SNBF 07

Chapter 07

Since the homeless shelter didn’t really have a strict curfew or rules, it was easy to slip out.
I followed the mustached man as he led the way.

We stopped in front of a seemingly ordinary restaurant with its lights off.
“Surprisingly… it’s right on the main road?”
I widened my eyes.
“There’s a saying that it’s darkest right under the lamp…”

The mustached man approached the restaurant, knocked on the door five times, and whispered in a secretive voice.
“Eagle hunting.”
“The dog barks.”

From inside, a response came. The scene looked like a secret deal was going on, and I felt tense.
“Release the leash.”

When the mustached man said another cryptic phrase, the door opened.
“You said anyone could come, yet the code is this complicated?”
“Yes, yes… some security is necessary… Only those who’ve been here before can bring someone new. It’s meant to create a chain reaction.”

Chain reaction… what are you talking about…
Sounds like we’re all doomed.

Passing through the quiet, dark restaurant and entering the basement, the noise hit my ears.
It was definitely an unpleasant place.

Dim lights and scattered lamps on round tables were the only sources of illumination in the basement.
Waiters and waitresses dressed in excessively provocative outfits carried drinks around, and the mix of despair and ecstasy from the patrons filled the air.

[This place is really chaotic… All sorts of passions are tangled up.]
I focused hard on Agatha’s words.

“Saint. I did everything you asked… Did, did God not get angry? Am I… not going to die?”
“Well… beg the lady humbly, spend your life atoning, and live like her servant. Then it’ll be fine.”
“G-got it, yes…!”

The mustached man really looked scared.
“Th-then I’ll just… go now…”

He shook his legs nervously like a desperate dog.
“Where are you going? You need to take me to the nobles.”
“You mean to the nobles’ table!?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Well… I thought God might be angry…”

He didn’t want to go because it was an immoral place and he feared divine punishment. I smiled faintly.
“God told me to purify this place. Lead the way.”

In the end, the mustached man had to take me into the inner room.

As soon as we entered the room where the nobles gathered, a strong perfume scent hit me—it was almost headache-inducing.
Ladies lounging on sofas in near-underwear, exhaling smoke from hookahs; men with flushed faces and unfocused eyes.

[I really hate this place.]
It was hundreds, even thousands of times more decadent than outside.

“St-Saint.”
The mustached man hesitated to speak. I waved him away.
“Yes. You may go now, leave.”
“Th-thank you!”

He left the room without looking back. He must have been really frightened by being near me.

I sat at the largest gambling table. I wanted to get noticed and escape as quickly as possible.

“What, the big player got picked so fast today? Must be really skilled?”
“No, not yet.”
“Seems like someone brought by the viscount?”
“What? That’s against the rules.”

As soon as I sat down, a small debate started over my different appearance compared to the others.
“Rule-breaking or not, as long as it’s entertaining, it doesn’t matter.”

Then a woman’s voice descended.
She sat across from me with eyes shining as if she’d found an intriguing prey.
“Do you play cards, miss?”

Do I have to gamble?
If I reveal myself as a saint now, these nobles would likely mock me and throw me out.
First, I need to capture their attention, then strike with impact.
Right. If I came to a gambling hall, I must speak through gambling.

[Agatha, I think we need to play.]
So I decided to use a cheat.

Since I could see all the opponents’ cards, it was almost like I had already won.

[Gambling… you mean?]
[You might not like it, but now we need to use gambling to focus attention and spread that I’m the saint. I think this is one way to handle it.]

With a convincing rationale, Agatha replied:
[It can’t be helped. Let’s play. Since we’re asking Dorothy, we should follow her lead.]
[Yes. But I don’t know the rules of the game. Does anyone know?]
[Of course.]

Agatha’s voice carried a faint laugh.

A few rounds passed.
There was a reason behind Agatha’s laughter—it was an unbroken streak of victories. I was winning without even needing to see the opponent’s cards.
A strategist who can also play cards well?

[Why, why are you so good?]
[We’ve been bored from the war until now. We played a lot among ourselves.]
[Huh?]
[Ah. We didn’t bet money. Card games aren’t gambling without stakes. Since it’s meant for fun, there’s nothing wrong with it.]

She had frowned at gambling earlier…
Agatha’s words were correct. As long as there’s no money involved, it’s fine.

“Wow… this girl…”
“Someone brought by the viscount? She’s a skilled newcomer.”
“Miss! Play with me too!”

After my three consecutive wins, my opponent gave up. Soon, onlookers began joining the table.
The money in my hand multiplied rapidly, and nobles from all over the room came to watch.

Drunkards, people who usually gambled among themselves, and couples immersed in obscene touching all crowded around this table.

“Hey! I just lost! Revenge match!”
“You’ve lost three rounds in a row. Revenge? You’ll bankrupt yourself.”
“Fine. I’m first.”

Good. Attention is on me.
The real important part starts now.
I smiled.
“Rather than that—how about trying something more fun? What do you think?”
“Something fun?”
“Yes. It’s also a kind of gambling.”

I placed my cards on the table, pressing each one as I spoke.
“I have a considerable amount of stakes in my hand right now.”

“Considering she took everything I had, that must be about a million gold.”
“A million? You’ll get kicked out of your house today.”
“Isn’t that too extravagant?”

Despite the outcry, nobody seriously worried.
It was a large sum, but not enough to be a real problem.

A million… probably about the price of a carriage.
I remembered the scene in the original story where a noble’s carriage driver was unfairly asked to pay for a broken carriage.

“The stakes are a million. Will you play?”

All eyes were on me, and the bait was perfect.
“A million… I guess it’s worth it.”
“Do I also have to bet a million? I can’t let my wife know I’m here today.”

The commotion grew. Let them argue and fuss.
I only needed to lure one person—a single person with a story, anyone.
“Yes. Miss. I’ll play.”

Amid the uproar, a man sat across from me.
“What kind of gamble is this?”
The middle-aged man’s eyes shone with interest.
“If I had to name it… let’s call it ‘Saint Play.’”
I smiled.

Saint Play started in the small city of Dermont in the Empire of Manfeline.

One day, a homeless person calling herself a saint appeared in a secret gambling hall created by nobles for amusement.
The saint proposed a game:

If the saint could correctly guess the hidden thoughts, secret circumstances, or unresolved worries of the person sitting across, she won; if she failed, she lost.
It was a simple game.

Even if they tried to lie, the saint’s guesses were always specific enough to be undeniable.
No one would risk missing an easy million gold, so the nobles played along.

And… they all lost terribly.

“Anyone else?”
The saint’s deductions were excessively precise, making even those who tried to dispute pale.

[A perfect story for rumors to spread.]

It was an ideal story for gossip, guaranteed to spread further and draw attention.
Those hoping to expose it as fraud came, only to fuel more rumors.

It was risky, but I had eight guardian deities. Strong divine power flowed through my body!
So I gained confidence that I could handle most things.

“Send a scorpion. Quickly!”

That night, I couldn’t leave the gambling hall.
The feverish nobles with red eyes were the best publicity agents, so even though I was tired, I had to keep playing.

“Those who want to continue playing, come to the homeless shelter to see Saint Dorothy.”

After returning to the facility and sleeping soundly, I faced… an astronomical amount of money.
“…Did I really win all this?”

Heavy pouches of gold coins—one, two, three, four… and checks in between.

[Dorothy. Did you sleep well? You worked so hard yesterday.]
No, not really.

[Would you like anything to eat today? Just say it, I’ll prepare it all!]
[Huh? I’m tired—]
[Oh, not tired at all! Thanks to Agatha’s grace, I’m healthy and happy!]

Thanks to Agatha, this was a genuine windfall, and my gratitude was sincere this time.

“With this money, I could live comfortably for life.”
[That’s a lot of money…]
[Some even brought more, hoping to expose fraud.]
[It’s so easy to earn… thanks to Agatha’s card skills.]
[Yes, but the guardian deities blessed Dorothy together. That helped too, hoho.]
[Blessings?]
[They worked really well on her. Seeing how smoothly everything went yesterday proves it.]

Oh! I could absorb not just curses, but the blessings of the gods too…!
For the first time, this fate felt joyful.

Although…
[But Agatha… those aren’t humans, are they?]
[They’re ghosts. Probably observing upstairs.]

Even if my fate was to greet the morning with the lower half of spirits hanging from the ceiling, at least the night’s gamble had been a success.