Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Mencani, the City of Revelry and Pleasure
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Mencani, the city of entertainment and pleasure.
Of course, as a frontier town, its infrastructure fell far short of the capital's, but it still had a certain charm.
This city was a world away from the capital's emphasis on restraint and piety. Yet it wasn't like a port town brimming with brothels, either.
Gambling.
Gambling was all there was.
Mencani was home to a massive casino called Katrani, and by the lord's decree, any gambling there was legal.
As a result, hundreds of gamblers flocked to this remote outpost every day. They ate, drank, and spent in Mencani.
Surprisingly, rather than poisoning the city, it breathed life into it.
"Still, it's a decent-sized town compared to before, but the security's pretty lax, huh?"
Mori replied to Ruby's comment.
"Towns that rely on outsiders' money for their main income are usually like this. First time out here?"
"Yeah, I've always been with my clan."
"That's a shame. Gotta let newbies feel the crisp outside air and the cold stares of the world."
"Oh..."
"Not me, of course. That guy."
Mori waved his hand dismissively, as if he hated anything bothersome, and Bill approached Ruby.
"Ruby, human cities will be full of things different from what you imagine. The years you spent with your clan might actually make it harder for you to adapt. From now on, you need to learn the culture here, one thing at a time."
"Ugh... Got it."
"More importantly, this."
Swoosh...
"What's this?"
"Have you forgotten why we came here?"
"Clothes?"
He held a worn shirt stained with blood.
"It's what he left behind."
"Ooh, let me sniff it right away!"
Sniff sniff...
Sniff sniff...
Ruby, with her keen sense of smell, sniffed the lingering body odor on the shirt and tilted her head.
"Hmm... It's confusing."
"Not here?"
"No, I can't be sure. A bath and some perfume wash away the scent."
"Hmm..."
"If he kills someone else in the city, I can track him."
"No matter how stupid he is... Hmm?"
Bill nodded.
"Well, since we don't know what he'll do, let's stay here and gather info on the surroundings for now."
At those words, Ruby's gaze drifted to the fruits on a nearby stall.
"Heh... So can I eat that?"
"No."
"Why not!"
"Eating before a meal is improper."
"Humans do that?"
"So it seems. Better to hold back if you want to blend in with them."
"Ugh... Fine."
Mori watched their exchange quietly, shrugged, and said,
"Lteo, where are we staying?"
"A bit off the main street."
"And the horses?"
"The inn only stables them at night, so there's a stable nearby. We'll leave them there during the day."
"...Good thinking."
After booking rooms and stabling the horses, they held a quick meeting. After all, they had come here for a specific reason.
Clink.
Five days ago, they'd confirmed one of the unpleasant trio moving alone and started tailing him more aggressively. He popped up here and there like a flash of lightning.
The sporadic traces were because he covered insane distances daily, often going farther than predicted.
On the flip side, tracking him was easy because he committed murders as casually as breathing.
Whenever he met someone, trouble erupted. From simple brawls to killings—and lately, he'd shut down an entire brothel.
His appearance was unforgettable once seen.
Bald head, forehead creased with wrinkles, face covered in tattoos. A few teeth missing, but his body packed with solid muscle—who could forget that?
"Has he entered Mencani now?"
"Before we arrived, we got word of a corpse from a nearby village—face smashed to a pulp, horrific."
"Probably..."
"...If he's still on the move, he might be here already."
"...There's an easy way to check."
Bill pointed at Mencani's largest building.
The magnificent casino.
Katrani.
"Let's go check there."
"...Human gambling doesn't interest me."
"Me neither, boss."
"...Just go look, all of you."
* * *
"Hol, white even."
"...Congratulations."
"Wahahahahaha! I can't get over this!"
Mori laughed uncontrollably at the sudden windfall in his hands.
On one side, another game was underway.
"Congratulations, miss. You've won."
"Uahahahahaha! Do I have a talent for this? What do I do!"
Before long, Mori and Ruby were hooked on gambling, priorities completely flipped.
Their claims of no interest were obvious lies.
"Those idiots..."
Bill groaned, clutching his head, and glanced aside.
Lteo was calmly scanning the casino. Not too fast, not too slow.
"Ching hasn't visited yet, it seems."
"Why do you think that?"
"None of the guards here look stronger than you, Bill. If Ching—the one you're wary of—showed up, there'd have been an incident... and the guards wouldn't be this relaxed."
"...Makes sense. Did we arrive too early?"
"Maybe. But after such a long journey, a short break shouldn't hurt."
"......"
Bill had been introduced to this Lteo for the first time on this trip. Mori wasn't one to own or cherish things, yet he'd insisted on bringing Lteo along.
"I get it now."
"Get what?"
"You're with a bandit crew?"
"...Embarrassingly, yes."
"What did you do before that?"
"Nothing much. Managed books in a small library."
"And how did someone like you..."
"Everyone has their circumstances."
Lteo looked sad as he said it.
He glanced at Mori and Ruby, still chattering happily at the table, and muttered,
"To all of us."
Just as Lteo said.
Each with their own reasons, they'd become familiars serving Faust.
Their devotion varied, but still.
"Quite the fateful twist."
"Not so bad, is it?"
"...Yeah."
Bill strode to a table and sat down.
"Huh? You joining?"
"Yeah. Where you betting this time?"
"Hol, black even."
"I'll match it."
"What? We'll lose big if we lose."
"We'll win bigger if we win."
"......"
Clatter.
The dice, hidden under a large saucer, were revealed.
"Hol, black even."
"Uahahahahaha! See? Told you! We're on a hot streak today!"
"Yeah. Seems like it."
Heh...
* * *
"Look at this, Lteo."
"I'm seeing it."
"Jackpot. Gotta be several times what the band's worth."
"Lucky. They say most lose their first time gambling."
"Humans have more fun than I thought."
Lteo pondered those words.
Mori wasn't human, had no memories of bonding with others—that's why he could enjoy this so much.
"And Ruby..."
"Went for drinks with Bill. She cleaned up too."
"...That makes sense."
"No money worries for a while. At least while we're out here."
"Luck's on our side."
Mori liked Lteo's calm demeanor, despite the boring reaction.
Liked?
No, useful was more accurate.
Lteo muttered a new topic.
"The people Ching killed... their faces all crushed, right?"
"Yeah."
"Seeing it for real... they haunt my dreams. And I'm not squeamish."
"Tch..."
Murder wasn't hard for Mori, so he couldn't relate to Lteo's fear.
"Why don't the world's heroes catch scum like him?"
"Well, that's why you're still wandering free as a bandit, isn't it?"
Lteo grinned at Mori's words.
"I'm just small fry."
"Small fry."
"Small fry last longer than most if they're sharp."
"Kek... You don't know. Not wrong, though."
Lteo was capable for a bandit.
Knew his place, good at flattery. Without the band, he'd have found steady work in a village easy.
"Then I'll go fetch the horses from the stable. Need to move them to the inn for the night. Heading back first?"
"I'll stay here."
"Five minutes, then..."
Mori breathed the night air, lost in thought. Sometimes, things got confusing.
'Why am I so into this?'
Doppelgangers didn't live in groups. Fiercely independent, they hated rubbing elbows with others.
'Guess I'm unusual.'
Not bad.
Yeah, tonight wasn't bad.
Even if days like this continued, he wouldn't call it unhappy—just gripe a bit.
Yeah.
If only Lteo had returned after ten minutes.
Thud...
Thud...
The footsteps approaching Mori had no horseshoes clacking on the ground.
Rough face, twice Mori's bulk.
Forehead wrinkled deep, strange tattoos. The one approaching now was probably...
Ching.
"...You killed him?"
"Yep."
Mori smiled brightly.
"That's a problem."
"...Why've you been tailing me?"
"Long tail. Anyway, you knew?"
"Shut up and answer. Who sent you?"
"Was a job, but now it's personal. Hate anyone touching my stuff."
"Kek... Fucking retard."
Bwoooong-!
Ching's fist seemed to stretch right in front of Mori's eyes.
Paaak...
Craaaaaash-!
Mori crossed his arms to block, shocked by the impact like colliding metal.
He hurriedly shifted into Ching's form.
[Mori uses Mimicry: Facing Mirror.]
[Rapidly imitates the opponent's appearance in view.]
[Usable only on limited targets.]
[Can partially use the opponent's abilities.]
Swish-!
Kicking off the ground in a spin, Mori drew three daggers from his bosom.
Pik-!
Piiiik!
Pik-!
Charging fast, he hurled them at intervals. Then he drew an alien energy called qi and opened his palm.
[Mori uses Red Flow Palm.]
[Deals physical damage to target, high chance of bleeding.]
[The bleed hinders healing on the target.]
The power to mimic forms.
Mori the doppelganger's specialty.
But effects were highly limited.
Could copy mostly humans, physical abilities unchanged from Mori's own.
Against true powerhouses, he was helpless.
Paaaaang-!
At impact, Ching used bizarre arm motions to pin Mori's arms. His other arm seized Mori's throat.
"Guh..."
"You think this parlor trick works on me?"
A fist slammed into Mori's gut.
Poooow-!
"Uuugh..."
"Talk. Another noble? Who?"
As Mori writhed in agony, plotting escape, it hit.
Kwaaaaaang-!
A heavy blow sent him tumbling. Ching flew back too.
"Kehek... Khek... Come to think of it..."
Mori muttered lowly.
"I have friends too."
Backlit by the moonlight, Bill and Ruby approached slowly.