Berserk of Gluttony (LN) - Volume 3 - Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

Scorched Earth and Salamanders 

AFTER SETTING UP their camp for the night, Lady Roxy’s squadron left about ten soldiers on watch around the tents. I thought about what to do now that her forces had paused their journey. I could always go ahead without them, but, well, I just didn’t feel like continuing on alone. I decided to set up camp myself, so I looked around for a suitably rocky crag and plopped down, sheltered by its overhang. 

Getting a good night’s sleep in the heart of Galia was near impossible, so the best you could do was close your eyes, relax, and try to get a little rest. It was just like Myne and Greed had told me—adventurers always rest wherever and whenever they can, in preparation for the next battle. In some small way, that had become a habit of my own too. I dipped between half-asleep and half-awake as time passed into the dead of night, until a strange sensation shocked me awake. 

What is that feeling?! I snatched Greed from the rock I’d propped him on. “Greed, we’ve got monsters. And based on what I sense…” 

“Yeah. No doubt about it. They’re crowned beasts. More than one, too.” 

Two groups of crowned beasts approached in a pincer formation, closing in from the east and west. They weren’t aiming for me, however. They honed in on the army encampment. 

Lady Roxy felt the monsters’ approach just like I did. She came flying out of her tent, armed and armored. She unsheathed her sword and issued orders to her troops. 

I focused my mind, reaching out with my senses to follow the flow of the crowned beasts’ presence. I needed to identify exactly how many enemies we were facing. 

“There’re four,” I said. “Damn it. They’re already surrounding the tents.” 

“What do you want to do, Fate?” 

“We’re going in!” 

I dashed out from the cover of my crag and confirmed the trajectory of the incoming monsters with Night Vision. 

Should I help with the monsters to the east or west? 

Lady Roxy was in position with her troops on the western front. To the east, I saw a lone, unfortunately familiar, blond holy knight. There were more troops on the eastern front, but they also seemed less prepared. I looked once more at Lady Roxy to the west. She was more than ready. She’d be okay. 

“Greed, we’ll take the monsters to the east!” 

“Transform me into the black bow !” Greed affirmed. “Take the initiative! Use Sandstorm!” 

With the black bow in hand, I pulled the bowstring taut and nocked it with a magic arrow, which I infused with the spell Sandstorm. I launched the crackling sand arrow as I dashed toward the army’s tents. It flew in a direct line at a giant, ashen lizard slithering in from the east. 

The arrow bored into the monster’s front right leg. Stone crept up the salamander’s flesh from the wound, until the petrified leg could no longer bear the beast’s momentum and snapped off with a resounding crack. The lizard lost its balance and plowed into the earth, rolling in clouds of dust. 

“That slowed one down,” I shouted. “Time to stop the other!” 

I fired another magic arrow as I ran, but I no longer had surprise on my side. The remaining lizard whipped toward me. Its throat expanded, glowing hot, and gouts of fire spewed forth from its mouth. The blistering fire melted the very earth before it. The arrow I’d fired disintegrated in the flames. 

“What the hell kind of fire is that?!” I yelped. 

“Ah, I see,” said Greed. “These are salamanders. When they inhale, they ignite the air within their oil sacs, where they store fire for attacks. But don’t fret. They don’t have any special skills, so you’ve only got their flames to worry about!” 

The monsters were still outside the range of my Identify skill, so Greed’s notes were eminently useful. I now knew the salamanders’ fire would swallow any long-range attacks. To fell these beasts, I’d have to get in close and land a killing blow before I found myself engulfed in a burst of flame. But first, I had to stop the salamander from crashing into Lady Roxy’s camp. 

The blond holy knight—now closer, I saw he was indeed the irritating Northern Alistair—brought his sword up in a battle stance and charged the salamander. The beast was at least five times the size of an average human, but Northern nevertheless let out a fierce battle cry as he jumped in. 

The salamander lashed out and sent Northern flying off behind the troops into one of the tents. The collapsed fabric showed no hint of further movement. That arrogant holy knight couldn’t handle a single strike from a crowned beast. To think he’d been so haughty when we first met. 

Without a leader, the troops under Northern fell into disarray. However, among the disorganized soldiers was a girl with short chestnut hair, swinging a greatsword that looked even bigger given her diminutive frame. She leapt in to attack the salamanders head-on, not a moment’s indecision in her strikes. 

“Her sword is wrapped in flame,” I said. “Is it spell-imbued?!” 

“Sure seems to be,” said Greed. “Looks like a magical flamberge that stores elemental fire in its blade. A powerful weapon, but not against this particular enemy.” 

The girl’s flamberge and the salamanders had the same elemental base. No matter how powerful her sword, its fiery strength was ineffective against these beasts. The girl brought the greatsword down from on high, but the salamander seized a small opening and swung its tail. The girl let out a cry as the tail smashed her to the ground. Then the salamander turned back toward her, jaws wide and ready to bite. 

“Hold on, Miria!” 

The voice came from a scruffy middle-aged man readying a bow in the salamander’s blind spot. His perfectly aimed arrow plunged into the salamander’s eye. The man rushed in to whisk Miria to safety while the salamander shrieked, writhing in agony. 

“Captain Mugan, behind you!” Miria shouted. 

Mugan grunted. “This isn’t good…” 

The salamander had turned back, its throat bulging with seams of fire. It was about to incinerate them, reducing the two brave soldiers to nothing more than flame and ash. There was despair in their cries as they braced for their deaths, but I was grateful. If they hadn’t fought so hard, I wouldn’t have arrived in time. 

Just as the salamander was about to drown them in its billowing flames, I brought the black sword down and sliced the beast in half. 

Gluttony Skill activated. Stats increased: Vitality +900,000, Strength +1,530,000, Magic +830,000, Spirit +980,000, Agility +1,200,000. 

The dead salamander burst into flames behind me. I had cut through the oil sacs in its throat, which set the beast alight. 

“Are you okay?” I asked the soldiers. “Can you still fight?” 

“Who the hell are you?!” 

They really were experienced—they kept up their guard. 

“We can get to know each other later,” I said. “There are another two salamanders to the west. If you can, you need to support the holy knight over there. I’ll take care of the remaining monster here.” 

At this point, I was little more to them than a suspicious figure hidden behind a skull mask. All the same, Mugan took Miria and headed off to reinforce the troops fighting alongside Lady Roxy. From what I’d seen, they were both formidable warriors. With their support, I had faith that the battle to the west would be settled quickly and decisively. 

I turned back to the east. Even without its front right leg, the remaining salamander dragged itself closer to the camp with a deadly determination. However, something was odd about the monster’s limping movements. A serious injury like this one usually drove a wild beast to retreat. The salamander, however, was persistent, heaving itself along, intent on attacking the kingdom’s army no matter how it suffered. 

“I don’t know any monster that acts like this,” I said. “It has to know it’s going to die—but it’s like there’s some kind of distinct, malicious intent driving it forward.” 

“Yeah. Something’s off. Even dimwitted wild monsters retreat instinctively when they recognize overwhelming danger,” Greed agreed. 

I observed the beast more closely, careful not to allow it any opportunities to belch flames at me. What could drive it to ignore its own well-being? 

“Look at the monster’s forehead,” I said. “Some kind of seal is branded on its skin.” 

“I’ve never seen anything like that symbol before,” said Greed. “But it’s clearly not natural. It was deliberately inscribed.” 

“Yeah.” 

If Greed was right, and someone—or some thing —had placed that seal on these monsters, then there was no doubt a connection between this ambush and the marks. Still, without any obvious answer, we were hypothesizing, not acting. The more important task was taking care of the problem at hand—killing the salamander. 

Before the beast could open its mouth to release any more fire, I slashed open its throat with the black sword. 

Moments later, I heard a familiar metallic voice. 

Gluttony Skill activated. Stats increased: Vitality +900,000, Strength +1,530,000, Magic +830,000, Spirit +980,000, Agility +1,200,000. 

The salamander’s stats were nothing spectacular, but this was still a feast of two crowned beasts, one right after the other. I clenched my teeth while, as expected, my Gluttony writhed in ecstasy. 

Once I forced the skill’s eager spasms under control, the two soldiers I’d helped earlier returned to my position. It seemed the monsters on the west side had been dealt with. 

The stocky older man stepped forward to speak first. “You saved us. I’m Captain Mugan, a commanding officer in Lady Roxy’s army.” Mugan gestured to himself, then to his fidgeting companion. “The rambunctious one here is Miria.” 

“What did you call me?!” Miria shouted. “What kind of an introduction is that?! Rambunctious?! Honestly, you’re always so weird!” 

“You have the gall to call me weird when you charged into a fight with a fire salamander with a fire -based weapon?!” Mugan snapped back. “Think before you act!” 

“Now you’re being cruel! My flamberge is the only weapon I have!” 

The two soldiers continued to bicker while the corpses of the salamanders smoldered behind us. I felt like I was watching a concerned father scold his unruly child. They were certainly the right ages. I watched silently, and Mugan suddenly seemed to remember he was in the middle of introductions. 

“Oh, I, uh…I’m sorry.” Mugan scratched the back of his head. “Old habits, you know? Anyway, based on your appearance, I guess you must be Corpse, that adventurer everyone in Babylon is talking about.” 

“You guessed right,” I said. 

I worked out in the open now, so I had no reason to hide my identity—at least, not that one. Still, it took me a bit off guard to find my reputation had traveled as far as the Military Sector. 

“I see. Then you really are as strong as the rumors say. It’s not easy slicing a crowned beast in half with a single strike. That kind of power is sure to pique Lady Roxy’s curiosity.” 

“Huh? This guy is Corpse?!” said Miria, sidling closer to me. “No way! He’s really different than I imagined. I pictured more of the bigger, dirtier type. Hey, I want to see what you look like, so could you take off your mask, please?” 

I considered backing away, but I suspected that might encourage her. 

“Don’t be daft!” said Mugan, fortunately moving between me and the girl. “Really, Miria… Obviously, the whole reason he wears the mask is so people can’t see what he looks like! This adventurer just saved our lives, so be polite.” 

Mugan pushed Miria’s prying face away as he apologized. The girl’s eyes filled with tears as she turned to the blonde young woman in white armor walking in our direction. 

“Lady Roxy, Mugan is being so mean to me again! Would you believe what he said? He—” 

“I’m sorry, Miria,” Lady Roxy said politely, “but this is very important. I’ll listen to your story later.” 

“What? But, but—Lady Roxy! Please!” 

Miria pleaded with Lady Roxy, but Mugan firmly grasped the back of her collar and dragged her toward the tents. 

What a rowdy pair, I thought. Lady Roxy really has her work cut out for her. 

With the two soldiers gone, the campsite was abruptly calm. It was hard to believe that mere moments ago, four crowned salamanders had attacked it. 

“What a coincidence, seeing you here,” I said coolly. 

“Indeed. Thank you for your help, Mr. Corpse. I never would’ve imagined that four crowned beasts could attack in such a coordinated manner. If you hadn’t shown up when you did, I fear many of my troops would now be dead.” She put her hand to her breastplate. 

“Galia is the kind of place you can never underestimate,” I said. I knew she knew this, but I wanted to warn her of the dangers all the same. 

“You’re absolutely right. This was a perfect example. As thanks, we’ve prepared a tent for you. You’re welcome to spend the night in it. After all, you’ve tailed us for quite some time now. I’m sure it’ll be more comfortable than sleeping on those bumpy rocks out there.” 

I felt like my mask was going to fall off in shock. I forced my voice to stay even. “So…you noticed.” 

“Of course. You tried not to leave any sign, but it was obvious.” 

I heard Greed shouting, “Fate! You idiot! You clueless, foolish amateur!” through Telepathy, but I, personally, was at a loss for words. 

“And you did…” Lady Roxy paused for a moment. “You did shout my name quite loudly when you first saw us. It would have been strange for me not to notice, no?” 

I flushed, grateful yet again for the protection of my mask. 

Lady Roxy laughed. It was like she was telling me that, for all my strengths, I’d still slipped up. In other words, they’d known I was following them from almost the moment I came across them and squeaked Lady Roxy’s name. 

I couldn’t believe it. 

“There’s no need to talk out here. The minor damage to the tents is likely repaired by now, so we can converse back in camp.” 

“Very well.” 

“Please be on your best behavior. That means no more running away, Mr. Corpse. After the last time, I swore I’d sit you down for a nice, long chat.” 

It was just like Greed had said: running from Lady Roxy only pushed her to pursue her prey more doggedly. I supposed that if she was going to catch me anyway, tonight was about the best timing I could have asked for. 

In the camp, we sat on two rocks, facing each other. Here, under the dark blanket of stars, our conversation picked up where it had left off. 

“It’s gotten a bit cold, hasn’t it?” Lady Roxy observed. “We’d have started a fire, but there’s not a hint of firewood in Galia.” 

“In that case,” I said, “we can use this.” 

Even now, the salamanders’ bodies still burned in the distance, but they gave off the foul stench of oily rotten meat. We were better off avoiding them. Instead, I used my spell Fireball, which I’d learned from consuming the souls of gargoyles, to create a contained sphere of flame. I kept it hovering between Lady Roxy and myself. 

“Oh, it’s so warm,” Lady Roxy said. “Thank you. You must have practiced a lot to keep such tidy control over the spell.” 

“Some of us are fortunate to have been born with magic. The least I can do is learn to use it well.” 

“You’re a much more diligent fellow than your appearance implies.” 

For a time, Lady Roxy stared at my skull mask, but there was only so much of that I could take before speaking. 

“It’s a little embarrassing to be stared at so…intently.” 

“My apologies. It’s just, you remind me of somebody. How do I put it…? The way you talk, and your gestures, they’re like a mirror image of him. It’s like he’s right here by my side, even though he’s at the Hart family estate now. It’s a strange thing to say, I know, but…” 

“Whoever he is, he must be very fortunate.” 

My heart pounded in my chest, my breath caught in my throat. However magically this skull mask hid my identity, it couldn’t hide the gestures that were a natural part of my personality. Speaking face-to-face with Lady Roxy like this brought out the person I was under the mask. 

To Lady Roxy, however, Fate Graphite was someone in need of protection. As far as she knew, he was safe working as a servant far to the north at the Hart family estate. To her, that fragile boy could never reach a place like this. That knowledge reassured me. As long as I didn’t remove my skull mask, I could remain beside her as the adventurer called Corpse. 

Lady Roxy stared up at the night sky. 

“Sometimes, I wonder if he’s happy,” she said. “He wasn’t always a servant of the Hart family. I had my reasons for instating him in that position. I thought I was taking that step for him, for his sake, but now that we’re apart like this, I wonder if it’s really what he wanted.” 

“Anybody would be happy to have someone think of them so kindly,” I said, “and I’m sure he’s no different. I’d fight any person who complained about such a position.” 

“Thank you. I’m sorry to burden you with all this idle talk. It’s late, so I’ll get to the point. What do you want, Mr. Corpse? It’s clear that your primary goal is not to tail my troops.” 

I had neither need nor reason to lie to her now that I’d come this far. 

“The craftsman Jade Stratos asked me to gather duskstone,” I said. “You can usually purchase it from the kingdom’s army, but for some reason, it’s no longer in stock. I’m supplying it to him instead.” 

“I see. Then our paths really have intersected,” said Lady Roxy, looking at me with a new seriousness in her eyes. “We lost contact with the squadron that usually gathers materials in Galia, duskstone included. Their absence has led to significant supply problems for our armories and Babylon’s craftsmen alike. My troops and I are headed this way both as potential support and to investigate what happened. Our goals are different, but our destination is the same. Shall we head there together?” 

“Very well,” I agreed. “We’ll travel together until we reach the great canyon.” 

“Then it’s decided. We’re happy to have you on board.” 

Lady Roxy put out her hand. I clasped it in my own, careful not to engage my Telepathy as I did so. She was an honest person with an honest heart, and I didn’t want to peek into it without her permission. 

As we shook hands, that short girl with chestnut hair appeared. She dove in and grabbed Lady Roxy around the waist, pulling her away. 

“Just how long do you intend to hold Lady Roxy’s hand?!” the girl cried. 

“Miria, enough,” said Lady Roxy. 

“If you want to hold someone’s hand, you can hold mine. Here you go. Nice to meet you.” 

The girl thrust her hand into my own, startling me, and my Telepathy kicked in before I could stop it. 

“This skull-masked mystery man might be here to get close to Lady Roxy. He was obviously stalking us! I must protect my Lady Roxy! Don’t get on your high horse just because you’ve got high stats, lich-face skull-man. I’ve got my eye on you, and you’re the enemy! I won’t sleep a wink until I know what you’re up to!” 

I couldn’t believe how different Miria was on the inside. She was deeply suspicious of me. She’d said “nice to meet you” with enthusiasm, but what she meant was “nice to meet my enemy.” I let a wry smile creep from behind my mask as I released her hand. 

“Hm… You know, I’m still very curious about what’s behind that mask,” said Miria intently. “So curious, I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep. Would you do me a favor and remove it?” 

I had the feeling she wouldn’t be afraid of grabbing my mask right off my face. I needed to remain on guard. Lady Roxy quickly moved between the two of us, her expression troubled. 

“Miria, that’s enough. You know you’re out of line,” she said sternly. 

“But, Lady Roxy! Don’t you want to know what he looks like too?” 

“I do, but…” Lady Roxy hesitated. 

What?! 

Even though Lady Roxy had stepped in to help, for a moment, I wasn’t sure I’d made the right decision—what might she do to get me to take off the mask? 

Well, to be fair, I knew the impulse. Lady Roxy had wanted to understand the common folk of Seifort so badly that she’d disguised herself to venture out among them. She couldn’t fight her own curiosity. Still, she wasn’t the type to simply force her way into another person’s affairs. 

I knew where she would land even before she spoke again. “You’re still out of line, Miria!” 

“What?! But, Lady Roxy!” 

“If you can’t listen to reason, you’ll have to listen to the person behind you!” 

“Huh?” 

Miria turned to find Captain Mugan standing behind her, his eyes narrowed, his forehead furrowed so tightly that veins pulsed at his temple. 

“Ugh, Mugan,” Miria groaned. “I thought you were still doing the clean-up and investigation…” 

“One of my soldiers wasn’t pulling her weight and vanished in the middle of duty, so I went to check up on her. Guess what I found?” 

“I just wanted to make sure some creepy guy wasn’t pestering Lady Roxy!” 

Did she just call me a creep? This girl just runs her mouth, huh? 

Lady Roxy giggled. She put her hands together and bowed apologetically to me. 

“Right, we’re off,” said Mugan. 

“Mugan, wait!” 

Mugan once again took hold of Miria’s collar and dragged her off. Miria called out for Lady Roxy even as they disappeared. 

“Quite the handful,” I said. 

“They’re always like that,” Lady Roxy replied. “Still, it’s nice that they’re so lively.” 

“That’s one way of looking at it.” 

Not that I distrusted them, but those two were the sort of people who made me glad to travel alone. 

Lady Roxy nodded. “Well then, until tomorrow.” 

“Until tomorrow.” 

Our departure was set for early the following morning. I headed to the tent that Lady Roxy had designated as mine. Inside, I was surprised to see I was sharing it with Captain Mugan. I had never in my life imagined that I’d share space with a commanding officer. Even more surprising was the fact that I was also sharing with Miria, who currently lay on the ground with her hands and feet tied. 

“What is she doing here?!” I yelped. 

“No need to worry. If we don’t do this, she always runs off to bother Lady Roxy in the middle of the night. I know it’s unusual, but…” Mugan sighed. “This is kind of our routine now.” 

“That’s, uh…that’s some routine.” 

I ignored Miria’s bitter, piercing gaze, knowing that responding would only get her started again. Sleeping in the skull mask wasn’t particularly comfortable, but I didn’t have a choice. I made sure I was a comfortable distance from Miria and allowed myself to drift into a light sleep. 

That night, not only did I have to be wary of the ravenous monsters stalking the Galian wilderness, I had to fear this enterprising girl trying to rip off my skull mask.