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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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-Knock, knock.
Despite my repeated knocking…
the ash-gray-haired man beyond the glass wall remained unfazed, leisurely sipping his coffee.
He must have seen the business card bearing the Crow’s Fey insignia.
Any student at the academy would recognize Crow’s Fey.
It was one of the seven major guilds in the Empire, led by Regillus, the former commander of the Imperial Knights, directly appointed by the imperial family.
And they had expressed interest in him, a mere student.
“A greenhorn… did he think this was a joke?”
-Flick.
Sera dropped her barely smoked cigarette and crushed it under her heel.
Then, she entered the cafe
and approached her target: Lev Denec.
-Thump.
Even as she sat down opposite him, Lev didn’t acknowledge her presence.
-Knock, knock.
“Excuse me.”
“…”
“Can you hear me?”
“…”
Only after Sera tapped on the table and addressed him directly did he finally meet her gaze.
She had noticed it from outside, but he was indeed quite handsome.
Within her guild, perhaps only the vice-master, Raykan, possessed comparable looks.
‘I heard he’s a troublemaker, though.’
Of course, Sera had done her research.
He had caused trouble during the entrance exams, his reputation among the female students was less than stellar, and he was currently involved in a rather unusual incident.
His duel with Kaelan was something no one in their right mind would have initiated.
“You saw my card, right?”
“Yes.”
His curt reply made Sera feel awkward.
Any other student would have jumped at the chance to express their interest.
He seemed completely indifferent.
This wasn’t entirely unfamiliar, though.
Some students, especially those with inflated egos, played hard to get, trying to raise their value.
House Denec had a history of producing capable mages,
but this one was currently ostracized.
Normally, he would beg his family head for forgiveness and eventually be reinstated, but…
he hadn’t done so.
With that level of pride, this reaction was to be expected.
Sera held up the card between two fingers, fanning it slightly, and asked,
“So, are you going to take it or not?”
He finally gave a longer response.
“Isn’t that the wrong approach?”
“Excuse me?”
“Shouldn’t it be, ‘Please, would you accept my card?’”
“…Heh.”
His audacity made Sera chuckle.
Nobles, after all.
He acted all high and mighty, even though he would be at the bottom of the totem pole once he joined the guild.
“And why should I?” she asked, amused.
Lev, as if anticipating her question, replied slowly,
“You clearly don’t like me…”
“…”
“But you put out your cigarette and came over here, which tells me you’re trying to separate your personal feelings from your job.”
“…”
“And that means… your superiors, not you, are the ones interested in me…”
“…”
He was more perceptive than most students his age.
“Your guild master has quite the temper. Don’t blame me if things go south.”
“…”
-Rise.
With that, he stood up.
Sera couldn’t deny it.
“Wait a moment.”
She had been somewhat rude.
She didn’t understand why Regillus was interested in this boy,
and she had assumed a B-rank student wouldn’t refuse an offer from Crow’s Fey.
‘How dare he reject me… after all the effort I put into building my reputation…!’
She stood up, her resolve hardening.
“First, I apologize for my… approach.”
“Oh?”
“As you correctly deduced, it’s my superiors who are interested in you. So, will you accept my card?”
She offered the card, her right hand holding it while her left supported her wrist, a gesture of respect she hadn’t shown any other recruit.
She was always pragmatic, only making deals that benefited her.
His reply was swift and unexpected.
“No.”
.
.
.
“Stepped in shit…” I muttered, quickening my pace as I left Sera in the cafe.
I wanted to throw salt on her, just to add insult to injury.
Despite its prestigious reputation, Crow’s Fey was a shady guild, full of villains.
They used people until they were no longer useful, discarding them like a rabbit dying and the hunting dog being cooked – a perfect example of the idiom 토사구팽 (tosagupang).
In the latter half of the fanfic, as the demons advanced and their pressure intensified, the guilds’ influence would surpass that of the Imperial Family.
Regillus, driven by his ambition, would side with the demons.
His dark past, including attempts to assassinate war heroes, would be revealed, turning him into the Empire’s enemy.
Kaelan would betray and dismantle the guild, gaining the Empire’s trust.
That act of betrayal, of course, led to the fanfic’s absurd ending…
But even now, Crow’s Fey was involved in some shady dealings to expand their power.
The place I was headed to was likely one of Crow’s Fey’s operations:
a gambling den.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
.
.
.
I wasn’t a gambler in my previous life.
Gambling was inherently risky.
But with Kaelan infected by the parasite, it was a different story.
Most students at the academy would be oblivious to Kaelan’s changes.
Even if they noticed, they would just assume he was having an off day. No one would believe he could lose to a C-rank.
I couldn’t miss this opportunity.
The only downside was that the official academy betting system only used gems, the academy’s internal currency, and had betting limits.
Therefore, I had to participate in the underground gambling ring run by mercenaries in the old town.
“What… is this place?”
Aria, who had followed me under the pretense of surveillance, eyed our surroundings suspiciously.
The boisterous laughter of men, interspersed with high-pitched giggles, filled the air.
We were just a few steps from the academy, yet the atmosphere reeked of the underworld.
The academy’s magic tower was visible from here.
Talk about hidden in plain sight.
While the Empire ensured the academy’s safety, most towns were depicted as being in a perpetual state of conflict.
-Flicker.
-Flicker.
As the sun set, red lanterns began to glow, as if absorbing the hues of the twilight sky…
A red-light district.
Oblivious to Aria’s increasingly frosty glare, I blurted out,
“Aria, be my master for today.”
“…”
.
.
.
“…Y-you should have explained… beforehand!”
“Sorry.”
“This is the last time. I only followed you because I didn’t know…! You know students can be penalized for visiting places like this?!”
“…Yeah.”
It took a while to clear up the misunderstanding.
Aria, who was walking a step ahead of me, was still blushing furiously.
‘She’s completely immune to this kind of thing…’
Anyway, the reason I had entered a temporary master-servant contract with Aria was simple.
Academy students weren’t allowed to participate in this type of gambling, so I had her pose as a noblewoman, and I, as her servant.
The rest, as in the original game, was a simple matter of money.
“From now on, I need you to play the part.”
“…Reluctantly.”
We entered the tavern, which doubled as a gambling den.
-Drink!
-Who are you betting on this time?
-Number 13, of course!
As expected during ranking match week, students were watching the duels from the shadows and placing their bets.
It was somewhat ironic, a twisted reflection of the gladiatorial combat in the Roman Colosseum.
“Welcome!”
A waitress with freckles greeted us.
“What brings you… to our humble establishment?”
Aria, adorned in a luxurious blue robe with intricate embroidery, radiated an elegance that clashed with the dimly lit gambling den.
And of course, her beauty was striking, and despite being adopted, she still possessed the aura of a noble.
All eyes turned towards us.
It worked in my favor.
I pulled back my worn hood just enough to reveal my face and stepped forward, speaking on Aria’s behalf.
“My lady was curious… to experience the atmosphere of such an establishment.”
-Clink.
I placed two gold coins on the table.
The waitress’s eyes widened.
I leaned in and whispered in her ear,
“The quietest table you have. And the most… presentable food.”
“O-of course…”
.
.
.
At a table somewhat secluded by curtains,
Aria sat alone, a feast of sorts laid out before her, looking completely bewildered.
Her innocence and naiveté made her appear like a sheltered noble lady, unfamiliar with the world outside her mansion walls.
“Here.”
I discreetly slipped another gold coin to Betty, the waitress, and she caught on immediately.
“You want to keep this a secret from your lady?”
“Yes. She’s… not fond of such activities.”
If I told Aria I was gambling, she would never approve, so I had to keep it hidden.
-Jingle!
I pulled out a pouch filled with gold coins and handed it to her.
“Day 7 match. On the man named Edwin Gwendeth.”
“Y-yessss???”
Betty peeked inside the pouch, her eyes widening in disbelief.
“You’re betting… all of this???!!?!”
“Yes, 277 gold coins.”
It was my entire share of the reward from the Black Armor subjugation.
One gold coin seemed to be worth about 100,000 won in this world,
and since the prices in the old town were lower than back in Korea, one gold coin could buy you over 90 mugs of beer.
“The odds are at least 8 to 1! But… no one has ever bet this much…”
8 to 1, not as high as I’d hoped.
It seemed there were others hoping for an upset, a chance to turn their lives around.
“That’s fine. Place the bet.”
“Yes, sir…!”
Betty, clutching the heavy pouch to her chest, made her way to a burly-looking man on the second floor.
He was probably a mid-level manager from Crow’s Fey, the guild running this gambling operation.
I overheard a conversation between mercenaries.
-Didn’t the commission fees skyrocket after the guild in charge changed?
-You’re telling me. I heard they’re reliable and wouldn’t run off with the money, but…
-Same with the raids. We’re all trying to make a living. It’s highway robbery.
They were badmouthing Crow’s Fey.
It wasn’t strictly illegal, but they were the ones running this gambling den.
Betty hurried back, a worried expression on her face.
“I should probably tell you… with such a large sum… even if you win, the commission fee will be substantial.”
“Really?”
“Yes, and I shouldn’t be saying this, but… a lot of people are unhappy with the new guild managing things.”
Was it because she felt obligated to offer some sort of service after receiving such a large sum?
Betty, the waitress, was more talkative than I had anticipated.
“They introduced a new auction rule recently, and it’s causing a lot of complaints.”
“A new auction rule?”
“Yes.”
Betty explained.
Raids were large-scale party events with over 20 participants.
The loot acquired from raids used to be sold at the quarterly imperial auctions,
and the profits were then distributed among the 20 participants based on their contribution.
However, for the lower-level raids discovered and managed by Crow’s Feyt, they held a preliminary auction limited to the 20 participants. The highest bidder took the item.
And naturally, the winner was always someone prearranged by Crow’s Feyt.
“Crow’s Fey’s subcontractors aren’t allowed to bid, and the mercenaries can’t compete because they lack the funds.”
In short, it was exploitation.
Crow’s Fey would acquire items at extremely low prices, just slightly above what the mercenaries and subcontractors could afford, resulting in significantly lower payouts compared to selling the loot at the imperial auction.
Then, Crow’s Fey would sell these items at the imperial auction, maximizing their profits.
‘So that’s how Kaelan managed to acquire a full set of top-tier equipment…’
They were exploiting lower-level raids, which other major guilds ignored, and the abundance of low-ranking mercenaries to make exorbitant profits.
Disgusted by their shady practices, I muttered,
“This calls for some laundry.”
“Excuse me? Laundry? Do… do I smell…?”
“No.”
I wanted to disrupt their little scheme somehow…
And then, a thought struck me.
‘Wait… could it be…?’
I asked Betty,
“Is there a raid organized by Crow’s Fey this week?”
“You’d have to ask the guild’s personnel office, but… I overheard some customers saying it’s scheduled for next week…”
It felt like a critical piece of information.
[Memorize: Ring of Inscription]
Regillus supposedly obtained this seemingly ordinary ring at the imperial auction…
This… this could be my chance…
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She will chew him up good once this is over
I have to say, Lev was incredibly lucky this time, superbly lucky even. He would have lost all of his money should Melody have helped Kaelan purely because she found it interesting to let the red goblin cause even more trouble. And the possibility of her helping him didn’t even enter Lev’s mind cuz she had so little info in both the game and the novel.
Let’s just hope the demoness doesn’t do a double take and try helping the bastard, since I don’t think the parasite strat could be replicated again.