Why Are You Acting Cocky When You Can't Even Do It?
Why Are You Acting Cocky When You Can't Even Do It?
Plan had left, and now only the three representatives remained.
"Spend it all... I've never done anything like that before."
Becky scratched her head sheepishly. In all honesty, she had zero experience in her life of spending resources freely.
"Hey. Where should we even spend this?"
At Becky's question, Louis fell into thought, and Trixie simply replied that they should just decide on their own.
"Why on earth did Plan tell us to blow all our points? I'm sure he has a plan... but we can't guess it, that's the problem. It's driving me crazy with curiosity."
"I don't know, maybe he means for us to enjoy ourselves a little first? We might die to a demon beast tomorrow, after all."
"Ack! Don't say things like that!"
Becky jumped in fright.
"Hahaha, it's a joke. Just a joke."
While they chatted, the three representatives soon reached the center of the "Heart." Perhaps in preparation for demon beasts, strict security was laid out on all sides.
After verifying all three representatives' tokens, the guards politely made way.
After walking a bit, a space so dazzling it made their eyes go wide revealed itself.
A plaza with a fountain at its center, various paths branched out to lodging, shops, a gambling hall... Where to go from here was entirely up to the three.
Becky's mouth dropped open.
"This is incredible... Is all of this really made just for the representatives?"
"Of course."
Trixie answered.
"Berkel is a region that maintains its security through the Subjugation Festival. If they skimp on supporting the representatives, they only end up hurting themselves."
"Ah. When you put it that way, it makes sense."
"You idiot."
"...Why are you picking on me."
Becky broke out in a cold sweat, and Trixie turned her head away with a "hmph."
"Let's go first, you guys."
Louis took a step forward.
"From now on, let's really start spending."
◈
"Ugh... I'm stuffed, I can't eat another bite."
The group filled their stomachs first. When choosing the menu, they didn't check the prices, and after eating as much as they wanted, a fullness so heavy it was almost painful washed over them.
Watching Becky rub her belly with one hand, Trixie clicked her tongue.
"Pig."
"..."
"Look at you, happy just because your stomach is full."
"...Why are you being like this again."
After that, they enjoyed snacks and drinks to their heart's content. Not only that, they also grabbed a few elixirs from a shop.
But still, their points had yet to hit bottom. Louis smiled awkwardly as if troubled.
"At this rate, dawn will break before we manage to spend it all. Things related to rest and food are priced so low."
"R-right. But we can't buy goods from the shop either. Plan told us not to buy anything except elixirs..."
Becky nodded quietly. When Plan had instructed them to use the points, he had added that they should buy nothing except elixirs.
Trixie thought for a moment, then spoke.
"You. Why don't you buy some clothes, at least?"
'You,' naturally, was Becky. Everyone's eyes turned toward Becky's shabby outfit.
"Huh, can I?"
"I'm not particularly fond of the clothes they sell here, but they'd probably suit you quite well."
"...Is that a compliment?"
"No."
"..."
Becky rubbed her still-full stomach for a moment, then shook her head.
"I do need clothes... but still, no."
"What do you mean, no? You look like a beggar. At least let yourself be helped a little."
"No. Plan promised to buy me clothes."
"Haah...."
Trixie furrowed her brows, but Becky's stance was so stubborn this time that the idea was inevitably dropped.
Just then. Louis, who had been watching from the side, spoke up.
"Alright, you guys. Then there's only one way left."
His index finger pointed at the gambling hall.
Becky's eyes lit up.
"Ah, right! There's a gambling hall!"
Everyone readily agreed. As things stood, they likely wouldn't be able to spend all their points even by dawn.
"But... will there be anyone in the gambling hall?"
"I don't know, let's just go first."
Their steps naturally headed for the gambling hall.
And the moment they stepped in.
"..."
The three blinked a couple of times. Not out of admiration, but because it was much smaller than they had expected.
"What's with this shabby place?"
"It's like a completely different world in here, isn't it?"
Trixie and Becky blurted out at the same time.
Tables and chairs that were not luxurious, only faithful to their basic form, gambling machines covered in dust. Compared to the other buildings in the Heart, the gambling hall was noticeably run-down.
There weren't many people either. At a glance, only a few employees and a few knights were visible.
Becky scratched her cheek.
"Not as many people as I thought, either."
"Well, knights probably don't like gambling."
"Really?"
"I don't know exactly what the code of chivalry says, but it probably doesn't tell them to take up gambling."
"Ahh, right."
What were they supposed to do from here? Becky tilted her head.
"So, what do we do now?"
"Exchange."
"Ah, right."
They moved to the exchange booth.
The exchange booth was empty. Just as the representatives were flustered by the lack of staff, a man who had been sitting at a table playing cards approached them.
"What brings wizard lords to a place like this? I'll verify your tokens and help with the exchange."
"...?"
"You're here to exchange, aren't you?"
"Yes. But, um...."
"I'm an employee. The cashier."
A bright smile spread across the cashier's face. In equal measure, the representatives' shock was considerable.
But soon enough, shock also spread across the cashier's face.
"Your held points... you want to exchange all of this? Did I hear that right?"
Becky nodded without much thought.
"Uh... is there a problem?"
"Ah, hmm."
The cashier was well aware of his place and role. It was his job to exchange points for chips without asking questions or prying.
But the magic department representatives clearly looked like they were visiting a gambling hall for the first time, and they seemed so young, that despite himself, his words grew longer.
"I can see you have plenty of points, so why not visit the shops first? They'll be full of items that could help with the subjugation."
He couldn't spell everything out directly, but he offered all the advice he could.
Becky smiled brightly at that kind attitude. And the answer she gave was far beyond the cashier's expectations.
"Ah, our goal is to blow all our points, you see."
"...?"
◈
"Huuuuh."
Trixie groaned.
Rapid depletion, rapid bedtime. Trixie had emphasized nothing but that, and this was the result.
Two knights, two employees, and Trixie.
She was sitting at a table playing poker, and she had just now lost all her points.
The knight sitting across from her, Kian, smiled.
"It was a difference of a single card. Really razor-thin."
With blond hair, blue eyes, and skin like white jade, he was the squad leader of 'Blue Cloud,' the group that had passed the preliminaries in 3rd place.
"Well then."
Since blowing the points had been the goal from the start, Trixie was about to rise from her seat without regret.
"Ah, milady. One moment."
Kian stopped Trixie.
He looked, at a glance, like the type who had made many women cry. He held out the chips he had taken from Trixie.
"I'll give them back. It wasn't my intention to take your points. In exchange, how about one more game? New faces make it fun again."
At the cashier's comment beside them, the knights standing nearby and watching burst into laughter.
Even though there were several other teams around, Kian showed no sign of shrinking back or being nervous.
Instead, he answered with a light joke.
"Come on, strictly speaking, it's not an addiction. I only binge during the subjugation festival."
"You practically participate in the subjugation just so you can play."
"Well, I won't deny that either."
The employee grinned and looked toward Trixie.
"So, young lady, what'll it be? Another game?"
"I'll pass."
Trixie, in truth, was restless.
Not because she lost points, but because she had left Trivia behind.
Because of that, she currently had no way to contact Mr. Teaching at all. As far as she was concerned, she wanted to run to the lodging right this moment. Now was not the time for poker.
Trixie shot the other two a pointed look.
"You two hurry up and spend yours too, because I want to go back."
"Hmm, then let's do it quickly and all at once. I'll give all my chips to Becky."
"Y-you want me to do it...?"
Becky, having received even Louis's chips, wore a bewildered expression.
When Becky approached the table hesitantly, Kian smiled brightly once more.
"Hmm, this lady isn't my type. I don't think I can go easy on you, is that alright?"
"...?"
Becky's eyebrows twitched.
"...You're not my type either, you know? And I have a man."
"No, you don't."
Trixie cut in from behind.
"..."
A brief silence hung, and it was Becky who broke it.
"Anyway, I don't like you either."
"If we don't like each other, that's perfect. We can just face off with all we've got."
Kian asked casually.
"Seven Poker, is that okay?"
"S-sure."
She answered pretending to be confident, but in truth, Becky had zero confidence. Because she had no experience playing poker in her entire life.
"Mutual consent... Then let's begin."
"Ahem."
The match of the century, with Becky's pride on the line, began, and the dealer dealt three cards each.
The rules were simple.
Of the three cards received, one is revealed face-up and the other two remain hidden.
As the game progresses and players receive additional cards from the dealer, the moment a player holds a total of seven cards, the game ends.
They reveal their hands, and the one with the better combination wins.
Everyone checked their cards and confidently revealed one face-up card.
"Uh, excuse me?"
But at that moment, Kian opened his mouth.
Because Becky hadn't done anything, she was just looking around blankly.
"Milady. Aren't you going to check your cards?"
Becky blinked a couple of times.
"Checking... what do you mean?"
"You're not looking at your own cards, or the opponent's revealed card. You're just not looking at anything."
She nodded with an innocent face.
"Ah, um, right. I was supposed to...."
"Is this your very first time?"
"Th-there's no way."
Becky denied it vehemently, but everyone in the gambling hall understood that she had never played poker before.
Right after they received one more card each.
"Raise."
Kian immediately upped the stakes. Becky being a novice played a part, but it was mostly because the hand he was holding was extremely good.
A 'Full House' was right around the corner.
"Er... raise for me too?"
Becky knew nothing but she raised.
Because Kian had shouted raise with a confident face, she felt she ought to do the same. There truly existed no other reason.
"Is this... okay? The pot is getting too big."
"Let her be. It's not our points."
"Well, that's true."
After that, the scale of the pot ballooned rapidly, and the onlookers began to murmur one by one.
After wagering every point he could, Kian smiled leisurely and looked around.
"Since we promised to give it our all, I'd like to raise the stakes even more... Does anyone have points to lend?"
Kian added one more remark.
"Of course, I'll pay you back with interest."
The knights watching nearby readily lent Kian their points. After all, the saying "you have nothing to lose by trying" existed precisely for situations like this.
The points now surpassed the total Becky held, literally a mountain made from specks of dust.
Kian smiled faintly.
"If points are short, you can wager an artifact. Or even a story about your first love would be fine, and if it's entertaining, we can count it as points."
At that, the knights watching around went "ooo" and responded enthusiastically. A young girl who didn't know anything was the perfect prey to tease.
"Hey. You guys."
In the end, Trixie cut in.
"If you came to play poker, just play poker quietly."
"I merely made a suggestion."
Kian shrugged.
Still, thanks to Trixie cutting in, Becky was able to avoid rising to the provocation. In the first place, even without wagering an artifact, the pot on the table was already enormous.
"What about the rest of you?"
"I fold."
"Me too."
The rest called out folds in rapid succession.
Because this game was, from the start, a contest between Becky and Kian. Everyone's attention focused on the two.
The employee chuckled heartily and asked Becky.
"The pot's gotten way too big, young lady. So, how about it? Is your hand any good?"
"Er, um. That's."
Becky couldn't continue her sentence and glanced back.
'What do I do?'
But Trixie and Louis didn't say a word. Standing behind her with a clear view of her hand, their faces had gone pale, as if they were in no position to say anything.
Becky had a premonition of defeat.
Slowly, she checked the five cards in her hand.
First of all, all five cards were black diamonds.
10, J, Q, K, A
'None of the numbers repeat...'
It was an odd hand that had not a single duplicate card.
'Haa...'
Her pride would be deeply wounded, but still, considering she could get back to the lodging quickly, it wasn't so bad.
She decided to take comfort in that, at least.
"Shall we reveal our hands soon?"
"Let's."
"Alright, then I'll start."
Kian revealed his hand.
Full House.
"Whoa~ that's an insane hand."
"Drinks are on you, Kian!"
Just from the reactions around them, it was clear it was an excellent hand. Becky's face stiffened.
"I did say I wouldn't go easy on you. Though, of course, it wasn't my skill, just luck..."
Kian was already starting to gather the chips on the table. But at that moment.
"Hold on."
Louis grabbed Kian's wrist. Quite firmly, at that.
"...What's this, a mage getting physical."
"You should check Becky's hand too."
Louis signaled Becky with his eyes, and with a bewildered expression, Becky revealed her hand.
Straight Flush.
It was a better hand than Kian's.
"Straight flush. Becky won."
Kian's face, after checking the cards, grew progressively paler. With a face that looked like it would crumble to ash if tapped, he checked Becky's hand again as if he couldn't believe it.
Becky shot up from her seat.
"I won? I-I won? Me?"
Every fine hair on Becky's body stood on end.
She felt incredible goosebumps. Even if she didn't know the rules, there was immense joy in savoring victory at the end of such tension.
"Yaaay-hoo!"
Becky scooped up all the chips Kian had been about to take. Staring at the chips, now doubled in number, Becky shouted at Kian several times.
"You can't even play poker, so why are you acting so cocky! Looking all greasy like cheese... Guys like you are the absolute worst!"
The faces of the knights who had lent points began to grow exceptionally hostile. Their fury was, naturally, directed at Kian.
"Hey Kian, what about my points?"
"I lent you everything I had..."
"Everyone just calm down first...!"
Points earned double, and three knight teams depleted.
It was the result Becky had produced in a single game.
Watching that scene, Louis pressed his forehead. A chuckle escaped him.
"We came to spend points, and ended up earning more instead."