Berserk of Gluttony (LN) - Volume 5 - Chapter 19

Chapter 19:

The Philosopher's Stone

I SIPPED AT THE TEA Laine had prepared in her laboratory. It wasn’t bad at all. It seemed she used high-quality tea leaves. However, I drank out of a glass beaker, the exact sort that she definitely used in her experiments. I couldn’t help but wonder if she had anything more normal.

“What’s wrong?” asked Laine, noticing my expression. “Would you like some more sugar?”

“No, it tastes fine. The problem is the beaker. If you don’t have any cups, I can bring some from the family manor. Just ask.”

“I don’t need them. They’ll just get in the way. Beakers are much more convenient—perfect for experiments and perfect for tea.”

“What experiments do you use these for, anyway? Actually, it’s better if I don’t know.”

“Yes, let’s not get into that.”

As long as Laine washed her beakers properly, I had nothing to worry about. I considered this as I took in the laboratory, which was a ramshackle mess as usual. It was almost impossible to find a place to even stand.

Maybe she doesn’t wash her beakers after all… I thought.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Laine said. “I’ll have you know I’m at least tidy enough to clean what I use for my guests.”

“I see. So you use beakers to serve tea, but at least you make sure to wash them first.”

“Of course,” said Laine, beaming with pride.

Unfortunately, Memil didn’t look nearly as confident as she waited for her blood to be drawn.

“Hurry up!” she whined. “If you’re going to take my blood, take it already! If you’re not, then don’t! Either way, make a decision…”

You could hear her fear of needles in the trembling of her voice. Though she was mostly frustrated because, just as Laine was about to put the needle in, she suddenly remembered something and started talking to me again. Memil had her eyes shut tight, waiting for a pain that never came. When she opened her eyes, the needle was gone. This had happened so many times that Memil couldn’t take it any longer.

“But you’re so much fun, Memil,” said Laine.

“What are you talking about?!”

“See for yourself. When I bring the needle close to you…”

Memil shrieked.

“And then when I move the needle farther away…”

“Stop it! Stop toying with me like that!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. When I see devilish little girls like yourself, I can’t help but want to act a little impish myself. Can I do it just a little longer?”

“No! You can’t! My lord, please! Say something!”

I pretended not to hear her. I still hadn’t forgiven her for the elevator incident earlier. I hoped this needle experience would give her a chance to reflect on her actions. It seemed like Laine did this with Memil regularly, anyway.

“I’m so glad you and Laine are such good friends,” I said.

“Friends?! Your sister is in crisis!”

“Ah, nothing like a cup of tea after battle. Really soothes the soul…”

“Are you listening to me, my lord?!”

“Nope.”

“How can you reply if you’re not listening?!”

I was in a state of peace. I knew it was useless to resist Laine’s pursuit of research. The secret to getting along with her was in going with the flow, wherever it went. Laine liked it when you struggled, and that just made things worse. Memil still hadn’t realized that.

When Laine was finally satisfied, she started taking Memil’s blood samples. Memil went completely pale as the needle went into her arm. She loved taking blood from me, but she loathed the idea of anyone taking her own blood. She moaned miserably.

“Are you finished yet?”

“No.”

“What about now? Are we done?”

“Not yet.”

“You’re taking too much. I’ll have to take an equal amount from my lord later…”

Memil shot me a knowing glance. She was so lost in her helplessness that she tried to drag me into the ordeal. She wanted more blood, even though she had already helped herself to a couple pints in the elevator. I shook my head.

“You’re not taking any more today,” I said. “I don’t want to die of blood loss.”

“I lost a lot of blood in the battle, you know.”

That was true. In protecting Roxy, Memil had taken an ogre attack head-on. Her heavy wound had healed cleanly thanks to the power of the nightwalker source. However, that healing came at the cost of blood, and lots of it. Memil had never once asked me for blood outside of the manor walls, so it was possible that in the elevator, she had truly been at her limit. Nonetheless, Laine continued to draw samples of her blood. 

“Do you really need that much for your analysis?” Memil asked as Laine filled a fourth vial.

“I need two for the analysis. I need two for my own experiments… Actually, I need one more.”

“Wait just a moment! This is the first I’ve heard of this!”

“Relax, you’ll be fine. It’ll all be over soon.”

Memil shrieked. She’d realized she’d been tricked and struggled to get free. That didn’t stop Laine, who ignored Memil’s tantrum and continued taking blood. That was just how Laine was when it came to her work. Even her father, Mugan, was concerned by it. He often brought it up when we talked.

My examination was up next, and I was getting worried. I prepared myself for the possibility that she’d want the usual five vials of blood. Because I’d lost so much blood already, I wondered if I could persuade her to go easy on me. Considering it was Laine, I quickly gave up those hopes. 

“All right, we’re all done. I’ll send these blood samples out for testing,” said Laine. 

The now gaunt and pale Memil was finally free. However, she lingered there in her chair, looking completely dazed. Maybe she gave too much blood? Laine tried talking to her, but she didn’t respond. She decided the best course of action was to take my blood samples in a separate room.

“Take a seat over there,” she said as we entered.

“You’re going to take a lot of blood again, aren’t you?”

“You know the drill, Fate. You’re something of a special case compared to Memil.”

“You said you were going to use Memil’s blood for some experiments. What are you planning?”

“Those experiments are for your sake too, you know. I discovered something interesting.”

“Something interesting? What is it? Tell me.”

“No. Not until I’m certain. You’ll just have to wait for the good news. Now relax, please.”

As Laine brought the needle closer to my arm, I let all the power slip from my body and allowed the needle to slide into me. It was the only way to drop the defenses inherent to the Domain of E so Laine could get her samples. The first time she’d tried to take blood samples, my Domain of E level had completely blocked her attempts, and her needles had been unable to pierce my skin. I could only help Laine get the samples she needed if I relaxed completely and welcomed the piercing. The Domain of E was incredibly powerful when it came to battle, but it had its annoying drawbacks when it came to things like Laine’s examinations or medical treatments.

“By the way, what does the Domain of E feel like?” Laine asked as she took her samples. “Is it painful? Does it hurt? Do you enjoy it? Does it make you feel good? How is it?”

Laine was fascinated by the Domain of E, and she wanted to know everything about it. 

“I feel normal,” I said. “It doesn’t hurt, but it doesn’t make me feel good either.”

“Your stats are a whole dimension removed from those of regular living creatures. With that in mind, I thought there might be some kind of change in your mental state, but I guess not.” 

Actually, Laine was half-right. Anyone who crossed into the Domain of E and lost their soul to it suffered Soul Decay, at which point they became something no longer human. In Rafale’s case, that transformation resulted in the terrifyingly powerful undead archdemon. When I fought the goblin shaman, it had created ogres by forcing people who weren’t ready into the Domain of E. Neither were pleasant outcomes.

“It’s just my own opinion,” Laine said, “but I think the worst happens when a soul and its stats are too far out of balance, or otherwise dangerously unstable.”

“I think you’re right,” I said. “That was the case with Rafale. And it was the case with the ogres in the Hobgoblin Forest too.”

“Ogres? What are those?”

“I was planning to tell you after this examination, but…” 

As Laine took my blood, I explained to her what had happened in the battle with the goblin shaman, and the eerie ruins that resembled a facility built with Galian technology. We’d found people who had been reported missing there, all of whom were experimented on. Forced into the Domain of E before our eyes, they had transformed into monsters known as ogres.

“People transforming into monsters… Most fascinating. And what happened to the ruins and the ogres?”

It was clear that Laine wanted to see it all for herself. At times like this, she looked like nothing so much as a child with a precious toy, her eyes sparkling with delight. She would keep asking me until I gave her an answer.

“I couldn’t get into the facility. The entrance was blocked off, frozen by some kind of powerful sorcery or something. I left the ogres dead in the forest, so you may still be able to collect their bodies.”

“Then I’d like to head out at first light for those bodies. But…I have a favor to ask, Fate.”

“You want me to go with you, don’t you?”

“You know me too well.”

I knew Laine well enough to understand that if I didn’t go with her, she’d go by herself. Her father Mugan had asked me to keep an eye on her and make sure she stayed safe. Even if the goblin threat was over, the Hobgoblin Forest remained a dangerous place to travel alone. It practically swarmed with goblins, after all. Laine didn’t have any martial talents, so she would be helpless against any monsters she encountered.

“I can’t wait!” said Laine.

“Don’t get too excited.”

“I’m not a child,” Laine said, an indignant pout in her words. “Don’t forget, I’m older than you.”

She drained more of my blood as she hummed happily to herself. In the end, she filled four vials…one fewer than Memil. I wondered if I should be glad. Even four was a lot of blood, and I felt lightheaded and groggy.

“Okay, all done,” said Laine. “Let’s get on to your check-up.”

“Okay…” I said with a sigh.

“Now, please take off your shirt!”

“Huh?!”

“Don’t give me that look. It’s not that bad.”

Laine wanted to check my body to ensure there had been no physical changes to it. She touched me all over in search of anything out of the ordinary.

“No physical changes to worry about,” she said. “The only problem is…”

“My blood?”

“Yes,” Laine said, taking one of the vials in hand. “Your blood is transforming because of Memil. It’s…difficult now to call your blood human.”

“Is it because of the Domain of E?”

“No, it’s not that. Aaron’s blood is completely normal. I think it might be because of your Gluttony skill.”

“And if things continue like they are?”

“I think there will be changes in your body too. If that happens, you won’t be able to keep your human form.”

It was a nice way of saying I’d turn into a monster—and that I was running out of time. Laine was actively searching for a way to slow it down, but so far she had come up empty-handed.

“We still have time,” Laine said, “So don’t give up yet.”

“I won’t. No need to worry about that.”

“But if it’s at all possible, you should try to avoid devouring souls in the Domain of E,” Laine said, clearly worried about the effect of the ogres I’d recently killed. “I know they’re what your Gluttony craves more than anything else, but each feast shortens the time you have left.”

She pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose and gave me a stern look. Whenever she did that, I knew she was being very serious. 

I thought back to the blood that had leaked from my right eye when I ate the souls of those ogres. My blood continued to change, and it spilled from my eye when it had nowhere else to go. Just like Greed had said a while back: Skills of Mortal Sin were easiest to see in the eyes. It was likely where the changes would start.

“I’ll do my best,” I said. “I made it this far, didn’t I?”

“By the way, I got a report from the mountain city. They found something interesting.”

“Something related to Rafale?”

“Bingo. The Vlerick family had a mine there, and they found ruins inside. When they searched the ruins, they salvaged a Philosopher’s Stone. It will arrive first thing tomorrow.”

“A Philosopher’s Stone?!”

A Philosopher’s Stone was part of the gestalt organism known as Shin, the nightwalker source. It was an incredibly dangerous artifact, a parasitic living stone in constant search of a new host. The same sort of stone had clung to Rafale, eventually transforming him into the undead archdemon. 

Laine must have seen the worry in my eyes, because she smiled before speaking. “You don’t need to worry. It’s being kept in a specially made case so it can’t connect with people.”

“I see…”

“We’ve handled a lot of dangerous Galian artifacts in the past, so we know to treat them with the utmost caution.”

Laine and I agreed that before I took her to the Hobgoblin Forest the following morning, we would check the results of my blood work and study the Philosopher’s Stone. 

A piece of Shin… I thought. If all the pieces are connected, we might be able to pin down where he is…and Myne with him.

I felt a small rush of excitement. Finally, the barest sliver of hope was in our grasp.