Berserk of Gluttony (LN) - Volume 7 - Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

Greed’s Wish

PAST THE GATE, the ceiling shone with a faint bluish-white light.

“This reminds me of the kingdom’s Military District,” I said.

Roxy nodded. “Indeed, except the lights here seem to have a more vivid glow.”

“Of course they do.” Eris put a hand on the wall. “This is genuine Galian technology, nothing like the imitations back in the kingdom. Still, I never imagined a place like this slept beneath Hausen. I’ve traveled all across the world, and I still had no idea.”

“Wow…I’ve barely even ventured outside of the kingdom’s domain,” I said.

The farthest I’d ever gone was Galia. Eris, however, knew what lay beyond that, as she’d gone on a journey when she had her falling out with Envy. I hoped that I, too, could know more of the world out there someday.

“By the way, have you ever seen the ocean, Fate?”

“What’s that?” I had no idea what she was talking about, but Roxy apparently did. 

“Ah, I’ve read about that in old tomes,” she said. “Far to the south of Galian lands, there exists a huge body of water similar to a massive lake.”

“Yeah, that’s one way of putting it,” said Eris. Then, with a wicked grin on her face, she continued. “Once this is all over, I’ll take you. We have to feed Fate some of that sea water.”

I already knew that I wasn’t going to like this. “What are you scheming?” I asked.

“I’m not scheming. I merely want to introduce you to the wonders of a world you don’t know.”

“Well then, stop it.”

Eris laughed. “Do the two of you know what lies beyond the ocean?”

“I don’t have the slightest clue,” said Roxy. “There was nothing written about it in all the books I’ve read.”

“I don’t know either,” I said.

“Well, you don’t even know what the ocean is, so no surprises there,” said Eris.

“Yeah, yeah, no need to rub it in.”

“There are new lands out there, unexplored and undiscovered. It’s so expansive I don’t know if you could ever traverse its entirety.”

“New lands… Does that mean there are new monsters out there too?”

Eris rolled her eyes. “You really don’t know anything, huh? Then again, Greed being the way he is, I guess a part of me always knew.”

“Before my Gluttony awakened, I really didn’t know anything at all,” I said. “Since then, I’ve tried my hardest to catch up.”

“It’s okay, I get it,” said Eris. “The lands out there? Past the ocean? They don’t have monsters. Only animals.”

“What?!”

Roxy and I were equally surprised. Monsters were a part of life. As far back as I could remember, monsters had been a danger that existed all across the lands. None who lived could avoid the presence of monsters in their lives.

“Is it even possible for such a peaceful place to exist?” I asked.

“It is.”

“So why don’t humans try to cross the seas to get there?”

“Mainly because they don’t know about it. But there’s another problem. In order to get to those lands, you’d have to cross Galia. You see what I’m saying?”

“Ah…I do.”

The lands of Galia essentially blocked travel. Galia was a place where strong monsters lived. Crossing the entirety of Galia would be an impressive feat even for a seasoned adventurer, which meant that it was nearly impossible for an ordinary person. Orc colonies also existed in the south of Galia. Countless beasts roamed those lands. Getting past them wouldn’t be easy.

Long ago, I had trained near the orc colonies. The monsters were like a living, breathing tsunami, a torrent of violence not unlike the death parades that often threatened the sentinel city of Babylon. It was far too much for the vast majority of adventurers, and for people without battle skills, even setting foot into the Galian region was practically a death sentence.

“In the past, Galia ruled a vast swath of land that included what we know as the kingdom. However, I often wondered if they ever managed to cross the ocean. That was why I crossed it myself, to make sure.”

“To make sure that the lands were unsullied by the touch of Galia?”

“Exactly. Based on your reaction, you still haven’t understood the gravity of such an idea, have you?”

“Sorry…”

“Now, now, no need to sulk. You’re fine just the way you are, Fate. And besides, first we have to worry about Myne—and shutting the Door to Distant Lands.”

“Eris is right,” added Roxy. “I confess that I don’t understand all of it either. But if Eris is really going to take us there when all this is over, then we’ll understand when we get there.”

“Exactly!” said Eris, pleased with Roxy’s reasoning.

A land free from the influence of Galia… All I knew was that it had no monsters—a peaceful place. Unlike animals, monsters had developed an appetite for human flesh. Greed had told me something like that once before, but as usual, he dropped into his characteristic silence rather than answering my follow-up questions. His silence usually wasn’t a good sign. At the same time, he sometimes went quiet when he was simply grumpy.

I gave the black sword a little poke. He had been quiet for a long time.

“What is it?” Greed asked.

“Eris said she’s traveled to the other side of the ocean.”

“Well, the curious are always going to be curious.”

“Hm? That’s all you have to say?”

“That’s it. It’s not like I’m going to be crossing the ocean any time soon.”

There was something off about the sword’s tone of voice. “Greed, are you…jealous?”

“Huh?! Of course not! I’m just a sword, nothing else. I’m not afforded the freedoms of others.”

“In that case, how about I take you?”

Greed chuckled ever so slightly, but I couldn’t tell if he was actually happy or if he simply thought the gesture was idiotic. “Do what you want,” he said, and dropped into silence.

“What did Greed say?” asked Eris, having overheard my muttering.

“He said the curious are always going to be curious.”

Eris laughed. “I can picture him saying that. Even so…I think Greed wants to see the new lands more than anyone else.”

Greed’s voice suddenly interrupted my thoughts. “Enough is enough! Don’t you have places to be?! Have you forgotten Libra’s threats?!”

“All right, all right,” I said. “No need to shout.”

He was so loud that his words seemed to reverberate in my skull. The sword surprised me. I hadn’t expected that he would want to see the lands on the far side of the ocean. He’d said he couldn’t go anywhere himself because he didn’t have the means. So I decided that someday I’d act as his means of transportation. He always helped me out, after all.

“Greed?” I said.

“What?”

“When this battle is over—when we’re done—I’ll take you to the lands across the ocean.”

“Suit yourself…”

“Don’t you worry, I’ll do exactly that.”

Greed never talked much about himself, so I was happy to get to know the sword a little better. Greed and I never spoke about this kind of thing. We found ourselves with more to discuss because we traveled in the company of Eris and Roxy. 

This is why traveling in a party is such a good idea, I thought.

We saw a bright light at the end of the long corridor—the exit. Eris and Roxy noticed too, and our footsteps grew louder as we picked up our pace. Then I saw it.

“What…is that?”

A city stretched out before us, as large as Seifort, even though it was entirely underground. Suddenly, I felt like we were standing aboveground. Above us, floating in an artificial sky, hung a spherical ball of light not unlike the sun.