Ryuu's heartfelt rage, and her killing intent, bore down on me without mercy.
This was the true resolve of a second-class adventurer! ...Or was it still a little lacking?
Even so, if anyone other than me had been taking that pressure head-on right now, they'd have collapsed on the spot.
No wonder they say real adventurers start at second class.
But looking at it like this, it felt kind of like Haki.
Unlike in the original, it would be nowhere near enough to knock out a crowd, but...
I hadn't really dug into that branch of magecraft, since it was just another common type if you looked only at the effect.
Maybe later I should check whether I could really produce a similar effect with pure presence alone, without spending any mana.
...I let my thoughts wander for just one second.
Bang!
"Okay, that's enough."
With an exaggeratedly loud clap, I cut off her momentum in the middle.
Even so, Ryuu was still glaring at me murderously, and I gave her what I thought was a reassuring, gentle smile.
"Relax. Lady Anna isn't dead yet."
"What?!"
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said."
At that moment, the strange blue-green wisp of smoke that had been behind me a moment ago surged up and took shape above my head.
It had arms and hands that resembled a frog's.
A face like a mouthless clown.
A tasteless body covered head to toe in heart patterns.
All in all, it looked vaguely human, yet was bizarre in every possible way, giving anyone who saw it a faint sense of unease and foreboding.
This was my Stand! ...No, that was a lie.
If you roughly think of it as a mash-up of a Stand, the god Osiris, and the god Atum, it'll be easier to understand.
There was no way someone like me, who could only imitate things, would ever pursue a uniquely stylish original design of my own, right?
"This stylish little friend here is called 'Mr. Darby.' One of my familiars. I refer to this one as the 'spirit of contract.'"
"The spirit... of contract?"
"Well, that's just what I call it. It has nothing to do with any actual fairy-tale spirit. Still, introducing it that way makes it easier to understand, doesn't it?"
"I see. But a spirit... I understand what you mean, though it's a rather tasteless idea. To the point of being somewhat unpleasant."
"Hey, now, that's a little harsh."
"It wasn't a compliment."
At Syr's sharp rebuke, I simply shrugged once.
Even then, Ryuu still didn't take her hostile eyes off me.
At her attitude, I felt a little frustrated and continued my explanation.
"To keep explaining: as you just saw, the one who took Lady Anna's soul was the ability of this strangely shaped friend here. A contract sworn on the 'soul' is enforced absolutely. That is the spirit of contract, Mr. Darby's first ability. You understand that much, right?"
"...Yes."
"Given the place and the situation, I can't lecture at length. So to put it briefly: living beings, including humans, don't die immediately just because their soul is taken out."
"Really?!"
"Of course. I swear it on my magecraft. She's safe, I assure you. I can also return her to normal later, unharmed."
The soul of a living being is extremely delicate.
At the same time, it is extremely precise.
And yet, when it comes to outside changes or shocks, it is remarkably insensitive.
You could say it has surprisingly strong resistance to damage and abnormal conditions.
Despite being a highly detailed concept and substance on an almost higher-dimensional level, it isn't easy to damage or alter.
From a researcher's point of view, that contradictory nature is fascinatingly mysterious.
Especially the souls of gods, which could even be called perfect by human standards...
"Of course, if you leave her like that, she'll definitely die. Her body is practically in a suspended state right now. Starving to death would be a pretty awful way to go, too."
"Then..."
"Yeah. The situation hasn't really changed. I've just gained six more chips!"
Thunk!
Clatter, clatter, clatter!
Six more chips were added to the game board.
The One-Armed Tamer and Lady Anna.
A total of twelve chips for the two of them was now my stake.
Which meant my opponent Ryuu now also had to put up the equivalent of two people's worth if she wanted the right to join the next game.
"Let's see. One person's share can be paid by the one actually playing. But the other person's share is still missing, is it not~?"
"Kuh, you magus...!"
"Whoa, whoa. Don't keep scowling like that. You'll end up with ugly wrinkles on that pretty face."
Of course, wrinkles on a beauty are an option in their own right.
There's a reason people talk about mature beauty and aged beauty.
"Now, now. Think it over calmly. As for me, I wouldn't mind if the two of you tucked your tails and backed out right here."
At my provocation, Ryuu ground her teeth in frustration.
But she couldn't bring herself to sit back down.
If it were a match where only she was on the line, she'd be ready to throw everything into it as many times as needed.
But in the current situation, if she made one wrong move here, then her precious person would also...
"I see. I understand. Then I'll stake my own share as well. My soul!"
"Syr!"
"It's fine, Ryuu. In other words, all we have to do this time is win, right?"
"Th-that's true, but..."
In front of Syr's bright smile, Ryuu turned her face away, looking worried and embarrassed as she avoided her gaze.
Watching from the side as a third party, it was quite the picture.
Truly pleasant to look at.
Whether it was actually good for the people involved was still another matter.
"Well, well. Things did go exactly the way I wanted, but... is that really okay? Won't there be trouble later? Won't people complain?"
"My, are you getting cold feet? You did say there'd be no backing out or retreat, didn't you?"
"Heh. If you're going to go that far, then I'll gladly play along."
In any case, that settled the participants' positions.
All that remained was to begin the second round.
"OK, OPEN THE GAME!"
Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle.
Clatterrrrr!
Once again, the cards mixed in Syr's hands.
And just like before, they were dealt out to each side.
Everything proceeded in exactly the same way as before, with nothing special about any of it.
There was nothing in the situation that looked like it could possibly be a problem.
And yet, the more the game progressed in that direction, the more Ryuu's expression twisted into despair.
And for good reason. If they just sat there and did nothing, this round would end the same way the previous game had.
On top of that, this time it wouldn't end with her own defeat alone.
If things kept going like this, then Syr, who had trusted her, would end up just like Lady Anna...
"Ryuu."
"Syr?"
"It's okay. Just do it your way."
Syr's encouragement eased the pressure weighing down on her shoulders at just the right moment.
At her kind consideration, Ryuu looked surprised for a moment, then nodded with a hardened resolve, as if saying she understood.
Then she took one long breath.
"Huu, whoo."
That simple action alone was enough for the Ryuu who had been flustered by an unknown sense of anxiety and defeat to quickly recover her own rhythm.
Light returned to her eyes, and cold reason settled back onto her face.
At that sight, her ally Syr smiled in relief.
And I, as her enemy, curled my lips in amusement.
Something like, I don't like it, but I'm satisfied in my own way?
What was this contradiction-laden mess that didn't know its own head from its tail?
Wait. Isn't that me?
Anyway.
"Glad to see it. You finally look presentable again. I was worried sick this would end anticlimactically."
"I apologize for the discourtesy. I must apologize in advance for my disgraceful behavior."
"Hmm, well... that doesn't really change the outcome of the game, though."
"We'll see whether it's long or short only after we compare."
"Oh? So confident. Looks like you drew a pretty strong hand this time?"
I wondered what she had.
Straight flush? Or four of a kind, aces?
Of course, she gave no answer.
In the cold composure that had returned, sparks flew madly between us.
Under our mutual pressure, the two of us each changed one card.
"Now then... showdown!"
Once again, our hands were revealed, and we measured our strength against each other.
[Ryuu: Four of a Kind, Kings]
"Ooooooh!"
"That's a very strong hand!"
"Th-then what about the magus's hand?!"
After checking Ryuu's hand, the crowd and I both nodded.
Sure enough, if you were dealt a hand like that, it was only natural to feel confident again.
And the same was true for me.
[Magus: Straight Flush]
"Oooooooooh!"
"As expected!"
"The magus wins again!"
Cheers burst from the surrounding wealthy spectators at the inevitable result.
I ignored the noisy idiots and casually tossed one chip into the center, restarting the next game.
I still had nine more chips to take, so it was too early to celebrate.
And indeed, the Ryuu in front of me showed no change in expression either.
She, too, simply resumed the next game with practiced ease.
Only her eyes felt... somehow different from before.
Did she have something up her sleeve?
"You've been like this from the start, but you're quite lucky, aren't you?"
"Same goes for you. Well, it has been pretty close."
"It has. You've won by the narrowest of margins every single time."
"Now that you mention it, that is true. How strange. It seems Lady Fortune has decided to side with me tonight."
"Well, who knows. I can't imagine the heavens being that biased."
"That's not true. There's such a thing as the whims of fate. There are few concepts as biased and self-indulgent as fate."
Just like your past.
A small provocation slipped out casually.
But this time, Ryuu still showed no reaction.
Of course, she might have been seething inwardly, but at least it didn't show on the surface.
Instead, she fixed me with an even colder, sharper gaze.
No, to be more precise, she was staring at Mr. Darby floating in the air behind me.
"Come to think of it, you said earlier that the one who took Lady Anna's soul was the ability of your familiar."
"Yeah. I did say that."
"That was its first ability."
Then what is its second ability?
At her question, which came at me as though it were nothing at all yet struck with precision, I couldn't help curling my lips into a sly smile.
Well, well. So she only caught on to that now?
You're too slow, 'Gale.'
"Hmm, let's see. Do I have any obligation to tell you that?"
"No. Of course not. I don't think you're the kind of idiot who would carelessly reveal your own secrets to an enemy."
"Good grief. You say that, and yet you're stabbing me right in the ribs. True, I am a bit of an attention seeker."
"The malicious part of you is that you lead others into thinking that way."
"Ah, I get it. That's praise, right? Heh heh heh, how embarrassing."
"Enough with the half-baked provocation."
"...Tch, did I overdo it? It's not working."
I deliberately made a face and put on a show of discomfort as I changed one card.
In response, Ryuu also changed two cards behind me.
"But this time, you're not asking?"
"Ask? Ask what?"
At my feigned confusion, Ryuu gave no answer.
She simply kept silently glaring at Mr. Darby behind me with cold eyes.
Judging from her reaction, it seemed she had already figured out at least part of it.
One of the tricks I had used to keep winning until now.
"Well, if you insist that much, I'll ask one thing."
Count, no, Gale Ryuu Lion.
"I heard from some kitty girl that you're into men's collarbones. Is that for real?"
"No comment!"
In an instant, Ryuu's poker face, which had been armored in cold composure, shattered at the filthy, middle-aged-man-like ambush question.
She flushed red and snapped back in a way that was almost cute, and as I snickered at her reaction, Syr let out a sigh beside me with a look of utter exasperation.
Honestly, for a girl who worked in a tavern, she sure was awfully easy to fluster.
Elves, honestly...
"Well, anyway."
Now that I had my answer, I suppose it didn't matter.
And then, behind my back, a voice that only I could hear rang out clearly, as if the voice of my soul were echoing from all around me.
[YES! YES! YES!]
Heh heh, got myself a tavern teasing target, DAZE!