Chapter 145
Chapter 145
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 145
Chapter Title: Chapter 4. Uruun, the Land of Revelry and Culture
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Roxin was buried in chips each worth one gold coin, just as he'd hoped, letting out cheers of pure bliss. He seemed genuinely thrilled.
"Uhahaha! My gambling life! The best~ day ever!"
Judah shook his head pityingly at the sight of Roxin raising both hands full of chips and scattering them into the air with a flourish. He'd dreamed of doing the same himself, but acting like that in front of everyone around was another matter entirely. Was it really that exciting?
The nobles and wealthy merchants nearby gazed at Roxin with a distant, wistful look, unlike Judah's sympathetic glance. They sighed softly, as if reminiscing about their own pasts.
"Man. There was a time when I'd get that excited over that much money..."
"Feels like looking at my pure, youthful self."
"He always loses, but he won big today. Gotta have days like this to make life fun."
Despite losing a fair amount of money to Roxin and Judah's teamwork, it must have been pocket change to them, because they casually offered congratulations. Roxin shouted at them while shaking his fist.
"Did you see that? It's not because I lack skill! I was just unlucky before! Uhahaha!"
After laughing and venting his joy for quite a while like that, Roxin loaded the chips onto a cart and exchanged them for gold coins. He handed some of the bulging pouches of gold over to Judah. The amount Judah received alone was three thousand gold coins.
"You know we got way more than the original one thousand gold reward, right?"
"Psh. I invested a thousand gold myself—what's the big deal over that?"
Roxin had pocketed twice the amount they'd agreed on. And for him, he'd achieved a lifelong dream to boot, so it was far from a bad deal. He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and tried pressing it firmly with his hand, but tilted his head in confusion. It had gotten crumpled in his pocket, and the ink pressure didn't feel right, so he'd probably need to use some chemicals back at the branch. Linking arms with Judah and slinging the pouches over his shoulder, Roxin left the casino with bouncy steps, whistling a cheerful tune.
"When do I get the info? Today? Tomorrow?"
"Now, please."
"Now? That's tricky. I still need to look into it, you know? Dawn's breaking soon anyway, and I need a full day's sleep. Let's meet again tomorrow morning."
"Where?"
"Where are you staying?"
He asked as if willing to come if that's what Judah wanted.
"Count Jenua's estate."
"...Count Jenua?"
Hmm—Roxin scratched the bridge of his nose with his index finger and closed his eyes. He'd had some drinks from the casino, but not enough to get drunk. Was mid-twenties ear-deaf age? But he dismissed the thought with a heavy sigh.
"This is insane. Count Jenua's place is off-limits."
Even the Shadow Kingdom's abilities were impressive, but they weren't reckless enough to mess with a Fragment owner.
"Just come to that square we met at tomorrow morning. I'll be sitting on an empty bench."
He didn't ask why Judah was staying at Count Jenua's mansion. As he waved goodbye and said see you tomorrow, Judah grabbed his shoulder to stop him.
"Hold on."
"? ...What."
He looked at Judah with a sullen expression. Clutching the money pouch tightly, he seemed to think Judah wanted more cash.
"We got double the commission fee, so could you do a little extra work?"
"...That wasn't the deal, was it?"
"It was just a verbal agreement anyway, and I helped you fulfill a lifelong dream. This much service should be fine, right?"
"Did I ever say it was a lifelong dream?"
Roxin tilted his head.
"You did, when you were babbling and tossing chips in the air. You said it was one of your life's greatest wishes."
"......"
Damn, he'd overheard that useless bit.
He considered denying it, but how ecstatic must he have been to blurt that out—he couldn't bring himself to lie. It was true that he was thrilled, after all. He mulled it over, smacking his lips, then let out a small sigh.
"Fine, what do you want?"
"It's a bit of a tough request. You okay with that?"
"If it's tough, don't ask. Wait, hold on. This guy. Now you're asking like we're old pals? Hey. You think I'll just say yes because of that?"
Roxin furrowed his brow, feigning displeasure. It probably hurt his pride as a Shadow Kingdom executive. If he wanted, he could just ghost Judah and break their promise.
"But I fulfilled your lifelong dream?"
"......"
"And I might do it again next time?"
"Of course. I'll do it. So, what's the request?"
Judah suppressed a smile at his sudden shift in attitude. It was chilling how perfectly he matched the personality he'd set, but at least it made his actions and words somewhat predictable.
"Do you remember what info I wanted?"
"You wanted floor plans of the great nobles' mansions. Not many ask for that sort of thing. Oh, wait. You also asked for the elves' locations... right?"
Huh, hold on.
Roxin frowned, sensing something off. Steal into one mansion, grab the elves, and take them to Count Jenua's? That couldn't be it.
Even if Count Jenua was one of Uruun's top great nobles and a powerhouse, getting caught stealing someone else's fairies would put him in a bad spot. More than that, he was famous for his happy marriage and lack of interest in slaves.
"...You planning to attack Count Jenua?"
"...Pardon?"
Judah flinched for a moment, caught off guard by the question. But he had no intention of attacking right now, so he shook his head in denial.
"No, of course not."
"Then why take the fairies to Count Jenua's..."
"Hold on. Seems like there's a misunderstanding. That's what this request is about. Once I get the elves out of the mansion, you use the Shadow Kingdom's power to return them to their homeland, the [Elf Forest]."
"You're saying you'd steal those expensive elves just to send them back home?"
Ha—Roxin let out a hollow laugh, looking utterly baffled. Judah nodded as if there was nothing strange about it. A little white lie was needed here.
"It's to repay a favor from when I was a kid."
"A favor? ...Hm, must be because you're young. Still pure. Fine. Say I give you the mansion floor plans. You think you can just waltz in and rescue them that easily? You held your own against me, but if I'd fought seriously, it'd be different. In their mansion, you could get killed by the experts they keep around. It won't go as smoothly as in some novel."
Judah glanced at him. He seemed to have grown a bit fond, offering sincere advice. But there was something even he didn't know. Judah already had three Fragments, and he was on the verge of becoming the Spirit Sword's owner.
"Doesn't matter. The point is whether you can help me to the tune of two thousand gold coins or not."
"What exactly do you need help with?"
"Hide them after I rescue the elves. I can't cause trouble for Count Jenua."
"Hide them? What if we sell them off instead?"
"Then the Shadow Kingdom makes an enemy of me."
You? The Shadow Kingdom?
Roxin's lips curled at the near-threat. It had rubbed him the wrong way. But Judah had no intention of apologizing. Instead, he stopped walking alongside him and looked up into his eyes.
"You'd better think carefully, Roxin. How I know about the Shadow Kingdom. How I figured you out. How I have this level of skill at my age. Why I can act so fearlessly. All of it."
"...What?"
"You have to weigh it all. What you'd gain and lose by making me an enemy."
Judah spoke with utter sincerity. If he could, he'd turn the Shadow Kingdom into enemies and crush them one by one. He might not know every branch location, but he could expose secrets they'd guarded for centuries. Roxin fell silent.
"It's up to you whether you accept my requests or not. First, floor plans of three great noble houses. Second, a route to return the rescued elves to their forest. Of course, I won't leave it all to the Shadow Kingdom. Just hold onto the elves for a week... no, two weeks."
"Hold on. So first one's clear, and second is us holding the stolen elves temporarily? Along with an escape route out of Uruun."
"Yes."
He'd explained it all jumbled, but he'd understood perfectly. Judah nodded emphatically. Roxin sighed, rubbing his temples. Of course, two thousand gold wasn't chump change.
"If it's too hard, you don't need to tell me their locations. I'll just cause a huge ruckus if I have to."
"No, that won't do. That's a problem. Uruun would flip out. Late-night gambling is my only joy here."
"Then?"
"I'll help. But only after you rescue the elves. We'll talk details tomorrow when we meet. Can't finalize everything here."
Judah nodded, and Roxin walked off into the dark night streets with the gold pouch slung over his shoulder. After watching his back for a moment, Judah returned to Count Jenua's mansion late at night.
Passing through the gate opened by the guards, Judah crossed the expansive garden and entered the building. Count Jenua's grand mansion had anti-intrusion spells that weren't noticeable from inside. The statues scattered casually in the garden were a type of golem that activated on intruders, serving as the core of the mansion's protective magic.
'Arhil and Jeanne are probably asleep by now.'
With the late hour, the corridors were lit by candlelight. He walked the dim hallway to his room, entered the attached shower and bathroom to wash up roughly and change clothes, then lay down on the bed.
In the game, you could bring companions to infiltrate mansions and fight enemies, but here that would make it too easy to get caught.
'Jeanne wouldn't help with something like that anyway, and the Blue Lance Knight is too conspicuous.'
It could ruin her future dreams. He could bring Arhil, but her stamina made mistakes likely. And if truly needed, he could summon Arhil's doppelganger via the Fragment 'Carpediem' instead.
'Sorry to keep it secret from just Jeanne...'
Apologizing to her in his mind, Judah slowly blinked and fell asleep.
========== Author's Note ==========
Ta-da. Feeling like I'm gonna puke.
Got a ton of PPT prep... ugh.