TTPB 34

Chapter 34

Want to Give It a Try?

Herya’s eyes widened as if he hadn’t expected to run into Rose at the gambling table. His expression was exactly like that of a startled cat.

“What, even a princess gambles?”

Arsen hurriedly clamped a hand over the paladin’s mouth.

“Refrain from speaking disrespectfully to the lady.”

He emphasized the word lady particularly. Herya, having assessed the situation, let out a whistle like a street vendor advertising their goods.

“The lady visits such a raucous place.”
“Are you sure you should even be here?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”

He quickly stuffed the pouch of coins he had exchanged with the jester into his chest. Rose rolled her eyes at this epitome of a corrupt priest.

“What a materialist.”
“You came here to have fun too, didn’t you? You can’t show off money at a gambling table. The atmosphere is just right now.”
“Atmosphere?”

Herya pointed to a large parchment poster hanging on the wall behind them. People at the gambling table occasionally paused to stare at it.

“What’s this?”

Getting closer, it appeared to be a list of participants in a swordsmanship tournament. Under some names were a series of numbers. A man had just come by, paid some gold, and entered numbers.

“You’re betting on the winner?”
“Bingo. Perfect for investing with the winnings here.”

The list included Jad Lambert, a member of the royal knight corps who had previously dueled Arsen. He seemed quite reputable, as many people had placed bets on him. Herya skimmed the list, hoping to see Arsen’s name, but it wasn’t there.

“Not every participant’s name is listed—only prominent competitors or those who have already made a mark.”
“Are you going to bet too?”
“Yes.”
“On whom?”

Herya pointed to a name scrawled crookedly in a corner. Whoever wrote it had awful handwriting.

“Obviously me, Herya Deon!”

He announced boldly, grinning innocently. His voice was loud enough to attract attention.

“Hey, don’t joke around, gambler. You’re entering the swordsmanship tournament? That’s entirely different from this gambling table.”
“Ha! Facing off against these slender but fierce warriors? You’d probably lose to me alone.”

The mercenaries doubled over with laughter. None of them knew this stranger was part of the Tiberes Paladin Order. His shabby appearance made him seem far removed from the gilded knights.

“Hmph. Not exactly the right words coming from those who’ve lost to me.”

They were all men who had gambled and lost everything to Herya in previous games.

“Y-you must have cheated! There’s no way to win every single round without trickery!”
“Got proof? Maybe it’s time to admit defeat.”

The man flushed, then smirked at Rose.

“Fine. I’ll only acknowledge it if you beat me teaming up with that noble lady.”

Rose was flabbergasted by the sudden proposal.

“A 2v2 match. You, the great gambler, and that lady, against me and my partner.”

The mercenary threw his arm around his companion, swaggering. In their eyes, Rose surely looked like an inexperienced, rich young lady. She knew nothing about gambling in this world, so victory was impossible.

‘Are we going to get thoroughly beaten just by coming here for fun?’

“Well? Want to give it a try?”

Herya asked, unconcerned whether Rose joined or not.

“This is my first time. I don’t even know the rules.”
“No problem. They’re total pushovers.”
“What?!”
“Forget that. Do you have money? I think you just lost it all earlier.”
“Ugh… I had to sell my last heirloom to raise it.”

The man set a pouch, apparently filled with gold coins, on the table. Even at a glance, it was a substantial amount. Herya’s eyes gleamed greedily.

“Can we decide the type of game? My friends are beginners, so be lenient.”
“Sure. I’ll allow that much.”

The combined team of the legendary gambler and the pretty noble lady attracted attention from the men at the tables. As they gathered, Arsen stationed himself beside Rose, his sharp eyes warning the mercenaries to stay away.

Herya removed his hood, draped it over his chair, and rolled up both sleeves. He cleared the cluttered table, leaving only three dice. The dice were roughly carved ivory cubes, each face marked with one to six dots.

“The rules are simple. Roll the dice and guess the sum.”
“Ugh, boring choice.”
“What are you talking about? This is the deepest form of gambling.”

Herya ignored the belittling comment and patiently explained the rules to Rose.

“You predict the total sum and record it here.”

He handed her a long sheet with ten boxes. Each box represented one round’s total sum. Since they were playing in pairs, each would calculate their sum and then combine totals.

“What if you guess wrong?”
“No score.”
“That’s too unlikely.”
“You don’t need to guess all three numbers. Just the total sum.”

As Rose studied the grid, Arsen added from beside her:

“Stick to 9 or 10. Statistically, these are the most likely totals.”
“Usually, yes. But this game has other ways to increase your stakes.”

Herya raised his index finger.

“Even if you don’t guess the sum, points can carry over to the next round.”

He rolled the dice, demonstrating with 1, 2, and 3.

“First: Sequence. If the three numbers form a consecutive sequence, sum them. Order doesn’t matter.”
“Any order?”
“Yes. 1-2-3, 3-2-1, 2-3-1—all fine.”

Then he rolled three sixes.

“This is Triple. All three dice show the same number. Sum them. Naturally, 6-6-6 is the highest.”

The maximum sum of 18 was tantalizing but extremely improbable.

“Next: Spare. If a sum called previously appears in the next round, you only get half of it.”
“Got it. How do we bet money?”

Herya grinned craftily and gestured to his opponents.

“Points will convert to gold.”
“Goodness! Bold, aren’t you?”
“So what’s the stake? At least 180 gold?”

Normally, stakes were based on win-loss results, which shocked those nearby. Rose didn’t realize how audacious that statement was.

“Alright. Shall we start?”

The dice rolled, marking the beginning of the match. Rose carefully watched the spins, new to this gambling style. She noticed Herya focused more on using the rules strategically than merely guessing totals. Every roll came out as he desired. She tried to mimic him, clumsily at first. Herya watched her, wide-eyed at the princess’s attempt.

Several rounds passed, with the mercenaries slamming the table in frustration.

“This is impossible! How did 666 come up consecutively?”
“Again! Again!”
“Are you sure? I think this is enough.”

Herya shook the heavy coin pouch; their opponents’ pockets grew thinner in contrast.

“You even have a lady with you. Not trying hard enough, huh?”
“Ugh.”

It wasn’t just skill—Herya’s taunting was infuriating.

‘Good thing we’re on the same side. I wouldn’t want him as an opponent.’

Rose stuck her tongue out in exasperation. Every subsequent round ended in victory for Rose and Herya. To be precise, Herya dominated the table alone.

“Hahaha. I’m so grateful, I don’t know what to do.”

Herya kissed his overflowing coin pouch in delight.

“Damn it. Never coming here again.”

The mercenaries left, unwilling to admit defeat. Herya even waved them off.

“Goodbye, penniless gentlemen!”

Herya hummed as he began to count the coins, splitting them evenly and giving Rose her share.

“This is too much. You did it all.”
“That’s true, but I’d feel like my neck’s on the line if I didn’t.”

He glanced back. Rose noticed Arsen glaring at Herya.

“If you profit using the lady, you must pay the due price.”

If Herya were alone, the mercenaries wouldn’t have willingly risked money. Arsen didn’t like that Rose was used as bait.

“Well, you performed decently in the end. Let’s treat this money as such.”

By the final rounds, Rose managed to beat one mercenary, though far below Herya’s level.

“I still feel bad taking all this money.”
“Hmm, then how about this?”
“What?”
“I hear the festival has a costume rule? I didn’t follow it properly.”

Herya waved at his outfit.

“Can you believe it? We can’t enjoy such a fun festival formally! Too bad.”

Then he sprang from the chair.

“I’d like the lady to fill in some blue for me.”

Rose and her party left for the night’s festivities, their coin pouches now full thanks to Herya. They were going to buy something blue as he requested.

“How dare he ask for a gift. That’s rude.”
“You received one too, didn’t you?”

Herya pointed to the blue handkerchief on Arsen’s wrist. Rose was surprised.

“How did you know I gave it?”
“Obvious. Only that is so delicate. Do you think it suits the lord?”
“I was officially granted it. That’s different from your request.”

Even when Arsen murmured lowly, Herya acted friendly.

“Eh, you got it from a lady too. Anyway, you’re funny. How could you imitate me so quickly?”
“Your skills put mine to shame.”
“You just started today. Pretty capable for a beginner.”

Rose felt embarrassed being praised for her feeble skills.

“And you… defeated everyone at the table.”
“Ah, that.”

Herya laced his fingers above his head and walked on casually.

“My dice are a little special.”
“Special?”
“Yes. Each face’s weight is slightly off-center. Adjusting your wrist just right lets you roll the number you want.”

He mimed rolling the dice, explaining carefully. Dice intentionally adjusted like this weren’t allowed at gambling tables. So right now…

“That’s cheating.”
“No one knew, did they?”
“That…”
“If no one knows, it isn’t cheating.”

Herya passed by a stunned Rose, flashing a fox-like grin. A priest who isn’t afraid of clever tricks—Rose vowed never to get on his bad side.