145 - 24 Hearts

**Chapter 145: The Land of Entertainment and Culture, Uroon** Roxine was ecstatic, burying himself in chips valued at a gold coin each, and expressed his joy with jubilant shouts. He seemed genuinely delighted. "Hahaha! This is the best day of my gambling life!" Seeing Roxine throw the chips into the air with both hands, Judah shook his head in a display of disbelief. Though he had entertained similar dreams, acting out so publicly would have been difficult for him. Can happiness really be this simple? The nobles and wealthy merchants around, unlike Judah's pitying gaze, looked at Roxine nostalgically, sighing softly as if recalling times past. "Ah, there was a time when I got that excited over such money..." "It's like watching my pure younger days." "He's always losing, but he actually won today. Moments like these are what make life enjoyable." Even though Roxine and Judah's teamwork had led them to lose considerable money, it seemed to be no more than small change to them, and they nonchalantly congratulated Roxine. Roxine waved a fist at them and exclaimed triumphantly. "See, it was never because I lacked skill! It was just bad luck all along! Hahaha!" After laughing endlessly and expressing his joy, Roxine loaded up the chips onto a cart and exchanged them for gold coins. Out of the gold coins densely packed in the sack, he handed Judah a portion. The amount he received was 3,000 gold coins. "You realize you got way more than the 1,000 gold coins initially agreed upon, right?" "Eh, my investment was 1,000 gold coins, why nitpick the details?" The gold Roxine took was double the amount initially agreed upon. Moreover, for Roxine, he had fulfilled a lifelong aspiration, making it a deal with no regrets. He took out a piece of paper from his pocket and tried pressing it under his hand but tilted his head, confused. It had crumpled a bit from being kept in his pocket, and he couldn't feel the pressure properly, meaning he needed to apply chemicals back at the branch. With an arm draped over Judah's shoulder, Roxine, carrying his purse, left the casino with a cheerful tune. "When will you provide the information? Today? Tomorrow?" "Give it to me now." "Now? That's a bit difficult. I need to look into the information too, and it's almost dawn, not to mention we should rest for a day. Let's meet again tomorrow morning." "Where should we meet? Should I find you?" "Where are you staying?" Roxine asked, as if agreeing to whatever Judah would suggest. "At Count Jenewer's estate." "…Count Jenewer?" Roxine scratched his nose in thought, closing his eyes. Although he had some drinks the casino offered, he wasn't drunk enough to mishear. Is he going deaf in his mid-twenties? However, he shook his head, thinking that couldn't be the case and sighed heavily. "Damn it. Jenewer's estate is not an option." Even though the Shadow Kingdom's capabilities were formidable, they weren't foolish enough to meddle with someone associated with the heir of fragments. "Just come to the square where we met this morning. I'll be sitting on an empty bench." He didn’t inquire why or how Judah ended up staying at Count Jenewer’s mansion. As he waved goodbye, indicating to see each other the next day, Judah grabbed his shoulder to stop him. "Wait a minute." "Hmm? …What?" Roxine looked at Judah with a slightly disgruntled expression, suspecting he might ask for more money, judging by the grip on the money sack. "Since you received double the agreed reward, I was hoping you could do a bit more." "…That wasn’t part of the contract, was it?" "Since it was an oral agreement and you achieved your lifelong goal, isn’t a little extra service fair?" "Did I say it was a lifelong goal?" Roxine tilted his head in confusion. "You said that while throwing chips in the air, speaking nonsensically, that you fulfilled one of your lifelong wishes." "..." Damn, did he really overhear such a trivial thing? He considered denying it but realized how ecstatic he must have been to say such a thing and decided not to deny it. After pondering briefly, he sighed. "Alright, what do you need?" "It's a somewhat difficult request, is that okay?" "If it's hard, don't request it. Wait, this bastard… Are you asking like an old friend? Do you think I'll accommodate it just because of that?" Roxine spoke with a frown, pretending to be displeased. As a high-level official of the Shadow Kingdom, he seemed to think it beneath him. If he chose, he could easily break his promise to Judah and disappear. "I did help you achieve your lifelong wish, after all." "……" "Maybe I'll help you achieve another one in the future?" "Sure. Of course, I'll help you. So, what's the request?" Judah smiled at his abrupt change of heart. It was eerie how closely it matched the personality he’d anticipated, but at least it allowed him to predict Roxine’s actions and words to some extent. "Do you remember what kind of information I wanted?" "You wanted the interior layouts of the high nobles’ residences. That’s a rare request indeed. Oh, wait. You also asked for the location of the elves, didn't you?" Wait, hold on. Roxine frowned, sensing something amiss. Was Judah planning to take these elves after raiding a mansion and bring them to Count Jenewer’s estate? That wouldn't make sense. Even if Count Jenewer was one of the top-tier nobles in Uroon, if caught taking someone else’s elves, it would be problematic. Besides, the Count was renowned for being happily married and not indulging in such interests. "…Are you planning to attack Count Jenewer?" "…What?" For a moment, Judah flinched, feeling a little guilty at Roxine's question. However, since he had no intention of attacking immediately, he shook his head in denial. "No, of course not." "But why take the elves to Count Jenewer's estate...?" "Hold on. I think you're misunderstanding something. That's precisely why I'm asking for your help. Once I rescue the elves from the mansion, I want you to use the power of the Shadow Kingdom to safely return them to their original home, the Elven Forest." "So you're saying you're going to go through the trouble to steal these expensive elves just to send them back?" Roxine let out a laugh of disbelief. Judah nodded calmly, as if there was nothing unusual about the plan. A little fabrication was necessary here. "It's a debt of gratitude that I owe from my childhood." "Gratitude? Hmmm, you really are still pure at your age. Sure. Let’s say I give you a map of the mansion's layout. Do you really think you can rescue them that easily? While you're skilled enough to have faced me, if I were to fight seriously, it would be a different story. In their mansion, you might come across powerful individuals serving the nobles who could end your life. This isn’t the kind of story that unfolds as smoothly as in a novel." Judah glanced at him. Perhaps Roxine had grown fond of him; he seemed genuinely concerned and was offering sincere advice. But even Roxine didn’t know that Judah was already in possession of three fragments and stood before the threshold of becoming a Spirit Sword owner. "That doesn't matter. What does matter is whether you can help in proportion to the value of 2,000 gold coins." "What exactly do you need assistance with?" "Once I rescue the elves, I need you to hide them. I can't let Count Jenewer be put in harm's way." "Hide them? What if we decide to sell them ourselves?" "That would be the moment the Shadow Kingdom turns me into an enemy." You? Against the Shadow Kingdom? Roxine smirked at Judah’s near-threat. His words may have been slightly offensive, but Judah didn't apologize. Instead, he stopped walking, looked up into Roxine's eyes, and spoke directly. "You should think carefully, Roxine. About how I know things about the Shadow Kingdom, how I identified you, why I possess such skills at my age, and why I act so fearlessly. Consider everything." "What...?" "You need to weigh all of it. What you stand to gain and lose if you turn against me." Judah spoke earnestly, understanding the gravity of his words. If possible, he could make an enemy of the Shadow Kingdom and bring them down one by one. While he didn’t know all the locations of their branches, he could certainly expose secrets they've guarded for centuries. Roxine fell silent. "Whether or not you decide to help is up to you. First, I need maps of the interior layouts of three high noble mansions. Second, I need a route to return rescued elves to their forest, with your support to hide them for about two weeks." "Hold on. So first, you need the mansion layouts, and second, you want us to temporarily look after the stolen elves while escaping Uroon with them?" "Yes." Though Judah’s words were vague, Roxine understood perfectly. With a sigh, he acknowledged the headache this request could become. However, 2,000 gold coins were not a trivial amount. "If it's too much, then you don't even need to tell me the location of the elves. If things get difficult, I'm prepared to cause a commotion." "No, that's out of the question. Doing so would throw Uroon into chaos, and I prefer having late-night gambling as my sole joy here." "So?" "I'll assist, but only once you succeed in rescuing the elves. Let's discuss the details again tomorrow. I can't confirm everything right here and now." Judah nodded, and Roxine, carrying his sack full of gold coins, walked off into the dark night. Watching his retreating figure for a moment, Judah returned to Count Jenewer's mansion despite the late hour. Judah passed through the door the guards opened, walked through the expansive garden, and entered the building. Count Jenewer's grand estate was magically protected against intrusions, without being noticeable from the inside. The statues scattered around the garden were, in fact, golems, and they formed the core of the mansion's protective magic. 'Arhil and Jeanne are probably asleep.' Given the late hour, the corridors were illuminated by candlelight. He walked down the dim corridors, entered his room, and quickly washed up in the attached bathroom before changing clothes and laying down on his bed. In the game, it was possible to infiltrate a mansion with allies and fight enemies, but doing so here was risky, as it was easy to get caught. 'Jeanne's personality doesn’t seem likely to help with something like this, and the Blue Spear Knight stands out too much, which would be problematic.' It could potentially ruin her future dreams. Although he could bring Arhil along, given her physical limitations, there would be a high risk of mistakes. If critical, he could even use the fragment ‘Carpe Diem’ to summon a doppelgänger of Arhil. 'I feel bad leaving Jeanne out of this secret...' Apologizing inwardly to her, Judah slowly blinked and drifted off to sleep. ---------= Afterword of the Novel ---------= Ba-bam. I feel like I want to throw up. There are plenty of slides... Ugh.