I unsheathed the black sword from its worn scabbard and stood facing the monster buried in the cliff face.
“This should put an end to things for the time being,” said Greed.
“Not quite yet it won’t,” I muttered. “We still don’t know who’s after Lady Roxy.”
“Your best course of action is to get back to Eris as soon as possible and strangle the information out of her.”
“She already told me everything she could. I can’t go betraying her kindness like that.”
“I see. In that case, I guess we’ll just have to do things your way. The slow way.”
I charged the black sword with my remaining strength, and when the flow was right, I engaged the tech-art Sharp Edge. It was a quick double-slice strike with high attack power, widely used by a range of adventurers. I didn’t call on it often, and with good reason. Sharp Edge left the user stuck in a recovery state for a long time. For someone like me, who almost always fought solo, being trapped in recovery mode was far too dangerous. The attack was best used as the finishing blow on the last remaining enemy in a group. This situation felt like a safe opportunity to finally try it out.
I was using this tech-art for another reason, too. I’d just used Strength Overload, and my strength stat had dropped to ten percent of its norm. It would take a day for it to return to normal. I had to make up for that lost power.
With the first slice, I lopped off the chimera’s head. With the second, I sheared through the rock face entirely, halving both the jagged rock and the chimera’s body. I quietly returned the black sword to its sheath as I looked over the long horizontal cut stretching across the cliff face before me. The metallic voice in my head recited the litany of my increased stats.
I’d successfully destroyed the last chimera. I turned my back to the monster and returned to Mugan and his troops.
“An impressive show of strength, Corpse,” Mugan said. “Amazing to think that you finished off such a beast with a commonplace tech-art like Sharp Edge. Those chimera hides are tougher than steel.”
“You speak too highly of me,” I said. “I still have a long way to go.”
“You? You still have a long way to go? What on earth are you looking to get in a fight with?! The gods themselves?!” Mugan burst into laughter.
I wanted to laugh along, but he wasn’t far off the mark. I couldn’t tell him that I needed to be ready to face the Divine Dragon. At my current level, I was no match for it. Before I could fight a monster of that strength, I needed to reach what Myne called the Domain of E, and I didn’t have the slightest idea how.
Mugan placed a hand on my shoulder. “I don’t know why you’re in such a hurry, but I think you’re doing just fine. It might be the bumbling old man in me when I say so, but nothing good comes from living life too fast, you know?”
“Yeah…”
Mugan looked a bit awkward when he saw my troubled face, and he quickly apologized for speaking without knowing my situation. I didn’t take issue with what he’d said, I just didn’t know how to respond. I didn’t have any answers. Frankly, Mugan’s words were exactly on point. Rushing was dangerous, not to mention exhausting. However, Myne had said that getting to the Domain of E would take me ten years. I didn’t have that much time.
We headed to the western side of the canyon, toward the outpost, to regroup with Lady Roxy. There, we found the graves for the missing soldiers. There must have been a few hundred at least. The gravity of the loss only sank in then.
I searched for Lady Roxy. “Ah, there she is…”
Even now, completely exhausted, Lady Roxy was at the front of a group, directing the burial preparations. She looked as majestic as always, golden hair and white armor glowing as she worked under the light of the setting sun. This was the Lady Roxy I had come to know so well.
I wasn’t aware I was staring in admiration until a familiar, smarmy voice called out to me.
“Why, hello there, Corpse!” Northern said, trotting over.
“Northern. Shouldn’t you be out there working instead of sitting on your thumbs?”
Unlike everybody else, who was covered in dirt and mud as they worked to bury the fallen, Northern looked practically pristine in his polished armor.
“I didn’t come here to get my hands dirty doing that,” he said. “Also, would you kindly stop poking your head into the kingdom’s affairs? It’s getting to be a real nuisance. Since I’m nice, I’ll give you one warning. Mind you, there won’t be a second.”
Northern didn’t wait for my response, walking off once he was done with his so-called warning. Even though he’d specifically volunteered to handle the burials, he left all the work to his troops. It was weird to me that Northern didn’t seem to care about these fallen soldiers. He was the one who’d alerted Lady Roxy to their absence. In a way, Lady Roxy’s expedition was entirely his doing.
“What do you think?” I asked Greed. “Of Northern’s callous attitude, I mean.”
“There’s definitely something fishy about it. And, you know, he’s actually a highly skilled holy knight. I can tell by the way he holds himself. I’ve kept my eye on him since we started traveling with the kingdom’s army.”
“Are you saying he’s hiding his real power?”
“Exactly. At the very least, power like his would have no problem handling a chimera.”
“He’s no ordinary holy knight, then. And the air of danger I felt when I first met him…that wasn’t a mistake either.”
The mysterious holy knight, Northern Alistair… As I watched him walk away, I felt a strange growl from the depths of Gluttony. It was as if it saw Northern as a delicious morsel, a filling meal it wanted nothing more than to devour.
I returned to Lady Roxy’s side and helped the soldiers bury the fallen. The burials took a while. By the time we finally finished, dawn was breaking. The canyon was quiet with the stalking chimeras gone, and the sunrise over the great canyon was breathtaking. It illuminated the cracked earth we had marched over to get here, a stark contrast with the verdant green of nature within the canyon. Sunlight filtered through the mist and trees, reflecting off the leaves. It was hard to believe we were still in Galia.
However, we would soon leave this idyllic environment. Now that we had finished burying the fallen soldiers, we would take a short rest, then trek back to Babylon.
I retired to a tent prepared for me by the soldiers, where at last I could relax and sleep. I was grateful to have the chance to be with Lady Roxy for a little longer. It reminded me of the time we’d spent together back in Seifort.
“Thank you, Lady Roxy,” I whispered to the silence of the tent.
Chapter 19:
Black and White
A MONTH HAD PASSED since we returned from our expedition to the great canyon, but not a quiet month. The Divine Dragon had yet to cross the border toward Babylon, but on a number of recent occasions, it had come very close. When it did, my Gluttony awakened, urging me to act, to slay the beast, to devour it. I was left struggling to control this wild hunger as I waited for the dragon to return to central Galia.
I still didn’t have enough power to face the Divine Dragon. Not just because of our huge stat differential, but because something else in me was also lacking. This lack was related to the Domain of E, I knew that much. But because I didn’t know how to reach that place, there was nothing I could do but watch the time as it passed.
“Something on your mind, handsome?”
Eris sidled up to me where I sat at the counter in her saloon. Her luscious blue hair seemed to float around her shoulders as she directed her charming smile at me.
I turned to her, exasperated, and pointed at my skull mask. “You can’t tell a thing I’m thinking while I’ve got this covering my face.”
“You really think so? Well, I have my ways.” Eris gave me a self-assured smile as she took a seat next to me.
Are you allowed to slack off this much on the job? I thought.
“The owner of this
place is practically in love with me,” Eris said, as if reading my mind. “I can do pretty much whatever I want.”
“Keep that up, and this place is going to be in a whole lot of trouble.”
I looked around at the unbelievable sight that was the saloon. It was filled near to bursting with all the unsuspecting people Eris’s Lust had charmed. Behind the counter, the barkeep rushed from station to station, struggling under the sheer weight of all the orders.
“He’s going to kill himself from overwork,” I said.
Eris laughed. “But he says he can’t bear to make me do that kind of labor…”
She batted her eyelashes. Her eyes were rich with interest as they met mine.
I forced my gaze away. That was bad… She almost charmed me.
Eris clicked her tongue in mild annoyance. “Almost had you. Hey, look me in the eyes when I talk to you, won’t you?”
“Think I’ll pass. Don’t like the idea of being charmed.”
“Oh, come now. Just a little wouldn’t hurt. What do you say?”
“No! No means no! I don’t think you’d stop at just a little, anyway.”
If she charmed me even in the slightest, it was all over. I could just feel it. All in all, her Lust struck me as an especially nasty Skill of Mortal Sin.
A lot had been said between Eris and myself the first time we met, not all of it positive, but in the end, I’d decided she wasn’t my real enemy. After all, she had warned me Lady Roxy was in danger, and she’d promised she would remain a bystander, no matter what I did. Still, I couldn’t trust Eris, not really, so I’d come to the saloon. I wanted to see whether she was up to anything.
Eris smiled as I peered at her with suspicion in my eyes. “You’re here so often, sweetheart,” she said, “what’s a girl like me supposed to think?”
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not here because I’m looking to see you.”
Eris moved up to me again, and I pushed her away. She gave me a bold grin full of cheek and leaned forward. “Oh! Don’t tell me…you’re playing hard to get?”
My face flushed under my mask. “What? You’re out of your mind. You’re never going to ‘get’ anything!”
“Boys can be so cruel…” Eris played her shock with a large helping of melodrama, slumping across the counter in limp dejection. She buried her head in her arms, then glanced at me just slightly as she whispered, pursing her full lips. “A little charm would do you some good, honey. Imagine it, Fate. You could be totally lovestruck.”
“Yeah, that sounds terrifying.”
Despite my ice-cold rebuke, Eris sprang at me as if wrapping her arms around me would change my mind. I struggled, trying to peel her off me, when I heard someone clear their throat.
You must be kidding…
I turned and saw, facing me, the holy knight who governed the sentinel city of Babylon: Lady Roxy Hart. She looked as dignified as ever, her white light armor only making her presence more radiant.
Despite her firm stance, her face twitched as she spoke. “I’m sorry to bother you while you’re, er, having such fun, but may I have a word with you, Mr. Corpse?”
“Yeah, just, uh, give me a minute—”
I finally pried Eris loose and pushed her away, then sat her down. She clearly didn’t like Lady Roxy’s interruption, as she pouted and drank the rest of my wine.
First Myne, now Eris—why do I always find myself with these girls who take my things without a second thought?
However, I had more important concerns. Mainly, what business Lady Roxy had with me.
“You said you wanted a word?” I asked, as I turned back to face her.
“Oh, you don’t know the half of it, Mr. Corpse. Do you have any idea what I’m talking about?”
“Uh, no. Not at all.”
Even when I thought hard, nothing came to mind. The problem couldn’t be Eris; everyone in town knew she was just like that. Judging by Lady Roxy’s face, however, I was clearly missing something. I scratched vacantly at my skull mask and tilted my head in confusion. Lady Roxy sighed and took a piece of paper from one of the soldiers behind her, then read its contents to me.
“Fifty-six counts of violent behavior. Twenty counts of wanton weapon destruction. And these are just the reports filed in a single month. It’s unbelievable!”
Ooooh… So that’s what she’s talking about…
Taking out the jealous gang was such a regular part of my everyday routine that I no longer really thought about it. I’d even had to crack a few adventurers’ skulls on my way to Eris’s saloon today.
“I didn’t have a choice,” I explained. “It’s those guys, they just like me too much. They come at me every single day. And they don’t listen to reason, either. You know that.”
“It’s certainly true that Babylon seems particularly full of that very kind of stubborn adventurer,” Lady Roxy agreed.
“Right? They’re like ants to a skull-masked pile of sugar!”
“However, I warned you about this last time. I cannot support or defend a person who solves their problems through violence.”
Wait, did this mean she was finally sending me to the dungeon to, I don’t know, reflect on my actions? I felt a cold sweat under my skull mask.
Lady Roxy shook her head. “Do you know why the other adventurers keep attacking you?”
“Uh, because I’m a great sparring partner?” I tried to grin confidently, but it came out sheepish.
“No! It’s because you refuse to join a party. They’ll attack you if you’re alone, but if you’re part of a group, a community, they’ll have to back down. They’ll start a fight with one man, but not another party. It’s group dynamics. You need to join one.”
“You really think that would get me out of these pointless scuffles?”
Lady Roxy nodded. What she said made a kind of sense. The adventurers who attacked me were always in groups of at least five. Not a single one would have come at me on their own. In other words, even if the annoying adventurers still hated me, if I had backup, they’d be forced to back off.
“So, I have a suggestion,” said Lady Roxy. She took a scroll from the soldier behind her and passed it to me.
I unrolled the scroll and read its contents quickly. The words written upon it surprised me. “This is…”
“Indeed. How about it? You’re certainly qualified to work as a mercenary for the kingdom’s army. As a bonus, you’ll keep those hot-blooded fellows off your back.”
“Hm… Are you trying to buy me, Lady Roxy?”
Lady Roxy coughed in surprise, her expression suddenly awkward. “You’ve taken down a number of small-scale stampedes on your own. I’ve heard the reports and verified them with the trading post employees. Your actions in the great canyon of Galia were also admirable. There is no doubting your strength. And at the moment, the army is in dire need of additional support. I uh, also happen to think it’s best to keep a bit of a collar on loose-cannon adventurers like yourself.”
It seemed as though I’d played it a little too wild in Babylon. My relationship with Lady Roxy had been fine at the great canyon, but the events of the last month had officially placed me on her list of municipal dangers.
I chuckled wryly behind my skull mask. “You realize I’m not a dog, right?”
“You’re right, I apologize. It was a poor choice of words. It just looks to me like…” She glanced at me, apologetic and kind. “All I see is that you’re living hard, fast, and reckless.”
I heard genuine concern in her words. It reminded me of the last time she’d offered to hire me, as a servant of Hart Manor. But I wouldn’t allow myself to depend on her protection again. I had decided that long ago, when I left Seifort.
Also, I had Northern to worry about. If he knew I’d joined the kingdom’s army, he would take some kind of action. He’d gone out of his way to tell me there’d be no second warning. It was imperative that I move quickly if anything happened, which meant I needed to be well out from under Northern
’s thumb as well.
“I am grateful,” I said. “Really, I am. But I have no intention of joining your army.”
I expected a harsh response, but Lady Roxy took my words with a nod. “I understand. Somehow, I expected you might respond like this. In that case, will you accompany me to the yard for a moment?”
She pointed outside the saloon. It didn’t feel like a question. I knew exactly what she intended without her having to say another word. I felt it in the change in her aura.
“And if I refuse?”
“Then we have a solitary cell waiting for you in the Military Sector. If you don’t want that, you won’t mind joining me for a short sparring session, will you? I am very curious about your true strength, Corpse.”
With that ominous statement, Lady Roxy exited the saloon. I didn’t know what I’d just gotten myself into. I wanted to avoid this confrontation if I could, but that didn’t seem like an option. I was stuck. I had no choice but to cross swords with Lady Roxy herself.
Eris waved from her seat. “Well now,” she said encouragingly, “isn’t this a most exciting development!”
“Really happy-go-lucky, aren’t you?” I grumbled.
“Don’t mind me, I’m merely a bystander.”
Of course she was. I bet that was her excuse for not saying anything to help me during my conversation with Lady Roxy. She’d just sat there with that cheeky smile, batting her eyelashes. Eris was quite the character.
When I placed my hand on the black sword, I was reminded yet again that he was quite the character too. “Well now,” said Greed encouragingly, “isn’t this a most exciting development!”
“Could you please not repeat her?”
Greed burst into laughter. “Well, when you think about it, I’m merely a bystander too. I’m simply a weapon, you see. In any case, better get on out there, Fate. Keep Roxy waiting too long, and it’ll be solitary confinement for you!”
This isn’t a joke! It’s not funny! I thought as I followed Lady Roxy outside. She’d called this a sparring session. It couldn’t get too far out of hand. Right?
Berserk of Gluttony Vol. 3 Page 14