Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. Chapter 41 - 'I Told You, He Knows Everything, Didn't I?'

Chapter 41 – ‘I Told You, He Knows Everything, Didn’t I?’

 

“Unlike that goblin customer, you have an admirable mindset from the very beginning.”

The rabbit beastfolk dealer leisurely leaned his upper body toward me.

As he drew closer, I could feel an oppressive, venomous aura emanating from him.

“Mr. Dealer. Might you happen to be a priest of Lady Lriria?”

At my question, the dealer smiled, revealing his front teeth.

“How interesting. Unfortunately, visitors from outside rarely know anything about the Quiet One. Some even go so far as to call us ‘cultists.’ It’s been quite upsetting.”

“They are simply ignorant. What’s the point of having two ears if they cannot hear the silence that fills the world?”

“Oh my. Forget the game… I suddenly feel like discussing our glorious gods instead.”

If I had the luxury of time, I honestly would have liked to have a proper conversation about our faith.

Among all the other cultists I’d met so far, the only one I could really converse with had been Senior Ermentaz, the dungeon phantom.

But the world of competition is merciless.

Now I had no choice but to defeat this rare fellow cultist with whom I actually got along.

“Then, if you’re ready, please place your bet.”

“I’ll start with something light.”

I pushed all fifty hexagonal coins into the center.

“All in.”

“Whaaat?!”

Mek, who was supposedly only a spectator yet somehow more nervous than I was, practically jumped into the air.

“Friend, are you a rookie? You can’t bet everything on the very first round! You play conservatively until you get ‘that feeling’, then you go all in!”

“Mek.”

“What?”

“Forgive me for asking, but how many times have you actually won against this dealer?”

“…”

The nosy goblin quietly backed away.

The rabbit beastfolk dealer shot Mek a glare before resting his chin on one hand.

“Are you sure about this? That goblin talks too much, but his advice wasn’t actually wrong. Are you really comfortable betting so much right away?”

“If I lose everything, I’ll wager my clothes and equipment. And if I still can’t recover anything, I’ll wager my body as well. Since I’m reasonably attractive, surely plenty of masters regardless of gender would be interested.”

“…”

The dealer blinked.

Then he smiled faintly.

“Hmm… wouldn’t it be wiser to exercise a little restraint?”

“Wouldn’t that make things boring? If I intended to play cautiously, there’d be no reason to gamble in the first place.”

“…Honestly.”

Imagine that.

Someone whose profession was fleecing customers, saying something like that.

A truly excellent dealer should’ve been rubbing his hands together and happily stripping me of every last stitch of clothing.

“Please begin the game.”

“Very well. As you wish. Please choose a card. There’s no time limit, so take your time and–”

Before he’d even finished speaking…

I boldly flipped over a card.

Level 5 Warrior.

I won.

“…Huh?”

The rabbit beastfolk’s long ears stiffened.

I gestured toward him.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to continue the game?”

“C-Congratulations. You’ve won double your wager… I’ll pay you one hundred coins.”

The dealer hurriedly pulled out a pile of coins and pushed them toward me, his crimson eyes blinking rapidly.

“We’ll proceed immediately to the next round.”

The second game began.

The dealer revealed… Level 8 Mage.

“Place your bet.”

“Certainly.”

Once again…

I pushed every coin I possessed into the center.

“All-in betting really is the best.”

“…It’s your turn to choose a card.”

Without the slightest hesitation…

I flipped one over.

Level 4 Mage.

Another win.

“Same class…! He did it again!”

“No way!”

“Wooooah!!”

Two consecutive all-in victories.

In an instant, I’d earned two hundred coins.

More and more spectators began gathering around our table.

“…Friend. How the hell did you do that?”

Mek asked blankly.

The surrounding crowd, who had been murmuring among themselves, all turned to look at me.

For everyone’s benefit…

I flashed an adorable wink before answering.

“We have a saying where I come from.”

“What is it?”

‘”Lucky.”‘

“…”

The expressions of the goblin and the spectators simultaneously twisted.

The dealer, who had secretly been listening with his ears perked up, slapped his forehead.

“…Sir. Would you like another round?”

“Naturally.”

This time…

The revealed card was Level 6 Rogue.

“Please wait a moment.”

The dealer bought himself some time before I could place my bet.

His eyes widened even further.

Fwoooosh!

Even fiercer flames than before erupted from his eyes.

Once again… They coated every card.

“Thank you for waiting. This time… You truly won’t guess correctly.”

“Really?”

I lightly tapped a card.

“Shall we find out whether that’s actually true?”

“…”

Enjoying the dealer’s unwavering crimson gaze…

I slowly turned the card over.

Level 7 Rogue.

“You’ve got to be kidding meeeee!!”

The dealer let out a heartfelt scream before hastily covering his mouth.

“Mr. Dealer? Please continue.”

“…Yeees.”

With a thoroughly dejected expression…

The dealer handed me one thousand coins.

I accepted them with both arms spread wide.

“Wow. This game’s fun. I’ll keep playing.”

“…Sir? The slot machines and roulette are much more exciting.”

“Nope. I want this one.”

“…”

The game continued.

The dealer revealed… Level 10 Warrior.

I revealed… Level 10 Mage.

Another victory.

“Nooooooo!!”

His long ears trembled uncontrollably.

His crimson eyes shook nonstop as they stared at me.

“How are you doing this?! Even I don’t know where each picture ends up!”

“What? You don’t even know?”

Mek, equally shocked, blurted out the question.

The dealer was too mentally stunned to answer.

So I answered instead.

“The Mystery the dealer used twice earlier causes every card’s illustration to change randomly every fraction of a second… So it wasn’t merely hiding the cards.”

“I knew something was strange!”

Apparently relieved now that his curiosity had been satisfied…

The goblin tilted his head.

“Then how are you always picking exactly the card you want?”

The dealer cautiously flipped over another card.

Level 1 Hunter.

“Mek.”

“Remember this.”

 

[Second row, third card will become a Level 2 Hunter in five seconds.]

[Now!]

 

Flip.

“Y-YOU CRAZY CUSTOMER!!”

“The Pioneer of Twisted Truth, Lidni… knows everything.”

Before Eyes That Perceive the Truth… No one could conceal the truth.

 

***

 

Eventually… Every casino ensured the customer lost.

In that case… Profiting was simple.

Just quit while you were ahead.

“Ahh… I’ve had a wonderful time.”

“…Please visit again.”

I’d already earned every coin I needed to exchange for my prizes.

If I became any greedier…

The casino would soon start taking serious measures against me.

Now was the perfect time to cash out.

“You’re incredible.”

Mek chuckled while looking at the rabbit beastfolk dealer, who now lay face down across the table in complete despair.

The goblin bit down on his cigar.

“Brother. That was entertaining.”

My title had been upgraded from friend to brother.

Goblin-style respect.

“Well then. If fate allows, let’s meet again someday!”

Waving one arm energetically…

Mek headed toward the slot machines.

Apparently, conquering the dungeon had completely fallen to the bottom of his priorities.

Bzzzt.

“So you’re saying I shouldn’t get close to goblins because they’re too ugly? That’s honestly terrible. If you look closely, they’re actually rather cute.”

Faithfully responding to Sue’je’s will, who apparently discriminated based on both appearance and race…

I went looking for my scattered party members.

Pendrick was standing in front of the prize exchange counter.

The moment our eyes met… He smiled awkwardly.

“Captain. I don’t think I’m cut out for gambling.”

“Did you lose everything?”

“Y-Yeah. The rules were too difficult. I lost all my money in only six rounds.”

Well… His genius only applied to swordsmanship.

His Wisdom stat was merely average.

Apparently frustrated by watching her boyfriend play…

Astrimia began complaining to me once we got close enough.

“Karr, I nearly died from frustration. He got an incredible hand but got scared off by the opponent’s obvious bluff! And then he ‘didn’t’ go all-in when he had the worst hand at the table!”

“…Asmi. Did you really have to tattle on me?”

“There were too many people around, so I couldn’t even say anything!I almost developed high blood pressure, I don’t even possess!”

“We came here to have fun. There was no need to get so worked up.”

“Even so, he played ‘that’ badly!”

Married couples might quarrel like cutting water with a sword…

But these two were still only dating.

They hadn’t yet gained the reconciliation bonus.

Before their small argument escalated into a major conflict…

I handed twenty coins to the attendant and exchanged them for a prize.

It was a tiny brooch.

“Pendrick. Please take this.”

While desperately trying to calm his furious Ego Sword girlfriend…

Pendrick looked at me.

Then his eyes widened.

“This is…? It’s a brooch that can be attached to equipment. They say it emits a soft moonlight. Wouldn’t it suit Lady Astrimia’s elegant blade perfectly?”

“Oh my…”

Astrimia, who had been vigorously scolding Pendrick while shaking her blade…

Suddenly sounded much brighter.

“Karr… How did you find a brooch that’s exactly my taste…!”

The genius swordsman smiled.

He immediately accepted the brooch.

“Asmi. I’ll attach it for you. You’re already beautiful… But won’t you be even prettier with this?”

“Obviously.”

“Then shouldn’t I say it even more? Asmi… You’re really beautiful.”

“Hmph!”

 

[Blech. Absolutely nauseating! :<]

 

People naturally became childish when they fell in love.

Which was why… I remained dignified at all times.

After quietly watching Pendrick spend quite some time praising how dazzling her starlit blade was…

I exchanged the prize I needed.

It was an ornament even smaller than the brooch.

“A clothing pin? What are you planning to use that for?”

Apparently, her anger had already faded after receiving endless compliments.

Astrimia’s voice sounded much lighter.

“Is it a present for Lady Rosalia?”

“No. If I gave her something like this, she’d throw it away immediately.”

The item wasn’t for Rosalia.

It was for me.

 

[Artifact — Authority of Restoration]

[While worn, whenever the wearer’s clothing or equipment is torn, soaked, pierced, or burned, it automatically restores them to their original condition.]

 

“A clothing restoration function?”

After hearing the explanation…

Pendrick scratched his head.

“It’s definitely useful… But I wouldn’t call it essential.”

“For ordinary explorers, yes. But my battles always end with my clothes completely ruined.”

Throwing myself directly into combat.

Having holes torn through my flesh.

Blood is pouring endlessly.

That was the fighting style I pursued.

The problem was…

Every dungeon run left my clothes in a pitiful state.

I kept having to buy new outfits.

Now that I’d obtained Authority of Restoration…

I could abuse my body with even greater peace of mind.

“Wouldn’t it be better to find a fighting style that doesn’t abuse your body so much…?”

“It really suits you perfectly, Captain! If you consider all the money you’ll save on replacing clothes, it’ll definitely pay for itself in the long run!”

The Ego Sword, who clearly didn’t understand human sensibilities, muttered in disbelief.

But our human capybara understood exactly how I felt.

I gave Pendrick a thumbs-up.

He immediately returned one.

That was the loyalty and friendship of true party members.

“Honestly… You people are hopeless…”

While Astrimia let out a mental chuckle…

I exchanged my remaining coins for other prizes.

The first… A handsome dagger.

Along with a matching throwing knife and storage belt set.

 

[Masterpiece — First Breath & Final Breath]

[A dagger and a throwing knife forged by a blacksmith blessed with exceptional talent. While carrying the dagger, any thrown knife automatically returns to its belt. A masterpiece perfectly suited for your ward, Marlin.]

 

There was also a kitchen knife for Abel.

 

[Masterpiece — Gluttonous Fang]

[A kitchen knife forged by a remarkably talented blacksmith. Information about any ingredient it cuts naturally flows into the user’s mind. Your ward Abel would absolutely love this.]

 

Presents for the children who were diligently training even now.

See?

What an excellent patron I was.

As I stored everything inside my subspace…

Rosalia quietly appeared behind me and lightly tapped my back.

I casually turned around… Then froze for a moment.

The taciturn assassin’s entire posture had visibly slumped.

“Did you lose everything?”

Nod…

That was the saddest nod I’d ever witnessed.

“I thought that might happen. I earned plenty of coins. Go ahead and choose one prize you want.”

“…”

She stared silently at me for a moment.

Then patted my shoulder three times.

Immediately afterward…

She pointed at one prize.

A purple vial.

 

[Poison — Miserable Future]

[Upon consumption, your internal organs gradually melt over the course of one year. Shouldn’t someone stop her from drinking this…?]

 

That should be fine.

It wouldn’t kill her immediately.

As long as she regularly drank antidotes afterward…

She’d probably be okay.

I gave Rosalia a thumbs-up as well.

Then my eyes drifted toward something else that had been bothering me.

 

‘ [SOLD OUT] Disease: Petrifying Body (5 Coins)

 

A disease that gradually turned the body to stone.

Ordinarily used to infect monsters during hunts…

But because its cost-performance ratio was terrible, normal explorers rarely wanted it.

A prize useful only to a tiny handful of people…

Someone had already taken it.

If my guess was correct…

“May I ask just one question? Did a demon black mage with bandages wrapped around his upper body happen to visit the exchange counter? He’s one of my companions. We were supposed to meet at the casino, but he wandered off somewhere.”

“Oh, that gentleman?”

Thankfully…

The employee accepted my perfectly natural question without suspicion.

“He came several days ago. Then he left.”

“…I see.”

I bowed politely.

Then absentmindedly rubbed my hands together.

I’m certain now.

‘So it really was you.’

Before long… A pleasant and most enjoyable reunion awaited me.