How a Wizard Survives (51)
How a Wizard Survives (51)
The moment Katrina and Angelica stepped into the alley, they sensed something ominous.
Hector Einhold, in his uncharacteristic disguise, had vanished straight into the entertainment district.
Half-dressed women lined the streets, taverns on one side, gambling dens on the other.
Both women looked dismayed, as though they had never imagined entering a place like this.
Angelica had only been in Reshutal a short while, so her innocence could be forgiven, but for Katrina, who regularly walked patrols, to react this way...
Well, to be fair, even Heretic Inquisitors don't comb through every inch of the city.
Manpower shortages and safety concerns made patrols exceedingly rare in the slums and entertainment district.
"I never imagined Reshutal had a place like this..."
"Every city has its underbelly. Come on. He is a man, after all."
"Don't be ridiculous."
Angelica shook off my hand and continued the pursuit.
My attempt to preserve Hector's honor went entirely ignored.
In a stroke of luck amidst the misfortune, Hector entered what was unmistakably a gambling den.
A red sign with a coin pouch painted on it.
I had never been inside personally, but I had heard about this establishment several times at the Inquisition Branch.
"It's a gambling den."
"Jaeger, how do you know that?"
Katrina shot me a scolding glance.
Of all people, she ought to know best that I never had the time to indulge in things like gambling...
Still, her concern wasn't entirely unpleasant.
"It's a place the Holy Knights from the branch frequent. The day after payday, they go on and on all day about winning this and losing that."
"Who exactly?"
"Sir Stefan and Sir Jonas."
"I'll have to factor this into their personnel evaluations."
Having accidentally turned informant, I was dragged into the gambling den by a furious Angelica.
He had barely arrived in Reshutal before seeking out a gambling den instead of his only daughter.
From her perspective, she had every right to be angry.
Perhaps because Holy Knights frequented it, the interior was surprisingly upscale.
A surprising number of women were present as well.
Apparently, the love of gambling is not so much a male instinct as it is a universal human one.
"Lord Hector is over there."
"Let's sit on our own so we aren't noticed. Katrina and I will sit with our backs turned, so you keep a close watch, Jaeger."
"I don't think surveillance is strictly necessary..."
As if he had a prior engagement, Hector casually joined a three-person table without any hesitation.
He appeared to be there purely for the gambling.
We would look suspicious just sitting there doing nothing, so on the attendant's recommendation, we decided to play a game.
It was a table game where the customers played against each other rather than the house, so there was almost no pressure.
"What, the buy-in is expensive..."
"But it's a game I've never seen before. Do you build walls or something? Oh, you can order food too?"
Like father, like daughter. Angelica was far too excited.
After quickly grasping the rules, she began snatching up our score sticks with abandon.
She had almost forgotten about watching Hector.
"The food here's better than I thought. I can see why the Holy Knights get hooked."
"Aren't you enjoying yourself a little too much?"
"As long as we're here, might as well have fun. Ron! Thirteen Orphans! A yakuman!"
"Huh... what kind of hand is that? None of your tiles even match!"
"Idiot, it's right here in the scoring chart. You're a total gambling newbie. A total newbie."
Unlike Angelica, who was raking in points and winning hand after hand, her father Hector's situation did not look so favorable.
He had blown through the money he brought long ago and had already taken out loans.
Considering Hector Einhold's position, it was probably still pocket change to him... but it wasn't a pleasant sight.
"Hmm, shouldn't we stop him soon?"
"I wish stopping him were that easy..."
"Ah, he's getting up."
Hector headed outside, apparently to get some fresh air.
We rose from our seats in a rush and followed him.
Hector, who could never have imagined Angelica would be here, flinched in shock the moment he saw her.
"Ah, Angelica? What are you doing here..."
"You sent your beloved daughter all the way to the capital, and the instant you arrive... you go gambling. Very admirable."
"No... how could I possibly come to see you? I came to Reshutal on a secret mission, I tell you."
"Yes, it certainly looks that way."
Hector made his excuses with great difficulty in a private room, away from prying eyes.
It wasn't very effective, but given that he had bothered with a disguise and everything...
He really had visited Reshutal on some kind of secret business.
Though, seeing him gambling anyway, it couldn't have been that urgent.
As I was musing over this, Hector was groveling abjectly to Angelica.
"I'll just play a little more and then leave, so why don't you head on back to the mansion..."
"You've lost that much and still haven't come to your senses?"
"No, what can I do if the cards aren't coming together? I'll just win back my original stake and quit."
"I wonder about that."
Hector glared fiercely at me when I interjected with a snicker.
Gamblers truly had no ears for reason.
Showing him evidence would probably be more effective here.
I took out a gold coin, bent it slightly, then straightened it back out.
"Here, take a good look at this bend mark. You understand, right?"
"Hmm?"
"And on this other gold coin... I'll make a nick like this."
On a new gold coin, I used my dagger to create a tiny mark.
Hector, holding the two gold coins, stared at me with a puzzled look.
"Go ahead and use those for your wagers."
"Jaeger, don't you know that table game over there exchanges gold for chips?"
"I know. You'll figure it out once you try it."
"Fine, I will."
Hector, apparently satisfied just that he could keep gambling, followed the instructions without another word.
We returned to our own table and watched the situation unfold.
Katrina suspected I had used magic, but this time, there was no need for it.
Before long, something odd happened.
Hector continued gambling, mulling over why I had done such things to the gold coins.
He burned through his chips again and borrowed money from another player.
When his companion's attendant brought over a coin pouch, Hector inspected every coin inside.
A moment later.
He discovered the gold coin with the bent mark inside.
"...A swindle."
"What?"
"You bastards! How does a gold coin I paid to the house wind up in this pouch?"
Only then did Hector realize the trick and fly into a rage.
The gold coin I had lent him earlier had been used to buy chips, so the house should normally still possess it.
In other words, it was an item that could not possibly be mixed into a coin pouch borrowed from another gambler.
Angelica, still unable to grasp the situation, looked bewildered.
"Wh-what just happened?"
"Simply put, the house and those guys were in cahoots from the start. They meant to make a sucker out of Lord Hector and bleed him dry."
Hector paid the house, the house gave that money right back to his gambling partner, and that partner loaned it back to Hector.
In short, the same money kept circulating while only Hector's debts piled up.
For an establishment that runs a gambling den, they would have ample funds, so they didn't even need to go this far... but the house had been far too complacent.
They should have picked an easier mark from the start.
"Give me my money back, you sons of bitches!"
"Stop right there! City Guard!"
After Hector casually thrashed three or four people, the City Guard swarmed in to stop him.
Seeing how quickly they had mobilized, they were probably on the take.
Hector vented his fury by snapping their spear shafts like chopsticks.
"Are you in on this too!"
"Uh, this is... assault..."
"Heretic Inquisitors, coming through!"
When I stepped forward before things went too far, the City Guards scrambled to stand at attention.
On top of that, other Holy Knights besides Katrina and myself also showed their faces.
"Heretic Inquisitors, arriving!"
"Hyah-ha!"
"Uh... Sir Stefan? Sir Jonas? What are you doing here?"
"What do you mean, Jaeger? It's payday. Anyway, is there something we can help with—eek! Lady Katrina!"
"...Both of you, gamble in moderation."
Katrina squeezed her eyes shut when the Holy Knights I had just mentioned appeared.
I quickly straightened out the situation and sent the swindlers to the gallows.
The punishment seemed excessive, but it was better than letting Hector run amok any longer.
Hector, having pulled his hood back down, murmured in a deeply satisfied voice.
"Wow. I could really get used to having a Heretic Inquisitor son-in-law. But how did you know?"
"I fell for a similar trick back in my hometown. Though it was a far more amateurish version than this one..."
A coin that was a crumpled mess, even caked with something like mud.
The same coin I used on Thanksgiving returned to my hand the following Thanksgiving.
The village chief and his wife, who had always exploited me, had retrieved it from the neighboring village's market.
Then again, where else was there to spend money in that tiny backwater village?
The dirtiest coin in the village was usually mine, and even that never stayed with me for long.
At that, Katrina and Angelica's expressions clouded, and they turned matching glares on Hector.
He flinched and hurriedly excused himself.
"W-well, I'll see you all later then."
"Wait. So why did you come to Reshutal? Surely you didn't actually come just to gamble?"
"Well... a major event is coming up soon. You'll all find out shortly enough. Jaeger! Drop by the Einhold mansion sometime!"
Whoosh!
Hector vanished faster than most heretics.
Angelica gave a wry smile and quickly went after him.
"That was more fun than I expected, so let's go again sometime! And Jaeger, since you came in dead last, you're buying a meal later, got it?"
"If I go back, they'll probably slam the door in my face."
"Then I'll just burn it all down!"
Angelica was already a fine Heretic Inquisitor.
After escorting Katrina back to the Inquisition Branch, I headed for the smithy.
As the mounting workload began to wear me down, I sensed a familiar gaze from the rooftops.
'Hm?'
I leaped into the alley and activated the Spider Boots.
The man I came face to face with on the early evening rooftop was none other than Luft Einhold.
One of the Eight Swords of Einhold, a man who was practically an uncle to me, was down on one knee, waiting.
"Young master."
"Uncle Luft! What brings you here? I heard a major event was coming up. Is it because of that?"
When I greeted him warmly, Luft explained without hesitation.
It was supposed to be confidential, but he confessed it far too easily.
"Princess Alina's marriage will be announced soon. Einhold has been mobilized as her security escort. Several of us from the front lines, myself included, were detached for this duty."
"A marriage, you say. I'm surprised that doting king would allow it..."
On reflection, it made perfect sense.
Princess Alina had already reached a marriageable age.
No matter how much the king cherished her... marrying her off to a foreign royal was the most natural course of action.
If the king's only daughter married domestically, it would essentially declare disinterest in diplomacy.
'Even if they called it marriage, the groom would probably enter the royal family as a matrilocal son-in-law...'
Princess Alina was the sole heir to Reshutal, so there was no other choice.
While thinking this over, I cautiously broached another subject with Luft.
With his help, I might be able to resolve today's mystery.
"Uncle Luft. The Gravity Demon that Einhold serves—do you think I could obtain its summoning circle?"
"Yes. I have already memorized the summoning circle and can procure the necessary materials at once."
He agreed without a single question or objection.
I was admiring his efficiency when he asked a worried question.
"But why this all of a sudden..."
"Ah. It's not for a contract. I just have something I want to test briefly. A contract with a demon absolutely requires the final consent of the contracting party, correct?"
"That is correct. It is the fundamental principle of the contract. Not even a Demon King-Class demon can violate it."
In that case, there was no problem.
I decided to let the Gravity Demon examine me, just as Orphos had.
I was worried about information leaking, but...
But that secret had already been exposed to the Winter Demon.
Rather than blindly trying to hide it, I wanted to figure out exactly what was going on.
After receiving a rough explanation from me, Luft's face grew deeply troubled.
"That the princess is a demon matters little to me, but... you say the Winter Demon Orphos was stricken with terror upon seeing you? That is certainly strange."
"Right?"
So Alina's true identity mattered little to him.
His priorities were truly black and white.
Showing no particular interest in her, Luft nodded.
"There is no reason for an Awakened One to draw such fear from a demon. Moreover, Orphos is imprisoned by the Wizardvein Family. That is a situation any contractor would welcome..."
"Which is why we need to find out the reason now."
"...Understood. It carries some risk, but adjusting the summoning circle should make it possible. I will begin preparations at once, so please wait."
With a deep bow of his head, Luft melted into the shadows to procure the necessary materials.
Reassured, I headed home.