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Berserk of Gluttony (LN) - Volume 6 - Chapter 10




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Chapter 10:

The Holy Knight LeChoix

LECHOIX PULLED ME into the residential district. During my last visit to Lanchester, I hadn’t been allowed into this area and had instead been directed to stay at accommodations specifically built away from the residents. This was because Rudolph Lanchester had enforced a strict class hierarchy throughout his entire domain. Only residents had been allowed inside; everybody else was forbidden entry. Rudolph had personally decided on the laws that had governed the estate. 

However, the estate was a very different place now. The gloom that once pervaded the town had receded considerably. The few people who walked the streets seemed free and at ease, but that only highlighted the new burden they carried.

“I sense fear in the populace,” I said.

“Yes, it’s because I’m not strong enough. We still have a stockpile of food and supplies, so there’s nothing to worry about in that respect, but…”

“But the threat of the monster in the desert looms. I know this feeling. Not so long ago, that afflicted the kingdom too.”

“I heard about that from the regular communiqués we receive from the kingdom… But what in the world is happening?”

“That’s what we’re here to discover. We intend to stop this calamity before it gets any worse.”

LeChoix turned to me with an apologetic look on her face, still pulling me along by hand as we walked. “Please forgive me. If I were only more powerful, I wouldn’t have to burden you with such an onerous task…”

“Listen, don’t worry about it. There’s no point putting an end to this calamity if it means we lose what we’re trying to protect. That includes you, as well all the people in this estate.”

“My lord…” LeChoix looked back at Roxy, Eris, and Memil, who all nodded in agreement. “Thank you so much, everyone.”

The manor to which we were headed had formerly belonged to Rudolph Lanchester, but now it served as the home base for LeChoix and her troops. The manor was so big, I almost mistook it for a castle when I first laid eyes on it.

“If this manor symbolized anything, it was excess,” said LeChoix. “Come on, this way.”

LeChoix led the way inside to a huge guest room. The maids had already prepared it for our arrival, placing drinks and light snacks in front of each chair around the table. When I thanked LeChoix for her hospitality, she giggled.

“Well, not only are you a holy knight, my lord, but you also belong to one of the five esteemed families. I hadn’t expected you to be so humble.”

“I’m Aaron Barbatos’s adopted son; before that, I was a simple commoner. The truly esteemed yet humble one here is Roxy,” I said, looking at her where she was seated to my left.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” she demurred.

“But I always looked up to you, Roxy. You treated me like an equal, even when I was a nobody standing guard at the gates.”

“Fay…” Roxy’s face flushed as she slapped my shoulder bashfully. “Why would you go saying things like that at a place like this?”

A sharp stab of pain interrupted me as Eris, sitting to my right, dug her elbow into my ribs.

“Ouch! What the hell was that for?!”

“Do you two have to get started with that lovey-dovey crap all over again?! I mean seriously, get a room. Have you completely forgotten why we’re here in the first place? Well?” 

“Sorry, Eris…” Roxy and I said in unison.

“You two better listen to Her Majesty!” said Memil. “It’s reached the point that I can barely stand to watch you two!”

Even Memil backed us into a corner. I grew self-conscious. It wasn’t like I was doing anything on purpose. Roxy looked exactly how I felt.

“Sorry, Memil…” we said together.

“Well, as long as you’re aware of it!”

Memil put on an obvious performance of her outrage, to which Eris gave an indignant nod of approval. Whenever they got like this, they were almost too much to handle! Roxy and I exchanged a glance and sighed as LeChoix looked on and laughed.

“My apologies,” she said. “I don’t mean to be rude.”

“No, it’s fine,” I said. “It’s always like this.”

“Really? But in a way, I’m quite relieved.”

“Relieved?”

LeChoix looked at us with a touch of seriousness spreading across her face. “It’s just, I thought that Her Majesty would be a more fearsome, imposing figure. She’s the queen of the entire kingdom, after all.”

“Well best get rid of that idea,” said Eris. “I’m the pinnacle of kindness. And a pacifist, to boot.”

What?! I thought back on the rain of bullets I had to dodge earlier. Those doubts crept onto my face as I stared at Eris, my eyes widening. Suddenly, I felt her foot stomp on my own under the table.

“Ouch!” I cried.

“What’s wrong, my lord?!” asked LeChoix. “Are you okay?”

“I’m…fine. I’m fine. Please, continue.”

“Er, yes. Very well.”

Being in a group conversation with Eris was nerve-wracking. In any case, LeChoix went on heaping praise on Eris, and Eris loved every minute of it. 

Sometimes this girl is such a child, I thought, and Eris’s foot once again slammed down on my own under the table. Does she have the Telepathy skill or what?!

“Lady Roxy, you’re exactly the way everybody describes you,” said LeChoix. “We actually met once, in Seifort castle.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

“Uh…Well, it’s kind of embarrassing, but we met right after I was promoted to holy knight. I got lost. I was stumbling around the castle, and you, uh…”

“Oh!” Roxy said, suddenly remembering. “That was you? I didn’t recognize you!”

“Thank you once again for giving me directions. I was so embarrassed by the whole situation that I ran away as quickly as I could. I’m sorry, it must have seemed so rude.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. But you’ve certainly…grown into…your own woman…”

As Roxy finished her sentence, her eyes seemed to linger on LeChoix’s breasts. 

Hm? What’s this?

Roxy became aware of my gaze and quickly glanced away, her face glowing red.

Is this because… Wait, Fate. No need to chase that thought.

Even I understood the meaning of Roxy’s lingering, jealous glance. Even so, she was Lady Aisha’s daughter, so I didn’t think she had anything to worry about. It was all just a matter of time. As I sat there, imagining the future, Roxy suddenly pinched my side.

“Ouch! Roxy?” I stammered.

She glowered at me—fiery eyes narrowed. “You and I are going to have a talk later. Is that clear?”


“Y-yes, Roxy…”

I had no idea what such a talk would entail. The only Roxy I really knew was the kind, gentle Roxy with the beautiful smile. That she would bring this up at a time like this left my heart pounding a nervous staccato. 

But just as with Eris, LeChoix watched and laughed. “You two really get along like a house on fire, don’t you?” 

Roxy and I looked at each other for a moment. There was nothing we could do but laugh sheepishly.

“May I ask you something, my lord?” LeChoix went on. 

“Sure. What is it?”

“Is it true that you killed the Divine Dragon by yourself?”

“Well, it’s a little complicated. I kind of did, and I kind of didn’t.”

“What do you mean?” LeChoix asked, her head tilted to the side.

“I wasn’t really alone.” I placed my black sword on the table, “I had the help of this sword, Greed. I couldn’t have done it without him. And even after I killed the Divine Dragon, things kept spiraling out of control. That was when Roxy saved me. So even though you could technically say that I fought the dragon by myself, I don’t feel like that’s the whole truth.”

“Ah, I see what you mean. But the one who actually did the killing was you, right?”

“Uh…yes.”

LeChoix giggled. “You really are humble, aren’t you?”

“Uh…thank you.”

It was a funny feeling to be praised. I still wasn’t used to it, but it made me feel warm.

LeChoix turned her attention to the group as a whole and leaped into an explanation of the problem at hand. “Let me tell you everything we know about the monster that appeared in the east. It was first spotted roughly two weeks ago. It attacks with giant pincer-like claws, and so far, all of our attacks have proved useless. We believe that it might be as powerful as the Divine Dragon. There’s one more thing to note: When the monster appears, the sandmen in the desert change form. They become much more violent.”

LeChoix breathed out a sigh, her brow knitted together. 

So, the monster here was in the Domain of E. If it had come back to life through the power of the Door, that maybe wasn’t entirely surprising. This meant that only Eris and I would be able to take it down.

“When does the monster usually appear?” I asked.

“Midnight or later. It’s large enough that we can see it from the estate.”

I looked out the window. The sun was just beginning to set in the distance. “So we still have some time, at least.”

Time that would be more than enough for us to prepare for a night battle.

“In that case, I’m going to get some sleep,” said Eris, also looking out the window. “Nothing more important before a battle than rest.”

“You sound like Myne,” I said.

“It’s just the basics of battle, my dear. You look like you could use some rest yourself.”

“I think I’d prefer to relax by going out and wandering the town.”

“Well, whatever works. Call me when it’s time to leave. Memil, shall we?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Memil likely wouldn’t take part in the battle. Now that her holy knight status had been revoked, she was forbidden to engage in violence. She was also banned from using a holy sword unless it was specifically to protect me in times of dire emergency. When I had gone into battle against the goblin shaman, Memil had broken these rules to help me. However, even then, she was still punished, and the white knights of Seifort had made sure she didn’t forget that. She’d gotten away with a slap on the wrist that time, but if she kept using her holy knight powers, the punishments would likely become more severe. I didn’t want Memil to go through any more of that than was absolutely necessary.

I turned to Roxy as Eris and Memil left the room. “What about you?” I asked. “Do you want to come for a walk?”

“We’ve got a big battle ahead of us, so I think I’ll spend some time by myself.”

“Okay.”

So Roxy intended to join us in the battle against a monster in the Domain of E, did she? I opened my mouth, but I couldn’t find the right words to stop her, so I decided to slip out quietly instead.

As I did, I spoke to LeChoix, my voice no louder than a whisper. “Will you keep an eye on Roxy for me?” 

“Understood. I’m not sure how much help I’ll be, but I’ll try my hardest!”

I remembered what Roxy had told me, that because she wasn’t powerful enough, she would only get in our way. I didn’t think that was quite true. 

I found myself thinking back to how I had been before my Gluttony awakened. Back then, my stats had been so abysmally low that by comparison, Roxy and the other holy knights had been like gods above the clouds. Back then, it had felt like no matter how hard I worked, I would never be able to catch up to them. Roxy probably harbored similar feelings now. I knew I was at the root of those feelings, and I didn’t want to push her into a corner. It would be better to have a fellow holy knight like LeChoix watch over her and keep her company.

“Thank you, LeChoix.”

I left the manor and walked toward the lights of the town as night fell. 

“To be blunt, I thought that even if Roxy said something like that, you’d stay with her,” said Greed.

“It would have been no use,” I replied. “She’s strong-willed. When she says she wants to be alone, she means it.”

“But you still asked that young holy knight to keep an eye on her, huh?”

“Well, I just want to be sure.”

Greed knew me better than I knew myself, sometimes. We’d been together a long time now.

“I want to spend some time wandering the town before we head into battle,” I said. “You think there’s an outdoor stall somewhere selling something delicious? I’m also curious about the rest of the town; it was off-limits the last time we came here.”

“Hate to slap you in the face with reality while you’re in such high spirits, but aren’t you forgetting something?”

“What?”

“That monster you’re fighting tonight has practically frozen local trade. Don’t expect much opportunity for tourism.”

“Oh. Oh! Ugh,” I groaned. “Damn it, you’re right. Nothing will be open!”

“What in the world would you do without your truest friend, the mighty Greed? You’d be lost!”

“I was just a little forgetful, okay? That’s it!” 

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Don’t ‘yeah, yeah’ me! It’s the truth!”

We’d been together a long time, all right. And Greed hadn’t changed a bit.

Either way, it was no use worrying about Roxy. She was with us, and that was that. The best I could do was create an opportunity for her in the battle ahead so that she’d come out of it with something. 

However, I still felt apprehensive about Roxy entering the Domain of E. I kept thinking back to Greed’s words: The Domain of E is a place beyond humanity. 

I couldn’t help but wonder… Aaron and I had formed a bond that allowed him to enter the Domain of E. Was my apprehension the reason that Roxy and I hadn’t been able to forge a similar tie?



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