Japheth’s unresolved groans came out. The uncomfortable noise that spread nonstop through the nervous crowd was changing from annoying to pitiful as time passed.
As my silence lengthened, the last gambler raised his eyebrows and said:
“Little. How great is the condition that you spend so much time on it?”
“Because I tend to bet carefully.”
“… Don’t you think that the words of the person who just shouted all-in were shameless?”
Ignoring his words, I faced the last gambler with a bloody expression on his face. I’m literally, outright wasting time. And what I was closely watching was not the last gambler or Japheth’s pain.
More important was the atmosphere.
The atmosphere of the crowd that Japheth’s groaning is eliciting.
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Not to mention. The biggest danger right now is not the three people at the table, but the people surrounding the three of us.
As I focused on my hearing, I heard the onlookers whispering.
“Now, how are things going?”
“I don’t know… Now the boss… I think they’re doing something hostage-like with that kid.”
“hey… If you look closely, don’t those two look a bit alike?”
It is a good thing that their curiosity is piqued. If you know the relationship between me and Japheth, positive public opinion will be formed. The cause of gambling to save someone appeals to people’s morality. This means that my plan is changing to something more certain.
“… I know? Don’t you have a story with that kid?”
“Hey, boss. How are things going?”
“I know yeah.”
For the first time, nervousness flashes on the face of the last gambler. From here on out, it will really be the last match against the last gambler.
There should not be anything overlooked in this regard.
“Whoa… .”
Think about it with a big breath.
About the original event, [Frantimo’s Gambling Hall].
When designing ‘Savior from Another World’ as a game developer, there was a clear philosophy that Miri and I agreed on. This may be the craftsmanship that must be contained in a game with numerous progression routes.
Immediately clarify the post-processing for each ending route.
Miri and I hated ending the game with a ‘Game over’ logo because it was a bad ending, and then saying, ‘It’s over anyway’. For a character’s life or life to be summarized in that way, it was like dereliction of duty as a creator.
And that philosophy may be more prominent in this trap event, which only has a bad ending.
[Frantimo’s Gambling], an event that cannot be cleared.
There are three types of bad ending routes.
The first can be seen as the most commonly missed route. Johann Esperz’s body is tied up in a gambling den.
When Johan Espertz loses all his money at the gambling house here, it naturally leads to borrowing money from the gambling house. It’s a common thing to say. This is repeated exactly 3 times, and the last payoff is a large sum.
And after losing all that money, Johann Esperz’s identity is mortgaged in a gambling house. This leads to the miserable end of the two brothers of the Espertz family in a friendly way.
The second is that Root is stabbed to death by the last gambler. This happens when Johann Esperz breaks into his fight, as in a simulation, or cheats, or tries to beat him to a non-gambling fight. The last gambler’s secret skill [fair karma] is not something Johann Esperz of this period can overcome.
The other occurs when people’s public opinion is not properly managed. To be beaten to death by an angry mob.
As befits a space called a gambling hall, there are a lot of people who have wild tempers or work in the back world. If this bow becomes the enemy of all of them in a limited space, survival cannot be guaranteed even if all the main characters are brought.
And I am now leading to the exact opposite situation of this last route.
When trying to form a momentary public opinion, the timing of hitting the comment is as important as the content of the comment. I gritted my teeth and said before the murmur that spread like a gentle wave created disorder.
“The two of us are brothers.”
“Also!”
A sigh erupted from the central heating room. And at just the right time, Japheth burst into tears. It may not have been his intention, but I put on a sad expression based on my specialty [Cheating].
“Kheueup. John… .”
“It was hard, brother… I… I’m sorry I couldn’t come earlier.”
It may be that people’s tears flow more vigorously when they are comforted by sadness than when they are greeted with sadness. My bitter tone became the fuse that exploded Japheth’s sorrow. His cries, which seemed to have collapsed, echoed from the basement like a raging wave.
“Ugh… John… Sorry! This, to a place like this… you up to here… Being an older brother, I look like this… !”
The force of the weeping was so strong that even the custodian who had bound Japheth at the last gambler’s order inadvertently untied his hand. Japheth squeezed his eyes as if trying to block a wave with his bare hands.
“Ugh, the play. father, mother… sorry… the eldest son… I’m sorry for being an ugly child… Ughgghg!”
I really want to give this a round of applause. It was because the flow was natural, as if you were acting with a script written in advance. And a well-timed new wave is contagious. The watery eyes of the hairy boy who had stepped back from the table looked rather funny. This was more comical in that I myself did not feel much sympathy for Japheth.
“Hey, boss, is what the kid said true?”
“Fuck. Everyone who sees me sucks.”
“Nimi. Cutting a knife in front of your family is over the line.”
“okay! Did people make money, or did money make people?”
It’s rare, but a few lines of life were caught in the secret secret of the Espertz family [The Smell of Death]. This is a life throw from someone in the crowd to the last gambler. Left as it is, the last gambler will have to face an angry mob rather than an 8-card deck.
The majority of that crowd were those who played games diligently, which means that the conditions for the last gambler’s [fairness karma] to work are not met.
“What is it, boss? Won’t you answer me?”
“Are you dumb?”
The final gambler’s silence seemed to send the onlookers into a final stage of anger. This is the stage where you incite your own anger without external stimulation. The swear words gain weight and the volume of voices increases. If left as it is, the last gambler will face more enemies than the number of knives he has.
But I couldn’t let the last gambler get beaten to death by the crowd. Because I have a mission as important as beating the last gambler by gambling. I raised my palms above my head and waited for the crowd to calm down.
“Hey, be quiet.”
“Looks like that kid has something to say.”
The anger of the people was suppressed as quickly as it boiled quickly. It was as if the lid had barely been put on a heated pot. I caught everyone’s attention and then lied in a spleen tone.
“I believe in the scales of the albatross.”
Albatross is the god of ‘fairness’ in this worldview. The last gambler showed white teeth. To him, I was suspected of cheating while gambling, and it would feel like blasphemy for me to mention the god of justice.
He cut out the last name of Albatross briefly and then took my words in a solemn way.
“I believe in the fairness of Albatross. And because I have kept that fairness, I look forward to my fair share that will be put on the other side of my balance.”
I snorted and said.
“I am John of the Espertz family.”
“therefore?”
“And you are Peter of the Zigzag family.”
The Last Gambler made an impression. The reason why he is called the boss here, not by name, is because he wanted to hide that he was a descendant of an aristocratic family.
And at this moment, his background was revealed to all guests.
“… You did a background check on me.”
“Because it’s a family of enemies who held my blood and flesh hostage.”
“… .”
“And I consider it destiny.”
“… fate?”
The last gambler revealed this and said.
“Are you destined to have your life ruined like your brother?”
“you’re welcome. This is the fate of the Espertz and Zigzag families. And you and I will face that fate now.”
I stretched out my arms for all the onlookers to see. At the climax, I thought it wouldn’t be bad to imitate a bit of clown skills.
“Now, the family that was ruined by gambling and the family that prospered through that gambling are on his balance.”
“I know where the scales of fate tip.”
“Me too.”
Again, this is a world where God exists. A gasp of breath was heard among the onlookers.
Rather, only Adrinne, who should be called an ally, is looking at me with an absurd expression. It was an understandable reaction. Because only she, a [seeker of the truth], would know that everything after the words ‘I believe in the balance of an albatross’ is all bullshit.
“… So, when can I hear your ‘condition’?”
“I will listen to you now.”
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Now, the gambling hall is quiet enough to get everyone’s attention when someone clears his throat. I said it with the feeling of throwing a stone into that quiet space.
“First, burning my chips is unacceptable. I am currently the chip leader for this edition. I will leave this round by transferring my chip to Adrine.”
The Last Gambler seemed to be trying to keep a firm expression. But he couldn’t control the twitching of his lips. I can understand. It must have been his wish to be in a 1:1 situation with Adrine.
“It is an acceptable condition. second is?”
“The second is not to stop me from advising Adrine.”
“advice?”
“okay. You took me off the table for ‘cheating’. Then there’s no reason to stop me from letting her play for me. I bet you wouldn’t say that you can cheat just by giving advice, right?”
The Last Gambler seemed to ponder for a moment about my second offer. Then he attached a clue.
“I will attach a condition to the second condition. You are welcome to say anything to her, but she is not allowed to get up during the game. Also, touching the card directly with your hands is not allowed. If you agree to this, I will accept your second condition.”
“call. Then I will tell you the last condition.”
I thought about directing and put an object on it so that it rang out in my pocket. It was something that Miri and Pilbo had taken out while fighting not too long ago.
The item that cut off Miri’s magical thread, [Hidesolau’s Fang].
I said, looking into the eyes of the last gambler who was wide open.
“Now that it has come to this, I cannot be satisfied with trivial stakes. I am a human being who hates wizards just as much as you, and that I have this proves my loathing. Raise the stakes accordingly.”
“… .”
“By the way, I don’t really like the personal life of the shady looking gambling establishment owner.”
The Last Gambler didn’t even hesitate. He got up and went into the room he had appeared in for a moment, then reappeared.
Then he put the thing he had brought with me to make a bang.
It was three arrows plated with silver.
In each system log, the item name [Perm Flesh] was written.
“And since you say you don’t like it, you want to bet more. I bet my personal affairs there. You too risk the safety of an aristocrat from a family ruined by gambling.”
I laughed bitterly. The aristocrat from a family ruined by gambling must be referring to me. Perhaps his thoughts were ‘after securing my safety, I will use this as an excuse to put Adrine’s safety on the stake again.’
Of course, I was expecting him to come out like this.
The last gambler who confirmed my smile said coldly.
“With this, will you get heads-up?”
I answered with a thumbs up.
“call.”