<Chapter 7>
The vagrant dormitory didn’t have a curfew or strict rules, so I could easily slip out.
I followed Mustache’s lead.
We stopped in front of an ordinary-looking restaurant with its lights off.
“It’s… surprisingly on the main street?”
My eyes widened.
“There’s a saying that things are often hidden in plain sight…”
Mustache approached the restaurant, knocked five times on the door, and whispered in a clandestine voice.
“Eagle Hunt.”
“Dog Barks.”
A responding voice came from inside. The scene, like some kind of secret transaction, made me nervous.
“Release the leash.”
Mustache uttered another enigmatic phrase, and the door opened.
“You said anyone could come, but why is the code so complicated?”
“W-Well… we need some security… You have to be brought here by someone who’s been here before. It’s designed for a chain reaction.”
A chain reaction…
More like a chain of destruction.
As we passed through the quiet, dark restaurant and descended into the basement, a cacophony of noise filled my ears.
It was definitely an unpleasant place.
Only the dim lighting and the lamps placed on the round tables illuminated the basement.
Waiters and waitresses in overly revealing clothing walked around serving drinks, and the mixed cries of despair and elation from the glazed-eyed people echoed throughout the space.
[This place is truly chaotic… All sorts of passions are entangled here.]
I tried to focus, heeding Agatha’s words.
“Saintess. I’ve done everything as you instructed… A-Are the gods not angry? Am… am I not going to die?”
“Well… beg your wife for forgiveness, atone for the rest of your life, and live like her slave. Then you’ll be fine.”
“Gasp, y-yes…!”
Mustache seemed truly terrified.
“Th-Then, I’ll be going now…”
Mustache spoke anxiously, fidgeting like a dog that needed to relieve itself.
“Where are you going? You have to take me to the nobles.”
“You were planning to go to the nobles’ table!?”
“Yes. Why?”
“I… I thought the gods would be angry…”
He didn’t want to take me there because he knew it was an immoral place and was afraid of divine punishment.
I smiled sweetly.
“The gods told me to purify this place. Lead the way.”
In the end, Mustache had to take me to the inner room.
As soon as I entered the room where the nobles were gathered, a strong scent of perfume hit me. It was almost headache-inducing.
Noblewomen, practically in their undergarments, lounged on sofas, puffing on hookahs; men with flushed faces and glazed eyes.
[I really hate this place.]
It was hundreds, thousands of times more debauched than the outside.
“S-Saintess.”
Mustache spoke hesitantly. I waved him away.
“Yes. You can go now, go.”
“Th-Thank you!”
Mustache left the room without looking back. He must have been terrified of being near me.
I sat at the largest gambling table. I wanted to quickly attract attention and get out of this place.
“What? They chose the champion quickly today? Must be incredibly skilled.”
“No, they haven’t chosen yet.”
“I think the viscount brought her.”
“What? That’s against the rules.”
As soon as I sat down, a small argument broke out about me, dressed differently from everyone else.
“Rules or not, as long as she entertains us, it’s fine.”
A woman’s voice cut through the argument.
She sat across from me, her eyes gleaming as if she had found interesting prey.
“Can you handle cards, missy?”
Should I gamble?
If I started promoting myself as a Saintess right now, these nobles would probably laugh and kick me out.
First, I need to attract attention, and then make an impactful move.
Right. If I’m in a gambling den, I should speak through gambling.
[Agatha, I think I need to play a game.]
So, I decided to use my cheat key.
Since I could see all of my opponent’s cards, it was as good as a win.
[You’re going to… gamble, Dorothy?]
[I know you don’t like it, but I think I need to gamble to attract attention and set the stage to spread the word that I’m a Saintess. Think of it as a strategy.]
After persuading her with sound reasoning, Agatha finally replied.
[It can’t be helped. Let’s play. Since we’re asking you for a favor, it’s only right that we follow your lead.]
[Okay. But I don’t know the rules of the game. Do you know anyone who does?]
[Of course I do.]
Agatha replied with a playful tone.
Several rounds passed.
There was a reason for Agatha’s playful tone. I was on a winning streak. I was winning without even needing to look at my opponent’s cards.
She’s a strategist, but is she also good at card games?
[Why… why are you so good at this?]
[How bored do you think we’ve been, spending all this time together since the war? We’ve played a lot too.]
[What?]
[Ah, we didn’t bet anything. Card games aren’t gambling if you don’t bet, right? It was originally developed for entertainment, so there’s nothing wrong with it.]
She was so against gambling before…
Agatha wasn’t wrong. It’s fine as long as there’s no money involved.
“Wow… who is this lady…?”
“Did the viscount bring her? I’ve never seen such skill.”
“Missy! Play with me too.”
After my third consecutive win, my opponent surrendered. Then, the onlookers started joining the game.
The money in my hands increased exponentially, and the nobles scattered around the room gathered, showing interest.
Those who had been gambling amongst themselves, those who had been slumped over drunk, and the men and women engaged in lewd acts all approached the table.
“Hey, I just lost. I need a rematch.”
“You lost three times in a row. What rematch? You’ll be ruined.”
“Right. I’m next.”
Good. I have their attention.
The truly important part starts now.
I smiled.
“Rather than that… shall we try something more interesting? What do you think?”
“Something interesting?”
“Yes. It’s also a kind of gamble.”
I placed the cards in my hand on the table and spoke deliberately.
“I have quite a bit of money in my hands right now.”
“Yes. That lady took all of mine, so it must be around a million gold.”
“A million? You’ll be kicked out of your house today.”
“Isn’t that a bit too extravagant?”
Despite the criticism that followed the mention of being kicked out, no one seemed genuinely concerned.
It was a large sum, but not enough to cause serious problems if lost.
A million… that’s about the price of a carriage, right?
I remembered an episode from the original novel where a nobleman’s coachman was distraught because he had to pay for a broken carriage.
“The stakes are a million. How about it? Are you in?”
I had their attention, and I had the bait. Perfect.
“A million… that’s worth a try.”
“Do I have to bet a million too? I really can’t let my wife find out I came here today.”
A commotion arose. Yes, keep worrying and chattering.
And I just need to hook one person. Just one. Anyone with a story.
“Alright, missy. I’ll do it.”
A man sat across from me amidst the noise.
“What kind of gamble is it?”
The middle-aged man’s eyes gleamed with interest.
“If I had to give it a name… let’s call it ‘Playing Saintess.’”
I smiled.
The game of Playing Saintess began in ‘Themont,’ a small city in the Manfelline Empire.
One day, a vagrant claiming to be a Saintess appeared in an underground gambling den created by nobles for entertainment.
The Saintess proposed a game.
If the Saintess correctly guessed the innermost thoughts, unspoken circumstances, or unresolved deep worries of the person sitting across from her, she won. If she was wrong, she lost.
It was a very simple game.
Even if she guessed correctly, they could just say she was wrong, and a lowly vagrant like her had no chance of guessing right anyway.
There was no reason to miss out on easily obtainable million gold, so the nobles sat across from the Saintess and played the game.
And.
The nobles were utterly defeated.
‘Anyone else?’
The things the Saintess revealed were all too specific.
Detailed and accurate enough to make even those who tried to deny it turn pale.
‘It’s the perfect narrative to spread through rumors.’
It was a very helpful story.
An interesting rumor that would spread like wildfire.
A rumor that would attract those thinking, ‘What’s that? I can get a million gold if I prove it’s false?’ and spread even further.
The risk would be considerable if I made even one mistake, but I have eight guardian deities. Gods who can exert strong divine power through my body!
That gave me the confidence that I could overcome almost anything.
‘S-Send a message. Quickly!’
That night.
I couldn’t leave the gambling den all night.
The nobles, their eyes red with excitement, were the best publicists, so I had to keep playing even though I was tired.
‘Those who wish to play more, come find the Saintess, Dorothy, at the vagrant facility.’
After working hard like that, returning to the facility, sleeping soundly, and waking up, what I faced was…
An astronomical amount of money.
“…Did I really win all of this?”
Heavy pouches of gold coins, one, two, three, four… how many are there? And there were even checks mixed in.
[Dorothy. Did you sleep well? You worked so hard yesterday.]
No, it wasn’t hard work.
[Is there anything you want to eat today?! Just say the word, and I’ll prepare it all for you!]
[What? I’m tired, so I’ll rest-]
[Oh, tired? Not at all! Under Agatha’s grace, I’m healthy and happy!]
Since it was a jackpot thanks to Agatha, unlike my usual flattery for survival, today, my sincerity overflowed.
‘This is enough money to live on for the rest of my life.’
[There’s so much… money…]
[There were even people who brought more money, determined to prove it was a scam.]
[It’s… so easy to earn. It’s all thanks to your card game skills, Agatha.]
[Ahem, hmm. That’s true, but all the guardian deities blessed you, Dorothy, for good luck. It must be thanks to that. Hoho.]
[Blessings?]
[It seems to work even better on you, Dorothy. Seeing how everything went smoothly yesterday without a hitch.]
Oh. So, I not only absorb curses, but also the blessings of the gods…!
For the first time, I felt happy about this fate.
Although.
[But Agatha, that’s… not a person, is it?]
[It’s a ghost. The upper half is probably sightseeing upstairs.]
My fate was to greet the lower half of a body hanging from the ceiling first thing in the morning.