No. 28, Rad Street
A gambler’s haven, where anyone—nobility or commoners alike—can play, as long as they have money.
Yossel got caught up in that place when he had just come of age. He followed an acquaintance and ended up playing a game of poker by chance. In a single night, his 1 million Kona turned into 54 million Kona.
Yossel’s eyes gleamed with greed.
Why bother with running a business? I can make my profits with poker instead.
But the beginner’s luck was fleeting.
Determined to win back his losses, Yossel lived at the gambling house, leaving only to sleep. However, the amount of money he lost kept growing. The occasional small winnings only drove him further into obsession, feeding the delusion that one more round would lead to a jackpot.
“You fool!”
After several months of this life, Lassek ordered his knights to capture Yossel.
At the thunderous scolding of Count Travel, Yossel trembled. The Count, his father, was the one thing he feared more than losing money.
Yossel begged for forgiveness, swearing he would never gamble again. He was even forbidden from leaving the house. At that time, Yossel was already the owner of the Emerald House.
Despite the humiliation, he vowed never to set foot in a gambling den again.
But now…
Yossel shoved his fist into his mouth to suppress his sobs. He couldn’t believe that the empty vault before him was his own.
“Ah, yes. A high-ranking noble, I see. I’m just a humble man from the countryside…”
“Hah. You certainly look the part. How old is that hat of yours? Never mind that. Do you know how to play poker?”
“I’ve learned a little by watching others… I can play a bit…”
A bit, you say!
“That damn… ngh, ba…stard…”
The rascal, who claimed to have learned poker just by watching, had even gambled away Yosel’s tailoring shop.
His shabby appearance had lulled Yossel into letting his guard down.
“Agh! He’s taken everything… My family’s inheritance…”
“What can I say? You simply weren’t skilled enough. This is a cold and ruthless world of competition.”
“Sir, I still have a gold ring… Perhaps one last game with this?”
“Is it real gold? There’s an appraisal office in the lobby. Go have it checked.”
Fueled by the euphoria of consecutive wins, Yossel accepted the offer.
But after that, Yossel continued to lose.
No way! My luck couldn’t possibly lose to that rustic fool, he thought, even as he kept sinking deeper.
Despite driving his opponent into a corner, Yossel himself was in ruins.
“Oh dear, you’ve lost so much. What can we do… But as you said, this is the ruthless world of competition, so I can’t return the money to you…”
“…Will you be back tomorrow? Bring all the money you won today. I’ll show you the clear difference between luck and skill.”
Yossel should have stopped on the first day. All he achieved was increasing the stakes.
Two days, three days, four days…
By the fifth day, he finally came to his senses, as though snapping out of a trance. But by then, the rustic stranger was gone—and so was all his money.
The 2 billion Kona was Victor Stings’s investment. The Travel family had even co-signed as guarantors for it.
If his family had to cover the losses as guarantors, it would mean double the damage to Yossel’s results in the current annex competition.
4 billion. Negative 4 billion.
In contrast, Reytan’s results stood at zero.
Reytan wasn’t running any businesses, nor was he causing trouble that required compensation from the Travel family as he had in the past.
Although the competition results would be judged over four years, at this rate, Yossel’s Emerald House…
“Th-the boss isn’t here!”
The panicked shout of the manager reached Yossel’s ears as he crouched near the vault.
Bang!
Before he could grasp the situation, someone barged into the office.
The sharp sound of heels stopped nearby. Slowly, Yossel raised his head.
A man in a light-checkered suit looked down at him and smirked.
“Eek! H-Head of the Trading Company.”
“So, you are here?”
***
Morning arrived.
Theon and Jeffrey accompanied me to the training center before heading off for their morning drills.
“Good luck with your studies!”
“See you later.”
“Thanks! See you later!”
I waved at them and entered the training center building. Heading straight through, I exited out the back door, which connected to the main building via an outdoor passageway.
‘Oh no, I came too early!’
Usually, I’d aim to arrive just before class started, keeping up appearances as a bottom-ranked student.
But as Theon and Jeffrey began going to their drills earlier and earlier, my arrival at the training center also became progressively earlier.
It wasn’t a problem to arrive early in itself, but the issue was that Ciel, the exemplary student, also tended to arrive early to class.
‘I’m still not comfortable being alone with Ciel.’
Ever since my first horseback riding lesson, Ciel seemed intent on sticking close to me. While I usually enjoyed getting to know people, some of the topics Ciel brought up made me uneasy.
“How close are you with that person? They usually don’t even greet others.”
“It must be tough living with someone as stoic as that. You’ve got it rough, Berry.”
“You say you don’t want to badmouth them because they’re your friend? Don’t worry, if they decide not to be your friend anymore, I’ll keep you company.”
Of course, Ciel must have a crush on Theon…
Anyway, my plan for today was to linger near the outdoor corridor, then enter the classroom ‘by chance’ when Madam Freya walked by.
Hehe, that way, Ciel wouldn’t talk to me—perfect.
“How did you manage to win over the riding instructor?”
Ack! Startled by a voice above my head, I turned around in surprise. The first-floor hallway window of the main building was open, and the voice had come from there.
“G-grandfather!?”
“Indeed. Why are you so surprised all of a sudden?”
Grandfather’s golden eyes looked mildly exasperated.
“I-it’s just that you spoke to me so unexpectedly…”
Usually, I only met Grandfather in his study, a soundproof room where visitors were limited to Mr. Callet.
Seeing him outside like this after so long felt strange, and the change of setting made his presence feel more intimidating.
“What a cowardly child you are.”
Perhaps I looked a little scared because Grandfather clicked his tongue and gestured with his chin toward the study.
“Come by for a moment.”
***
I sneaked up to Grandfather’s study, avoiding the eyes of others. The door was slightly ajar, as if inviting me in. As I approached, it opened fully—Grandfather had opened it from the inside.
“The riding instructor mentioned looking for a pony that would be gentle and safe enough for you to ride.”
As he closed the door, Grandfather brought up the topic he had mentioned earlier.
Ah, as expected, I felt more at ease seeing him in his study.
“A pony?”
“I was against getting you a pony, but apparently, you’ve been trying to convince me by saying how badly you want to ride. Shall I get you one?”
Amazing! If Grandfather bought me a pony, I could start horseback riding lessons within the year!
I quickly approached him, grabbed his hands, and looked up with a pleading expression.
“Will you really? Truly? I really want to ride!”
“…So, this is how you persuaded me. Fine, I’ll get it for you.”
“Thank you!”
“Alright.”
Grandfather gently patted my head and then changed the subject.
“Have you heard anything from the Dwarves lately?”
“From Baron Oldman? No, I haven’t!”
Since the letter about the Crest Mine, Baron Oldman seemed to have concluded his dealings with the Dwarves.
However, I thought it might be necessary to investigate what Chieftain Baltar was searching for inside the mine. I had asked Jena to investigate the nearby mountains around the Crest Mine, and not long ago, I received a report through Jackjack that they had discovered an external tunnel connected to the mine.
“Apparently, there are no signs of recent activity.”
It seemed the Dwarves had temporarily stopped visiting the mine.
‘Perhaps they suspect that Baron Oldman knows something and are avoiding it?’
I was curious. I wanted to find out more! But there was no way for a seven-year-old to visit the Crest Mine alone.
“So, why the interest in the Dwarves?”
“I plan to visit the Dwarven village as part of a commemorative trade with them.”
Grandfather’s announcement filled me with excitement. My ears perked up.
“Oh, then—!”
“Yes, it’s the kind of field trip you enjoy. The education center will notify you soon. Start planning what you want to do.”
“…Alright!”
***
That afternoon, as I returned to Stone House, I blinked in surprise when I saw a man lingering near the cedar tree fence.
‘Uncle Yossel?’
