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Chapter 11
“Young Master, why is this…?”
What Liss handed over was the gold coin pouch that Aile had just stuffed back into his arms a moment ago.
At a glance, it looked like a thick money pouch containing at least one hundred gold coins.
At Liss’s unexpected action, Aile tilted her head diagonally.
“They’re right. We came all the way here, so we can’t just watch. Go place a bet on the winner of this match.”
“A-All of this?”
“Yes. It’s not that much money anyway.”
At the gentle reply, Aile mentally added a new note to her report.
Target’s unusual characteristic added. Zero sense of money.
She simply could not understand how he could tell her to throw this much money into a gambling pit.
One hundred gold coins was an amount Aile would have to complete three or four missions to earn.
Even then, for ordinary commoners, it was enough money to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
Wow, that woke me right up. No wonder he’s a grand noble.
Perhaps because the shock was so great, Aile’s rationality returned instantly.
“Now that’s what I call generous! I knew it from the moment I saw that flashy carriage!”
“Hey, why not bet on Number 3? That’s who I put my money on!”
“Nonsense! Number 18 is going to win this one!”
“Number 18 is injured! How’s he supposed to win? Number 3 is definitely taking it!”
The surrounding spectators erupted in cheers.
Trying to raise the stakes, they all noisily shouted recommendations for their chosen fighters.
“Young Master, even so, betting money on something like this is a bit…”
Gambling was, by nature, a rigged game.
Raising the stakes when the manipulation was obvious was no different from scattering money onto the street.
Aile could not understand why the young master, who should have received a proper education, was acting so irrationally.
“Why? You don’t like it?”
“No.”
When Aile nodded firmly, Liss spoke again in a quiet voice.
“If we win, all the money is yours.”
“No, I mean… Young Master…”
That wasn’t the point at all.
Making an exasperated face, Aile roughly grabbed the gold pouch from Liss.
“Well, if you insist that much, how could a maid possibly refuse?”
Honestly, really.
The young master was impossible.
Muttering that it was just this once over and over, Aile stepped backward.
Her retreating pace gradually quickened until she disappeared in an instant.
Once Aile left, the rowdy spectators shifted their attention toward the now-alone Liss.
“Hey there, noble sir. Any chance you’d sell that girl? I’ll pay a generous price.”
“With looks like that, I thought she was a noble herself! A maid like her would make a fine mistress!”
“How about taking off that gloomy robe? We’re all fellow gamblers now, so let’s at least see each other’s faces.”
Crude shouts and vulgar flirtations assaulted Liss’s ears.
Amid the messy chatter, Liss suddenly covered his mouth.
Heh.
The faint sound of laughter escaping through his fingers caused the surroundings to fall silent.
“Is he crazy? Why’s he laughing to himself…?”
“You won’t be laughing once you lose your money, brat!”
No matter what they said, Liss continued chuckling while recalling Aile biting her lower lip with murderous eyes.
“She’s holding back well. How admirable…”
From the ducal estate all the way to the arena, Liss had deliberately acted oblivious and innocent, constantly getting on Aile’s nerves.
Yet despite openly looking troubled, Aile had concealed her temper until the very end.
Though when that thug touched her cheek, she had genuinely looked ready to kill him.
I should reward her.
Besides, he was already getting bored.
He had never wanted to come to the arena in the first place.
Not once in his life had he intended to waste precious time in a place this low-class and filthy.
But unless he deliberately created unpleasant situations, Aile would never reveal her true nature.
What choice did he have?
The one who wanted something had to make the effort.
After all, he was the one who wanted to see the bottom beneath Aile’s perfect act.
“U-Uh…?”
“W-What? My eyes all of a sudden—!”
“Aaagh! My eyes! I can’t see!”
“S-Someone help! Turn on the lights!”
In broad daylight, a pitch-black darkness suddenly descended and stole the sight of the ignorant fools.
The man who had touched Aile’s cheek seemed to have lost both eyes entirely, crawling across the floor while sobbing in terror.
As the screams of those who had suddenly lost their vision grew louder, Liss rose from his seat.
Standing at the center of the commotion, he whispered clearly into their ears.
“If you wash your eyes with what’s inside the drum outside, you’ll be able to see again.”
It was a voice like the whisper of a devil.
Yet to those who had lost the light of sight in an instant, that private murmur sounded like salvation itself.
“Damn it, move!”
“I-I was first!”
“Someone help me!”
The moment Liss finished speaking, the blinded people rushed toward the exit as fast as they could.
The men who had been wagging their cheap tongues and hands all fled outside, and the disturbance quickly died down.
Having regained the silence he desired, Liss returned to his seat as though nothing had happened.
Since he had neither moved conspicuously nor done anything visibly suspicious, to outsiders it would have looked like nothing more than a minor argument.
And arguments like that happened everywhere in the arena all day long.
I wonder when Aile will come back.
Those fools who didn’t know their place had clearly stressed her out.
She would surely be pleased to see how quiet things had become.
“Thank you for the meal.”
Aile smiled brightly as she tucked the pouch of gold coins into her clothes.
The heavy weight and satisfying fullness felt utterly lovable.
If that much money entered the betting pool, it would undoubtedly become tangled in malicious manipulation, so it was better to simply pocket it rather than place the bet.
“Now then…”
Casting a cool gaze over the crowded betting booths, Aile soon strode toward a specific destination.
A staircase on the western side connected to the second floor where the arena rooftop was located.
Ignoring the No Entry sign without hesitation, she checked that nobody was watching and quickly climbed the stairs.
“Found you.”
SMACK!
The moment she spotted a head of pink hair, Aile rushed forward and delivered a merciless flick to his forehead.
The sound resembled someone throwing an object against solid rock.
The man clutched his head and rolled across the floor.
“Ow! Aile, that hurts!”
“Then why did you interfere in someone else’s business? You scared me half to death!”
The culprit who had dealt with the alley thugs Aile intended to catch was right here.
The red marks left on their necks were the unmistakable effect of a poison made by someone Aile knew very well.
“Uwaaah… I thought you’d thank me…”
Still rubbing his bruised head, the man pouted miserably.
Seeing him, Aile brushed back her hair irritably and sighed.
“Cheblin, did you forget the rules? Article 3: Do not interfere with someone else’s mission!”
“No, I know… but your target was right behind them. How were you supposed to fight? So I helped.”
Cheblin grinned as if it were no big deal.
“And that’s exactly the problem! What kind of back-alley thugs get taken down instantly by one person? Anyone would find that suspicious!”
“B-But your target didn’t seem to notice anything. Hehe.”
His bright smile was as sweet as a cherry.
Normally Aile would have let it slide with a sigh, but this situation was different.
“If you’d been discovered…! Anyway, if you interfere one more time, I’m reporting you to the captain. Judging by your appearance, you’re here on a mission too—”
It was about time to return to Liss.
Pressed for time, Aile launched into an uninterrupted lecture.
Used to it, Cheblin turned his eyes elsewhere.
I wonder if Aile even remembers I’m her senior… Hm?
There was a large gap in the wall midway up the stairs leading to the rooftop.
Through it, part of the arena was visible.
A peculiar sight reflected in Cheblin’s pink eyes.
…Why are all those people face-down on the ground?
The distance was too great to hear clearly, but close enough to observe their actions.
Huh? Now they’re suddenly running.
In an instant, the people in one section vanished as though swept away.
The area near the special seats was usually packed with people hoping to scam money from others.
Yet after a blink, everyone had run outside.
That black-haired guy… isn’t he Aile’s target? Did he use his power?
Only one person remained where the crowd had disappeared.
The famous “only son of House Cassio.”
Interest flashed in Cheblin’s pink eyes.
I need to tell Aile right awa—
Squeeeze.
“Hey, are you even listening!? When someone talks to you, answer them!”
This time, Aile stretched Cheblin’s soft cheek mercilessly.
“…Yeth, thenior.”
To suffer such humiliation from a much younger junior…
Moisture gathered at the corners of Cheblin’s pink eyes.
