Berserk of Gluttony (LN) - Volume 3 - Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

A Stark Contrast 

I ALMOST HAD A heart attack right there. I hadn’t expected to see Lady Roxy, of all people, at the trading post. Still, as long as my skull mask hid my identity, everything was fine. There was no way for her to see through it and know I was her friend Fate. She no doubt thought I was just some random weirdo. 

I tried to stammer a response, but I caught myself just in time. I had to stop myself from addressing her as though I was her servant. I had quit, and we weren’t in Seifort anymore. If I spoke to her subserviently, I would raise her suspicions. I had to be blunt and to the point, to conduct myself like a confident adventurer. 

“What of it?” I asked. While I waited for Lady Roxy’s response, cold sweat broke out behind my mask. 

Lady Roxy pointed at my boots. I was standing on the bodies of the adventurers I’d taken out. “For starters, please get off those poor men,” she said. 

I’d done it on purpose earlier, but this time, standing on them was entirely accidental. “Ah. Sorry.” 

I was so nervous that, in trying to step off the one adventurer, I stepped on another. And then another. I felt awful about it, but at least the adventurers were still unconscious. I tried to explain the fight, even though I knew it was a hopeless case. “This was justified self-defense. These men attacked me, and I defended myself.” 

“I see… So, that’s what happened.” Lady Roxy placed her hand on her chin in contemplation and nodded to herself. 

The eight men remained sprawled across the floor. Four still clasped their weapons, which I was sure worked in my favor. After carefully inspecting the eight men herself, Lady Roxy called over a trading post employee and questioned them about the scuffle. 

I waited for her to finish her investigation in a quiet corner of the trading post. Eventually, Lady Roxy nodded to the employee. “Okay, that’s everything I need for now. Thank you very much.” 

She walked back over to me. This time, she seemed much more at ease, even relaxed. 

Me, on the other hand, I was a bit taken aback. Was Lady Roxy always this short? Back in Seifort, she had been slightly taller than me. Now, I looked down at her. Did she shrink somehow?! Wait, no, that can’t be it. 

Come to think of it, the clothes I wore had seemed to be getting shorter. Huh . I’d grown. Through all the fighting to get here, I’d been too busy to notice. 

One factor was probably my diet, which had improved significantly since I escaped the starvation wages of the Vlerick family. Back then, the pittance they’d paid me had been barely enough to live on. But since becoming Lady Roxy’s servant and then living life as an adventurer, I’d been able to eat my fill of delicious, nutrient-filled foods such as roasted meat. 

Back when I’d traveled with Myne to Galia, I had practically emptied my wallet whenever we ate. Naturally, Myne never paid a single coin. 

Hm. So maybe life circumstances held back my natural growth spurt. After all, I was still only sixteen. I was pretty sure growth spurts were a normal part of growing up. 

“Have you listened to a word I’ve said?” Lady Roxy asked. 

She’d been talking to me while I was lost in thought, and I hadn’t caught a thing. 

“Y-yeah, of course I have,” I said, scrambling to gather my composure. “So, er, what are we talking about?” 

“You haven’t been listening at all! How would you like to spend a night in prison?” 

I blanched. Ugh, anything but that! 

However, Lady Roxy laughed at my reaction. The threat had been little more than a bit of playful intimidation. “Very well, I’ll ask again. What is your name, adventurer?” 

“I am Corpse,” I said. 

“I see. That’s an unusual name, to be sure.” 

She likely understood that it wasn’t my real name. However, it wasn’t uncommon for adventurers to use different names for different jobs, and Lady Roxy didn’t push me on the subject. I nearly sagged with relief as she moved on. 

“I’m willing to overlook this particular incident,” she said. “According to the staff, these men have bullied weaker adventurers and stolen their bounties for some time. In the absence of a holy knight to govern the city, they also engaged in a host of other crimes. It’s clear to me that—although, in my opinion, you went entirely too far this time—the kingdom also shoulders some blame for neglecting to properly manage the trading post’s clientele.” 

“You have my thanks.” I backed away slightly, hoping it looked like I had urgent business elsewhere. “Well, uh, I’ll be off.” 

“Please try to stay out of trouble when you next use the trading post. And also, if at all possible, please buy yourself new clothes. People can’t help but…stare…at your body.” 

Lady Roxy’s face flushed a bit pink as she spoke, and she hurried away. I feared she thought I was some kind of pervert with my torn-up outfit. It was clear she didn’t know I was Fate, but Corpse hadn’t exactly left a great first impression. 

Well, at least it’s a fake name. 

Outside, Lady Roxy called to the soldiers she’d arrived with, and they dragged the unconscious adventurers out of the trading post. Those men were probably going to prison. I hoped the cold stone floors would cool their heads enough to let them reflect on their actions. 

As I left, Greed heckled me through Telepathy. 

“You know, I really thought you’d blow it when you saw her,” he said, then burst into laughter. “I mean seriously, Fate, you are a horrible actor. You’re the worst! So stilted! I thought you’d turned to adamantite, you were so inanimate. Maybe you should change your name from Fate Graphite to Fate Adamantite!” 

“Shut up.” 

“And sooo nervous and flustered, too. Your stammering even gave me a cold sweat, and I’m a weapon! Could you not worry me like that again?” 

Damn Greed. The sword was having a wonderful time laughing at my panic. 

“Enough already,” I said. “If you keep this up, you can say goodbye to your new golden scabbard!” 

“What?! But Roxy and my scabbard are entirely different matters! Entirely different! With all your stammering and stuttering, your acting career is my new favorite hobby! It’s oh-so-pleasing to watch, don’t you think?” 

“Stop trying to wheedle a better scabbard out of me! And get a new hobby, while you’re at it.” 

I had to make sure that the next time I saw Lady Roxy, I was more composed. I walked toward the Merchant Sector, ignoring Greed’s teasing. It was past time to replace my equipment, and the sooner I got myself into a new outfit, the better. 

“Hey, Fate,” said Greed. “Am I right to assume Roxy’s last comment struck a nerve?” 

I grit my teeth and didn’t answer. He’d hit the nail right on the head. 

“Bingo!” The sword broke into laughter again. 

I entered the Merchant Sector and found a shop that looked like it carried what I needed. I was immediately taken by the black light armor displayed in a glass case out front. Not only did it look easy to move in, it didn’t lack for defense either. Metal plates were sewn in to protect everything vital without compromising flexibility. The stitching was top class. It looked like the armor had taken much more work to craft than its price indicated. 

I used my Identify skill to examine the armor in more detail. 

Wow, the durability is over four hundred?! Regular light armor usually only gets to around one hundred! This is a real quality piece of work. 

I wondered what to do. The armor cost eighty gold. I only had a hundred and three gold to my name, which meant I’d spend almost all of it at once. Still, that price was a real bargain. 

Just as I was about to head inside the shop, Greed spoke up. “It’s always got to be black with you, doesn’t it? Be a little more flamboyant every now and again, huh? Live it up a little! And what about my golden scabbard?” 

“If I don’t have enough money to buy you one now, we’ll just go hunting again after lunch.” 

There was no shortage of monsters in Galia, meaning there was no shortage of ways to make money. It was perfect for me, because I wanted to raise my stats anyway. Greed seemed okay with the idea of another round of hunting, and he dropped into a hopefully contented silence. 

I pushed the shop door open, revealing a small, relaxed interior. A bell attached to the door chimed. A young man, perhaps two or three years older than me at most, poked his head out from deeper in the shop. 

“Welcome! Can I help you wi…” He went dead silent the moment he actually saw me. His eyes grew as wide as dinnerplates as he looked upon the state of my rags. 

What’s up with this guy?! Is this what he calls service?! 

I considered leaving, but the young man completely ignored my reaction as he scrutinized my clothes. He was getting way too close for comfort. 

“Sir…” the young man said, “if you’ll excuse me, what in all hell did you fight to do that to your armor? Why, it looks like you literally threw yourself into a sea of fire! I’ve never seen anything like it!” 

Did this guy really just analyze my last major battle by studying the damage it did to my equipment? 

That was an incredible talent. However, I didn’t want to reveal too much, so I headed for the door. 

“Excuse me, please wait! Please!” The young man maneuvered himself between me and the door. Then he put both hands together as if to ask me for a favor. “Please, sir, consider a craftsman’s humble offer: will you wear my equipment? I’ll give you a half-price discount.” 

“Half price?!” I yelped. 

“Yes, half price.” 

I was shocked. Why the hell would he give me an amazing offer like this out of the blue? The young man read the disbelief on my face and sighed with relief as he explained himself.