Berserk of Gluttony (LN) - Volume 4 - Chapter 32

Chapter 32:

The Manor's New Servant

I BECAME AWARE of a voice calling out to me, one I knew well. A dignified, honorable voice, but it cut into my desire to sleep for just a little longer…

“Fay, Fay… Fate Barbatos! Wake up!”

“Huh?!”

I opened my eyes to find Roxy standing in front of my bed, her expression somewhat troubled. Right—I’d spent the night at Hart Manor. As soon as I’d fallen asleep, I’d been whisked away to Luna’s world, where I endured Greed’s trials. Sleep was supposed to be a time of rest, but instead, I woke up only more exhausted. Because of that, I’d slept in, and Roxy had come to wake me when it seemed like I might not wake up at all.

“How many times must I call your name before you wake up? You must have been really exhausted, Fay,” Roxy said in disbelief.

“Greed invaded my dreams for a special training session. He really put me through the wringer.”

“I’m a little envious you get along so well… But I thought you might want to get up a little earlier today because it’s a big day.”

“A big day?” My head was still cloudy with sleep. I knew the day was important, but I couldn’t seem to remember why.

Roxy playfully flicked me in the forehead and smiled. “Aaron will be returning to Barbatos Manor quite soon, I think.”

“Aaron…returning…manor…ah!”

“Looks like you remembered. But just to be sure, why is today important, Fay?”

“Because Memil Vlerick is coming to Barbatos Manor…as a newly adopted member of the Barbatos family.”

“That’s right. And you certainly can’t greet her looking all sleepy like that. Make sure you look the part, Fay. You’re the head of the family!”

One glance at Roxy made clear exactly what she meant. She was the very ideal of a family head, right down to her aura: neat, tidy, and reliable. I had to aim for at least a fraction of that.

“Good to see signs of life in you, Fay. First things first—let’s get you some breakfast. You should never go to battle on an empty stomach.”

“Did you say ‘battle’?!”

“You certainly make it seem like it’s going to be an ordeal. Or am I mistaken?”

“Unfortunately, you’re pretty much on the mark.”

Huh. Had Greed decided to pull me into his training session in part because he knew that I was a bundle of nerves when it came to Memil? It was a very Greed-esque way to approach things, when I thought about it. He knew I wouldn’t get far worrying and ruminating on my own, so he devised an explosive distraction. I glanced at the black sword leaning against the bed. I got the strong sense it wanted to say something, but I decided the first order of business was exactly as Roxy had said. Breakfast.

My stomach belched loudly as I stood. Fortunately, it wasn’t my Gluttony, just my yawning appetite. Having eaten so well the previous day, my stomach expected the same treatment again. “When you say breakfast…did you make it, Roxy?”

“I did! But it’s not like I came here to wake you up because I went to the trouble of making breakfast and then it seemed like you would never wake up, so I got kind of fidgety about it…”

“Ah, so that’s what happened. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay, I’m just teasing. I’ll be waiting in the dining room, so come when you’re ready.”

Roxy left the guest room, leaving me with the black sword. I quickly got dressed and tidied my hair, then took Greed in his scabbard and attached him to my belt.

“Wipe that drool off your face, you slob,” said Greed. “It’s disgusting that you’re so giddy just because Roxy came in here to wake you up.”

“What, I’m not allowed to be happy now? Give me a break.”

“Get too high up in the clouds and you’ll lose track of your feet. Looks like I’m going to have to put you through training every night for a while yet. Can’t have you being all flustered all day. Really can’t. A boy like you needs balance, and I’ll beat it into you every night. And another thing—”

“All right, enough already. You can ease off now, yeah? I’m going to get some breakfast.”

“Oi! I’m not done yet!”

Greed worried about the strangest things sometimes. But we could talk more about his nagging after breakfast—and after I met with Memil.

I headed out the door to the dining room. Having worked in Hart Manor, I could navigate it with my eyes closed. I still didn’t want to test that theory, to be clear. I’d probably end up colliding with one of the manor’s servants.

The dining room was located at the end of a long hallway, next to the kitchen. As I continued on my way there, the head servant, Haru, spotted me.

“Ah, so you’re finally awake,” she said, walking up to me. “That must mean Roxy was successful. When I went to wake you, you didn’t so much as twitch.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. You look like you have something to tell me.”

“Ah, yes. I’ve just returned from running a few errands at the castle, where I met Aaron. When I told him you had stayed here over the evening, he asked me to convey a message.”

“And what’s that?”

“He’ll be back a little later than expected, but he expects to return before lunch.”

“Thank you for letting me know, Haru.”

She nodded. “Lady Roxy is waiting for you in the dining room.” She then led me the rest of the way. I told her I knew how to get there, so she didn’t need to waste her time showing me there, but she insisted. “While you are our guest, you will be treated as such.”

When I entered the dining room and looked around, I could only call it a nostalgic sight. At Hart Manor, it was customary for the family head to eat with the servants once a week. I still remembered the day that meat finally showed up on the menu. Everyone laughed at me as I excitedly shoveled what was then a rarity for me into my mouth. This time, at the head of the table where we’d all once sat, I found a plate of sandwiches waiting for me. Roxy was already seated, and she smiled when she saw me.

“Fate, please, take a seat.”

I took a seat next to Roxy and heard the doors to the dining room close, leaving us alone together.

“Excuse me? I’m here too.”

Ah, yes, of course. My partner and abiding annoyance, Greed. I unclasped the black sword from my belt and leaned it against the chair next to me. With that done, I could eat in peace. “You made ham sandwiches and egg sandwiches,” I said to Roxy. “They look delicious!”

“I really put my heart into them, but to be honest, I did get some help from Mother.”

“They look great, really. Can I try them?”

“Please, go right ahead.”

“I’ll start with a ham sandwich then.”

Roxy’s eyes were filled with expectation. I felt a little nervous. However, once I took a bite, those nervous feelings melted away. The bread was firm but supple without being too dry. Between the slices of bread, a wonderfully fragrant ham was accompanied by crunchy lettuce leaves and accented with mayonnaise. I could have eaten them all day.

“This is amazing!”

“I’m so glad to hear it. There’s plenty more, so be sure to eat your fill. I know you and your appetite very well,” said Roxy as she took the sandwiches from her own plate and placed them on my own.

“I can’t eat that much! You don’t have to give me your share.”

“I tasted the sandwiches as I made them—to make sure I got the balance right, you know? I’m actually quite full.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes! I probably ate too much, when I think about it,” Roxy said nonchalantly. I could tell by her expression that she didn’t want me to worry—she just wanted me to eat.

“Well, if you insist,” I said, “then next, I’ll try an egg sandwich!”

There really was something warm and comforting in having breakfast with Roxy. It reminded me of working at Hart Manor. I realized suddenly that even though Roxy and I had been of vastly different social standing back then, she had treated me in exactly the same way as she did now. A wave of gratitude washed over me.

Once I finished breakfast, my stomach was so full that I had to loosen my belt. Roxy hadn’t been joking about the amount of food she’d made, and I’d eaten enough that I could probably even skip lunch. We passed the time afterward by chatting and laughing over cups of tea, and I told Roxy what Aaron had passed on through Haru.

“I see, so he’ll be a little late,” Roxy said.

“At least now that I have a little time, I can do a touch of cleaning while I wait for him to return.”

“I wish I could help, but unfortunately I have business at the castle…”

“Don’t worry about it. You invited me to an incredible party, and you even gave me a bed. It all came with a delicious breakfast too! It’s time for you to go off and attend to your holy knight duties.”

“Fay, don’t forget. You’re a holy knight too, you know.”

“Oh, yeah. I am, aren’t I?” I said, laughing as I drank the last of my tea. It really was hard to feel like I hadn’t been transported back to a time before that was the case.

***

After breakfast, Roxy and I left the manor together. She headed for the castle, while I headed to Barbatos Manor to get started cleaning. As might be expected of a manor belonging to one of the five esteemed families, Barbatos Manor had a surplus of rooms. Over the years, it had all fallen into a state of disrepair. Rain had rotted the floorboards and warped the doors, so there was no shortage of things to fix.

Roxy walked with me to Barbatos Manor, where we parted ways.

“Thank you, Roxy,” I said. “See you tomorrow.”

“I’ll visit soon to see Memil.”

“I’ll let her know when I see her.”

“Thank you. Until then.”

I waved as Roxy left, walking toward the castle. No matter how many times I saw it, there was still something so impressive about Roxy’s silhouette.

But I couldn’t look at her forever—I had to get started cleaning and repairing the manor. I decided to start with the front door. It had been in bad shape when we first arrived, and Myne had been so careless when she opened and closed it that it was practically falling off its hinges. It probably would have been better to replace it entirely.

“I guess for now, I’ll just make sure it’s usable.”

We’d been to the Merchant’s District earlier, where we’d bought most of what we needed. Just inside the door of the manor was a hammer, some nails, and lumber. I took the hammer and nails and got to work on the front door. It took me back to my time in the slums. Back then, if anything broke, you had no choice but to fix it yourself. I nurtured that mindset even now, and though my instinct was to slowly but surely get around to fixing everything within the manor, I had to acknowledge that the sheer scale of the project was beyond me.

“The sooner we can get the help of a professional carpenter around here, the better,” I muttered.

“Took you long enough to realize,” said Greed. “I guess it’s hard for you to leave your old life behind. Remember how big we lived back in Galia? You need to get into that frame of mind again. This sheath I live in now cost you five hundred gold coins!”

“The economy is all sorts of inflated over there—you know that. We’re back to normal here!”

Greed didn’t worry about gold or money so long as his aesthetic desires were met. But the truth was that we needed money to repair and rebuild Hausen. If we weren’t a little frugal here, we wouldn’t have the funds to do what we really needed.

“That should do it,” I said, looking at the now-repaired front door. I’d replaced the hinges, and I tried opening and closing it. It felt good. A little oil and I was sure it would last a good while. All right! What needs doing next?

All my worries seemed to dissipate into the air, and enthusiasm welled in their place. I went on to repair the roof in strategic locations, and I also pulled up some of the old floorboards to replace. By the time I realized it, the sun was nearing its peak.

“Almost lunchtime,” I noted.

“Fate, he’s back,” said Greed.

“Ah, you’re right.”

Two strong sources of magical energy were making their way toward the manor. One was Aaron’s, which I knew well. The other had to belong to Memil. Thanks to Rafale’s experimentation, Memil’s stats were now up there with the cream of the holy knight crop. I put my repair work on hold and quietly waited for the two of them to arrive.

“You’re awfully nervous,” Greed observed.

“Could you stop talking like you’re just sitting back and commentating on a show?”

Greed laughed. “Well, if we’re being honest, I really am just a captive audience to all of this, aren’t I?”

“You weasel…” I gave the sword a little nudge as the front door opened.

Aaron walked in first. “Sorry we’re late. I left a message with Haru. Did you get it?”

“Yes. Did preparations at the castle take longer than expected?”

“No, no, nothing like that. It just took some time to pick out Memil’s outfit.”

“Outfit?! What do you mean?”

“Perhaps it’s faster for you to see for yourself. Come on inside, Memil!”

“Okay,” a young woman’s voice responded, and Memil stepped inside.

I gaped. She had transformed. The overwhelming presence of Memil the holy knight had all but vanished. Instead, she wore a frilly maid’s uniform that perfectly matched her purple hair—she would have been utterly at home with any of Hart Manor’s maids.

This outfit…is this Aaron’s preference or…did Memil pick it herself?!

She couldn’t possibly have worn anything like it before now. At least, I’d never seen her in anything like it. And here I’d been mentally preparing myself for her arrival—that seemed suddenly silly in the face of Memil’s newly meek, mild, and frankly cute appearance.

“It’s nice to meet you, Brother,” she said, bowing politely before me.

But as she raised her head, the slightest hint of a devilish smile graced her lips. A shiver of worry darted down my spine.