Berserk of Gluttony (LN) - Volume 5 - Chapter 22

Chapter 22:

A New Journey Awaits

THE WHITE KNIGHT MARCHED ON in silence toward the castle. There was a heavy, oppressive mood in the air. I didn’t like it, so I decided to strike up a conversation.

“When do you expect Eris to return?”

“Very soon. Within the next hour.” Strangely, the white knight didn’t completely ignore me.

“Wow, that’s incredible. How do you know she’ll be back by then?”

“I believe you should know the answer to that question.”

“I…”

But I actually didn’t have a clue. I tilted my head in confusion and the white knight laughed.

“You really don’t know anything, do you? Have you not thought to ask Greed about such things?”

“He’s kind of twisted in his own way. He won’t tell me much of anything.”

“It is perhaps fair to say that…I have heard from Lady Eris that Greed’s personality is worse than Envy’s.”

Though I couldn’t see the white knight’s face through her visor, I felt very much like she felt sympathy for my situation. Naturally, Greed flew into a rage, denying everything she said about him. I could hear him through my Telepathy, going on and on about how rude it was to call him worse than Envy, who was sly, wicked, cunning… The list went on.

The white knight stopped in place and gazed up at the castle, towering above us in the distance.

“Our connection is similar to that which you share with Aaron Barbatos. Although we are further along.”

“You mean you share a link with Eris?”

“Yes, though it is a story that goes back a long, long way. I will never forget that we both made a promise to live alongside her.”

That meant the kingdom had begun with Eris, Envy, and the two white knights. It was said that when Galia fell, many had been left with nowhere to go. They’d banded together in small villages, and over time built the kingdom. One part of that was due to Eris’s Lust skill, which drew people to her. 

“However she might seem, Lady Eris is very kind at heart. She made a promise to the bearer of Gluttony who came before you. She led those who were lost, and with them she established our kingdom.”

“So, that bearer of Gluttony before me…what sort of a person was he? Greed won’t talk to me about it, as you can probably guess. Eris won’t tell me a thing either… Even Myne says that she’s forgotten!”

Everybody I met had some kind of excuse, some reason to say nothing of it. The white knight saw my troubled expression and sighed.

“That person was our hope. But in the end…I don’t much like to remember it. But there are traces of him in you. Eris sees them too. It’s why sometimes she sees the past in your eyes.”

“What happened between them?”

“When I was young, that man saved us all. Since then, there was nobody else for Lady Eris—only whoever bore the Gluttony skill. This kingdom was originally built to reflect his ideals. However, without him, it did not go according to plan.”

The kingdom of old had been surrounded by powerful monsters. Those who were key to defeating those monsters, and thus pushing forward the kingdom’s development, were those with holy sword skills. As a result, a hierarchy was formed that saw those with powerful skills as inherently just and correct. 

But the kingdom wasn’t entirely awful. Even as discrimination flourished, it was still a place where people were protected. For better or worse, when Galia fell and the world changed, the kingdom Eris had created became a haven for the lost.

“It was impossible for us to do everything right,” said the white knight.

But if the kingdom hadn’t existed, and the people had been left with no place to start again… I didn’t know what would have happened to them. The white knight’s words reminded me of what Roxy had said. Because we’re human, we inevitably make mistakes. But if we refuse to even try, we’ll never accomplish anything. 

“Things might not have gone well,” I said, “but it’s not over yet. There’s still time to start over.”

The white knight stood in silence, watching me. I wondered if I had said too much.

“I never thought…I never thought you would utter the same words that he did.”

It seemed I’d inadvertently echoed my predecessor again. He’d said something like that to Eris and the two white knights, and he’d been by their sides until the end.

“I think,” said the white knight, “that I understand now why Lady Eris has developed such a strong attachment to you.”

“Actually, those words belong to Roxy. I just borrowed them.”

“But if you accepted those borrowed words and made them yours, they belong to you now. In the same way, Lady Eris, my sister, and I were all changed through our encounter with the former bearer of Gluttony.” The white knight walked on. “Does that mean…you’re his…?” she muttered, the words spilling from her mouth as she was lost in thought.

“Hm?”

“No, that’s not possible,” she said. “Please forget I said anything.”

There was no pushing her on it any further, so I simply followed along silently. I was happy enough that she had opened up to me as much as she had. 

When we entered the castle, Aaron and Memil met us. The other white knight was with them. 

“Fate! Seems you had your hands full in the Military District again,” said Aaron. “I would have gone to help, but…”

He turned to look at the other white knight, who had presumably ordered him to wait. I thought it strange that Aaron hadn’t come to my aid, and now I knew why.

“I ordered Aaron Barbatos to remain at the castle,” said the white knight. “According to our reports, he did significant damage to the Hobgoblin Forest.”

“Oh, my…not this again…” Aaron looked a little flustered and nervous before the knight. It was perhaps the first time I’d seen him in such a state.

“You are a necessity for the future of our kingdom,” said the white knight. “We cannot afford for you to be too reckless in battle, Aaron.”

“Yes, but…”

For Aaron, who loved battle more than anything else, this was a difficult order to follow. I saw his shoulders slump, dejected, and I stepped over to Memil.

“How did it go?” I asked.

“They were very understanding. I’m just glad they were both willing to listen to reason.”

“That’s great. Especially because they’re always so strict with me.”

“Ah, well, that’s because it’s you, my lord. Isn’t that right, everyone?”

The two knights gave her a confident nod. Then Aaron nodded too!

“I suppose I should nod as well. Yes, I think I will,” said Memil.

“Hey!”

I couldn’t catch a break! I was completely outnumbered. It felt like I was hearing that a lot recently. Well, that’s because it’s you, Fate, they said—Roxy, Greed, and even Sahara. Would the list ever end?!

But as I stood there thinking about it, one more person cast their vote.

“I wholeheartedly agree. It’s because it’s you, Fate.”

It had only been a little while, yet it felt like a long time since I’d heard her voice. She walked toward us, her blue hair flowing behind her.

“Eris!”

“Yo. I’m back. Looks like you’ve had your hands full while I’ve been gone. You’re a real troublemaker.” 

Eris had finally returned from her expedition to the mountainous city of Tenburn, where Rafale had set up another base camp. She was back earlier than scheduled, but she had left her team in Tenburn and come back to the kingdom alone. 

“I felt a bad energy emanating from the kingdom,” Eris said. “I came back as quickly as I could, but I see I was still too late.”

Around me, everybody dropped to their knees to welcome the queen upon her return. I remained standing before the kingdom’s ruler, which angered the two white knights to the point where I could feel it. As I danced around their spears poking at my knees, Eris laughed.

“What’s this? Did you three become friends while I was gone?” she asked. 

“Not at all!” shouted the knights.

Their vehement denial left me stunned. I couldn’t believe it! We had finally made a connection by reminiscing about the past. I’d really thought we were friends now. I felt saddened by the thought, but they only glared at me through their visors. Their gazes spoke volumes: Did you really think it would be that easy?! Don’t get cocky!

I heard that people became harder to deal with as they got older, and it really did seem true. I wished they’d take a page out of Aaron’s book. Even people who had lived a long time could still be honest and upstanding geezers, just like him! Still, I knew it was useless to even try bringing it up. The white knights’ master Eris had her own eccentricities, not to mention how much trouble she caused. As if to prove it, she leapt toward me and hugged me tight.

“Why the long face?” she asked. “Oh, I know! It’s because you couldn’t stand being so far away from me for so long!”

“Stop it, Eris.”

“Oh, look at you, playing all hard to get!”

“Would you stop it with these delusions already?!”

I pulled Eris off me. Aaron cleared his throat.

“Lady Eris, I apologize, but time truly is of the essence. May I ask that you save this for later?” he asked.

“I suppose I don’t have a choice, do I?”

Aaron’s approach was admirably skillful. He hadn’t asked Eris to stop, he simply requested that she wait for a better time. He seemed to understand how she worked and how to handle her. Unfortunately, it still meant that I would end up in her grasp later.

We moved our discussion to the great hall on the ground floor of the castle. As we began our walk there, Memil tugged at my sleeve.

“I don’t want to get in your way, so I’ll excuse myself and head back to the manor,” she said.

“No, I want you here.”

“Oh. Really?”

“Of course. I want you to know what happens next. Both you and your brother.”

“Fate…”

We all took seats at the huge table in the center of the great hall. I sat with Aaron on my right and Memil on my left. Across from us, Eris took a seat with the white knights on either side of her.

“Well, let’s hear it,” she said.

“Ah, I guess I should start with back when Roxy, Miria, and I investigated the goblin trouble in the Hobgoblin Forest…”

I summarized what had happened for Eris: how we had discovered an ancient monster, the goblin shaman, which had caused the strange goblin behavior; how that monster cast a spell that caused me to swap bodies with Roxy; and how with the help of Aaron, Memil, and Miria, we returned to our original bodies.

“You fought in the Hobgoblin Forest,” Eris said. “And you found Galian ruins underneath, yes?”

“You knew about them?”

“No. If I did, I wouldn’t have simply left them there. The fact that the ruins were buried underground tells me they probably weren’t a simple research lab. I’d love to learn more about it, but we’ve no choice but to leave it for the time being.”

“The ice that blocks the way inside doesn’t melt. The person who put it there…is my father.” 

Aaron was first to react to the last three words I spoke. “But you said he was dead. Does that mean…?”

“Yes. It’s probably the same phenomenon that brought back Lord Mason.”

“I see. So he has the power to wield ice. Then the incident in the Military District just now…?”

“Was also my father. He took Laine and the Philosopher’s Stone. I’m…I’m sorry.”

Eris listened in silence. Then she gazed up at the ceiling and took a deep breath. “First ancient monsters that should be extinct return to life. Then people who should be dead start returning along with them. It’s all going faster than I thought. But there’s still time. The Door isn’t completely open.”

“So the Door has the power to resurrect the dead?”

“That’s only a fraction of its power. But it can’t resurrect just anyone.”

“The goblin shaman, Lord Mason, my father… You’re saying there’s a connection?”

“It’s simple. They’re all souls who were tied to this world by their regret.”

The goblin shaman clung to a pure hatred for mankind. Lord Mason was filled with worry for the family he left behind.

And my father… Perhaps he…

When I had left for Galia to follow Roxy, I’d visited the village of my youth. There, I visited my parents’ graves, and I told them what was in my heart. But perhaps that message hadn’t reached my father. His regret was that he had been unable to watch over his young son. It had to be. Right? 

To know the truth for certain, I would have to meet him again and ask him myself. 

Aaron breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the conditions of resurrection. “But you said the power to resurrect is only a fraction of the Door’s power. You’re saying it’s capable of more?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t know the full extent of its power. The last time this happened, the door was shut by the previous bearer of the Gluttony skill.”

“The previous bearer of Gluttony…”

“Yes. He gave his life to close it.”

Greed had said something about that once before. He’d said the previous bearer had released everything, then died. Now I finally knew where it had happened: at the Door to Distant Lands.

“You’ve made up your mind, haven’t you?” said Greed.

“I have,” I whispered.

Now that everyone was caught up, we decided to chase after Shin the day after tomorrow. We were sure to find Myne with him, and likely my father…and Laine. 

Eris had performed a brief preliminary analysis before sending the Philosopher’s Stone to the kingdom, and as such she had come away with a general area for us to begin our search.

“Are you sure we can trust that analysis?” 

“My precious Envy isn’t just a physical weapon; it’s good at control and manipulation too,” Eris said, showing us all the black gunblade. “I used it to interfere with the stone while I analyzed it.”

I gathered they’d put their differences behind them and were on better terms now.

“I wanted to do a more thorough analysis here at the kingdom,” said Eris, “but that’s out of the question now.”

“So where are they?”

“I need you to listen to me carefully. Aaron and Memil, you too.”

If she’s warning us first, where in the world could she be talking about? I thought, feeling nervous uncertainty as I saw the sorrow on Eris’s face.

“Shin is close to…Hausen, and the Barbatos Estate.”

I was speechless. The estate held so much potential. Development had just begun. And now we were being told that the monster Shin was lurking somewhere nearby? To think that what we sought was so close at hand. Talk about hidden in plain sight.

“I know how you must feel, Aaron,” said Eris. “I realize that the estate is in danger, but I need you here, protecting the kingdom.”

“But Your Majesty, I can’t just…”

“I know. But what do we do if ogres attack the castle? There will be more changes before this is all over, and it may be more than my white knights can handle on their own. Seifort is the one place people can run to for safe haven, and we must defend it at all costs. You must understand.”

Aaron said nothing. In the past, he’d given everything for the kingdom, and as a result had been barely able to return to his own estate. Because of that, the estate crumbled under the Genesis of Death, a powerful lich lord, and all the people Aaron loved had been taken from him. It was only natural that he wouldn’t want to see the past repeat itself. Aaron’s face contorted into a grimace as he stared at the table in front of him.

“I will go in your place,” said Eris, looking at Aaron with kindness. “I’ve regained much of my power since returning to the kingdom.”

“Lady Eris?! You plan to go yourself?!”

“Indeed. So, Aaron, it is my wish for you to defend the kingdom in my stead.”

The words were spoken like a royal decree, and Aaron could do little more than obey. He had returned to Seifort as a holy knight, and he would follow Eris’s wishes. However, he offered a single suggestion.

“Lady Eris, I have one request. Before you leave, I wish to arrange a duel between myself and my son. I would like for you to be present for the event. May I ask this of you?”

Hearing the word “duel,” I looked at Aaron. He was completely serious. If he wanted a duel, it wouldn’t be something he would engage in lightly. Eris considered the request for some time and eventually nodded.

“Very well. We’ll need somewhere spacious for the event. How about the Goblin Grasslands? We’ll hold it tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you for your kindness and consideration, Your Majesty,” said Aaron. “I assume this works for you, too, Fate?”

“Aaron…”

“However much we speak with words, we are warriors at heart. Adventurers. It is only through the fury of battle that our hearts can truly speak.” He tapped the newly forged holy sword at his waist. 

In that moment, I felt that Aaron knew it too—that I would not return to the kingdom again.