Berserk of Gluttony (LN) - Volume 7 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Castle Barbatos

WE PASSED THROUGH ornate gates into the castle courtyard. I wanted to watch the busy streets for a little longer, but there was something I wanted to check. Walking on, I gazed at the carefully manicured trees. 

Set grinned, realizing what I was looking for. “The tree you planted is doing great, Fate.”

“Really?” 

We took a short detour to look at the tree I had planted near the castle fountain.

“Whoa! But it was so small when I planted it! Is this really the same sapling?”

“It is,” said Set. “Honestly, I can’t believe it myself.”

Roxy couldn’t hide her surprise. “But this is a full-grown tree! Based on the size and appearance…it would typically take at least ten years to grow this large.”

Memil stood off to the side, her eyes full of skepticism and distrust. “This can’t possibly be true. As far as jokes go, this one is pretty bad, Fate.”

“Why would I lie about this, Memil? I swear, when I planted it, the tree was just a sapling!” I protested. I’m your brother! Trust me! Quit looking at me like that!

“Set, you’ll vouch for me, right?” I implored him. “I’m telling the truth.”

“He really is,” Set said. “I don’t know how it happened, but when Fate left Hausen, the tree, well, grew. And quicker than any of us could’ve imagined.”

Set’s words didn’t quite convince Memil and Roxy, but Eris and Snow had a different reaction altogether. They stood rooted in place, staring at the tree.

“Wow!” said Snow as she suddenly leapt at the tree trunk. “I can feel Fate’s power!”

“What do you mean, Snow?”

But my voice didn’t reach Snow; she clung to the tree like a grasshopper, her eyes closed in comfort. I reached out to peel her away when Eris spoke.

“Ah, that’s it. She’s right.” Eris gently placed a hand against the tree trunk, as though she were drawing a sensation from it.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“You’ve put something of yourself in this tree, Fate.”

A shiver ran up my spine. Until now, I’d assumed that I could only change people. “Wait, you’re not saying…”

“I don’t want to believe it’s true either,” said Eris, “but it looks like it’s exactly what you’re thinking.”

If Eris was correct, then it meant that the power of my Gluttony even extended into plant life.

“You’re…special.”

“Special? You don’t have this kind of power, Eris?”

“I don’t. The only things I could change with my power were my two white knights. What you did with this plant? It’s beyond me.”

“But…is this okay?”

When I planted the sapling, I had simply wanted it to grow bigger. Had it responded to that feeling somehow, through the power of my Gluttony? Was my Gluttony growing even stronger than I thought possible?

“At the moment, I can’t say either way,” said Eris. “And it’s not like this tree has a mind. It’s just growing. It doesn’t look like it’s going to hurt anyone.”

I sighed with relief and Eris continued.

“But that’s just for the time being. From now on, I don’t think it would be wise to put such strong emotions into anything else. If something else acted with as much wild abandon as this tree, it could cause trouble, no?”

“Yeah, that makes sense.” But as I thought back, I murmured, “Did I really make that strong a wish back then…?”

Was this the true power of a skill of Mortal Sin? I couldn’t come to grips with the idea that I was able to do something that Eris couldn’t. Nevertheless, I couldn’t argue with the evidence before my eyes, and like Eris said, it seemed best to avoid wishing for things with such fervor. 

Roxy watched me with some worry, but quickly changed her expression. “It reminds me of back when you wanted to become a gardener, Fay. If you use this power well, you’ll be able to create the garden you’ve always dreamed of.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s a silver lining.”

“Indeed! Don’t forget the Hart family also sent you all those seedlings for a grape vineyard. You’ll be able to grow them in no time.”

“Well, that would be nice, wouldn’t it?” Memil jumped into the conversation with a grin. “I really can’t wait to taste wine from the Hausen vineyards! Wine is so delicious, and so bloodred!”

Memil stared longingly at my neck and licked her lips. I quickly covered my neck with my hands and hid behind Roxy.

“Memil! That’s more than enough of that! And don’t forget I’m standing guard tonight,” said Roxy.

“What?! Oh, but…that’s the one thing I always look forward to…” Memil sulked.

“Tough times,” said Eris, putting a hand on Memil’s shoulder. “Looks like you’re going to have to find a new hobby.”

Roxy gripped Eris’s hand with a little flash of anger. “I’ll be keeping an eye out for you too, Eris. You’re the queen of this country. How can you sleep so brazenly next to Fate in…that…manner?”

“Hmmm? Well, I am the bearer of the Lust skill, so I often find myself with an insatiable need for human touch. You know, skin-on-skin contact? Like this!”

I was only listening, staying out of it, but Eris suddenly wrapped her arms around me, her huge chest pressing against me. I was so surprised that I yelped. “Huh?!”

As Roxy tried to pry me loose, she shouted, “What are you doing, Eris?! This is exactly why I have to protect him!”

However, she was dealing with someone in the Domain of E. Eris would not be dislodged so easily. I knew that saying anything in this situation would only add fuel to the fire, so I kept my mouth shut. This was an important lesson I had learned while traveling with this particular group of girls. 

With her arms wrapped tight around me, Eris looked at Roxy’s chest with a sardonic smile. “Oh, I see what this is about. Hm…I see exactly what this is about.”

“Wh-wh-what?!” Roxy could sense where Eris’s gaze lingered, and she crossed her arms, covering her chest. 

“You’re jealous that you can’t do it like I can,” said Eris.

“Wh-what are you talking about?!”

“Calm down, calm down. There’s still hope for you yet.”

I didn’t know if Eris was trying to console Roxy, as it clearly sounded like Eris was looking down on her. This wasn’t the sort of thing that had winners and losers, but…Roxy looked so sad as she turned away. 

What can I say to make her feel better? I was still so inexperienced when it came to these situations, and I couldn’t find the right words.

Instead, I flicked Eris’s forehead and gave her a piece of my mind. “You know, I wish you would exercise your authority in more useful ways, Eris.”

“Oh? Did I make you angry, Fate?”

“We’re done here. Let’s head to the castle. Now.”

“Fine, fine.” Eris released me and sauntered to the castle by herself. 

She’s definitely a handful, I thought. Now I had to catch Snow, who was running around the tree. 

Meanwhile, Memil walked over to the disheartened Roxy. “Chin up! Let’s go, Roxy!”

“Okay…”

“Come now, there’s no need to mope just because your chest is a little on the small side!” added Memil.

“Please don’t crow so loudly that the whole world can hear! You don’t understand my feelings in the slightest!” With tears in her eyes, Roxy ran toward the castle.

“Oh? Roxy! Roxy, please wait!” Memil cried and chased after her.

Those two are also a handful, I thought as I took hold of Snow.

“But I wanna play!” she protested.

“We can come back later,” I said. “Let’s go to the castle! You might find something even better to play with, you know?”

“Really? Okay! Let’s go!”

Snow was the youngest of them all, and maybe that was why she listened to me the most. Regardless, we all finally entered the castle. Set walked beside me, holding his daughter’s hand.

“You’ve got it tougher than I thought,” he said. “When you rolled into town with a group of beautiful women, I was jealous at first, but then…the more I thought about it, the more I realized that no ordinary man could handle the combination of two former holy knights and the queen.”

“So you understand my anguish, Set?”

“Sure do. I can’t do anything about it though, so best of luck,” Set said. He’d had a wife once, and this was his attempt to comfort me.

“What?! You won’t do anything to help me out?!”

“Of course not. I can’t risk my life like that, and I can’t let myself get dragged into the middle of that mess either. I’ve got a daughter to look after.”

“You think your life would be at stake? Well, they’re powerful women, that’s for sure.”

“That’s the heart of it, Fate. The world’s a different place for people like me, who aren’t adventurers. Everything rests on your shoulders. If Hausen falls because of some lovers’ quarrel before you rid the world of the incoming disaster, well, that’s no laughing matter. And, uh, could you tone it down a little when my daughter is around? I don’t think it’s a good influence.”

I felt the eyes of a caring parent bore into me. “Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind,” I promised.

Set was usually flexible and laidback, but when it came to his daughter, he was a different man. Even after I gave him my word, I still felt the pressure of his gaze, like he still didn’t quite trust me. It was a shock; I really was trying to do the best I could with the girls in the party.

“Anyway, let’s hurry inside,” I said. “I’m worried about where Eris is going.”

“Given her personality, there’s really no telling what mischief she might get up to.”

“Let’s hurry it up.”

I distinctly remembered an impish grin on Eris’s face as she walked away. It was the face of a woman who was up to no good. I was suddenly gripped with the worry that I had left the door to my private quarters unlocked.

In that case, there was no time to lose!