Chapter 6
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Penitence Palace (2)
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Dice.
A six-sided plaything. It randomly spits out a number between one and six, each with equal probability. So simple to use, it's a favorite in games.
But then, one day, all of a sudden.
What if a person had to stake their entire life on this tiny die? Could a human ever roll the number they desire? What number would the die whisper back in response?
"It should've been a six back then... No, even a five would've done."
On the road escorting him to the imperial palace.
A man bound in ropes and shackled in handcuffs muttered weakly.
"It was a dice bet with my life on the line. If I'd won there, I could've scraped together the academy tuition right under their noses. Hell, I might've even become a star student everyone admired..."
The name of the man muttering so feebly was Balton.
He was currently the most wanted criminal in the Yurgo region, with the highest bounty on his head.
Balton chuckled to himself and shook his head.
"Nah, who am I kidding? The moment I laid eyes on that stuffy professor, I probably would've killed him. Maybe I was born to be a murderer from the start..."
Right then.
Thud!
A soldier's knee slammed boldly into Balton's gut.
"You disgusting murderer, mumbling away—what the hell are you babbling about?"
The two nearby soldiers joined in as if they'd been waiting for this moment. They must've been itching for it. Soon, the area filled with dull thuds.
Thud! Thud!
"We're being nice, dragging you along, and you think you're some VIP guest?"
"The second we reach the palace, you're dead, you worm!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"...Ah, dice."
Balton endured the beating, repeating only the word "dice." The assault dragged on for a while longer until the lead escort captain finally stepped in.
"That's enough."
The captain clicked his tongue.
"I get wanting to kill him, but our job is to deliver him alive. Mission accomplished. Stand down."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
The captain checked Balton's condition at the same time.
He was beaten badly. Looked like he wouldn't walk for a while.
"You all eaten yet?"
"Not yet, sir!"
"No, we haven't!"
The captain thought it over. Balton couldn't walk anyway, so they might as well let the men eat while they waited—the timing would work out.
"Grab some food, then we move out."
The soldiers tied Balton to a nearby tree trunk right after the order and began their meal right in front of the prisoner, bold as brass.
"Guys working at the palace get to deal with nobles every day, but we're stuck handling trash like this... What's this slop?"
"Quit complaining. Catering to those high-and-mighties is way more of a pain. I've done both—trust me, this gig's easier."
"Really?"
Mealtime talk naturally turned to work.
Then one soldier piped up as if remembering something.
"Captain, speaking of which—is it true the Penitence Palace is finally getting new residents after all this time?"
"Surprisingly, yes. I was shocked when I heard."
"Doesn't the guy we're hauling not qualify for it?"
The soldiers' gazes flicked to Balton, then away.
Balton. The monster who'd wiped out a whole village with black magic.
"If even a freak like him doesn't set foot there, what kind of monsters end up in the Penitence Palace?"
"No way for us grunts to know. It's for types beyond our imagination."
"Beyond imagination... Like someone who killed their own family?"
"That's still in your wheelhouse. The Penitence Palace is for the ones that blow past anything we could dream up."
"...I see. Gives me chills just thinking about it."
"Word is, one's already inside. The other's probably almost through the Yurgo Mountains by now. They'll kill each other soon enough."
"Heh, really?"
A jarringly casual voice cut in.
The problem was how close it sounded. The soldiers' heads snapped toward it.
"If it's that fun, you should've told me sooner!"
"..."
The voice belonged to none other than Balton. He'd somehow planted himself cross-legged between the soldiers and the captain, bold as you please.
As if he'd been eating with them all along.
"...!"
Everyone's eyes went wide a beat later.
They scrambled for weapons and backpedaled. How had he gotten free? How long had he been there? The more they thought, the creepier it got.
Whoooosh—
Silence hung between the soldiers and Balton. Surprisingly, though, he didn't lunge right away.
He just spat out whatever he'd been chewing.
Maybe a tooth knocked loose from the beating? But no—it was a perfect six-sided die. A soldier muttered once he recognized it.
"...What's that, a dice?"
"You got it. Landed on three."
Balton looked like hell, barely able to stand, but his words rang crystal clear to the soldiers.
"You each roll once. Beat three, and you're free."
"..."
"Fifty-fifty odds. Pretty tempting for guys staring death in the face, right?"
The three soldiers and the captain exchanged glances.
The captain snorted at Balton's offer.
"Don't know how you slipped the tree, but that was your last chance. You'll regret not striking while you had it."
"Not rolling? Odds are fifty-fifty."
"You little criminal shit! Guess I'll rip that mouth off—"
Stab!
A spike erupted from the ground, skewering the captain vertically. The righteous soldier became a corpse in an instant.
"C-Captain?"
"What the... What is this?!"
The soldiers stammered in shock, but those were their final words. More spikes burst from the earth.
Stab! Stab!
"Gahk... Ack...!"
"Gaaahhh!"
Screams and the gruesome sounds of flesh and bone piercing echoed for a while. Blood pooling on the ground turned it red as a bonus.
.
.
.
.
At dusk, when the sunset painted the world red. The edge of the Yurgo Mountains.
The shattered carriage lay amid soldiers' corpses strewn everywhere. Standing tall at the center, of course, was Balton.
He grinned and wiped blood from his lips.
"Penitence Palace bound, huh? Definitely sounds fun. That was close."
"S-Spare me... Please..."
A hideous criminal writhed at Balton's feet, begging.
"Can't do that. Dice only showed two."
Balton had rolled a three. This guy got two.
He never made exceptions in his dice games.
"Spare me... Please... Gaaahhh!"
Balton coldly ended the other monster. Decent fun, all things considered. The one in the Penitence Palace ought to be even better.
He muttered that as he changed into the dead man's clothes, sloppy and slow. From here on, he'd just sit and wait for the imperials to find and escort him.
"...Can't wait to get to the Penitence Palace."
Who might be waiting?
He hoped for someone fun. Someone worth killing.
Late at night. Finally, the Penitence Palace entrance.
Knock knock.
Balton, having reached the Penitence Palace at last, rapped on the door. He even flaunted his black magic aura for good measure.
'This oughta scare 'em plenty.'
Weaklings would show fear worth watching. Strong ones would tense up and drop into fighting stance the moment they sensed him.
Either way, genuine reactions. Balton loved that.
Watching that raw intensity crumble over a single dice roll?
...Ah, the thrill was beyond words.
Savoring the thought, he kicked the door open with a bang.
"Hey, friends! How about a dice game?"
He shouted that too. What reaction would come?
But no one appeared in Balton's view. Impossible. A soldier had mentioned someone else was already inside.
"Dice game? Sounds fun."
"...!"
Balton's head whipped around at the sudden voice.
"...What?"
And he was shocked again.
Right after entering the Penitence Palace, Balton had scanned the corners, blind spots, and ceiling. Anyone sensing his intense aura would be primed for battle, lurking in such places.
...But no.
One man, one woman. Casually lounging on the central sofa.
But another surprise hit him as he thought it over.
'What did I just hear?'
Hadn't the guy accepted a dice game without a second thought?
As if reading Balton's mind, the man across from him nodded.
"Finish this smoke, then we start."
"..."
"Want one? Got extras."
He even offered Sunweed, bold as brass.
Balton reflected on his entire life up to now and reached a conclusion.
...This guy was a type Balton had never encountered before.