Volume 6 Chapter 23 The Author Is Afraid Of Gambling, So I Won't Touch It
"Yukina-sama"
We all turned around at Mikage's voice.
"Rouza-sama is over there, and he is talking in the middle of a game."
She pointed to where Rouza was already seated at a gaming table, having somehow bought game chips at the exchange office.
"That's too fast!"
"Well, he had my brother accompanying him, so..."
"This is really just a tourist guide, isn't it?"
Rouza probably had that intention from the start, but as a bodyguard, I had to keep up appearances. At least, I wanted to maintain a good facade.
With Kyunei and Aina, we headed towards the table where Rouza was seated.
The game had already started, and the onlookers were cheering loudly.
Rouza was playing a card game called Poker. Each player was dealt a set of cards with specific numbers and patterns, and the combination of these cards determined the strength of the hand. The rarer the combination, the stronger the hand.
If you didn't like the cards you were dealt, you could discard them and draw new ones from the deck while showing them to others. The number of times you could exchange cards depended on the situation.
I had played card games with friends and adults in my hometown, betting small amounts of money and having a blast. Those were good memories.
──But the game unfolding before my eyes was on a different scale.
"Ha... I win!"
Rouza revealed her 5-card hand with a confident smile, and the others at the table let out a disappointed sigh, while applause erupted from the surrounding crowd.
Rouza had won. The dealer clapped their hands once and slid a mountain of chips in front of her.
"...Hey, Kyunei. About those chips..."
"Yeah, I'm sure the exchange rate for one chip is──"
I knew the rules of this game well, but the amount of money being bet was on a completely different scale. If Kyunei's words were true, then the prize money for this one game would be equivalent to what a 3rd rank mercenary could earn from a single request.
"Are you kidding me...!? "
"It's normal for this shop, you know."
As we whispered to each other, the cards and chips on the table were being exchanged rapidly. In other words, a massive amount of money was changing hands. What was terrifying was that there were customers who had lost that amount of money, yet they were still smiling calmly.
"If you lose that much, it doesn't even hurt, you know? That's just how it is here... except for a few exceptions, of course."
"Look, over there," Kyunei said, pointing to another table. It was a different game, but one of the customers sitting there caught my attention. Even from afar, I could tell that his face was pale. The atmosphere in the shop was comfortable, but that guy was shivering like it was the middle of winter.
As the game began, he stood up, his face blue with excitement. But the moment the game ended, he froze, his eyes wide with shock.
Before long, the staff who had appeared out of nowhere grabbed his shoulders, and he came back to his senses. He shouted loudly, "Let me go!" and "This is a scam!" as he struggled violently. However, the strong staff members didn't seem to care and dragged him away to the back of the shop without a fuss.
Although there was some attention, the surrounding customers quickly lost interest and went back to their own games or enjoying their drinks.
"Huh, no way... uh?"
"For regulars, that was just a normal scene, not worth making a fuss about."
"It seems like a common sight in casinos, no matter the country or place. I've seen it many times in Sanmoto too."
Unlike me, who was still in shock, Kyunei and Mikage had a knowing look on their faces.
"That guy lost all his chips in the last game, so the shop's response was to be expected. It seems he had borrowed a considerable amount of money."
"But, in the royal capital, the casinos and loan sharks will get wind of it, and that guy will get banned, no doubt about it. Depending on the amount he borrows, he might even be forced into labor. Well, since it's a shop approved by the country, they won't take his life, at least."
The two of them seemed to be saying it's no big deal, but for me, who was originally just a normal villager, it was a terrifying story.
"Yukina-kun, be careful too. There are nobles and merchants who got a little lucky, came here, and lost all their money. They got a little too cocky, won a few times, and before they knew it, they were stuck with a massive debt. That kind of thing isn't rare in this world."
Kyunei was emphasizing the point, and all I could do was nod silently, going "Uh-huh."
I'd heard stories about people getting hooked on gambling and losing everything, even back in my rural hometown. And now, I was witnessing it firsthand, and it was terrifying.
Just then, the customers nearby suddenly got loud. I wondered what was going on, and when I turned my attention back to Rouza, I was shocked.
It seemed that the poker game had been ongoing even when I wasn't paying attention, and Rouza's stack of chips had grown incredibly high. In other words, Rouza was on a winning streak. The customers who were laughing together earlier now looked unhappy, their faces scrunched up.
Kyunei was also surprised, covering her mouth with her hand, while Mikage let out a sigh, saying "I knew it would come to this."
"Hey, Mikage. Is Rouza's guy... really that strong?"
"It's obvious, isn't it? That person's talent as a gambler is exceptional. If he was just a amateur, we could've stopped him somehow..."
Mikage, who was rubbing her temples, looked more troubled than ever.
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