Berserk of Gluttony (LN) - Volume 6 - Chapter 19

Chapter 19:

The Majestic Baths of Lanchester

THE BATHS were fortunately separated by gender. I breathed a sigh of relief. Sharing a bath with Roxy or any of the other girls was a frightening prospect. I’d recently swapped bodies with Roxy, and that had been nerve-wracking enough. I’d done everything in my power to make sure I didn’t peep on her naked body because I maintained the soul of a gentleman.

I took off my clothes and looked out at the bath, this time with Greed in hand. Usually I left him elsewhere, but I knew that if I didn’t clean him, he’d complain all night, so I’d decided to give him a good scrubbing. 

“Whoa…this place is enormous,” I whispered sotto voce.

I couldn’t help but be impressed. We had only just repaired the baths at Barbatos Manor, but this bath was at least four times larger. You could have easily fit forty people at once. Even if they were all splashing around, they wouldn’t get in each other’s way. 

“Ah, finally, a bath fit for a sword of my caliber,” said Greed. “I will never again settle for anything less.” 

Greed relished the luxury and grandeur of it all. LeChoix said she’d made some renovations to the bath, but was it possible that she’d actually made the place bigger? She seemed polite and reserved on the surface, but perhaps she was the type of person to go as far as it took for the things that mattered to her.

“Well, it’s nothing if not the picture of extravagance,” I said. “This place is so big that I can’t even see the opposite wall.”

“This bumpkin perspective of yours has got to go!” said Greed. “You’re a holy knight now, and you’re in one of the esteemed families to boot.”

“This level of excess just doesn’t suit me. People like me, we can’t get used to this kind of opulence.”

“Well, you can think what you want, but why not make the most of it, now that you’ve got a whole bath to yourself?”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

I rinsed all the desert grit from my body before entering the bath. The problem with fighting in the desert was you couldn’t stop the sand from getting into your clothes and everywhere else.

There was something about a bath this big that excited the child inside of me, and as I was all by myself, I decided to dive in. It was a way bigger splash than I’d even expected.

“What are you, a child?!” shouted Greed.

“Loosen up. It’s just us in here. Let’s have some fun!”

Greed muttered more complaints as familiar voices floated over the partition.

“Jumping into the baths is strictly prohibited, Fay!” Roxy yelled.

“It’s unbecoming of the head of the Barbatos family to engage in such childish activity, Master!” Memil added.

“Please show a little consideration for the manor baths!” LeChoix said.

I stared at the partition as I realized it separated the men’s section from the women’s, and that there was enough space along the top to talk to the neighboring bath. 

“I’ll be on my best behavior next time, I promise,” I said. Then I thought of Snow, who until now had been intent on staying by my side. “How’s Snow? Is she being good?”

“She’s being very quiet,” said Memil.

Snow liked Memil, so I was relieved to hear that. It would have been a disaster if she’d gone on a rampage.

“Snow, come here for a second,” said Memil. “Did you know that Master is on the other side of that wall?”

“Really? He’s really on the other side?”

“He is. He’s taking a bath just like us.”

It was nice to hear them chatting so casually, but no sooner had I started to relax when Snow yelled, “If Fate’s on that side, I’m going to that side!”

“Wait, what?!”

Screams erupted on the other side of the baths, and suddenly an explosion tore a massive hole through the partition. Naturally, Snow was at the epicenter of it. With a beatific grin, she threw herself at me. 

“Now we’re together again!” she shouted.

“Snow…what have you done?!”

I stared at the giant hole she had created, and through it saw three young ladies bathing—I gulped—in the nude.

Their screams rang out a second time. I turned away as quickly as I could, but it was too late—the image of their bodies had seared itself into my mind. I felt my own body overheating, and it wasn’t because of the steaming water.

“I’m sorry!” I said.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Fay,” said Roxy. “Snow broke the wall.”

But even if it had been completely out of my control, I had still seen them naked. Roxy had forgiven me, but that didn’t account for the others.

“I can’t believe it!” cried Memil. “My master, he’s seen me naked.”

“Hey!” I said. “I hear that sardonic smile in your voice! You’re messing with me!”

“Harrumph! I would never! But if our relationship has progressed this far, then I suppose we have no choice but to bathe together.”

“What?! No choice? You could just stay angry at me like a normal person!”

But Memil wasn’t joking. From the corner of my eye, I noticed her crawling through the hole in the dividing wall. I tried to escape, but Snow kept a tight grip on me, and I couldn’t move. Why was she using her Domain of E stats in the bath?!

“I won’t let you go, Fate!” she said.

“This is so not the time for this, Snow!”

I had nowhere to run. Memil entered the men’s bath like a predator stalking her prey, ready to pounce.

“What happened to that bashfulness from earlier, Memil?!”

“It’s an unfortunate truth that I cannot undo what happened or change the past. But I can ensure you experience a similar humiliation!”

“It’s not at all about that! You just want to bully me! You love it!”

“I do!” Memil’s reply was vivacious, crackling with energy. Nothing brought more joy to Memil than watching me squirm. This was especially true regarding her Blood Lust. 

With Snow firmly holding me in place, I had no defenses until Roxy came to my rescue. “Memil! Stop that!”

“Not now that I’ve come this far. I call dibs!”

“Memil! Wait!”

Even Roxy couldn’t do anything. As I glanced once more at the opening in the wall, I realized that in pursuit of Memil, Roxy had also entered the men’s bath! Things had gone from bad to worse in a heartbeat. On top of it all, LeChoix followed behind Roxy, tears welling in her eyes. She couldn’t understand why any of this was happening, so she simply trailed along in the hopes that she might find a way to put a stop to it.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no, everyone, please!” she cried. “You can’t do this here! Not in the baths!”

“What are you all doing here?! It’s the men’s bath!”

But my voice was drowned out by the cacophony of girls splashing through.

“Master!” cried Memil.

“I told you to wait right there!” shouted Roxy.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no,” chanted LeChoix.

“Wait, all of you!” I shouted. “Stop!”

But there was no stopping any of them as they dove for me. A geyser of water plumed up from the steamy bath. It was a mess. Where was that peaceful bath I had hoped for? I’d also lost track of Greed in all that chaos, meaning he was stranded somewhere at the bottom of the bath. I could practically hear his oaths and curses even without my Telepathy. Even so, he was probably having more fun than any of us, so I put him out of my mind. 

My senses swam from all the heat, so I stumbled back and tried to exit the bath, only to hear a familiar voice booming from above me.

“How could all of you do this to me? You leave me to sleep and then go off to have a pool party?”

“Eris…” I whispered. Not now! Not while I’m so weak—not while I’m so helpless! The last thing I need is the Lust skill making everything crazier. Anything but that!

Memil was only ever half-serious, but Eris didn’t play games. She was dangerous!

“Eris,” I said cautiously, “I’m about to faint from the heat and excitement. I think the others are too. Will you help us out?”

“I will…”

“Help us?” I pleaded.

“Join you!”

Eris was so excited that she threw aside the towel wrapped around her body. I couldn’t believe I’d even bothered asking for her help! But I was so lightheaded that I couldn’t even focus on her naked form, my thoughts instead focused on the realization that Eris had purposefully entered the men’s bath. She had planned to ambush me right from the very start.

“Arghhh!” I shouted in frustration.

“Look at you!” said Eris, “All raring and ready to party!”

“Ready to party? Read the room!”

But Eris was so caught up in her own narrative that nothing could change it now. I knew that she’d probably built up a lot of stress from not being able to fight to the end of the battle, but now she was planning to release it all on me?! I turned to Roxy and LeChoix for support, but they simply floated on the bath water in a stupor from all the heat. Snow, for her part, still clung tight.

“Snow, you have to help me,” I said.

“Fate, I’m real dizzy all of a sudden,” she said.

“Of course you are! It’s hot in here!”

It was madness. I had no idea what was happening. Snow let go of me and gently floated away in a daze, the heat having gone to her head.

“Looks like the holy beast is on our side, now. So, my mortal enemy is suddenly my teammate?” 

“Calm down, Eris…”

“Don’t worry, it’s fine! I’m just going to take a soak in the bath and then I’ll drag all your stupefied bodies out of it. But before that…”

Eris’s voice grew suddenly distant. All the heat had gone to my head and I felt like I was going to collapse too. All I could do was trust that Eris would help us. All I could do was believe in her.

***

I felt something cool on my forehead. It was so nice that I felt like I wanted to stay in that moment, sleeping forever. For a time, I drifted in that feeling as my senses slowly returned to me. A warm hand rubbed my cheek, making for a pleasant contrast. When I opened my eyes, I found myself lying in one of the manor’s guest bedrooms.

“You’re finally awake. The battle with the Zodiac Scorpion really took it out of you, didn’t it?”

“Eris… You really brought me here?”

Eris’s cheeks puffed up in anger. “Why is that so surprising? I pulled all of you out of the bath, then called the maids to clothe and carry you to your rooms.”

“Thank you. I-I thought you were going to leave us.”

Eris laughed. “Even I know how to behave when the situation calls for it. I wasn’t about to leave the girls to drown, you know.”

“I’m sorry if I sounded like I didn’t trust you.”

Eris grinned cheekily. “Oh? But I didn’t say that I didn’t do anything to you, did I?”

“What?!”

She was a demon! Even now, with the moonlight streaming in through the windows, a bewitching, beguiling aura floated around her.

“What…did you do, Eris?”

I took a deep breath and waited for her answer. But she was in no hurry, so she teased it out, little by little.

“After the maids took the girls out of the bath, I waved away other help, so it was just me with your naked body.”

“And then?”

“Well, you must realize there was nobody around to get you dressed.”

What?! She’d just told me that she waved away the help! Yet now she acted like she had exhausted all her options!

“So, I pulled your body out of the bathwater and I gently, softly toweled you dry from head to toe, and I eased your body into your clothes with great care. Then I carried you to your room and placed you on the bed. I’ve been watching you sleep ever since.”

“Why am I cringing with the knowledge that you had complete freedom to do whatever you wanted?”

“Oh, really, you don’t have to thank me, Fate. I enjoyed every second.”

“Drop the act, Eris,” I said finally. “I know you didn’t do anything more. You like to talk a big game, but we’ve traveled together for quite a while now. You’re not the type to take advantage of people.”

I’d felt it the night she told me about her past as we looked out at the nightscape of Tetra. Eris liked to put on a carefree attitude, but she was still burdened with old wounds on her heart, even after all these long years. But I had also been relieved when she opened up to me; the problems she faced were similar to my own, and it made me want to help her overcome them. I wanted to understand her better, and I understood that although she liked to play jokes on me, she wanted to help me in turn.

“You’re too kind,” she said, and though I couldn’t tell by the light of the moon, I wondered if she was blushing. “But I am glad. I’m glad you won against the holy beast, even though I only made things harder for you in the end. I’m sorry, Fate.”

“Don’t worry about it. That’s the whole point of a party; we have each other’s backs.”

“Thank you, Fate. I didn’t tell you earlier, but…” Eris paused for a moment. I had a feeling I knew what she would say next.

“Libra is one of the holy beastfolk, isn’t he?” I said. “And when you faced the Scorpion before, it reawakened those painful memories.”

“Yes, exactly that. When I saw her in battle, it brought all that pain of the past flooding back. But there’s no enmity between me and Snow. I’d never met her before today. It seems that not all the holy beasts are the same.”

“I have to admit, I’m relieved to hear that.”

I had worried that Eris and Snow had some kind of shared history. If they did, traveling together would have been a headache, so I was glad that those fears were misplaced. 

“Fate, when you saw your father in that battle, surely you saw for yourself. Your father, he’s…” 

“Sorry, Eris,” I cut her off. “I intend to ask him that myself. Face to face.”

It was something I had to ask directly, as a son to his father. Eris seemed to understand where I was coming from, and she didn’t push the issue.

“Your life is so much more complicated than you can even know,” she finally said, enunciating each word with slow deliberation.

I didn’t answer. There was nothing to say. I had been destined to receive the Gluttony skill even before I was born, and it had started…something. I had a feeling it had to do with my mother. My father had explained to me that she died of an illness, but perhaps that had been a lie he told me for my sake. Whatever the case, I would find out. I would find him, and I would hear everything.