Show Me Your Stats! - Chapter 57

Chapter 57

In this arena of psychological warfare, Pebble played a large role. Ayra had no desire to sweep away a large sum of money here. He lost small amounts so that he wouldn’t draw suspicion, and won in small, appropriate amounts to make his victories seem reasonable. His mana had been exhausted, but at least his mana stone pouch had been well filled.

After flitting about the tables for two or three hours, he had a sizeable sum of 15 cells in his hand. Pebble, on the back of his hand, proudly and vigorously raised its fist.

While stroking Pebble, Ayra placed his cherished mana stone pouch–his precious money–in his inventory. It would be nice to earn money like this so easily every day, but that was a pipe dream. He had to be satisfied with what he earned here, as gambling dens were bound to be wary of customers who take more money than they lose. He could already feel the occasional suspicious glare on the back of his head.

Now that he felt that he earned enough, Ayra left to find Janus. It was incredibly easy to find Janus–his fiery red hair wasn’t common.

As Ayra approached, Janus threw all the cards in his hands onto the table, as if he were surrendering, and raised both arms. “Ah, I’m all out. I’ve become completely destitute.”

One of the people playing with him swept away the pile of mana stones on the table, laughed, and then teased the mercenary, “Janus, how come you get robbed of everything everytime you come here?”

“The thrill of gambling comes from losing money.” The mercenary smiled while spouting such bullcrap, and, without looking back, he stretched his arm back to pull Ayra into his embrace. Due to the gambling house’s rules–clients were not allowed to wear outerwear with long sleeves or long hems–Ayra had taken off his robe. Though silver hair wasn’t all that uncommon in Bolney, curious eyes scanned Ayra’s face…And, perhaps that curiosity was intensified due to Janus’s presence.

“You’ve won a bit?” the mercenary asked.

“I’ve won enough to be satisfied.” As he replied, Ayra handed 1 cell over to his punk lover. The remaining 14 cells were off-limits. He hadn’t even properly established a brand after mining the stones, and it would take at least a month to make a profit through the contracts with those traders. He planned to set aside these 14 cells to pay this month’s interest. The thought of paying Bolney’s interest with Bolney’s own money made the mage quite happy.

Janus, receiving the cell, tilted his head; before the game began, he looked up crookedly at Ayra standing behind him. The corners of his mouth rose in a lopsided smile, “Now, give me–who’s been losing for a long while now–a lucky kiss.”

To ask for a kiss in such a crowded place–what a difficult request. However, Ayra was in such an excellent mood after winning 15 cells; he kissed Janus’s lips quite boldly. In response, the mercenary wrapped his hand around the back of the mage’s head and pressed down; only after they shared a longer, deeper kiss did Janus let go. For some reason, Ayra couldn’t help but feel delighted.

Perhaps the audience mistook Ayra for a woman–or perhaps gambling dens were used to all sorts of things happening there–there was no big response except for a few mischievous boos after witnessing their deep kiss.

“Great–I think I’ll win this round handily.” Looking very satisfied, Janus gathered the wooden tiles, clacking them against each other.

“Ah, Janus! To think I’d see you here?” Someone approached Janus with a loud greeting. The person patted the mercenary’s shoulders and leaned against his torso in a friendly manner. Ayra, who wasn’t particularly sociable, marveled at how many acquaintances Janus seemed to have. So far, Janus’s close friends and acquaintances had seemed to be in the triple digits. It was almost like the mercenary didn’t sleep and just socialized all day and night.

“Long time no see, Mishio. You’ve gotten more handsome since I’ve last seen you.” After throwing a single cell on the table, Janus waved his greetings as well.

The man grinned and scratched the scar on his cheek, “I got a slight scratch during a demonic beast subjugation.”

“Weren’t you originally in Sobleche? Why are you in Bolney?”

“Mm, I just stopped by for a contract.” The man grinned as he placed his arms around Janus. Although there was a large, hideous scar on his right cheek, the man’s face was still quite bright and likeable. 

He moved around to the others nearby, like a sociable puppy, establishing rapport. Eventually, he turned his attention to Ayra, “Hello, I’m Mishio.”

“Ayra.” 

Mishio smiled brightly, like the sun, at the name. His green eyes gleamed, “I saw you earlier–you seemed quite friendly with Janus. Are you his lover? How long have you guys been in this relationship? Where are you from? How old are you? Did you win a lot? I noticed your pocket looked quite heavy earlier…Beginner’s luck?”

After the flood of questions–which he spouted while barely breathing–he began to divulge personal info of his own. He was quite the chatterbox. “I’m Janus’s friend. We…Have we known each other for about five years now?”

“In one more month, it’ll be six years.” Janus replied, touching the wooden tiles with a fairly serious face.

Mishio smiled and sent a friendly gaze towards Janus, who was losing even the 1 cell that Ayra had given him. Ayra was fascinated by how, whether in Sobleche or here, other mercenaries seemed to hold a warm regard for Janus.

“The mercenaries I met at Solar didn’t seem to want to work with Janus,” Ayra said. 

“Ah, that’s true. You never know how he might move next because he’s so fickle.”

As stories of Janus–a side of him that Ayra wasn’t familiar with–flowed out, the young mage automatically and intently listened. “However, we still feel relieved when we work together. Your arms and legs may fly away, but he won’t let your neck fly away. The scariest enemy may be your best ally.”

Ayra had definitely felt that as he crossed Dallum Gorge. Although he made the journey crazy by waking up the sleeping Occampania herd and provoking it, the mercenary’s powerful presence was somewhat comforting…in its own way.

“Plus, when we ask him to do something, he plays along well and buys us food. He’s a fun guy.”

“When did you first meet Janus?”

“I think it was during the Great Battle in Sobleche? He was the mercenary who bagged the most monsters.”

Ayra listened to Mishio carefully–as Janus’s five-year friend, the man was a fountain of interesting stories to share. 

As Mishio and Ayra chatted, Janus, who had been completely cleaned out, extended his hand to Ayra, “Can you lend me just 1 cell more?”

Even if Ayra lent 14 cells, he didn’t think the mercenary would be able to win anything, so the mage merely patted his lover’s hand. Even though it was clear that the HP bar didn’t move, Janus pretended to be hurt, saying ‘Ouch,’ and shook his hand. He rose from his seat, “Ayra, from now on you have to take responsibility for me. Your lover is completely broke. I don’t even have enough money for a drink.”

Despite being completely cleaned out of money, there was no sign of disappointment or anger on Janus’s face. After all, as a skilled mercenary, he could always hunt demonic beasts and earn big sums whenever he wanted.

“Let’s go–it’s been a while since we met, so I’ll buy you a drink.” Mishio smiled good-naturedly and patted Janus, who had been flirting with Ayra, on the back. Because this person’s gestures were the most intimate with the mercenary–at least in recent memory–Ayra couldn’t help but be bothered. It felt like when he saw Nadal at Solar’s mercenary headquarters.

The gambling hall was bustling with people who had come, not only for gambling, but also for food and drinks, which were being sold at the side. Mishio, ever sociable and friendly, even bought Ayra’s drinks and snacks. Holding their food, the group circled the den three times before finally securing an empty table to sit at. 

Janus clinked his glass against Ayra’s and asked, “But, what brings you here? You said you’d be down in the South for a while.”

“Ah, I was going to, but a sudden request came in. It was originally supposed to be Chevvy’s job, but he broke his leg and I took charge. It’s a long term-contract, so…how many months has it been already…”

Janus and Mishio exchanged stories that only the two of them were privy to: stories about Sobleche’s Great Battle, getting lost in the forest due to demonic beasts, participating in territorial disputes, and tales of family… Because Ayra had only known Janus for a month, he found it hard to interject into the conversation and mostly listened in silence.

They weren’t just acquaintances that merely recognized each other’s face, but they seemed like true friends that experienced life and death together. Feeling a bit alienated while sipping his drink and listening to the two, Ayra slowly rose from his seat.

“I think I’m a bit drunk, so I’m going out to get some fresh air.” He made some haphazard excuse before heading out. As he reached the entrance to the gambling den after slipping through the crowd, the chilly wind smacked his face. He stood at the corner of the dark alley right next to the gambling den alongside a few tottering, giggling drunks. Even though he was only standing there for a while, the cold was seeping inside his body, and Ayra rubbed his arms.

‘…Is he a friend? Or a former lover?’

Because he knew that Janus had many exes, Ayra couldn’t help but feel doubt whenever a close friend approached. His pride was slightly hurt but, on the other hand, he thought it would be nice if Mishio was a former lover.

Janus was the type of person who didn’t try to stop people from coming onto him or hold back those leaving. He easily made friends, so parting ways must have come easily to him as well. There was a high chance that someday in the future, Ayra himself would become one of Janus’s close friends or acquaintances. In that case, he wouldn’t mind remaining on friendly terms, like Mishio. Ayra had already been bracing himself for a future breakup.

‘I must actually be drunk–I’m thinking useless thoughts.’

He chuckled inwardly, about to head back inside, when suddenly a hand reached out from the darkness. Ayra, who hadn’t sensed any presence beforehand, was involuntarily pulled into the alley. Startled by the unexpected grab, he was relieved to see familiar red eyes in the dim light: Janus.