Glontes of Gluttony #1
Twitch. The girl's small nose caught the scent she'd been desperately hunting.
She hesitated for a moment, then turned her steps toward the smell of blood, guts, and steel.
"I'm sorry, young master. We couldn't find Lady Belluna."
Isabella bowed her head, her face streaked with fatigue. I patted her shoulder as if it were nothing and spoke up.
"Nah, Bel. The opponent's an executive from a continent-spanning crime syndicate. It'd be weirder if we found her easily. This isn't on you."
Of course, even as I said it, anxiety gnawed at me.
I was in the Nicola class lounge, a spot reserved for our group. My friends had practically forced me to sit and rest after my duel with Leviathana—probably to give me a breather. But I just fidgeted restlessly.
Thanks to Professor Beltum's help, I could still pull out Nautilus without collapsing yet. Still, the constant fear that I might lose Adella kept bubbling up from inside me.
I was trying to digest the experience from today's duel through meditation, but it wasn't easy.
My left temple throbbed relentlessly. Headaches were a constant companion, but pain isolated to just the left side... wasn't a good sign.
Damn it. If only there was some way to track Leviathana—
—KYAAAAAOOOOO—!!!
"...!"
A mechanical dragon's roar exploded in my head. My body jolted, and Isabella looked up at me with concern.
"Are you alright, young master?"
"...Didn't you just hear that?"
"Hear what...?"
She looked baffled. So only I heard Nautilus's cry. It wasn't from my deck or my mind's eye— it echoed dully, like it came from far away.
...Come to think of it, it was odd that a Seven's Finger executive would retreat so easily after losing, even if she'd stolen my dragon card.
'If the void slime—Blank—copied Nautilus as part of the theft...?'
Then that would explain it. Perfectly.
'What a stupid move.'
My Origin Creatures were all like that, but the three dragons were especially troublesome. I'd spent the last seventeen years wrangling them—I could vouch for it.
They bared their teeth even at me, their core, if things didn't go their way. Falling into some other human's hands? They'd sooner manifest and chomp through their skull.
That's why I'd dueled despite the risk of card theft—I knew their temperament.
'In that case...'
I pulled Nautilus's card from my pocket. Sure enough, the red camera eye on the card flickered fiercely, like it was about to ignite.
They wouldn't tolerate some copycat imitation.
And with this, maybe I could track her. Dragons first, but above all, they were war machines.
"U-um, Bardi."
A voice called out then. It was Erhun—the boy with a small frame and androgynous face.
He approached cautiously, wrinkling his nose with a still-gloomy expression.
"What's up?"
Hope flared that we might find Adella, so my voice came out impatient. Erhun flinched but took a deep breath.
"Ugh..."
Then he clutched his nose. Wondering what the hell he was doing, I narrowed my eyes— and he spoke quickly.
"Th-there's a way to find Lady Belluna. Will you... help?"
"What...?"
I hadn't expected that.
Come to think of it, this morning at dawn, Erhun had come looking for Adella, saying he had something to tell her. How had he known she'd entered the Bewitching Forest?
"...Erhun, you."
"I-I know. I look suspicious. So..."
Erhun dropped his round, acorn-like eyes and trailed off. He hemmed and hawed, then met my gaze squarely, face set with resolve.
"Instead of just asking you to trust me blindly, I'll show you my secret..."
Erhun raised his small hands to his head and rubbed vigorously.
I watched, clueless. Then—
Twitch. Round, oversized ears poked through his brown hair.
Swish— And from the corner of my eye, something moved. Looking down, a thick, fluffy tail protruded from his backside.
"Ratatosk..."
Isabella murmured in surprise.
Ratatosk. A rare breed among the scarce squirrel beastkin.
They had innate genius as a race, excelling in fields like Magic & Creature. But with low numbers and a aversion to conflict, they hid from those scheming to exploit their talents—making sightings rare.
And one disguised as human to enter Federico Academy. And revealing it to me, no less.
"...P-please don't tell anyone else. I beg you."
"Yeah, sure. Obviously."
"I saw nothing today."
Neither Isabella nor I were the type to blab others' secrets. Erhun's tense face relaxed a bit.
"So, what do you mean you can find Adella?"
"I-I'm good with smells."
"Smells?"
Erhun twitched his nose. It seemed habitual.
"Our racial genius manifested as hypersensitive smell for me. I can even detect people's inner scents..."
Inner scents? Then...
"Is that why you've looked down lately? Because of your nose?"
"...Yes. I can't help smelling people's emotions. The academy has more foul odors than I expected..."
Mine probably wasn't pleasant either.
"S-sorry. You always smell like blood, guts... rusted iron, so I avoided you. Honestly, it scared me."
"Uh, yeah. Sorry about that."
"No, I'm the sorry one. I know you truly care for Lady Belluna. Smells aren't everything. Lord Borromeo too..."
Erhun muttered, then snapped his eyes wide, as if remembering the urgency.
"A-anyway! Lately, there's been a foul smell around the academy. I poked around alone... and this dawn, Lady Belluna had it on her. She usually smells so fresh and lovely."
"So that's why you came to warn her."
"Yes... S-sorry. I should've been surer. I never imagined a Seven's Finger executive would infiltrate the academy..."
"It's fine. We can make up for it now."
I placed a hand carefully on his shoulder.
"Adella might not have heard you properly anyway."
She'd been half-asleep at dawn.
"So let's find her and give her an earful. I've got a lead too."
I held up Nautilus's card. Erhun shuddered but nodded.
"Y-yes, please... Bardi!"
"Same here, Erhun."
Erhun and I plunged into the Bewitching Forest, following Nautilus's signal and his nose.
Alone, either lead might've been shaky, but together, we moved with startling speed.
Isabella went to brief our friends—just in case—and attached Argos to track me in real-time.
How much time passed? As dusk fell, we reached a cave.
The entrance was tiny, hidden by dense foliage—tough to find even knowing where to look.
"This it?"
"Yes, the smell's from inside. But..."
Erhun wrinkled his nose, frowning.
"What?"
"Another smell too. The original one's... faint. Leviathana's probably gone."
"...Another executive?"
"Likely."
Leviathana fled, replaced by another. No idea how strong, but no backing down now.
"Terraforming Drone."
Bzzz—
A small drone summoned, illuminating the dim cave.
"Let's go, Erhun."
"Yes, Bardi."
We advanced cautiously. No maintenance here—the path was rough for humans.
"Grk!"
"!"
After struggling awhile, we hit a wider chamber. A familiar voice cried out as a massive body flew at me.
I caught it reflexively. Pollux.
"Pollux!"
"Urk... B-Bardi...?"
His waist-length black hair and muscled frame shook; he could barely speak.
"What happened?"
"Felt... suspicious presence in the forest... came to check. Some freak... ambushed me. Damn it, got wrecked..."
Pollux, who'd beaten Alexander—even in Magic & Creature? A chill thought hit me.
"Watch out, Bardi... In duels with him, damage... materializes..."
Damn. As I feared.
"And he... the cards..."
Pollux passed out, desperate to warn me.
"Erhun, watch him."
"...Yes. Be careful."
No time for more. A dark silhouette emerged from the cave depths.
Its build was bizarre. Gaunt frame like skin over bones, but a steel jaw replacing the lower face and a ballooning belly gave it a grotesque, predatory vibe.
"Smell... such a smell."
"Ugh..."
Erhun plugged his nose at the man's voice. The stench must be intense.
"New feast arrived..."
"Not mealtime, mister."
I stepped forward, shielding Erhun and Pollux.
"Where's Adella?"
"Adella...? Ah, the elf wench... Couldn't eat her. Leviathana... that bitch... interfering again..."
...Couldn't eat her? And Leviathana interfered? Did she take Adella?
"Lady Belluna's here. Behind that man."
Erhun whispered. So she was safe, for now.
Then.
"Only one thing left to do."
I drew my deck, shuffling quickly.
'Feast,' 'couldn't eat.' Probably the Gluttony executive.
No clue on exact powers, but I could guess.
"Oh... Lady Chipera, granting this foolish Glontes the grace of another feast..."
The man sighed in rapture, lips curling into a grin.
"I'll eat well..."