Dakara, Anata o Koko de Koroshimasu - Chapter 40.2

―――― There is a word; Karmic Retribution.

It is the idea that the consequences of one’s own actions, whether it is good or bad, will always be rewarded.

It was originally a concept borne of religious belief, but it would be a very apt term to explain the ways of this world.

It’s obvious. One who has done wrong will eventually be unhappy. Those who do good will eventually have happiness. It is the truth of this world to receive a reasonable reward, whether directly or indirectly.

If so.

―――― Even the existence called ‘God’ is no exception.

“Ahahahahahahahaha!! Dead!! Riko’s dead!! Oh, it’s so refreshing!!”

Arte was laughing with tears in her eyes, holding on to her stomach, as she walked down the basement of the Elmerado Military Headquarters.

There was a scene of soldiers collapsed in a bloodbath. Perhaps Kirino, who was running wild, might have killed them without a care.

Arte’s destination was Sakura’s laboratory, where she was born. In a corner of the laboratory in the basement, Sakura’s body was still beautifully preserved in the culture medium after 200 years.

Arte’s Plan. Whenever the ‘plan’ progressed to some extent, she would visit this place and report to Sakura who does not answer anything. It was her routine, and a precious healing time to soothe her mind.

In particular, it was no exaggeration to say that today’s achievement has made great progress in good terms for Arte.

With Riko’s death, Serra fell into deep despair. It’s probably just a matter of time until she’s ‘finished’.

All that’s left is to push her back. Then she will fall. The ‘plan’ will finally be completed. There’s nothing unusual, just one little girl who’s going to trample the world.

Just imagining that, Arte couldn’t hold her excitement and continued to talk to herself. The death of Riko, who she had always hated, may have improved her mood.

For Sakura, who had been studying Homunculus with the same heart as human beings as a finished product, Arte was truly a masterpiece. That’s why Sakura showered her with love and nurtured her with care.

Without permission, Riko stepped into a territory that was only allowed to Arte. It was a coincidence that she obtained a perfect heart, but none of that mattered to Arte. She just couldn’t forgive her for being ‘the same’ as she is.

That’s why she branded her ‘failure’ and hunted her down thoroughly. As soon as she learned that she was beginning to grow a bond with Rinka, she made her believe she had died and turned her into an Undying to inflict an unhealing wound on her heart when they eventually reunited. It was not just an Undying that Riko would be able to kill with her own hands, it had been adjusted not to have the ability to regenerate, it did not receive any fighting ability, and adjusted its ‘Dominion’ so it would not adapt to the effects.

When she heard the fact that she and Serra had become lovers, the corners of her mouth were raised due the convenience of it all. Serra was originally expected to be the perfect Undying to complete her plan, but she was very worried about how she could break her heart. That’s where Riko’s existence came in. She was able to take advantage of their love relationship to break Serra thoroughly.

“Ufufu ✩ how utterly terrible, Riko-rin. Because you met Serra, Serra ended up suffering.”

While stepping on the skip, Arte murmured to herself.

―――― Now, when I get back, where shall we start? If Sakura were alive, she would praise me for my accomplishments.

Arriving in front of the door she had seen many times, Arte vigorously turned the doorknob, her cheeks loosening.

Splash, the sound of water.

“――――”

The sole of her shoe certainly stomped on some liquid.

She didn’t smell anything. That’s not blood.

Quietly, Arte reached for the switch by the wall and turned on the lights.

The first thing she saw was a clear liquid scattered on the floor.

Then shards of glass. When she ran a glance over them, some glass fragments of irregular size were scattered all over the place, perhaps, roughly destroyed.

And as she glanced at it, she saw red-and-black ‘something’ splashing out. Perhaps the clear liquid had absorbed the raw odor that this ‘something’ was supposed to generate.

And finally, she turned her gaze to the corner where they should be gathered.

It should have been covered with a large cloth, but it was removed and shattered.

In other words.

Someone broke into this room.

The culture medium where Sakura slept was destroyed.

Sakura’s body, which should have been inside, was turned into a lump of flesh by somebody.

“――――”

Alice Westblood

Only she could have done this.

To the bitter end of her resignation, she must have moved to repay Arte.

Indeed, it would be Arte’s oversight that she did not consider the concern of Elmerado’s military headquarters being invaded. But she didn’t care about that anymore.

However, Sakura was destroyed. She lost her cherished loved one.

Thinking that far.

Arte.

“Don’t screw arooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnddddddd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

All she could do was shed tears and wail like she did back then.