Chapter 5: Bon Appetit

The two youths, accompanied by their newly "adopted" older brother (who they insisted on calling "Natsuki"), departed from the winery and traversed the streets of the capital through the various alleyways until they reached what appeared to be a manhole cover, except it was more, well, medieval.

Upon entering it, Subaru wanted to breathe in relief. The hole had not led to a sewer system. It had, actually, led them to a system of catacombs that was almost impossible to see in and was infested by every insect one could possibly think of, then some more.

Fun.

The issue of not seeing was solved when Lye quite literally summoned fire into his open palm (with no protective gear whatsoever) and the insects moved aside as Roy waved his hand at them. Subaru tried his luck at controlling the little creatures, but nothing happened. He didn't even try to imitate Lye's fireball; without at least 5 layers on, he was sure to burn himself.

The three walked in relative silence for some time, until they reached a branching path. Four directions were available, excluding the one they came from. Without even hesitating, Roy walked towards the one on the far-right.

Lye called out to him. "Brother, that leads to the outer market district. Why go that way, tsu?"

The other looked genuinely confused, as if his brother had just told him that stars are actually fireflies in the sky. "Well, we thought the market would have more people, tsu. Isn't that what a feast entails? Food?"

"A feast needs quality food, not just any scrap found on the market. Why would one even want to feed on those disgusting merchants?" Pointing to the middle-left path, Lye continued, "This route leads to the Astrea residence. There are sure to be tasty meals there."

Roy groaned in exasperation. "Why would we want to feast on the Sword Saint, tsu? And what if there are not that many people to begin with?"

"Not the Sword Saint, tsu. Some of his house's guards are capable individuals. They would sate our hunger."

"Your hunger. What does big brother Natsuki have to say?"

When both turned to look at their new brother, they found him pale and stiff. Before either could speak, he asked, in a high-pitched whisper, "You guys eat people?"

Both of them nodded, and Lye responded, "We do not eat the physical body, tsu! That often tastes bad. We devour memories and names."

"You expect me to understand what that even means!?"

With a chuckle, Roy stated, "Eating an individual's memories erases their knowledge of the world, while taking their name erases everyone's memories of them, tsu!"

"If we eat both, then that person goes unconscious," Lye added.

Subaru scratched his chin. "So that's why Rem hated you guys…"

Tilting his head like a puppy, Lye questioned, "Who's Rem, tsu?"

"Never mind that. If you two are undecided, then I'll pick the path myself! I pick the far-left one!"

The two youths exchanged glances and giggled.

Feeling there was something he was clearly not being informed of, Subaru inquired, "What's so funny!? Don't tell me that path leads to a bathhouse or something!"

"That path leads to the red-light district, tsu," Roy replied.

Sensing his face turning redder than said district, he quickly spoke, "Well, what about the middle-right one!?"

"Leads to the castle, tsu. We are hungry, but not hungry enough to take on the entire royal guard."

"Are those really the only choices available!?"

Grinning from ear-to-ear, Lye said, "While these are the only paths in front of us, there is another one branching off of the one that leads to the red-light district. That one takes us close to a gang's lair, tsu…"

With his left hand, Subaru pointed to said path. "Well, I rather take on a gang than some knights!"

His two new brothers nodded in eerie unison.

Thus, they departed for the gang's lair.

The Council of Wisemen had reconvened in the throne room, this time to hear out a noble's request for increased patrols around the lower market district, where said noble's son apparently roamed as a criminal.

The Council responded like it always did: with hesitation and denial. They couldn't pull entire forces toward the market just because of one petty thug. Besides, guard patrols had to be increased in the slums after it was discovered that the suicide bomber from earlier in the day had worked there.

"Think they'll find the Cult there?"

"Nah, if there were more of those bastards in the city they'd have shown themselves already."

Olsed and Linneke conversed again, their previous quarrel forgotten entirely.

"Say, Lin, did you hear about old Heindrich? If what they said is true, he might be getting a spot in the royal guard soon."

"You really think he'll get his own squad after what happened last night?"

"Ah, sucks to be him. Can't imagine being that dumb. Who the hell celebrates their promotion by beating a thief to near-death?"

"It won't matter; his dad's a famous supporter of House Juukulius, they'll get him off scot-free."

"Fancy-ass knights. When I screwed up, I got punished. This is why our country's running to the ground."

"That, and the fact that those archaic dimwits are calling the shots."

"Hear, hear. I bet if you dug out the corpse of the old king, he'd rule better than them!"

"Damn right! Wanna go get a shovel?"

At that, they both chuckled. Olsed waved his hand dismissively and continued, "If you get that healer, 'Blue,' I'll get the shovel."

"I forget you worked for the Karstens. Must've been nice to meet the girl who put all healers to shame."

"Girl? Nah, Blue's a guy, and a damn weird one too."

"No kidding? Well, I guess that's to be expected with how the duchess acts. Who do you think really wears the pants in that household?"

"Old Meckart from beyond the grave."

Like before, the sound of their laughter filled the empty hallway.

"Say, Ols, assuming that there still was a member of the royal family out there, but they're a major bastard, would you still want them to rule?"

Olsed's eyes narrowed in something resembling suspicion. "Lin, if you brought me the White Whale and told me it had royal blood, I'd carry it to the throne myself."

"Doubt the Dragon'd get along with it."

"The Dragon can kiss my jewels, if it really cared about us, it'd have helped when the royals died!"

Both quieted upon hearing the doors open, and they turned to face the emerging nobleman. Out came a man with sickly gray skin and a twin mustache joined by a short beard.

When the nobleman was beyond earshot and the doors closed, both guards spoke in unison. "Foolish, old, good-for-nothing."

The three figures that stood outside a run-down building could not possibly look more out of place. Two youths in raggedy clothes and one near-adult accompanying them.

Of course, this was excluding the various figures that lay scattered around them, almost as if dead, but not quite. Said figures were now amnesiacs, and their memories had been taken by the trio of gluttons.

To be more precise, their memories were taken by the two younger members of the hungry triad, who had discovered something new about their newest addition.

"If you cannot eat, then this has become troublesome, tsu…"

Upon attempting to devour the gang members' memories, Subaru discovered that nothing happened. He was stupefied by the discovery, and would have been skewered by one of the gangsters had Roy not stepped in.

Was he destined to be a constant failure?

"Big brother Natsuki will go hungry. If he cannot eat, we will eat for him."

"How exactly does that work, Lye?"

With the smile of a child showing their parents a crayon drawing, Lye answered, "Any memories or names we consume, you will get as well, tsu. We feed so sister Louis feeds, so you should receive our meals as well."

"So, wait, are you saying I'm completely worthless then? Does this 'Authority' of yours have any other use!?"

"We have the ability to control mabeasts and utilize two kinds of Eclipses, tsu. But we do not believe it would be wise for you to try it."

Great, so turns out he wasn't fit to be one of these "Archbishops" after all. Is he destined to only be useful by dying? If that's true, then whoever gave him this power was an absolute freak!

"Big brother Natsuki," Roy began. "We will continue to feast on the remaining fighters, tsu. You are welcome to join in however you can."

Natsuki Subaru was going to prove to whoever granted him his "Return by Death" that he could succeed without it.

Maybe this was how he could sate his hunger.

Under Roswaal L. Mathers's mansion, there lies a small cell for enemies of the Margrave, criminals, and anyone else deemed a threat too dangerous to roam the land free, but not dangerous enough to be sent away to the prison tower.

Now, the cell held a purple-haired girl who played with the doll of a redhead knight.

"If you do not tell Rem about the cultist, Rem cannot guarantee your safety here."

Such were the words of the mansion's blue-haired former maid, Rem. Though the words were a definite threat, they had the opposite effect on the young detainee.

"Hehe, I can assu~re you, miss blue, that I do not kno~w anyone like what you described. Also, you need to work on your thre~ats."

With this, Rem's scowl grew even deeper, but she did not respond.

"That's right, miss blue. Everyone can tell you don't me~an to threaten me, and those are ju~st empty words. When you threaten someone, you need to lo~ok them in the eye, not at the floor."

Rem knew this already. The girl in front of her was a cultist too, so why did she find it so difficult to actually make good on her intimidation? Was it because the girl was so much younger than that repulsive spy who attacked her? Had she simply lost her edge? That could be it, given that she failed to eliminate the spy from before.

No, Rem knew why she couldn't attack this girl: she couldn't smell the Witch on her. There was not a trace of the cursed woman's scent on the little girl, and Rem knew what this meant. Little more than a day ago, she had tried to kill a man based only on his scent. To hurt someone who lacked such a stench would be the ultimate hypocrisy.

But Rem didn't care. That bastard had dared to encroach on her and her sister's home, and – upon being discovered – clearly ordered this girl to create a distraction.

"Rem will give you one last chance. Tell Rem what you know of Natsuki Subaru, and you will be allowed to leave."

"I to~ld you, miss blue. I don't know anyo~ne by that name or description."

Rem clenched her fist. She faced two possibilities: either the girl told the truth and had no contact with the spy, or she was lying and covering the smell of the Witch. If it was the latter, then Rem would simply need to make good on her threats. After all, the presence of one cultist means that more are nearby.

If it was the former, too bad.

As she felt the cold of the icicle near her, Rem looked down. She had to do this, but she didn't want to. It was much easier with that disgusting man who had come to spy on them. At least then, she was convinced her target was a danger to everyone. Rem felt the icicle form entirely, take aim, an-

"Rem! Did something happen!? Are you alright!?"

At hearing those words said behind her, Rem felt her heart almost stop. Just how much of the conversation had the half-elf caught? Did she even know that she was the reason these wretched individuals were invading their home and wreaking havoc?

The icicle disappeared, and Rem turned around to face the candidate. "Nothing occurred, miss Emilia. Rem simply got carried away."

Whatever Emilia was thinking, she did not convey. Silence reigned for some seconds until she finally said, "I'm glad no one's hurt, then."

"Yes, miss Emilia. No one is hurt."

Seeing Rem throw a sidelong glance at the young girl, who continued playing with the redhead doll as if nothing happened, Emilia nodded gravely. "Rem, there is something I need to ask you."

Before Rem could answer whatever question Emilia might've had, the latter pulled her outside the cell, beyond earshot of the captive. In the empty and dark hallway, Emilia turned to the former maid and asked,

"Is it true Subaru was a cultist?"

Within the run-down abandoned building on the outskirts of the red-light district stood three figures, two of which were noticeably younger than the third. Scattered around them lay various people in a death-like state. The three figures surrounded a fourth: a man in his forties who had sustained various wounds in his legs.

Both of the younger figures looked at their elder as he stepped toward the injured man. Once close enough, the eldest figure extended his left hand, touched the man's forehead, and, after saying "Javin Solett," licked his palm.

Nothing happened.

"This is puzzling, tsu," Lye said. "It's clear you took in the Authority, so why does it not work?"

"You are the self-proclaimed 'genius,' brother. Figure it out, tsu."

While Lye examined Subaru under extreme scrutiny, Roy trudged up to the man and repeated the process he's done countless times. Just like always, the man fell into a coma-like state as soon as his memories were taken.

Exasperated, Subaru licked his palm again. "Nope, doesn't work. Either you guys gave me a bogus power or whoever sold it to you is a con."

Lye said nothing as he exhaled and walked over to a wall. He faced the wall, opened his hand, and struck the wall as if trying to destroy it.

The wall crumbled apart.

As Subaru watched in astonishment, Lye said to him, "This is one of the uses of Lunar Eclipse. It is called 'Palm of the Fist King,' tsu."

Eager to imitate what he just saw, Subaru walked over to a rather intact wall. After assuming his best Kung Fu stance (thanks Bruce Lee), he opened his palm breathed in, imagining the power inside him. When he felt prepared, he struck the wall with all his might.

All that crumbled apart was his pride.

Lye looked at him in disbelief while Roy was chuckling to himself on the other side of the room.

"I give up! This 'power' you gave me is a total scam! I just feel hungry and have nothing to show for it!"

It was Roy who answered while using his dagger to cut off a tangled lock of his hair. "This is clearly more than a mistake in the absorption process, tsu! As such, we cannot tell what exactly caused this problem! However, there may be someone who can."

"Brother, I believe the time to find out what caused this it at hand."

Upon hearing those words, Roy dug his hands into his clothes and pulled out the gospel. He opened it, turned about a quarter of the pages, and read what was in it. Lye repeated the gesture.

Not wanting to feel left out, Subaru retrieved his own copy of the book and turned to the third page, which now contained writing on it.

"Archbishop meeting at the Lugnican cathedral, present Bishop Natsuki."

As always, the other pages were completely blank. He heard Lye and Roy discussing something, but he didn't pay attention to it. There were other Archbishops? Obviously, given that these two called themselves "gluttony," it would make sense that there were more. But, why did Subaru have to "present himself" to them? That wasn't a euphemism, was it?

"Big brother Natsuki," Lye called. "The Witch wants to meet you."

"The Witch? You mean the one that left her smell all over me!? Well, I wanna meet her too, and I should give her a piece of my mind! Do you know how much trouble she go-"

"No, big brother," answered Roy. "The Witch of Envy's scent is upon you, tsu."

"But it is the Witch of Vanity who wants to meet you, tsu!"

AN: No more Gluttonies, the guards are the main characters now. Jokes aside, this chapter is pretty short, but only because it's really only a setup for the next chapter. Also, I left two references to my favorite games (one of them in this chapter), and whoever can find both will get a shoutout in one of these ANs. Good luck!