Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 81: 21st Floor: Irene Goes to a Gambling Den Of course, I tried to stop her, but it didn't seem like she would listen. Besides, this was a good opportunity to show her the bitter taste of the real world.
'She'll only come to her senses after getting sexually harassed by some lowlifes.'
Could a girl raised like a hothouse flower truly endure it when grimy men spewed vulgar jokes to her face?
Perhaps this was the real reason I had accepted her proposal a week ago, I mused, as I changed into the clothes Irene had brought me.
*
Dressed in leather and a deep, wide hood that covered my face, I walked through the dark night streets of the imperial capital.
There were three of us: Irene, myself, and a guide.
The further we went toward the outskirts of the capital, the brighter the red lights became, and the more people we saw. Normally, it would be the other way around, but where there is light, there is always shadow.
In the imperial capital, where the continent's greatest wealth and power were concentrated, it was impossible for everyone to live by the letter of the law. This was especially true for those who already possessed power and influence.
Of course, the place we were headed to today wasn't some lavish establishment frequented by such powerful figures.
"Is this it?"
"Yes, this way, please."
We followed our guide into an even more secluded back alley within the red-light district. We ignored the drunks stumbling in the streets and the solicitations of cheap prostitutes.
The guide's name was Sancho. He was just an ordinary adventurer who enjoyed gambling. He said he'd come to us after seeing the request Irene had posted for someone to find a gambling den.
"Ooh...! I'm so excited!!"
Irene, her head still clearly in the clouds, was trembling with anticipation for the gambling den.
'It's not going to be anything special…'
Then again, it might be safer for her to be disappointed and return to the palace quickly.
Between two large pleasure taverns, we headed toward a shabby, abandoned house in a dark alley untouched by light.
"This... is the place?"
"Hehehe... That's right. Now, follow me closely so you don't get lost!"
Creeeak!! Thud.
To the sound of old wood groaning, the guide opened a dilapidated door that looked like no one lived there and went inside.
The house was empty, but in the basement, we found a staircase leading even further down.
He skillfully lit a torch and descended without hesitation.
After about thirty steps, the downward slope ended, leading to a straight corridor. The arched passage was just wide enough for two people to pass through.
'This is... a proper establishment, I see.'
I glanced over to see if Irene was scared, but her eyes were sparkling. She was looking around as if she were on a fun dungeon expedition.
I had assumed it would be a place where people drank and gambled a little on the side, but it seemed this was a genuine den for professional gamblers, just as Irene had wanted.
"Hey, you're not taking us somewhere strange, are you?"
"Goodness, of course not. In a moment, you'll consider yourselves lucky to have met me. There's no other place with as many experts as this one."
Before long, we arrived at the gambling den.
The air was thick with hazy tobacco smoke, the ventilation clearly poor. Inside, several men with fierce expressions sat in small groups at tables, puffing on their cigarettes.
"Sancho~! Didn't you say you'd never come back? Wasn't that just yesterday?"
"Hmph! Just you watch! That time... Ah, ahem..."
Sancho, our guide, was about to engage in some banter with the bouncer at the entrance when he remembered we were there.
"So, are those your new companions? The ones who are going to turn your life around?"
"No, companions... What are you talking about? I'm just introducing them. They're people with a lot of money who want to do something exciting."
He winked at the bouncer as he gestured toward us.
"Is that so? As long as they have money, they're always welcome. Follow me, friends of Sancho. You brought enough cash, I hope?"
I was about to give a vague answer when Irene suddenly threw back her hood and stepped forward.
"Ahem, yes. We brought it!"
"Hah...!"
The bouncer's eyes widened, unable to hide his surprise.
Every eye in the gambling den focused on her. All movement ceased as they stared at Irene.
'Oh, that stupid wench...'
When a woman who so clearly looked like a noble appeared among these men, it was only natural for all eyes to turn to her.
"Haha... As long as you have money, you're welcome!!"
He snapped out of it and gestured us inside.
The man named Sancho, who had been our guide, took the fee we paid him and went off to gamble again. The bouncer now guided us.
I had expected Irene to be flustered and trembling from their vulgar jokes, but instead, they were the ones watching her cautiously. Everyone pretended not to care, but they were all listening intently to our words.
'She's going to be taken for a complete fool.'
I could feel it.
—That bitch is a rich noble! Let's kiss her ass a bit and suck her dry!
That was the vibe I was getting, loud and clear.
The gamblers, who would normally be at each other's throats, had stopped their infighting the moment a plump, juicy prey appeared, and were now observing us.
Our dear Irene, oblivious to all this, had already sat down at a table with a man she didn't know.
"Alright, miss. This game is simple! See the numbers on these cards? You draw cards to make a total of 21. If your number is higher than your opponent's, you win, but if you go over 21, you lose. It's a game where psychological warfare is key."
"Uh-huh! This looks fun. I'll play!"
'For heaven's sake…'
I pulled my hood down further and stood behind Irene, watching silently.
*
A short while later.
"Pi-Pichina!! I won! I won money!!!"
'Haaah…'
She was an absolute idiot.
Anyone could see her opponent was losing on purpose.
'And why is she using my real name?'
It didn't seem like anyone had figured out our identities... yet. But still, Irene was a fool.
Just a stupid woman with her head in the clouds.
"Ugh... You're better than I thought. How about one more round?"
"Hehe, well~ Maybe just one more~?"
Caught in the gambler's trap, she was trying to act nonchalant, but her body was squirming with delight.
'Sigh…'
Fine. I could intervene, but the money we brought today wasn't a huge amount for Irene.
Let her learn a life lesson.
And that was the beginning.
The gamblers, realizing Irene had already fallen into their trap, let her win exactly three more times. After that, they began to fleece her wallet, like deboning a plump, meaty fish.
We had brought about 1000 gold.
Considering one gold coin was enough to cover a family's living expenses for a month, in this place's currency, it was like we'd brought two to three billion won. So how could the gamblers not be going crazy right now?
The situation was already spiraling out of control.
"Eek...! H-How could this be!!"
The gamblers were toying with her completely, keeping the games just close enough so she wouldn't give up entirely, and even letting her win when the stakes were small.
'How cruel.'
Irene was already hooked.
She struggled desperately to win just one more round, but with her pathetic skills, it was impossible.
Of course, I could see it all.
The subtle nail marks on the backs of the cards.
The secret glances exchanged with the onlookers behind Irene.
And the swap, switching a card in his hand with one up his sleeve as he dealt.
Literally, the real gamblers Irene had wished for were giving her their all. This was her own doing, so I didn't even think of stopping them.
And finally...
"A-All in!!!"
The foolish Irene looked at her hand and chose to go all in.
The game she was playing now was poker.
As it happened, she had a full house in her hand—a strong enough hand to confidently go all in.
"Ahem, all in, you say? Well now..."
"Hmph!! Fold if you don't have the guts!"
Irene had already picked up the gamblers' way of speaking and was using it enthusiastically. Knowing the outcome, I felt a pang of pity for her.
"Grrrk! I have no choice. I'm all in too!"
"Hehe, are you confident with that hand?"
Irene was ecstatic, thinking she would finally recoup her losses.
But...
"Ta-da~"
There was no reversal.
What appeared before her was four of a kind, a hand one rank higher than Irene's full house.
"N-No way!!! This is cheating!!"
"My, my, looks like I got lucky this time~~ Hehehe... Look at all this money!!"
The foolish Irene screamed in protest, but it was too late.
'Hoo… Has she learned her lesson now?'
But the problem didn't end there.
"Hey, miss. Short on cash? You can borrow some if you need."
"I-Is that possible?"
"Of course. You became a member the moment you walked in here. Members help each other out when they're in a pinch."
'What is this nonsense…'
"Th-Then, just a little..."
"Irene. You do not gamble with borrowed money. We are leaving now."
I intervened for the first time, trying to stop her, but she wouldn't listen.
"J-Just one more time. I feel like I can win with just one more hand!"
And just like that, Irene became a debtor.
It might have been different if she had won with the borrowed money, but the gamblers no longer bothered to go easy on her. They cleaned her out completely.
"..."
The problem didn't stop there. Irene was the second princess of the most powerful empire on the continent; how could she not have money? The problem was the gamblers who had already fleeced her.
"Hey, miss. You're out of money?"
"Yes... I'll pay you back later."
Finally taught a harsh lesson by the gamblers, Irene seemed to realize her situation and tried to leave...
"How can we trust that? What if you run back home? How are we supposed to catch you, huh?"
"Pay up right now!"
"This fucking bitch!"
"Later??? You think we'd fall for that? Do we look like pushovers to you?"
"Huh...?"
The naive Irene was flustered as the gamblers, with whom she had been playing cheerfully just moments ago, suddenly turned on her.
Yes, to Irene, this might have been just a 'game,' but not to them. To them, it was everything; their lives were on the line.
The men who had been cautious, aware she was a noble lady, began to treat her carelessly as soon as they gained the upper hand.
"Send your guard home to get the money. You're staying here!"
"By myself...?"
They were demanding I leave. They must have found me quite threatening since I hadn't taken off my hood.
'I am a little curious what would happen if I weren't here.'
"Or you can pay up right now!!"
"But I don't have any money right now, so how..."
"If you don't have money, pay with your body, huh?"
"Kekeke... Passing her around will be fucking amazing."
"Shall we see what a noble bitch's pussy tastes like?"
"Eh...?"
She stood there dumbly, her face showing she couldn't comprehend what she had just heard. She looked utterly shocked.
She could have just ordered me to get rid of these scumbags right now, but she couldn't even do that.
'Time to step in…'
Should I, or shouldn't I?
A part of me wanted to see her suffer a little more. Seeing her surrounded by fat old men, being sexually harassed, felt good.
"Make your choice. Are you sending the guard away? Or are you paying with your body?"
A gambler now grabbed Irene's wrist, threatening her.
"N-No! I'm already engaged to be..."
"Whoa, she's a virgin? Woooow!!!"
"Selling your body before marriage is grounds for divorce, right? Guess it doesn't matter then."
"Haaah... I can't take it anymore."
They reached for Irene's body, trying to strip her clothes off.
Irene resisted, tears welling in her eyes, but it only served to excite the men further.
'Considering she becomes a pervert in the future, wouldn't she actually enjoy being roughed up a bit here...?'
But if that happened, her trust in me would hit rock bottom. Forget the mission, my head would be chopped off the moment we returned to the palace.
'I have no choice.'
"Everyone, freeze."
I threw off my thick hood and stepped in front of Irene. Surprised by my intervention, the men took a step back, but once they saw my face and body, they became even more excited.
"What, you gonna take her place? Kehehe..."
"Fuck, the guard is an even hotter bitch?"
"Just take them both!"
"You bitches think this is a joke? What are you gonna do by yourself? You're just a woman!"
Why hadn't they attacked the moment we arrived?
Because they knew instinctively that if they laid a hand on a noble lady, everyone here would die a dog's death.
A moment's thought would tell them that what they were doing now was insane, but they were long past rational judgment.
They had already won enough money to live off for the rest of their lives. They probably figured the noble lady might return with soldiers after being sent to get money, so they decided to see things through right here.
More than anything, Irene's pretty face and powerful figure, which contrasted with her innocent demeanor, seemed to have made them lose their minds.
'There's no one here who poses a threat.'
I felt a little sorry for the naive Irene, but of course, I knew this would happen, and I knew what would happen next.
I pressed the equip button and summoned my spear, Diana.
"Huh?"
"Where did that spear come from...?"
She was in debt...?
Then all I had to do was eliminate the creditors, right?
"For the crime of insulting an Imperial Princess, the sentence for all of you is death."
—Swish!
"What...?"
I held the spear horizontally, spreading a thin layer of ki along its tip, and unleashed a semicircular wave of pink energy in front of and behind Irene.
It was a technique an ordinary Awakened couldn't even dream of imitating.
With just two swings, silence fell upon the room.
The standing men were split in half at the torso, and the heads of the seated men flew into the air.
Thud, thud, thud, thud...
Spsssshhhhh!!!
The living, breathing people instantly became chunks of meat, slumping to the floor as crimson fountains erupted from all directions.
'Still sensing a presence.'
Leaving Irene, who was stammering in shock at the sea of blood, I went to the warehouse, the living quarters, and the back door guard. And Sancho, the one who guided us here.
I killed them all and returned to Irene.
"Did you enjoy the intense gambling den where the real pros play? Is this what you wanted?"
"Pi-Pichina..."
Irene, clearly in deep shock, lost the strength in her legs and began to fall.
Thump.
I caught her as she collapsed and lifted her into a princess carry.
'How did such a pathetic girl become such a transcendent being?'
Hoping to find something, I had deliberately shown her a slightly gruesome scene, but as expected, she was just a normal girl.
The journey back with her was silent.
The foolish mouth that usually never stopped chattering was finally shut.
Looking at her empty eyes, I felt a sense of satisfaction, but also a twinge of pity.
That night, I slept in the same bed with Irene.
She seemed to be suffering from some psychological trauma; her body trembled whenever I moved away, so I held her tightly as we slept.
*
The next day, a quiet morning.
Seeing her empty schedule, I was thinking of teaching Irene some swordsmanship, but the Emperor came to visit first thing in the morning.
The Emperor of the Arcadia Empire.
A cold-blooded Swordmaster, reputed by the world to have neither blood nor tears.
He had come to see Irene.
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