How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game Chapter 44 - Lagritte (4)

In the final stages of the morning’s training and instruction, Phiri was still grumbling.

“I waited for you to wake up, and now you suddenly want to train until morning. I didn’t expect it to last until morning.”

“….”

“Sigh. Are we going to train again after breakfast?”

“You said it was okay.”

I’d lost count of how many times Phiri had said something like this. Even though Phiri said it was okay, she still complained.

I glanced at Phiri cautiously and spoke.

“Also, Vice-Leader, you didn’t wake me up.”

“Oh my, look at this one.”

Phiri made a startled gesture, pulling her head back and clicking her tongue, then plopped down beside me.

I quickly created another chair with winds.

“An exhausted kid like you could sleep for ages. How could I wake you up when you’re sleeping so soundly, even moaning in your nightmares?”

“….”

I had nothing to say. I was in the wrong. Phiri was genuinely helping me.

“I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for? Fix that habit. Are you doing it because you want to?”

What should I have said then?

Phiri waited patiently while I was lost in thought. Soon, I found the answer.

“Thank you.”

“Sure. Anyway, today is a day that comes only once or twice a year. I’ll help you wholeheartedly.”

Phiri put her hand on my shoulder.

“After we eat, let’s stop by the inn and then come out again. Don’t worry about causing any inconvenience. Staying up all night is just for a day or two, right?”

The idea of having breakfast and stopping by the inn was another considerate gesture.

Phiri was surprisingly taking care of me, even though I tried to decline her offer to gamble.

Though she had always been like this to some extent, it felt like there was a sudden change towards me.

Perhaps because it was a vacation? I slightly lowered my head again.

“Thank you.”

“But it’s definitely different today. About six times more than usual?”

“Yes, roughly that much….”

“If it’s a bit more, maybe you’ll be able to beat me.”

“Not yet. I’m still far from that level.”

Suddenly, Phiri pinched my shoulder, which she was holding.

“Why are you taking this so seriously? Just say, ‘I’ll do my best.’ It’s just something you say naturally. You still have a long way to go.”

She was being so caring, but today, Phiri seemed particularly insistent.

Even when we started training, she was grumbling.

“But why are you acting like this today?”

When I turned my head to ask, Phiri grabbed my cheeks with both hands.

I tried to back away in surprise, but I couldn’t avoid Phiri’s agility and strength.

“I didn’t touch you because you usually seem sensitive and tired. Huh? Look at your sparkling eyes. How adorable. They looked like fish eyes before, all dull.”

Maybe it was because I looked tired, that’s why she didn’t do it. Well, Denif and Orhen were also different in their own ways.

And Phiri had a mischievous personality even on regular days.

Just by seeing her teasing Hamal, it was clear that she had a playful side to her among her close friends.

“….”

As if sensing that I was lost in thought, Phiri placed her hand on my shoulder again.

“I just felt sorry for seeing you asleep yesterday. I thought, ‘It’s a vacation, so he must be resting like this,’ ‘I wonder how tired he is on regular days.'”

Did I really look that tired? I couldn’t tell since I couldn’t see myself.

It seemed to be Phiri’s way of comforting me.

I couldn’t speak for a moment and just gave a faint smile. Phiri followed suit with my expression.

“And in times like this, just relax a bit. We’re like half-siblings, after all.”

Feeling the atmosphere, I nodded in agreement nervously.

“But still, no mercy once we’re on a mission, alright?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll have to send someone to the gambling den. And tell I’ll go tomorrow.”

Well, money was money, and Phiri’s revenge was her revenge, but right now, this time was important to me.

Phiri brushed her hand on her palm and got up from her seat.

“Let’s go eat.”

“….Yes.”

“What do you want to eat?”

“I’ll eat whatever you want, Phiri.”

“Street food okay?”

“….”

Phiri chuckled at my reaction. And so, the day passed.

* * *

The feeling of being in a different body was not yet familiar, but even with that strange sensation, I still felt satisfied. 

Both Phiri and I nodded in agreement.

I realized that there had been progress, which meant that my growth had been substantial.

Phiri’s help had been instrumental.

‘If I had done it alone, I wouldn’t have improved this much.’

It had been almost like a real battle and training. After the duel and reflection, I received feedback on my changed swordsmanship, which made my sword even sharper.

Anyway, when I returned to my normal appearance, it was both familiar and awkward, as Phiri had put it. 

Together, we headed to the gambling den.

The lowly and despicable trash inside the den was just the same as two days ago.

“Hey, that friend of yours was at the hot springs for quite a while yesterday, right? And he was out all day yesterday. You said he was on guard duty?”

The trash sneered, and Phiri’s face turned red with anger.

“It was a private hot spring.”

“Okay, okay. Let’s call it that. But what about yesterday?”

“We also went sightseeing around the volcano. Why are you so interested? Are you trying to dig up information on me? Afraid I’ll cheat you out of your measly money? How much are we talking about here?”

“No way. That can’t be. Your lodging and the hot spring you were in were mine. I was surprised that you had reserved the highest-grade hot spring for two weeks.”

In an instant, a rough image formed in my mind.

They had thought Phiri was just an ordinary daughter of the Merchant Guild, but now they realized she had reserved the highest-grade hot spring for two weeks.

Those guys must have concluded that she was not an ordinary Merchant Guild member but someone with a lot of money.

They probably planned to take advantage of Phiri. Phiri must have sensed their intentions as well.

“So you did a background check on me anyway?”

“No, no, we’re just locals here. We hear a lot of things, that’s all.”

Phiri glared at them, and one of the trash nearby started clapping to liven up the mood.

“Enough of that talk. Let’s play cards or chips. I couldn’t sleep for two days thinking about the money I lost.”

“Shall we raise the betting a bit?”

“I’m fine with that. Wouldn’t it be a bit regretful if the stakes were too low?”

The trash echoed the agreement, as if they had made a deal beforehand. Phiri firmly nodded.

“I didn’t bring that much. This is all I have.”

“Come on, lady, you could always put yourself up as collateral.”

“What?”

Phiri’s voice was sharp. The sleazy men raised both hands as if to calm her down.

“I didn’t mean it that way. I meant you could provide collateral. If you don’t pay up, won’t your father cover the cost?”

Right, that must have been the intention from the beginning. Phiri glared at the guy, biting her lip in frustration.

I suppressed a laugh internally. It was funny how they assumed they would win.

“However, that’s something you can say only after you’ve earned all the money, right?”

“Haha, let’s just leave it for now.”

That’s how the game started, with an uncomfortable atmosphere. It didn’t take long for the trash to shut their mouths.

Losing, winning, losing again, and winning again… 

In the monotonous process, I couldn’t always have good hands, but whenever there was a significant amount of money on the line, I always won.

For me, it was a game where I already knew the outcome, so it wasn’t very entertaining, but it seemed to be different for the opponents.

Whether they were exchanging signals or trying to play mind games, it was all in vain in front of me, who knew all the cards.

The faces of the two guys who had lost all the money they brought were turning pale. Their uncomfortable expressions resembled catfish gasping for air.

“T-This is… cheating!”

And finally, even the last remaining slimy beard lost all his money to me.

The slimy beard got up from his seat and lunged at me, accusingly.

“You, you brat! What kind of trick did you use?”

I looked at him in silence. I knew Phiri would answer for me.

“Cheating? What nonsense! We played with magic cards, what kind of tricks could we possibly use?”

“That, that’s…”

“Did you guys just lose to my bodyguard because you couldn’t handle it yourselves?”

Phiri raised her eyebrows in annoyance. Her dismissive and biting words seemed to make the slimy beard breathe fire.

I decided it was about time to intervene.

“It’s because of your habit.”

“A habit?”

They are gamblers in the casino. There were no noticeable habits. But it was a fitting explanation.

Amid the atmosphere of curiosity, I tapped on the table.

“When you have good cards, your pupils contract less than usual. Everyone here.”

“Just because of that…”

“Considering what happened the day before yesterday, it’s not that far-fetched.”

“It’s one of the reasons why he’s my bodyguard. He knows how to read my father’s and my moods.”

Phiri, who butted in, smirked. I lowered my head slightly and continued speaking.

“And the guy over there, he swallows his saliva.”

The slimy beard nodded almost instinctively. After thinking about it, he realized I was right.

This tacit agreement calmed down the atmosphere. I mentioned one or two more pieces of evidence.

Observing from a situation where I knew the outcome, it wasn’t completely false.

“That’s it.”

Phiri patted my shoulder.

“Let’s go, it’s no fun anymore.”

Her voice was full of sarcasm and amusement. The faces of the trash were filled with a sense of defeat and anger.

Well, it shouldn’t be a big problem.

We didn’t make a big profit. According to the agreement we had made before coming, Phiri won more money than she had lost last time.

From the perspective of the people in the casino, it shouldn’t be too much of a hassle for them.

As we left the casino, Phiri was reveling in her triumph. Even though I was the one who played the game…

I decided to remain silent since I had received something yesterday.

“Aah! It feels so refreshing.”

“Are you satisfied?”

“Of course. Did you see their faces? My lunch has already been fully digested.”

I couldn’t help but smile at Phiri’s satisfaction.

“But, are you okay?”

“What?”

“You were being insulted quite harshly.”

“It’s fine. It’s not like I haven’t seen that kind of thing before. I’ve been through training too.”

That’s right. We underwent training where we had to endure all kinds of insults and humiliations to maintain composure.

But as a subordinate, wasn’t it normal to feel uncomfortable when your superior got insulted?

“I hope it’s really okay.”

“Why? Did you want to handle it personally if I wasn’t okay?”

“Well, if you asked me to, I would have.”

“Why didn’t you just say that you would do it even if I didn’t ask?”

Phiri chuckled and then let out a soft sigh.

“Now what should we do?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean during our break time. It’s a vacation until Hamal finishes his work. There’s nothing else to do if we don’t go to the casino.”

“Just resting should be enough, right?”

“….”

“….”

Not understanding each other’s preferences, we looked at each other in silence for a moment.

“Yesterday was nice.”

Phiri tilted her head slightly, but she didn’t seem to be in a good mood.

“Then, how about helping with the training?”

“Aren’t you tired of it?”

As Phiri said that, she added as if making an excuse, 

“It’s not that I mind, but I can see that you want to have fun.”

Well, even when I was on Earth, I wasn’t someone who roamed around actively.

I didn’t stay only at home, but going out was a bit bothersome, I guess.

In the Worst Condition, there wasn’t much to do anyway, not to mention that there would be countless incidents unfolding before me.

“I need to get stronger to survive.”

It was a spontaneous remark, but Phiri seemed to interpret it differently and nodded.

“Well, this place isn’t a walk in the park either.”

After stretching, Phiri took a step forward.

“Yeah, let’s go for training.”

“Yes.”

“But before that, we should stop by Hamal’s place.”

Seeing my puzzled expression, Phiri smiled lightly.

“I need to hurry him up. I don’t like being bored.”

And maybe because of Phiri’s impatience, it didn’t take long for us to receive a message from Hamal after a few days.