Chapter 41: I Told You—He Knows Everything
Chapter 41: I Told You—He Knows Everything
“Unlike that goblin guest, you seem to possess a truly admirable mindset.”
The rabbit-beastman dealer leisurely leaned his upper body toward me.
As the distance closed, a vicious aura drifted over strongly enough to make my breathing feel slightly constricted.
“Dealer. Are you perhaps a disciple of Lady Leria?”
At my words, the dealer revealed his front teeth and smiled.
“How interesting. Unfortunately, visitors from outside rarely know much about the Quiet One. Some even go so far as to call us ‘cultists,’ which has saddened us greatly.”
“They are simply ignorant. What is the use of having two ears if one cannot hear the silence that fills the world?”
“Oh my, rather than playing games, I’d much rather have a conversation about the Great Ones.”
If I had the leisure, I would not have minded a sincere discussion about faith.
Among the cultists I had met so far, the only one I could properly converse with was Senior Ermentaz—the labyrinth wraith.
But the world of competition was merciless.
Now I had to swallow my tears and defeat this rare fellow cultist who could actually hold a conversation.
“Then, if you are ready, please place your bet.”
“I’ll start lightly.”
I pushed all fifty hexagonal coins into the center.
“All in.”
“Whaaat!”
Though merely a spectator, the goblin who seemed even more anxious than I was—Mek Invincible—jumped in alarm.
“Friend, are you a beginner? You can’t bet everything from the start! You’re supposed to play moderately at first, then strike when the feeling comes!”
“Mek.”
“Yeah?”
“If I may ask, how many times have you won coins from that dealer in this game?”
“……”
The meddlesome goblin quietly retreated.
The rabbit-beastman dealer glared at Mek, then rested his chin on one hand.
“Are you sure about this? That goblin guest talks too much, but his advice wasn’t wrong. Are you really going to bet that much from the start?”
“If I lose everything, I’ll wager my clothes and equipment. And if I still cannot win back even a coin, I’ll throw in my body as well. With a decent face like mine, surely many masters—regardless of gender—would come looking.”
“……”
The dealer blinked, then smiled faintly.
“Hmm… perhaps you should exercise a little restraint.”
“But wouldn’t that make things boring? If I were going to restrain myself, there would be no reason to gamble.”
“Well now…”
For someone whose job was to fleece customers, saying something like that was almost admirable.
At times like this, a proper dealer should think excellent and strip the customer clean down to their underwear.
“Please proceed with the game.”
“Very well, as you wish. Please select a card. There is no time limit, so take your time to consider—”
Before the dealer could finish speaking, I boldly flipped a card.
Level 5 Warrior.
My victory.
“…Huh?”
The dealer’s long ears stiffened.
I gestured to the frozen rabbit-beastman.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you continuing the game?”
“C-congratulations. I will give you 100 coins—double your bet…”
The dealer pushed a pile of coins toward me, blinking his red eyes rapidly.
“We will proceed to the next round immediately.”
The second round began.
The dealer revealed an 8-level Mage.
“Place your bet.”
“Yes.”
Once again, I pushed every coin I had forward.
“Betting means going all in.”
“…It is now the guest’s turn to choose a card.”
Without hesitation, I flipped a card.
Level 4 Mage.
Another victory.
“Same class…! It worked again!”
“Crazy!”
“Wooow…!!”
With two successful all-ins in a row, I earned 200 coins instantly, and spectators began gathering around.
“How did you do that, friend…?”
Mek muttered blankly.
The murmuring spectators all turned their attention toward me.
For everyone’s benefit, I gave a charming wink.
“At times like this, we have a saying where I come from.”
“What is it?”
“Lucky.”
“……”
The goblin and the spectators’ expressions crumpled simultaneously.
Even the dealer—who had been secretly listening with his ears perked up—smacked his forehead.
“…Guest, will you play again?”
“Of course.”
This time the dealer’s card was a Level 6 Rogue.
“Please wait a moment.”
The dealer, who had asked for time just as I was about to bet, opened his eyes wider.
Fwoosh!
Even fiercer flames erupted than before, coating the cards again as if laminating them.
“Thank you for waiting. This time you truly won’t guess it!”
“Is that so?”
I lightly tapped a card.
“Shall we check whether that statement is true?”
“……”
Enjoying the dealer’s intense red-eyed stare, I slowly turned the card over.
Level 7 Rogue.
“You insane guuuuuy!”
The dealer cried out thickly, covering his mouth with one hand.
“Dealer? Please proceed.”
“…Yes.”
The dealer gloomily handed me a thousand coins, which I accepted with both arms wide open.
“Wow, this game is fun. I’ll keep playing.”
“…Guest? The slot machines or roulette over there are much more thrilling.”
“Nope, nope. I want this one.”
“……”
The game continued.
Dealer’s card: Level 10 Warrior.
Mine: Level 10 Mage.
Another victory.
“Nooooo!”
The long ears trembled wildly.
His red eyes shook nonstop as they stared at me.
“How did you know! Even I don’t know which picture goes where!”
“What? Even you don’t know?”
At Mek’s shocked question, I answered on the dealer’s behalf while he remained mentally weakened.
“The Mystery the dealer used twice earlier causes the images on these cards to change randomly every fraction of a second.”
“…So it wasn’t just about hiding which card it was. No wonder!”
Relieved that his curiosity was satisfied, the goblin tilted his head again.
“But how did you pick exactly the card you wanted?”
The dealer slowly flipped a card.
Level 1 Hunter.
“Mek. Remember this.”
《Second row, third card will become a Level 2 Hunter in five seconds.》
《Now!》
Rustle.
“Hey, you crazy guest!”
“The Forerunner of Twisted Truth, Lidni, knows everything.”
Before the Eye That Perceives Truth, no one could conceal the truth.
In a casino, if you go all the way to the end, the customer always loses.
The solution was simple.
Earn a lot, then withdraw cleanly before reaching the end.
“Well then, thanks for the good time.”
“…Farewell.”
I had already earned enough coins to exchange for prizes.
If I grew greedy here, the casino would soon begin applying serious countermeasures. It was time to take profit.
“You’re impressive.”
The goblin Mek chuckled while looking at the rabbit-beastman dealer collapsed on the table.
“Brother, thanks to you that was fun.”
The form of address had upgraded from “friend” to “brother.”
Goblin-style respect.
“Well then, if fate allows, see you again!”
Waving his arm, Mek headed toward the slot machines.
Apparently the labyrinth expedition had already become a secondary concern.
Tingle.
“Don’t say goblins are ugly and that I shouldn’t befriend them. That’s really too much. If you look closely, they’re quite cute.”
Responding dutifully to the will sent down by the appearance-and-species supremacist Sue’je, I went to find the scattered expedition members.
Pendrick was standing near the prize exchange counter. When our eyes met, he smiled awkwardly.
“Captain. I guess I’m not suited for gambling.”
“Did you lose everything?”
“Yeah… the rules were too complicated. I lost all my money in just six rounds.”
Well, the area where he was a genius was limited to swordsmanship.
His Wisdom stat was merely average.
Perhaps frustrated by her lover’s play, the Ego Sword spoke to me as we drew closer.
—Kar, I almost died from frustration! Even when he had a great hand, he backed out because of an obvious bluff, and then he went all-in with the worst hand at the table!
“…Asmi, do you really have to tattle like that?”
—There were so many people around I couldn’t even say anything! I nearly developed high blood pressure!
“You came here to enjoy yourselves. There’s no need to get so heated.”
—But he’s just too bad!
A couple’s quarrel might normally end quickly, but they were still in the dating stage and couldn’t rely on the reconciliation buff.
Before their small argument escalated, I handed the staff twenty coins and exchanged them for a prize.
It was a small brooch.
“Pendrick, please take it.”
Pendrick—who had been struggling to calm his fuming Ego Sword lover—looked at me and widened his eyes.
“This is…?”
“It’s a brooch that can be attached to equipment. It emits a gentle moonlike glow. Wouldn’t it suit Lady Astrimia’s elegant blade perfectly?”
—Oh my…
The voice of Astrimia of Joy brightened immediately.
—Kar, how did you find a brooch that perfectly matches my taste!
The genius swordsman grinned and quickly accepted it.
“Asmi, I’ll attach this. You’re already beautiful, but with this you’ll be even prettier.”
—Obviously.
“If it’s obvious, shouldn’t I say it even more often? Asmi, you’re really beautiful.”
—Hmph!
《Ugh. What a disgusting sight! :<》
People inevitably become childish when they fall in love.
Which was why I remained dignified at all times.
After watching Pendrick praise the starlight shimmering in the blade for quite some time, I exchanged the prize I intended to use myself.
It was a small clothing pin, even smaller than the brooch.
—A clothing pin? What will you use that for?
Now that her anger had cooled from the endless compliments, Astrimia asked in a much lighter voice.
—A gift for Lady Rosalia?
“No. If I gave her something like this, she’d throw it away immediately.”
This was an item with a function I personally needed.
《Artifact — Authority of Restoration》
《While worn, any clothing or equipment on the user that is torn, soaked, pierced, or burned will automatically restore itself to its original form.》
“Clothing restoration?”
After hearing the explanation, Pendrick scratched his head.
“It’s definitely useful, but I wouldn’t say it’s absolutely necessary.”
“For a normal explorer, yes. But the kind of battles I fight always end up destroying my clothes.”
Throwing my body directly into danger.
Flesh pierced, blood pouring.
That was the combat style I pursued.
But every time I cleared a labyrinth, my clothes ended up in a tragic state, forcing me to buy new ones repeatedly.
Now that I had obtained the Authority of Restoration, I could abuse my body even more comfortably.
—Wouldn’t it be better to find a fighting style that doesn’t wreck your body…?
“It’s a perfect ability for you, Captain! Considering the money saved on buying new clothes, it’s actually profitable in the long run.”
The Ego Sword muttered in disbelief at our lack of human sensibility, but our human capybara Pendrick understood my heart.
I gave him a thumbs-up, and he returned the gesture.
That was the loyalty and friendship among expedition members.
—You’re hopeless…
While Astrimia sighed mentally, I exchanged the remaining coins for other prizes.
The first was a splendid dagger, along with throwing daggers and a belt set.
《Masterpiece — First Breath & Final Breath》
《A dagger and throwing knives crafted by a highly talented blacksmith. When the dagger is carried, thrown knives automatically return to the belt. A masterpiece well suited for your ward Marlin.》
And there was also a kitchen knife for Abel.
《Masterpiece — Devouring Teeth》
《A kitchen knife forged by an exceptional blacksmith. Information about ingredients cut or sliced with it naturally flows into the user’s mind. Your ward Abel would greatly appreciate this masterpiece.》
Gifts for the children who were training hard even now.
What a splendid patron I was.
As I stored the items in my subspace, Rosalia quietly appeared and tapped my back.
I turned my head without thinking and flinched slightly.
The normally stoic assassin looked noticeably dejected.
“Did you lose everything?”
Nod…
I had never seen a nod that looked so miserable.
“I expected that, so I earned plenty of coins. Choose any prize you want.”
“……”
Rosalia stared at me for a moment, patted my shoulder three times, then immediately pointed to a prize.
It was a violet vial containing liquid.
《Poison — Miserable Future》
《If consumed, the internal organs slowly dissolve over the course of one year. Shouldn’t we stop someone from drinking this…?》
It should be fine.
It wouldn’t kill her immediately. If she drank antidotes regularly, it might be manageable.
Giving Rosalia a thumbs-up as well, I turned to a section of the prize list that had been bothering me.
— [Sold Out] Disease: Petrifying Body (5 Coins)
A disease that gradually petrified the body.
Usually used by infecting monsters for hunting, but the cost-effectiveness was so poor that ordinary explorers did not favor it.
A prize useful to only a tiny minority had already been taken.
If my guess was correct…
“May I ask one thing? Did a demon black mage wearing bandages on his upper body visit the exchange counter? He’s a companion of mine—we were supposed to meet at the casino, but he disappeared somewhere.”
“Oh, that person?”
The staff member answered immediately, not suspecting anything.
“He came by a few days ago and already left.”
“…I see.”
I bowed slightly to the staff and rubbed my hands together idly.
I was certain.
So it was you after all.
Before long, a pleasant and joyful reunion would arrive.