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Tower of Karma (Web Novel) - Chapter 1 The heaven inside hell
Chapter 1 The heaven inside hell
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
This world isn´t just.
If there are people that can casually sip their wine in their glasses, there will be many others that need to drink muddy water that was stepped on. If there are people that can cover their body in warm furs, there will be many others that can only cover themselves with rags.
There is no happiness in this world.
In the moment people are born, they fall in different classifications. Children born from rich people, from poor people, noble children, peasant children, children of slaves. If you are born as a slave, life isn´t good even if you manage to crawl out through it.
This world is cruel.
Someone´s happiness leads to someone´s unhappiness. For resources, people fight each other, steal and kill. To live is to dance over corpses. People fall in madness. They eat, rape, and kill.
This world is hell.
☆
The kingdom of Arcadia. This kingdom whose name means utopia in the ancient language had considerable power in comparison to its neighboring countries. This was the aggregation of their military power, their economy and the immensity of what they have been accumulating throughout their history. It was the kingdom that had the most honorable origin among the seven kingdoms.
At its royal capital of Arkas, differently from their beautiful and well maintained places, there were also places that were dark and desolate. The people that lived there were dirty; the mood of those places felt stagnant. Most of the people living in places like that were slaves.
“Nee-san, Arlette-nee-san. I got bread from the church.”
“Ara, did you properly said thanks to them, my cute little boy?”
“Of course. And by the way, stop with that “boy” thing. I am nee-san´s knight after all.”
“Yes, yes. Then, let´s split the bread in two halves, my little knight.”
There were clear class distinctions in this nation. Generally speaking, the king would be the top, and then there would be the nobility, the normal citizens and the slaves. This was something unchanging. In order to change your social class, you would need a large amount of money.
“Munch munch munch*… It´s tasty, nee-san.”
“Yes, it is very tasty. We need to give our thanks to the priest later.”
The siblings were slaves. Right after giving birth to the little brother, their mother died. They didn´t know who their father was because their mother was a prostitute. Their little family was only the two of them.
“Tomorrow I will go buy eggs with the money I saved up.”
“Then let´s buy two of them with both of our money combined.”
Finishing to eat the bread made of kabi, they made their plans for tomorrow. It was already hard enough to just keep themselves alive. With both of their effort combined, they would work from morning to night, to then finally eat bread, drink water and have some very diluted soup. Sometimes they would have the luxury to eat one egg. This was the quality of life of slaves.
“Now, let´s go sleep. Tomorrow we need to be up early, so we have to sleep when it is night.”
“Then, nee-chan, sing a song. I will go sleep if you do that for me.”
“Yes, I will sing you a song.”
Even if it was only a little kid, he would need to work as long as the kid was a slave. The view that child labor is something bad was something that has been created just recently. Children of farmers would help with the crops, children of merchants and of craftsmen would watch their parents doing their jobs, sometimes giving it a try themselves, and would learn about it with time. The children of slaves would be included in society only as a form of labor force. Only privileged classes had access to education.
“Nee-san, the song!”
“Yes, yes.”
Putting down the small candle, the little family of only the two of them went to the small bed. The bed was so small to the point it felt to them like they would fall down from it if they didn´t hug each other and with them being covered by a very thin cloth that a bit of the cold wind would go through. It could be considered a bit too shabby to even be called a bed. But even so, the two were happy with that.
“Nee-san, it is so warm.”
“Forgive the robber. Forgive the thief. Forgive the murderer. Forgiveness has more value than anything; if you pray and look up to the sky, god will grant you forgiveness and compassion. Let´s forgive. Let´s forgive. Let´s forgive. My little treasure, love the beautiful world you were born in.”
While listening to the gentle song, the little brother could feel the warmth of his sister. He was hugging her tightly as if he wouldn´t let go no matter what. They were a family of only the two of them. That´s why he couldn´t let her go.
“Nee…-sa..n”
The sister was hugging her little brother that had fallen asleep as if he was a precious treasure.
“Good night, Al, my cute little treasure.”
Slaves were human. However, the world wouldn´t recognize them as people.
☆
“Don´t slack, little ones!”
An angry shout resounded through the construction site. The job of the slaves there was to transport materials. Children, which were cheap, were specially prefered for hiring for the simple labor jobs. Even if it was a job that required strength, it didn´t matter. If they passed out, it would be fine enough to just buy another one as the replacement.
“Hey, Al. Let´s meet at that same place at lunch break.”
“Alright. Until then, let´s both do our best, Kail.”
Both exchanged words in a low voice in the instant they passed by each other. If they showed any signs of slacking even if for only an moment, their owner would have no problems in having them whipped. Slaves like them weren´t considered people.
“I should have told you already you are not to slack!”
As they carried the stones, another child was being whipped by the side.
☆
“Really, it would be nice if the next guy that buys me is a bit more gentle in dealing with his slaves.”(TL: It seems as if there is a company that lents slaves to others as business. Since it was specifically written “buy”, I will leave it as it is.”
“People get really rushed up because of the deadline when we are working at these kind of jobs after all. Well, but if you are talking about rich old men in particular, nine out of ten… It would be [that], right?”
“Ah… [That thing] is really bad news. Just by thinking about that, my butthole starts to hurt.”
There were varied types of slaves. It was obvious that depending on their types, the person who bought them would have them do different jobs. That certain construction company bought Al and Kail in order to finish the work they were contracted for. The construction had a set deadline; presently, they were in a position they could only do their best to finish it in one go.
“If we are talking about ideal jobs, it should be the sort of thing like helping the guy with his personal assets, right?”(TL note: Apparently, slaves organizing your assets was a common thing in the ancient roman empire. Since the master can easily have his slave dead if something happens, it was safer to have a slave do this kind of job. I didn´t get this until somebody stated it in the comments, so I am just putting it here in case someone gets confused by that like me ^^)
“I don´t want that. I would have to be separated from nee-san in that case.”
“Here he comes; this siscon.”
“Shut up!”
Slaves didn´t have the privilege to choose their jobs; they would simply go to the place they were sold to. They were an existence that was there only to work. However, for the slave dealers, the mediators in the trades, there was a special “case” for the slaves that are easy to sell. While nobody wanted to be sold to a place like this one, a construction work that has a deadline set, if the slave wished for something in exchange for being sold to a place like that, it was more or less possible to have it granted. Al willingly accepted to be sold to a place like that just so that he could express his wish to the slave dealers. Everything was for the sake of him not being separated from his sister.
“Well, it´s weird though. Even though you are a slave, you are living in family.”
Kail was someone from a distant country. That country didn’t exist anymore, and Kail himself didn’t know if he used to have a family there or not. All he knew was that his country lost the war. Then he was abducted, was made into a slave, and now, was bought by someone in Arcadia.
“Things like the whole family being bought together happens a lot of times.”
“That wasn´t the case for you guys though, right? …It gotta be very harsh because of that.”
“I guess.”
“…I wasn’t talking about you on that.”
While saying that, Kail turned his eyes away from Al.
Tilting his head to the side in confusion, Al looked to another direction.
“She is late. She was supposed to be arriving by now.”
Al was anxiously looking around at the surroundings. However, he couldn´t catch sight of her.
“Sorry for the wait.”
A small rock hit Al on his head. The stone of about the size of a finger gave him more surprise than pain. Al was startled.
There was someone standing on the stone wall.
“Havella? You are late.”
The person called Havella looked at both of them with apathetic eyes, though they gave off a certain feeling that was quite the opposite of arrogance.
“Sorry. It took time to lose them.”
After saying that, the girl threw each of them a red fruit.
“Oh, is that an apple? Thanks for the treat! Munch munch”(がじゅむしゃぐじゅ)
Havelia gave a side-look at the two eating their apples furiously. With that said, she herself was eating her own apple with the same speed, though in a more methodical and calm way. The eating speed of the lower classes was fast.
“Fuah, this brought me back to life. Thank you like always, Havella.”
Havella nodded silently to Al, who was expressing his thanks. Her attitude and movement felt very mechanical, but the two of them were somewhat able to understand her feelings even with that kind of attitude. It wasn´t too long that they started to get along with Havella, but they were more or less already able to understand her thoughts.
“But stealing things and the sort shouldn´t be easy, right? We can eat apples like that, but maybe this isn´t really worth the risk.”
“There isn´t any problem. If I am caught, I will just die and nothing more.”
“That is a problem, you know?”
Thievery was a crime. If she was caught, she wouldn´t be overlooked by only compensating for what she stole. She would be hit, be kicked, and she would be forever branded as a thief, having this documented in her ID for as long as she lived. This would be seen as a minus in various ways in her resume. She would never be looked at in the same way ever again.
“There are no problems on that. I am a pro after all.”
Havella wasn´t someone from this country. She was born here, but she was from a family of thieves that came from far away from the east. Havella was born right after they were able to illegally get inside the kingdom. Because of that, the kingdom wasn´t aware of Havella´s existence. She didn´t have the qualifications to be a citizen of the kingdom, and thus, she didn´t have human rights. That was the only thing that was lower than being a slave. Even if it happened that she was killed, it wouldn´t be different from someone just having killed some bug or animal.
“Well, you became a member of the thief guild this year. Their standards for that kind of thing are on another level after all.”
Havella proudly puffed her chest without saying any words. It seems that even thieves had pride in being skilled in what they do.
The thief guild was one of the secret guilds in this country. They were a professional group that would undertake shady work. It was possible for one to join them if one was capable to win some trust among them. There were many privileges and advantages in joining them, but at the same time, you had to have a suitable amount of money to pay them to be able to join the group. Havella´s parents and herself were part of the group, father, mother and daughter.
“I suppose it’s thanks to that that we can have some apples. Thanks for the food.”
Kail was the first to finish eating. After having finished eating, he sat down on the ground, which was chilly because of the shadow made by the stone wall. A few seconds after that, Al and Havella also finished eating their own apple, both finishing it almost at the same time.
“Give this to onee-san after her turn is over. This is my thanks for the flowers from before.”
“For nee-san!? Thank you Havella!”
Al was showing a broad smile. He seemed to be happier than the time he got his own apple. Kail sighed, saying “good grief”, while Havella… as to be expected, had an expressionless face on.
“But you know, Al´s onee-san is really beautiful, isn’t she?”
Kail was looking at Al with a look of contempt.
“You really look like her, but… You don´t really look masculine, do you?”
Al angrily looked at Kail. His beautiful and soft black hair that was just like his sister made he look a bit girly. He was thin, but this was because of the lack of food to eat. Although he looked even girlier than Havella, he still was a male.
“Shut up. I will protect nee-san. I will protect her so that bugs like you won´t approach her!”
“You have courage to be treating people like insects. Despite being so skinny…”
Kail jumped at Al and got on top of him. Messing around, he started to pull Al´s cheeks. Seeing what was happening, Havella muttered something, but it nobody heard what she said.
“So, who is protecting who?”
“Shush up(Shut up)! It’s just because I’m out of shape!”
“Really… You are all talking.”
Kail took his fingers away from Al´s cheeks.
“Hm?”
Right as he did that, the sound of a bell ringed from the construction site. This was the bell that announced the time when their break was over and also the beginning of their rough work.
“Ah, I guess our playtime is over. Then, Havella, let´s meet again after we are done working.”
“We will be whipped if we don´t hurry after all. See you later.”
“Alright.”
The two went to the construction site and the other one vanished inside the city. All that remained at the back-alley distant from the people’s eyes were the seeds of the apples.
☆
Al was running. He hurried to his beloved sister while holding the apple and egg by his chest. Al was smiling as his mind being filled with thoughts of how his sister would react once he showed this apple. He wondered if she was going to be pleased and happy, or if she was going to get a bit angry about it, but after that, give him a hug.
Al caught sight of his house. It was very shabby. The house was small and filled with holes. But even so, it was the most important place to him.
“Nee-san, I am back!”
Al opened the door. What was reflecting in his eyes was a beautiful long hair that had the same color of his own; a black that could be mistaken with obsidian. This was enough to make him happy.
“You know what I got today? An egg and ta-dah! Havella gave it to me. It´s an apple! An apple!”
Al waited for a reaction. His sister calmly turned her head to him and showed a happy smile.
“Welcome back, my cute little knight.”
Al exploded with happiness with that smile.
“Uh? Today´s soup…”
Al made a puzzled face the moment he looked at the food that was on the table.
He could still understand how it was possible that there were two egg dishes and the bread on their table. The bread still could have come from the church, or it could have been that the flowers sold well. It was still possible to understand if it was just this much. However, the soup wasn´t the diluted one of always, but one that was filled with many ingredients; it was something Al had never seen before.
“Today’s sellings went really well, so I thought about making a stew. In the past, mother made one for me one time, and it was very delicious.”
Al was showing a happy face to the words that his sister was telling him, but there were still signs of doubt remaining in his heart. He wondered if there was any reason why it was today that they were having this special dish.
“”It´s not like today is some holiday or anything. Well, but it looks tasty.””
Al´s belly grumbled. Showing a smile, Arlette urged Al to eat.
“Thanks for the meal!”
Al started to eat in big bites. The taste of the bread made of kabi together with the juice of the stew made him feel like he had ascended to heaven. Was it really fine for it to be so tasty and so good? Thinking of all this happiness he received, Al became a bit scared.
“Is it tasty? I wonder if I cooked it well.”
Al vigorously nodded at Arlette´s question. Arlette showed a cramped smile due to how fast he was nodding. Even if it was only a single smile, it filled Al´s heart with happiness. Each and every single gesture of his sister was enough to make Al happy.
“”Ah, I am so happy.””
Happiness comes in more than one form. Even if they were poor and even if they were treated as slaves, it was fine to him as long as Al could be together with his sister. He didn´t need anything else. Al loved his sister so much to the point that he could easily declare that. And in the same way, his sister loved him too.
“Hey, Al?”
She loved Al. That´s was exactly why they misunderstood each other.
“What is it, nee-san?”
Al tilted his head to the side. Some of the stew few of from the corner of his mouth. Al hurriedly wiped his mouth.
“Hey, Al… is the job you are doing now too harsh?”
Suddenly, his sister asked. Al shook his head.
“It isn´t really that much. They don´t whip people for no reason like the last one, and they also don´t hit us for fun.”
Arlette´s expression became cloudy because of Al´s response. Al wasn´t telling any lies. He really thought those things weren’t anything special. He believed that this much of roughness was simply the usual. Other children of his same age wouldn´t go through this much. Even children of farmers wouldn´t go through such unreasonable experiences. Being punched, kicked, and receiving almost no pay for working the whole day. For him, this was the usual. He didn´t know anything else other than hell…
“If you were to be released and become a free person, what would you do?”
Al showed a wry smile.
“It´s impossible. We don´t have enough money to buy ourselves. Even if we work for our whole life it wouldn´t be enough. That is specially for me. Even a slave like me that only works on labor still receive the lowest wages. It is impossible even with that.”
He had already given up since the beginning. This was the obvious. In this country, there weren´t ways for slaves to crawl out from slavery. Even a child like Al understood that. He understood it was impossible.
“But what if it really happened?”
“That… I want to become free, but… Ah, if we keep talking about things like that, the soup will end up getting cold. Even though you prepared it with so much work…”
Rather than talking about impossibilities, the soup had better priority. Once again, Al began to devour the stew.
If Al had properly finished telling his feelings at that moment, perhaps he would have been able to change the future, whether that was for good or for bad.
“”But as long as I am together with Arlette-nee-san, I don´t care if I am a slave or not.””
This was something he would only come to realize at the end of his life.
