Chapter 13: Gambler's Fallacy (2)

Does that even make sense?

First of all, does the probability of four dice all landing on 1 even make sense?

It's also because it was a critical failure.

If it had just been a failure, it would have ended with me simply dropping and breaking the bottle.

Well, the point is…

‘…I’m screwed.’

It means that my plan, like that wine bottle that just shattered with a loud noise, has been completely smashed to pieces.

“……”

For a moment, silence flowed.

Perhaps because my ‘Strength’ was low, the bottle broke, but the thug who got hit on the head didn't fall and was still standing perfectly fine.

Except for the fact that his head was completely soaked in red wine, “What,” and a stream of blood, a deeper red than the wine, began to flow from his forehead.

“The hell are you… doing……?”

Most of them, including the man himself, were staring at me blankly, mouths agape.

They had dazed expressions, as if they still couldn't understand what had just happened in front of them.

Of course.

I can't even understand what the hell I just did.

“…Haha.”

Since the plan had flown far away, “I asked what the hell you think you’re d──”

Now I had no choice but to solve it with improvisation.

“──H-Hey, there!”

I stretched out my finger and pointed behind them.

“She’s trying to escape!”

“?!”

There, while these thugs' attention was all sold on my [Performance], Evie, who had unlocked the chains on her own, was walking on tiptoes with muffled footsteps.

The moment her escape attempt was suddenly reported (?), Evie, just like me a moment ago, froze in place in that exact posture.

“…Haha.”

Then, as if finding the situation utterly ridiculous, she burst out laughing.

“Ah, shit.”

“No, when the hell did that──”

“What are you doing!? Get her!”

The gazes and bodies of the four men, which had been focused on me, all naturally turned towards Evie, “Rine!”

And thanks to that, I was able to buy time to respond.

──Kwaang!

As soon as I gave the signal, the 「Fireball」 shot by Rine, who was hiding in a corner far away, exploded, sending the thug in front of me flying.

“──U-Uwaaaak!?”

The one whose head was drenched in liquor.

The thugs, startled by the sight, turned back towards me, but,『This is your funeral wine, you son of a bitch!』

In the brief moment they turned, I took out another one with 「Vicious Mockery」.

Now only two remained.

Both of them looked considerably flustered by the sudden battle.

And one of them, “You damn entertainer── eok!?”

Was stabbed in the back of the neck by Evie, who had quickly rushed over and stolen his sword before he could even draw it, giving him no time to be bewildered.

It was a perfectly clean 「Backstab」.

“Heek…!”

The man who was left alone in the blink of an eye, judging that he couldn't possibly turn the tide of the battle, finally chose to flee in a hurry, but,『Kneel!』

He didn't get far before succumbing to my 「Word Command」.

The moment he heard my shout, he knelt almost reflexively.

Like a dog that had been told to sit.

That fact seemed to be extremely humiliating… and also, terrifying for him.

“You, what the hell are you, you bastard…?!”

When I approached and looked down at him, his face was full of fear.

“I told you. A wandering bard from around these parts.”

“Do, do you even know what you're doing right now…?! Do you know who our boss is…!”

He tried his best to speak strongly even with a trembling voice, as if trying to hide that fact somehow, but it was only for a moment.

“The bastard whose safe I robbed.”

Because Evie came up and slit his throat.

And so, with all the thugs taken care of, the situation was roughly settled──

“──Don’t move.”

Or so I thought, but it wasn't.

“If you even think about trying anything funny, I'll slit your throat.”

The very same blade that had slit the thug's throat was now pressed against my own.

“What the hell are you?”

At that, I nonchalantly raised both my arms to show that I had no intention of resisting.

“You suddenly appear and start singing, then you suddenly snitch on me when I'm trying to escape, but then you fight these guys, and what's this? What the hell are you wearing on your head?”

Just as I was about to answer Evie’s question with a leisurely reply, she cut me off before I could even speak.

“Just you try spouting that 'bard' nonsense again.”

“…But I am a bard?”

“This son of a bitch, really.”

What can I do, it's the truth.

But Evie, with a look that said 'you wanna go right now?', pressed the blade against my neck even harder.

So close that I wondered if, no, perhaps I had already been slightly cut.

“Master.”

Just then, I heard Rine's voice.

She had started walking towards me as soon as the fight was over, but had stopped in her tracks and was now looking this way with eyes that were a little colder than her usual indifferent gaze.

“Your orders.”

With her arm, which was wrapped in a circle ready to cast magic at any time, aimed at Evie.

“Don't do it, Rine. And please, stop calling me master.”

As soon as I saw that, I quickly stretched out one of my raised hands to stop Rine.

“It's okay, I'll handle it.”

Rine seemed to ponder my words for a moment before reluctantly lowering her arm, but her wary gaze remained.

“Yeah, be a good girl and listen to your master. Your master might get hurt, you know?”

“I'm not her master.”

“Sure you're not. Wow, I've seen all sorts of things, but this is the first time I've seen a bard with a slave.”

“She's not a slave either.”

“Then what's with the 'master' thing? What, is it some kind of game? Your preference is making a kid who's not even a slave call you master? How wonderful of you.”

“She's not a kid either. You're an elf too, isn't it a bit much to judge by appearances alone?”

“Guess it's because I'm half-human. The high-and-mighty elves always just called me a half-breed, so I never had a chance to befriend them. I guess I didn't know better.”

Evie sneered and glanced at Rine as she spoke.

“Sorry, grandma?”

“…You'll understand if you hear the explanation.”

“That it's your preference to be called 'master' by a grandma?”

“It's just that she hasn't gotten used to this kind of relationship yet. Give it time.”

“Sorry, but that's a preference I'll never be able to understand.”

“You're right, to some extent. Though she's a free person now, she was indeed a slave.”

“Ah, so you'd rather be a piece of trash who openly takes a slave around than have a weird preference?”

“You heard about the brewery on the outskirts burning down last night, right?”

“Changing the subject because you have nothing to say? Isn't that a bit too obvious?”

“Actually, that place was a slave auction house.”

Flinch, I felt Evie's hand holding the blade tremble slightly.

“What kind of bullshit is that all of a sudden?”

“She was being treated as a product there, so I blew it all up. Because it was disgusting.”

At her expected reaction, I raised one corner of my mouth in a smirk (well, not that she could see it anyway) and continued.

“You've had a similar experience, haven't you? Am I wrong?”

“……You, what the hell are you really?”

“Bards are sensitive to rumors. We're always thirsty for new stories. ──And that includes your story, Evie.”

“…!”

“A dark elf who robbed the infamous cartel boss of Tiaria and disappeared, becoming a street legend? That's a regular song material that can be used for years.”

At these words, Evie's dazed expression crumpled.

At the same time, the blade that seemed to have been withdrawn a little was once again pressed tightly against me.

“…Did that bastard send you too?”

“If he had, would I have come all this way to help you?”

“Help? Then what the hell was that snitching earlier?”

“That… I'm sorry about that. I had to improvise.”

I needed to create an opening, even for a moment.

Something that would count as a 'surprise attack'.

And it actually worked.

Didn't those guys fall one by one without being able to put up much of a fight?

The fact that I suddenly smashed the wine bottle over his head was, in a sense, an unfortunate accident that occurred in a 'non-combat situation'… and the full-blown battle eventually began with Rine's 「Fireball」.

At that time, since they were all looking at Evie, Rine's first strike, who was completely out of their line of sight, was treated as a surprise attack.

And I, who was Evie's party member, was also briefly out of their sight at that moment.

Perhaps thinking that there was some truth to my words, the hostility in Evie's eyes as she glared at me gradually faded.

“…Shit.”

Of course, that didn't mean she put away the blade.

“The rumor has already spread all the way to Stout?”

“Soon, the entire continent will be singing your song.”

“Ha, this is why being a popular star is so troublesome.”

“Yeah, it will be troublesome. Unfortunately, with your current fame, you should probably give up on the dream of a fugitive life where you stay in one place for a long time.”

In fact, didn't these guys find you in no time?

Evie couldn't deny my added question.

“No matter which of the 12 cities you go to, the cartel's assassins will chase after you, just like this time.”

“This bastard is a real bard. Such a hopeful encouragement, huh? You have a knack for cheering people up with your words.”

“Unless you get rid of that cartel, you'll probably have to live on the run for the rest of your life. Constantly changing your whereabouts.”

“…Instead of spouting things I already know, why don't you recite some new, useful information that I don't know, Mr. Bard?”

“And as it happens, we're currently looking for a companion to wander the continent with.”

“Ha. What, are you trying to start a band?”

“That's not a bad idea. Let's jam together sometime.”

“With some crazy person with a sack over their head and a masochist who voluntarily serves such a person as her master even though she's not a slave?”

“How long do you think you can run away on your own? Your opponent is a man who can manipulate even the great nobles of Tiaria as he pleases. Let's admit it, you can't do it alone. You need help.”

“And that's you guys?”

“Well, we desperately need your help too. It's a give and take. Isn't that much more trustworthy than swindlers who offer to help you out of pure goodwill for no reason?”

“…My help?”

“We need your skills, the ones that made you a street legend. We're going to go rob somewhere.”

“Aha, thievery. But you know that you look much more like an expert than I do right now, right?”

“When it comes to planning, I might be the expert.”

“Where are you going to rob?”

“For now? A dungeon.”

“A dungeon?”

“I'm planning on earning our travel funds there.”

“Sounds like you have a different place you really want to rob.”

“The Demon King's Castle.”

“!?”

For a moment, Evie's already large eyes widened even more.

Then, “Ha. Haha.”

She burst out laughing as if she was dumbfounded.

“This bastard is a complete psycho.”

“More of a psycho than backstabbing and running from the head of the biggest cartel on the continent?”

“Yeah. A total psycho bastard.”

Suddenly, Evie lowered her gaze and began to look as if she was in thought.

That time wasn't long, though.

“…Do you have the skills for it?”

“They'll naturally develop as we get there.”

“What's with this confidence, you bastard?”

And with that, the blade that had been pressed against my neck was now lowered.

“──Well, fine. I get it.”

Instead, Evie snorted once and shrugged her shoulders.

“It makes sense to some extent. It would be helpful to have guys I can use as bait and run when things get tough.”

I know.

Even if she says that, in reality, Evie is more loyal than anyone I know.

--

The thief 'Evie' officially joins the party.

--

Of course, at first, it was true that she joined the party for that reason.

Nevertheless, as long as we don't betray Evie first, Evie will never betray us either.

So a smile couldn't help but escape me.

“──But, you know.”

However, “…!?”

Even I didn't know this.

“There's one condition.”

That she would suddenly reach out, not with the blade this time, but with her hand, and grab the edge of my sack.

“I can't work with someone who can't even show their face.”

“Wai──”

I urgently grabbed Evie's wrist and tried to stop her from taking it off.

“Heut.”

“What, you don't want to?”

Evie didn't seem to be using much force yet, as if she was still joking, but I was already desperate, and because of that, my voice trembled slightly.

Evie's initial Strength stat is 8.

Mine, on the other hand, is 2.

It's already a 4-fold difference, too much to say they're in the same ballpark.

“Y-You're right, but…! I have a reason why I absolutely can't take it off…!”

“No, a guy who was so nonchalant even with a blade to his neck is suddenly acting like this? It makes me even more curious.”

Unfortunately, my appearance seemed to have piqued Evie's interest even more.

“I-If you take this off… you'll regret it immensely…!”

“Are you actually hiding some amazing identity under here? Are you someone whose face must never be revealed?”

As if her playful mood was properly ignited, she even licked her lips with her tongue as if tasting something.

“A wanted man? Or, maybe some prince who got bored of life in the palace?”

“You'll get hurt…!”

“Are you threatening me right now?”

“Literally…, you will get hurt…!”

“I'll get hurt if I see your face?”

“Yes…!”

“Why?”

“Th-That's……”

“No, well, you have to tell me so I can at least understand, right? Why should I trust and follow a guy who can't even show his face without a proper reason?”

If you don't like it, find someone else.

Evie, who added this, was definitely being serious.

And this wasn't being unreasonable.

The one who was right right now was Evie.

“That's because, I…!”

I had no choice.

It was time to tell the truth.

“You what?”

“Am too, beautiful…!”

“……Huh?”

“If you see me, you'll surely fall in love at first sight……”

“What is this bastard talking about?”