Chapter 44: Lagrite (4)

During the final stages of the training and instruction that continued until morning, Phiri was still grumbling.

“I didn’t know it would go on until morning when you suddenly suggested training after waiting for me to sleep.”

“……”

“Sigh. Are we going to do this again after breakfast?”

“You said it was fine.”

I don’t know how many times I’ve protested. Even though I said it was fine, I still act like this.

I subtly checked her reaction and continued.

“And it’s not like the deputy captain woke you up.”

“Oh my. Look at you?”

Pretending to be surprised, Phiri pulled her head back and clicked her tongue as she plopped down next to me.

I hurriedly used the wind to create another chair for her.

“You always look so exhausted, huh? When we sleep together, you groan in your nightmares, but you were sleeping so soundly. How could I wake you up?”

“……”

I had nothing to say. I am a bad person. And Phiri is genuinely trying to help me.

“I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for? Fix that habit. Is this what you want to do?”

Then, what should I have said?

Phiri waited silently for me to think. I soon found my answer.

“Thank you.”

“Yeah. After all, today is one of those rare days that come once or twice a year. I’ll help you as much as I can.”

Phiri placed her hand on my shoulder.

“Let’s go eat breakfast and then stop by the dormitory before coming back. Don’t worry about being a bother. It’s not like we’ve been up all night for the first time.”

Stopping by the dormitory after breakfast was a thoughtful consideration.

I felt embarrassed for thinking of rejecting Phiri’s gambling offer, but she was indeed taking good care of me.

She usually has a tendency to do this, but it felt like a sudden change to me.

Is it because of the vacation? I bowed my head slightly again.

“Thank you.”

“But you’re definitely different. About six times as much, right?”

“Yes, roughly that much……”

“If you were just a bit bigger, I could win too, right?”

“I’m not there yet. I’m still far from it.”

Suddenly, Phiri pinched my shoulder hard.

“What are you seriously thinking about? You could just say, ‘I’ll do my best.’ It’s just a figure of speech. You’re still far from it.”

She does a lot for me, but today she seems particularly demanding.

Even her grumbling during the training.

“Why are you like this today?”

Turning my head to ask, Phiri grabbed my cheeks with both hands.

I jumped back in surprise, but I couldn’t escape her agility and strength.

“I didn’t touch you because you usually look sensitive and tired. Look, your eyes are so bright. How cute? They looked like dead fish eyes before.”

Maybe she didn’t touch me because I looked tired. After all, Denif and Orhen also said I looked different.

And Phiri is usually playful.

Just seeing her bicker with Hamal shows that she can be a bit mischievous with close friends.

“……”

Noticing I was lost in thought, Phiri placed her hand on my shoulder again.

“I just felt sorry for you after seeing you sleep last night. ‘She’s resting because it’s a vacation,’ ‘How tired must she usually be?’”

Did I look that exhausted? I can’t see myself, so I don’t know.

It seems to be Phiri’s way of comforting me.

I couldn’t continue speaking for a moment and just smiled faintly. Phiri mimicked my expression.

“And in situations like this, be a bit more relaxed. We’re like sworn siblings, after all.”

Given the atmosphere, I nodded reluctantly.

“Still, once we’re on a mission, it’s impossible, right?”

“Yes.”

“We should send someone to the casino. I’ll go tomorrow.”

Well, it’s about the money and Phiri’s revenge, but this is an important time for me.

Phiri brushed her hands and stood up.

“Let’s go eat.”

“……Yes.”

“What do you want to eat?”

“Whatever you want, Phiri.”

“Street food is okay?”

“……”

Seeing my reaction, Phiri chuckled. And so the day passed.

* * *

The physical fatigue was hard to get used to, but I still felt satisfied.

Both Phiri and I nodded.

Realizing our own progress means we’ve grown significantly.

It was entirely thanks to Phiri’s help.

‘I wouldn’t have come this far on my own.’

It was almost like real combat training. After sparring and reflecting, I received feedback on my changed swordsmanship.

Through this process, my sword skills became sharper.

In any case, with Phiri’s comment that my appearance was both familiar and strange, we headed to the casino.

Unlike my sword skills, the despicable and lowly scum looked exactly the same as two days ago.

“Didn’t you and your friend stay at the hot spring for a long time the other day? And you were out all day yesterday. What kind of guard are you?”

The scum chuckled. Phiri’s face turned red with anger.

“It was a private hot spring.”

“Right. Let’s go with that. But what about yesterday?”

“And we went sightseeing around the volcano. Why are you so interested? Are you investigating me? Worried I might run off with the money?”

“Hey, we live here and hear a lot of stories. I was surprised you reserved the best hot spring for two weeks.”

A rough picture formed in my mind.

I realized that Phiri, who I thought was just a merchant’s daughter, had reserved the best hot spring for two weeks.

They must have concluded she was from a wealthy merchant, not an ordinary one.

They probably decided to target Phiri. Phiri must have noticed this trend.

“So, you did investigate me?”

“Hey, we live here and hear a lot of stories.”

Phiri glared, and a scum next to her clapped to lighten the mood.

“Let’s stop this talk and play some cards. I couldn’t sleep for two days thinking about the money I lost.”

“Why don’t we raise the stakes a bit?”

“I’m fine with that. It’s a bit disappointing that it’s such a small amount, isn’t it?”

As if on cue, the scum agreed. Phiri shook her head firmly.

“I didn’t bring that much. This is all I have.”

“Hey, you could bet your body.”

“What?”

Phiri’s voice was sharp. The scum with the greasy mustache raised his hands as if to calm her.

“That’s not what I meant. I meant a collateral. If not, your father would pay, right?”

Right. Wasn’t this their goal from the beginning? Phiri bit her lip and glared at the scum.

I suppressed a laugh. It was too funny to assume they would win.

“But that’s something you should say after you’ve won all the money.”

“Ha ha, let’s see how it goes.”

Thus, the game began in an uncomfortable atmosphere. It didn’t take long for the scum to shut up.

Losing, winning, losing, winning……

In the tedious process, the cards didn’t always favor me, but I always won when a significant amount was bet.

It wasn’t fun for me since I knew the outcome, but it seemed different for them.

No matter how they signaled or played psychological games, it was useless against me who knew all the cards.

The faces of the two men who lost all their money turned bright red. Their muttering, like that of a catfish, was unpleasant.

“This, this is cheating!”

And finally, the last greasy mustache lost all his money to me.

The greasy mustache jumped up and pointed at me.

“You little brat! What trick did you use?”

I silently looked into his eyes. Phiri would answer for me.

“What trick? We played with magic cards. How could we cheat?”

“That, that’s……!”

“Why are you yelling at my guard when you can’t do it yourself?”

Phiri scowled. The greasy mustache’s nostrils flared with anger at her dismissive and scolding words.

I decided it was time to step in.

“It’s a habit.”

“……A habit?”

They live in a casino. There were no noticeable habits, but it could be made to fit.

In the atmosphere of doubt, I tapped the table.

“When a good hand comes, the pupils are less constricted than usual. Everyone here.”

“Just, just that……”

“I’ve been observing since the other day.”

“That’s one of the reasons I’m your guard at such a young age. I can read my father’s and my moods perfectly.”

Phiri interjected with a smirk. I nodded slightly and continued.

“And that uncle over there, he swallows his saliva.”

The greasy mustache nodded involuntarily. It seemed he thought it was true.

This silent agreement calmed the atmosphere. I added a couple more points.

Since I knew the outcome, it wasn’t entirely false.

“It’s over.”

Phiri patted my shoulder.

“Let’s go, this is boring.”

Her voice was full of sarcasm and laughter. Defeat and anger filled the scum’s faces.

Well, it shouldn’t be a big problem.

We didn’t take much. According to our discussion before coming, it was more than what Phiri lost last time, but not excessively.

The casino people wouldn’t bother to move for such an amount.

Phiri was basking in the victory as we left the casino. Even though I played the game……

Since I received something yesterday, I decided to stay quiet.

“Phew! I feel so relieved.”

“Are you satisfied?”

“Of course. Did you see those brats’ faces? I’ve already digested my lunch.”

I smiled slightly at Phiri’s satisfaction.

“But are you okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“They were using foul language.”

“It’s fine. It’s not like I haven’t seen it before. You’ve been trained, right?”

Right. We’ve been trained to maintain composure in the face of all kinds of insults and abuse.

But as a subordinate, shouldn’t it be normal to feel uncomfortable with a superior’s insults?

“It’s fine if you’re okay.”

“Why? Were you going to take care of it yourself if I wasn’t?”

“Well, if you told me to, I would have.”

“What? You should have said you’d take care of it even if I didn’t tell you.”

Phiri chuckled and sighed lightly.

“Ugh, what now?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean when we’re not training. We’re on leave until Hamal finishes. There’s nothing to do if we don’t go to the casino.”

“Can’t you just rest?”

“……”

“……”

We looked at each other silently, not understanding each other’s preferences.

“Yesterday was good.”

Phiri shook her head, but she didn’t seem happy.

“Well, help me with training.”

“Aren’t you tired of it?”

Saying that, Phiri added as if making an excuse.

“It’s not that I don’t like it. Your posture is good, but I can’t stand seeing you idle.”

Hmm. Even when I was on Earth, I wasn’t particularly active.

I didn’t stay at home all the time, but going out was a bit of a hassle.

Here, it’s not just the worst condition, but there’s not much to do in the first place.

Especially when I think about the countless events that await me.

“I need to get stronger to survive.”

It was a sudden outburst of my true feelings, but Phiri nodded as if understanding a different meaning.

“Yeah, this place isn’t easy.”

Phiri stretched and took a step forward.

“Right. Let’s go, for training.”

“Yes.”

“Before that, we should stop by Hamal’s.”

Looking at my puzzled face, Phiri smiled faintly.

“I need to urge him to finish quickly. I don’t like being bored.”

Perhaps because of Phiri’s urging, I received a message from Hamal a few days later.