Ch.6565. The Gambling Den

I got all the information I needed.

The Underhand Clan was located in Lindvale’s pleasure district. An area packed with gambling dens and brothels. Every city has its entertainment district. It wasn’t far from the orphanage in the slums.

About thirty people were active as clan members, and they were all Stigmatics. Though they were all merely at the Revelation rank, Caspar, the clan leader, was different. A man who had reached the mature stage of Holy Flame. He was the same man who had spouted nonsense at the orphanage before leaving.

“I heard you’re a Knight Commander’s disciple. Even so, charging in against all of them is reckless. Thirty people! There’s no way you can win.”

“That’s for me to decide.”

When Rex snapped back with an irritated face, Lucas closed his mouth.

You talk too much. Suppressing the words that rose to his throat, Rex slowly left the director’s office. Lucas didn’t try to stop him either. Rex thought that was fortunate. If he had heard one more unnecessary complaint, his barely maintained patience would have reached its limit.

‘First…’

He organized his thoughts as he walked down the long corridor. His heart was hot, but his head was cold. He wouldn’t go to the Underhand Clan right away. Impulsive actions ruin everything. He needed to cool down a bit.

As he left the building and walked toward the main gate, he noticed the children. When he had first arrived at the orphanage with Chloe, they had been playing energetically, but now they were huddled in a corner, whispering with gloomy faces. Chloe had wanted to prevent rumors from spreading, but in the closed environment of an orphanage, that was impossible.

Rex stood still for a moment, watching them, then turned away. He stopped by the inn to collect his Zweihander, completed his armament, and headed to another destination.

It was the lord’s castle. The soldiers let Rex pass without any particular resistance. There was no need to wander around looking for Berger. As soon as he entered the Knight Hall, Berger greeted him cheerfully.

“I thought you weren’t coming today. What’s wrong? You don’t look good.”

“Master.”

“Wait, let me guess. Didn’t you say you were going on a date? Don’t tell me you got rejected?”

When Rex showed no reaction to the light joke, Berger’s expression turned serious.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not that.”

Rex shook his head. He would have played along under normal circumstances, but he wasn’t in the mood right now. Finding even the time for greetings wasteful, he got straight to the point.

“Didn’t you tell me to stay quiet for a while yesterday?”

“I did.”

“I apologize, but I’m going to cause some trouble.”

“…What?”

Berger asked back with a dumbfounded expression. This wasn’t asking for permission; it was more like a declaration. Who in the world would calmly agree when someone boldly announces they’re planning to cause problems?

However, instead of scolding him, Berger stroked his chin and looked Rex up and down. Armor fully configured for actual combat. Different from usual. His expression, though seemingly impassive, had eyes that looked ready to kill someone.

After a brief silence, Berger nodded.

“Alright.”

“Pardon?”

Now it was Rex’s turn to look surprised. Despite bringing it up abruptly, he had prepared all sorts of excuses in his head to convince Berger. He never imagined Berger would give permission without hearing any explanation.

Berger burst into hearty laughter at Rex’s staring gaze.

“If you’ve decided that, you must have a good reason.”

Though curious, he didn’t force the issue. Because he trusted Rex. That was enough.

“Is that all? You’re not going to ask anything?”

“The Rex I’ve known all this time is a person who is serious in everything and doesn’t do foolish things. I trust my eyes. That’s all. If you do make an irreversible mistake, I can punish you as your master.”

There wasn’t a trace of deception on Berger’s face. He genuinely trusted Rex. If anything, he was curious about what had happened to make Rex so angry.

“…Actually.”

After hesitating briefly, Rex began his story. He hadn’t intended to hide anything from the start. He had just momentarily frozen at Berger’s sincere words. Rex swallowed dryly and explained the general situation.

Berger clicked his tongue with a displeased expression.

“The Underhand Clan, you’ve gotten tangled with some truly vicious ones. Their atrocities are well-known. Among the nobles who hold positions in the domain, there’s probably not one who doesn’t know them.”

“Then why are they left alone? Loan sharking, forced prostitution, gambling, smuggling… they commit every crime imaginable.”

“That’s how the world works.”

When Rex questioned with a frustrated face, Berger responded hesitantly for once.

“While some want to get rid of them, others on the opposite side want to use them.”

It meant that the Underhand Clan hadn’t been dealt with because they were protected by nobles who were in cahoots with them. Rex’s expression soured. Lucas had said something similar, talking about the ways of the world. That various interests were intertwined, making it difficult for even nobles to touch them easily.

Shouldn’t those with power protect the weak? Instead, they oppress them?

Since becoming Berger’s disciple, among the knowledge Rex had acquired were the virtues a noble should possess. The oath to uphold justice, maintain courage, and fight against unjust evil wherever it may be.

The code of chivalry was the same. Show kindness to widows and orphans, don’t turn away from someone’s suffering. Beware of corruption. Such basic human principles of righteousness and morality.

Of course, these were all extremely old-fashioned. But at least a noble should make some effort to fulfill them. Those born with blue blood had a duty to display dignity befitting their position.

“I wanted to sweep them away too. But as I rose to a higher position, my body became heavier with responsibility. If I act recklessly, others will bleed. Though this probably sounds like an excuse.”

Berger muttered in a bitter voice. Then, suddenly raising the corner of his mouth, he added:

“But Rex, I won’t stop you. Do as you please. Your advantage is that you’re free. Unlike me, you don’t have ties with other nobles. Some nobles who’ve been taking bribes from the Underhand Clan will certainly object, but don’t worry. I’ll handle that much.”

“…I understand.”

Rex nodded calmly. He hadn’t expected direct help from Berger from the beginning. If he could prevent the aftermath, that would be enough.

Berger looked up at the gradually darkening sky and asked:

“Are you going right now?”

“Yes.”

With his conversation with Berger—his only concern—concluded, there was no reason to delay further. As Rex turned his back and left, Berger softly said behind him:

“Don’t get hurt.”

No answer came back.

***

The Red Light District is a street where all kinds of pleasures gather. People often list the representative human desires as the need for sleep, hunger, and excretion, and if we were to be specific, this place has a very close relationship with excretion. It’s a district where those who want to let something out wander around, clutching their waistbands.

Views on sexual desire differ from person to person, but Lindvale is a domain within the Order Church’s territory. The teachings of the Order God consider prostitution a sin, but no one here cares about such things.

Looking around, bright red lanterns creating a suggestive atmosphere stretch endlessly. These red lanterns indicate brothels. The air is different from ordinary streets. The smell of lust that intoxicates people. Women dressed in lewd clothes that reveal their skin entice males, and men drawn to them are caught and taken inside.

Rex walked down the street with an expressionless face.

“You’re handsome, so I’ll give you a discount. How about 5 silver? I’m good, I’ll make you finish quickly.”

Whenever women approached with solicitations, he ignored them outright. Despite this, there was a prostitute who tried to cling to him, rubbing her chest against his arm, but upon seeing Rex’s eyes, she immediately froze and turned back.

He didn’t think it was harsh treatment. It was obvious she had approached with the intention of openly mocking him. Above all, these were people who had voluntarily become prostitutes to earn money. Rex had no particular ill feelings toward the profession of prostitution, but he wasn’t kind enough to politely send someone away when they continued soliciting after being rejected once.

Passing through the relatively open streets, he moved toward a more secluded area. As the red lanterns disappeared one by one and the gloomy atmosphere intensified, the expressions of the prostitutes gradually darkened. Sharp moans like screams and excited shouts echoed from all directions.

Rex stopped in front of a building.

“What?”

A man guarding the door spoke in a disinterested tone.

“Kid, this isn’t a place for youngsters like you. Go home.”

“Isn’t this a gambling den?”

When Rex calmly retorted, the man made an exasperated expression.

“Get lost.”

As if threatening that he wouldn’t let it slide if Rex kept lingering, the man clenched his fist. Ignoring this, Rex took out a pouch from inside his clothes. The moment the man saw the jingling silver coins, his eyes widened. Even at a glance, it was an amount of dozens of coins. Rex twisted the corner of his mouth and smirked.

“Really?”

The man, with a dazed face, rolled his eyeballs back and forth before stammering:

“I… didn’t recognize the customer. Follow me.”

Rex leisurely entered the gambling den. At the same time, the man quickly closed the door. The sound of a lock clicking could be heard. He seemed to be trying to act secretly, but he couldn’t deceive Rex’s enhanced hearing. Without showing this, Rex followed the man’s guidance and sat at a particularly lavish table.

“This is a valuable guest. Treat him specially. Just do as usual.”

There were no other customers, only a dealer preparing the game, and when the man whispered in a low voice, the dealer made a strange expression.

Rex calmly placed his pouch on the table. Clank. Silver coins spilled out. He picked one up and flicked it with his finger.

“Let’s start lightly with one coin.”

“Dice, cards, monte. What would you like to play?”

“Let’s go with monte.”

The dealer laid three cups on the table, put a marble in one, and began spinning them around. Despite the dealer’s flashy hand techniques, Rex didn’t look at the cups but raised his head.

The building had a total of three floors, with the ceiling of the central part open. Standing at the railing above, one could oversee the first floor. Fierce-looking men who appeared to be guards were all around. They had tattoos of crooked daggers on their necks. The symbol of the Underhand Clan.

Caspar, the clan leader, was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he needed to go upstairs. The stairs were guarded by clan members, but if he wanted to, he could break through right now.

He didn’t do so simply because he had a better plan.

“It’s over.”

His thoughts were interrupted. The dealer had stopped his hands and was looking at him. Rex chose one cup.

“You’re correct. Would you like to continue?”

Rex silently pushed forward a silver coin. 2 pieces. The result didn’t change. Once again, the dealer handed over silver coins, and Rex continued the game by placing exactly twice the amount.

Despite not making any effort to guess correctly, Rex’s choices accurately found the marble every time. As time passed, the silver coins piled up beside the table, and the number of people watching also gradually increased.

“Take it easy.”

When a gambler, unable to stand it anymore, cautiously tried to dissuade him, a man standing nearby sneered in a harsh voice:

“He’s winning well, so why? Don’t meddle in other people’s business and just watch quietly.”

Rex looked at the spinning cups with indifferent eyes. His gaze was fixed straight ahead, but his heightened senses detected the man and the dealer exchanging some kind of signal.

He had been waiting for this.

“It’s over.”

The dealer swallowed dryly and gestured. Looking at the flow, the situation wasn’t much different from before. He hadn’t seen any special tricks. Was it a hand technique that couldn’t be caught even with dynamic vision? Maybe they really hadn’t played any tricks.

—Or so ordinary people might think. However, Rex trusted his instincts.

“Is this the headquarters of the Underhand Clan?”

“What…? W-wait!”

The dealer froze at the sudden question. Rex didn’t miss that brief moment. He quickly extended his hand and lifted all the cups. The marble wasn’t visible anywhere. The gamblers sighed and shook their heads, while the guards’ expressions twisted in anger.

“You cheated?”

Despite the fierce gazes pouring from all directions, Rex twisted his lips.

His eyes weren’t smiling.

“Tell the boss to come out.”

He had gained his justification.

“You crazy bastard!”

Just as the man who had first guided Rex to the table was about to charge at him with curses, a voice came from above.

“Stop right there.”

At those words, the man’s movement stopped as if by magic. Rex looked up.

Caspar, the leader of the Underhand Clan, was leaning against the railing with a grin as he greeted Rex.