Berserk of Gluttony (LN) - Volume 6 - Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

The Old Lanchester Estate

WE REACHED THE GREAT WALLS that surrounded the old Lanchester estate and stopped the bike. 

Roxy looked up at them. “I heard the holy knight who once governed this estate passed away after some sort of incident.”

“Yeah…”

It was difficult for me to answer, given that I was partially responsible for the aforementioned incident. The former owner of the estate, Rudolph Lanchester, had stood before the throne and denounced my name. The idiot had even been bold enough to unsheathe his sword in front of Eris, though I hadn’t known she was the queen at the time. In the end, Lanchester was put to death by the two white knights who stood by Eris’s side.

“The citizens here were subjected to a strictly enforced class system. But because of Eris, the Lanchester family is no more. I’ve heard that in their absence, the kingdom sent another holy knight to govern the estate.”

“Yes. Eris even mentioned that she wanted to see how things were going.” We had left Eris and Memil in our dust, so they were still making their way here. “It’s quiet. There’s no evidence of merchants coming or going…”

“It’s just like the Seifort goblin incident.”

“Now that you mention it, it is eerily similar.”

Merchants were very sensitive to danger. However much they hungered for profit, they still valued their own lives above trade. After all, what use was money after you died?

“Did something happen?”

“Hm… It would probably be best to speak to the holy knight currently in charge,” said Roxy. “However…”

“We should probably wait for Eris first.”

“Right.”

Sure, Eris flaunted her wiles and her body wherever she went, but she also managed the entire kingdom. Roxy and I were essentially her retainers, and we needed to act with the appropriate decorum in situations like this. I didn’t follow the usual protocols when dealing with Eris because we were both bearers of Skills of Mortal Sin, but it was different for Roxy. Even if Eris told her that she didn’t have to bother, Roxy was too conscientious not to show the proper respect for their positions. This respect went with Eris wherever she went.

“They’re taking their sweet time,” I said. “Let’s just go inside already.”

“No. No matter how badly she behaves, she’s still our queen.”

“No matter how badly she behaves?”

“Oh, er… That was terribly rude of me,” sputtered Roxy. “Please don’t tell Eris I said that.”

“But maybe she’d like to know,” I said, an impish grin on my face.

“Fay!”

Roxy was still getting used to Eris and her unique personality. Rumor had it that working for Eris back in the castle of Seifort was just as troublesome.

“Hey! Fay! Are you listening to me?!”

I was just thinking about how much pressure Roxy was under, even though she always tried her best. Roxy stared at me, her face knotted with frustration. She looked just as cute even when she was irritated.

“Fay!” she yelled, then pinched my ear.

“Ouch! Ouch! Okay! I’m listening!”

She never went easy on me in these situations. As I rubbed my stinging ear, the two of us looked back up at the walls surrounding the Lanchester estate. 

Roxy went on to tell me that she’d never actually been inside the estate proper. When Myne and I had passed through, we’d gotten into a minor disagreement with Rudolph, and Myne had simply sent him flying through the air. As a result, the estate had become especially strict with regards to visiting adventurers. Furthermore, the Lanchesters and the Harts weren’t on the friendliest terms. So when Roxy had reached the town on her expedition to Galia, she’d asked for aid and been given the most meager of supplies, while her army was outright forbidden entry.

“I couldn’t believe they were treating us like that,” said Roxy.

“Sorry. I really should apologize given my role in the whole ordeal. I’ll be sure to tell Myne too.”

“It wasn’t your fault. Rudolph was a problem long before that. I’m willing to bet that he picked a fight.”

“Well, yeah. You’ve pretty much hit the nail on the head.”

Rudolph had treated Myne like a child. But the real kicker was that he’d mocked the one thing Myne felt insecure about—her chest. That had truly sealed his fate. In the next moment, Myne sent him flying through the air with her black axe. I remembered the bone-chilling shock I’d felt as I watched, mouth agape. The next thing I knew, Myne was dragging me away from the scene of the crime as we made a hasty getaway.

“Judging by that sigh, it wasn’t easy for you either,” said Roxy.

“If you push Myne around, she always pushes back. It’s her personality,” I said. “But I’ve been dragged into so many incidents because of it…”

“Sounds like she has quite the temper.”

“You don’t know the half of it. But she is the bearer of Wrath. Come to think of it, I don’t actually know much about the Wrath skill.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Roxy’s eyes widened. Her eyes bored into me, unblinking, and I felt suddenly awkward.

“Well, how do I put it… It’s like nobody wants to talk about their skills or their past.”

“Well, they are unique skills, which probably makes them a sore subject. And the past… Well, everybody’s got something they don’t want to talk about. It’s even harder if those memories are painful…”

“Yeah.”

Even having told Roxy all this, in truth, Luna had told me a great deal about Myne the night prior. She’d said the same thing as Roxy. Myne had been alive so long that she had become incredibly stubborn, so Luna had revealed all in her stead.

“When I next see Myne, I’ll do my best to get her to open up a little,” I said.

“That’s my Fay! You’re such a good boy!” Roxy grinned as she patted me tenderly on the head.

“Why do I always feel like you treat me like a kid?”

“It’s because I’m older than you.”

“By one year. Only one year.”

“That still makes me older.”

Roxy was in high spirits. I couldn’t help but wonder if she sometimes saw me like an annoying little brother. I was about to ask when we heard the thrum of a motorcycle in the distance. It looked like Eris, an actual elder with who-knew-how-many years on me, and Memil, a year younger than me, had finally caught up.

“Master!” cried Memil. “How could you abandon us like that?”

“I concur!” shouted Eris. “You blasted off at such speed, you left Memil completely magically drained!”

Their brows were pinched together, clearly furious over being left behind.

“What are you talking about?! Anybody in their right mind would run away from a storm of bullets!”

“They were bullets of love aimed for your heart, my darling.”

“Even so-called ‘bullets of love’ could’ve killed me!”

It didn’t matter what the bullets were filled with; they’d still have left me a bloody mess! With that sinister grin on Eris’s face, it was hard to believe that she was joking. Memil, sitting at the front of the cycle, wore a precisely identical bloodthirsty expression. She was sure to come for me when night fell. 

In the midst of this tense atmosphere, Roxy stepped between us and bowed deferentially to Eris. “My apologies. I’m still not used to handling nor driving these motorcycles…”

“It’s not your fault,” replied Eris. “It’s all Fate’s fault. Isn’t that right, Memil?”

“Exactly as you say, Your Majesty!”

It seemed that Eris and Memil had somehow formed a stronger bond in the time they’d spent left behind. How was I supposed to handle a tag team of two strong-willed young women like this? I shivered just thinking about it and tried to put it out of my mind. At least I felt reassured by the fact that I’d share a room with Roxy going forward. Even though that inspired its own unique anxieties, I knew she would protect me from the others.

“I think that’s enough from the two of you for now,” said Roxy. “We’ve made it all the way to Lanchester before noon, and it would be wise for us not to waste time, don’t you think?”

“Good point…” Eris and Memil muttered.

I still kept my eye on the two of them as I pushed my bike around to the gates into the old estate. Memil followed after me, pushing the other bike, while Eris and Roxy trailed behind her. Eris and Memil exchanged many animated words with Roxy. I was far enough ahead that I couldn’t hear them, but I noticed Roxy blushed with each new comment. I swallowed my concerns and hurried on.

Soldiers guarded the main gates. We showed them the royal seal on the motorbikes and introduced ourselves as holy knights, and the guards let us in without issue. The guards had received word that Eris would be visiting to inspect the estate.

“We’ve been expecting you,” said one of the guards. “I’ll call for Lord LeChoix at once!”

“Understood.”

“So, this is a magitech bike…” said another guard with a whistle of admiration. “I’ve heard the stories. Please feel free to deposit them here.”

The guard directed us to a safe spot within the estate to leave the bikes. While Memil and I went to do so, we became aware of the large garrison of soldiers within the estate. The air practically crackled with tension, like every fighter was on guard, expecting the worst.

The town past the gates was blanketed in quiet. As I pushed my bike through the streets, I noticed that there were hardly any townsfolk walking about. In their place, countless soldiers shuffled back and forth, boiling over with anxiety. When Memil and I returned, the new lord of Lanchester had arrived to meet us. She was a girl with a head of scruffy short hair, and she seemed short of breath, as if she sprinted all the way here. Perhaps it was her youthful appearance, but there was something about her that struck me as unreliable.

“My apologies that I could not greet you at the gates! My name is LeChoix Bellisario, and I am charged with governing this region. I sensed your presence and knew you were approaching, but…”

LeChoix seemed genuinely distraught. Something was bothering her. I decided to fill her silence with the question that was on all of our minds.

“What’s going on here? Judging by the state of the town, it’s obvious something’s happened.”

The gates should have been crowded with merchants coming and going, but at present there was only LeChoix, our party of four, and soldiers. The largely deserted townscape made clear that they weren’t dealing with an ordinary problem.

“A monster has appeared to the east of the town, in the desert,” said LeChoix.

“Monsters?! As in large hordes of sandmen?”

“No.”

“Another sand golem, then?”

“Unfortunately not. I’m a holy knight, and monsters of that level would cause me no trouble.”

The previous lord of the Lanchester estate, Rudolph, had struggled with the sand golem. The monster was cunning and intelligent, and it had a habit of disappearing into the sand when it knew the battle was lost. I had assumed that another could be causing similar trouble, but that wasn’t the case. I also seemed to have underestimated LeChoix based on her appearance. Her power was clear in how confidently she declared those monsters beneath her level.

“Then can you tell us what kind of monster you’re dealing with?”

“It has gigantic pincer-like claws, and it moves across the desert with astounding speed. What’s more, its body is so tough that not even the blade of a holy sword can leave a scratch. We’ve been looking for some kind of weak point, but…we can’t find any information on the monster in any of our books.”

“I see…”

It was possible that it was an ancient monster, a creature that should have been extinct. If there was no recorded history of it, then it was safe to assume that the Door to Distant Lands had brought it back to life. When I glanced at Roxy and the others, it was clear they’d come to the same conclusion.

“In that case, let us handle the beast,” I said. “You haven’t been in charge here long, and it looks like you’ve had your hands full.”

“Really?! You’d do that for us?”

“Leave it to us!”

LeChoix cried out in relief. “Thank you so much! I’ve been so worried!”

She grabbed a hold of my hands and began waving them excitedly. The next thing I knew, she was so close that she was practically hugging me. I understood then how heavily the issue had weighed on her mind. 

If this was an incident related to the Door to Distant Lands, then it was our duty to handle it. 

But then I felt the cold, piercing gaze of the rest of the party cutting into me. Memil bared her fangs just enough for me to notice. Meanwhile, Eris rested her hand on the handle of her gunblade, and even Roxy wore a smile that did nothing to disguise the disapproval in her eyes.

The cold of night had yet to fall, but I felt a clear chill in the air. 

Greed cackled. “It ain’t easy being popular!” 

“I didn’t ask for this!” I protested.

“Oh, I know what it is! It’s because you received the title of Blessed Blade from Aaron. That must have raised your appeal.”

“You better be joking, Greed.”

“And? Does it matter? Rejoice, Fate! But also be careful you don’t get stabbed in the back by one of your traveling companions.”

True, even though Aaron was an older man, he was something of a hit with ladies. Could it be that his title had something to do with it? No…that makes no sense. 

Before I could consider the matter any longer, LeChoix took me by my hand and led me to the manor. “This way, my lord!”

“No need to pull! I can walk!”

“It’s so wonderful to finally have such a trustworthy gentleman to rely on!”

It seemed she was very much unwilling to let go of me now that she had finally found the help she sought. Either way, I wanted to learn more about the monster that had appeared, and it seemed that the manor would be the best place for that. As LeChoix pulled me along, I glanced behind me.

“Fay…” muttered Roxy.

“Looks like someone wants another shower of love bullets,” said Eris.

“Master,” said Memil, “prepare yourself, for tonight, I feast!”

My spine was pure ice. I wanted to think it was an illusion, but I swore I saw a sinister black aura emanating around the three of them as they followed behind me. I turned away, setting such thoughts aside, and let LeChoix lead the way to the manor in the distance.