Chapter 18
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: The Fraud Gambling Gang
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Kel was sitting in a rocking chair in front of a traven in the 4th district.
The traven was virtually the same as a restaurant. Given the Sun Cult's nature, which upholds diligence and sincerity as virtues and laziness as a sin, most people were working when the sun was out, so Kel was the only one in front of the traven.
"...He really does walk around dressed like this."
Kel sipped the beer glass in his hand and muttered with a look of disgust.
"What did you say?"
"I said it looks good on you. So, did you beat him up and come back?"
"It was an education."
"Jojang, wipe the blood off the back of your hand."
I roughly rubbed the blood from the back of my hand onto Kel's shoulder.
"Ouch! Seriously!"
Kel recoiled and pushed my hand away, but it was already done. He sighed softly and gulped down his beer.
"You're drinking during working hours... Tsk."
"Oh! Aron! Long time no see! Can I get you a drink?"
"Yes, apple wine."
Charlotte, with her charming brown hair, greeted me warmly. I took out the canteen from my pocket and handed it to Charlotte.
When the uncivilized and ignorant medieval people had alcohol, nine out of ten would turn into a hooligan masquerading as a tough guy. And since travens had such people as customers, most maintained a close relationship with the Guard (Outer Wall Guard).
"Ha... Jojang, why are you complaining when you're going to drink too?"
Ignoring Kel, who scoffed in disbelief, I sat in the rocking chair next to him. It was quite fun to have my body sway back and forth.
"I'm the Jojang, you punk. The Jojang is allowed to drink."
"Where is such a ridiculous statement written? You have to be reasonable with your bullsh*t."
"It is written. If you don't like it, become the Jojang."
"Ugh... I shouldn't even bother talking..."
"Oh, right. Have you heard anything about Fraud gamblers?"
"Fraud gamblers? Isn't that you, Jojang?"
"...That wasn't Fraud."
Kel widened his eyes and asked, genuinely confused. I sighed softly and waved my hand. I had explained countless times that I was simply lucky, but no one believed me.
"Anyway, have you heard anything related to a dice game recently?"
"Hmm... I don't know much. Our squad is on the day shift this week, isn't it? Such incidents usually happen at night, so I don't know."
"Aron! Here you go."
"Ah, thanks, Charlotte."
The canteen was filled so much that it would spill with the slightest shake. I quickly brought the opening to my lips. It was lukewarm, but the rich apple scent and astringent taste were quite palatable. Since it seemed like hardly any water was mixed in, the heat rushed over me immediately.
'...It would be great if I could drink it a little colder.'
The most regrettable thing about Castle Catharsic was the lack of cold beer or drinks, as it was a border castle. The beer was either warm or lukewarm, making it taste like urine.
When visiting the capital or a city, there were cases where outcast magicians who had given up on books sold chilled alcohol, and that was what I missed the most. Even if it cost twenty times the price of bland beer, it was worth it.
"I've heard something."
Charlotte leaned her back against the wall, lowered her eyes as if she had received a secret order, and muttered in a serious voice.
'...Are all barmaids the same?'
It was a different feeling from Hana, but the nature of the liveliness was similar.
"Ah! Is Hana doing well? I haven't seen her lately because we have too many customers."
"Hana?"
"Yes! Didn't Hana tell you? Hana talked about Aron a lot."
"Not really."
"Anyway! I've heard about the Fraud gamblers."
Charlotte, whose face had returned to seriousness, brought her index finger to her mouth and shushed. I looked at her and confirmed that all barmaids had something odd in common.
"Recently, Reisson and Imote were swindled! I know because they both drank heavily at our traven and shouted loudly. Oh, Brick helped them back then... Does Brick have a girlfriend?"
Charlotte, suddenly diverting the topic, made a circle with her left hand and poked it with her right index finger as she asked.
'...Where do they learn things like that?'
I suspected there might be a hidden barmaid community. I'd heard a few city slickers had come into the castle a few months ago and were putting foolish ideas into the residents' heads with something like a guild; I should check it out.
"Brick? That guy is too innocent to be fun. Are you sure, Miss Charlotte?"
"Ugh... What the... Kel! How old are you to talk like that! It's gross!"
"Wha... what? What's wrong with my way of speaking! This is the trendy way to talk in high society!"
When Kel spoke with a flirty voice, winking his eyebrows, Charlotte recoiled in disgust. Kel looked devastated, but Charlotte didn't even glance at him.
"Oh? Aron. You changed your armor? It's colorful and pretty. It's just like Lexus!"
Kel's eyes must be wrong. How could he call this perfect and practical color scheme tacky?
"Right? That's what I thought, Charlotte. But what's a Lexus?"
"It's just something! It means pretty."
I guessed she might have said that it was very cool in another kingdom's language.
"Anyway, so... Reisson and Imote who work at the carpentry shop know something?"
"Yes, yes! I told you, so tell me too! About Brick!"
I pondered for a moment at Charlotte's question.
Brick, the epitome of a straight arrow, was an ideal Guard. The horrible fish bread was a problem, but if one could endure that, he wouldn't be a bad marriage prospect. Charlotte was also a woman who didn't talk behind people's backs. They were quite a match.
"I don't think so. He's quite the simpleton."
"A simpleton?! Hahaha! They match!"
"What's so great about such a rigid guy... A man should be soft as lamb's wool, and sometimes as hard as steel..."
"Then I should use that!"
Charlotte clapped her hands, cutting off Kel's words.
"That?"
"I learned something from the unnie over there! A technique that makes men fall for you every time!"
"What is it?"
"The rub!"
Charlotte suddenly straightened her back and thrust her chest forward. I imagined Brick's reaction to this strange movement.
"That will work."
"Really? Wow!"
Brick would surely be flustered, freeze up, and stammer, but it would be fun to hear the aftermath, so I nodded. Charlotte smiled brightly and clapped her hands.
I took another sip of apple wine, put the stopper in the canteen's mouth, and stood up. The rocking chair moved back and forth as if saying goodbye.
"Put in a good word for me with Brick!"
Charlotte waved her hand vigorously.
"...Jojang."
"Why."
Kel called me out of the blue with a serious face.
"Rosa's are twice that size."
"Yes. Good for you."
Of course, I didn't pay any attention to it.
The carpentry shop was outside the castle gate, so I headed toward the gate. Today's inspection was handled by Quarter and Viper-eye Pul.
"...Jojang-nim,"
Quarter, who was nodding off leaning against the gate, slightly bowed his head and closed his eyes again. It was always a wonder how he could sleep standing up.
Next to him, Pul, who looked like a snake had eaten a person and taken its form, was arguing with a wagon driver.
"No, I already gave it to you."
"Tsk. Prices have risen these days, I tell you. And what good is 50 copper?"
"Just let it go a little. My pockets are not deep with so many wagon drivers flocking here..."
"Hey! You! The Lord said, 'Thou shalt not lie!' Don't you know?! I know your wagon was empty when you left last time!"
The opponent seemed formidable, but they couldn't possibly defeat Viper-eye Pul. Pul was so persistent that he would wake up before dawn even on his day off to check the outgoing wagons.
Pul set his own standards and collected an appropriate amount of tips from the wagon drivers. He was the kind of talent suited for a tax collector, but unfortunately, he was illiterate. The fellow used strange, self-devised drawings on yellowed paper to calculate the money he was due from the wagon drivers.
"H-How did you...?"
The wagon driver seemed surprised and couldn't hide his expression, widening his eyes. He then subtly crossed his arms, confirming he was caught red-handed.
'He's an amazing guy.'
Then, Pul subtly gestured to me. I knew exactly what the signal meant just by his look.
"Who are you calling a liar?! The Lord said not to lie!! As a devout Sun Cult follower, my hands are trembling!!"
I deliberately puffed up my back like an animal and scrunched up my face with all my might. As I stepped forward, twisting my face, which was full of traces of a tough guy, the wagon driver's face immediately turned ashen.
"N-No... I didn't mean that... P-Please calm down!!"
"Especially when the Inquisitor (Joanna) is in the castle! I have a special relationship with the Inquisitor (Joanna)! We exchanged blessings and greetings! I must prove my faith again today!"
"Oh dear, Jojang-nim, please restrain yourself! Last time you dragged someone away like that... Ahem..."
Viper-eye Pul trailed off and glanced at the castle gate. High above the gate, at the height where a rope would hit one's face precisely, there was a faint red stain. The wagon driver's face was filled with terror upon seeing it.
"Hey! My pockets aren't deep, I tell you! It's not a lie. It's true! Oh dear... My arm..."
The wagon driver, with a trembling hand, subtly handed a bulging pouch to Pul. Pul opened the pouch right there, checked the contents, took out one silver coin, and returned the rest. He was a curious fellow who strictly adhered to the rules.
"I didn't exactly mean that either. Anyway, you brought a lot of leather. I heard they need a lot of leather in the 4th district to make some bags, so you'd do well to go there."
Pul slapped the wagon driver's shoulder and smiled broadly, to which the wagon driver, who had been looking uneasy, gave an awkward smile. To match the atmosphere, I smiled too, which made the wagon driver jump back in fright.
When Pul waved his hand, the wagon driver, who bowed his head, drove his horse into the castle.
"Here's the Jojang's share."
"Huh. Anything unusual?"
I asked as I put the 50 copper Pul gave me into my pocket.
"The wagon drivers are getting more cunning every day. They think we won't see them because there are so many wagons coming and going... Tsk, I barely sleep these days trying to catch them."
I also shook my head at Pul's lament.
It was a sacred act of building rapport for a wagon driver to offer a small tip to the Guard during inspection, but as people flocked in, the number of sly fellows who didn't uphold this ancient tradition seemed to have increased.
"I don't know why so many people are gathering when the Young Lady's birthday is still a long way off. Because of this, accidents happen frequently... We need to increase the number of Outer Wall Guard squads by at least two."
"They won't send reinforcements."
"That's true. Thanks to that, even if we cause trouble, there's little interference... Oh, Jojang, did you buy new armor?"
Pul narrowed his eyes further and looked me up and down. I put my hands on my hips and proudly puffed out my chest.
"Oh, aren't these all proper goods? If you stab this with a sword, the sword would break... Normally, the weight would be an issue, but it doesn't matter to the Jojang... Wow- I'm jealous, Jojang."
Indeed, unlike the ignorant others, the quick-witted and sharp Pul recognized the true value of my armor instantly, just as the saying goes, 'a true expert recognizes a true object.'
Pul's voice was so full of envy that it dripped, making the corners of my mouth turn up and my chin lift involuntarily.
Pleased by this, I returned the 50 copper Pul had given me. Pul smiled brightly, and I smiled too. Kel frowned heavily, as if he had seen something he shouldn't have.
"Anyway, we're going to the carpentry shop now."
"Yes. Have a hard day."
Pul lightly waved his hand and called over the waiting wagon driver. Quarter was still nodding off.
The carpentry shop was located a little distance from the castle, in front of a dense forest. Logs were piled up under a wooden roofed area, and shirtless men were busily hammering or carrying things.
'...Tsk, the smell of sweat.'
"Huh?! Aron! Is something wrong? Ska isn't here, he didn't come to work today."
A perverted guy who wasn't wearing a shirt, revealing his unmuscled body, but was wearing a flat cap, spoke to me.
"Ah, I didn't come to see him, but is that guy not at work again? This bastard still hasn't learned his lesson. Anyway, call Reisson and Imote for me."
Ska was clearly slacking off in some dingy back-alley building trying to look cool, so it seemed I needed to re-instill the necessity of labor in him.
"Reisson and Imote? Understood. Could you keep it a secret from Ska that I told you?"
"Who are you?"
"Me? ...Ahaha! I'll call them right away!"
The perverted flat-cap guy nodded and went inside the carpentry shop.
"Is that Ska... the one? Jackson's son."
"Yes, Jackson is trying hard to stop him, but he's still playing 'Leader'."
"Hmm... Well, is there a problem? He's Jackson's son."
"That's why it's a problem."
"Aha."
A moment later, two pale-faced men came out. One was skinny, and the other was fat. The skinny man with a patchy beard was Reisson, and the fat but muscular one was Imote.
'What's wrong with these bastards?'
They looked as if they had been mob-beaten, with bruises all over their bodies.
"Ah... Aron!!"
"Please save us!"
The two men, upon seeing me, suddenly knelt and clung to my legs. I kicked them off, fearing their sweat would stain my new knee protectors, but they crawled back and desperately clung again.
"Stop with the nonsense and tell me what happened."
"H-Hmph... We were really wronged!"
Since they kept repeating, "We were wronged," I gave them each a friendly punch, and they immediately stopped crying.
"You were playing a light dice game at the 'Sick Mermaid traven,' and some little girl came over and asked to join?"
"Yes, yes. A little girl about this size!"
"So you played dice with her and kept winning?"
"That's right! She didn't seem to know what dice were, clumsily shaking the cup and only rolling 1s. But then, that girl, who was like that, suddenly said she had to go and asked for one last big game!"
A burning rage was visible in their unfocused eyes. They were trembling with anger.
'These bastards got conned.'
It's a common method that could be called a textbook example, but how could these guys, who had spent their whole lives cutting and trimming trees in this backwater, know about it? I had a rough idea of how the story unfolded even without hearing the rest.
"But then!! This girl suddenly rolled a 6?!"
"So you lost all your money and borrowed money from the guys next to you?"
"Yes! They suddenly offered to lend us money because they felt sorry for us... Huh? How did you know?"
'The fact that they have people lending money means the scale is bigger than I thought?'
I smelled something savory. A sweet, fragrant smell of silver coins, so thick it was intoxicating.
"And from then on, she kept rolling 6s?"
"Y-Yes! I thought she was lucky... but she suddenly rolled four 6s in a row?! I realized something was wrong and tried to leave, but the guys next to her grabbed me... Cough..."
The fat one, Imote, showed the bruise covering his eye, with tears streaming down his face.
'A Fraud gambling gang...'
A guy in charge of lending money, some muscle for emergencies, and the kid rolling the dice.
'There must be a shill too.'
That's a minimum of four people. It's probably more than that.
In a city overflowing with people and where money flowed in uncountable units, there were quite a few groups like this, but this many people to drift into a backwater like this was quite a lot. Moreover, in such a small castle, rumors spread quickly, so they wouldn't be able to swindle for long.
'A few beatings should do the trick.'
I nodded at the neat plan.
"Ah... Aron-nim, we really beg you! They even came to our houses and took everything of value!"
"Please! It's all the money we saved! These evil people!!"
The two men rubbed their forearms on my pointed shoes, smiling awkwardly.
"Huh? What?"
"...Pardon?"
Their faces went blank at my question.
"Ah, you said you were swindled. Don't worry. I'll catch them and make sure they get punished."
I waved my hand to shake off the two men clinging to my feet. They looked at each other, tilting their heads, but then awkwardly smiled and nodded.
"T-That's right! As expected, no one but Aron-nim, the rogue... I mean, the Jojang of Castle Catharsic!"
I waved goodbye and turned away from the men, who were forcefully banging their heads on the ground so hard it made a thud sound.
"But Jojang. Didn't the Daejang forbid gambling?"
"This is patrol. It's work. You have to separate public and private matters."
"...Aren't both public?"
"Fraud gambling is a serious danger."
"That... is true, but it's more dangerous if the Jojang goes... Shouldn't I go first? Take a few guys with me..."
"Why? So you can eat the delicious food all by yourself?"
"...Pardon?"
Kel widened his eyes, and I squinted mine.
"...No. Well, they are bad guys."
"They're very bad guys."
"Jojang, the corner of your mouth is turned up."
"Ah, did I drink too much apple wine?"
"Anyway, don't blow it up too much. The gambling house incident was quite noisy last time, wasn't it? Of course, thanks to that, we drove those guys out of the castle, but... Are you listening? He's not listening."
Perhaps it's because he spends every day with Rosa, but his nagging was so long it gave me a headache.
"Sigh... It's my fault for meeting the wrong Jojang."
A small voice, neither a sigh nor a lament, came from behind me.
"Enough of that, hurry up and come. We still have the rest of the patrol to do."
"...Understood. Rosa is going to scold me again."
Kel grumbled but followed right beside me.