Berserk of Gluttony (LN) - Volume 3 - Chapter 17

Chapter 17:

At the Bottom of the Cavern 

I DIDN’T KNOW how much time passed, but when I woke, I could only hear Greed shouting. 

“Hey! Fate! Hey, wake up!” 

“Greed…? Ah! Ow. Did you hear that pop? I think my ribs might be fractured. Lady Roxy…looks unharmed, thankfully.” 

Lady Roxy lay on top of me, unconscious, but whole and breathing. Slowly, hazily, she opened her eyes. 

“Fay?” she whispered. 

That one word had me scrambling for my skull mask, which had slipped from my face in the fall. 

Where is it?! 

I looked around hastily and found the thing had fallen by my side. At least it was still in one piece. I scooped it up with my left hand and quickly fastened it back over my face. 

It might be too late already. I’ll have to make something up to put her off my scent . Well, it’s dark, so… 

However, when I looked back at Lady Roxy, her eyes were once again closed, and she’d fallen back into unconsciousness. I carefully slipped out from beneath her and laid my jacket under her head as a makeshift pillow. About thirty minutes later, she woke up fully. 

“Are you all right?” I asked. 

Her answer came slowly. It was taking a little time for her senses to fully return. “Yes. I’m sorry about earlier, but thanks to you, I’m fine and ready to go. Ouch!” 

Lady Roxy tried jumping to her feet to show me she was uninjured, but she lost her balance. Her left leg was causing her the pain. 

“You’re not fine at all. Here, lean on my shoulder.” 

“I’m…I’m sorry.” She let herself lean on me, but her face spoke only apologies. 

Lady Roxy was horrible at hiding things, so I knew if something had changed in how she thought of me, her feelings would show in her reactions. Fortunately, I didn’t detect anything different. She’d probably written off seeing my true face as a dream. After all, on the way, she’d said I reminded her of someone she knew…that someone being the real me, Fate. She could readily assume she’d been disoriented. 

For now, we had two things to worry about: how to get out of this place, and what had happened to the surviving chimera. 

“You don’t need to apologize,” I said. “I’m helping you because I want to.” 

“Thank you. I’m glad.” 

“We better get away from this area. I think the chimera might have fallen with us.” 

Lady Roxy was in no shape to fight again. I needed to get her somewhere safe. Using my Night Vision, I examined the cavern into which we’d fallen. There were monsters in here too, albeit of the aged, petrified-boulder variety. How long had monsters been piling up in this canyon? 

However, the monsters down here were like none I had ever seen. Huge beasts with seven heads, others with countless spindly legs, and some with coiled tails like snakes… They looked far more massive and ferocious than the creatures roaming the kingdom these days. 

Lady Roxy was also shocked. “I’ve never seen monsters quite like these.” 

“Perhaps they roamed the world long ago.” 

“The monsters that attacked us earlier, the ones you called chimeras… Are those ancient as well?” 

“Yes. The chimeras were created some four thousand years ago, when Galia was still prosperous. They had the technological means to manufacture them by combining multiple lesser beasts.” 

“Who told you this?” Lady Roxy asked. 

“A Galian survivor.” 

Lady Roxy fell silent for a while, lost in thought. “That Galian, was she a young girl wielding a large, black axe?” 

“That’s her, yes…” 

“I thought it might be. I saw her once before, on my family’s estate. After that, I was rather curious about her, so I tried to investigate her identity and where she came from. What I found was shocking.” 

“And…what did you find?” I asked hesitantly. 

That quietly conceited Myne. There had to be all sorts of legends and urban myths following her around, both good and bad. 

“I thought it was absurd, but from everything I’ve gathered, she doesn’t age!” Lady Roxy said excitedly. “Can you believe it? I met an old knight who claimed to have seen her some fifty years ago. Do you know what he told me? He said he’d seen her again recently at the supply town near Babylon, and she didn’t look like she’d aged a single day!” 

Oh, wow, I thought. That must have been around the time that I was still traveling with her! 

“That old man also said she was traveling with a young man wearing a skull mask,” Lady Roxy said, staring pointedly at me. 

“Hey, hey, now,” I said, “don’t look at me like that. I’m obviously not hiding that it was me, okay? I was the one traveling with her.” 

Lady Roxy wouldn’t usually be so persistent about digging into a person’s personal life, but it was clear she was desperately interested in Myne and anyone who might know something about her. Her inquisitive impulse was impressive, especially considering we’d just fallen into a dark cavern and been separated from all chance of assistance. It didn’t help that I was weak to that sparkle in Lady Roxy’s eyes, either. 

“I know it’s rude to pry, but will you answer two questions?” she asked. 

“Depending on what those questions are, sure.” 

“First, then: is she very strong?” 

“Yes. Leagues stronger than I am, no doubt about it. Actually, it’s probably safe to say that she’s far too strong.” 

“I see. Okay, second: how long has she been alive?” 

I wasn’t sure how to answer this particular question. Then, I remembered Myne herself had told Aaron her true age without a hint of hesitation. If she wasn’t hiding it, I didn’t see any harm in sharing. 

“From what I’ve been told, she’s lived for around four thousand years.” 

“Eh?! That long? She must be a walking encyclopedia of Galia! I would just love to sit down and chat with her the next time we meet.” If Lady Roxy had been inquisitive before, now she overflowed with enthusiasm. 

“She’s not really the friendly chat type,” I said. “She swings her axe and sends monsters flying, hoards money that she can’t ever seem to get enough of, and steals people’s food when she’s hungry. She’s a never-ending storm of bad habits. That’s what traveling with her is like.” 

“Really? When I saw her at the estate, there was an aura of, oh, I don’t know, cool cuteness to her, if that makes sense.” 

Cool cuteness… Well, there was that hidden side of Myne, to be sure, even though she was stronger than a demon. Though Lady Roxy had seen Myne for only a few moments, she’d studied the girl carefully. 

“She has business here in Galia, so she’s around the place somewhere,” I said, “but when that’s done with, and she comes back, I can try mentioning that you’d like to meet her.” 

“Thank you! I look forward to it!” 

“Maybe don’t get too excited yet. She hasn’t actually said yes or no.” 

“But that’s fine, isn’t it? Isn’t it fun to look forward to what might happen in the future?” 

Hm… I guess it is . I was always impressed by Lady Roxy’s penchant for optimism. 

We walked for quite some time after that, and eventually we found a place where it seemed safe to rest. 

“Let’s take a break,” I said, slowing down. “Once your leg heals, we’ll find a way out of here.” 

“Good idea. Thank you for carrying my weight all this way.” 

Lady Roxy plopped down on the ground where we’d stopped. With her holy knight stats, it would take no more than an hour for her to fully heal. Meanwhile, thanks to my Health Regen, my fractured ribs had already put themselves back together. 

“Why don’t you sit down, Mr. Corpse? I’m sure you took more damage from that fall than I did.” 

“I have the Health Regen skill, so most minor injuries don’t bother me. I’ll keep watch, you just rest.” 

“You have Health Regen?! I’m rather jealous… It’s quite the rare skill. Actually, you’re the first person I’ve met with it. How is it? Can you just keep moving all the time? Do you still need sleep?” 

“Well, it heals physical damage, but not mental exhaustion. So, I do still need to sleep.” 

“You know, the goblin king that roams the woods near the capital of Seifort has Health Regen. Apparently, because of that skill, it can walk the forests at night without rest.” 

Lady Roxy spoke with an air of expertise as she rubbed her injured leg. I’d devoured that goblin king and made its skill my own, but I couldn’t tell her that. I had to act as though I’d been born with the skill. 

“Corpse, have you ever been to the capital?” 

If I wanted to be honest, I needed to tell her that I had. I didn’t want to tell her I’d left the city and headed to Galia in pursuit of her. I wasn’t sure if I should avoid this conversation or lie again. I couldn’t know what topics might come up, and whether I’d slip up on any of them. Although it was probably fine to fudge a little. 

“Yeah, I’ve been to Seifort,” I said cautiously. 

“Ah, so you have! In that case, do you know of a tavern in the Merchant District? The one called Encounter? It’s a bit cramped, but it’s got such a lovely warmth!” 

Uh… Now she was talking about the very tavern I’d taken her to, back on our one excursion. I nodded tentatively. 

Lady Roxy went on happily. “Really?! I’d walked by it a few times, but it wasn’t the kind of place I felt comfortable going to by myself… Anyway, a good friend of mine took me there. Oh, we had such a wonderful time.” 

“Their fish dishes are exquisite.” 

“Yes, they really are, aren’t they? I’d like to eat there again when I return to Seifort.” 

“Then first things first. Let’s find a way out of this place.” 

I looked up to where we’d fallen, happy beneath my skull mask. It stirred something in my heart to hear Lady Roxy say she wanted to go back to the tavern we’d visited together. Lady Roxy gave me a bright smile and rose to her feet. 

“Yes, you’re right. And my leg has gotten much better. Look,” she said. 

It had almost entirely healed. Lady Roxy proceeded to bounce around in front of me to prove it. 

“You holy knights really do heal up quick,” I said. 

“I could say the same about you, Mr. Corpse!” she said cheerfully. 

She hadn’t changed one bit. She was still the Lady Roxy I knew. But what about me? How much had I changed? If I hadn’t donned this mask, I didn’t think I could have talked with Lady Roxy in the way we spoke now—as equals, supporting each other. Yet it reminded me once again of how important those early days had been, back when being with Lady Roxy had been just another part of working as one of her servants. However, I also knew that throwing that comfortable life aside and coming here had enabled me to support her more fully. So much had changed, yet the person I wanted to protect was the same…and I felt happy. 

Lady Roxy interrupted my thoughts. “Let’s start looking for that fallen chimera.” 

“Hang on a second. What about a way out of here?” I asked. 

“We can’t just leave that monster. We have to ensure the great canyon is safe so the material-gathering supply runs can continue.” 

“You holy knights. So conscientious.” 

That said, I didn’t think many holy knights would have been so diligent. Certainly not someone like Northern. In this way, Lady Roxy reminded me of my teacher, Aaron Barbatos. Even ground down by years of pain and loss, he could never stand by while people suffered. He’d protected the survivors of his own estate’s tragedy for so many years. It didn’t matter how much he had to endure; Aaron was a knight who fought for his people. 

Likewise, I’d prioritized escape, but Lady Roxy wanted to defeat the chimera. Her choice marked the difference between ordinary adventurers like me and true heroes who fought for the sake of the innocent. The noble silhouette of Lady Roxy’s back as she headed off to search captivated me. 

I called out to her. “All right, well, let me help, then. I can’t just let you run off and do something like that on your own, can I?” 

“Thank you. Well, let’s go!” 

The way she bounded off exactly mirrored the girl I remembered from Seifort. Nostalgia overwhelmed me so suddenly that I didn’t even realize I’d spoken until the words had left my mouth. 

“You…you really haven’t changed a bit,” I said. 

Lady Roxy glanced back at me. “Did you say something?” 

“No, it’s nothing… Er, in any case, perhaps it’s best to start our search where we first fell?” 

“Given the chimera’s size, it likely took significantly more damage from the fall than we did. I’m guessing it hasn’t moved far from there.” 

She said exactly what I was thinking. It was so refreshing to work with someone on the same wavelength. 

Lady Roxy and I headed back to where we’d fallen. Far overhead, sunlight filtered through a large hole, lessening the darkness. It struck me then that, after we defeated this last chimera, this time together, just the two of us, would also come to its end. I glanced at Lady Roxy walking by my side. 

She kept her eyes on the path ahead as she spoke. “Why did you come to Galia, Mr. Corpse?” 

“Why ask now?” 

“You’re different from the other adventurers I’ve met. It’s just a way you have. I’m curious.” 

“I’m not that different. There’s no better place than Galia for hunting monsters and making money, so…” 

A dark feeling seized me, as though fangs dug into my stomach. 

“Mr. Corpse? What’s wrong?” 

No, not now… My Gluttony, it’s… 

I’d been careless. 

A hunger so ravenous it threatened to swallow my consciousness assaulted me. It had been a long while since I felt so starved. 

I unsheathed the black sword just slightly, just enough to catch my face’s reflection in its blade. Behind the skull mask that stared back at me, my right eye was stained a familiar crimson. 

I’d fallen into my half-starved state. 

This was my punishment for not hunting any monsters of worth after joining Lady Roxy and her troops. Even the two salamanders had been nothing but a snack to my now-bloated skill. But because Gluttony had been so quiet, I’d become complacent. I thought I’d be okay. That hope was why I’d given Lady Roxy the killing strike on the other two chimeras. Now I paid for it. 

“Are you okay?” Lady Roxy repeated. “What’s wrong?” 

Lady Roxy was concerned. She studied me, trying to see what was so obviously bothering me. It had been a long time since I’d been attacked by such a sharp wave of hunger, and keeping it under any kind of control took everything I had. Trembling, I couldn’t hide my eye from her sight. 

“Don’t look at me…” I said, my voice a pained whisper. 

Even with my skull mask on, I had never wanted her to see these eyes. Eyes that caused monsters and people alike to shrink in fear from their ceaseless hunger. 

Now it was too late.