From the Darkness Comes Gluttony

Rafale was as sly as they came, but I didn't think he would lash out right away.

Still, I couldn't get his cunning smile out of my head. I knew a weakling like me

would be no help to Lady Roxy if anything happened, but I could at least

provide her with a human shield.

I followed the moonlit roads to a point from which I could see the castle gate.

Lady Roxy stood resolute at her post. I heaved a great sigh of relief. I had

worried over nothing, it seemed. My soul at ease, I wished her good luck from

the bottom of my heart.

As I made to leave, I spied a flock of shadows scrambling up the eastern castle

wall. That area was a blind spot for anyone on guard duty, and it was only by

coincidence that I spotted it from where I stood. Bandits. It had to be. I could

think of no one else who would climb the walls to enter the castle in the middle

of the night. I rushed down the street toward Lady Roxy.

"Lady Roxy! Trouble!"

"What's wrong? Shouldn't you be at home…?"

"I went for a walk to clear my head! There's a group of people scaling the east

wall!"

"Are you certain?!"

"Yes. I saw it with my own eyes!"

I wasn't sure Lady Roxy would believe me, but she looked me in the face and

said, "I trust you. I'm heading over there now. Will you look after the gate while

I'm gone?"

"Yes, of course."

She passed me the gatekeeper's spear.

"Good luck, Lady Roxy," I said.

"Leave it to me." Lady Roxy unsheathed a silver sword from her belt. "As long

as I have this with me, I'll be fine."

She sped off toward the eastern wall. Instantly, she disappeared into the

darkness.

Wow, those holy knights are fast .

Then I heard the screams of the men inside. It was easy to imagine quick,

gallant Lady Roxy cutting the bandits down one after another. Judging by their

screams, the bandits had come in significant numbers. There were definitely

more than two or three. Still, Lady Roxy was a holy knight. A group of lowly

bandits couldn't catch her off guard. Sure enough, the sounds of battle soon

faded into silence.

Just when I thought it was over, a lone man staggered out of the darkness

toward me. As he drew closer, the moonlight brought his features into sharp

relief. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of him.

The bandit's right arm had been cut off, and as he stumbled toward the gate

where I stood, he tried desperately to stop the bleeding with his left hand. His

face was pale, sickeningly white from blood loss.

I gripped my spear. I wouldn't let him get away. It didn't matter that he was a

dying human being; he was a thief, a violent criminal, and he needed to be

stopped. If he escaped while I was covering for Lady Roxy, the blame would

ultimately fall on her shoulders. I couldn't let that happen. I had to kill him.

He's wounded, I thought. Even someone as weak as me should be able to

handle this.

Gritting my teeth, I thrust my spear with everything I had. It pierced the

bandit's heart. He gripped the spear with a wild, intense glare, then fell on his

back in a horrific spray of blood. His arms and legs spasmed for a time, until

finally his body stopped moving. There was no mistaking it. The bandit was

dead.

"I did it—I killed him. I…huh?!"

I felt something flow into my body, followed by the echo of a metallic voice in

my head.

Gluttony skill activated. Stats increased: Vitality +120, Strength +150, Magic

+100, Spirit +100, Agility +130. Skills added: Identify, Telepathy Stats

increased? Skills added? What's this voice? What's going on?

Then the most wonderful, glorious sensation—that of an eternally empty

stomach truly filling for the first time. I'd never felt so satisfied in my life.

While I was lost to this ecstasy, Lady Roxy returned to the gate. She took my

hand and looked me over, checking for injuries.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"Is he all right? He looks pale… Oh, I'm so worried!"

What was that? I could hear Lady Roxy's voice in my head. She wasn't

speaking, but somehow, her words swam into me.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"No, it's nothing," I said. "I'm fine."

"He's fine! Thank the gods he's okay."

Lady Roxy's relief echoed through me again. When she released my hand, her

voice faded. Were those…her thoughts? Was I reading her mind?

Stranger things had happened…hadn't they? Perhaps this was an aftereffect

of the shock of battle. Perhaps I was simply imagining her voice. It wasn't as

though I could just go touching Lady Roxy again to make sure. She was a holy

knight, after all.

In any case, holy knights were phenomenal. In total, ten bandits had broken

into the castle, and Lady Roxy took them all on by herself. I had taken care of

the last straggler, but only because Lady Roxy left him pretty much at death's

door.

The castle was safe, all thanks to her.

"Lady Roxy, please," I said. "I can't take any credit for what happened here."

"Oh, but you must. You defeated one of the bandits, too."

I had a reason for avoiding official involvement: Rafale and his siblings. If they

discovered that I'd helped another holy knight while I was meant to be on duty

in service to their house, they'd go berserk. I had no idea what they'd do to me,

but given how Rafale felt about Lady Roxy, I was certain I'd be in for an even

harsher "education" session.

"If Lord Rafale hears about this," I said, "It's not going to be good for me."

"Ah, I see. Very well. I'll do as you suggest."

"Thank you."

"No, please, I should be thanking you . If you hadn't told me about those

bandits, I would've been the laughingstock of the holy knights."

It seemed there were power struggles even among the highest echelons. But,

being of such low status, I had no way of knowing how demanding those

struggles were.

"Then you must let me show my gratitude," Lady Roxy said.

"No, no. I couldn't let a holy knight do such a thing…"

Lady Roxy wasn't a fan of my dogged modesty, and her cheeks puffed up into

a pout. It surprised me. She usually never let her chivalrous mien drop. I felt as

though I'd grown just a touch closer to her.

"Ah, I've got it!" Lady Roxy clapped her hands, though the gesture felt

somewhat forced.

My heart pounded. I knew she intended to reward me, whether I liked it or

not, but I didn't know what was coming. I never could have imagined what she

said next.

"Would you consider working for the Hart family? If I told my father about

what happened here, I'm certain he would agree to hire you."

"What?! But…I don't even have any skills, and I'm…I'm not worthy."

"That isn't true at all. Did you not just now defeat a bandit by your own

hand?"

That had been little more than dumb luck. If I were made to do it again, I

would certainly fail.

"But I…"

Frustrated by my indecisiveness, Lady Roxy spelled it out. "If you're worried

about the Vlerick family…allow me to take care of them. Or do you intend to

work under them for the rest of your life?"

She saw right through me. She knew I was concerned about what the Vlerick

family might do to enjoy themselves at my expense. Even then, she still wanted

to hire me. I could have cried.

In front of me lay two paths: a future in which Rafale and his siblings used and

discarded me, and I died of overwork, and beside that, a brighter life, a brighter

future, under the kind and beautiful Lady Roxy.

I didn't need to think twice. I was already one of Lady Roxy's devotees. This

was like a dream come true.

"Lady Roxy," I said, "I accept your offer!"

"Excellent. Well, it's late, so you should go home. Come to Hart Manor at

noon the day after tomorrow. I'll be waiting."

I was so happy, I could have exploded, but I held it in. I bowed over and over

with gratitude until finally I headed home. When I was far enough away that the

castle gate was no longer visible, I jumped for joy. Luck had finally turned my

way. I felt as if I were floating. It was all too good to be true.

I bounded home to prepare for the day after tomorrow