The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations Chapter 307

Episode 307 I Trust You and Take a Walk (1)

“I bet… that would be fun.”

Giselle asked Claude again, who suddenly paused and smiled leisurely.

“Are you going to do it? Are you going to say it?”

“Of course… … I can’t miss out on a match like this. I have the blood of a gambler flowing through my veins.”

“But what’s the point? You won’t receive the rest of your life.”

“I know that much.”

Unbeknownst to others, Claude actually had no life left in him. He had lost every little bet he had made, and now his time as a slave had been extended to a whopping 278 years.

There was even a time when I was ripped off for about 10 years for things like drinking water too quickly. It was just the result of betting whenever I had the chance.

Claude also knows that the rest of his life is now worth less than the flour rolling around in his estate.

So he tried something else.

“What about Alfoy and the wizards? Hehe.”

The wizards are still under contract for the same period as before. They also enjoy gambling now, but they have never made another bet with Giselle.

Claude was now saying that he would rather risk the lives of wizards than his own.

Jiselle also nodded willingly.

“If they’re wizards, then it’s okay. They’ll definitely have longer lifespans thanks to their magical power. If their circle level goes up, it’ll probably increase even more, right?”

“Hehehe, that’s not the end.”

“Is there more?”

“Yes, aren’t there people leaving this time?”

“Oh… … Can you bring it?”

“I will persuade them to participate in the bet.”

“Yeah, those guys are pretty useful. Okay, what do you want? It must be unusual for you to have expanded the board this much.”

Claude suddenly twisted his body and said.

“Oh my, I don’t know if I can say this myself.”

“What is it? What do you want?”

“It’s only natural that we make them free, right? Let’s take care of them all at once in 278 years.”

“I can do that much. Is that okay? Do you want to go home as a free citizen?”

“No, please give me just one of those fiefs. I want to live there too.”

“Phuhu!”

“…….”

“Ahem, can you give me a piece of land?”

Claude said with an annoyed expression, looking at Giselle who was holding back her laughter.

“No, I don’t want to receive it from you, my lord.”

“why?”

“Know when you will die and accept it.”

Fighting the Duke’s family was a predetermined future. If you receive a territory from Giselle, you must participate in the war as a vassal. Even if you don’t participate, if the Duke’s family wins, you will die anyway since you are on the same side as Giselle.

Jiselle tilted her head and asked again.

“Then how can you ask for land? Where can you take it from and give it to me?”

“Please buy me just one suitable thing from the Turian Kingdom. It can be small. Hehehe.”

“The Turian Kingdom?”

“My lord, aren’t you a noble of Rutania, guaranteed by the Turian Kingdom? As my guardian, you can buy me a small piece of land. Oh, and as far away from the Shadow Mountains as possible. I want to live in safety.”

It was possible to buy and sell fiefs as long as one reached an agreement with the existing lord and followed the laws of the country to which one belonged.

Claude had no intention of just taking some money and returning to his hometown. He had already tasted power. No matter how much money you have, it is useless without power.

He intended to become the owner of a small estate and live a luxurious life until he died.

Anyway, I don’t have any big ambitions. I’m not a warmonger like Jiselle, and I don’t plan on expanding my territory. I just want to live comfortably without worry until I die.

Giselle nodded, accepting Claude’s ambition.

“Yeah, if you win, I’ll save you a small territory of Turian. Well, that’s unlikely, though.”

“Hehehe, Your Majesty, you should not change your words later. Let’s set the period to one month. You should eat only the newly developed food to maintain stamina that will allow you to fight after one month.”

“Of course. Then hurry up and recruit people to bet.”

“Okay. Just wait a moment. I’ll convince him and bring him over soon.”

Claude moved with a cheerful expression. He may have nothing left to bet on, but he didn’t bet his own life and bet other people’s lives.

The thought of leaving this place without risking anything and with a big reward made my steps feel lighter.

Giselle snickered as she watched the back of Claude’s head as he left in excitement.

“Lifelong slave wizards… … I can’t stand this.”

It was a suggestion I really liked.

* * *

Alpoy was gambling in a corner of the estate’s construction site. Surprisingly, his opponent was Fiote, who was rumored to be the kindest person in the estate.

In fact, Piote doesn’t like gambling. He used all the money he received from the estate to help the people in need.

There are few starving people because the territory is full of food, but people cannot live by eating alone.

There were still many people who were poor and could not afford basic necessities or who were sick and could not get the necessary medicines in time. Piote used his own money to help them.

However, the money Piote receives is not enough to help everyone in the estate. So he sometimes asks the people in the estate for help.

The target was no exception, even for Alpoy.

“What? You want me to donate some money? Are you trying to take this fire man Alfoy’s money right now?”

“No… … I’m not trying to rip you off, but I just wanted to ask for some help since there are people in need in the territory… … .”

“I’m having the hardest time! I’m having the hardest time! I’m the successor to the Magic Tower and I’m living the life of an unpaid slave!”

Alfoy ran wild for a long time, but it is a well-known fact that he gradually accumulated money.

This is because he helped out the people of Yeongji and received a small reward, and also won money from people around him through gambling.

But if you are so stubborn, there is nothing I can do. Donations are received voluntarily, not under compulsion.

“Oh, I see. I’ll look for someone else.”

As Piote turned to leave with a sullen expression, Alfoy stopped him.

“It’s not like there’s no way at all.”

“What is it?”

“I just want to give it to you, but I don’t have a reason, a reason.”

Fiote tilted his head, his eyes wide open in curiosity. What justification would be needed to help those in need?

Alpoy continued with a solemn expression.

“Wizards don’t give money without a price. That’s because they are extremely rational and reasonable intellectuals. So I’ll give you a chance to take my money.”

“How?”

“It’s gambling. I can get my money by gambling.”

Fiote immediately shook his head.

“There is no verse in the scriptures that prohibits gambling, but gambling can be considered a sin because the root of the act is greed.”

“… … You still have a long way to go.”

“yes?”

“You’re not gambling because you want money right now, are you? You’re trying to help people in need with this money, aren’t you?”

“……yes.”

“Then it is not greed, but a noble challenge. Because it is about helping people in need. Isn’t it a greater sin to pretend not to know the way to help people in need and just pass it by?”

“…….”

It’s a bit strange, but it seems plausible. After thinking for a moment, Piote nodded while clenching his small fists.

“Okay, I’ll give it a try.”

I didn’t think there was any need to debate whether the method of helping someone in need was right or wrong. It was a matter of being honest with yourself.

Alfoy gave a mean laugh.

“Good idea. You probably don’t know what’s difficult, so let’s play the odd-even game. All you have to do is guess whether the number of silver coins in my hand is odd or even. Easy, right?”

“yes.”

Fiote nodded obediently. However, the gambling members watching from the side shook their heads.

Because odd-even was a game that Piote could never win.

Even the gambling members, Cain and the magicians, do not play odds with Alfoy. In that sense, Alfoy was the strongest in this territory.

Fiote, unaware of this, started playing a game with Alpoy with an innocent expression.

Alfoy clicked his tongue as he looked at the money that Piote had taken out one by one.

‘Oh my, look at how little money he has. The lord must have given him a lot, but he must have given it to all the really needy people. Tsk tsk, if he lost all that, tears would stream down his pretty face.’

The money that Piote took out was not much. It was just a few silver coins and a few copper coins.

But Alpoy is a fiery matchmaker. He never shows mercy to his opponents.

The timid Piotea did not bet much at a time, only one coin at a time.

“hall!”

“match!”

“hall!”

“match!”

Fiote tried hard but never won. It couldn’t be otherwise. Alfoy was using magic to cheat.

‘Hehehe, it is no exaggeration to say that there is no one in this realm who can destroy the magic I created.’

Alfoy, who was first introduced to gambling after meeting Claude, has now become a great gambler.

He constantly studied to win at odds and evens and created one magic trick.

It was a sure-win magic that applied movement magic, lightening magic, and gravity magic. It was close to a patchwork of existing magic, but it was still a new magic.

Every time he made a bet, he would secretly imbue this magic onto a small object he was holding.

‘I haven’t lost a single time since I created this spell. I’ll challenge the lord again soon!’

If the opponent hits, before turning his wrist, he slightly opens his hand and the silver coin instantly goes into his sleeve. The speed is almost like teleportation.

Because of this magic, Alfoy always wore long-sleeved robes, even in the summer.

Fiote, who didn’t know that, had no choice but to continue being bullied by him.

“Hey, why can’t I get it right even once?”

I kept taking the same shots, but I never won even once. This didn’t make sense.

Kane, who was clicking his tongue next to me, spoke up slyly.

“That kid, he’s using magic to cheat. You can never beat him.”

“W-Was it a scam? Give me my money back!”

Then Alpoy shouted in a stern voice.

“Oh! What do you mean, fraud? Do you have any proof? I don’t commit fraud! What if a priest doesn’t trust people that much? Huh? Is it okay for a priest to frame anyone like that?”

“Ah, no… … That doesn’t make sense… … .”

“What nonsense is that! It’s just because you can’t do it! Who threatened you with a knife and said you couldn’t do it!”

Fiote was speechless at Alfoy’s grumbling words. With his own abilities, he had no way of seeing through Alfoy’s trickery.

“I, I’ll stop.”

I can’t afford to lose all the money I have, Alfoy said with a pitiful expression.

“Can you really call yourself a man if you give up so easily? Won’t you help those in need? Are you weaker than you look? Is that what the goddess intended?”

At those words, Piote got angry. He was teased every day for being a womanizer, and he didn’t want to lose money and hear things like that.

And now it was a bit hard to give up. It was hard to help people with the little money I had left. I wanted to earn it somehow.

“Do it again!”

‘Haha, that’s how you get addicted to gambling.’

Alpoy chuckled.

‘I caught a fool.’

He was thinking of completely slapping Piote. It wasn’t much money, but where was it? Stress relief was a bonus.

“hall!”

“match!”

“hall!”

Fiote had been losing every game. He hadn’t won a single game. It would have been okay to lose once, but Alfoy was just blatantly cheating.

“Ugh, ugh… … .”

When he lost almost all of his remaining money, tears began to well up in Piote’s eyes.

I was angry. I was so angry because it felt like a scam, and I was so ashamed of myself for being so stupid and not being able to recognize it.

I should have used that little money for someone else.

It wasn’t for nothing that people told him not to gamble. Piote regretted his choice.

‘Goddess… … .’

Now all he had left was a single silver coin. Piote closed his eyes tightly and prayed.

‘Please let me win.’

Not for myself. Not to punish that swindler. I just wanted to help people who were having a hard time.

Alfoy said calmly, looking at the pitiful appearance of Piote, who was praying with his eyes tightly shut.

“Oh, what are you doing? Why don’t you hurry up and hang up.”

‘Goddess… … Please… … That bastard… … Ah, no, I’m sorry for the harsh words.’

Fiote prayed with all his might. He had never prayed so fervently in his life.

Regret about himself, repentance for having gambled, and a desire to help those in need.

It all came together to burn his heart with pain.

Wow!

Divine power began to spread out from Piote’s body as he fell into a state of trance. Alpoy felt it and snickered.

“Oh my, no matter how much I pray, it’s no use. Do you know why?”

Alpoy began to emit magical powers in opposition to the divine power.

Kuung!

The divine power and magical power collided, and a strong wave spread out. Alpoy soon raised his head with an arrogant expression and said.

“I am the god of odds and evens. Even if a goddess comes, she cannot reach me.”

In front of the priests who serve God, he denies His existence and calls himself God.

Even at the outrageous remarks that only a black magician could make, Piote did not get angry. He simply continued to pray with only his own desires in mind.

That desire began to transform into an infinitely pure and unique faith.

That passionate belief eventually led to ‘something.’

“Oh, you’re saying you’re coming soon… … Oh?”

Wooooow!

Suddenly, dark clouds gathered in the clear sky and the surroundings became dark. For a moment, it seemed as if a bright light was emanating from the top of Piote’s head and rising into the sky.

Paaaaak!

Once again, the dark clouds parted and a brilliant light began to shine forth from the space created.

The light seemed to be connected to Piote.

The wizards, including Alfoy, opened their mouths wide.

They have written a literature describing this phenomenon.

“Chae, channeling?”

A power that only the saints chosen by the goddess can display.

The phenomenon of connecting with a great will, using some of its power, and serving its will is called channeling. And the saint who attempts channeling is able to receive ‘revelation’.

A true ‘revelation’ that is on a whole other level than the rumors fabricated by Jiselle and Porisco.

I never thought the day would come when I would actually see the channeling that even a saint can only use on special occasions.

But is this something special now?

Kuoooooooo!

With his eyes closed, Piote’s body slowly rose into the air. A powerful divine power continuously emanated from his body. His pink hair soon began to turn into a beautiful silver color.

Alpoy stammered as he looked at the sight.

“Why, why, why, ho, ho, why is poetry and god interfering with odd and even things like that?”

As expected, this territory was not normal.