Berserk of Gluttony (LN) - Volume 4 - Chapter 27

Chapter 27:

A Carefree Happiness

I WAVED AT ROXY as we walked toward her, and she gave a timid wave of her own in return. She came down from the terrace to meet us and thanked Haru for bringing us over.

“Welcome, Fay and Lord Aaron,” she said with a bright, heartfelt smile. “I’m so happy you could make it.”

I was so taken by Roxy’s beauty that Aaron elbowed me in the ribs to bring me back. “Thank you for inviting us,” I choked out.

“I’m relieved the weather evened out. It sometimes feels like the winter snow will never end.”

We really were lucky. The sky above was a pristine blue, and the thick gray clouds of the day before felt like little more than a dream. Even though winter had only just begun, and the winds of spring wouldn’t arrive for some months yet, we were blessed with a pleasantly warm day.

“The day before yesterday, it snowed so much that Aaron and I were stuck outside shoveling snow all day.”

“Really?” Roxy asked, her head tilted just so. “Do you plan to hire servants at Barbatos Manor?”

I thought it best to leave the answer to this particular question in Aaron’s hands. He smiled gently and spoke without any hesitation. “Well, actually, I’m adopting Memil Vlerick into our family.”

“Memil Vlerick?! Really?!” Roxy looked just as stunned as I had, but there was a hint of happiness in her face as well. As it grew, Roxy nodded. “It’s just like you to do something like that, my lord. I think it’s a wonderful idea.”

“I do hope the two of you will get along,” Aaron said. “It’s just Fate and myself at Barbatos Manor, and well, we both know how Fate is with people…”

“Yes, Fay is, well…he’s always been like that. I’ll do my best to patch things up with Memil on my side as well.”

“You have my thanks, Roxy.”

The atmosphere was so relaxed, and I was relieved to hear both of them making a promise to support Memil in the future. Although I really did think it was wonderful, my mind had caught on something else. “Roxy, I’m really happy to hear you’ll help us support Memil. But, uh, what do you two mean about me being ‘like that’?”

“Hm. Lord Aaron, would you help me explain?”

“Hm. Yes. Well, Fate, when it comes to these things, you’ve just always been this way.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” said Roxy.

“In any case, shall we move along?”

Roxy and Aaron both walked off toward the terrace. Haru glanced at me with a sigh before heading after them.

What do they mean “that way”? Even Haru seems to get it! The only one left to ask was Greed. We’d traveled far and wide together, and even if he was arrogant and bigheaded, he was usually reliable when it came to these kinds of things. “Hey, Greed,” I said, placing a hand on my sword. “What were Roxy and Aaron talking about back there?”

“Fate, it’s just that… Well, when it comes to some things, you are who you are, you know? I really thought you’d grown up a bit, but I guess not.”

“Damn it, not you too!”

“Now’s not the time to get down in the dumps about this. Roxy’s calling for you.”

I just had to hope that whatever it was that made me that way, I would grow out of it on the battlefield. Or perhaps I was missing something? I felt quite concerned about it, but today was Roxy’s day, not mine—the party was hers. I hurried to the terrace where Roxy now stood only to run into a person suddenly standing between us: a young girl with a head of chestnut-colored hair.

Wait, I’ve seen this girl before—Miria!

I’d met Miria in Galia when I was still hiding my identity behind my skull mask. I’d found myself traveling with Roxy and her troops when we realized we shared a destination. Back then, Miria had painted a target on my back for getting too close to Roxy, and she’d attacked me wildly with her magical blade, a flamberge. All those old memories came flooding back as she once again…attacked me wildly with her magical blade, that same old flamberge.

“Never in a hundred years did I expect to see Lich-Face Skull-Man again!” she cried. “And not here, of all places! I don’t care if you’re the head of the Barbatos family—anyone who tries to get between me and my beloved Lady Roxy will not be forgiven!”

“Whoa! Be careful with that thing!” I cried.

I couldn’t believe she would attack me with exactly the same ferocity as she had in the battle-scarred lands of Galia—from which we were a long, long way. Miria hadn’t matured at all since we last saw each other, and it was clear she had a one-track mind whenever it came to her commander. That said, her bladework had significantly improved. Miria’s fiery sword traced sharp lines left and right. As I ducked and wove around them, her frustrated retorts came flying.

“You’re dodging too much! At least let me hit you a couple of times!” she snapped.

“What?! You do know I’m here because I was invited, right? Can’t we just learn to get along already?”

“Anyone who tries to steal Lady Roxy is my mortal enemy!”

“Mortal enemy?!”

Miria’s flaming blade came searing down from the sky, and I caught it between my hands. I was in the Domain of E, which Miria had yet to reach, so none of her attacks had any real effect. On top of that, I had the Fire Resistance skill, so in that sense, I actually was Miria’s natural enemy, if not her mortal one.

“Hey! No fair! You’re…too strong…”

“Now that you understand, will you please give up?”

“I’ll never give up!”

Miria hadn’t changed a bit. It looked like I had no choice but to take her weapon to render her powerless. Then Mugan appeared, who for all intents and purposes was Miria’s babysitter. An imposing figure with a well-built physique, he had the air of a man who’d seen his fair share of battle. He was another member of the kingdom’s army, and I’d met him when I met Miria, on my way to the vast canyon of Galia.

Mugan moved with practiced experience, scruffing Miria by the back of her collar and hefting her up into the air.

“Don’t ruin things just when we’re about to get to the good bit!” Miria shouted.

“You’re going to ruin Lady Roxy’s party if you don’t calm down!” Mugan shouted back.

Miria’s shoulders slumped in Mugan’s grip.

“It’s been a while, Mugan,” I said.

“Sure has. I see you’ve finally shucked that skull mask of yours. Was quite something to discover you’re the Barbatos family head! Ah, where are my manners—I ought to be more polite when I speak to the head of one of the esteemed families.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine—I’d much prefer you to speak to me like you always have.”

“Ha! Works for me. By the look of things, that was quite the battle you had in the Military District.”

“Fortunately, we managed to keep the damage confined to just that district. Oh, wait a second—your daughter works in the Military District, doesn’t she? Is she okay?”

Unfortunately, the Military District had seen its share of casualties during the battle. The facilities surrounding the battleground had endured the greatest losses, but others had been besieged by escaped nightwalkers. I didn’t think I’d be able to forgive myself if I found out Mugan’s daughter was among the fallen.

But Mugan bellowed with laughter. “It’s a bit embarrassing, but Laine—that’s my daughter—was so caught up in her own research, she didn’t even realize a battle was going on outside her door!”

“I’m glad to hear she’s safe, but, uh, I’m impressed by her focus. That was quite the fight, and the warning sirens were practically deafening.”

“She’s a researcher through to her bones, I guess. Especially when it comes to Galian relics and artifacts. Kind of wish she’d get married and settle down, though…”

Mugan then produced a rope from somewhere and quickly bound Miria with it so she wouldn’t go doing anything rash. As he did, the very subject of our conversation appeared by her father’s side.

“Are you playing with Miria again, Papa?”

Laine had a head of long, wavy red hair, and the eyes of someone who needed a little more sleep. Even though she was at a party, she wore a white lab coat, like she was ready to jump straight back into her research at any given moment.

“Laine! I don’t know if I’d call it play. It’s more like I just caught someone making a nuisance at Lady Roxy’s party and I’m making sure they can’t do it again. Consider it an official duty, like taking people to the dungeons—that kind of thing.”

“No way!” cried Miria, her face suddenly the definition of fear. “You don’t mean it, do you, Mugan?”

“Mean it? I always say what I mean. Now let’s go. Unfortunately, there’s no dungeon in the manor, but you and me are going to have a talk about things.”

“Nooo!”

With Miria hefted over his shoulder, Mugan headed away from the terrace. Roxy had gone to all the trouble of inviting them, and now I couldn’t help but wonder exactly why they had even come at all. Perhaps it was nothing out of the ordinary for them; it seemed like just another regular day.

I headed off once more for Roxy, who was still waiting, but Laine suddenly grabbed my elbow.

“That black sword…” she said. “It’s a Weapon of Mortal Sin, isn’t it?”

“Huh?”

“Ah, it is. Just as I thought. I have the Telepathy skill, and…oh. You do too.”

Her sleepy face hadn’t changed, even as she used her Telepathy to peek into my thoughts. She’d caught me so off guard that my own Telepathy set off, and Laine’s thoughts seeped into my own.

This is the first time I’ve ever conversed with another person via Telepathy, she said. It’s such a strange sensation. I must say, though, I’m very interested in your black sword… And in you. I’d love it if you could visit my laboratory some time. I’ll give you the address…

Laine then pushed a map into my hand with directions to her laboratory and disappeared off in the direction her father had just gone. Unlike Mugan, who wore his heart on his sleeve, there was something mysterious and slightly intimidating about Laine. However, her research was on Galian relics, and I didn’t want to miss the chance to talk to her about them. Greed, Eris, and Myne were all keeping things from me. I got the feeling that they wanted me to work it out on my own, but still.

In any case, that would all have to wait. I turned from the fading silhouette of Laine and headed once more for Roxy and the others at the terrace.

“I was beginning to think you wouldn’t make it, Fate,” said Roxy. “I was getting worried.”

“All these distractions are a bad habit,” added Aaron.

“Did you actually see what just happened there? I was literally attacked by a flaming sword…”

Aaron and Roxy burst out laughing as I struggled to make a case for myself.

“Don’t worry,” said Roxy, “I’ll make sure to scold Miria for her bad behavior later.”

“Are you sure that’s going to work? Miria likes you so much, I think she’ll probably just love the attention.”

“That’s a bit unfair, I think. I’ll have you know that I led the kingdom’s army into Galia not so long ago. There’s a certain skull-masked adventurer who could tell you all about that.”

“Now that you mention it, I don’t think I’m in a position to question your methods.”

When I’d met Roxy in Galia, it had been not as Fate but as Corpse, an adventurer who traveled and fought behind a skull mask. The mask had the ability to hide my identity from those around me, but even then, when we had traveled together, Roxy had noticed Corpse’s mannerisms were awfully similar to Fate’s. I remembered sweating nervously the entire time. The fact that we could joke about it now suggested that I’d come to terms with it all.

As Roxy and I laughed at our little joke, Aaron left to greet some old friends while Haru walked off to ensure the other guests were seen to and served.

“I guess we’re on our own now,” said Roxy. “Shall we get something to eat?”

“You know, I caught the scent of something delicious earlier, and I can’t seem to get it off my mind. Is it a barbecue?”

“It is! On our expedition to Galia, we enjoyed them all the time. We didn’t have particularly good ingredients, but it was such fun to gather around and eat together. I knew that when I finally came back, I wanted to do it again.” She seemed so very pleased with herself, and she leaned in to whisper in my ear. “Actually, Haru opposed the idea because it’s winter and it’s cold, but I forced the issue.”

“That sounds like the Roxy I know.”

Skewers of meat and vegetables sat upon metal netting, glistening and popping with fat as they cooked over the fire. Roxy passed one to me fresh off the grill, and I stuffed it into my mouth.

“This is fantastic! It’s just the right amount of salt and spices!”

“Really?! That makes me so glad!”

It turned out that Roxy herself had prepared all the ingredients for the barbecue. I was amazed because I’d never known her to do any cooking. She’d been far too busy with her duties as a holy knight. After she became the Hart family head following her father’s death, it seemed like her life had been a series of trips back and forth between the manor and the castle.

The fact that Roxy could indulge in cooking now was at least a sign that she was making time for herself. It was also likely thanks to Eris, the newly reinstated ruler of Seifort. Eris wasn’t at Roxy’s party, but I hoped to thank her the next chance I got.

“I’ve been practicing a lot recently,” said Roxy. “Let me make something for you next time we meet.”

“That sounds great. All I know how to do is grill and simmer meats. That’s about it.”

“I know meat is your favorite, so how about I try making cabbage rolls?”

“Really? I literally can’t wait!”

I didn’t even know when it would happen, but I was already imagining Roxy’s cabbage rolls. I bet they would be prepared with the same delicate deliciousness as the barbecue I was currently enjoying. As Roxy and I went on tasting from the barbecue selection, I heard Greed’s voice echo in my head.

“Looks like you could have left me stuck under that tree after all. You’re doing just fine on your own.”

“Thanks, Greed,” I said.

“All right, hold up, Fate. Let’s not get all sappy and start talking gratitude all of a sudden.”

“It’s just how I feel.”

It seemed to me that feelings came in different colors, and happiness was perhaps the most vibrant of the bunch. I felt like my heart had been painted in a vast array of different shades—blacks, reds, blues, and more. But if I wanted to keep the colors I had when I was with Roxy, there was something I needed to do. I had to rid myself of the Gluttony skill that continued to eat away at everything within me. It was a task that Greed’s previous owner—a prior bearer of Gluttony—had failed.

However, Greed hadn’t called the task impossible. The black sword was a mouthy braggart, but he didn’t lie. That meant there was hope for me yet.