Chapter 90
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Silan (4)
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“Hmm... Ho-yeon-ssi?”
“Yes, Lee Yun-seong-nim.”
“For now, I was thinking of heading to the casino since there's one here. Does that work for you?”
I planned to check out the casino in this city called Silan first.
Not to indulge in gambling for fun, but to scan the status windows of everyone there and narrow down a list of people who seemed tied to the drugs.
‘Well... I'll have to play a little bit...’
Truth be told, I couldn't just sit there doing nothing in a casino, so some gambling was unavoidable.
The standout part—no, the upside, if you could call it that—was how hilariously well my ability worked even in gambling.
‘Ha... Never thought I'd be able to check cards just like item info...’
It was straight-up the power to become a gambling god.
A perfect showcase of how overpowered my unique trait really was.
That said, I had no intention of raking in piles of cash there.
A long tail gets you caught, and going overboard with greed could expose my trait mid-gamble—that'd be a far bigger loss.
‘Moderation in all things. Rampage without knowing your place, and you'd be dead on this continent in a heartbeat.’
Shaking off the stray thoughts, Wi Ho-yeon answered me.
“Yes, that's fine by me. Do whatever you want.”
“Alright then. How about this...”
“What...?”
“No clan emblem, so let's set our roles. I'll play the spoiled rich kid, and you can be my bodyguard. Sound good?”
With the resources I'd gotten as compensation from Incarnation Clan and the clan contract fee, I had plenty of money. Acting like a wastrel young master would be easy.
“Understood. So how should I address you, Lee Yun-seong-nim...?”
“Hmm... Just ‘young master’ should do. I'm thinking of playing the fool of a rich heir who's gotten hooked on gambling after wandering in.”
“Got it.”
“Oh, and this might make you uncomfortable... No, you'll definitely hate it. So I'll say it upfront.”
“...Make me uncomfortable how?”
Of course, she had no idea what I meant yet. But gambling, women, and booze always came as a package deal.
I didn't expect the scum in a casino to show any restraint around women.
Especially not with Wi Ho-yeon's looks—they weren't just passable; she stood out. Flies would swarm her for sure.
‘...Like at that inn yesterday.’
Plus, embarrassing as it was to admit, my build didn't scream ‘tough guy’ even as a compliment.
That meant even more flies buzzing around.
‘Their heads'll spin. Weak-looking guy, knockout girl... How could they resist hitting on her?’
I doubted they would, but if Wi Ho-yeon snapped and swung her sword at some creep in the casino because of it, we'd be screwed.
“...I don't even know how to put this... but just in case at the casino...”
“Speak freely.”
“My guess is, creeps harassing you won't be just one or two.”
“...Me?”
“Yeah. I don't need to change my looks much... You'll tweak your hair and vibe a bit since you're famous on this continent, but with your face, it's inevitable.”
“Ah...”
She knew her own appeal, so she got it right away.
“What I'm saying is... it might get really unpleasant—very unpleasant—but if you feel like drawing your sword, that's bad news. If it's too much to bear, just signal me.”
“Got it. Don't worry. I won't draw my sword. Unless you're in danger, Lee Yun-seong-nim.”
“Good to hear, but just in case.”
The silver lining was traveling with just Wi Ho-yeon.
‘If it were Seo Yu-ju and her both...’
The thought alone was nightmare fuel.
Some guys might call it paradise with beauties on both arms, but a little thought showed it'd be exhausting as hell.
A big, dangerous-looking dude with two stunners? Fine. A punchable weakling with two? Might as well advertise ‘kill me.’
‘Not that it's a huge worry...’
Seo Yu-ju seemed confident about this job, so if we investigated lightly and holed up at the casino, she'd probably handle the rest.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Soon, Wi Ho-yeon and I arrived in front of the gambling hall.
Since it was apparently the only gambling hall in the city, there were already many people at the entrance.
‘Hmm… this should be alright, right?’
I had tried to disguise Wi Ho-yeon so people wouldn’t recognize the Sword Queen, but I wasn’t exactly a professional stylist.
Nor did we have the tools or environment.
All I could do was slightly change her style.
Her original martial clothing and Formless Sword had been replaced with lower-grade martial clothing and a Rare-grade sword.
Also, her black hair had been dyed a light brown.
‘The clothes are fine, but the Formless Sword stands out too much.’
As for me, my face wasn’t well known.
Even though my photo appeared in promotional material, at most people around Rund and nearby cities might recognize me.
Still, just in case, I dyed my hair blond.
It also made me look more like a reckless noble.
And I wore extremely expensive clothes.
‘Honestly it feels like a waste of money, but I can sell them second-hand later.’
“Well… shall we go in?”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Alright then—huh?”
‘…What? Did I see wrong?’
“…What is it, Young Master?”
“…Nothing. I must have seen something wrong.”
‘For a moment it looked like Seo Yu-ju in that alley… did I imagine it?’
I was sure I saw her briefly, but when I rubbed my eyes and looked again she was gone.
Since Seo Yu-ju was also investigating in the city, I didn’t think much of it.
“Wait, I haven’t seen you two in this city before…”
As we tried to enter the gambling hall, a guard stopped us.
Probably because our faces were unfamiliar.
But seeing my clothes and that I had a guard, he cautiously spoke, thinking I might be a noble.
“Hey, what’s the problem? I just want to gamble.”
Naturally I had to speak rudely since I was acting as a spoiled rich brat.
“Ah… I see. My apologies. You may enter.”
Of course they wouldn’t stop someone who was about to waste money.
They simply looked at me as if thinking, Another fool about to lose all his money.
“Phew… I had such high expectations for the gambling hall here. I hope gambling is fun!”
Acting like someone eager to gamble, I walked in.
Inside were various gambling tables, waitresses wearing revealing outfits, idiots drunk on gambling and alcohol, and thick cigarette smoke.
“Hey… hey, look over there.”
“Huh? What do you mean—”
It was natural people looked at the newcomers.
But they weren’t interested because of me.
“Holy shit… what is that? Why is a woman like that here?”
“Damn… I’m jealous of that guy. Looks like she’s his guard.”
‘As expected… people in places like this never surprise me.’
The reaction was even stronger than I expected.
Women weren’t unheard of in gambling halls, but since most patrons were men, Wi Ho-yeon naturally drew attention.
“Whew~”
Some only stared, but others openly whistled as she passed.
‘This… is really okay, right? She won’t explode, right?’
If Wi Ho-yeon got angry, I’d be the one feeling awkward.
After all, I was the one who suggested this plan.
Glancing at her, she seemed unfazed.
Since no one had touched her directly, she didn’t react.
‘First… let’s find a place to sit.’
Since gambling wasn’t really my thing, I only knew basic games.
Also, since I didn’t want to waste money, it was best to pick a game where I could use my Unique Trait.
Soon I found a suitable spot.
“Sir, would you like to join the game?”
“Yes, but they’re playing already.”
“You can join from the next round.”
The table was poker.
The most basic gambling game.
And one of the few games from Earth whose rules I knew.
“So? Don’t you think we’ll win today? I’m quite good at this.”
“…Yes, Young Master. I’m sure you’ll win.”
Fortunately, Wi Ho-yeon played along with my act.
She looked slightly awkward but did well enough.
“Hey… is it your first time here?”
The man next to me spoke.
Judging by his eyes, he was trying to see if I was someone he could exploit.
‘He smelled money.’
Then naturally I gave the reaction he wanted.
“Yeah, it’s my first time. But gambling isn’t anything special, right?”
I looked exactly like an immature rich fool.
Not only the man talking to me, but the others at the table were watching too.
‘Look at these bastards…’
“Well, you’re right. Gambling isn’t anything special. It’s all about luck, right? If you’re lucky you win.”
‘Bullshit.’
They were clearly talking nonsense so I wouldn’t refuse playing with them.
Luck plays a role in gambling, but skill matters too.
‘Even in gambling there’s a gap between beginners and experts.’
“By the way… is that woman behind you your guard?”
“Oh, Gar-yeong? Yeah, something like that.”
“….”
At the sudden nickname, Wi Ho-yeon flinched slightly.
But the men didn’t notice.
Instead they looked at us with greedy eyes.
‘Come on… that’s way too obvious.’
Pretending not to notice those gazes was work in itself.