WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

Wizard of the Abyss

[Translator – Aren]

Chapter 14 - Adoption (5)

"Ea-earn money, you say?”

I looked at the bewildered director and calmly gathered my thoughts.

Our orphanage, or nursery, whatever you want to call it, was unbelievably good.

It was the largest in the capital, and not only did we get a generous allowance, but the meals and lessons were also healthy and varied. It truly felt like we were no different from children of ordinary families.

At first, I thought all orphanages were like this, accrediting it to impressive policies. But after Linmel half-dragged me around the capital, I came to the realization that our orphanage was simply exceptional.

Not that the other places abused the kids or anything. I heard that these types of places used to exist but were completely eradicated when a new policy came to pass.

Anyway, this meant that this system of giving each and every child personalized care or even providing them with allowances was something unique to this place.

At first, I just thought, ‘Wow, that princess must seriously like our orphanage for her to give us this much support.’

But whenever there were no kids around, I could always see the director sighing deeply.

... Turns out, this was all just a facade.

In other words, the director had no other choice but to go along with my idea. Not for himself, but for us kids, and yet…

"No."

"?"

He refused.

Contrary to my thoughts, he sat me down, crossed his arms, and began his long sermon wearing a rare, stern expression.

"Jern, I know you’re gifted. But to use that talent for fraud… that is something you should never do.”

"...No, this isn’t fraud, it’s—"

"No. Even if it isn’t, this money would still be dirty, right? I want the money I use to clothe and feed you with to be clean.”

“...”

As expected, true righteousness couldn’t be breached by any kind of sophistry.

"But then, what’ll happen to our orphanage?”

"..."

Then all I had to do was to make his righteousness seem not so righteous anymore. The director’s expression wavered.

"...You heard?”

"A little. But even if I hadn’t, anyone can tell things haven’t been going that well lately.”

"Even so, this is something I can still handle…”

"It isn’t."

I firmly cut him off.

If he could really solve this problem, it wouldn’t have come to this point.

I leaned towards the agonizing director, whispering like a devil.

"Those people are all wicked. Did you know that some of the kids that came from this place lost all their money because they got involved with gambling?”

"Tha-that’s..."

"Director."

As I had mentioned before, the director would fold.

"Please think of it as doing something for our good. So that we can eat well and grow up well.”

Not to save himself, but for the good of us children.

"..."

The director kept wrestling with his thoughts for a bit longer before he finally lowered his head.

"Just this once..."

"Huh?"

"Just this once. Just long enough to pay off our debt and buy your textbooks. And swear that you won’t extort money from those coming to gamble.”

Bingo.

I smiled brightly as I replied.

"Of course. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure that those thugs come to us first.”

"Haah, this feels like I’m being seriously toyed with…”

With that I took the sighing director’s hand and led him to Annelin’s clothing store to start our preparations.

"Ah, no, Director. Just what is…”

"...I’m sorry. I’ll explain everything later.”

Annelin nearly fainted at the director’s atrocious disguise.

A velvet vest stuffed with padding, a leather belt, and an unpleasantly flashy pair of pants.

And finally, gluing a fake mustache to his face made him the picture of some nouveau-riche fop.

"Take this cane, and from now on, don't speak politely to me."

"...Will that do?”

"You’re a bit stiff. Be a bit more rough, as if you’re addressing someone far below you.”

"L-like this?”

I even helped him fix his tone.

I also dressed up as his servant.

As for my face—there wasn’t really a need for me to disguise it. Nobody would pay attention to a servant’s features.

"I’m going to address you like this from now on: Master.”

"...A-alright..."

"Don’t be too nervous. We’ll be done in no time.”

"Hmm, how could that be true? Even if we’re scamming them, we can’t possibly make money that fast.”

I calmly explained this matter to the baffled director.

"What do you think will happen if we bet 1 silver, turn it into 10, and then into 100?”

"I don’t know."

"The answer is ‘No clue’. They’ll probably make a move as soon as they see that we won 10 silver, and if I neutralize whatever trick they’ll pull, they’ll probably resort to force. We’ll be kicked out long before our 1 silver turns into 100 one way or another.”

And I didn’t have the confidence to overpower those guys.

...Well, it’s not like I had none at all.

But fighting them at that point would be detrimental. My goal wasn’t to blow everything up like that.

For that reason I never even considered slowly winning step by step.

"Then what are we doing instead?”

"I already thought of a plan.”

When those guys throw out some bait to reel us in, we’ll just cut the line.

And then we’ll escape before they could even figure out what hit them.

"The operation starts tomorrow. We’ll finish everything in just one go.”

By the time they realize they’ve been tricked, the nouveau-riche and his little servant would already be completely gone from this world.

* * *

-Thud, thud.

...?

Like that, the day I was supposed to go to the gambling den came. It was still just before dawn.

While practicing Tide Sense in the warehouse, blood suddenly started dripping from my nose.

"Tsk, what the hell is this?”

I had slept plenty, so why was this happening?

There wasn’t such a thing as tissues in this world, so I roughly caught the drops with my hand and wiped them away using a rag that lay around nearby.

Thick blood smeared across my palm as I did so.

To wash it off, I’d have to go all the way to the well. Feeling annoyed, I frowned, then something occurred to me suddenly.

"Could this be possible?”

I gathered my perception on the blood.

And then, like a drop of milk dropped into a glass of water, the blood blossomed into the air.

"Oooh…"

It was a strangely ephemeral sight. Just as I was blankly staring at the mist of blood—

[~~~~~~~~~~~~!]

The currents moved violently.

They thrashed around, as if they’d gone completely mad.

I looked up in alarm, wondering just what was going on. The deep-sea fish that had been completely quiet up until now started to writhe wildly, as if searching for something, swimming around at impossible speeds.

It was more than clear what they were searching for.

"Shit."

I instantly realized what was going on and let the blood fall to the ground.

Splaaaat—the crimson mist finally succumbed to gravity, soaking the floor.

Not long after, my surroundings became quiet again. The deep-sea fish quickly scattered, their numbers a lot fewer than before.

...Something about this felt wrong. It seemed like those things were fleeing from something.

I activated my Tide Sense inside the warehouse.

"...................."

And then...

I sensed a creature so vast that one couldn’t even begin to describe it.

Even with my Tide Sense, which enabled me to sense things from tens of meters away, I could only detect a tiny fraction of its body.

A mouth that closely resembled a blender… with tens of thousands of saw-like teeth, designed solely to shred prey larger than itself to pieces.

And that grotesque mouth opened widely, stuffing the entire ‘orphanage’ into it.

I couldn’t breathe.

If it were to close it now, I would—

[Uooooooh…]

Thankfully, it didn’t. It simply vanished.

...However, it wasn’t actually gone.

It simply had drifted outside of Tide Sense’s range.

It surely was still somewhere nearby.

How absurd was that? I scratched my head, then crouched down to wipe the bloodstains off the floor with a rag, just in case.

"The water pressure’s a joke against that thing…”

Water pressure, drowning.

I was sure that none of these would compare to dying to that dreadful thing.

...Ah, I got it now. It wasn’t that those things didn’t react to me, aside from squirming a little when I used the current, because they didn’t care about my existence, it was because they couldn’t perceive me.

They might be able to sense the current’s strange movements, but they couldn’t tell where I was. They’d probably think something along the lines of “What the—? What’s with these strange movements all of a sudden?”

But if I spilled my blood into the sea like I did just now, they’d immediately notice.

And that would surely lead to my demise.

'There’s no way… I can make use of something like that.’

Even if I sprayed my blood into the water and flung it at an enemy, those sea beasts would just bite into empty space.

I existed in both this world and that world, so I was sure to get torn apart.

People who only existed in this world, on the other hand, could never be harmed by those monsters.

It was hard to say whether I should call this a blessing or just a cruel joke.

"Je-Jern?”

As I was thoroughly washing my face by the well, the director approached me, seeming quite anxious.

"Is something wrong? You look unwell.”

"Huh? I’m fine. In fact, I’m in perfect condition.”

I wasn’t lying.

For some reason, these last two days my use of magic had become a lot smoother.

It even felt like I could hover in the air a little if I combined it with some simple wind magic.

I sadly hadn’t been able to attend the lessons recently, so I didn’t learn any new spells, but overall, my progress was decent.

"Let’s get ready. How much money did you prepare?”

"Hmm, about this much. This should suffice, right?”

...

I took a peek inside his pouch and froze in shock.

"?? Why did you prepare this much?”

"I couldn’t bring myself to gamble using the orphanage’s funds, no matter what, so I borrowed some using my land as collateral.”

"Land? Are you talking about the land your family has passed down for generations??”

"Oh, you know?”

"Wait, isn’t that… Why did you do that? We don’t need that much.”

Seeing me stand there, horrified, the director simply scratched his cheek sheepishly.

"This might be an odd thing to say while we’re on the way to a gambling den, but… I trust you.”

"..."

"Even if things don’t go the way you expect, don’t be disheartened. Your feelings have reached my heart at least.”

"...Yes."

So the director was a mage as well, huh?

One who specialized in the most fatal killing spell, ‘crushing people with guilt.’

* * *

This gambling den wasn't what one would call a legal establishment.

Which meant there weren’t that many people that went there; as such, it wasn’t as flashy as the real casinos.

The den I was now standing in front of looked more like a shabby warehouse located near the edge of the capital near the forest.

If it weren’t for the beefy thugs blocking the entrance, I would have thought that this was just another abandoned building often found in these kinds of places.

We tried to walk in up to them as casually as possible when one of the guards, who had been laughing with his partner, spat on the ground and blocked the entrance.

"Never seen you ‘round here."

"..."

I held my breath, waiting behind the director.

Time to assess our director’s acting skills, huh?

"A-am I not welcome here?”

I hadn’t been expecting much, but aside from that initial stutter, I guess it was fine.

He tapped one foot, wearing a prickly expression that radiated that he felt he deserved to be treated better. Seeing that, the guard just smiled derisively.

"Come on, don’t get so worked up. I was just checking. Anyone can enter our little shelter.”"

"Want me to open the door for you? Hehe…”

They blatantly looked down on us, but that was fine.

It was better to look like a plump mackerel in their eyes rather than a giant whale that won’t fit in their net.

"Come on in.”

I opened the door for the director, who still seemed somewhat hesitant, and stepped into the gambling hall—uhm, well.

It seemed a lot more realistic than I expected.

"Fuuuuuuck!!!!!!!! This is bullshit, right?! Scam, this is a scam!!!!!!”

"Hey, just accept the results. Don’t even think of doing anything stupid.”

"You wanna know what I dreamed of last night? The reaper put his scythe on my neck and started to drag me to the underworld.”

"Why the hell are you even here gambling then, you idiot?”

"I kept losing a ton yesterday, so now that the reaper has killed the weak past-me, my luck has changed for the better!”

The place was bustling with people. There were at least a hundred.

Fancy chandeliers, which absolutely didn’t suit this rundownshack, hung from the ceiling; the floor was covered in red carpets; there were dealers and waiters wearing proper uniforms; and they even had a band playing some lively music near a bar.

Sure, there were a few shady elements, but overall, it seemed like this place had everything it needed.

Even if it was just a few things, it still looked rather impressive. I whistled as I looked around, when a waiter with a fixed smile on their lips approached.

"Hello, sir. I haven't seen you here before. Is this your first time?”

"Ugh, tsk…”

The director scowled and waved his hand dismissively, as I had told him to do before, so I stepped forward.

"My apologies. My Master doesn’t like, erm… unnecessary conversation. If you have anything to say, please just tell me.”

"Sorry? Ah, yes…”

The waiter, seeming slightly flustered, looked between me and the director but was quick to calm down and began his explanation.

"Our ‘Shelter’ aims to be a source of energy for those tired of everyday life. A place where everyone can find joy.”

"Ah, yes. Splendid. Where can I exchange money?”

"...Do you see the bar over there? You can do it there. There will be a small exchange fee, but it’s more reasonable than what most places demand, so please check it out!”

"Are there any restrictions on the ‘games’ you can play?”

"Haha, of course not! Anyone can join in whatever they want whenever they want!”

Though the waiter was speaking to me, he spoke in a way so that the director could clearly hear every detail. It seemed like our roles had been successfully established.

After he was done, he bowed with an ingratiating smile and then left.

"..."

Before we came in, I had briefly told the director what he should do, so he stiffly walked around, examining the gambling tables one after the other.

I followed him, scanning the overall area.

"Please, be ten or less, please…!”

The most common games here were card games.

If one were to ask me whether I could intervene in those… Well, it’s not like I couldn’t.

But it was too tricky. Even slight mess-ups while trying to meddle would surely get me caught.

"6, 6...and then 1! Bust!"

"Hahaha, you punk. Even if that didn’t come out, you were finished.”

The next most common was dice games.

It was a bit easier than cards, but still not worth the risk.

But it would be perfect for a test run. I sent a signal, or, to be precise, tapped the director’s shoulder with the current.

"...Ahem."

He stopped, took out a fake cigarette from his pocket, and lit it after he placed it between his lips. I kept a certain distance between us, inducing Tide Sense as I watched the table.

"Anyone else want to join this round? The cards currently being dealt are for player number one.”

"Ugh, my luck’s shitty today. I’m out.”

"Pfft, you’ve been acting all cool, but now you’re just leaving completely empty-handed?”

"Shut your damn mouth…"

I slightly glanced towards the gambler as he slouched away before letting out a quiet laugh.

I could sense the guy disappearing toward the restrooms, laughing and chatting with another dealer.

"What? Doesn’t anyone else want to join in? I’m finally starting to make some real money here! Anyone will do, wahaha…!”

That guy who’s constantly losing is the bait, and that guy who’d won up to now is their mark.

It seemed like that happy sucker wouldn’t leave no matter what one did.

They buttered him up pretty well. Even if I ran up to him and told him that he was being played here, he’d probably just curse me out and tell me to stop talking bullshit.

After looking around a bit longer while using Tide Sense at the same time, I was able to confirm that similar things were happening at every table here.

Normally, these kinds of pros flock to the legit gambling establishments that live off commissions, trying to hook some suckers.

But this place was completely different. This whole den was one giant con.

'...That’s good for us though.’

I tried to suppress the smile about to spread on my face.

This actually made things easier. With this I was pretty much done figuring things out. I gave the director another signal, this time by tapping him on his other shoulder.

"Ahem!"

Following that, the director drew attention to him by letting out a needless grunt before looking at me with solemn eyes.

At that, I strode off to the chip counter I had been shown before and poured out our bag of silver.

Cliiink... Hearing the clattering of the coins, most of the gamblers in the hall turned towards me.

"...What the hell? What’s a rich guy like that doing here?”

"Don't ask. Rich people love their eccentricities.”

Naturally, all eyes were fixed on us now.

They were probably wondering what type of game this whale would be playing here.

Blackjack? Poker? Or…

"...?"

"Wh-what in the—?”

However, we shattered all their expectations.

We walked straight to the roulette table. Something no one bothered with.

The dealer, who stood by the wheel, blinked at us in surprise.

"W-would you like to place a bet, sir?”

"Yes. Number 21, single.”

The director placed down a single chip.

"...Spinning.”

The still bewildered dealer spun the wheel, probably wondering if he did this as some sort of test of luck.

Tok, tododok...

The ball came to a halt on black 35.

I immediately activated Tide Sense after seeing the result.

Let’s see what kind of trick they were using here…

...Huh?

"Number 21, single again.”

These results made no sense.

No, this couldn’t be real, right?

In utter disbelief, I send another signal to the director to check multiple times.

"Spinning."

However, each time I checked, my Tide Sense showed me the same thing.

I watched the spinning wheel—or rather, the ball—until a laugh escaped my lips.

"...Hah."

I quickly covered it up.

This might go a lot faster than I had first thought.

* * *

On the second floor of the casino.

The floor manager stormed upstairs to the balcony, from where every gambler’s move could be seen clearly.

Then, facing the massive, bald man sitting in the center of it, savoring his wine, he stiffly straightened his stance.

"S-sir Crain!"

The man called Crain, rolling some dice on the expensive-looking wooden table, scowled as he answered.

"What? Didn’t I tell you not to come up here while I’m working?”

"W-we caught a whale.”

"...A whale?”

Crain tilted his head.

"None of these have tried playing us lately. What the hell are you talking about?”

Whales—meaning, wealthy suckers—had to be set up to cough up everything.

They weren’t idiots, though. They usually avoided throwing all their money in at once.

The floor manager, clearly puzzled by this situation, replied.

"Erm, it’s… he just appeared today and has been testing the waters at the roulette wheel.”

"...?"

Roulette?

Crain rose to his feet and headed toward the railing, gazing down to the first floor.

There he saw a gaudy-looking rich man with a servant betting a single chip on the roulette.

There was still a huge mountain of chips looming behind him.

Crain’s face distorted in displeasure.

"...He cashed in all that just to play roulette?"

"Yes… I can’t explain it either.”

"Tsk. Let him bleed himself dry then. No need to get involved…”

About to wave off the other man when his gaze wandered to that rich man and the servant standing behind him.

"...!"

–Thud

When he saw that servant Crain’s jaw dropped, and then—

He suddenly started to grin widely, baring all his teeth.

"Kuh, huhaha...!"

"Sir Crain?"

"How wondrous. A natural…! And I bet that guy dragged him here without even knowing that he was a wizard…”

The floor manager didn’t seem to know it, but—

This wasn’t just a whale.

It was a fish made of pure gold that had flopped into his pot on its own.

"Get the boys ready. Don’t let those two leave by any means.”

"Y-yes!”

While the oblivious floor manager ran to make preparations, Crain continued to look down, a wide smile plastered all over his face.

It had been a very long time since they caught something this big. He’d really savor it, simmering him so slowly that he won’t even notice that he was already in his pot.

Give it a month, and he’d come begging on his knees for another chance, throwing that servant of his to the fire…

"Number 21. Single.”

"...Huh?"

But something about this felt off.

As stupid as it was, their mark kept betting on 21 and no other number.

And as idiotic as it was, he kept placing a single chip on it each time.

He couldn’t seriously keep that up, right?

...Or did he notice something?

Crain snapped his fingers to summon the floor manager.

"Did you rig the wheel?”

"Yes. I’m sure I have."

"What are the chances of someone catching on to that?”

The floor manager answered with full confidence.

"The ball’s filled with water of such high purity that no matter how one shook it, no one would be able to detect it. No matter how we spin the wheel, gravity will always drag it to a set location.”

"Hmm, good.”

It was a flawless trick. Feeling relieved, Crain leaned back in his chair.

It might take a while to completely fry that fool, but eventually…

"21, I’ll bet everything… Umm, I mean, I’ll go all in.”

"?"

Everything would have been fine if it weren’t for that single line.

"A-all in, sir?”

"Are you deaf?”

He bet pocket change on the exact same number three times in a row.

And then just decided to throw away his entire fortune?

Without even having him have a taste of dopamine—

"...?"

"Wh-what the hell is that guy doing?”

—And like that, the entire casino began to stir.

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