“Alive and well, as you can see,” I said. “Is it all right if I sit here?”
“Of course, of course! Sit! Please!”
I moved the flower to the side and took my place. “Barkeep, a bottle of your finest wine and some food to match it, please.”
“Hey, wait a second,” he said. “One minute I think you’re dead, and the next you come back rich. What’s the story?”
“New job, my friend. That’s why I was away; I was learning my new responsibilities.”
“I see. Well, I’m glad. Really, I am.”
The barkeep disappeared into the kitchen, wiping away a few tears as he went. He returned a short time later with a glass filled with wine and a huge fish in meuniere sauce.
“To celebrate your new job, you’re eating half-price tonight!” he said.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course! Here’s to the years we’ve known each other!”
I had no idea the barkeep felt so much camaraderie for me. It made me grateful I’d come. I dug into the fish and asked why the place was so packed.
“These guys are all adventurers,” the barkeep said.
At first, I figured they all had the day off. The work of adventurers was different from regular jobs because they had to match their hunts to the behavior of monsters. Naturally, they worked irregular schedules. Sometimes monsters didn’t come out if it was raining, and other times adventurers had to wait out a monster that was more violent than usual because it was in heat.
But it didn’t seem like either of those things were going on today.
“The way I hear it, these adventurers went out for goblins this morning, and all they found was a graveyard,” said the barkeep. “Goblin corpses scattered everywhere. All of them with their ears, too! Just left there on the ground! So these adventurers made a right profit just harvesting ears. It’s a weird world, I tell you.”
“Ah, is that so?” I said with a nervous laugh.
I’d almost spit out my wine. He was describing the consequences of my little adventure. It was okay, though, right? It wasn’t like I’d done anything wrong.
“But you know what?” the barkeep said, his face gloomy.
“What?”
“Well, the problem is, what did kill those goblins? There’s a good chance it was a stray monster that wandered in from another region.”
“A stray monster?!”
The barkeep had heard this from the adventurers, too. They were, in effect, calling me a stray monster. It seemed my goblin- hunting expedition might have been less consequence-free than I’d hoped.
“Yeah, it happens once every ten years or so. That’s why the holy knights have been called in. And I’m glad they have. Puts all the rest of us at ease, you know? At least it’ll be over sooner or later.”
Apparently, if an unknown monster showed up anywhere near the kingdom’s roads, the traveling merchants and traders put their deliveries on hold; they didn’t want to die, after all. As a result, the flow of goods and produce into the kingdom slowed, so prices went up, and managing a bar became much tougher.
This was my fault. Even so, I couldn’t simply stop hunting. And now I’d have to deal with a holy knight on patrol—maybe worse.
“So which holy knight have they put in charge?” I asked.
“I heard it’s one of them Vlericks you’re so fond of. The middle child, Hado. He still doesn’t have any battle experience in Galia, so they put him on this rookie-league investigation to help build his name.”
At the mere mention of the Vlericks, I drove my fork into my fish. To think a holy knight from one of the esteemed families would stick his nose into my business… It felt a little like I’d jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. I drained my glass of wine to cool my head.
“Actually, I heard another weird story recently,” said the barkeep.
“And what was that?”
“You know that orphanage in the slums near your place? Some nuns there were up praying a bit before daybreak when a bloodstained bag flew straight through the window. Landed right in front of one of the nuns and she fainted on the spot. So at first, the nuns think it’s some awful prank. They run outside, but whoever did it’s already long gone.”
Wait, is he talking about…?
The barkeep held his stomach and laughed. Oblivious to the tense look on my face, he went on.
“No, wait, there’s more. So the nuns are furious, right? They’re just appalled. And they go to throw the bag away when they notice what’s written on the side. It says, ‘a donation.’ So nervously, cautiously, they open this bloody bag and find a pair of goblin-king ears! Suddenly, the nuns are crying with joy! I hear they’re still looking for whoever gave them that gift.”
And that…was also me. Without a doubt, that was me. I could only hope the girl at the orphanage got a good meal out of it. And now the sisters were searching for me, too, though that wouldn’t be a problem so long as I didn’t get caught. At least it would be easier now that I had the skull mask.
“That is a very interesting story,” I said. “Now barkeep, another glass of wine, please!”
As long as I kept my cool, nobody would ever know a thing. So I drank my wine and ate my food.
And the food was delicious.
Chapter 13:
The Roxy Inspection
A FEW DAYS HAD PASSED since my visit to the bar, and I had grown used to my double life. By day I was a servant of the Hart family, and by night I hunted goblins to satiate my Gluttony with new souls.
At the same time, I was growing concerned about the movements of Rafale and his siblings. I staked out the high-end shop I saw them enter that one night numerous times, but Rafale didn’t appear again, nor did the other holy knights. Perhaps their meeting place had changed. I had no idea what they were planning, but there was little more I could do than simply keep watch for now.
I could have told Lady Roxy about what I saw, but all I’d be able to tell her was that Rafale was doing something suspicious. That was information with little worth. She already knew the Vlericks were always up to no good; what mattered was uncovering exactly what .
After a few days of dithering, I came to a decision. No matter how much I fretted, I’d get nowhere trying to pull answers out of thin air. If I wanted information, I had to ask someone involved with the group.
Fortunately, it just so happened that—thanks to my hunting escapades in the Goblin Grasslands and Hobgoblin Forest—the Vlerick family’s second son was himself hunting down the rampant monster responsible. So, dressed in my black hooded robes and skull mask, I became the rampant monster that was terrifying adventurers. In time, I thought, they might even come up with a name for me.
I mulled over how best to lure Hado Vlerick as I tended to the garden, doing my apprentice chores. It was a beautiful day, perfect weather for trimming the lawns. We hadn’t been able to do anything the previous day because of rain, so we were trying to make up for it.
Since dawn, I’d been working on the lawns under the guidance of the head gardeners. Hart Manor’s lawns were vast, and the grass was thick with life. In a mere few weeks, a given patch would grow bristly and unkempt, so our gardening location changed on a weekly rotation. This week was the south lawn, next week was the east, the week after that was the north… The work was never-ending.
I had a long road to walk before I could prune the manor’s trees. By midday, the head gardeners had left me to my assigned tasks and returned to their own work, and I was alone. I silently continued trimming the lawns until I noticed a figure near the manor’s back gate.
“Is that…is that who I think it is?”
It was. No doubt about it, the figure was definitely Lady Roxy. She was slipping out the back gate as if she didn’t want to be seen. Her clothes were different from usual, too. Most of the time, Lady Roxy cut a gallant figure in her holy-knight armor, but today she was dressed just like any of the town’s young girls. What was she doing, looking like a commoner?
I caught up to her as she slunk away.
“Have a nice day, Lady Roxy!” I said.
I had only meant to offer a polite greeting as a servant to his master, but Lady Roxy leapt into the air with a squeal of shock. She turned and sighed with relief when she realized it was me.
“Ah! You gave me such a fright, Fay!” Her cheeks puffed up in a pout.
“What are you doing, Lady Roxy? You look a bit…different…”
“These are… Well, sometimes I just want to relax…! Wait. No. This is for a top secret inspection. Sometimes, I dress like an ordinary girl so I can study how regular people live up close.”
Wow. It was just like Lady Roxy to come up with a brilliant scheme like that. No other holy knight would ever do such a thing. She really was unique.
“That’s a wonderful idea. Well, I don’t want to get in your way, so I’ll head back to work. Enjoy your day!”
I tried to return to the lawns, but Lady Roxy ordered me to stop. Well, more precisely, she came up behind me and grabbed hold of my collar.
“Fay, wait! I’ve just had another wonderful idea.”
Lady Roxy might have said “wonderful,” but she also looked like a kid who just came up with a fantastic prank. I was a little dubious about the wonderfulness-quotient of this idea of hers.
“Uh…yes, Lady Roxy?”
She struck a puzzling, coquettish pose and said, “Hee hee! It’s top secret. I’m giving you a top-secret mission, Fay!”
“Whaaaat?”
Lady Roxy looked alarmingly cute, even though she clearly didn’t use this pose often. Still, I was speechless. A secret mission from a holy knight?! Was I even capable of that?! I could barely trim grass.
Seeing my bewilderment, Lady Roxy once again struck her pose and spoke. “You’ll join me on my inspection of the people! You will use your skills and expertise to be my escort!”
In my heart, I heard my previous response echo. Whaaaat?
Could I do that? Could I escort a woman? I’d never done anything remotely comparable since the day I was born. And when I remembered it was Lady Roxy I’d be escorting… The difficulty level was way too high! I didn’t think I could go on living if I failed to meet her expectations. I froze in place, unable to reply.
Lady Roxy grabbed my hand impatiently. “Well, let’s go. If we stay here much longer, we’ll most certainly be spotted.”
“Please, wait. I still have my duties… The head gardeners will be upset if I shirk my responsibilities.”
“That won’t be an issue. I’ll come up with a reason to cover for you later, and I’ll tell them myself. See? Problem solved!”
This townsperson version of Lady Roxy was awfully pushy, especially with how she intended to entangle me in her plans.
But wait, is this just how strongly she feels about getting to know the reality of the kingdom’s people? If that’s the case, my job is to do everything I can to support her.
Yes! I would help her understand the lives of the common people so she might use that knowledge to better protect them.
“I understand, Lady Roxy. I’ll…I’ll do my best!”
“Really?! Oh, this is going to be so much fun! Let’s go!”
“Okay!”
We left through the back gate, proceeding carefully so as not to be spotted. Lady Roxy moved like a real pro. I got the feeling this wasn’t her first such excursion.
“Lady Roxy,” I said. “Do you do this kind of thing often?”
“Uh… I… Nooo. No, I don’t do it that often.”
“Really?”
What would the other servants think if they knew Lady Roxy regularly disguised herself as an everyday commoner and went out on these so-called “inspections”? She was the head of the house of Hart. There had to be issues with anyone of her rank doing such things.
As if sensing my concern, Lady Roxy looked at me sternly. “Fay, you can’t tell anybody about this. Not a soul. Especially not…her .”
“Her…? Ohhh. Okay, I understand.”
She was talking about the head servant who managed the household staff, the young woman who doubled as her secretary. Someone so serious and earnest would be furious to find Lady Roxy leaving the manor dressed like an ordinary person. She would absolutely attempt to put a stop to it.
“Yeah,” I said. “If she found out, she’d probably say something like, ‘Please, my lady, attend to the standards of your position!’” I pretended to push a pair of glasses up the bridge of my nose, something the head servant did all the time.
Lady Roxy covered her mouth and let out a laugh. “Stop those impressions immediately! We’ll give away our position!”
“Sorry, Lady Roxy, I guess I got a bit carried away.”
“It’s fine. Now, let’s get out of the Holy Knight District. The sooner the better.”
We kept moving, sneaking as we went. Suddenly, Lady Roxy pulled me into a small alleyway. She drew me into a tight embrace; thanks to her overwhelming stats, I was trapped in her clutches. I couldn’t move a muscle. On top of that, with our skin touching, my Telepathy kicked in.
“He’s…he’s still struggling. I’ll have to hold him tighter.”
What did she plan to do to me in the shadows of this alleyway?!
“Fay, be quiet,” Lady Roxy said, cutting off my addled thoughts. “The manor’s maids are coming this way.”
I looked where Lady Roxy nodded. Two young maids chatted as they strolled in our direction. I hadn’t even noticed them. Admittedly, I was a tad overexcited; I was on a secret, two-person mission with Lady Roxy, whom I admired and looked up to. Who wouldn’t have been thrilled? But this mission was an important responsibility, so I focused up and watched the maids pass by. If I couldn’t overcome my stray thoughts, we’d never complete our mission.
“Uh…Lady Roxy? I think you can let me go now.”
“What? Already?”
“What a pity. But who’s a good boy? Fay’s a good boy!”
With that, Lady Roxy gently rubbed my head, even though she didn’t need to hold me any longer. The maids had entered the manor by now. This was unnecessary! Finally, my unspoken request seemed to reach Lady Roxy, and she released me with a dissatisfied pout.
“Fine, fine. There you go,” she said with a hint of annoyance as she walked on ahead.
Had I done something wrong? I ran after her. “Lady Roxy, wait!”
Something about her today was so different from usual.
“Okay,” Lady Roxy said. “Stop that right now!”
“What is it, Lady Roxy? What’s wrong? Lady Roxy?”
“That! Stop that! Stop it! If you keep calling me ‘Lady Roxy,’ you’ll blow our cover!”
“Oh. Ohhh.”
My first blunder! Lady Roxy had gone to all this trouble to disguise herself, but if I called her by her name and title, it would all be for nothing. In that case…how was I supposed to address her?
“Okay, okay,” she added. “Stop looking at me like some kind of lost puppy! You can call me…Lexie! And none of that ‘Lady’ business, either. So no ‘Lady Lexie.’ Right now, I’m just another regular girl.”
She spoke with such confidence and power. I’d never seen a “regular girl” with her grand aura of dignity. I wondered whether I should say something about that but thought better of it. Lady Roxy was so animated; I hadn’t seen her like this in so long. Since inheriting her father’s post, she’d been worked to the bone. With my support today, I dared to hope she could find a more genuine calm.
However, Lady Roxy’s gaze—which clearly wanted something from me—interrupted my thoughts. Did she want me to call her by her new name? Yes, that had to be it.
“Shall we head off then, uh…Lexie?”
“Of course.”
So this was what Lady Roxy meant by “being her escort.” We had just left, but I had a feeling my difficulties were only beginning. Would I make it out of this one alive? I was worried to the bone, out of my mind with anxiety. Even with that uncertainty in my
heart, my legs kept walking me forward alongside Lady Roxy.
Together, we headed toward the gate that would take us out of the Holy Knight District and into the Merchant District.
***
The gatekeeper studied our faces. “Travel passes, please.”
Oh no . I’d left my travel pass in my room at the manor. Would I have to go back and get it?
Then Lady Roxy pulled a piece of paper from her pouch and showed it to the gatekeeper. Upon seeing it, he dropped to one knee.
Whoa! That’s an effective paper!
From what I could gather, Lady Roxy didn’t carry an ordinary travel pass. Mine would never have garnered that kind of reaction.
“Let’s go, Fay. Quickly now!”
“Oh, yes. Of course.”
It seemed Lady Roxy’s travel pass allowed me through the gate, too, even though I wasn’t carrying my papers. After I’d passed through and caught up to Lady Roxy, I surreptitiously asked her about it.
“This is the highest level of travel pass,” Lady Roxy declared proudly. “Anyone who carries one is treated the same as a holy knight. Impressive, no?”
It was indeed impressive, without a doubt, but…didn’t it also give away Roxy’s rank? Weren’t we on a top secret mission? Even so…
“You’re amazing, Lexie. I almost can’t believe your pass has that much power.”
“Right?”
We entered the Merchant District and assessed the area.
“Fay, let’s put your escort skills to use.”
“Yes, of course. We’ll start by exploring the Merchant District.”
To be honest, I hadn’t thought of exactly where to escort Lady Roxy. Still, even without a destination, I didn’t think it was a bad idea to simply stroll around. All my escort duty really meant was taking her around until she pointed out things that interested her. That felt more in line with Roxy’s idea of an inspection than me trying to play tour guide.
However, Lady Roxy didn’t move as fast as I expected. She strode with the dignity of her position, which was likely a habit she’d developed when she learned to walk. Furthermore, because holy knights were the kingdom’s highest ranked individuals, wherever they went, people got out of their way. But when the Merchant District was especially packed—like it was today—on the main streets you practically had to push and elbow your way through all the people. Lady Roxy’s stately gait primed her for imminent collision.
Berserk of Gluttony (Light Novel) Vol. 1 Page 8
