Ch.9595. Gambling

The Merchant Guild coordinated interests between trading companies and served as a vault.

The atmosphere wasn’t serious until Count of Burko and his twenty followers arrived to propose a “Hero Gambling” scheme.

“Haha. Count. Coming personally to make such a proposal.”

The guild master tried to laugh it off, but John Burko’s expression hardened.

“My financial officer and my cousin who runs our family’s trading company are busy disposing of magical tools at bargain prices. That’s why I came personally.”

“…”

“Let’s just do it for fun. Where is there any entertainment in the Imperial Capital now? It’s too dreary.”

This is different from Cordana, different from Cordana.

The guild master had nothing to say as the so-called count muttered like he was reciting a spell.

“Won’t you do it?”

After contemplating, the guild master finally nodded as if giving in.

“Sigh. Fine. I’ll set up the betting pool.”

At this response, the nobles, including Count of Burko, beamed with delight.

Logically, it was strange. There was no guarantee they would make money just because a betting pool opened.

They might even lose what little fortune they had left.

Yet their faces were filled with happiness. They seemed excited just by the possibility of winning money and enjoying the thrill.

‘At this rate, they’ll only stop when their heads are smashed in. Crazy bastards.’

The guild master clicked his tongue but ordered his staff to set up the betting pool.

Fortunately, there were employees who had performed similar tasks before the Cordana incident. They had only managed gambling for gladiatorial matches, but with a bit of adaptation, it wasn’t difficult.

– Let’s maximize the return rate and just take a small commission from winners.

– Ah well, we’re working overtime… Alright, I understand. I don’t want to get messily involved with Cordana investors. They’re maniacs.

– To determine the odds, we should reference the ages of past Heroes at their summoning.

…Soon, several scholars joined as consultants.

– All Heroes whose personal details can be cross-verified through historical records were males in their teens or twenties.

– There was one unusually old-looking Hero during the Kingdom of Ether’s golden age. Though he claimed to be nineteen.

– A woman? Sigh. I don’t understand why that Saintess theory is so widely accepted. We’ll have to set arbitrary odds and adjust them later.

The gambling operation began taking shape.

Though initially undertaken reluctantly due to the nobles’ unreasonable demands, it gained momentum as they progressed. After all, nothing in the Empire was more interesting than the Hero.

Soon, the Merchant Guild was able to establish rudimentary odds.

There were four options:

1. If a male teenager is summoned: 2.5x payout.

2. If a male in his twenties is summoned: 2.2x payout.

3. If a female of any age is summoned: 10x payout.

4. For all other cases: 20x payout.

“This should… work? The odds will adjust based on betting patterns anyway.”

Until this point, the Merchant Guild executives hadn’t looked particularly serious.

But soon, the atmosphere grew heavy.

People were flooding into the hastily prepared hall.

“W-what? Why are there so many?”

“Hehe. Seems word spread while you were setting the odds.”

This explanation came from one of Count of Burko’s minor noble followers. It probably wasn’t natural word-of-mouth but deliberately spread.

The crowd with their stakes was diverse.

Count of Burko and his group, who had initially proposed the bet, were touching their money pouches with excited expressions.

The capital’s merchants were also chattering… though they couldn’t hide their slight tension as they pulled out gold coins.

And there were many commoners who seemed to have come just for fun. They appeared to have come because participation required only one gold coin worth 100,000 Lyra.

The atmosphere suggested this wouldn’t end as mere entertainment.

But it was too late to turn back now.

“Hey, aren’t you taking my bet?”

“Let’s keep it cheap! What if the summoning happens tomorrow…! Hurry!”

Finally, the gambling operation opened.

Various types of people began to flock in with their stakes.

Most were betting for fun, but quite a few had a strange madness in their eyes. While claiming it was for entertainment, their stakes were substantial.

***

My mansion in District 3 was filled with a homely atmosphere for once.

“Ember, you know how to cook?”

I watched with curiosity as Ember worked in the kitchen herself.

It was Ember’s third day visiting the Imperial Capital.

Today, after enjoying a light date at an indoor garden and the western commercial district, I invited Ember to my home. Ironically, I had rarely invited her during our engagement period. Though Ember had visited unannounced several times.

‘I didn’t expect her to volunteer to cook.’

She didn’t seem to be trying to impress me by taking over the kitchen.

She was making a dish by simmering chicken and other ingredients in red wine. While not particularly refined, she seemed to have some knowledge.

“Don’t you know we lived without servants? …Though my mother handled most of the housework, I learned by watching.”

Come to think of it, that made sense. The Imperial Capital offered perfect safety from monsters and a high standard of living, but human labor was insanely expensive.

“Now that I think about it, you must find it awkward to be waited on by others.”

“Actually, yes. I want to refuse, but the staff look like they’ll die if I do, so I can’t.”

I stared at Ember as she expressed her difficulties, then teased her with the point that “But you used to dream of such a life.”

I meant to playfully make her uncomfortable, but Ember replied without much embarrassment, “Once I experienced it, I found it’s not all good.” After that, she naturally poured me some of the leftover red wine.

“Erick, if you’d like.”

“Give me a glass. I don’t get drunk anyway.”

Ember smiled, saying I was truly a master. We’d had drinks before at the count’s estate, but this was our first time drinking just the two of us.

The food might be humbler than before…

‘But this is better.’

The proof was that Ember was sitting beside me, not across from me. She seemed to have long since shed any discomfort toward me.

And unlike before, I too had allowed Ember to close the distance. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to approach in the first place.

A relationship where I could no longer draw a line as former fiancés—I couldn’t understand how we’d grown so close.

It was true that Ember’s impression had softened, making her appearance more to my taste, but that wasn’t the only reason. It wasn’t because she diligently took care of my territory either. If that were the case, I’d be giving her work instructions instead of sitting together and chatting.

Why was it?

A moment later, Ember gave me a hint.

“By the way, Erick. Is it okay to just leave the Hero gambling alone?”

“Ah, that madness.”

The gambling operation that had started two days ago.

At first, it seemed like just another crazy scheme, but it had caught fire. Rumors circulated that the total stakes had reached tens of billions.

“Over 50,000-60,000 people must have participated in the Imperial Capital alone. People from nearby areas and major territories are probably participating through Merchant Guild branches too.”

As the stakes rapidly increased, the odds were being adjusted in real-time.

Surprisingly, many people had bet on a “female Hero.” Initially, the odds were 10:1, but they had already dropped below 8:1.

“It seems many people have bet large sums.”

“Most are probably half-joking.”

But that half-joke had attracted enormous participation, making the pool huge. Some might have bet their entire lives on it.

‘I wonder who started this nonsense.’

I knew I couldn’t stop people obsessed with gambling, but I never expected it to go this far.

…No, I’d rather not think about it. Soon it would be time to send several people, but for now, I wanted to enjoy this peaceful moment.

“Thank you, Erick.”

Ember said this and blinked with satisfaction. I stroked her head and finished another bottle by myself.

And only then did I realize why my time with Ember was comfortable and happy. She was a beautiful woman who showed interest in me, but she wasn’t consumed by madness.

Yes. I liked that she wasn’t crazy. As I was gradually losing my own sanity, I appreciated that quality all the more.

***

The next day, a notification came from the Papal State.

“It’s imminent. You need to leave now if you want to witness it.”

The Emperor and several high-ranking nobles had already departed for the Papal State. I felt I should go too. Ember waved goodbye to me, saying she needed to visit workshops for product development.

Before leaving, I decided to visit the Merchant Guild and place a bet on the Hero gambling.

Not because I wanted to, but because my neighbor, Professor Weaver, had come to me with an embarrassed expression and explained his predicament.

“…I took my family out for dinner, and at my child’s request, I placed a bet on a female Hero. Just 100,000 Lyra. But it seems Academy students witnessed it. A rumor spread that I had heard something from Lord Wellesley and placed a huge bet.”

He said he’d received complaints from many students and faculty because of this false rumor. It was the week of the first semester evaluations, but normal proceedings were impossible.

“I suppose explanations won’t work.”

“…Haha, yes. Even when I showed proof that I only bet 100,000 Lyra, they whispered that I must have used someone else’s name. They won’t listen when I say neither the Holy See nor anyone else can know the Hero’s gender in advance. My son is so sorry he wants to die. I know it’s shameless, but please help. I’m truly sorry.”

To help the pitiful Professor Weaver, I stopped by the Merchant Guild and bet on option 4. This was the choice that would win if the newly summoned Hero wasn’t a male in his teens or twenties, or a female.

Nearly a hundred people were watching this process as if monitoring me.

“I’d prefer if some mindless golem came. Or better yet, no one at all. That’s why I bet on option 4.”

I said this loudly enough for those people to hear. Professor Weaver, who accompanied me, nodded weakly in agreement.

Regardless, I heard disgruntled murmurs: “I thought you said it would be a woman, why are you changing your story…?” In fact, I had never mentioned, even jokingly, that a female Hero would come.

“I don’t know when I supposedly changed my story. Would anyone like to step forward and explain? I’ll refute each point.”

“Uh, um.”

I saw a man hastily lowering his gaze. Some even covered their faces with their hands.

‘…Idiots.’

After a moment of chilly atmosphere, I pushed through the crowd, left the Merchant Guild, and began riding toward the Papal State.

To welcome humanity’s new guardian.

For now, that was the priority.