<Chapter 6>
I helped the woman, who was still lying on the floor in a daze, to her feet.
“Are you alright?”
“Oh, yes. S-Saintess. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay…”
Fortunately, she didn’t seem to be seriously injured. The burly men’s cries grew louder.
“Excuse me.”
I approached them.
“Wh-What! Did you do this? Get this off me right now-”
“How did you know about me?”
I crouched down and asked Mustache.
Regardless of my reluctance to help him, this man was an important source of information.
How did a viscount like him hear about the Saintess residing in the vagrant dormitory?
It would be a crucial key to boosting my fame.
“Get this… off…!”
He was completely pinned down, unable to move.
“I’ll release you if you answer.”
I smiled sweetly.
“How dare you, ow!”
As if annoyed by Mustache’s attempt to speak, Agatha broke his arm.
It seemed she wasn’t entirely against using divine power through my body. How convenient.
“G-Gambling!”
“What?”
“Gambl- Ow. Gambling den. I’ll tell… I’ll tell you everything! Just get this off-”
A gambling den.
[Agatha, please release him. Just Mustache.]
I brought Mustache to my room and sat him on a chair, while Agatha made sure he couldn’t get up.
Mustache said that there was an illegal gambling den in this city.
He said it was an entertainment venue created by a famous wealthy man in the city.
A place where anyone, regardless of status, was lured in to gamble. A strange place that welcomed even those who wouldn’t be profitable.
“Why do they bring in those kinds of people?”
“To find… those who are skilled at gambling.”
Mustache, having lost his freedom of movement once again, seemed to have grasped the situation. He answered very politely in a meek voice.
“Why bother?”
“Because among nobles… everyone already knows each other…”
“So, vagrants?”
“Yes… It started with the idea that anyone with exceptional gambling skills is welcome. They let anyone gamble, and if someone noticeably skilled appears, they’re invited to participate in the nobles’ games…”
They really have nothing better to do.
“I heard about… the Saintess… after visiting that gambling den.”
“So, you’re saying there are nobles in that gambling den?”
Nobles, nobles.
I didn’t like the idea of a gambling den, but the thought of a place where I could meet a lot of nobles was quite tempting.
“In a separate, inner room… yes.”
Mustache watched my expression carefully.
“Sigh. What were you going to do if the citizens became addicted to gambling?”
“I… haven’t thought about that…”
Oh, really?
Mustache lowered his gaze as I glared at him.
[Those villains. They entice innocent people into addiction and don’t even care? How could they-]
[Agatha.]
[Yes, Dorothy.]
Agatha replied in a voice filled with anger.
[What if… I go to the gambling den?]
[What? Dorothy. What did I just hear? Gambling is a sin. Do you want to gamble? Oh my. Dorothy! People-]
[No, that’s not it! To approach the Emperor, I need to become famous, and to become famous in the empire, wouldn’t it be better to be famous among nobles than among vagrants or commoners?]
Startled by Agatha’s misunderstanding, I spoke rapidly. Agatha paused, seemingly lost in thought.
[Indeed, that would provide a stronger shield. The influence of status is different.]
[Yes.]
[But a gambling den… even so…]
Agatha was lost in thought, struggling with the idea.
[Let’s just go, okay? We have to try everything we can.]
[…Alright.]
“Hey. I want to go to that gambling den too. How can I get there?”
I asked casually. Mustache hurriedly replied.
“There’s… a restaurant in the city center.”
“Lead the way.”
“Y-Yes.”
A gambling den…
I’ve never been to one before.
My heart pounded, as if I was about to do something bad.
The gambling den opened late at night. Mustache said he would come back for me later, and I sent him off with the threat, “If you don’t come back, God will not forgive you.”
His terrified face…
Mustache would definitely come back for me. I was certain.
“Thank you.”
Food comes first, even before a scenic mountain. After receiving my dinner ration, I returned to my room and closed the door.
It had been a truly hectic day.
I placed a piece of fruit next to me for Agatha and began to eat.
[Hmm… but Dorothy.]
While I was eating, Agatha spoke in a hesitant voice.
[Why do you keep… giving me your share of the fruit? Aren’t you eating, Dorothy? I may be a god, but technically, I’m dead.]
[I have to offer it as a tribute. To express my gratitude to God.]
[I… I mean, we’ve never received anything like this before.]
Do they only accept living beings or animals…? No, in myths, they also offer trees…
[Don’t people offer various things to gods?]
[Yes, only when they have important matters or wishes… Even then, they offer large animals, not something like this every time, as if providing a meal.]
I realized my mistake.
This is why upbringing is important. Having grown up watching my mother pray and set up new offerings every day, I naturally thought it should be done daily.
So, it wasn’t necessary to offer them every day.
[Hoho. You’ve never received it before. How is it? Did you enjoy it?]
Please say it wasn’t good. So I don’t have to offer it anymore.
I asked with exaggerated kindness.
[…Yes.]
Agatha hesitated and then agreed.
[This… this feeling, like eating a meal, is truly the first time in a long while. It’s been a long time since I’ve had an apple, and it was delicious. Strange.]
Sigh. I’ve ended up as a food delivery service.
I suppressed a sigh and spoke with a service-oriented mindset.
[I’m glad you enjoyed it! I’ll make you many more delicious things in the future!]
[Oh, no, Dorothy. Don’t overdo it.]
[Haha. It’s my pleasure!]
I laughed.
“Hahaha!”
While thinking that I wish someone would notice my sorrowful laughter.
[I want to eat too.]
Just then, a voice that wasn’t Agatha’s reached my ears.
It was the voice of a young boy.
[You start eating without even greeting us first? Even if you’re young, have some manners.]
And… another voice.
Wait a minute. Don’t tell me…
[Oh my. When did you come down?]
Agatha asked, seemingly surprised.
Did all the guardian deities come down…?
[You told us to come down!]
[Since when did I become someone who acts immediately upon request?]
[It’s about Dorothy! The only human who can save us! An incredibly grateful being! How curious we were.]
[That’s right. We’ve been holding back for so long because Agatha told us to.]
Wow. This is so noisy and tiring…
[Dorothy. I’m the god of the hearth, protector of the home. Our Captain of the Knights made a mistake last time. He’s quite hot-tempered.]
[Ahem, sorry, Dorothy. I didn’t mean to. I’ll be careful in the future.]
My head was spinning. I put down my spoon and rubbed my forehead.
What should I do about this…
[I said I want to eat too!]
[Look at him insisting like a child.]
I calmly divided the fruit into eight pieces.
[Here you go. Guardian… Gods.]
I smiled awkwardly. The sound of the gods biting into the fruit echoed in my head.
Crunch, crunch.
[Wow. We can actually eat this?]
[I know, right? It’s amazing… I was skeptical even when Agatha said she ate it.]
[If Dorothy earns more money, can we eat more delicious things?]
The number of people I have to feed has increased by seven…
Haha. At this rate, I’ll be the first to die from a nervous breakdown before the gods get angry or the Emperor overthrows the country and brings about its destruction.
[Um… are all eight of you going to be by my side every day?]
[Yes! We’ll be going back and forth between heaven and here, but since you said it’s difficult, we’ll all stay by your side, Dorothy.]
I was trying to hint subtly, but I received a straightforward answer. I couldn’t just tell the gods to get lost.
I stared blankly at my tray.
[Wait a minute. Dorothy is struggling. Be careful not to convey anything unnecessary to her.]
Is that even possible?
[Ah, right. Sorry, Dorothy.]
The eight gods instantly fell silent.
It really works.
Then, if I later wish, “Please never speak to me again,” it might actually come true.
The appearance of the eight guardian deities brought pain, but it also gave me hope that I could live comfortably once this was all over.
[And… fortune-telling, you said, Dorothy? For that, let’s divide into groups by day of the week and set an order. It’ll be difficult for Dorothy if everyone talks at once.]
Long live Agatha. Agatha is the best.
As expected of the empire’s highest god, the strategist of the war of founding!
[Thank you, Agatha.]
It was the first time I felt something akin to faith.
Thanks to Agatha’s control, the gods were quiet. Not only that, but Agatha even disappeared, saying they were sorry for being too noisy and that I should rest.
For the first time since arriving here, I was enveloped in silence.
‘This is strange…’
Left in the quiet, my thoughts wandered.
Was it right for me to accept this?
Well, I didn’t even have time to consider it. Everything happened too fast.
As I pondered, it was soon time for my appointment.
I stepped out into the dark and desolate street.