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Berserk of Gluttony (LN) - Volume 5 - Chapter 10




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Chapter 10:

Miria's Hard-Fought Battle

WE PASSED THROUGH the Merchant District and continued toward the western gate—and the Hobgoblin Forest beyond. I had been there with Roxy and Miria only a day before, and now I was back with Miria and Aaron in tow. 

Aaron was a battle-hardened veteran, and having him with us gave me confidence. Miria’s calm expression told me that she felt exactly the same. 

The western gate was silent. Once brimming with the hustle and bustle of merchants and their caravans, that had all ceased after the goblins began to act strangely. 

Aaron scanned the deserted streets in surprise. “I…didn’t think it was this bad. News of the goblins reached the castle, of course, but this is far worse than what was reported.”

“I was as surprised as you when I saw it yesterday,” I said.

“That makes three of us!” said Miria. “I was feeling peckish and wanted to buy something to eat, but all the food stalls were shut down. Talk about disappointing.”

As usual, Miria decided to butt into serious conversations with trivial addendums. At the same time, I was glad to see that her usual boundless energy had returned. Even Aaron managed to chuckle.

“So the lives of Roxy and Fate are not the only matters hanging in the balance,” he said, stroking his beard. “Soon, the kingdom’s food supplies will run dry from lack of trade.” 

The kingdom didn’t grow most of the food it needed. It depended on trade with other regions and would be in serious trouble if there were shortages of basic staples such as salt and flour. Having spent five years living in the kingdom’s slums, I felt this truth in my bones.

The accepted trade route to the castle went through Tetra. Produce from outside regions was stored and quarantined there before being moved. No other routes were permitted, and breaking this rule came with strict punishment. 

Unfortunately, because that route passed by the Goblin Grasslands and the Hobgoblin Forest, very few merchants could make it through at present. A handful had, of course, but they were the folks willing to risk their lives delivering produce simply to gain a competitive edge on their peers. Either way, their wares weren’t nearly enough to meet the kingdom’s needs.

In times like these, those who lived in the slums, who had the least power to affect change, were hit the hardest. When I’d lived there, I had experienced an existential terror at least once a year, whenever some terrifying monster caused havoc on the trade routes and slowed the arrival of food. It had been so bad at times that I’d thought I would starve to death. The ravening of my Gluttony during those famines had sent me into the pits of despair. Even now, looking at the deserted streets of the Merchant District, I had a feeling that the slums were in for another food crisis in the near future.

“We have to fix this, and we have to do it today,” I said.

“I agree. The sooner the better,” said Aaron.

“Of course we do, Fate! Roxy’s life is on the line here! Get it together, please!”

The way Miria said that distinctly made it sound like she thought I didn’t understand the urgency of the situation. She looked a bit angry, too, but perhaps she was being considerate in her own way. Miria and I were a little closer now that I’d learned of her past. I wanted to try and bridge the gap between us even further. After all, wherever Roxy went, Miria was bound to follow. It would be best for all of us if we got along.

I also happened to be in Roxy’s body, so no matter what I did, I knew Miria wouldn’t dare attack me. I gathered my wits and gave Miria a gentle pat on the head. It was the same gesture Roxy always offered to me.

“Thank you for being worried about me, Miria,” I said, still patting her on the head. “You’re such a good girl.”

“That’s unfair, Fate.” Miria’s face flushed red. “It’s against the rules to say something like that with Lady Roxy’s most affectionate expression on your face…”

Even as she tried to protest, it wasn’t long before her features softened into rapturous bliss.

“It’s not really Lady Roxy…” she muttered, placating herself. “It’s not really Lady Roxy…”

“What are you doing, playing around?!” Aaron scolded us. “There’s no time to lose. You can do whatever it is you’re doing as much as you want once this is all over!”

“Sorry, Aaron!” Miria and I said in unison.

Aaron strode out of the western gate. Miria walked beside me as I followed him.

“I can’t believe Aaron got angry at me,” she whispered. “It’s all your fault!”

“I couldn’t help it,” I said. “You looked so happy…”

“No way. You’re lying.”

“Yeah, you really did. Do you need me to prove it?”

“I said that’s against the rules!”

Miria ran off toward Aaron, and I followed after her. We were walking into battle, but our hearts were calm and ready, and I was grateful to Miria. She always managed to improve morale in her own way.

***

We reached that fateful clearing deep within the heart of the foreboding Hobgoblin Forest. The signs of our recent battle surrounded us. I could still make out the remnants of the strange magical seal etched into the ground. This was the very spot where the goblin shaman had cast its soul-swap spell. From here, we could easily survey our surroundings, but we were totally out in the open. Despite the possible dangers, this was the best place from which to begin our search.

“Are you ready, Fate?”

“Let’s do it,” I said with a nod.

Aaron and I focused our senses, reaching out to search for the magical energy of the monsters in the Hobgoblin Forest. The forest was more than five miles wide; a thorough search would take time. Aaron estimated that we needed at least fifteen minutes to sweep through the arcane energies of the entire forest. We couldn’t move while we focused our energy, leaving us completely defenseless against any goblin attacks.

Aaron was in the Domain of E, so he didn’t have to worry about lower-level monsters. However, the fight with the nightwalkers still loomed in our minds. Our enemy then had been beyond our understanding, and we couldn’t rule out the possibility that the shaman might also attack with something that ignored the rules of the Domain of E. 

In other words, overconfidence could prove fatal. The ancient monster we faced—the goblin shaman—had proven itself capable of strategic thought by cornering us in our first battle. It was no ordinary goblin; that much was certain. Aaron and I agreed that it was better to treat this opponent like an intelligent being rather than a typical monster.

“Miria, we’ll be counting on you to protect us if anything happens.”

“Leave it to me! I will protect Lady Roxy’s body until the end! Anyone who tries to interfere will find themselves a pile of ashes at the end of my flamberge!”

“Thank you, Miria.”

Miria drew her fiery blade and kept watch. Aaron and I stood with our backs to each other, our minds focused and concentrating. Aaron studied the northern side of the forest while I searched the south, the direction in which I had fired the Bloody Ptarmigan the day before. 

The goblin shaman had been only about a quarter mile away when it attacked us. My guess was that was probably the maximum distance from which the goblin shaman could cast its curse. Once the spell was cast, however, it could keep the spell going from a much further range. If the monster had to stay within that quarter mile, we would’ve already discovered it prowling the kingdom. All the same, I hoped that the goblin shaman had remained in the forest, and I prayed that the wounds it suffered had prevented it from straying too far.


I felt for the flow of magical energy, reaching out past what my eyes could see.

No way!

Aaron must have felt it too, because he unsheathed his sword and switched to a fighting stance.

“Wait!” Miria cried. “You have to keep searching. Let me handle them!”

“But…”

“Trust me, please. I’m one of the strongest soldiers in the kingdom’s army. I won’t let you down!”

Miria pointed her blade toward the three approaching goblin kings. I couldn’t believe there were still some left; they were so rare that even encountering one was considered noteworthy. They weren’t alone, either. I sensed around thirty hobgoblins with them. 

If they all fire at once, we’re screwed, I thought. 

That was exactly what they did. Arrows flew at us from every angle. It was beyond what one person could manage by themselves.

“Miria!”

“I said I’ve got it!”

There was a strength to Miria’s voice, completely unlike that of the foolish, headstrong girl we were used to. She thrust her sword into the ground, and as she did, I felt her magical powers suddenly increase.

Pillars of fire erupted toward the sky, surrounding us. These thick walls of flame incinerated all incoming arrows before they reached us. The hobgoblins continued to fire, but their arrows never landed.

“Incredible, Miria!”

“It’s the ace up my sleeve, but I can’t hold it for long. Please hurry.”

“We’ll find it!”

The goblin kings, enraged by the failure of their archers, swung their huge, improvised clubs at the wall of flames. Those clubs were simply large branches ripped from even more massive trees, so they burned to ashes against the magical fire. However, the fact that they thought attacking the flames with wooden weapons would do them any good told us that they were little more than ordinary goblins.

Ten minutes into fending off the goblin attacks, Miria’s breathing came in ragged gasps, sweat dripping from her face. She was nearing the limits of her magical endurance.

“How’s it going?” she asked. “Are you close?” 

“I’m not picking anything up,” said Aaron, “not even other groups of goblins… It’s like they vanished. I don’t think there’s much of a reason to continue searching north. Fate?”

“I’m picking up lots of goblins to the south. It wouldn’t surprise me if that’s where all the goblins from the grasslands have gathered. They’re concentrated two and a half miles from our position. I suspect we’ll find our sneaky goblin shaman there. There’s too many of them to get a clear reading. I need your help, Aaron.”

“I can help.” Aaron’s eyes darted toward the battle around us. “But Miria is at her limit. It might be better if I take on the goblins surrounding us.”

Miria shook her head, droplets of sweat flying from her brow. “I can handle it! Let me do this. I can still fight.”

“I like your moxie,” Aaron said. “Very well, I’ll put my faith in you. Fate, let’s find us a monster.”

“Okay!”

Aaron and I focused on searching for our target to the south. As we did, I felt a faint pulse of a magical energy distinct from that of the surrounding goblins and hobgoblins. It was weak, but I recognized it.

“I found it,” I said. “It’s three miles from here, near the southern edge of the forest. It might be trying to escape.”

“Then we’d best hurry,” Aaron replied. “But before that… Miria, we’re done!”

As the wall of fire extinguished, Aaron and I dove out, our swords slashing turbulent whorls through the smoke. They found their respective marks, separating the heads cleanly from the goblin kings’ bodies. With momentum carrying us forward, we made quick work of the hiding hobgoblins, effortlessly carving a crimson swath of carnage through their ranks. We didn’t even need our holy sword techniques.

As we stood knee-deep in goblin corpses, I felt a strange warmth suffuse my body, like new strength blooming within me. I was so confused that I asked Aaron about it. He laughed so hard that he had to clutch his stomach.

“Congratulations, Fate. You’ve just experienced your first level up!”

“A level up?! So this is what everyone talks about! It’s like I’m bursting with power. This feels amazing!”

“Now that you mention it, your Gluttony skill prevents you from collecting spheres and leveling up, doesn’t it?” Aaron mused. “You can only experience it now because you’re in Roxy’s body.”

It felt truly incredible. I could see myself becoming addicted to the sensation. I was suddenly jealous of regular adventurers who got to experience it. In my case, I lived in fear of the hunger of my Gluttony, even as I gained more stats. Hell, when I gained too many stats, the ecstasy of my Gluttony caused me agony. The difference was jaw-dropping. Leveling up in this body was pure bliss.

“They say that a level up is a blessing from the god Laplace. That’s why it feels like it does. Multiple level ups are even stronger.”

“Seriously?!”

“Come now, Fate,” Aaron said sternly. “This greed of yours isn’t entirely Roxy-like.”

“Oh. Sorry…”

The ecstasy of the level up was so powerful that I’d almost forgotten I was still in Roxy’s body. I was hungry to feel it again.

“Fate, that’s enough about levels. Go see to Miria. She put everything she had into protecting us.”

“I’m on it.”

Miria sat on the ground, shuddering with exhaustion. I placed a hand on her head.

“You did good,” I said.

Miria giggled. “You can count on me when you need me.”

“Then you’ll be coming with us, won’t you?”

“You bet!”

Miria smiled as she grasped my hand and pulled herself to her feet. I almost couldn’t believe she was capable of such a cute grin.



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