Berserk of Gluttony (LN) - Volume 5 - Chapter 20

Chapter 20:

Those Who Doubt Their Own Return

THE NEXT MORNING, I took a good look around the room I woke up in and was relieved to find that it was my own. I hadn’t switched bodies again. It had been hard not to worry after suddenly waking up as Roxy the other day. I knew we’d broken the spell by killing the goblin shaman, but I had been unable to be sure. It was good to be back in my own body again.

“Morning, Greed,” I said as I took hold of the black sword.

“Someone’s in a good mood.”

“Well, I’m happy to be back in my own body, and we might finally have a clue as to Myne’s whereabouts.”

“The Philosopher’s Stone?”

“Yeah. It’s a fragment of Shin, right?”

“Those stones are scattered across the world. In the past, people searched for them because of their miraculous healing properties, but you don’t see anybody like that anymore. That’s where the name of the stones came from originally—those old legends of the past.”

It sounded like Shin had been around as long as Greed: at least four thousand years. Greed almost made it sound like they were ancient foes who had battled countless times before.

“I think it’s a good idea to use the stone to locate Shin,” said Greed. “All the pieces are connected.”

“It’s scheduled to arrive at Laine’s laboratory this morning. With a little analysis, we should be able to find out where Myne is.”

“So that’s why you seem so chipper.”

“Eris found the Philosopher’s Stone in the mountain city. We were right to trust her; the results speak for themselves.”

“Of course. She does have her uses sometimes.”

Eris sent word to Laine saying that she’d sent the stone ahead because it would take time to analyze. Compared to the news of the stone, Laine showed absolutely no interest in knowing that her father was returning home. When I reminded her, she told me in no uncertain terms that she was no longer a child. That was hardly a convincing argument when Mugan always cleaned up her laboratory for her.

“Well,” I said to Greed. “Let’s get ready to head out.”

“Indeed.”

Aaron and Memil had already left for the castle together. Memil had used a holy sword and her holy sword skills without permission, so they had to deliver a formal apology. I didn’t think she’d done anything wrong, and Aaron was of the same opinion. It wasn’t like she’d used her skills for her own personal gain. 

While Eris was gone, the kingdom was governed by her two white knights. They were stubborn and fiercely loyal to Eris’s word, obeying nobody else. However, it often felt like they saw me as an enemy. The last time I greeted them, they had both ignored me completely. I was still kind of aghast. Putting my own minor grievances aside, I was certain the white knights would consider Memil’s actions generously. If they didn’t, I’d talk to Memil about using her former position to pull a few strings.

I finished equipping myself and strapped Greed to my belt. “Good to go.”

Just as I was about to leave, there was a knock at the door.

“My lord, are you awake?” Sahara entered the room with a bright and cheerful expression. She looked at me for a moment, then hugged me tight. “I was so worried…” 

“I’m sorry, Sahara. Everything’s fine now.”

“I’m so glad.”

Sahara was still young, and what had happened to Roxy and me was simply beyond belief. She’d kept her worry bottled up this whole time. There weren’t many people she felt close to. Aaron was always very kind to her, but he came from an entirely different world. As a former holy knight, Memil was no different. It wasn’t that Sahara didn’t get along with Aaron or Memil, but because of her forsaken background, she felt somewhat distant from them. That’s how things were in a world where the strongest skills stood above all. I’d felt exactly the same around Roxy before the true power of my Gluttony awakened. It was hard not to think of her, and people like her, as existing in an entirely different world…a world incredibly remote from my own.

But I had learned something important as I became as strong as the people who once outranked me: In the end, they were no different. Even the Blessed Blade Aaron had his own worries, just like anyone else. He was haunted by his feelings of guilt toward the people and family he had been unable to save. Even with his fearsome power and his strong sense of conviction, it was a problem he hadn’t overcome by himself.

Roxy, too, had been hurt terribly by the loss of her father, and as she became aware that her mother didn’t have much time left, she grew fearful of what the future might bring. Even Memil had been rendered afraid and uncertain when her brother Rafale betrayed her, leaving her with neither family nor home. I wondered sometimes if skills were just walls between people. I couldn’t help but ponder the thought as I tousled Sahara’s hair.

“I’m sorry, my lord,” she said.

“You don’t have to apologize for anything. Let’s have breakfast!”

“Okay! Today I’ve prepared your favorite: sandwiches!”

“Wow!”

“I’m working really hard to make sandwiches that are even better than Lady Roxy’s!”

“Well, that is definitely something to look forward to, then.”

Roxy made me sandwiches quite often. Sahara, seeing Roxy give them to me, had decided they must be my favorite food. To be fair, since Roxy kept making them, they pretty much were. Sahara and I sat side by side in the dining hall and started eating.

Whoa…what?! This is…amazing!

“Is there chicken in this?” I asked.

“I know you like meat, my lord, so I made teriyaki chicken and lettuce sandwiches.”

“You’re a genius!”

I meant that sincerely. The sandwiches were truly delicious. Sahara had only started cooking when she became a maid. I couldn’t believe she’d gotten so good in just a few months. She had a genuine knack for this—it wasn’t a skill she’d been blessed with, but something completely unique to who she was.

I don’t want to speak ill of Roxy’s sandwiches, but…Sahara’s sandwiches are so… Wait, Fate, Don’t go there. Don’t think that thought!

I couldn’t bring myself to admit that Sahara was capable of better sandwiches. To think all she had done was look at Roxy’s sandwiches and make her own version! 

Sahara, flustered by my compliments, shook her head. “No, I’m not very good yet. I’m still just an amateur! I’m still in training!”

“Ah, so someone is teaching you, then? Who is it? Is it one of the nuns at the orphanage?”

I was certain that was where Sahara would have studied the art of sandwich-making, given that she’d grown up there, but that wasn’t the case.

“I’m learning from the barkeep at your favorite tavern, my lord.”

“Wow! Really?”

“Yes. When I asked Aaron if he knew of any places that could teach me cooking, he introduced me to the barkeep. I can learn to make all of your favorite dishes from there.”

I had no idea. Sahara did sometimes leave the manor on days she wasn’t helping out at the orphanage. That had to be when she went to the tavern to learn how to cook. 

“I go twice a week,” Sahara said, “and I help out around the tavern. Sometimes I even wait on tables!”

My jaw dropped. It was like Sahara was growing up without my noticing. She was completely different from that terrified girl kidnapped by the trafficker and almost sold to Hado Vlerick. She looked so full of confidence now. It made me glad to think that perhaps the experiences she’d been through had made her stronger.

“Sahara, would it be okay for me to visit one time when you’re working at the tavern?”

“Er… Well…”

“Hm? You don’t want me to?”

Sahara’s face went beet red. “I’m still just a novice, and I’ve only just started, so please give me a little more time!” 

I was a little saddened. I wanted to see her bustling around tables as the tavern waitress, but I knew she was in good hands with the barkeep. He looked quite tough, so he often gave people the wrong first impression. He had a kind heart, though, even if he liked to push me around. I would never forget the kindness he had showed me, giving me leftovers on the days when I was broke.

“But when the barkeep decides that I’m a good enough cook, I’ll invite you to visit, my lord!”

“Sounds good. I can’t wait.”

Sahara’s sandwiches were delicious, and they were all gone in no time. With a full stomach, I decided it was time to see Laine, who was waiting for me in the Military District. It was also one of the days that Sahara spent helping out around the orphanage, so I offered to walk her there before meeting Laine. Sahara refused. She said she wanted to be able to get around inside the kingdom on her own two feet. There was great resolve in her eyes—it seemed that she was slowly overcoming the trauma of her past.

“All right,” I said. “But put this somewhere people can see it, okay? Promise me.”

“This is the Barbatos family crest…” she said.

“Nobody will try anything if they know you’re connected with a holy knight, especially one from one of the esteemed families.”

“Thank you, my lord!”

I took the badge with the family crest off my equipment and passed it to Sahara. Better for it to protect her instead of me. Sahara took it from my hands happily and placed it on her chest. I watched as she ran out of the manor.

“I’ll see you later, my lord!”

“Take care out there!”

Seeing her recede into the distance filled me with pangs of incredible loneliness. It wouldn’t be long before I’d never see her innocent, carefree smile again. 

“Why the long face, Fate?” said Greed. “You know you can always stay here if you want.”

“No, I can’t. But this time, I at least want to do things right before I go.”

I watched Sahara leave, then headed to the Military District. As I did, I noticed a particular man walking in the opposite direction: Lord Mason. He smiled warmly as we approached one another.

“Good morning, my lord,” I said.

“Good morning, Fate. Is Aaron home?”

“Unfortunately not. He’s at the castle.”

“I see. A pity. I suppose I’ll just have to come back again tomorrow.” Lord Mason rubbed his jaw in thought, then looked at me with a grin. “By the way, Fate. Do you have time to spare? I’d like to talk with you.”

“With me?”

“Yes. I’d very much like to chat with the head of the Barbatos family. Are you busy?”

“No, I have time. Let’s talk.”

“Thank you, Fate.”

However, Lord Mason did not go to Hart Manor. Instead, he went to a large park in the Holy Knight District.

“My apologies, Fate,” he said. “If we go back to the manor, we’ll have to deal with Aisha and Roxy.”

“They’re overjoyed to have you back, aren’t they?”

“Yes, so it seems…” he said, though he didn’t seem as enthusiastic as I would have thought. 

The park was empty, perhaps because it was so early in the morning. The chirping of birds in the trees were the only sounds. 

“Let’s take a seat here,” said Lord Mason as we arrived at a bench.

I was nervous. I didn’t know how to act around Roxy’s father, and Lord Mason saw through me immediately.

“No need to be so tense, Fate. Just be yourself.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No need for apologies either. After all, you’ve done so much to help me.”

“My lord…”

“You protected Roxy from the Divine Dragon after it killed me, correct?”

“That… Well, to be honest, I only did that for myself, and…” I paused as I thought. In the end, it really had been for me. My Gluttony was overwhelming me, and I’d looked to her for salvation. “I wanted to save her, but in the end it was Roxy who saved me.”

“That’s not how Roxy tells it. She was very excited to tell me all about you. Only good things, of course.”

“Ah, I see…” I said, relaxing a little.

Lord Mason seemed happy to see me a little more at ease. He told me that if I wanted to know more, I should hear it from Roxy. He couldn’t simply share with me the things his daughter told him in confidence. 

“But sitting with you here and talking to you, I can see that you are exactly the man Roxy told me of.”

“You mean…in a good way, right?”

“Of course. And you healed the sickness that befell my wife, Aisha. I am beyond grateful.”

Lord Mason stood from the bench and bowed deeply. The gesture caught me completely off guard, and I hurriedly begged Lord Mason to stop. He was a man I admired deeply—a man who gave everything for his people. I didn’t see myself on the same level. I wasn’t the sort of person Lord Mason should ever bow to. 

“Before the Divine Dragon turned me to dust with its roar, I had regrets,” he said. “Worries. Would my young daughter be able to follow me as head of the family? What would happen to my wife, bedridden as her body failed her? But when this strange phenomenon occurred, and when I rushed home, I discovered that I no longer needed to fear. When I realized that, I felt a lightness in my soul, as if it were saved.”

Lord Mason held out a hand toward me. I gripped it in my own, and I felt great warmth in the firm handshake. Lord Mason was alive, of this there was no doubt. But I wasn’t used to being praised like this, and it was hard for me to feel at ease. With my hand still in Mason’s grip, he continued calmly. 

“By the way, I heard this from Aisha… Is it true that, yesterday morning, you went into Roxy’s bedroom and pinned both my daughter and my wife? And then you even tried to drag Haru into it all?” 

“Huh?!”

“I would like a clear and detailed explanation as to exactly what happened. So, sit down.”

Lord Mason’s expression changed completely. I now beheld the steely face of Lady Aisha’s husband…and Roxy’s father.

Oh, geez, where do I even start?

This was Lady Aisha’s doing, without a doubt. Lord Mason probably still didn’t know that Roxy and I had swapped bodies. Lady Aisha loved playing pranks like this. She’d known this would happen if I met Lord Mason and so fed him just the right amount of information. Roxy had probably had so much to tell him that she hadn’t even gotten to the events of yesterday.

Which means this could be…pretty bad…

“Now, tell me clearly. And tell me all of it. How you manhandled my wife and daughter and even tried to pull our head servant into the mess, all in my daughter’s room!” he said, unable to restrain a chuckle.

“It’s all a misunderstanding! You have to listen to me!”

“Oh, you better believe I’ll listen. But my holy sword may answer in my stead, depending on what you say!”

“Eh?!”

Clearing the air was going to take longer than I’d thought. But I still had ten minutes before meeting with Laine, so I sat down on the bench and told Lord Mason all about the soul-swap incident, right from the very beginning.