Table of Contents

  Color Gallery

  Title Page

  Copyrights and Credits

  Table of Contents Page

  Chapter 1: A Silent Change in the Air

  Chapter 2: My Teacher, Miss Roxy

  Chapter 3: Not Your Ordinary Goblins

  Chapter 4: A Crimson Full Moon

  Chapter 5: Soul Swap

  Chapter 6: Laine's Laboratory

  Chapter 7: Ancient Monsters

  Chapter 8: Miria's Past

  Chapter 9: How to Calm a Mortal Sin

  Chapter 10: Miria's Hard-Fought Battle

  Chapter 11: Monster Hideout

  Chapter 12: The Puppet Master of Souls

  Chapter 13: The Results of Inhuman Decay

  Chapter 14: Unceasing Black Flames

  Chapter 15: Totally Frozen

  Chapter 16: The Return of the Dead

  Chapter 17: The Truth About Memil

  Chapter 18: The Bloodthirsty

  Chapter 19: The Philosopher's Stone

  Chapter 20: Those Who Doubt Their Own Return

  Chapter 21: Uninvited Guests

  Chapter 22: A New Journey Awaits

  Chapter 23: Farewell, Aaron

  Chapter 24: Roxy’s Resolve

  Side Story: Of Memil and Fate

  Afterword

  Creator Profiles

  Newsletter

  Chapter 1:

  A Silent Change in the Air

  THE REPAIRS TO SEIFORT’S Military District were almost complete. Rafale’s assault had left the place in ruins, but finally, the hum of daily activity returned to the buildings within the district walls. Inside, researchers busied themselves with all the work they’d left behind, making up for lost time. Mugan, that soldier in Roxy’s squadron, said that his own daughter had hardly slept since returning to her research. He hadn’t seen her come home at all.

  Mugan and I were at our favorite tavern, sharing a drink as he shared his woes. We’d first met in Galia, and he’d taken a liking to me immediately. Since then, he’d often invited me out for drinks. Mugan tended to ramble when he became drunk—usually about his daughter, Laine. She was old enough to marry, but had little interest in anything that wasn’t ancient Galian technology. He drained his glass of wine and wept at the thought of her future.

  “All I want is for her to settle down, maybe start a family,” he said, looking piteously at the dregs in his glass. He vented all his worries at me because he thought I was the right guy to ask for advice, since Laine’s current obsession was analyzing me and my Gluttony skill.

  Mugan had it all wrong. Laine wasn’t interested in me at all. She only cared about my skill, Gluttony, and my black sword, Greed. I tried to let him know, but he just wouldn’t listen.

  “So, Fate,” said Mugan, “what were you and Laine up to today?”

  “Oh, you know, the same as always,” I said.

  “Oh…really?”

  “Look, if you don’t believe me, come with me next time. It’ll be so much easier.”

  Earlier that day, just after lunch, I’d gone to Laine’s laboratory for a full-body analysis. She’d strapped me into an odd helmet hooked up to a heavy-looking piece of machinery beyond my understanding and told me that she was going to measure my brain waves. During a previous visit, she’d poked me with needles and taken blood samples. No matter how you looked at it, I was little more than a guinea pig for her experiments. She ran similar experiments with Greed, but the black sword didn’t suffer in the slightest—she made sure to clean and polish him after every test. As a matter of fact, he was usually up on cloud nine because Laine kept paying him compliments.

  “Oh, speaking of,” I said to Mugan. “If you see Laine, could you tell her I can’t go to the laboratory tomorrow? Something’s come up.”

  “Yeah, I’ll tell her,” said Mugan. “I did hear about that ‘something’ from Lady Roxy, you know. Strange things afoot in the Hobgoblin Forest, eh? She said something weird’s happening to the goblins over there.”

  “Whatever it is, it’s causing no end of trouble for the merchants traveling to and from the kingdom. We’ve already seen a few victims. The problem hasn’t gotten out of hand yet, but I think it might be better to nip it in the bud quickly.”

  “Still, feels a bit like overkill to send two holy knights to take care of a goblin problem…”

  Mugan’s brow creased as he drank the last of the bottle. The barkeep quickly swapped our empty bottle of wine for a fresh one and studied us, concern crossing his features.

  “It’s a troubling state of affairs, isn’t it?” he said. “Even the adventurers who come in here are talking about it. My business relies on those merchants, so I hope you take care of it quickly. I’m counting on you, Fate.”

  “I’ll do my best,” I said. “Have you had any trouble so far?”

  “Not yet,” said the barkeep. “But I’ll tell you what, the last thing I want around here is another lich like that Corpse thing.”

  The wine I was trying to drink burst from my mouth in a cloud of surprise. The barkeep left to take another customer’s order, a self-satisfied grin plastered across his face. My shoulders slumped as I wiped the wine off my face with a sleeve. Mugan chuckled.

  “Even I know about that lich, you know. Say what you want, but you can’t deny that wherever you go, you leave destruction in your wake.”

  “Would you please lay off?”

  Mugan laughed heartily, a mischievous glint in his eye. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he said as he poured me another glass of wine. “But in all seriousness, we’re all counting on you tomorrow. You better be ready.”

  There was something about Mugan’s knowing gaze. I’d seen that face before, and it rarely meant good news. I suddenly had a feeling that I knew exactly what he was getting at.

  “No way,” I cried, color draining from my face. “You don’t mean she’s going to be there, do you?”

  “Ah, you really are a sharp one, Fate. But it is what it is. It’s about time you got a taste of my daily struggles, anyway. This time, it’s your duty to keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn’t get in Lady Roxy’s way.”

  I cried out in dismay. The girl with the flaming sword was coming. In her eyes, I was her archnemesis. I could usually rely on Mugan to step in and keep her on a short leash, but not this time.

  “Why aren’t you coming along as well?” I asked. “You’re her babysitter, aren’t you?”

  “I am no such thing! Besides, I’ve been assigned to travel with Lady Eris. We’ll be away from the kingdom for a time. Surely you already knew about it.”

  “First I’ve heard.”

  Eris had told me that she was nearing the end of her investigation into Rafale’s research, but would tell me the details later. So that was all I knew. However, according to Mugan, Rafale had another base of operations. It was located to the east of Seifort, in the mountainous city of Tenburn. Mugan’s orders were to accompany Eris on her investigation.

  I’d never been to Tenburn, so I asked what sort of place it was. Nestled between towering mountains, the city had an elevation of nearly ten thousand feet above sea level. The remote city was inaccessible except via a few treacherous mountain paths. People chose to live in such a bleak place because there were innumerable rare minerals and ancient Galian relics hidden in the surrounding mountains. Many traveled to the place hoping to excavate and claim those lost technological artifacts. Though it was never publicly acknowledged, Tenburn was of vital importance to the kingdom.

  Caches of Galian tech still lay strewn across the various domains of the kingdom. I had previously assumed that the kingdom sourced any Galian technology used in research from Galia itself. Mugan’s description made me rethink my assumptions.

  “I see,” I said. “Well, then, guess I can look forward to a pretty spectacular Tenburn souvenir.”

  “It’s not a holiday, Fate. I won’t have time to go shopping for you!”

  “Yeah, I know. I have a feeling you’ll be okay if you’re traveling with Eris, but still—don’t do anything rash, okay?”

  “I won’t. I saw what happened the last time you guys got into a fight. I intend to be very careful.”

  We clinked our glasses, drank our wine, and talked about the state of the kingdom’s army now that Eris had revealed herself as Seifort’s true ruler. Soon enough, the talk again returned to the subject of Mugan’s daughter. Mugan was a stern-looking man, but when it came to his beloved Laine, his face softened into a beatific smile. I wondered if it was the same with all parents.

  I looked around the tavern at the red-faced merchants and boisterous adventurers who filled the place with their drinks and chatter. You would have been hard-pressed to find a single person there who didn’t think a time of peace was returning to Seifort.

  Yet in truth, something full of menace crept our way, slowly but steadily. At that time, we didn’t have the slightest clue what was coming.

  ***

  I woke up the following day to a sprightly, effervescent voice. Recently, my dreams had been spent on a spiritual plane of sorts—a mental arena in which I sparred with Greed. Well, it usually started with only Greed, but as the battles grew more chaotic, Luna inevitably became irritated and joined the fray. Of course, because she was the architect of that place, she alone was invincible. Every fight ended with me and Greed feebly waving our white flags of surrender and begging for mercy.

  “Look at you, sleepyhead! Time to get up! Rise an
d shine, my lord!”

  It was Sahara. I recognized the maid’s headband she wore. Though she was only nine years old, she was already serious and responsible. Indeed, she was the very definition of reliability. We’d met way back before I even became a servant at Hart Manor.

  Back then, I’d only just realized my powers of Gluttony when I saw her being kidnapped. I’d tried to help her, but ended up getting both of us into deeper trouble. The kidnapper had possessed a higher level than I did, but Greed helped me turn the tables. In the end, I killed that villain and brought Sahara safely back to her orphanage.

  I found her again when I was seeing off the first caravans headed for the Barbatos estate. Because Sahara was one of the forsaken, she was also eligible to move there and had actually boarded one of the first caravans. As soon as she saw me, she ran over. Ever since I saved her, she had regretted not being able to thank me properly.

  Sahara said she wanted to help me in return and said she’d do anything. Those words had left me feeling awkward and in a bind—I had no clue what to tell her. Fortunately, Aaron happened to be listening, and he had an idea. It was the sort of idea that transformed my worries and doubts into the charming details of a now-fond memory.

  Aaron told Sahara that Barbatos Manor needed more servants, and we weren’t sure what to do about it. He went on to say that if she had so much energy and enthusiasm, she was welcome to work for us as a maid. I stood there dumbstruck as Sahara enthusiastically agreed to Aaron’s suggestion.

  Since then, Sahara’s light-pink hair had grown long enough that she tied it into pigtails to keep it out of the way of her work. They bobbed as she looked down at me. I still hadn’t gotten used to her daily routine of waking me from my slumber.

  “Uh…morning,” I said.

  “Good morning!”

  I got up and yawned while Sahara quickly got to work straightening my sheets and making my bed.

  “I guess Aaron already left?” I asked.

  “Yes, he went to the castle, as always. Oh, but Memil went with him today.”

  “I see. So they went together…”

  I had to admit, I was a little relieved. It had been a month since Memil arrived as both a new servant of the manor and my new little sister. I would have been lying if I said our relationship had improved since then. When she first arrived, she’d called me “brother,” but I just couldn’t get used to it. I instructed her to call me “my lord” instead, just like Sahara did.

  Memil and I had a complicated past, and we still couldn’t work out what our relationship was and how close or distant we should be with one another. It wasn’t like we hated each other; it was more like we were both too worried about how to act. That’s why it was always especially awkward when Aaron went to the castle and Sahara went out shopping or on some errand. I ended up pacing nervously whenever Memil and I were left alone in the spacious Barbatos Manor. It made me want to run and hide in my room.

  I knew I had to resolve this situation, but I just kept avoiding it instead. I had a feeling that Memil also wanted to patch things up. Every now and again, I’d feel her staring at me. She’d open her mouth like she was about to speak, then give up and go somewhere else.

  “If you want to mend things with Memil, why don’t you just invite her out for a meal?” said Sahara. “It’d be easier for me to focus on work if the two of you would just get along already.”

  “Yeah…you’re exactly right.”

  There I was, being lectured by a nine-year-old. It was truly a pathetic sight. I looked at Greed, leaning against the wall. I got the distinct feeling that the black sword was cackling as he watched me standing there and fretting.

  Chapter 2:

  My Teacher, Miss Roxy

  ONCE I FINISHED GETTING DRESSED, I ate breakfast with Sahara. Instead of eating with Aaron, she had decided to wait for me.

  The dining hall had been completely remodeled. It was a beautiful space with wooden walls and flooring that lent a feeling of natural warmth. We’d had the option to remake it all with marble, but unfortunately, the Barbatos family wasn’t quite that wealthy. We’d used the better part of our savings to restore the Barbatos estate.

  On the bright side, we were starting to make a profit thanks to high-quality rock salt, which was plentiful in the mountain near our estate and could be sold to neighboring domains. In order to secure other sources of revenue, we were also putting effort into growing and cultivating spices. Set was helping us out, having learned the ins and outs of growing spices from his travels. I would never forget the day Set laid out all the facts and presented his plans. I’d never seen him so passionate. According to him, the soil around the estate was well-suited to the task, so he got us started on cultivating spices that were in high demand. This included black pepper, red pepper, and turmeric. No other estates produced a steady supply of these spices, so if we were successful, we would corner the market and could expect a handsome profit.

  When I was last at the estate, I’d had a chance to tour the spice farms for myself. Everything was going smoothly. It looked like it would be a good harvest. Set said that he would come to the kingdom to report when they were harvested, and he’d bring samples with him. I had high hopes. It was important to ensure that the farming could yield steady returns, because that would mean we could focus on improving the estate’s other industries.

  Thanks to Roxy, we were also getting help growing grapes. It was a time-consuming endeavor, but hypothetically, we’d be able to make wine on the lands of the Barbatos estate. We weren’t going to produce anything nearly as excellent as the Hart estate’s wine anytime soon, but it still seemed like a job worth doing.

  I found myself thinking about all of this as I gobbled down my breakfast, and Sahara started laughing at me.

  “I’m glad to see you looking so happy,” she said. “I bet it’s because you’re meeting with Lady Roxy today, isn’t it?”

  Her comment caught me as I was swallowing a mouthful of bread. It lodged itself firmly in my throat, sending me into a coughing fit.

  “Finished!” said Sahara, who began clearing her plates and cleaning up.

  “What are you up to today, Sahara?” I asked as I hurriedly devoured my own bread and soup. “The usual?”

  “Yup. I’m going to help out at the orphanage.”

  Though Sahara had become a maid at Barbatos Manor, she still frequented the orphanage where she had been raised. The boys and girls there weren’t her blood relatives, but Sahara looked after them as if they were her own family. I would have liked to give them all a home at the Barbatos estate, but we didn’t yet have the means to host large numbers of young children.

  “I’ll take you there,” I said. “The kingdom is getting safer by the day, but the slums are still pretty dangerous at times.”

  “Thank you!”

  I took my plates in hand and went with Sahara to the kitchen. We put our plates in the sink and washed them side by side. The kitchen was incredibly spacious—easily larger than the entirety of the little run-down hut I had once called my home. Even the sink was wide enough for five people to use at the same time. I worried that the place was too big for Aaron, Sahara, Memil, and myself, but when I’d mentioned it to Aaron, he only laughed.

  “It might feel that way to begin with,” he’d said, “but it will feel smaller as our family grows and we employ more staff.”

  I’d never experienced anything like that before, but I gathered that, with time, I’d see what Aaron meant.

  After breakfast, I went back to my room and took Greed in hand. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” I said.

  “I’m dying here. I’m so bored.”

  “Don’t be like that. We’re going to the Hobgoblin Forest today. Can’t fight monsters on an empty stomach.”

  “Always the Glutton.”

  “You know it. Anyway, let’s go. Sahara is waiting.”

  After the battle with Rafale, my armor had been left in tatters, but Jade Stratos had repaired it for me. He was an armorer and craftsman based in the frontier city of Babylon at the Galian border. We had an exclusive contract: No matter how damaged my armor got, he always fixed it for me.

  Jade’s fame had grown by leaps and bounds, and he was now regarded as one of the finest craftsmen in Babylon. The reason for that was dead simple: I’d worn his gear when I slew the Divine Dragon. As soon as the adventurers of Babylon heard that Jade was my personal armorer, they rushed to his shop in droves. Even with all his new-found fame, Jade wasn’t the slightest bit arrogant, and he remained focused purely on his craft.