The First Prize and the Past

"Huh, what’s that?" Flora pointed a finger toward a corner of the gambling hall. A large wall was plastered with thousands of small, folded slips of paper. There were so many that the mere thought of counting them was daunting. Beside them, a crow was struggling to suppress a yawn, clearly bored out of its mind.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"It’s a prize draw. Don't bother. It’s all duds anyway," Mitchell said, waving her hand dismissively. It was known as the 'Garden Lottery.' It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was a simple gamble where you drew one of 9,999 slips, hoping to snag the first-place prize. And, as Mitchell said, it was almost entirely duds. Even second or third prizes were rare. Statistically, the chance of pulling anything other than a dud was a measly 0.002%. It was a scheme designed to squeeze the last few coins out of the pockets of gamblers who had already been cleaned out.

But this was exactly what I had been aiming for. The reason I came to this gambling hall. The first-place prize: the Necklace of Reflection. It was an artifact boasting the best defensive capabilities in Nine Stars. In a corner of this shabby, frontier-town gambling hall, a treasure of immeasurable value lay dormant.

"Mitchell."

"Yeah? What is it, kid?"

I leaned in and whispered quietly into her ear. "If we could look inside those slips, couldn't we just pluck out the first-place prize?"

"Hey—if that were possible, everyone would be doing it... wait." Mitchell’s expression shifted instantly. The high-tier rune embedded in my gloves, Clairvoyance. Mitchell herself had experienced the power of that X-ray vision, which could pierce through anything. Realizing what I was getting at, she narrowed her eyes.

"...Now that you mention it, you do have that little trick. If you play it right, it might actually work. No, it’ll definitely work."

"But I need your help. I have to scan all those slips with Clairvoyance. If I take too long, it might look suspicious."

"Leave that to me."

We quickly formulated a plan and approached the crow.

"How much for one draw?"

"One hundred gold."

"Cheaper than I thought. Shall we each draw ten?"

Mitchell and I exchanged a subtle glance and stood before the wall of slips. I didn't give Flora any specific instructions, letting her draw as she pleased. It was more natural to leave her to her own devices; she was the type of girl who looked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even more awkward if forced to act.

"Wonder if I'll get anything good," Mitchell said, playing the part perfectly. Thanks to her stalling, I had the opportunity to examine the slips.

'No time to waste.'

I focused my vision, channeling the power of Clairvoyance. I peered into the sea of paper plastered against the wall. Dud, dud, dud... A parade of hundreds, thousands of duds followed. The word 'dud' was practically being seared into my retinas. I scanned the papers rapidly, not even sparing time to blink.

'Found one.'

I pulled out a slip. Second prize: Greaves of the Onslaught Empire. It was a high-performance leg armor piece imbued with the mid-tier rune Gale Kick. Since it significantly boosted the power of kicking attacks, it was a core item for Mitchell.

'Now, I need to find the first prize.'

There was no need to sweep up every single prize. The others weren't that valuable, and more importantly, doing so would draw too much suspicion. Honestly, pulling both the first and second prizes would be suspicious enough. Greed is the enemy.

"Ahem. How’s it going, kid?" Mitchell asked, clearing her throat as she looked at me. She was asking if I’d found the first prize. I gave a subtle shake of my chin.

"No need to rush, right? Let's be careful."

Mitchell distracted the crow again. But if we dragged it out too long, the crow would get suspicious. Plus, the mana required to maintain Clairvoyance was slowly draining. Maintaining my focus, I carefully scanned the slips again. And finally.

'Found it.'

I spotted the first-prize slip tucked away in a corner. They’d played dirty, hiding it behind another slip to make it nearly impossible to draw.

"I'm done picking."

I filled the rest of my draws with random duds and gave Mitchell a subtle signal.

"Shall we open them up, then?"

We opened the slips one by one in front of the crow.

"Whoa! That's amazing, it's the second prize! ...Huh? Huh? Wait, what is this?"

The crow’s voice trembled. It stared blankly at the first-prize slip in its hand, unable to continue. Even the second prize would have been enough to make the gambling hall staff jump in shock, but we had pulled the first prize as well.

"No... what is this..."

"First prize? What do you get for that? A travel voucher or something?"

"It says they give you a necklace. Nice—looks like we’re lucky."

Mitchell and I smirked, playing along with each other. The crow brought out the prize with a dazed expression. But in the midst of that:

"Wow! I won too! Third prize—yay!"

Flora had pulled the third prize, Elixir of Recovery, purely by luck. As expected, her luck was truly extraordinary.

After fully enjoying our engineered luck, we left the gambling hall. I took the Necklace of Reflection, and Mitchell took the Greaves of the Onslaught Empire.

"Kid, are you sure that one is enough? You basically got both of them with your own power."

"I told you, it's fine. I’m too heavy to use those greaves anyway."

"Then I'll put them to good use. Thanks."

Mitchell patted my shoulder, a wide grin on her face. She had every right to be happy; she’d obtained gear any martial artist would envy.

'I only came here aiming for this one artifact from the start.'

I was happy, too. I’d obtained the Necklace of Reflection, which could bounce back any attack. It was high-difficulty to use properly since you had to read the timing of the opponent's attack perfectly, but its performance was incredible. It was gear that made the impossible possible. Just from what I knew, I could counter over twenty bosses with this single necklace.

"Anyway, she’s completely knocked out."

Mitchell said, looking back at Flora, whom she was carrying on her back. Flora, who had been sipping fruit wine in the gambling hall, had eventually fallen fast asleep.

The sun was setting. We walked in silence ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠through the deserted back alleys of Garden.

"Thanks," Mitchell said suddenly.

"Again? You already said that."

"No, not about the greaves. About... the underground waterway."

Mitchell avoided my gaze as she continued. She was talking about the time she’d fallen into a panic after being deceived by the shapeshifting monster.

"I was out of my mind back then. I couldn't see anything, I couldn't hear anything... Looking back now, it’s truly pathetic. I would’ve been in big trouble if it weren't for you."

"We help each other when things get critical, that's all."

"Yeah. You really are the best fit for a party leader."

It felt special to have the prideful Mitchell acknowledge me first. I felt my shoulders puff up with pride.

"Mitchell, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah."

"Who was that little child?"

"Hmm..."

The shapeshifting monster had transformed into an Elf child. Mitchell had lost her mind when she saw that child. It had been weighing on me, and I wanted to ask at least once.

"..."

Mitchell walked on in silence without answering. The silence stretched for a while. Just as I started to regret asking, she spoke.

"...It was my younger sibling."

Mitchell opened her mouth heavily. "They passed away a few years ago. They were always sickly since they were little, poor thing."

"That must have been hard."

"I thought I was okay now that a lot of time has passed, but I guess not. I guess I still have a long way to go."

Mitchell gave a bitter smile. Not knowing how to comfort her, I silently took Mitchell’s hand. Her hand was heavily calloused, but it was still warm.

"Maybe I was reminded of them when I looked at you. I teased and bullied them a lot. You could say they were 'Kid No. 1.' You’re No. 2."

"I can tell what kind of relationship you two had without even seeing it."

"Right? Hehe... Ugh, talking about the past is making me want to cry again. Hey kid, you’re going to forget this conversation right here and now, okay? I’m a bit embarrassed by this kind of atmosphere."

"Sure."

Mitchell turned her head to look at the distant sky. A faint dew glistened on her profile. She rubbed her eyes a few times with one hand, then readjusted her posture to make sure Flora didn't fall off her back.

"Kid, live a long life. Make lots of money and retire early from dangerous work like adventuring."

"You too."

"Of course. That’s why I’m always looking for that one big score. Once I make a fortune, I’m quitting this life, so keep that in mind."

The beautiful Elf smiled. There was a faint, sorrowful light in that smile, so I couldn't just smile back.

Wagner’s lodging was modest. While it wasn't so precarious that it would collapse in a breeze, there was no sense of stability in the thin wooden walls and roof.

"Do I really have to go in too?" Mitchell asked, looking openly displeased.

"If we leave him be, he’ll just find his way to a tavern on his own. Do we really have to go out of our way to call him?"

"Then wait outside."

"Ha—you make me sound like such a cold-hearted person when you say it like that."

Mitchell grumbled as she followed me into the lodging. When I mentioned Wagner’s name, the owner of the lodging looked relieved, as if it were a good thing.

"Are you friends with that big guy? I was just thinking something was wrong. He’s upstairs. Go up quickly."

"What happened?"

"I don't know the details, but the guards came. Did he kill someone somewhere? He always looked menacing, and I always thought he’d cause some big trouble one day—"

Mitchell and I locked eyes.

"...Nah, the big bear isn't that kind of guy. Even if he does look suspicious."

"Hmm. Let's go up first."

We hurried up the stairs. As we reached the floor where Wagner’s room was, a loud voice echoed out.

"Don't resist and come along quietly."

"I have done nothing wrong."

"Looking at your appearance, it’s obvious you’re part of the gang, so are you still going to try and deny it?"

It was a voice I’d heard somewhere before. 'This voice...'

I saw a group of men gathered in front of the room. Wagner, wearing his bear-fur coat. And the guards. I saw a familiar face. The adjutant to the Garden Guard Captain. I remembered getting to know him while coming and going from the guard barracks.

"Estelle, Mitchell!"

Wagner, who had recognized us, raised his hand high. His deeply furrowed face brightened instantly.

"What are you doing there?" Mitchell asked, looking dumbfounded.

"What, are these his companions? ...Wait, Estelle?"

The adjutant narrowed his eyes. "Yeah. We’re his companions. Did something happen?"

"We received a report that a vigilante was causing trouble. Wait, your companion is a vigilante?"

The adjutant looked between Wagner and me, as if he couldn't understand. It seemed there had been some misunderstanding. Suddenly, I remembered the armor Wagner had obtained during our last expedition. The armor he’d gotten after killing a vigilante.

"Ah."

On the shoulder of that armor, the emblem of the vigilantes was clearly engraved.