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




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Chapter 3:

Where Wild Things Gather 

THE FOLLOWING MORNING, I woke with a yawn to the chirping of birds. The landlady had prepared me a welcome dinner, and I’d had more to drink than I expected. Those drinks went on my tab, of course, meaning my wallet was in serious trouble. I’d have to start monster hunting right away if I wanted to spend another night at this inn. 

Over dinner, the landlady had told me about her past. Her husband had died and left her to raise three kids alone. Her eldest son, now an adult, worked as a mercenary here in Babylon, while her two daughters were fourteen and eight and growing up quickly. Her daughters ate together with us as the landlady talked. However, they were shy and quiet. They didn’t speak to me, and they barely replied when I tried talking to them. It was almost like they weren’t there at all. 

I yawned again, got out of bed, and started getting dressed. Then came a knock at the door. It was meek, so it couldn’t be the landlady. Probably one of her daughters. I put my skull mask on and gave the okay. The door opened gently. 

“Good morning, Mr. Fate.” It was the landlady’s eldest daughter. 

“Morning,” I said. 

“Breakfast is ready. Please head to the dining room.” 

“Okay, got it. Thanks.” 

The girl couldn’t shut the door fast enough. Her face had gone red, too. I wondered what had happened—and then I realized. I was still in the middle of changing. Being half-asleep when she’d knocked, I hadn’t even put my shirt on. It was so careless of me to do that to a fourteen-year-old. I had to find her and apologize. 

The truth of the matter was that my clothes were in bad shape. They’d been with me all the way from Seifort and suffered countless battles, so I shouldn’t have been surprised that I’d worn them out. However, the real damage had come from the fight against the chimera. That beast’s blue fireballs had done a number on my armor. I sighed and picked up the black sword Greed from his resting place against the wall. 

“No saving these,” I said. “I’m going to have to buy some new threads.” 

Greed responded with an arrogant laugh. “You’re an embarrassment to the blade you wield,” he said. “Now get out there and make us some money! And while you’re at it, buy me a new scabbard.” 

“The scabbard’s all you care about, huh?” 

“Obviously!” 

Greed responded in his usual flippant manner, but he did have a point. His scabbard had taken a beating, and it was just as shabby as the rest of my gear. I could still use it, but it seemed about time for an upgrade. New equipment would mark the start of our new adventure. 

However, to buy that equipment, I needed money. I made mental calculations through my light hangover—the lodging fees, the new armor, the new scabbard—and realized I needed to start hunting no later than today. 

“First things first, though,” I said. “Let’s get some food.” 

Greed grunted approval. I attached the sword to my belt and exited my room. Out in the corridor, the landlady’s youngest daughter stared at me with suspicion in her eyes. 

“You…” she said, “you…you talk to your sword…” 

She backed away from me step by step. 

Great. I bet I looked like a crazy, talks-to-his-weapons weirdo. I have to fix this misunderstanding! 

As I approached the girl, intending to explain, she backed away again. As I moved, so did she, always maintaining the same distance between us. Abruptly, she burst into tears. 

“Mama!” she cried. 

The girl bolted down the hall in search of the landlady’s protection. I had really hoped I could stay here for a while, but if I ruined my relationships with the family bright and early on my second day, I had no hope. 

Greed burst into a high-pitched cackle. “Did you see that? They hate you, Fate!” 

“And whose fault do you think that is?!” 

“I can tell you for certain, not mine.” 

“What?! It was all your fault!” 

Wait, Fate. Wait, I thought. Any more of this talking to your sword, and you’ll only attract more suspicion! 

I glanced down the corridor and, to my chagrin, found the landlady’s older daughter staring at me. I saw in her eyes that she’d developed entirely the wrong idea. She was convinced I was dangerous. Untrustworthy. First, I’d bared my naked chest to her, and now I was muttering at my sword again! At the very least, I had to say something to try and salvage my reputation with this family. 

“It’s not what it looks like,” I said quickly. “This sword, it, uh, has a soul…” 

“I’ve never heard of a sword with a soul before,” the older daughter said. 

It seemed that, like her mother, she had a way of cutting right to the point. No ordinary person would believe Greed’s existence possible, or that I regularly used Telepathy to converse with him, no matter what I said. So long as I stayed at this inn, I had to accept that I would be “that creep who mutters at his weapon.” 

Still, I wanted to clear up at least one of these misunderstandings while I still had the chance. “Anyway, I’m sorry about before,” I said. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Next time I answer the door, I promise I’ll be fully clothed.” 

“Oh. I…that, uh…I, um…” The girl suddenly stumbled over her words. 

I tilted my head in confusion just as the landlady arrived. “What’s going on here? All the other lodgers have already eaten, you know.” 

She’d come to find me when I didn’t show up. I explained the situation, apologizing for putting her daughter in such an awkward position. 

To my surprise, the landlady flashed a smug look at the girl. “Well, well. You never usually open a customer’s door for such a reason. What’s all this about?” 


“Mama…I…that…” 

The girl was again at a loss for words. She dashed off, red-faced, for the dining room. I scratched my jaw in confusion. I hoped everything was okay. 

“Sorry about that,” said the landlady. 

“Huh?” 

“Goodness. I guess she’s really that age already, huh? They grow up so fast!” The landlady nodded and chuckled to herself as she pushed me toward the dining room. Then she leaned in and whispered in my ear. “By the way, she helped you back to your room last night. You know, when you were so drunk that you couldn’t walk straight? Anyway, when she did, she saw what you look like under that mask of yours.” 

“What?!” 

You must be joking… I haven’t even been here for a whole day, and already somebody’s seen my real face?! Ugh. 

More than anything, I wanted to punch me from yesterday. 

“Don’t worry, you’ll be just fine,” the landlady said. “As long as you’re a good customer, your secret is safe with us!” 

“Uh, thanks…” I mumbled. 

In other words, if I wanted to keep my secret safe, I wouldn’t be staying at any other inn. It really made me think; you don’t drink alcohol— alcohol drinks you . Then you lose control of yourself. Nothing good comes of the result. 

The landlady grinned as I stood there, my shoulders slumped. “What’s done is done,” she said. “No use regretting the past! In any case, it’s time for breakfast!” 

“Well, yeah, I guess you’re right. Let’s eat.” 

“Then let’s get going already!” 

“You don’t need to push me!” 

“Come on! A little shove never hurt anybody!” 

Even though the landlady was a bit pushy, there was something I liked about this inn. It had a warmth to it. I felt sure this was similar to the feeling I’d had with the family I’d nearly forgotten. 

*** 

The landlady’s older daughter piled my plate high, and I ate until I was completely stuffed. Then I left the Residential Sector for the Merchant Sector to do a little pre-purchase scouting. I wanted to buy a lot of equipment, but I had to hold back until I had more funds. 

The Merchant Sector was designed similarly to the Residential Sector. The prime real estate facing Babylon’s main street belonged to a collection of huge, grand shops lined up one after another, but as you went deeper, the grade of the shops dropped. 

I had a feeling that in my present rags, I wouldn’t make it a step into any of the big shops before they threw me right back out. So back I went until I found a tailor’s shop, only to learn even simple tailored clothes were at least a gold coin apiece. 

“Whoa! This is all so expensive.” The surprise slipped out of my throat before I could catch it. 

“You lousy cheapskate!” said Greed, clearly annoyed with my naivety. 

“Shut up,” I mumbled. 

I could read the impatience in his tone: Quit the aimless wandering and go hunt some monsters! Earn us some real money! 

I intended to do exactly that after I made my first purchases. Maybe I’d start with orcs. 

As I wandered farther into the sector, I noticed a crowd and found myself drawn toward them. I expected to find them gathered around a stall or a shop selling rare merchandise, but instead, it turned out to be a saloon. 

The saloon was by no means pretty or clean. The dirty red brick certainly told the story of the building’s history, but it was a stretch to say it had a rustic charm. From the outside, it looked about ready to go out of business. I couldn’t believe the dive had attracted such a crowd, especially this early in the morning. 

Were people in this part of the city really bored or something? Did they all start drinking before lunch? That didn’t seem right. Everyone in Babylon dreamed of making it big. At this hour, adventurers were preparing for the hunt. Merchants were opening their shops. 

Hm… So what makes a run-down place like this so appealing, then? 

As I watched, the saloon’s doors opened and a young woman emerged. When she stepped out, exuberant voices shouted to her, excited, one after another. 

She was beautiful. Certainly pretty enough to draw anyone’s gaze. Her face had just a hint of naivety. Her hair was a lustrous, shimmering blue, like flowing water. In fact, I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off her. Even putting my ordinary feelings aside, something compelled me to stare. It was a compulsion well outside of the ordinary. 

Instinctively, I stepped away from the crowd. Apprehension rang in my head like an alarm. Unless that was the hangover. Don’t get closer. 

“Ah, looks like you finally get it,” said Greed. 

“Wait, do you mean—could she be…” 

“I mean exactly that,” he replied. “You and she are two of a kind. You both bear Skills of Mortal Sin.” 

I gulped, my mouth suddenly dry, and looked back over at the young woman with hair the color of a mountain stream. We’re the same? 

The woman turned to me as if just noticing my gaze. In truth, I felt she’d been aware of me even before I noticed her. 

She seemed to appraise me as she stepped out from her crowd of admirers. She smiled, and she spoke with a lovely charm that seemed to twine fingers around my soul. 

“You, there. I’ve been waiting for you. I’m Eris. I’ve had my eye on you since Seifort. I knew you’d make your way to Babylon eventually, so I arrived a little early and just waited for you to catch up.” 

The woman beckoned me to enter the saloon. 

Would I follow? 

I supposed I might as well test my luck. Ever since meeting Myne, it had become clear to me that, regardless of our wishes, we who bore the Skills of Mortal Sin were drawn to each other. 

 



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