The Hidden Market of Camelun
Grey walls encircled the buildings that soared like towers. Although the walls were low, they gave the impression of being thick and sturdy, while the structures rising above them exuded an air of refinement.
This grand edifice, blending solemnity and splendor, was the city-state of Camelun.
In front of the massive gate at the center of Camelun’s walls, two young men sat astride their horses.
“Aah, I didn’t realize riding a horse would be this difficult.”
Dorian twisted his lips.
“Everything hurts—my butt, my legs, my neck. There’s no part that doesn’t ache.”
“It’s normal for the first time. Once you get used to it, it’ll be fine.”
Raon chuckled and nodded.
Even this much, adaptation is quick.
Dorian had adapted to riding a horse much faster than expected for a first-timer. Thanks to that, he had broken the route that was supposed to take three weeks in just two weeks.
“By the way, when did you learn to ride, young master? There were no horses in the annex.”
“Long ago.”
If it was about horses, besides adapting to the saddle by riding countless times in the previous life, there was nothing difficult about it.
“You really can’t do anything, huh.”
Dorian laughed heartily and came closer. Perhaps because he wasn’t about to fight, the guy’s trembling had stopped.
“Today, we’ll be able to enter smoothly. The security level is low.”
“Indeed.”
Raon looked at the two guards in front of the gate and nodded. Camelun’s security level varied depending on the situation. Right now, it was the lowest.
Raon and Dorian entered Camelun without difficulty using the mercenary badge given by Rimer.
The roads and alleys were crowded with people. There were tourists, but most appeared to be sellers and buyers of goods.
Raon walked through the Camelun market and shops he hadn’t visited in a long time. He was looking for something special, but most things were daily necessities and food, so nothing stood out.
In the end, I have to go down there.
Even in the previous life, there were almost no bandits in this area. To find what he needed, it seemed he would have to go underground.
“Are you going down?”
Dorian asked as if he had read his thoughts.
“Down? Did you know about the black market?”
In the underground of the commercial city Camelun, there was a black market selling items that were hard to sell on the surface or expensive ones.
It wasn’t a huge secret, but Raon hadn’t expected Dorian to know about the black market.
“Of course.”
“How?”
“I may look like this, but I’m a descendant of the Sepia Merchant Guild. Such information is common knowledge.”
Dorian pointed at himself and smiled smugly. Raon had expected him to be from the guild, but hearing it directly was the first time.
Why did I bother wandering around.
He had planned to just look around and leave Dorian at the inn, but if he knew about the black market, there was no need.
“Then let’s go.”
“Eh? Does the young master know a passage too?”
“Yeah. I heard about it.”
Raon nodded and headed to the meat market on the right side of the city.
Crossing the stalls where the smell of blood was thick, he entered the restaurant at the end of the market. The rich smell of freshly grilled meat, which was the opposite of the market, vibrated in his mouth.
“Pork stew. The skin is fried crispy, the sauce is poured to make the meat soft. The black beer is chilled coolly, two glasses.”
He ordered food that he wouldn’t normally order to the clerk at the entrance.
“…Ah!”
She tilted her head, then as if something occurred to her, she clapped her palm.
“Come this way.”
The clerk smiled faintly and guided him to the inner room. There was a round table large enough for five people.
She carefully closed the door and pressed a part of the wall slightly.
The floor vibrated faintly, and the central table lifted, revealing a staircase leading downward.
“I was surprised to hear the password from my grandmother. Hearing a password from someone who retired a long time ago, huh?”
“Yeah.”
Raon nodded. This password was one of the ones he had used in the previous life. No matter how exposed the black market was to many people, there was no way she would use the same password for ten years.
However, the reason he mentioned the password at that time was different.
“That grandmother…”
“She passed away ten years ago.”
Perhaps because ten years had passed. The clerk’s reaction was calm.
“I see.”
That grandmother was the guide of the black market who, every time she saw the Raon of the previous life, said his eyes were dead and gave him food one by one.
Looking at the current day, she didn’t say anything curious and came, but it was a pity. His palate was bitter.
I hope she lived peacefully.
Raon closed his eyes for a moment and prayed for her repose.
“The black market password is changed every two years even without special events. I’m glad I remembered the old password; if it had been someone else, it would have been impossible.”
The clerk said a few old passwords and laughed.
“You look handsome, so I let you in.”
“I covered my face.”
Raon pointed to his deeply pulled hood.
“Even handsome people can’t hide their aura.”
And her gaze turned to Dorian. An ambiguous expression.
“Anyway, the current password is chicken drumsticks without chili and onion, and three glasses of well-ripened Kitten wine.”
“Understood.”
“Then enjoy your shopping.”
“Thank you.”
The clerk said to remember the password and left after closing the door.
“That’s why you have to look at handsome people.”
Dorian rubbed his cheeks and frowned.
“By the way, who told you about this place?”
“Rimer instructor.”
“Ah, that makes sense.”
Hearing Rimer’s name, Dorian nodded.
“Let’s go down.”
“Yes.”
Raon stepped on the stairs first. Using the darkness as a lantern, after slowly descending for about two minutes, the stairs ended and a grey curtain appeared.
Flutter!
When he lifted the curtain, the view of the black market was revealed.
“Adaptation isn’t working. It’s much cleaner than above.”
“Indeed.”
Raon nodded. The black market was much cleaner and more sophisticated than the market above.
It felt like a jewelry specialty store that noble ladies often visited.
In the center was one elegant building resembling porcelain, surrounded by shops emitting brilliant light.
The one in the center was the auction house and gambling hall, and the surrounding shops were black market merchants who had received sales permits in the black market.
“Where will you start?”
“For now, let’s start with the auction items.”
It wasn’t time for an auction yet, but to be sure if there was anything needed, he entered the auction house first.
Raon bought a catalog and scanned through what items would be on auction that day. As he was looking at the list, his eyes stopped abruptly in the center.
There it is.
Seeing the Black Butterfly auction item, Raon clenched his fist. He had come to check just in case, and luckily, the guy he was looking for was there.
It’s in two days.
The Black Butterfly was on auction the day after tomorrow.
Price is… 10 to 20 gold coins.
It wasn’t a cheap price, but not particularly expensive for black market auction items.
Money is a bit lacking.
He had received money after completing two big missions with great merits, but it was quite insufficient to bid on the Black Butterfly.
-Money is lacking? This King’s reincarnation body is a pauper, how pitiful.
Raon yawned and got up, clicking his tongue at the pitiful sight.
Annoying.
Raon clicked his tongue looking at the casino next to the auction house. He probably needed to earn some money there.
“Eh? You’re going to the casino, young master? No way!”
Dorian, drooling while looking at the catalog, shook his head vigorously.
“Why?”
“It’s a place where only professional gamblers gather! Famous gamblers from the kingdom who ruled the place are known for being completely cleaned out and kicked out! If I go there, I’ll lose all the money to eat without even having it!”
“Ah, I know. But it’s fine.”
Raon patted Dorian’s shoulder blocking his way.
It was my lifeline in the previous life.
Raon chuckled and shook the flower bracelet with Wrath inside.
This time, there was one secret weapon.
***
In the previous life, when living as assassin Raon, there was no reward for killing the target and coming back. Just a few days of rest period was given, or in severe cases, he went straight to the next assassination without rest.
The Robert family guys didn’t see assassins as humans, so they only provided just enough money to go on missions. To minimize loss even if dead.
When under brainwashing, he didn’t know it was strange, but after it was lifted, he realized the Robert guys were vicious bastards.
So I saved money every time there was a chance to escape.
To catch the chance to run away, whenever there was a vacation, he went to the casino to earn money and hid it in the annex. Now it’s hard because of the distance, but when the opportunity comes, he’ll go and retrieve it.
Then.
Raon took the terrified Dorian and walked around the casino. Seeing familiar gamblers, he headed to the right table.
At the table, a slender young woman in a dress and an old man in neat uniform were sitting. Behind them, men who seemed to be bodyguards stood with their backs turned.
It should be fine.
After watching the gambling run ten times, Raon sat at the table. The current game was dice rolling inside an iron cup to match the eyes.
“Ah, that’s why we should have gone down. They don’t manage the casino water these days?”
A woman in a black dress wearing a fox mask looked this way, frowned, and clicked her tongue.
“There are no men, women, old, or young in gambling. Welcome.”
In contrast, the old man smiled faintly and slightly nodded his neck.
Raon greeted only the old man and looked at the table. The woman clicked her tongue, but he didn’t care.
“Um…”
However, the dealer flinched at the woman’s reaction. Apparently, the fox-masked woman seemed to be from a quite successful family.
“Woah…”
Dorian felt the cool air rising from the table and shivered.
“Then let’s start.”
The dealer showed the iron cup and dice to the three of them, put the dice in the cup, and started shaking. His hands were fast, moving wrist and shoulder simultaneously so the cup didn’t show properly.
He turned the cup gracefully like sword dance, placed it on the floor, and withdrew his hand as if to bet.
“2.”
“I’ll do 4.”
The woman and the old man looked at the cup and pushed the chips in front of them.
“…3.”
Raon called out 3 and bet half of the chips he had.
“I’ll do 5.”
The dealer confirmed everyone’s numbers and slowly opened the cup.
“The number of eyes is 3. Congratulations.”
The dealer smiled faintly and returned twice the invested chips.
“Tsk, luck is good.”
The woman clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes.
“I lost 20 gold coins today, but you have good first luck.”
The old man nodded as if congratulating.
“Next game will start.”
The dealer put the dice back in the cup and shook it. Faster than before, he spun it lightly and placed it on the table. The sound was clear and refreshing.
“3.”
“This time, 5 would be good.”
“1.”
The moment Raon called 1, the dealer’s finger trembled slightly.
“I’ll do 4.”
The dealer slowly lifted the cup. The eyes of the dice looking at the sky were one.
“1. Congratulations.”
The dealer returned twice the bet chips.
“What?”
“Oh, you’re really doing it!”
The woman now turned her head and glared overtly, and the old man opened his eyes wide.
“Wow! Two wins in a row?”
Dorian jumped in surprise and came closer.
“Young master. We have to run away. This is 100% beginner’s luck. Those guys are cheats. Cheats! If you do a little more, they’ll take even your underwear!”
“Yeah. I know. But I’ll play a little more.”
Raon smiled faintly and bet all the won chips.
“Ah…”
Dorian tapped his eyes and sighed.
“Hmph. Idiot.”
“Um.”
The dress woman sneered, and the old man nodded slowly.
Both of them thought the dealer was giving Raon a favor, and now it was time to show real skill.
But.
After the third, fourth, and fifth games, a pile of chips the size of Raon’s chest had accumulated in front of him.
“What, what! What did you do!”
“No, how is this…”
The woman in the dress and the old man opened their mouths wide at Raon’s chips.
“You, young master! Kruk.”
Dorian foamed at the mouth and patted Raon’s shoulder to run away quickly.
“Luck is good today.”
Raon brushed the chips with his fingers and smiled faintly.
-How is he doing this! What is the method!
Sound.
-Sound?
Because the wear on the corners of the dice varies, the sound when it hits the cup is different. By discerning that difference, predict the dice eyes.
This gambling technique uses the sound of the collision between the dice and the cup after maximizing hearing to determine the dice eyes.
Of course, most people know it but can’t use it, but with his developed senses, he could do it without much difficulty.
-What crazy thing! You knew the dice eyes with that?
Raas exhaled. It was surprising that he could discern and remember the difference in sounds.
-Then, you were just watching this gambling all the time...
Yeah. To discern the sound.
-You really are a scammer! That’s why the King was fooled every time!
Not a scammer. Winning with skill.
Raon chuckled and pocketed the chips.
“I’m done here. Good luck.”
He waved to the old man and the woman and stood up.
-Already?
If I keep winning from one game, there might be trouble coming.
He walked around the gambling table and sat at the poker place.
-Poker? Are you going to cheat here too?
No. I don’t cheat.
Raon looked at the going cards and his eyes sparkled.
-What?
This time it’s your turn. Go see people’s hands and come back.
-What a crazy guy!
Raas jumped out of the bracelet and spewed a terrifying aura.
-This King is the lord of the Demon Realm! How dare a human like you give orders! And to see the gambling cards!
No.
Raon remained calm even in the cold air filling the space. He calmly shook his head.
It’s a transaction.
-Transaction?
Yeah. If you help me, I’ll eat all the food I want here.
-You’re really crazy! Even though the King is a famous gourmet, accepting such a proposal...
There was a bead ice cream sales stand earlier. New products too.
Raas paused for a moment.
-Useless! Even if I don’t eat bead ice cream, it’s fine...
2.
-D, shut up! This body, the lord of the Demon Realm, accepting such...
3.
-...
Add 4 of your favorite food.
Raas’s voice disappeared. Raon felt that the end was near.
-Where do I look?
4 bead ice creams and one food.
It was really easy to use the Demon Lord.