Berserk of Gluttony (LN) - Volume 5 - Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

Monster Hideout

THE TREES GREW BIGGER as we headed deeper south, their branches stretching out as they fought for the sunlight. It was still early afternoon, but the forest was as dark as night. Aaron and I used our Night Vision skills while Miria relied on her flaming sword as a torch. We ran through the forest in pursuit of the goblin shaman.

“This is the first time I’ve been this deep into the forest,” said Miria.

“Same,” I said. “The trees are so much bigger and older here than those closer to the forest edge.”

We had to be careful not to trip on the roots snaking across the ground. At our speed, a small trip could turn into a huge stumble. Aaron leaped through the trees like he’d done this a thousand times. I tried to follow his lead, but I almost fell when my leg caught on a tree root.

“Fate, don’t forget it’s Roxy’s body you’re inside of,” Aaron said. “Take good care of it.”

“Yeah! I won’t forgive you if you get Roxy’s body all scratched up and injured!” Miria warned.

“I’ll be careful, really…” I pouted.

I was trying my best to get used to Roxy’s body, but my occasional missteps showed I wasn’t totally there. I figured my best strategy was to make sure Aaron was always in a position to protect me.

Aaron was in the lead, so I asked him where we were.

“I must admit that I’m not terribly well versed in this part of the forest,” he said. “But I believe we’re in its oldest section. According to the Military District’s researchers, it has existed for more than four thousand years. Take a look at that gigantic tree. It must be at least ten feet wide.”

“Imagine how many houses you could make with all that wood,” I said.

Aaron laughed. “Do that and you’ll only earn yourself a strict punishment from the kingdom. When Seifort was founded, well before the hobgoblins moved in and gave the forest its name, this was considered a sacred place of worship. The deceased were cremated here. Those old traditions were eventually lost, and now the forest is little more than a den of vile monsters.”

“Does that mean this is the resting place of the kingdom’s ancestors?”

“That was a long, long time ago, so it’s nothing for us to worry about. However, even if the rest of the world has forgotten, I want you to remember the importance of this place and why the kingdom treasures it so. You are right; it is the final resting place of our ancestors.”

“We won’t forget. Right, Miria?”

“Got it! The last thing I want is to have to deal with a bunch of angry zombies crawling up from the ground because they can’t rest in peace!” Miria visibly shivered as she ran. Was she afraid of the undead?

“Sounds like somebody doesn’t like zombies,” I said.

“Have you ever cut one with a flaming sword? Oh my god, the smell! It’s beyond awful. And then it gets into your clothes and your armor. It even seems to stick with you when you jump in the bath… Just remembering it makes me feel sick. I much prefer skeletons. They’re just dry bones, so they burn great and don’t smell like anything! I think it’s safe to say that when it comes to the undead, I’m a skeleton fan!” 

“I see…”

I had assumed she would say that she disliked their horrific appearance, or scream about them being terrifying, but I had been way off the mark. It was just like Miria to surprise me.

“Well,” I said, “if we find any zombies up ahead, you can leave them to me!”

“No way! We can’t let Lady Roxy’s precious body be tainted by the undead! If there are zombies ahead—” I waited for Miria to say she’d fight them off, but “—Aaron, we’re counting on you to take out any zombies we find!”

Aaron’s eyes went wide with surprise. “What?! Me?!” he shouted, surprised that he had suddenly been roped into this absurd discussion.

I couldn’t believe that Miria had just bossed the Blessed Blade around like that! She was going to be one hell of a gutsy adventurer in the future. In response, Aaron smiled and nodded toward Miria. It didn’t really matter what she said anymore; she was like a granddaughter in Aaron’s eyes. Then again, he was like that with Myne—and with Memil. He even talked about adopting Sahara sometimes.

Since defeating the Genesis of Death at Hausen, Aaron had finally been able to let go of what had always haunted him: his failure to save his family. It seemed like he’d been able to release a lot of pent-up feelings since coming back to Seifort. We’d gone drinking one night and he’d admitted to me, “Fate, before I die, I want a big family!” I’d always assumed he was drunk and joking, but as time went by, I was starting to think he was serious.

Miria was an orphan, too, which meant there was always the chance that Aaron would just bring her into the family. But Miria and I as siblings?! It was already hard enough bridging the gap with Memil…

“If we see any zombies, they’ll quickly find themselves purified by the light of my Grand Cross!”

“You’re the best, Aaron! And so reliable, unlike somebody I know.” Miria gave me a dirty look.

“Would you stop looking at me like that?” I said.

“I’m kidding!” Miria giggled, poking her tongue out at me. “You always take things so seriously, Fate. Lady Roxy always talks about it. ‘He’s so easy to fool,’ she says. ‘I just can’t help myself,’ she says.”

Aaron couldn’t help but laugh too. “She’s so right. Fate doesn’t understand women at all. Miria, perhaps you should teach him a thing or two.”

“Yeah, I don’t know. But I guess if Fate asked really nicely, I might consider not turning him down point blank.”

I couldn’t believe it! All of a sudden, Miria was looking down on me like I was beneath her! 

I’ll show you! I thought. One day I’m going to be a lady-killer gentleman, just like Aaron! You just wait!

But Miria saw right through me. “Although now that I think about it, I can’t do anything for him until he stops having an internal panic attack every time Lady Roxy holds his hand.”

“What?! How do you even know about that?!”

“Because I’m always watching, that’s why! Would you like to practice holding hands with me?”

“You’re trying to get back at me because I patted your head earlier, aren’t you?”

Miria flashed a smile filled with smug satisfaction. “I am so glad you noticed! Don’t think you can bend me to your will with a simple pat on the head. I’m not so easily fooled!”

“Oh, really?”

“What’s with that suspicious face?! Stop doing that with Lady Roxy’s face!”

“Maybe I don’t want to.”

“Fate!”

We bounded along at high speed, bickering as we approached our destination. When we got there, Aaron raised a hand for us to stop. He brought us into a huddle and whispered, “I’m sorry to spoil the fun, but we have to tread carefully from here on out.”

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

It seemed like whenever Miria and I were together, we seemed to lose focus on the big picture. Miria evidently felt the same way, given her irritated expression. I still got the feeling she wasn’t treating the situation with the gravity it deserved, so I figured I’d give her a little of the Roxy treatment.

“Miria, do make sure you’re prepared for what’s ahead. We really don’t know what’s waiting for us in there, you know.”

“What?! How dare you talk to me like Lady Roxy and—and power my enthusiasm to even greater heights!”

Looked to me like the Roxy treatment worked like a charm. Miria gave me a curt nod, then gripped her sword as she looked around carefully.

The goblin shaman was slowly making its way south. As we’d expected, it was significantly slowed by its wounds.

“I can sense other monsters nearby,” I said. “I’m guessing hobgoblins.”

“And it seems like there are no goblin kings anymore,” added Aaron. “We finished the last of them earlier.”

“I’m so jealous,” Miria said. “I wish I could sense magical energy in the air…”

“When this is over, I’ll teach you how,” I said.

“Really? Promise?”

“Promise. But first, we have to put an end to the goblin shaman, and quickly!”

“Got it!”

We proceeded forward in a triangle formation with Aaron at the front, and Miria and me on his left and right as support. Aaron headed in a straight line directly for the goblin shaman. If any goblins tried to attack him from the sides, they would have to deal with us at his flanks.

We still couldn’t see our target, but we were outnumbered, so it was likely they’d sense us coming as soon as we were in range. When facing overwhelming opposition, the ideal strategy was to take the leader’s head as soon as possible. Without a leader, routing the remaining monsters would be easy, as they’d fall into a confused chaos. 

Aaron turned to us both, his eyes sharp. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

“Then let’s go.”

Aaron stood tall and took off at high speed. It was hard to believe he could run so confidently on ground so unsteady. Fortunately, I knew Roxy’s body now, and it wasn’t hard for me to keep up. I looked over at Miria to the side, her teeth clenched as she struggled to keep up. She was tough as nails; only a few moments ago, she’d created a wall of flame and fought until she’d completely exhausted her magical reserves. She didn’t need anybody asking if she was all right. She was a true warrior.

The hobgoblins hiding among the trees were flustered by our head-on approach and began to attack. As predicted, there were more than a hundred of them. But we didn’t have time to fight them all, so Miria and I focused on cutting down their arrows and spears.

“These goblins are a nuisance,” said Aaron. “Fate, can you handle them?”

“Of course,” I said.

An enormous group of hobgoblins stood like a wall before us. I didn’t know how desperate they were, but this seemed like it was their last line of defense. I poured magical energy into my holy sword and prepared the legendary holy knight tech-art, Grand Cross. With this, I could send out an explosion of holy energy, covering a wide range. 

It was my first time using the tech-art in Roxy’s body, but I could tell she’d learned to control it. Perhaps my soul and her body were a surprisingly good match. I’d grown comfortable in Roxy’s body in less than a day, and I doubted it would’ve been so quick with anyone else.

As more magical energy built up in my sword, it grew stronger. At last, I swung the blade toward the hobgoblins as I unleashed the Grand Cross. The jostling hobgoblins gaped as holy light spread across the ground beneath their feet. Just as they realized what was going on, the purifying light shot up from the ground. 

Roxy had truly mastered this holy sword skill. The speed at which I could charge and unleash it were clearly a result of her tireless training. The hobgoblins raised their arms to shield against the blinding light, but were obliterated nonetheless. 

As the monsters fell, a huge number of spheres poured into my body. It wasn’t enough for a level up, but they sent energy surging through my limbs. I was shocked to discover that monster hunting could bring such bliss, and I had to wonder if this feeling was the real reason so many adventurers and holy knights constantly craved battle and obsessed over becoming more powerful.

With the path now clear, Aaron leaped over the hobgoblin corpses and dove deeper into the forest. The goblin shaman was ahead, in a large hollow nestled between the roots of a huge tree. It was dangerous to jump in unprepared, especially if there was a trap waiting for us. Aaron knew this too, which was why he’d been charging his Grand Cross ever since we’d locked down the goblin shaman’s location. Now that Aaron was in the Domain of E, the power of his Grand Cross would make mine look like a flickering candle.

It was hard not to feel a little guilty about the fact that Aaron’s attack would blow away some of the grand, sacred trees of this ancient holy site. However, leaving these ancient monsters alone would only further endanger the citizens of the kingdom, and when it came to choosing one over the other, Aaron’s decision had been made long ago.

Aaron’s voice rose to a shout, and he directed his attack toward the hollow where the goblin shaman hid.

“Grand Cross!” he roared.

The Grand Cross was usually an attack that targeted a wide area, but Aaron was able to dramatically increase the power of its purifying light by concentrating it on a much smaller zone. A pillar of holy light ran through the very center of the towering tree and split the heavens themselves.