Berserk of Gluttony (LN) - Volume 4 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

The Fourth Level

A LITTLE OVER TWO MONTHS had passed since I defeated the Divine Dragon in the wastelands of Galia. The continent was now wrapped in the chill of winter, the beginning of spring yet a distant hope.

I trudged on through a world covered in white, my path piled high with snow too thick for any horse and carriage to pass through. In other seasons, the fields around me would be filled with grapes. Now they were hidden under the falling snow.

I had last visited this estate quite some time ago, while serving under Lady Roxy. We’d harvested autumn grapes. The snow was so heavy that I couldn’t even tell which field we had worked in. The lands of the Hart family estate were blanketed by unyielding winter.

I walked on, past the lights of shuttered houses lining the snowy paths, until I arrived at the entrance of a mansion. I remembered the mansion of the Hart estate well, but in truth, I’d expected to never see it again. I took a deep breath, then lifted my left hand and knocked on the imposing front doors.

There was no reply.

Worry filled my heart. I tried the door and found it unlocked, so I pushed it open and entered. Inside, the servants hurried back and forth through the foyer, anxious and disorganized. This panic was so unlike their usual conduct that it immediately confirmed my fears: the situation was indeed dire. Still, I was a stranger here, and I’d entered uninvited.

A nearby maid called out to me. I turned toward her and she gasped, unable to hide her astonishment.

“You’re…you’re Fate, aren’t you?” she said. Her name was Maya. We’d met before. “You came here with Roxy during the grape harvest. You’re Fate Graphite. But…”

She realized that I had returned from Galia alone, and her face creased with fear.

“Don’t worry, Lady Roxy Hart is safe,” I said to put her worries at ease. “Once she’s completed her duties in Galia, I expect she’ll return home herself.”

Maya’s face flooded with relief, but it lasted only a moment, replaced by confusion. I could see her next thought clearly through her furrowed brows: Then why are you here, not accompanying Lady Roxy? That was a worthwhile question. In answer, I showed her the crest I kept hidden under my cloak.

“What is this?” Maya asked.

“It’s exactly what it looks like. Now, please, may I see Lady Aisha Hart?”

“But that’s…” Maya’s eyes widened in recognition. The sight of the crest had left her struggling for words. But I didn’t need her to fill me in. I’d seen her distress as well as that of the rest of the servants. I understood the gravity of the situation.

“She’s not doing well, is she?” I asked.

“No, she’s not. Her condition has only worsened since last night. The doctor says that she…doesn’t have long…”

“I see.”

“We’re trying to prepare a horse and rider to inform Lady Roxy, but…”

Outside, the winter storm was whipping into a blizzard. Sending a rider into that mess would be far too dangerous. From the dispirited look on Maya’s face, she was thinking the same thing.

I offered a few words of encouragement. “It’s okay, Maya. This is why I’m here. I made a promise to Lady Aisha.” A long time had passed since I made that promise, but at long last, I’d returned.

“A promise?”

“Yes. It’s important.”

Maya led me to Lady Aisha’s room in silence, overwhelmed by my confidence and the meaning of the crest I now wore. More servants stopped and stared as we passed, but there was no time to explain.

Maya and I entered Lady Aisha’s room, where she lay sunken and exhausted on her four-poster bed. Even from a distance, I could tell that her condition was critical. She was surrounded by a group of servants and an old man who must have been her doctor. They looked up at us, disturbed by my sudden intrusion.

Now was the time to introduce myself. “I apologize for barging in. I am Fate Barbatos, heir and head of the Barbatos family. This honor was bestowed upon me by the Blessed Blade—the Blade of Light himself, Lord Aaron Barbatos. Please, I ask you all to make room while I tend to Lady Aisha’s illness.”

From my cloak I produced the Barbatos family crest again, and, showing it around, I slowly made my way past the speechless servants to Lady Aisha’s bed.

“Tend to her illness?!” the elderly doctor cried from her bedside. “Are you mad?! I have exhausted every known means to treat her, but they’re all…they’re useless…”

The doctor’s head drooped, overcome with dismay. I placed my hand gently on his shoulder.

“There is a way,” I said. “Look here at my left arm.”

“What does your arm have to do with this?!”

“Two months ago, my left arm was severed from my body. The power I’m about to wield returned that stump to the healthy limb you see now.”

“Preposterous,” the doctor sputtered. “Total nonsense. You can’t expect us to believe that.”

Of course the doctor would be suspicious and distrustful of a stranger who showed up in the night claiming to have regrown an arm. No one was more aware of the limitations of the human body than a physician. However, I wouldn’t let the old man stand in my way.

Just as I stepped forward to push past him, Lady Aisha’s eyes opened. Her gaze was distant, but she found me. “Fate…is that you? Oh, you came… I’m so happy to see you…”

“As I promised,” I said.

“Then will you…will you tell me…your answer?”

“Before I do, would you allow me to cast a spell for you? Think of it as a prayer. One that will help you feel better.”

“Fate, I… Very well. But when you are done, please…tell me your answer.”

“Of course, Lady Aisha.”

Now that I had her permission, the doctor wouldn’t dare stop me. I replaced the crest and withdrew an elegant black stave from my cloak. This stave was the Weapon of Mortal Sin, Greed, in his Fourth Level form. I could now fully wield its power thanks to the twin guidance of my two mentors—the demon Myne and the monster Eris. I had been pushed past my limits by their grueling training regimen.

In other words, those were painful memories I wished to forget. Those two had made training with the former holy knight, Aaron, the Blade of Light, look like a walk in the park.

“Greed,” I said. “Are you ready?”

“I’m always ready,” the stave retorted. “Just in case you’ve forgotten! You know you gotta pony up 40 percent of your stats to me, right?”

“You’re cutting me a good deal.”

Greed cackled. “Then let me at ’em!”

I felt my stats drain out through my arm as the stave expanded into its Apocalyptic form. Its intricate design reshaped itself into ominous angles. The servants drew back, quivering in fear. As Maya covered her head and dropped to the ground with a frightened cry, I cast Greed’s Fourth Level secret technique, Twilight Healing.

For the most part, healing magic was unknown to us humans—with the exception of Twilight Healing. In order to cast this unique spell, I had to sacrifice 40 percent of my stats while I was in the Domain of E. This spell could heal any injury or sickness. As far as I knew, its only limitation was that it could not restore the dead to life. If physical damage was especially bad, more stats had to be offered to the spell, but with enough stats to offer…the stave’s healing potential was effectively limitless.

This spell alone had the power to save the lives of the people I cared about.

A crimson seal inscribed itself into the air above Lady Aisha’s chest. White flame sparked from its central healing flame. Illuminating the woman’s prone form, the white flame began its work. Little by little, color returned to Lady Aisha’s pallid face.

The servants murmured among themselves as Lady Aisha’s condition improved before their eyes. As the spell faded, it became clear that Lady Aisha had completely recovered. Gently, she touched her face and arms as if examining herself for proof of the miracle that had just unfolded. Finally, she turned to me with a smile.

“I’m glad I kept fighting my illness for as long as I did,” she said. “Otherwise, I never would’ve seen this wondrous spell.”

“I’m glad, too, Lady Aisha.”

We shared a smile before Lady Aisha spoke again. “Are you ready to tell me your answer now?”

“You are essential to Lady Roxy,” I said. “You’re her last direct relative, and I believe that you should watch over her. That is why I returned to you. But I’m no longer the Fate Graphite you met when I last visited. I am now Fate Barbatos, the heir of the Barbatos family.”

Lady Aisha looked thoughtful, but she said nothing in reply. In her silence, I bid her and the others farewell.

Just as I was leaving the room, Lady Aisha spoke once more. “Does Roxy know about this?”

“She doesn’t.”

“I see.”

As I closed the bedroom door behind me, I could hear Lady Aisha speaking excitedly. “Roxy will be so very amazed to learn of my recovery! As soon as we’re able, we must make arrangements to visit her in the capital!”

Travel plans already? I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d given her a little too much energy when I healed her. It was with this fleeting worry that I put the Hart estate behind me.

I returned along the snowy paths I had walked earlier, following them up to the great tree at the top of a hill where my companion waited for me: a warrior with a head of hair as white as the snow. Upon her slight frame, this girl carried a gargantuan black axe. She watched, her face expressionless, as I arrived at the base of the tree.

“Are you done?” she asked.

“Yes. We were right to hurry, Myne. A little longer and we might have been too late.”

“Hm. Good news. Well, let’s go.”

Myne and I walked together through the storm, along the wintry paths, headed back for the Kingdom of Seifort. By now, Eris should have arrived ahead of us. There was no telling what would happen if we kept her waiting too long. Yet even while I dreaded our reunion with Eris, I felt excitement. I couldn’t wait to visit my old tavern. I was looking forward to ordering some of that expensive wine the barkeep had told me about before I left.