Chapter 21: New Encounters #3

Chapter 21: New Encounters #3

“You’re joking, right?”

Mitchell burst into laughter.

However, Mitchell’s eyes were not laughing at all.

“I’m not joking. Let me be clear. I’m the party leader, Mitchell.”

“This is surprising.”

Mitchell brushed back her disheveled bangs.

“Kid, are you serious?”

Then, she reached for her drink…

Whoosh-

Suddenly, a fist appeared before my eyes.

The fist stopped precariously right in front of my forehead.

If it had been extended all the way, it would have had enough power to shatter the head of a frail girl like me.

“You think you’re stronger than me?”

Mitchell slowly retracted her fist.

Her hardened gaze fixed on me.

Honestly, I was terrified, but…

I met Mitchell’s gaze calmly, as if nothing had happened.

“Mitchell, let me ask you something. What does it mean to be strong?”

“What?”

Mitchell narrowed her brow at the sudden question.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden? If you win a fight, you’re strong.”

“Right? Let’s say two people fight, and one dies and the other survives. Then the survivor is stronger, right?”

“Of course.”

I continued calmly.

“If we fight, you’re the one who will die, Mitchell. I won’t die.”

“What…?”

For the first time, doubt flickered in Mitchell’s eyes.

She might want to dismiss it as nonsense.

But my words hold true meaning.

Because she could read my unwavering conviction, Mitchell must be confused right now.

‘What is she so confident about? Is there something I don’t know…?’

‘Well, I’m not entirely wrong.’

If Mitchell wanted to, she could kill me in 5 seconds, no, even 3 seconds.

However, even if she does, I will revive after some time due to my immortality trait.

Mitchell, unaware of the secret of my resurrection, must be dumbfounded.

And, conversely, Mitchell will die.

Even if I don’t kill her, the vigilantes, the guards, or others will kill her.

There are plenty of enemies who are eager to deal with Mitchell.

Therefore, in conclusion, Mitchell dies and I live.

From the perspective that the one who survives until the end is the strongest, I’m therefore stronger.

Although I’ve skipped a lot of the intermediate steps.

“Wow- Little kid, what makes you so confident to boast like that? Ha, this is interesting?”

Surprisingly, Mitchell didn’t get angry and fly into a rage.

Instead, she looked at me with a light smile, as if finding it intriguing.

‘She’s this type.’

I roughly grasped Mitchell’s personality.

A competitive and honest personality.

A simple girl who likes what she likes and dislikes what she dislikes.

She called me a kid, but she herself is more childish.

And finally, the important point.

‘She likes people who challenge her fairly.’

She’s more interested in those who stand their ground and confront her than those who cower and yield.

You should never underestimate this type.

Once she perceives you as weak, Mitchell will immediately lose interest and treat you with a cold, bug-like attitude.

Gulp, gulp-

Mitchell downed the rest of her drink and stood up abruptly.

“Kid, enough talk. Prove it with your skills. Follow me.”

The smell of alcohol wafted strongly.

I knew she would react this way.

I calmly crossed my arms, not getting caught up in Mitchell’s pace.

“I don’t feel like it.”

“What? Was it just talk after all?”

“No, it hasn’t changed that I’ll win. But if we fight, it’ll only end when you die. What’s the point of that? I called you to recruit you as a party member, not to kill you.”

“What? Wow- seriously-“

Mitchell was so dumbfounded that she couldn’t even form a proper response and just beat her chest in frustration.

At this moment, Flora intervened.

“I-I don’t think it’s good for comrades to fight.”

Although she hunched her shoulders like a frightened squirrel, Flora still said what she had to say.

“Estel, and Mitchell- can’t we just conclude this by determining who is stronger?”

“What do you mean? I’m not saying we should fight like enemies, just let’s see who’s stronger-“

Mitchell’s words were cut off midway.

A giant shadow, which I was becoming accustomed to.

Wagner was suddenly standing beside me.

“If the two of you fight, I will help Estel.”

Oh, I didn’t expect him to help.

How reassuring.

Am I lucky with my companions?

The party members I gathered without much thought are all quite decent as I get to know them.

This is problematic.

If I get too attached, it’ll be difficult to replace them with better party members later…

“My duty is to protect my party members. It’s only natural.”

“Hey, bear, is that all you can say? And, shit, aren’t I your comrade too? Why are you only taking the kid’s side?”

“Estel is a mage. She’s someone who must be protected as a priority. Am I wrong?”

“The kid is a mage?”

Mitchell trailed off.

Her gaze towards me shifted slightly.

It’s understandable, as mages are quite rare in the frontier.

It felt as if I could see Mitchell’s mental calculator working furiously.

She must be replaying my words in her head right now.

If we fight, she’s stronger.

However, we can’t fight without trying to kill each other.

Perhaps that’s the case with a mage…

She must have reached that conclusion.

“Ahem.”

Mitchell cleared her throat and sat back down.

“For now, I understand, kid. You’re not as weak as you look, huh?”

“Think whatever you want.”

“No, but still- I can’t accept it. It feels as uncomfortable as going to the bathroom and not wiping. I feel better only after settling things.”

As expected, the elf has a strong competitive spirit.

While the idea of a direct fight seems to have disappeared, she doesn’t seem like she’ll back down easily.

There’s no other way.

I suppose I’ll have to break that proud nose of hers once.

I looked around the tavern.

No need to look far; I soon spotted something useful.

“Mitchell, how about this.”

When she saw the deck of cards in my hand, Mitchell’s eyes sparkled.

***

Shuffle, shuffle-

Flora, who was inexplicably acting as the dealer, shuffled the cards with clumsy hands.

Five cards were laid out before me.

The game we decided to compete in was “Five Card Draw.”

The rules are simple.

You receive five cards and the winner is determined by the poker hand ranking.

Among the hundreds of poker variations, it’s the simplest and most intuitive game.

However, within its simplicity lies an unexpected depth.

You can’t win this game on luck alone.

“Ah, shit…”

Mitchell scowled, her face contorted.

She must be upset, having lost repeatedly throughout the game.

“Flora, did you shuffle the cards properly? Are you favoring her because you know her, aren’t you?”

Mitchell complained to Flora, who was an innocent bystander.

Flora, who was already tense, flinched when she was singled out.

“Huh? I’m just doing as I’m told…”

“Whoever it is, if you’re caught cheating, I won’t let you go.”

Mitchell issued a veiled threat.

After all, she’s an elf who caused a scene just moments ago for catching cheating.

Her threat of not letting them go is likely not just empty words.

However, even so…

‘How would she catch me?’

I maintained my poker face and concentrated mana into my gloves.

「Thousand-Mile Sight」.

My eyes gained superhuman vision, and I could clearly see the cards on the table, still covered.

Let’s see. I have a J-high Straight.

Mitchell has a 9-high Straight.

After checking the hands, I immediately deactivated Thousand-Mile Sight.

My mana is low, so I don’t have the luxury of using the ability throughout the game.

‘She was pretending to have a bad hand, just as I suspected.’

In Five Card Draw, where you must play with the initial five cards dealt, a 9-high Straight is a hand worth playing.

Mitchell had set a trap to lure me in.

‘But I fell right into it.’

A game where only I can see everyone’s hands is the easiest game in the world.

Now, let’s start betting.

I counted the gold coins piled on the table, then stopped.

Counting them is too much trouble.

“How much money do you have left?”

“⋯About four thousand.”

“I’ll bet all of it.”

Mitchell narrowed her eyes and licked her lower lip.

An elf licking her lower lip?

Is she angry?

Or is she happy that I’m taking the bait she’d been waiting for?

A poker master would meticulously analyze every gesture to play the game, but…

I don’t really know about that…

I’m just going to collect the money from a game I’ve already won.

We each placed our bets and revealed our hands.

“Ah, shit, really.”

The foul-mouthed, beautiful elf spat out a string of curses.

Bang!

Mitchell slammed the table with both fists.

This girl definitely seems like the type to rage-quit and smash her keyboard if a game isn’t going well at the internet cafe.

The game ended like this.

Final score. Me, 11,600 gold. 

Mitchell, completely broke after having her entire fortune of 8,200 gold sucked dry.

“I won.”

Mitchell knew it too, but I declared victory, enjoying the victor’s prerogative.

This is why the Thousand-Mile Sight rune is so overpowered.

It’s almost invincible in some gambling games.

Moreover, this victory is just a taste.

Later, in the city of Sodomora, the city of pleasure, the true value of the Thousand-Mile Sight rune will be revealed.

I plan to earn so much there that my wallet will burst.

“⋯You cheated.”

Mitchell, who had been staring silently at the table, looked up and said.

“What, you going to flip the table again?”

“No. I have a hunch, but I don’t know what trick you used.”

Mitchell pouted her lips like a squid and tapped the cards with an annoyed gesture.

“How did you do it, kid?”

“You’ll get angry if I tell you.”

“I won’t get angry. It’s not like I’m going to ask to invalidate it now, it’s just frustrating.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Promise.”

Mitchell seemed genuinely curious, extending her pinky finger as soon as I finished speaking.

She really does have a strangely innocent side, like a child.

“Alright. The secret is-“

I told Mitchell the secret of the Imperial Silk Gloves and the Thousand-Mile Sight rune.

After all, it’s information I’ll have to share with her as a party member from now on, so I can’t keep it hidden forever.

“⋯So that’s how it was. What a ridiculous rune. Ugh-“

Mitchell tapped her head and gritted her teeth.

“Yeah, I was completely fooled. It can’t be helped. You won, kid.”

She suddenly extended her hand to me.

I cautiously took her hand, wondering if she might suddenly yank me and slam me to the ground…

“Our party leader, who’s good at cheating and has a sharp mind. Please take care of us from now on- Is that enough?”

Mitchell grinned as we shook hands.

Flora, relieved by the friendly atmosphere, also placed her hand on top of ours.

“Mitchell, I look forward to working with you too.”

“Yeah. But I haven’t given up yet. If I feel that the kid being the party leader is unreliable, I’ll challenge again anytime, so keep that in mind.”

“Whatever you say.”

“But kid, you’re going to give me my money back now, right?”

Mitchell trailed off with an awkward smile.

I already guessed what she was going to say, but I pretended not to know and asked again.

“What money?”

“That, the gambling earlier… You’re not really going to keep all that money, are you? No way~ I’ll be penniless if you do! I won’t even have money for food?”

“If I was going to give it back, I wouldn’t have gambled in the first place. What’s the fun in that?”

Mitchell’s beautiful face turned ashen in an instant.

“No, just give me half. Or even a quarter… Huh, kid? Party leader? Hello? Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me- Party Leader!”

No, I don’t want to.

She keeps calling me kid, so I’m annoyed and won’t give it back.

Thus, the first meeting concluded.

Later, during the drinking session, Mitchell clung to my side whenever she had the chance, begging me…

But I never wavered.

Even though I had to substitute my toast with orange juice because alcohol doesn’t agree with my weak body,

I still had to uphold the dignity of the party leader.

The hierarchy based on financial power would continue for the time being.