307 – Trusting You to Walk
“Betting, huh… that sounds fun.”
Claude suddenly paused, wearing a relaxed smile, prompting Ghislaine to ask again.
“Are you in or out?”
“Of course… I can’t pass up a chance like this. There’s a gambler’s blood running through my veins.”
“But what do you have to bet? You won’t be accepting any stakes for your remaining life.”
“I know that much.”
Although others didn’t know, Claude actually had no remaining life. He had lost so many trivial bets that his time as a slave had been extended by a whopping 278 years.
In fact, he had even lost about ten years just from a quick drinking contest. It was the result of seizing every opportunity to gamble.
Claude also realized that his remaining life was worth less than the flour rolling around in the territory.
So he was planning to bet something else.
“What about Alfoy and the Mages? Hehe.”
The Mages were tied to their original contract terms. Though they enjoyed gambling now, they had never wagered against Ghislaine again.
Claude was suggesting betting the lives of the Mages instead of his own.
Ghislaine readily nodded in agreement.
“The Mages are fine. I’m sure their lifespan is long thanks to their magic power. It’ll probably increase further as they advance in their circles, right?”
“Hehe, that’s not the end of it.”
“There’s more?”
“Of course, there are some people leaving this time.”
“Oh… can you bring them in?”
“I’ll persuade them to join the bet.”
“Alright, they could be quite useful too. So, what do you want? It seems like you want something big to take it this far.”
Claude suddenly twisted his body, making a dramatic entrance.
“Goodness, I don’t know if I should say this myself.”
“What is it? What do you want?”
“First, it’s only natural to set me free, right? Let’s wipe away those 278 years in one go.”
“I can manage that. Is that enough? Want to return home as a free person?”
“No, just give me one territory. I want to be a Lord too.”
Puhuh!
“……”
“Hmm, is it okay if I just give you a small piece of land?”
Seeing Ghislaine suppressing laughter, Claude gave an irritated look.
“No, I don’t want anything from the Lord.”
“Why not?”
“Knowing when I’ll die would mean accepting it.”
Fighting the Duke faction was a predetermined future. Accepting territory from Ghislaine would mean he had to participate in the war as a vassal. Even if he didn’t participate, it was clear he would die if the Duke faction won, considering he’d be fighting on the same side as Ghislaine.
Ghislaine tilted his head and asked again.
“So how do you want me to give you land? Are you planning to take some from somewhere?”
“Just buy a suitable piece from the Turian Kingdom. It doesn’t need to be big. Hehehe.”
“The Turian Kingdom?”
“You’re a noble of Ruthania guaranteed by the Turian Kingdom, aren’t you? As my guardian, you could at least buy me a small piece of land. Oh, and as far away as possible from the Shadow Mountain Range. I just want to live safely.”
As long as there was an agreement with the current lord and he obeyed the laws of the country he belonged to, buying and selling territories was possible.
Claude wasn’t planning on returning home for just a bit of money. He had already tasted power. No matter how much money he had, it was useless without power.
He wanted to become the owner of a small territory and live lavishly until he died.
After all, he didn’t have big ambitions. He wasn’t a war fanatic like Ghislaine and had no desire to expand land. He simply wanted to enjoy life without worry until the end.
Ghislaine nodded, accepting Claude’s ambition.
“Alright, if you win, I’ll secure you a small territory in Turia. Well, though I seriously doubt that will happen.”
“Hehe, my Lord, just don’t change your mind later. Let’s set the period to one month. You must eat only the newly developed food and maintain the stamina for combat a month later.”
“Of course. Now go gather the people who want to bet.”
“Understood. Just a moment, please. I’ll persuade them and bring them back soon.”
Claude moved with a cheerful expression. It seemed like he had nothing to bet with, but instead, he was risking everyone else’s lives except his own.
Thinking about exiting this place with all the rewards while putting in no stakes made his steps feel lighter.
Ghislaine chuckled as he watched Claude excitedly heading off.
“Lifetime slave mages… I can’t resist.”
It was a proposal he found most appealing.
*
Alfoy was gambling in a corner of the territory’s construction site. Surprisingly, his opponent was Piote, rumored to be the kindest person in the territory.
In fact, Piote didn’t enjoy gambling. He spent all the money he received to help struggling territory residents.
With plenty of food distributed in the territory, very few went hungry, but people can’t just live by eating alone.
Many were still poor and couldn’t afford everyday necessities or gather medicinal herbs when sick. Piote used his own money to help those people.
However, the amount of money Piote received was nowhere near enough to help everyone in the territory. So he occasionally sought assistance from influential figures in the territory.
Alfoy was no exception.
“What? You want me to donate some? Are you trying to swindle the money of the magnificent Alfoy?”
“No… It’s not about swindling. I’m just asking you to help a bit as there are struggling people in the territory…”
“I’m the most in need! I’m the one who needs help the most! As the heir of the Mage Tower, I’m living as an unpaid slave!”
Alfoy was jumping up and down. But everyone knew that he was secretly accumulating money.
He helped the territory residents with their tasks and received a little in return, and he also won money from gambling with the people around.
But when he was this stubborn, there was nothing to be done. Donations should come from a voluntary spirit, not something forced.
“Oh, I see. I’ll look for someone else.”
As Piote turned with a sulky expression, Alfoy grabbed him.
“It’s not that there’s absolutely no way.”
“What do you mean?”
“I want to give it, but I don’t have a justification—a justification.”
Piote’s eyes widened in curiosity as he tilted his head. What justification could there possibly be for helping the needy?
With a serious expression, Alfoy continued his explanation.
“Mages don’t give out money without a reason. Because they are very rational and logical intellectuals. So, I’m giving you the opportunity to take my money.”
“How?”
“By gambling. You can win my money through gambling.”
Piote immediately shook his head.
“While there isn’t a scripture explicitly banning gambling, the root of gambling is greed, so it could be considered a sin.”
“…you’re still far from it.”
“Huh?”
“Aren’t you trying to gamble not out of greed for money but to help those in need with it?”
“…Yes.”
“Then it’s not greed but a noble challenge. You’re trying to help the needy, after all. Isn’t ignoring a way to help those in need a greater sin?”
“….”
It was something strange but plausible. Piote pondered for a moment, then clenched his small fist and nodded.
“Alright, I’ll give it a try.”
There seemed to be no need to question the morality of the method to help the needy. It was a matter of his own dignity.
Alfoy smirked.
“You thought well. Since it’s probably something you don’t know much about, let’s make it a simple game of even or odd. Just guess whether the coin I’m holding is an odd or even number. Easy, right?”
“Good thinking. Since you probably don’t know anything difficult, let’s play odds and evens. You just have to guess if the number of silver coins in my hand is odd or even. Easy, right?”
“Yes.”
Piote nodded obediently. However, the gambling members watching from the side shook their heads.
Odds and evens was a game that Piote could never win.
Even the members of the gambling crew, Kane and the mages, wouldn’t play odds and evens with Alfoy. In this territory, Alfoy was the strongest in that game.
Unaware of this, Piote started the game with Alfoy, wearing a naive expression.
Seeing the little amount of money Piote pulled out, Alfoy clicked his tongue.
“Geez, look at that. He’s really broke. The lord must have given him a good amount, but I guess he shared it with all the needy. Tsk tsk, if he loses all that, tears will be streaming down his pretty face.”
The amount of money Piote brought out wasn’t much. Just a few silver coins and some copper coins.
But Alfoy was a flame of a gambler. He would never show mercy just because his opponent was pitiful.
Cautious Piote placed a bet of just one coin at a time.
“Odd!”
“Even!”
“Odd!”
“Even!”
Piote diligently tried, but he didn’t win even once. It was no surprise; Alfoy was cheating using magic.
“Heh, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say there’s no one in this territory who can break my magic.”
After meeting Claude and getting introduced to gambling, Alfoy had now become a superb gambler.
He had constantly researched to win at odds and evens, creating one specific spell.
It was a winning magic that applied teleportation magic, lightweight magic, and gravity magic. It was close to patching up existing spells, but he had still created something new.
Every time he made a bet in odds and evens, he secretly imbued this magic into a small object in his hand.
“Since I made this magic, I haven’t lost a single time in odds and evens. I’ll challenge the lord again soon!”
If his opponent guessed correctly, he would subtly open his fingers before rolling his wrist, and in an instant, the silver coins would slip into his sleeve. The speed was truly comparable to teleportation.
Because of this magic, Alfoy always wore a long robe, even in summer.
Unaware of this, Piote had no choice but to keep falling for Alfoy.
“Uh, why can’t I get it right even once?”
He kept guessing the same thing but couldn’t win even once. This didn’t make sense from a common sense perspective.
Kane, who was clicking his tongue from the side, casually said, “That guy is cheating using magic. You can never win.”
“I-it’s cheating? Give me back my money!”
Then Alfoy shouted in a stern voice.
“Hey! Cheating? What are you talking about! Do you have evidence? I don’t cheat! What’s wrong with a priest who can’t trust people! Huh? Is it okay for a priest to slander anyone like that?”
“Uh, no… that doesn’t make sense…”
“What doesn’t make sense? It’s just because you can’t do it! Who threatened you with a knife to make you guess wrong!”
With Alfoy’s passionate words, Piote found himself at a loss for words. There was no way for him to see through Alfoy’s trickery with his own abilities.
“I-I’ll stop.”
He couldn’t afford to lose all his little money. But Alfoy looked at him with a disdainful expression and said, “Can you really call yourself a man if you give up so easily? Aren’t you going to help those in need? You’re weaker than you look, huh? Is that the will of the Goddess?”
At those words, Piote flared up. He was already being mocked for being girly every day, and he didn’t want to hear such things while losing money.
And it felt a bit off to give up now. Helping people with the little money he had left was going to be tough. He wanted to win somehow.
“Let’s go again!”
“Heh, this is how you fall into gambling.”
Alfoy grinned.
“I’ve got a sucker!”
He was planning to fleece Piote completely. It wasn’t a lot of money, but still, it was something, and blowing off some steam was just a bonus.
“HOL!”
“EVEN!”
“HOL!”
Piote was on a losing streak. He hadn’t won a single time. He could have at least let him win once, but Alfoy was just blatantly cheating.
“Ugh, ugh….”
As he lost almost all of his dwindling money, tears began to well up in Piote’s eyes.
It was infuriating. It felt like a scam, and he was angry at himself for being so foolish not to recognize it.
He should have spent that little money on someone else instead.
People warned against gambling for a reason. Piote regretted his choice.
“Dear Goddess….”
Now, all he had left was a single silver coin. Piote tightly shut his eyes and began to pray.
“Please let me win.”
Not for himself. Not to punish that fraud. He simply wanted to help those who were struggling.
Seeing the pathetic sight of Piote praying with his eyes shut tight, Alfoy spoke nonchalantly.
“Hey, what are you doing? Hurry up and bet.”
“Dear Goddess… please… that guy… Oh, sorry for the harsh words.”
Piote prayed with all his might. He couldn’t recall ever praying so hard in his life.
Regret about himself, repentance for gambling, and the desire to help those in need—all of it stirred in his heart and burned with pain.
Whoosh!
Divine Power began to radiate from Piote, who was in a trance. Alfoy chuckled at the sensation.
“Oh, no matter how much you pray, it won’t help. Do you know why?”
Alfoy began to unleash his Magic Power against the Divine Power.
Boom!
The clash of Divine Power and Magic Power produced a powerful wave. Alfoy then arrogantly lifted his chin and declared,
“I am the God of Odds. Not even a Goddess can defeat me.”
He denied the existence of a deity before a Priest who served them, proclaiming himself to be a god, a statement that even a dark mage would think twice about. Yet Piote did not get angry. He simply continued to pray with all his longing.
That longing began to transform into pure and genuine faith.
And that burning belief eventually connected with “something.”
“Oh, come on already… huh?”
Rumble!
Suddenly, dark clouds gathered in the clear sky, casting shadows all around. In an instant, a bright light seemed to shoot up from the top of Piote’s head into the heavens.
Boom!
As the dark clouds split apart, radiant light began to pour out from the space created.
It seemed to connect with Piote.
Alfoy and the Mages gaped with their mouths agape.
They had records describing this phenomenon.
“Cha-Channeling?”
Only the chosen Saint by the Goddess can exhibit this power.
A phenomenon where one connects with a great will, using a part of that power and carrying out its intentions is called Channeling. And the Saint who attempts Channeling can receive a “Revelation.”
This was a real “Revelation,” utterly different from the rumors fabricated by Ghislaine and Porisco.
Who would have thought they would see the day that Channeling, which was only barely possible for the Saints in special cases, would manifest?
But is this really special right now?
Whoooooo!
Piote, with his eyes closed, slowly began to float into the air. Powerful Divine Power continuously radiated from his body. His pink hair gradually began to turn into a beautiful silver.
Seeing this, Alfoy stuttered,
“Wh-why, why is a, a, a god interfering in silly odds?”
It turned out that this territory was anything but normal.
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