged the knife but then started getting punched. With swift movements, from which one could not even tell she was wounded, she strangled Volf's neck and waited for his apology wearing a smile.

"G-Gan't breath."

That was Volf's last word's for the day.

"…..You have any complaints?"

Seeing their general's appearance, with bubbles coming out of his mouth, there were no other idiots who would dare get excited over oppai. Nikka had given away the feminine life but her heart was still of a maiden. She bears a perfectly level chest but, when there's an idiot pointing it out, she turns into Shura. It can't be helped.

"War meeting, tomorrow morning. Dismissed."

The scarcity of words too were scary. Everyone went to their bed in low spirit.

When there was no one there anymore–

"….I am still in growing session. Still."

Noir Guard's Nikka. Age, 21 years old.

A maiden who still believes (wants to believe) in growth.

Having finished the last war meeting, William was standing alone under the night sky. He will end it all tomorrow. Everything of this long, long battle will be decided tomorrow. Of course, the Black Wolf will probably make its move. If he is able to crush all of that and checkmate the enemy, it is his victory.

They will execute an all-out attack tomorrow. He had told everyone. It is only natural for them to take the mountains.

The commander of a hundred soldiers. I had thought it would be a little far but, maybe I can win this battle. I will be able to reach it.

"Even still…. to think there was someone that strong at that age."

If one were to look at sheer talent from birth, William could not even compare to Volf. William has never thought of himself as a genius neither a bright person. He was a commoner who had come rising here using every and all methods he could. It was not like the others were not working hard but they surely weren't working as logically and thoroughly as William was. But even after all that, the opponent being equal, probably even higher than him, he could not think of anything other than talent.

William was an ordinary person. And he was surrounded by rotting ordinary people in Rakonia. Having experienced all that, he understood the ordinary people's feelings and was able to control them. It is said that people act with feelings and logic with a ratio of 7 to 3. No matter how logical they are, if they do not suppress the 7 portions of emotion, they will fail. That is what makes a human. And especially, they are ordinary because they cannot feel the weight of logic.

"There are no living beings as proud as the ordinary people. They are always searching for someone at a lower position than them, and make it their purpose in life to step all over those people. Mercenaries are an easy target for the regular army to look down on. To be soaked in the sense of superiority seeing that beneath them. And that is how they supply their tiny pride."

To throw away one's pride, it is a talent. And the ones who are able to completely throw away that are a kind of prodigy. Humans, everyone of them have pride. They think they are a somewhat different existence. But reality keeps pressing on them that they are just ordinary. That is why they search for the ones lower than them. To feel that sense of superiority.

"Your existence has given the ordinary too much of an impetus. If it's temporary, then that is fine. If it's a critical situation, then it's different. But, during normal times, you guys are lower. You have to be lower. That is what the mercenaries are, that is what the outsiders are."

There is no way they, the outsiders would be welcomed cordially even when the insiders are still there. It is fine until they are overwhelmingly stronger than the ordinary people. The ordinaries have to accept it. Because, they would ever so clearly show the difference between them. But, when that difference is gone, at the very least, if the ordinary people feel that the difference is gone—-

"They would explode with discontent at once. The outsiders, who are not even the army of a foreign country, behaving all high and mighty– that is something the insiders, the regular army would not endure. And that feeling in the atmosphere will infect the others. Tickling the feelings of the ordinaries, making them lose their logic. And if that happens, no matter how much sense something makes, it will be of no meaning. They won't be interested to hear it."

William had learnt a lot, even from outside of the battlefield. From the time when he was a slave, how he would need to behave to not be beaten with the whip; From the time when he worked at a bookstore, how he would need to choose his words to sell more books– he had thought of it all.

It is the same when it comes to what he is doing now. Most of the humans are ordinary. And that is certainly why, it would be more effective to appeal to their emotions rather than offer something logical. That is what would decide the outcome of this battle.

"You have looked down on ordinary people. You took the ordinary people's shallowness, their foolishness too lightly. The ordinary people do not think. They do not learn. That is why they are ordinary no matter how long they live. It is hard to understand, isn't it? Genius wild dog?"

Having experienced all too many things, William had gone outside of the ordinary people realm. The ones who have been outside from the start, their view itself is completely different. William recognized that that would be his weapon.

"Now then, I wonder how tomorrow will turn out?"

Volf will definitely come making his move. The question is, would he receive that, or would he lightly evade it? He had already told everyone of this thoughts but, William too, is betting on something.

To completely and utterly win, he had committed to that little risk. William had the confidence that he would succeed but this, he could do nothing about this one thing. But now, he even had the room to look forward to how that would turn out.

"I wonder what kind of a face that wild dog will make when he comes to know everything? …. I can't help but feel excited."

William threw himself down, all the while wearing his mask. The nice, cold, night wind tickled his body. Thinking that he would be able to see a nice nightmare tonight, he lied down, fully enjoying the view.

Tomorrow, a huge battle will unfold which will decide everything.