episode_0184

“I’m telling you! Oh wow, you really don’t know anything. Haha.”

“Why on earth… was he exiled?”

“Well, it’s not something commoners like us need to care much about. I heard there was a big fight in Deseo’s palace. And so, the nobles supposedly defeated the king or something.”

Marie asked.

“So that’s why there’s a festival? Because the nobles won?”

“Hmm, that’s another matter, little one. Do you know what politics are? Politics, you see—”

“…Thank you for explaining in detail. Well then, we’ll be going now.”

“Huh? Oh, alright then!”

Feeling like we’d been caught by a chatty person, we hastily left the spot.

We walked down the street in silence.

It felt strange somehow. Like we had traveled through time.

It had only been about a week since we pushed through the Charrak Mountains to get here. But to hear that something major had happened in this country in that short time was unbelievable.

Gordburg, Teildon, Charrak.

All three had been peaceful, without any particular events. Just as I always knew them to be. The villages had existed.

So I thought Deseo wouldn’t be much different.

It seems Tia’s ‘nobles’ rebellion’ had caused a huge stir.

The king’s exile…

It was certainly surprising. To think that the nobles’ victory would lead to such a result.

However, it was ‘just’ surprising.

It wasn’t a particularly important matter to me.

Anyway, there is no eternal king in this land. Kings have always changed since ancient times, and each time, the atmosphere of the country changes only slightly.

They said the war was lost, or the king was poisoned. People spoke frighteningly about this country being turned upside down, but in reality, in a small mountain village, not even the color of the grass changes.

And I am chasing after Tia. It doesn’t matter what happened to this country’s king.

I’m just annoyed that I can’t move to Deseo quickly because of that damn king.

“Should we prepare?”

Marie asked, clutching the backpack slung over her back.

She was asking if we would sleep in an inn tonight, or camp somewhere suitable.

In my opinion, neither seemed feasible.

“Let’s check around a bit more.”

It’s too early to judge based only on what the vendor said.

This is a mining village. Perhaps we can hitch a ride on a large freight cart carrying ore.

First, we moved to a pub on the street.

To find out more, I asked the shop owner, and occasionally eavesdropped on the boisterous chatter of drunkards.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much new information. Just as the ticket vendor said, the entire village was buzzing about the topic.

We decided to check the mine once daylight broke tomorrow, and for now, Marie and I sat down in a corner of the pub.

“It seems everyone who came here also wants to go to Deseo.”

“To see the king?”

“Yes. They’re probably going to see the new king. Because they’re curious.”

“In that case, taking a carriage… will be difficult.”

“We can’t stay stuck like this. I’ll ask at the mine one last time, but if that doesn’t work, we might have to walk, are you alright with that?”

“Yes. I’m fine. I’ll follow whatever Ritsu Oppa wants to do.”

Walking from here to Deseo would take about three days.

Compared to the rough Charrak Mountains, the path is flat, but it would still consume a lot of stamina and time.

Especially since taking a carriage and going through procedures at Deseo’s gate is much faster, it’s better to choose the carriage if possible.

For now, there’s no other way. We have no choice but to do this.

After filling our stomachs with Marie, we were about to get up to find a place to sleep.

“Argh, damn it! It’s over, it’s over! Let’s go!!”

The people who had been gambling in the center of the pub rushed out. It seemed the noisy game they had been playing was finally over.

“Heheheh-”

The person who had won big in the last round greedily swept up the gambling chips. The clinking sound of coins was loud. He seemed to have won a lot.

I was just about to look past it, but Marie suddenly grabbed my collar tightly.

“Uh… Ritsu Oppa. Isn’t that a ‘carriage ticket’?”

Hearing that, I looked to the side.

It was true.

In the gambler’s hand was a grimy, crumpled carriage ticket.

I hesitated for a moment, but my footsteps were already heading towards the gambler’s back.

“Is that a carriage ticket?”

“Huh?”

The gambler spun around to face me.

“Yeah.”

“Is that a ticket for Deseo tomorrow morning?”

“That’s right. A whopping 30 gold ticket.”

Is that the price for a black market ticket?

I remember Tia urgently getting a carriage ticket for around 4 gold. Now, it seems the demand is so high that only the rich can afford it.

“So, what? Why are you asking?”

The gambler grinned, looking me up and down.

At this late hour. As if knowing the meaning of someone approaching him, a winner, after his fellow gamblers had left. He grinned, revealing rotten teeth.

Of course, I knew.

“Can that ticket also be put up as a stake?”

“A stake? Haha. Yeah, if you ask me to put it up, I can. You can bet anything in a gambling game. But it depends on what you’re willing to bet.”

“……”

I didn’t have 30 gold in my pocket.

Though I did have something of similar value.

“How about it? Want to play a round with me?”

“I’ll bet this.”

I tapped the Rose Shabel hanging at my waist.

The gambler, who had been watching the sword sheath with his arms crossed, said discontentedly.

“A sword? I don’t deal in stolen goods like that. You can easily buy a sword in Rottenban.”

“It’s worth enough to be 30 gold. And this is all I have right now.”

“Hmm-. Whether it’s worth 30 gold or not, only a general store owner could appraise it. I wouldn’t know.”

“……”

“And that’s all you have? I don’t think so.”

“What do you mean?”

The gambler’s eyes looked past the Rose Shabel, to what was behind me. And then he let out an unsettling, inexplicable laugh.

“Is that your sister? She’s pretty.”

“……!”

I quickly hid Marie behind my back.

Surely… this bastard… isn’t suggesting I bet ‘Marie’ as a stake?

Not even an object, but a person?

“How about this ‘carriage ticket’ for a night with your sister? Sounds reasonable, doesn’t it?”

“Puhaha-!!”

“Kuhaha-!”

The surrounding people burst into laughter. The gambler also chuckled as he started to clear the gambling table again.

“…You crazy bastard.”

“If you get it, scram, kid. Don’t linger around the gambling table when you’re still wet behind the ears.”

This guy never had any intention of seriously betting with me in the first place. He just wanted to humiliate me and drive me away.

There was no need to get angry.

It would only be tiring to get involved, so I was about to walk out, when—

“I’ll do it.”

At those words, all the men turned around.

“So… put up the carriage ticket.”

“What?”

“What did you say?”

The gambler and I asked at the same time.

Looking back at the girl who had suddenly done this, Marie.

I tried desperately to appease her, but Marie’s eyes were serious. The hand clutching my collar was also very firm.

Beyond mere embarrassment, my chest felt heavy.

Everything was sudden. Unexpected. And at the same time, I couldn’t even guess her intentions.

Just like Tia.

“Marie, why are you doing this?”

“I believe. That Ritsu Oppa will win.”

So innocently, she said it as if it were nothing.

Did she even know what the gambler meant by ‘stake’? Did she know that her body was more important than a single dirty carriage ticket?

Even if she did know, Marie… why on earth would she trust me this much?

“Kikikiki… You’re really going to do it? I won’t stop you. Come on, sit down. If your sister says it’s okay, what are you worried about?”

“……”

Marie’s blue eyes looking up at me. The infinite trust contained within them.

Yes.

Refusing that trust… wouldn’t be proper for you, or Ruyef.

Anyway, now that we’ve come this far, why turn back?

I will just move forward.

*Scrape.*

I pulled a chair and sat down opposite the table.

“Let’s do it.”

“Whoa- we’ve hit the jackpot tonight- Kikiki… You there, little sister, go wash up. I’ll finish up quickly and savor you slowly.”

*Swoosh.*

A card flew towards me. Along with it, black stones were given to determine the advantage in the gambling game.

The side whose stones all disappear loses.

I picked up the card and looked at it.

I could see the suit and number.

I had never played cards before, but I knew the rules to some extent.

Fosao.

That pig never lost at gambling.

Because I knew very well how he was able to do that.

I casually grabbed a pile of stones and threw them into the center of the table.

*Thud!*

“I’ll take it, and raise.”

* * *

“…Who are you?”

After some time had passed.

The gambler’s stones were halved, while my stones were piled high.

I asked back, pretending not to know anything.

“What?”

“You know all my cards, kid.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Your lies are clumsy. What’s your trick? Who’s helping you?”

“Isn’t it usually the dealer who uses tricks? How could I use a trick?”

The gambler angrily folded the cards.

“…Haha. Bullshit.”

“I didn’t do anything. You just lost to me.”

There was a reason I readily agreed to this absurd gamble, betting Marie as a stake.

In fact… I was bound to win.

Because after receiving the cards, just by touching the table for a moment, I could ‘read’ the memory of what cards my opponent had just picked up.

If my opponent’s card was high, I’d fold. If it was lower than mine, I’d raise my stones and win.

At first, the gambler played fairly, but as he became increasingly disadvantaged, he began to use various tricks. Like pretending to shuffle the cards with sleight of hand, or only drawing very high cards.

But it meant nothing to me. Every time my opponent tried a trick, I’d immediately fold. As if to warn him that I knew what he was doing.

…As a result, the gambler instead yelled that I was cheating him.

“Alright. So you’re innocent, huh? Then let’s try it another way.”

He swept all the cards on the table away with one hand.

Then he pulled something out and set it down with a thud.

A single die and a wooden cup.

“How about we try a dice game instead? If you’re really that lucky, you’ll still win like this, right?”

He put the die in the wooden cup and shook it.

*Click, click, clack!*

“Let’s have a real gamble with this die. Alright, I’ll bet everything.”

*Rustle.*

My opponent put all his stones on the table. I also had to put the same amount in the center.

“You bet on the number you want first. We hate it when people change their minds later here.”

This was trouble.

I couldn’t use my memory-reading ability here.

Because the die was inside the dark cup, it was impossible to know which number was facing up.

“……”

It wasn’t certain. If I made a mistake, the situation could be reversed with this.

If it’s not certain, I shouldn’t take the bet.

But. I wanted to bet.

“Two.”

“Alright. I’ll bet on three.”

By now, countless people were watching around us.

*Slide.*

As the wooden cup was lifted, it revealed the die that had been in the darkness.

It was…

Two dots.

It was a two.

“…Tch. How boring.”

The gambler, seeing the result, flung the carriage ticket at me as if annoyed, then left and disappeared.

“Ritsu Oppa. We got the carriage ticket.”

I expected Marie to cheer and be happy. But she didn’t.

As if she had known from the beginning that this would happen. She merely stated the outcome that had fallen before us, indifferently.

“Yeah.”

I was the same.

I wasn’t happy.

As I picked up the die lying in front of me, an empty question arose.

If there truly was a total amount of luck in this world…

Was this carriage ticket the only luck I was allowed?