Chapter 117 – Chasing After the Mastermind

 

 

「I’ll open it. Even!」

 

ーーohhhh!!

The gambling den clamors.

 

「Isn’t this the tenth consecutive time……?」

 

Iris who is beside me was stunned.

There is a reason that she became like that.

There was only even that came out since earlier. It is the tenth time right now.

Because it resulted to even consecutively, the guys who are gambling in other groups gathered, and started to say this and that to themselves.

And there is a man who missed that ten times.

The man who brought fake notes continuously bet on odd, and continuously lost.

It was like he was betting on odd for no particular reason, but half way, he started betting on odd obstinately.

 

「Oi, bastard, you’re cheating right?」

「I am not doing such thing」

 

The dicer answered with a friendly attitude.

 

「Everyone who are gambling here has sharp eyes. There is no way to cheat with so many eyes watching」

「Well, that’s true, it doesn’t look like he’s cheating」

「There are more than a hundred people watching here. We should be able to tell if he’s doing something」

 

The surrounding guys said. The fake notes guy clicked his tongue resentfully.

 

『He’s not, cheating it seems』

『Is that so?』

『Umu』

 

The mother and daughter chatted.

I also agree with Eleanor.

They are not cheating in the sense of tricking people.

That’s for sure.

 

「Next! Come on, next!」

「Alright……I’ll start」

 

The fake notes guy prompted, and the dicer shook the dice.

*Don*, the pot was slammed to the floor, and the dices stopped.

And then, the fake notes guy quickly said.

 

「It’s odd! I’m sure it’s odd this time!」

 

He took out more money and bets on odd.

 

「Odd!」

「I’ll bet on odd too!」

「Odd should come out this time」

 

And following him, the other guys started to bet on odd.

Well, I get how they feel.

 

「Hey」

 

Iris whispered to me quietly.

 

「What?」

「It isn’t cheating right?」

「Yeah, it’s not」

「I see……」

 

Iris thought for a bit.

 

「Even」

 

And bet on the opposite of the surroundings.

She gathered the surrounding’s attention.

After odd had come out for ten consecutive times, the surroundings betted on odd, and only Iris betted on even.

She didn’t bet that much, but she stood out because she was the only one.

 

「Oi oi, there’s no way that it would be even this time」

「That’s right. There’s no way that it would continue that much unless he’s cheating」

「What an idiot」

 

They showered sneers.

If there was no cheating happening, there is no way that it would be even again after even came out ten consecutive times.

I get the logic, I get it, but.

 

『Iris-jou, she’s good』

 

Yeah.

I agreed with Eleanor.

There was no cheating, if so, Iris’s judgment that it would be even again for the eleventh time is.

 

「I’ll open it. Even!」

 

After a moment of silence, the answer naturally came together with the chaos surrounding it.

 

☆

 

In the end, the fake notes guy left the gambling den without winning even once.

Iris and I went out, following him.

 

「Let’s follow him」

「Of course. But wait a second」

 

I stopped Iris who was rushed to chase after the guy.

 

「What is it?」

「It would be all for nothing if we were found right?」

「That is true, but……ahh! He turned corners. Let go」

「Just listen」

「We’ll lose him if this continues! If that happens, it would be all for nothing like you said!」

「Leave it to me. I did the same thing in the past」

「The same thing?」

「I can hear that guy’s footsteps, I can tell what course he’s walking through」

「Footsteps?」

 

Iris looked around.

Various sounds are overflowing within the crowd.

Chatting voices, lifestyle sounds, there was also the sound of a messenger horse rider that passed by in such timing.

 

「You can tell his footsteps with this?」

「I can」

 

I showed a clear nod.

Soon after I came to this world, I had an experience of following someone. I also followed that time by hearing their footsteps.

Unlike that time, I am now used to using my abilities better so I can create the route that the opponent has passed through just by listening to their footsteps.

I can trace them even without following after them.

 

「That’s amazing…… you aren’t a man successful only on battlefields huh」

「That impression isn’t that wrong too」

「……no wonder Aneue is infatuated」

 

She whispered somewhat profoundly.

I ignored it because it would only complicate things if I poke into it right now.

And while that happened, the footsteps finally stopped, so I told Iris.

 

「He stopped. Let’s go」

「Yeah」

 

Iris nodded. Her expression became solemn.

I led her and started to walk.

I walked following the route that was made by the footsteps I picked up in my head.

We turned several corners, passed through the middle of the town, and came out to the opposite side.

The atmosphere changed drastically. That place was like the slums.

The buildings are unsightly and dirty and there are people with ragged clothes sitting here and there.

They stared at me and Iris but we ignored them.

After going through a winding street and entering a complex path, we stopped in front of a certain building.

It’s a wooden flat house and wind seems to pass through it very well.

 

「Is it here?」

 

I nodded to Iris.

 

「Yeah, he entered here」

「Is there other people inside?」

「There’s none. There is only one person’s sound of movement and presence」

「I got it. If so, I’ll go」

「Are you sure?」

 

I looked at Iris with widened eyes.

 

「Leave it to me」

 

Iris said that and entered inside with high spirits.

I stayed where I’m standing and let her do what she wants because in this distance, I can intervene anytime in case something happens.

I heard arguing voices from inside. It’s Iris’s and the fake notes guy’s voice.

Iris cornered the fake notes guy and questioned him.

The man attacked instead. He blows a fuse and punches towards Iris.

But, he was immediately suppressed by Iris.

From how it sounded, she dodged his punch and then twisted his arm.

The man quickly surrendered and said「I’ll talk, I’ll talk okay!」

 

『She’s quite good』

「Yeah」

『Well then, shall we move as well』

「I guess so」

『Fue?』

 

While Hikari was puzzled, I took out the warp feather, and warped half-way the path we passed through before coming here.

There was a man who waits and sees from the shadows in the distance, and I appeared behind that man.

 

「Don’t move」

「ーー!!」

 

I threatened him, poking his back with the Demon Sword’s handle.

The man reacted quickly, raising both of his hands immediately.

 

『A-re? This person’s the one shaking the dice earlier』

 

Hikari said.

That’s right, this man is the dicer.

I questioned the man that I poked from earlier with a low voice.

 

「Why did you collect the fake notes?」

 

The man flinched.

There was no cheating. The man used his skillful technique and perfectly controlled the outcome of the dice he shook.

And the fake notes guy spat out the fake notes that he had without winning even once.

I questioned the dicer why he targeted that man.

 

 

 

Chapter 116 – Kujibiki Tokushou – Chapter 118