Berserk: The Prophet

Seeing Green's confident demeanor, Gus smiled for the first time in a long time. "You're still the same as before, always one step ahead of me in everything you do. And I'm supposed to be your older brother."

"Eat something first." Gus ladled out a bowl of food and handed it to Green.

"Mmm! It's been so long since I've had your cooking, brother. I'm going to eat a lot." Green was indeed hungry. He picked up the wooden bowl and spoon, blew on the hot soup, and scooped up a spoonful. It was the familiar taste, just the right amount of salt.

"My little brother... has made something of himself." Gus, looking like a little adult, watched Green wolf down his food with great affection and ruffled Green's hair.

Seeing Green's face swollen so badly, Gus, as the older brother, felt bad too. Gus knew that his younger brother was probably standing up for him.

...After all, he had just returned and saw Gambino like that. At least, the old Gambino could be communicated with, but now...

Gus sighed and got up to go back into the tent to find a clean cloth.

"Brother, where are you going? Why aren't you eating?"

They say a half-grown boy can eat his father out of house and home. With his hunger kicking in, Green quickly finished a bowl of meat soup. Looking at the little meat soup left, Green ladled it into Gus's bowl and took out some dried venison and bear meat from his food bag.

Seeing Guts hurrying out of the tent, Green handed him the jerky, saying, "Eat up, bro. This is the game we caught on the road."

"Eat in a bit." Gus took a cloth, went to a clean patch of snow, and made a handful of snow into a simple ice pack, which he handed to Green.

"Apply it to the affected area; it's all swollen."

Green took the ice pack and obediently applied it to his face. "Brother, it's alright, I'm tough."

He said he didn't care, but his heart was warmed; it felt so good to have his brother's care. Although his soldiers often looked after him, the feeling of being cared for by his own brother was different from that of being cared for by his subordinates.

...This is genuine family affection.

This was incredibly precious to Green, who had always been an orphan. It was hard to explain, but it warmed his heart.

“Don’t be so impulsive in the future. Gambino has changed. We have to be careful.” Guts sat down next to Green, picked up his bowl and began to eat, but his tone was full of worry.

Green curled his lip. "I just can't stand his arrogant attitude, and I can't stand how he makes things difficult for you. Who does he think he is? Now that he's gone, he's nothing. And you're just going to let him hit you and yell at you like that?"

Gus shook his head helplessly. "I know you mean well, but we can't go head-to-head. Besides, Gambino is indeed our adoptive father. We can't... be ungrateful."

Green, though still dissatisfied with Guts's words, understood his thoughts. After all, Guts had always been a man of deep affection and loyalty, and even though Gambino treated them this way, he still found it difficult to sever the bond of nurturing.

Green took a bite of venison jerky and said slowly, "Brother, I understand what you mean. But what Gambino did is truly unforgivable. However, I promise you, I will try my best to restrain myself in the future."

"But personally, I think that since he's already sold us to others for money, he's already repaid that kindness. You see, once pigs and dogs are sold to others, they're no longer considered the property of their original owners?"

“I don’t think we need to support him at all. He treats us like dogs, and even betrays us. There’s no point in staying here. Come with me and leave if you have the chance.”

Guss lowered his head and remained silent for a while, unconsciously stirring the soup in his bowl with the spoon in his hand, as if he was thinking about Green's words.

"Green, what you said makes sense, but..."

“He has raised us for so many years, after all, I…” Guts’ eyes were full of conflict. Of course he remembered the ruthless words Gambino had said, and he would not forget that it was Gambino who taught him how to live in this world with a sword.

Bitter tears dripped into the soup; leaving this place would indeed leave him feeling lost. The long history of militarized warfare had made Guts unable to imagine making a living any other than by the sword.

"...Besides us, who else would take good care of him?"

“Sigh, even if we're gone, we still have the Fierce Bear Gang. We won't let him starve to death.” Green looked at Gus, feeling somewhat helpless, but he knew he couldn't force him.

Green knew that Guss was sentimental, but he just couldn't let go of his feelings for Gambino for the time being. It's normal for a child to be homesick, after all, it's the place where he grew up, no matter how suffocating that home may be.

“Brother, I know you’re in a difficult position. But think about it, Gambino himself doesn’t cherish our relationship and even sold us off as a burden. Even if we stay to take care of him, he might not appreciate it and might even become more unreasonable and hate us more.”

Gus raised his head, his eyes filled with pain and struggle. "I understand what you mean, Green, but after so many years together, how can we just cut ties like that? Besides, I don't know what I can do after leaving here... I only know how to wield a sword, nothing else."

Green gripped Gus's shoulder and said firmly, "Brother, don't think like that. Your swordsmanship will definitely come in handy in the caravan. We can escort the goods together and protect the caravan's safety. Besides, the brothers in the caravan will teach you a lot, and you'll adapt to your new life quickly."

Gus nodded slightly, seemingly tempted but still hesitant. "But, Green, I feel bad about leaving like this."

Green thought for a moment and said, "Brother, how about this? Let's leave here first, and after we've settled down outside, we'll send someone back to check on Gambino. If he really needs help, we'll find a way to help him. What do you think?"

Gus listened to Green's suggestion and remained silent for a long time. Finally, he slowly said, "Alright, Green, I'll listen to you. But I still hope to have a chance to talk to Gambino properly; maybe he's just confused for a moment."

Green understood that Guts still couldn't let go of his feelings for Gambino, but he didn't want to see Guts suffer any more. "Okay, bro. But be careful not to get hurt by him again."

"Anyway, I've already repaid his kindness to me. To tell you the truth, the year I left home, I was actually sold to Juda's spy. These wounds on my body are from doing dirty work for others."

Ignoring whether it was the dead of winter, Green removed his armor and cotton armor, revealing the scars on his upper body and the still-unhealed whip marks on his back.

“I almost lost my life several times. This is not an exaggeration. It is true that he saved my life and yours, but I have already paid back the debt.”

“I will never treat him as my family again. My life belongs to myself and I am no longer something that belongs to him. When you finally understand, I will take you away from here.”

Gus stared at the horrifying wounds on Grimm's body, his eyes instantly reddening, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face. His hand trembled as he gently touched the whip marks on Grimm's back, his voice choked with sobs as he embraced him tenderly: "Grimm, what have you been through all these years... I had no idea, you..."

Green gently grasped Gus's hand, which was now even rougher; both of them had suffered quite a bit.

“Brother, it’s all in the past. I’m telling you this now not to make you feel guilty, but to make you understand how outrageous Gambino’s actions were. We don’t need to make excuses for his behavior anymore, nor do we need to be trapped here by so-called gratitude.”

"I've come back this time to take you away from this place, away from this place where there is only killing and betrayal!!"

Guts bit his lip, his heart filled with heartache for Green, as well as anger and disappointment towards Gambino. He had always thought that Gambino's personality had changed drastically simply because of his broken leg, but he never imagined that Green had suffered so much because of Gambino's betrayal.

...This is even worse than betraying oneself.

Guts's mind flashed with Gambino's heartless words, but he also remembered calling out his foster mother Sis's name while he was unconscious. Gambino...

“I’ll consider it, but… can you give me some time? I…” Guts’ voice choked with emotion; his heart was aching terribly.