Berserk of Gluttony (LN) - Volume 6 - Chapter 22

Chapter 22:

The Power of Libra

“LIBRA!” I shouted.

Libra turned to look at me and replied with a crooked grin. He was completely unarmed, as if he had no desire to fight. However, the vast magical energy that surrounded him seemed almost gleefully eager for battle. This man was not to be underestimated.

“Why, hello there, Fate. Long time no see. Then again, I suppose it hasn’t actually been that long, has it?”

“What did you do?”

“Exactly what it looks like. I exterminated the monster that lurked beneath the earth in this place. In order to keep casualties to a minimum, I gave everybody in town fair warning. It’s the right thing to do in these situations.”

“There are still people here though! And the monster wasn’t going to cause any actual harm yet. It wasn’t going

to act for hundreds of years. So why did you do this? Why now?”

“I can see that you don’t understand my methods, but that’s fine. Allow me to explain. Let’s say we wait those hundred years for the monster to finally go on its rampage. Who would the townsfolk have been able to call for help then? Hm? Not to mention, the monster would nigh certainly have made it to the Domain of E by then.”

The town lay beyond the kingdom’s defined border, and it didn’t belong to any holy knights, so there were no adventurers on standby anywhere near. The situation would only become harder and harder to handle the longer the monster was allowed to grow.

“You see?” continued Libra. “The only ones who can fell a beast like this are those who bear skills like yours…or people like me. But you need to look at the bigger picture. I’m a busy fellow, and my time is limited. I can’t just sit idly by until the people here decide they finally need my help.”

“So you chose to act now.”

“I gave them all the time they needed to get to safety. The situation wasn’t so urgent that I couldn’t give them that much. I considered it before I decided to take action. Let me ask you, Fate: How would you have handled the monster? Hmm?”

Libra crushed a dead root under his foot as he walked toward us, but there was no feeling in the gesture. It was simply an obstacle in his path. It meant nothing to him.

“You don’t have an answer, do you?” Libra said. “And it seems to me that you already knew of the monster here. Let me guess: you passed by the town, discovered the monster and understood its purpose, but because you couldn’t do anything about it, you left. Does that sound right? Do you hear what I’m saying, Fate? If you can’t solve the problem yourself, then don’t complain about the people who can.”

Libra strolled past me.

“Libra, wait,” said Eris.

“Oh, my…she finally speaks. I was beginning to think you were little more than a statue.” 

Eris glared at Libra, her entire body trembling.

“Oh, and you’ve learned a new expression too,” he said. “How cute. Have you gotten a little stronger since we last met? How does it feel to play queens and castles? Does it make you feel important? Powerful?”

“I’m… I’m not the person you once knew. Not anymore!”

Eris pointed her blade at Libra, but he remained completely cool and composed.

“If you want to shoot, I’m right here. But I wonder, can you pull the trigger? With the Door to Distant Lands opening, surely you must know how utterly foolish it would be to make an enemy of me now. That is, you would…if you were still the person I once knew.”

Eris gritted her teeth, but she loosened her grip on the gunblade. 

Libra laughed. “That’s a good girl. Meek, docile, obedient. Just like I remember.”

Libra then turned back to me, but he found someone standing between us.

“Why, hello there, Snow,” he said. “I never imagined you’d come back quite like…that.”

Snow had broken free from Memil and stood in front of me with arms outstretched. She was protecting me from Libra, and she growled at him angrily.

“Calm down, little one, no need to be mad,” said Libra. “My, my, if anybody was watching us, they’d think I was the villain here.”

“Leave us alone!” shouted Snow. “I hate you!”

“So much to say with so much passion, and yet no memories in that head of yours. But that’s neither here nor there. Very well. You know, I’d actually come here to meet Snow, but I think it’s best I leave her in your care for the time being.” Libra grinned wickedly and looked me in the eye. “Probably best to avoid wasting any more time here and get to Hausen as soon as you can, Fate.”

“I don’t need you reminding me,” I replied.

“Good boy. But no matter what happens, you must stop the Door from opening. It’s imperative. Do you understand?”

“I do.”

“Then I can rest a touch easier. However, if you fail, Fate, then I’ll have no choice. I’ll have to destroy the entirety of Hausen.”

He spoke the words with so little concern that I took a step forward, ready to fight, but I found myself held back by Snow.

“No! It’s dangerous!” she cried.

“She may have lost her memories, but at least she still understands,” said Libra. “But enough talk. Hausen is waiting for you.”

As far as Libra was concerned, the conversation was over, and he strode away. As he passed by once more, he made sure to say one last thing, just loud enough for me to hear.

“You’ll need to get stronger, Fate. But I’ll be waiting.”

And then he was on his way. All that remained in his wake were the ruins of a once prosperous town, now decimated. Eris walked up alongside me and threaded her arm through my own.

“I did my best to stand up to him, but…I need time.”

Her body was cold, and she still trembled. Considering the hurts she carried with her, she’d done more than enough. Most people, when faced with what terrifies them most, could barely even eke out a whisper.

“You did enough, Eris,” I said. “You did more than enough.”

“Thank you…”

Now was not the time to fight Libra. The town was in ruins, but the few people who had chosen to stay had miraculously survived. They were with Roxy and Memil when we met up with them, and I explained everything I could about the monster that had once lurked beneath their town. It was the only way for them to understand that the land was no longer a place that they could call home. 

“I’m at least glad that the townspeople understand why they have to leave,” said Roxy later as we jumped on our motorbike.

“Yeah, it’s just funny that it took a gigantic monster crawling out of the earth to finally convince them,” I said.

“It’s human nature. Words can be deceiving, but it’s hard to doubt what you see with your own eyes.”

“And when you feel firsthand a moment that could have ended your life, you look at things in a new light…” 

If they were people with money, it wouldn’t be hard to make a new start. But many of them were of the forsaken, and they’d stumbled upon this place as they wandered the lands with no place to call home. They thought they’d found their way to paradise, so it was easy to understand why they were hesitant to leave. But now fear overpowered whatever other feelings they had, and they made the decision to leave.

“People are weak, fragile,” said Roxy. “I’m no different. I’m a holy knight, yes, but that’s only because of my skills. But you’re different Fate. You’re strong.”

“It’s hard for me to see myself that way.”

“I’ll never forget the look on your face when you fought the Divine Dragon, Fay. It was filled with determination. Your eyes told me that you would never give up, no matter what. It was the same in the kingdom.”

I laughed. “I think it might just be that I’m stubborn.”

Roxy didn’t find it funny, however, and my answer clearly didn’t satisfy. “But it’s true!” 

“Anyway, at least these people have somewhere to go. LeChoix will give them shelter, and though that’s only temporary, I hope we can welcome them to Hausen in time.”

“The sooner the better, right? Until then, we’ve got a job to do.”

“First we have to search Hausen for signs of Myne. Then make sure the Door to Distant Lands doesn’t open. If we can do that, Hausen will be safe, and we can start taking people in again.”

I revved the motorcycle and started speeding along toward our destination. Snow’s face brightened immediately, like she’d been waiting for a ride at the fair.

“Faster! Faster! Yay!”

“If you don’t hold on, you’ll fall off the bike,” I warned.

“I’m fine!”

Of course she was fine. She was in the Domain of E. 

“Let’s see what kind of speed this bike’s really capable of, then.”

“Yay!” Snow cried.

“Fay! Don’t encourage her like that! Your Majesty, please, say something!”

Eris and Memil rode beside us, with Eris driving this time. For a time, she didn’t answer, satisfied just to watch us with a quiet smile.

“Well? Your Majesty?”

“I’m in too good a mood for that!” Eris said finally. “Let him be an immature little kid once in a while.”

“Who are you calling an immature kid?!” I shouted.

But Eris was all radiant smiles in return. I had a feeling her mood was wrapped up in our run-in with Libra. She feared him, but she had finally found the courage to stand up to him. It was a big moment for her, and a step toward overcoming her fears.

Libra said that if we could stop the Door from opening, he wouldn’t have to destroy Hausen. He had his own internal logic for not acting immediately, and if the incident we’d just encountered was any indication, he would grant us at least enough time to try. But once time was up, Libra would get to work and nothing would stop him. It didn’t matter to him that there were people in Hausen; human life wasn’t as important as completing his mission.

“Hey, Eris,” I said, “can I ask you something about Libra?”

“Of course. Don’t feel like you have to tiptoe around the topic.”

“Thanks. I’m curious about the power Libra used. He used it on the City Eater and the thing decayed and rotted right in front of our eyes. What was that?”

“I don’t know it in any great detail, but…on a basic level, he controls life itself.”

Life itself? At first I was perplexed, but when I considered it, the City Eater had acted as if its life force was being drained. If Libra could control that, then his power was near limitless. Eris’s laughter pulled me out of my thoughts.

“Scared, Fate?” she asked.

“Not scared,” I replied, “just thinking about how to fight an enemy who can control such a thing.”

Eris burst into laughter. “Oh, that is so you!” 

I didn’t really like the way it felt like she was laughing at me, but I had to admit it was nice to see her in high spirits again. “Yeah, yeah,” I grumbled. “Laugh it up.”

And she did. Her laughter grew louder and more energetic.

“Knock it off already, Eris!” I shouted.

She really was laughing at me! I gave her a piece of my mind as we rode, and before long our destination became visible on the horizon: an old castle on a small hill, surrounded by high walls. The place had once been left to decay over many years, abandoned, but now it was turning into a fine city in its own right. Hausen was reborn.

“Wow, it’s truly picturesque now. The repairs are really coming along,” said Eris.

“It’s like a totally different place compared to the last time I was here,” said Memil. 

“So, this is the Barbatos estate!” said Roxy. “I thought you said it was still being rebuilt. It looks amazing from here!”

“We repaired the outer walls first to make sure it was safe from threat of monsters. I told everybody we could save the castle for later, but nobody listened—they said it was the symbol of the estate.”

There was a lot to look forward to behind those walls. There were homes being built and businesses opening up. 

“Fate!” cried Snow excitedly, “Hurry up! Let’s go!”

Having helped with the rebuilding of Hausen, it made me happy to see everyone so excited. I put more speed into the bike and headed closer to the city gates. As we neared, we heard the gates begin to open as if to mark our arrival. The soldiers keeping watch had noticed us approaching. A group of soldiers came out of the open gates with a man who waved at us happily.

“Welcome to Hausen, everybody!” he shouted.

“Set! It’s been too long. How are you?”

“Magnificent, now that we’ve got the support of the kingdom behind us,” His face brimmed with confidence. “Take a look for yourself!”

Set and I had reunited at my old village a while back, and though we’d parted ways then, we’d crossed paths again later. Now he was helping with the restoration of Hausen. We had been through a lot together, not all of it good, but we’d put our differences behind us and I was glad to call him a friend.

Set and I clasped hands and I introduced him to the rest of my new party. Set was surprised to see Roxy, who he probably assumed would still be in Seifort. Even though I’d told him about it through letters in the past, his eyes almost popped out of his skull at the sight of Memil in her maid uniform. Then again, she was probably the only former holy knight who dressed that way. When I introduced Eris, he looked like he was going to leap out of his skin before dropping to his knees before her.

“Your Majesty!” he said. “It is the humblest of honors for your fine presence to grace an estate as lowly as our own!”

“Hey! Since when was Hausen lowly?” I shot back.

“Fate! Know your place! This is the queen! The queen! We’re not ready to receive guests of her status!”

“Calm down, Set, it’s fine. She might look like royalty on the outside, but on the inside, she’s anything but.”

“How dare you, Fate!” Eris gripped my ear painfully between her fingers before saying to Set, “Fate’s manners are awful, but there’s some truth to what he’s trying to express. You don’t need to worry, Set. I’m actually awfully curious to see how Hausen is developing.”

“I’m so glad to hear it, Your Majesty!” Judging by Set’s face, he really was relieved. As he rose to his feet, he eyed Snow carefully, like he was trying to put a puzzle together. “No way!” he said finally. “Fate, is this your kid? But if so, then who’s the mother?”

Set’s gaze went from Roxy to Memil and Eris, who each responded with surprise.

“Eh?”

“Oh, my!”

“Ooh!”

Set, what the hell! But also, why didn’t any of the girls bother to clear the air immediately?!

Set looked at us all with a dopey grin on his face. “I see, I see,” he said, not seeing at all.

“Don’t get the wrong idea,” I said. “The little one’s name is Snow. We encountered her at the Lanchester estate and now she’s traveling with us. I can’t say anything more about it here.”

“‘Encountered’ her?” Set said. “In that case, shall we continue this discussion in the castle? We finished renovating the interior just the other day, and we’ve been anxious for you to see it.”

He talked to me so casually. Had he forgotten he was speaking with the head of Hausen? Then again, I had told him and everyone else not to bother with rank and hierarchy and to just address me like they would anyone. I suppose it was in keeping with Set’s personality to push at that boundary jokingly.

“Come right this way and I’ll show you to the castle,” said Set. “And by the way, Fate. We’ve got some information on Myne. I assume that’s something to discuss in the castle too?” 

“Yes, that’s fine.”

We followed after Set through the gates and into Hausen. Someone had apparently spotted Myne. If so, it meant there was indeed something here in Hausen that she needed to open the Door to Distant Lands, and I had a feeling that if I wanted to stop her, there was no way to avoid a fight.