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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Hiring Regret as my bodyguard went surprisingly smoothly.
Bern Midas’s attitude was basically, “Handle such trivial matters yourself,” and the members of the Brown Wolf Mercenary Company were remarkably compliant in letting her go.
…Though the lukewarm glances I received from most of the members were quite unsettling.
“So, how closely am I supposed to stick to you as a bodyguard? 24/7 is a bit much, even for me.”
I shook my head at Regret’s question.
It was unreasonable to be together for every single aspect of daily life, and frankly, I couldn’t stand it either.
The bodyguard thing was half an excuse to keep Regret by my side anyway.
“You don’t need to be with me when we’re at home. The Midas mansion has ample security measures and personnel.”
“True, I doubt most people could even get past the entrance.”
What kind of family was the Midas family?
Back in my grandfather’s time, wealthy merchants and nobles who had to be wary of the Empire and the new royal family were one thing.
But there were countless reckless opportunists trying to take a bite out of my grandfather’s share of the magic stone mine, making a secure mansion and robust security essential for survival.
Moreover, by the time my father, Bern Midas, came into power and openly amassed his fortune while earning widespread notoriety, the number of people holding grudges against him, in addition to those seeking his wealth, had multiplied, further strengthening his defenses.
Intimidating guards at the entrance were just the beginning.
The mansion was filled with expensive alarm and protection spells, and when Bern Midas went out, he was practically swarmed by dozens of guards.
Even CEOs of major corporations in my previous life didn’t go to such lengths.
Even the guards Dorf, who wasn’t even a blood relative but merely a trading company employee, had employed, along with the Brown Wolf Mercenary Company, were strong enough to easily handle most thieves.
The last incident was an anomaly, because the attackers were trained as regular soldiers of a territory.
“Just accompany me when I go out or on long trips. I’ll usually let you know a day in advance if I have any plans, so you’re free to do as you please otherwise. I’ve had the room next to mine cleared out for you. You get one day off per week, plus one additional day off accumulates each month, which you can use whenever you want.
Oh, and meals and clothing are provided, so don’t worry about that. If you need anything, just tell me or one of the other servants.”
“…Are you sure I was hired to work? This feels like getting paid to relax.”
Regret asked with a dubious expression on her face, as the conditions were quite generous by this world’s labor standards.
Well, considering what you’ll have to go through later, it won’t be that relaxing.
“If you’re feeling uneasy, want to see what I’m doing? I have something my father asked me to handle.”
“What is it?”
I answered Regret’s question with as much of a smile as I could manage.
“….A lottery.”
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In the world of “Planetarium,” there were items called “Sealed Relics.”
These special items, mainly found in ancient dungeons, resembled small, palm-sized cubic boxes and were often called “Cubes” due to their shape.
Cubes had four main characteristics:
One, their seals could be broken by consuming a certain amount of magic stones.
Two, the closer the cube’s color was to black, the more magic stones were required to break the seal.
Three, the size and shape of the sealed item were not limited by the size of the cube.
Four, the contents of a cube were unknown until the seal was broken.
For adventurers exploring dungeons, these cubes were a mixed blessing, as the magic stones required to open them were not cheap.
Even the lowest-grade magic stone was worth ten silver coins, equivalent to a month’s living expenses for a single-person household in the kingdom.
And even the easiest-to-open white cube required at least ten low-grade magic stones to unlock!
That was a hundred silver coins.
The bigger problem was that even after spending a fortune, there was no guarantee of obtaining something of equal value.
A spear that might have been a cutting-edge weapon when sealed, but by modern standards was nothing more than a lump of scrap metal.
A treasure chest that turned out to contain items worth a tenth of the cost to open it was a common occurrence.
Some cubes contained personal diaries or sentimental letters, like time capsules.
Rarely, but still occasionally, they contained dangerous traps, as if the sealer intended to screw over future generations.
However, the occasional appearance of incredibly valuable magic tools or ancient gold coins kept people trying their luck, ensuring a steady stream of cube openers every year.
The assessment of these cubes by players who discovered them was simple and clear:
-Isn’t this just a gacha?
A lottery, in other words.
And one with an insane starting price of ten months’ living expenses for a single-person household.
While it wasn’t an insurmountable cost for high-ranking magic users, wealthy nobles, or merchants who could earn gold coins with a single request.
But even for them, opening a cube was a gamble.
Having a lot of money was different from throwing it away.
“I did ask my father, but he thought it was a waste of money and only gave me ten low-grade magic stones before sending me off. Such a stingy man, despite all his wealth.”
Regret looked dumbfounded as I held up the leather pouch.
“A hundred silver coins is already quite generous. There are plenty of mercenaries who risk their lives and don’t even earn thirty silver coins per job.”
“Well, I am the scion of a nationally notorious nouveau riche family. This much is expected.”
Upon arriving at our destination, I was greeted by a man with a sly face, the kind that would probably try to trick the protagonist into bringing him a magic lamp in Arabian Nights.
Dorf Brahms.
“Welcome, Master Chrom!”
“Did you wait long?”
“Haha, not at all. I’m fine, so please don’t worry!”
After the incident in the Baldwin territory, Bern Midas had shown some concern for Dorf, who had been seriously injured and even used an expensive potion to heal him.
However, he had also dismissed Dorf from his position as Acting Trade Representative for failing to complete the transaction.
As a result, the once influential figure in the Midas Trading Company was now my personal secretary and handyman.
Life’s fortunes were truly unpredictable.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes, please come this way.”
Dorf glanced at Regret, who was following me, and opened the door to one of the many warehouses tucked away in a corner of the mansion.
Inside, cubic boxes were sorted by color.
White cubes filled an entire wall, there were a few dozen gray cubes, and only two black cubes.
“Are these all Cubes?”
Regret asked, surprised by the number.
“Besides those found in dungeons, some are found in old buildings and such. Since they’re a burden to open, the finders usually sell them to trading companies at a reasonable price. The companies keep them because they might contain something valuable.”
“Honestly, I think it would be better not to buy them at all, except maybe the black cubes…”
Dorf seemed skeptical about the value of the cubes.
Well, it was understandable, given the low odds of winning.
I walked into the warehouse and picked a cube that caught my eye.
“I’ll take this one.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to think about it more?”
“It’s all a matter of luck.”
I opened the leather pouch and poured the magic stones near the white cube.
The cube emitted a faint light and began to absorb them.
And then,
“…I’m pretty confident in my luck, especially when it comes to money.”
-Thud!
With a heavy thud, a red and gold box, about the size of a soccer ball, appeared where the white cube had been.
-Clink, clink.
Inside the box were gold coins imprinted with the image of a fire-breathing dragon.
Recognizing them, Dorf muttered in a trembling voice,
“…A-Ancient Red Dragon Gold Coins…?”
“They’re worth about five times the current gold coins in circulation, right? This amount should be equivalent to about 500 low-grade magic stones.”
As Dorf collapsed onto the floor, his legs seemingly giving way, I said with a smile,
“Could you exchange all these for magic stones and bring them to me?”
The odds of winning with cubes were low, and obtaining something worth more than the investment was nearly impossible without extraordinary luck.
Except for the “Greedy Prodigal.”
After all, lotteries were all about being lucky.
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The luckshitter build, huh.