Chapter 156 – Grand Duke Collector (8)

“If you cure my gambling addiction, I will agree.”

So far, four people have appeared on the central island expressing their approval.
There are only two people left.
Lehel, the fifth person to be persuaded, told me her conditions.
In fact, it was a problem that I was planning to solve someday, if not now.

“I’m addicted to gambling…”

The reason I couldn’t solve this before was because I didn’t have any other solution.
As a modern person, the only idea I could think of was to send him to a rehabilitation center or help him with medication.
However, it can be said that now there is one more choice than then.
Because of Caroline’s existence.

“With the power of a saint, treatment might be possible.”
“Yes… ?”
“I’m not saying it will happen right away. “He has a somewhat unusual constitution, but it seems that whenever he is with me, he is given Holy Spirit and his divine power increases.”

There is a certain rule in Holy Wisdom: for every multiple of 3, you gain abilities related to healing.
Perhaps the sixth Seonghwi, 〈 Great Healing 〉, or the ninth, 〈 Goddess’ Kiss 〉, would be enough.
You won’t have to go until the twelfth.
This is because the last holy word is only for the dead.

“I’m going to visit Parencia for a while. Go and ask Caroline to treat the Chairman’s addiction…”
“Oh, no! “I don’t think that will get any better!”

Lehel waved the kraken’s tail with her fork, doubting, or rather rejecting, my treatment.
In that case, she has no choice but to use the last resort.

“Then shall we cut it?”
“Hey!!”

When I stretched out my hand, Lehel got scared, took a step back, and fell over on her chair.
She stood up groggily and began to tell me what she thought.

“Now, this isn’t something that can be solved by cutting things off. How many gambling addicts are there in the world? But I’m different from those people!”
“In what way?”
“The reason I can’t quit gambling is, strictly speaking, because life is boring. “Most stimuli in this world feel dull to me.”

That was fundamentally correct.
Because she often had a tendency to not pay attention to things that a human being would normally care about.
Like mixing sand into soldiers’ pay.
Even after I ripped off the Magic Cube, he was hesitating.
Such as greeting guests naked with only a blanket over their bodies.
It would be difficult to explain that something like this happened simply because he was crazy about gambling.

“So, what do you want to ask me?”
“I want to gamble!”

Okay, let’s cut it.
Why not just cut it off and fix it slowly?
The wrist can be attached later.
It would be better to sit on friendly terms with Scarlett and at least strengthen the friendship between the Archdukes.
If we cut the opposite sides, wouldn’t a beautiful coexistence where each complements the other be achieved?

Lehel quickly supplemented her explanation as I lifted the knife she was using to slice kraken meat.

“Hi!! Just once! I think I just need to win once… !!”
“Win?”
“Yes! “I’ve rolled the dice at every gambling table across the country, but the results have always been the same.”

In other words, they just kept losing and wasted all the money they had.
In fact, when she was taken out of her underground auction house in Alsace, even the clothes she was wearing were taken away from her.
Even in Sandalphonia, she barely managed to stop herself from being staked by her horse, who had even her horse in her hand.

“You really have never won?”
“Yes. “It was like that when I was with the boss.”
“Still, she doesn’t think winning money will solve her addiction. “In fact, it’s the opposite.”
“Are you okay. “What’s important to me is not money, but the sense of life.”

Are you saying that since there was plenty of money in the first place, that wasn’t why he fell into the game?
This may be because Lehel is the only one on the continent who knows the location of Sacreir.
The capture in Alsace was also Rochear’s design to keep Darling and Lehel away from Farencia.

“My prediction is that if you enjoy the joy of winning against astronomical odds with the boss, you will no longer have any regrets! How is it? “It’ll be fun, right?”
“Umm… “Well, that’s right.”

I nodded as if it was no big deal.
In short, it means that all you have to do is play a little bit with her lehel and give her her victory.
For a moment, my gaze rested on Lehel, who kept adjusting her large hat as if it were uncomfortable.

“Let’s try to help the Chairman win at gambling.”

I thought it would be okay even if it didn’t cure it.
Because I can make at least one good memory with her as I have been in a long-term relationship with her.

***

“Uh? “It’s a yacht.”
Hehe!!! Again, again!?”

Five dice roll around and all point to the number 3.
With 50 points on the scoreboard, my victory was certain.

“The chairman is strangely unlucky.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Why… ?”

There are no gambling establishments in the Baltic Mountains.
So, after finishing our meal, we first returned to Lehel’s floating island and were playing games with her cards and various tools she had purchased.
However, the same applies to any type of game that involves a fluke.
Lehel didn’t win a single game from me.

“That’s strange. Doesn’t catching a thief have a 50% chance of winning? “You only picked the joker ten times in a row?”
“…”
“Chairman. Are you losing on purpose?”
“Oh, no! Obviously the left one was correct… !”

Lehel hands me a rosary bead with her hands shaking, as if she is really feeling unfairly treated.
We were playing her game between us, and since I couldn’t even bet her money and she didn’t have anything in return, I decided to use this to replace her stake.
Before I knew it, the beads that were wrapped around her wrist had accumulated on my hand, enough to easily make a bracelet.
I felt like it couldn’t go on like this, so I got up.

“Let’s go outside instead.”
“Is that so? “But there are no gambling houses in the Baltic Mountains.”
“This is a tourist destination, so there will be plenty of entertainment. “Let’s take a quick look around and then have dinner.”
“Yes…”

As expected, the city was full of simple amusement facilities as well as souvenir shops selling various tourist products.
It was common to see families or lovers walking around holding hands.
We also walked back and forth holding hands to avoid being swept away by the crowd.
The lower standard than before once again awakened bitter feelings.

“Uh? President! Look over there!”

The place Lehel pointed to was a stadium carved into a mountain like a ski resort.
However, the size did not seem too large for a person to ride down.
When I got closer, there were quite a few people there and birds that looked like chickens were waiting on strings.

“It’s potusae. “I think they’re going to make me have a running race.”
“Are you a monster?”
“That’s true, but it’s not that vicious. “I also cut off the tips of the wings just in case, so there will be no problem with raising them according to kingdom law.”
“Hmm…”

It looks like they are making a light bet on which bird will reach the finish line first.
It seems that Potu birds are a popular sight to see because they hide colorful feathers on the inside of their wings and the sight of them running is beautiful.
Lehel was also excited and quickly urged me to choose one.

“We’re betting on this too! “It’s perfect because there are other people too!”

If the bird Lehel chose wins first place, is that the end of her persuasion?
So in reality, it didn’t make much difference which guy I chose.

“Umm… “I’ll take that guy.”

I pointed out a bird that had feathers that looked somewhat familiar, unlike other potu birds.
Is Erzsebet not feeding you well these days?
It seems he was craving the North Sea Kraken meat at the end of the rail.

“Then me! As for me… Ah! “That friend!”

Then Lehel stretched out her arm and pointed to one of her birds.
As the entire body was translucent, I could feel that the host of this event was a really negligent person.

“Do I really have to choose that one?”
“Yes. It looks familiar somehow. I think I’ve seen it a few times at the Academy…”

It was Lehel waving her hand to her waddling ice duck.
Why is that here again?
I tried to look for her blue hair to see if her owner was nearby, but there were so many people that I couldn’t see it.

Meanwhile, the host raised his staff high in the sky.
With the cheers of the people, the Potwosae’s leap forward began.

After a while——

“Where are you going!! That’s not the finish line!!! Argh!”
“Oh, you win.”

The ice duck Lehel chose didn’t even get close to the finish line.
Halfway down her slope, she suddenly turned when she spotted a tourist holding a hot dog.
Thanks to this, there was a brief commotion, but the game was not stopped, and Erzsebet’s extreme color eventually won the championship.
I held out my hand to Lehel, who hit the ground.

“I lost again… !”
“Ruler.”
“I’m the boss… ! Are you helping me up?”
“Give me the rosary. “Because I lost.”
“Hwaaa!! You devil! Bully!!”

He took Lehel’s last remaining rosary and placed it in her hand.
They say it’s made from dragon bones, and it feels strangely mysterious.

“That… It’s the most precious thing to me…”
“All right. “I’ll just use it today and return it to you.”
“Sniff, yes…”

***

The sun was already starting to set as the winning group, the Polar Birds, left the stadium roaring with their crowns on their faces.
We sat down in a luxurious restaurant with an outdoor terrace, but the winter wind was chilly.
Facing the red sun setting over the ridge, Lehel leaned back in his chair.
The sunset fell on my gently closed eyes, and it felt like it would never wake up.

“Oh~. In the end, I never won.”
“We can do it again tomorrow. “There’s still plenty of time.”
“Boss, you’re busy. The kingdom is noisy too. “How can I waste more time than this?”
“So you agree with the agenda?”

Widely!
Instead of answering, the teacup hit the base.
She raised her upper body and stuck out her tongue.

“Isn’t today over yet?”
“Is it so. “Let’s go in after eating and do some more.”
“… “It’s over there, boss.”
“Yes?”

Lehel pointed to the rosary in my hand.

“Would you like that?”
“Why all of a sudden? “They said it was precious.”
“Maybe… “Maybe not.”
“Yes?”

She leaned against the railing, looking at the setting sun.
A strand of pure white hair blown by the wind fell onto the rosary beads in her hand.
Her new knowledge lingered in her mind – that she had woven her beads from her own hair.

New fact.
For Yunhoegong, who had wandered the continent for hundreds of years and even created the original magic, it no longer existed.

“This robe and hat could be thrown away at any time. Because these are items that have been filled with memories for so long. “I’ve even forgotten how to feel nostalgia.”
“…”
“President. Do you know why I like gambling?”
“Why?”
“Because there is nothing so special in life that you have to risk everything on something that happens with absurd odds.”

Lehel turned his body halfway towards me.
It looked like it would fall down that slope even if it was tilted back even a little.
In the endless time of eternity, how many times did she want to give up everything?
How did the resting places of her old friends and her students appear to her?
It was a face with a bitter smile, not an innocent smile.

“Ah, in that sense, this life has been full of amazing things! I experienced two wars and also saw the academy being established. “She was really surprised when she heard that the Demon King was dead?”
“…”
“Of course, there is something else that surprised me the most.”

I remembered Lehel, whom I met in Baldur’s nightmare.
At the time of the Great War, she was much taller and had a mature body than she is now.
When she told me the truth about her world, she returned her medal and said:

— I am willing to endure all the transience of this life and invest the remaining half of my life in you.

The look in Lehel’s eyes back then was the same as Lehel’s now.

“At one point in this fleeting life, I met my boss.”

She was willing to give her all to me.

“President.”
“Yes.”
“I really like gambling.”
“…”
“Even if it seems like there is a slim chance that it will never, ever be achieved, there is still some possibility… “Her hands tremble when she throws the dice.”

I looked at Lehel and her outstretched hand.
It was her hand that she held on to all day today.

“Just once…”

She asked him to help her win her gamble.
When I thought about it, no matter how unlucky I was, it didn’t make sense to lose every game today.
Only then did I realize what Lehel wanted from me.

“Can I try just one more time?”

Her trembling fingertips were speaking.