Berserk of Gluttony (LN) - Volume 4 - Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

A Relaxing Respite

FROM THE CASTLE, we headed back to the Holy Knight District and continued on until we stood before Barbatos Manor. Its size was truly impressive, but unfortunately, there was no avoiding the fact that the manor had lost much of its luster over the years. Vines and a variety of weeds grew thickly over the walls, and its once-respectable gardens now resembled a jungle. The plant life was so dense that I wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that the manor gardens contained an entire ecosystem all their own.

I’d worked as an apprentice gardener at Hart Manor, so I desperately wanted to begin fixing the overgrown gardens myself. However, before that, we had to deal with the manor’s rotting interior.

As we opened the rusted gate to the manor grounds, I looked over at the stately house that stood next door. The building itself resembled Barbatos Manor in terms of layout, but every last corner of the surrounding gardens on the other side of the wall was immaculately kept. I could only call it majestic. I also knew it intimately, as, for a time, I’d worked on those very gardens myself.

Yup. The Barbatos family’s next-door neighbor was the esteemed house of Hart.

I’d been dumbfounded to learn this. Who would have guessed that the two families lived side by side? When I thought back, I did remember looking over at the Barbatos gardens while a servant of the Hart family and being bewildered by their dreadful state. But back then, I’d been so busy learning the ropes of my job that I’d never thought to learn more about the old, abandoned manor.

If only I’d taken the time back then. I’d have had some time to mentally prepare!

I’d left Lady Roxy a letter back in Galia—my confession detailing everything I’d done, the truth of my Gluttony, every lie I’d told her. How could I possibly face her as a neighbor? I felt like I couldn’t ever remove my skull mask again…and also like I didn’t want to. Worry flooded my heart as I stood there, staring at the Hart Manor grounds, opening and closing the squeaky rusted gate to Barbatos Manor.

“Well, are you coming or going?” Aaron asked impatiently. “Either way, make up your mind!”

“Okay!” I agreed. “Let’s go inside!”

Even then, I stood in place, absolutely rigid, as I opened and closed the gate, staring.

“Is something bothering you, Fate?” Aaron gently placed a hand on my shoulder. “You do this every time we come here.”

I laughed nervously. “Not every time, surely…”

Aaron seemed to realize something in that moment, and he nodded to himself. “Ah, I see. Now I get it. It’s Hart Manor that has you so enchanted. The head of that family is a strong young woman by the name of Roxy Hart.” Then Aaron turned to me with a knowing grin.

No way—has he worked out how I feel just by the way I look at the manor?! Once again, the keen eyes of the Blessed Blade left me profoundly impressed.

“When we first started on the reconstruction of Hausen, Roxy passed through on her way to Galia. She and her troops supplied critical support. As thanks for the help, I taught her some of my best techniques. She’s quite the warrior, to be sure. You’re just like her, really; another young holy knight at the head of a holy knight family. It’s only natural you’d be curious about her. We’ll have to head over for a visit and a dedicated sparring session. I’m sure you must be itching to test your blade against hers!”

Oh. I guess those sharp eyes aren’t quite as sharp as I thought.

Admittedly, his conclusion was in character. Aaron was devoted to the art of combat, and he preferred expressing himself through action rather than words. I still had no intention of heading next door all casually, like “Hey! We’re neighbors! Let’s fight!”

Besides, I’d already been forced into one duel with Lady Roxy. When I thought about her back then—and Aaron in this moment—I had to wonder if all holy knights were predisposed to being a bit battle-crazy. I didn’t want to think about that too much, though.

In any case, I let out a sigh of relief at knowing my secret was safe, and I finally headed through the gates into the manor. The scarred, cracked path to the main building looked like it had seen recent combat, and no trace of overgrowth remained upon it. On arrival, Aaron had used his Grand Cross skill to blast the plants away, roots and all. I regretted not stopping him earlier. Destroying all those plants had made my groundskeeping job that much harder.

When we finally reached the manor doors, I opened them—

—to find a giant black axe hurtling straight for our heads.

“Whoa!”

Aaron and I dove to either side just in time for the axe to pass over our skulls. It crashed into the gardens with a roar, cratering the ground and sending all the nearby plant life flying.

Guys! The gardens! I wailed internally. For the love of everything holy, please think of the gardens!

Then the owner of the axe stepped into view. Her face was the definition of dissatisfaction. “You’re late.”

This displeasure—and that axe—belonged to Myne, the white-haired young woman who bore Wrath, another skill of Mortal Sin. Her deep red eyes were so intense that it was difficult to hold her gaze.

However, thanks to how far we’d traveled together, I had developed the ability to read the subtle anger levels on Myne’s largely expressionless face. She was currently at about level two, and I had a pretty good idea of where that anger had come from as well.

“I’m hungry,” Myne said.

Right on the money. Aaron and I had left for the castle early in the morning, and it was now well past noon. Myne had waited here the whole time, getting hungrier and hungrier.

“If I’d known this was going to happen, I would have come with you,” she said. “At least I could have made some food at the castle.”

Made some food?! You would have walked in like you owned the place and stolen whatever you felt like eating. And I bet anybody who tried to stop you would have been sent through the window!

I had to be honest: I was glad we’d left Myne behind. That girl bowed to nobody, which would have turned our already-eventful audience with the king into a case of serious disrespect and possibly even treason. On top of that, Aaron’s relentless appetite for battle could only be matched by Myne’s. The only real difference between them was that Myne cared much, much less about who exactly she was fighting.

All the same, I was getting hungry too. We had a few provisions leftover, but I figured we might as well go out into the city for a big lunch, now that we’d made it through that audience with the king. That would give us a good chunk of energy to kickstart the task of cleaning the manor. I proposed the idea immediately.

Myne and Aaron concurred, but I had one condition before we left: Myne had to leave her axe at the manor. That would guarantee at least some measure of peace. Miraculously, Myne agreed, and so with some relief, the three of us took off for my favorite local tavern.

However, I couldn’t help but wonder where Eris had got to. Surely she’d arrived in Seifort by now. We’d agreed to meet at Barbatos Manor, but we’d been there a few days and heard no word from her. Greed and Myne had both searched for traces of her magical energy in the air but come up empty-handed. Myne thought it possible that Eris was hiding herself. I worried she was caught up in something she couldn’t tell us about.

Even so, I knew Eris’s strength now. She could handle anything that came up on her own. For now, we could only wait.

***

My favorite tavern was a far cry from a first-class restaurant. Rather, it was the kind of dive you’d find in the side streets of any town. The place was mostly empty because we’d arrived so late after lunch. I brought Myne and Aaron inside, and we took a seat at the counter.

The counter corner was my usual spot, and to my relief, I found no mourning flowers there when we sat down. That meant the barkeep assumed I was still alive. Myne took a seat next to me, and Aaron took the seat next to her.

“I have to ask, Fate,” said Aaron. “Why not a table?”

“Oh, sorry. I always sit here, so I’m most comfortable at the counter. We can move to a table if you like.”

“No, no, just curious. The counter is fine,” said Aaron, taking a menu in hand.

Myne, however, did nothing. She didn’t touch the menu, let alone look at it. As per usual, she meant to leave it up to me to order her food.

The barkeep gingerly approached us, something of a strained look on his face. The few other customers leveled the same tense stare in our direction. I knew the reason: my presence, alongside Aaron’s. Holy knights never ate at little taverns like this one, and our choice to sit casually at the counter had the barkeep even more terrified.

So, I took off my mask, revealing my face to the barkeep. I had no need to hide my identity here. “Long time no see.”

The barkeep let out a yelp of alarm that ended in a sigh of relief. “Fate?!” he asked, spilling the cups of water he held as he walked up to me. “But what the…huh? What the hell happened?!”

I couldn’t give him all the details yet, but I told him a little about how I’d happened to become the adopted heir to the Barbatos name.

Upon hearing this, the barkeep gaped. He turned to Aaron, studying his face up close. In the next instant, he dropped to his knees behind the bar. “I knew you for a holy knight, but…I had no idea you were the great Aaron Barbatos!”

“Please, there’s no need for ceremony,” said Aaron. “I’m here as a customer, so treat me as you would any other.”

“But…”

The barkeep’s face twisted in a half-grimace/half-smile as Aaron once again picked up the menu and placed an order. I worried the barkeep might faint from shock—he was so flustered that I could have sworn his head was steaming. It was like he’d become an entirely different person. Where was the confident guy who always playfully teased me? I felt a little sorry for having caught him off balance.

I ordered fish for Myne and myself, knowing it was always excellent. A short while later, the barkeep came back with our food and a bottle of fine wine in hand.

“Fate, we have to celebrate!” he said. “Maybe I don’t know the whole nitty-gritty of what all went down, but success is success, so let’s celebrate yours! After all, I promised you, right? I said, ‘The next time you come back, I’ll bring out the good stuff!’”

I was touched. “Yeah, I remember.”

When I’d left Seifort for Galia, the barkeep had given me a bottle of wine as a parting gift. He’d even promised me a bottle of the high-quality stuff upon my return. I hadn’t actually expected him to remember. He popped the cork and poured the wine into four glasses. Even though Aaron’s presence obviously made him nervous, that fake smile was gone. With a genuine grin on his face, he raised his glass to me.

“Here’s to your return to Seifort and to your future endeavors as a holy knight! Cheers!”

Aaron, Myne, and I raised our own glasses.

“Cheers!”

We drank. I had never imagined I’d come back to something like this—a moment so sweet. It reminded me of an old peace and quiet I’d long since forgotten.

This little tavern hadn’t changed a bit, and for that, I was grateful.