Chapter 230: Chapter 230
Roenn was standing halfway up the North Grave Mountain, gasping while watching Raon.
'He ended up learning it.'
It didn't even take a month for Raon to learn the Sound Fragrance Art, and even mix in his own martial art.
'No, he did more than that.'
He didn't just further develop the Sound Fragrance Art using his other techniques. Raon also used the Sound Fragrance Art to increase his swordsmanship's proficiency. It was still imperfect, but the fact that he'd managed to achieve all of that in a single month left Roenn unable to close his mouth.
"What did you think about it? My lord."
Roenn turned around and called out to Glenn, who was standing with his hands behind his back.
"He must've taken the principles of compression from the Sound Fragrance Art."
Glenn's placid voice sounded like he didn't really care about it, but the corners of his mouth were soaring to the sky.
"That boy doesn't simply follow a well-paved road. He's a greedy one who creates an even better path by utilizing what he has."
"I agree with you."
Roenn nodded with a faint smile on his face. Just as Glenn said, Raon was a monster capable of improving a martial art's rank itself through endless efforts and excellent talent.
"The way he created sound with a sword draw and sword resonance was truly original. Since he's using two different sounds, it will be difficult for his opponent to figure it out, while also being easily applicable for other uses. I think he's going to create a nice technique."
"Well, that's not wrong..."
Glenn's smile deepened, and his movement became bigger as Roenn complimented Raon.
'Seriously.'
Roenn smiled faintly while watching Glenn's reaction.
'He's so dishonest.'
The way he was so pleased to hear the compliment to his grandson was definitely the reaction of a doting grandfather.
'It would be nice if he could be a bit more honest.'
He was aware of the reason Glenn was keeping his distance from Raon and Sylvia, but that was one thing he agreed with Rimmer about. He was hoping that Glenn would open his heart to them before it was too late and recover their relationship.
"Judging from how fast he is progressing, he should be able to create his own martial art in around half a year if he keeps training regularly."
Glenn's eyes were sparkling in anticipation of his grandson's growth.
"And that half a year isn't the time it takes for him to learn a martial art. It's actually almost scary that he can create a new technique in such a short time."
Roenn gasped while looking at the lake that had regained its peace.
"However, no matter how skilled he is, he still won't stand a chance against Sir Herrian."
The Gambling Monster's name was Herrian Zieghart. Although it was a long time ago, his skills had even gained Glenn's recognition. It was simply impossible for Raon to win against him.
"He won't even get to compete in martial arts."
Glenn briefly clicked his tongue.
"Let alone drinking, he won't even be able to pass in gambling."
The Gambling Monster's gambling skills were famous throughout the continent, as his nickname implied. There was no way Raon would win against him, not with the poor gambling skills he learned from Rimmer.
"And..."
Glenn turned around after watching Raon until he was gone.
"He should learn how to drink from the elders. Ahem!"
He briefly cleared his throat before disappearing like smoke.
"Huhu."
Roenn smiled faintly while looking at the place Glenn had disappeared from.
"Of course, it would be best for him to learn from his grandfather."
* * *
Raon arrived at the gambling house that Rimmer had told him about before with Dorian, who was trembling in fear.
"A-Are you really going in there?"
Dorian was violently shivering while looking at the entrance of the gambling house.
"Gambling Monster! It's the Gambling Monster, famous throughout the continent for his gambling skills! He's different from the riffraff you've won against so far!"
Dorian violently shook his head, telling him to stop.
"They weren't exactly riffraff."
Raon smiled at him. The gamblers that he'd destroyed before were pros among pros. It was all thanks to Wrath that he'd won against them, and such an overwhelming difference wouldn't have been possible without him.
"Take it easy and follow me."
Raon tapped Dorian's shoulder and entered the gambling house. Even though they were in broad daylight, the gambling house was filled with people and the lively atmosphere felt dark and dreary.
'She said he would be at the center.'
According to Judiel's information, the Gambling Monster would always play in the center of the gambling house. Raon looked around the center and found a large table, where many people had gathered.
"Ah!"
Raon's eyes widened after examining the table. It wasn't because he'd found the Gambling Monster, but because the red-haired elf sitting on the outer side of the table looked too familiar.
"Kuaaah! Damn it!"
The red-haired elf, Rimmer screamed while pulling on his hair. He must've gone broke once again after betting money he got from somewhere.
"I was so close again! Goddamn it!"
"It's funny that you keep challenging me without getting tired, just like a zombie."
Hearing the mockery from a slightly shrill voice, Raon looked at the side opposite of Rimmer. A black-haired giant with broad shoulders was grinning at Rimmer, cards between his fingers.
'He must be the Gambling Monster...'
Black hair and red eyes. His body was as huge as a monster's and heinous tattoos covering his body—that was the exact appearance from Judiel's information. The man laughing like a beast was the Gambling Monster, Herrian Zieghart.
'He's stronger than I expected.'
Raon frowned. He expected him to be rusty because he was rumored to be a gambling and drinking addict, but that wasn't the case at all. Even though he was simply standing and laughing, there was an unbelievable number of energy waves emanating from him.
"If you are broke, then take off all your clothes and get out."
Gold coins were piled up in front of him like a mountain. He must've also won against people other than Rimmer. That was another special aspect of Gambling Monster, since he always used gold coins for gambling instead of chips.
"Damn it! I'll be back! I'll return no matter what!"
Rimmer stood up after sounding like a third-rate villain.
"I-It looks like the squad leader lost all his money again. Are you really going now? I don't want to witness both my squad leader and vice-squad leader going broke!"
"I'm different from our squad leader."
Raon briefly licked his lips before walking forward. He sat at the opposite seat of the Gambling Monster, which became empty after Rimmer left.
"Let's play a game."
Raon smiled, meeting the Gambling Monster's red eyes.
"You are still wet behind your ears. This is not a place a kid like you should be."
"Oh! He's the Frostfire Sword of Valor!"
"Raon Zieghart?"
"Why is the youngest Master of the continent here?"
"No way, did he come to take revenge for his squad leader?"
He didn't even need to introduce himself, since other people did it for him.
"R-Raon?"
Rimmer widened his eyes. He had already thrown away his clothes and was in the middle of taking off his shoes.
"Did you really come here?"
"What else? Would I have accidentally come here?"
"That's not what I mean, you punk!"
Rimmer came running at him and grabbed his shoulders.
"That guy really is the worst! He's never going to let you go as long as you still have money to be taken away! Stand up right now!"
"It's okay. I'm similar to him."
"Huh? Th-That's actually true..."
He murmured that the two of them were really similar.
"Don't worry. Gambling is nothing but a starting point."
"Are you really..."
"Yes, I'm going to do it. The Promise of Three."
Raon nodded with a refreshing smile on his face.
'Because it's a great opportunity.'
The money Rimmer had lost obviously had to return to him, and his real objective was to tell the Gambling Monster his wish by completing the Promise of Three.
"Are you Raon Zieghart, the famous youngest Master in the continent's history?"
The Gambling Monster apparently didn't know his face and only heard about him from the rumors. That much was expected from someone who didn't belong to Zieghart anymore.
"Yes, I am."
Raon nodded while sitting back in his chair.
"That's a pretty good name you've made. But what you need in a gambling house isn't reputation, but mone..."
"Dorian."
Raon interrupted the Gambling Monster and called on his wallet, or rather, Dorian.
"Phew."
Dorian sighed and put his hand inside his belly pocket. When his hand came back out, he was holding five heavy bags.
Swaa!
Raon opened the bags and poured everything on the table.
"There are five hundred gold coins. I believe this is enough, isn't it?"
"You know what's up, buddy."
The Gambling Monster licked his lips while looking at the pile of gold coins on the table. However, the emotion reflected in his eyes didn't seem to be desire.
"You said you are challenging the Promise of Three, right?"
"Yes."
"Are you aware that you have to leave all your clothes here before getting kicked out if you lose?"
"Of course."
Raon nodded. The loser had to leave everything behind before getting kicked out, and that was why Rimmer always looked so miserable after his attempts.
"Alright, I accept your Promise of Three."
He nodded, then placed his hand on the table. The card between his fingers was swaying.
"Ooh!"
"Isn't he the youngest challenger ever?"
"He is! No one would try the Promise of Three at eighteen years of age!"
"That's crazy! It's a match between the Frostfire Sword of Valor and the Gambling Monster!"
"Shall we start gambling on them, too?"
"But the first match is gambling, not a duel. I don't think he will even reach the drinking match, since he won't be able to pass the first..."
"That's true. He can't possibly have much experience in gambling, since he's only eighteen years old."
"Oh no, I wanted to watch a fight between them..."
People were enjoying the completely unexpected match, but started to lick their lips in regret upon realizing that Raon wouldn't be able to pass the gambling and drinking trials.
"What kind of gamble do you prefer? Cards? Dice? Roulette?"
"I'm fine with anything."
Raon shrugged his shoulders while smiling.
"I like your confidence. In that case, let's start with poker."
The Gambling Monster smiled in a similar manner and took the cards.
"I'll give you a piece of advice, since it's your first time. This place has different rules than the outside. It's okay if you cheat, since the one that didn't find out is the one that's stupid and wrong. Do you understand?"
He swayed his card again between his fingers. It seemed to be his habit, but it was extremely irritating.
"In short, cheats and tricks are justice as long as they aren't found out."
"What if I manage to find out those tricks?"
"It's pointless to discuss something impossible."
"In that case, will you have a match of pure skills with me if I manage to find out your tricks?"
"Haa, some people just can't understand."
The Gambling Monster sneered, shaking his head.
"Alright, do it if you can."
The corners of his lips rolled up as he told Raon to try whatever he wanted.
'Wrath.'
Raon called upon Wrath while watching the Gambling Monster shuffle the cards. A blue light emerged from the bracelet.
'It's your turn. Please find everything that can be used for cheating on the Gambling Monster's body.'
I don't want to.
'Huh?'
Finding everything would be too much compared to what the King of Essence has received.
Wrath briskly turned his head around in refusal.
'Why now?'
Raon was confused about his sudden change of behavior, since he'd been acting like he would do it for him. Raon controlled his expression to prevent the Gambling Monster from finding out, calling upon Wrath once again.
'You told me to come here quickly, since you were going to help.'
It's already too late!
'I had no other choice, since I needed to be prepared.'
You are asking me to find out all of that well-concealed energy after making me wait for an entire month. No matter how you look at it, it's not fair for the King of Essence. That's why...
Wrath lowered his voice, implying that he wanted something else. Raon swallowed nervously, expecting him to ask to hand over his body.
'I can't do that right now, though.'
He was wondering what he should do, since it was an impossible request... However, what Wrath actually said was completely different from what he was worried about.
One more bead ice cream shall be added. The King of Essence wants three boxes of bead ice cream!
Wrath declared that he wanted ice cream in a majestic voice that made it sound like he was about to conquer the world.
'Ah...'
Raon closed his eyes before quickly opening them again.
'I-Ice cream?'
Yes! And all of them shall be chosen to fit the King of Essence's taste!
It was unbelievable, but that was a request he was more than willing to grant.
'I got it, and I'll even add one more box!'
The King of Essence will do his best!
Wrath bounced towards the Gambling Monster. Since his perception was far beyond a human's level, there was no way Wrath wouldn't find out about the tricks even though Rimmer was deceived by them.
First of all, this ring. It seems capable of removing sound. And this necklace has the ability to distract one's vision.
'I can see how he's going to use them.'
He likely planned to remove the sound upon dealing from the bottom of the deck, and the necklace should've been useful to distract his opponent the moment he cheated.
Considering the fact that the mana flowing from them was extremely faint, to the point that he couldn't even sense them, they must've been the highest-grade artifacts created for the sake of gambling.
The tattoo on the back of his hand is also strange. It seems to be connected to the cards. The mana is too faint, and the King of Essence only managed to figure out through its scent.
'Alright.'
Raon nodded, then raised his chin.
"Sir Gambling Monster, you should take off your ring and necklace for now."
"Huh?"
The Gambling Monster's hand stopped as he went to distribute the cards.
"What did you just say?"
"I told you to take off your ring and necklace."
Raon precisely pointed out the ring and necklace that had the special abilities.
"They are just cosmetic..."
"The ring on the index finger of your right hand is capable of reducing sound when you want, and the necklace can distract one's vision. You should stop with those poor excuses."
"...How did you find out?"
The Gambling Monster stopped smiling for the first time. He was rolling his eyes with a trembling chin, as he couldn't believe he was found out.
"I have pretty good senses."
Raon smiled faintly and shrugged.
Senses? Bullshit! It's the King of Essence's power!
Wrath shook his hand, telling him to stop his bullshit.
"S-Seriously?"
"Did he just discover the Gambling Monster's tricks right away?"
"That's crazy..."
"I-Is it even possible to discover the tricks when the game hasn't even started yet?"
The spectators' jaws dropped as they watched Raon instantly figure out the Gambling Monster's secrets.
"Ha, alright. I said I would stop cheating if you found out, so I'll keep my promise."
The Gambling Monster took off his necklace and ring and placed them on the edge of the table.
"If you are going to stop cheating, you should also erase that."
Raon pointed at the tattoo at the back of the Gambling Monster's hand.
"I know you can check my cards by using that."
"Seriously..."
The Gambling Monster cackled and rubbed the back of his hand. The tattoo that looked like it would stay there forever disappeared like it had never been there.
"Are you satisfied now?"
Although he was discovered cheating, he didn't look embarrassed at all. The way he sounded suggested that it had merely become slightly annoying as he dealt the new cards, showing that he didn't become famous throughout the continent for no reason.
"Then let's get started now."
The Gambling Monster giggled, distributing the cards.
Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the card between the Gambling Monster's fingers.
'Cheating is justice as long as no one finds out... Which means, I'm going to be the justice today.'
"Hmm."
Raon was holding his cards, and the Gambling Monster rubbed his fingers while staring into Raon's eyes.
'Does he believe that he will be able to win against me as long as I don't cheat?'
There were some idiots in the world who believed that cheating was all he did to reach his current position.
However, he only cheated to make it easier to extort money from the newbies, and reading his opponent's thoughts was what determined the victor in a game between real pros.
The senses he had at his young age were certainly surprising, but it was simply impossible for him to win. It wouldn't take long until all of his expressions and actions would be analyzed, and he got kicked out.
"Shall we take it easy for the first match with a hundred gold coins?"
The Gambling Monster pushed a hundred gold coins onto the table without even looking at his cards. He was testing his opponent's reactions and what kind of decisions he would make.
"Alright."
Raon nonchalantly checked his cards and poured a hundred gold coins into the center of the table.
"Let's check now."
The Gambling Monster revealed his hand. There were multiple cards with the same number, meaning that he had three of a kind.
"Back straight. I won this round."
Raon's hand was a back straight, with numbers going from one to five. He took two hundred gold coins for himself with a faint smile on his face.
Even though the Gambling Monster had just lost a hundred gold coins, he looked completely unaffected.
'It doesn't matter how much I lose, since I'll be the winner in the end.'
He wasn't nicknamed the Gambling Monster for no reason. He was confident that he was the best at reading his opponent's thoughts, in martial arts and gambling alike.
"I'll distribute the cards this time."
Raon mixed the cards and distributed the cards.
Once again, the Gambling Monster observed Raon's expression instead of looking at his cards.
'The face expresses without talking.'
People's expressions showed a lot more than what they said, and it became most noticeable while gambling, since all kinds of emotions were involved. It was pretty much a piece of cake for him to read the thoughts of a youngster like him.
"Two hundred gold coins."
The Gambling Monster pushed twice as much money in than he did the first time.
"Alright."
Raon didn't refuse either, pouring all of the money he'd won into the center of the table.
The Gambling Monster revealed his cards. He had one pair, and when he looked ahead to check Raon's cards, he had two pairs.
"I won this time as well."
Raon took the cards again with a small smile on his face.
"Nice, let's continue."
The Gambling Monster smiled. Money was the most fearsome weapon. He was expecting Raon's face to show his ruin as the amount of money on the table increased.
However.
After they'd played ten games, the Gambling Monster's confidence had become as faint as mist.
'Hmm...'
The Gambling Monster silently groaned.
'What the hell is this guy?'
It didn't matter whether Raon had a good hand or a bad hand, his expression didn't change at all. He couldn't read his thoughts at all, as if he was wearing a mask.
'I can't believe an eighteen-year-old can have those expressions.'
His expressions were so faint that he almost felt like he was facing a veteran gambler, spy, or assassin rather than an eighteen-year-old boy.
'Moreover, I'm the one losing all my money right now.'
The scores were even at 5:5 after ten matches, but he was the one who lost money overall. Whenever he had good cards, Raon somehow knew like a demon and didn't call, or simply bet a small amount of money and never lost anything.
The Gambling Monster checked his cards without showing his agitation.
'One pair.'
With two cards having the same number, one pair was a bad hand. Since the number was a five, it even had a low rank. However, he wanted to try destroying Raon's bland expression.
"1500 gold coins."
The Gambling Monster bet as many gold coins as Raon had, pouring them onto the table. He examined Raon's eyes, which were reflecting the dazzling gold color.
'Huh? How come I can't see any anxiety?'
Raon's red eyes didn't waver even though he was looking at the gold coins piled up like a mountain. They were completely peaceful, just like they'd been so far.
"I call."
Raon poured out all his gold coins. His calm eyes almost looked like he was drinking a cup of tea.
'What does he even have in his hand? Straight flush?'
Since he decided to bet 1500 gold coins at once, he must've had at least four cards or a straight flush.
He chewed the inside of his cheek and waited for Raon to reveal his hand. However, his hand was far from what he'd expected.
"O-One pair?"
Raon's hand was one pair, just like him. However, the number was six, which was ranked higher than his five.
"I won."
Raon threw the two six cards on the table and smiled.
"Wh-What?!"
"Did they just wager 3000 gold coins in total for two one-pairs?"
"Th-They're crazy! They're both insane!"
"By the way, hasn't the Frostfire Sword of Valor been winning this whole time?"
"I know, right? The Gambling Monster is losing one-sidedly!"
The spectators nervously gulped while looking at the gold coins soaring to the ceiling on Raon's side.
"I-It must be beginner's luck. It's not going to last for a long time."
"Yes, the situation's going to be reversed any time now. Just you wait!"
"The Gambling Monster is a slow starter! He's only getting started now!"
The people who still believed in the Gambling Monster were blabbering that it was only getting started, but they all fell silent after they played five more games.
"How is this possible...?"
The Gambling Monster couldn't stop himself anymore and widened his mouth. He won three games out of the five, and only lost two games, yet Raon was the one who won more money overall. There weren't even fifty gold coins left on his side of the table.
'How is this happening...?'
It was the first time it had happened to him. No matter how good his beginner's luck was, it was impossible to dodge every single time he had a good hand.
'Wait... No way!'
The Gambling Monster swallowed nervously.
'Did he manage to read my thoughts?'
If he kept losing money while his opponent won a lot, despite having 5:5 in odds, the reason was obvious. Raon had managed to read him through his expressions and reactions.
"Ugh."
He raised his head while forcing himself to manage his expression. Raon's serious eyes were directed at him. Facing his clear crimson eyes was giving him goosebumps.
'One thing's for sure. He knows what cards I have.'
There was the only way to explain all of his losses.
"You must've done something!"
"Did I do something?"
Raon calmly smiled, just like when he received his cards.
"I didn't do anything."
"Stop lying. Look how I keep losing money when we have the same scores! I've gambled countless times before, but this has never happened!"
"No, I really didn't do anything."
"What?"
"Because Sir Gambling Monster said it himself. It's not cheating if you don't get found out. It's justice."
Raon grinned while smoothing down the gold coins piled up next to him.
"The one who gets tricked is the idiot."
"You..."
The Gambling Monster unconsciously crumpled the cards in his grasp.
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