Turning
chapter-654

"By the way, do you know of any places nearby where more interesting games are played?"

"More interesting games? Are you talking about dice games or something of that sort?"

"No. The fun I seek is... this."

Kishiar tapped lightly on the back of the card, adorned with a gold coin pattern, and smiled.

"Money?"

"It was good to come to Charloin with a purpose, but then I realized I was short on lodging money. I wouldn’t mind sleeping in the streets alone, but now I have companions."

Kishiar continued speaking while expertly shuffling the cards.

"That's why I'm looking for an interesting game. Something that could fill the shortfall in our travel expenses."

This meant he was searching for a gambling game involving stakes of money. Yuder didn't miss the slight change in the expressions of those who had been casually flipping cards.

"If you came to Charloin for a purpose... You're not, by any chance, 'those people'?"

The person sitting next to Kishiar gestured subtly towards a direction. It was towards the street where one could catch a glimpse of the top of the southern branch building of the Cavalry.

"Right. Haven't you seen more of our kind around here lately?"

"Hmm. Well, yes."

Despite their conversation hinting that Kishiar and Yuder were Awakeners who had come to apply to the Cavalry, the card players didn't seem overly surprised.

Without fear or hesitation, as they subtly met each other's gaze, Yuder was certain Kishiar had picked the right people to glean information from.

"You seem to have just average skills in the game. Aren't you looking into too dangerous a way to earn travel money? The games where you can make money are totally different from this kind of play."

"Oh, is that how it seemed?"

Kishiar cheekily responded.

"You all might have been too drunk to remember, but I've participated in four rounds since I joined this table. Win, lose, win, lose, and now it's ongoing. Does anyone remember by how many points I won and lost?"

"When you won, it was with a 5-point difference from the second place, and when you lost, it was by 5 points to the first place."

The previously silent Yuder answered, causing the men playing the card game to look at each other. In disbelief, they counted on their fingers, trying to recall the events. After a moment, they all fell silent.

"...It's true."

Simply controlling winning and losing was something a skilled player could easily do. But to alternate wins and losses by the same score difference without arousing any suspicion from others was truly an astonishing feat.

"That... Is that your ability? Did you use your power?"

"No. My power has nothing to do with this."

"Then how..."

"I'm just naturally good at this. Maybe I have a good sense."

Kishiar casually answered, shaking the cards in his hand.

"If I win this round too, by a 5-point margin, would you tell me some places where we can play a decent game?"

"Alright. Let's see you try."

What had been a light-hearted game before now took on a heavier, tenser atmosphere. The men stopped drinking and watched Kishiar intently, making sure he didn't use any small tricks.

Yet, despite this, the flag of victory was claimed by Kishiar La Orr.

"Exactly a 5-point difference. It's over."

"..."

Everyone fell silent at the last card Kishiar laid down.

"There was definitely no trickery..."

"He just said he's got a good sense."

As Kishiar bantered, the men scrutinized his cards, flipping them over and peering closely. Amidst their inspection, Kishiar, who leaned back nonchalantly in his chair, turned to Yuder and spoke.

"Ah. Perhaps I've played the game too earnestly; my throat is parched. It would be nice if someone awarded me with a cold beer."

"…Just ask for it normally."

Though Yuder spoke thus, he lightly picked up Kishiar's beer glass and brought it to his lips. He didn't forget to use a slight power to cool the beer inside.

The man who gulped down several refreshing sips widened his eyes and expressed his gratitude.

"There's no fun in just receiving. Anything received as a reward always tastes better. Even a 70-year-old Raifa wine wouldn't seem as sweet and refreshing as this single sip right now."

"…"

It seemed like an exaggerated comparison, but fortunately, he appeared satisfied.

Meanwhile, the men finally confirmed that there were no tricks in the cards and lifted their heads.

"Huh…"

"Do you believe it now?"

"I'm not sure what exactly you did, but yes… Hiding it well is also a skill. If this is true, you won't starve anywhere you go."

"That's been the case indeed."

"If you really want to test your luck, look for shops with a red dice painted under their signs. With more people like you around these days, many are going there hoping to make quick money."

"Red dice?"

"It's managed by a guy named Nukijo, famous for 'that' in Charloin."

When mentioning 'that,' the speaker gestured with clenched fists shaking left and right. It was a sign used to collectively describe underground groups involved in all sorts of unsavory activities.

"Hmm. I'm most curious about what kind of games they play there. Won't you tell me?"

"We don't know much about that. We've heard that some betting games are popular lately."

"Betting, huh."

"It won't be hard to find. Those guys are always lurking around here. Maybe they're even watching this game now and will approach you. I saw people like you playing games with them nearby and then following them not long ago."

After saying this, the men, feeling the game's excitement had dwindled, packed up the cards and left. Yuder, looking at the empty glasses left behind, spoke.

"The name Nukijo. It sounds familiar."

"Yeah? What about him?"

"If I remember correctly... In the previous game, he was the owner of the largest fighting arena in the South."

At that time, there were numerous fighting arenas in the South, but the Nukijo Arena was the largest. Nobles watched Awakeners and monsters fight there, betting money while drinking alcohol laced with drugs. An Awakener with the ability to entertain with various powers was nothing less than a top betting commodity.

On the lower floors, below the nobles, non-Awakeners were often forced to fight Awakeners for entertainment, in gambling fights targeting those of lower status. Those who fought there were usually heavily in debt, risking their lives.

If they lost, they were drugged, dismembered, and fed to beasts, all while onlookers laughed and enjoyed their drinks.

The orchestrator of that dreadful hell was the operator himself.

At that point in time, the fighting arena probably hadn't developed as extensively as in his previous life. However, the existence of such an establishment was evident from the attempted human trafficking by the Tain Duke's family seen in the West and through Ershi. Yuder believed that coming here would definitely lead to catching a tail.

'Had I failed to stop the human trafficking attempt by Tain Duke and Baron Willhem back then, they probably wouldn't be here now, trying to recruit people coming to join the Cavalry.'

Fresh blood is always needed in betting fights.

Since they couldn't obtain this blood from the West, Yuder figured they must be quite desperate by now.

And it seemed his conjecture was not wrong.

"It's good then. We just need to look for the places marked with red dice."

"Yes. Thanks to the Commander choosing the right people."

"If people are already sitting around playing card games before it's even time for dinner, it's obvious. Though they pretended otherwise, those guys are likely part of Nukijo's gang or somewhat connected. But..."

Kishiar, who had been smoothly continuing the conversation, suddenly paused, drawing out the silence.

'Has something gone wrong?'

Yuder quickly scanned the surroundings, preparing to unleash his power if needed.

"Isn't it risky to use such a title for addressing me here where someone might hear? It might also be dangerous to use it at our next destination. What do you think?"

"..."

Realizing that Kishiar's concern was completely different from what he had anticipated, Yuder relaxed his tensed muscles somewhat disappointedly.

'It's a valid point, though...'

"That is true. Shall we avoid using titles then? Or perhaps I could pretend to be a knight escort like Sir Zuckerman..."

"No. I absolutely do not want to be addressed as 'my lord'."

Kishiar shook his head, resting his chin on his hand.

"Isn't there something else?"

"...Something else, you say."

"Yes. There are various titles and forms of address in the world, after all."