Asfi Al Andromeda. She was an influential force in Orario who claimed neutrality while wielding an information network with broader reach than anyone else. She was also the leader of Hermes Familia.
The detour Lyu had made last night was a visit to the home of Asfi’s familia. She had left inside the tightly closed gate a letter containing a written request addressed to Perseus. She had signed it with the name Leon.
Lyu withdrew to the kitchen with the order and quickly returned with a steaming cup.
“I didn’t think you would come so quickly. Did you already…?”
“Yes, I investigated the location of this Anna Kreiz you wrote of,” Asfi responded, elegantly sipping her tea.
The contents of Lyu’s letter were a request for information about Anna Kreiz, specifically the whereabouts of the girl who had been carried off to the Marketplace.
“I owed you. At the end of the day, this is all because Hermes was causing problems.” Asfi sighed as she grumbled. “A job is a job, and I don’t like owing people. This is just paying back a debt—nothing more, nothing less. Obviously, I don’t need a reward, either.”
She made her position clear so there would be no misunderstanding: Her motivation was purely business and not a gesture of goodwill.
“Thank you, Andromeda.”
“Let’s move on.”
Asfi shifted her glasses to hide her embarrassment at the sincere thanks even after what she had just said.
“Just as you wrote in your letter, the Marketplace—or rather the corporation—took custody of Anna Kreiz. However, by the time I investigated, she had already been sold.”
“To the Pleasure Quarter?”
The Marketplace served as a gateway to the city’s distribution network. Various goods passed through here on their way in or out of Orario. The sale of people to the Pleasure Quarter was a closely guarded secret, though it happened with great frequency. The Guild turned a blind eye to these practices.
Lyu’s face was strained as Asfi responded in a soft voice.
“It wasn’t the Pleasure Quarter. Leon, I don’t know what you’ve stuck your nose into, but it would be better for you not to get involved any further.”
“You’re beating around the bush, Andromeda. Who bought her?”
Asfi’s blue eyes narrowed behind her glasses as Lyu’s tone hardened.
“The one who bought Anna Kreiz was from one of the casinos’ people.”
“!”
Lyu went wide-eyed.
“…A casino in the Shopping District? That’s not just any gambling den…”
“Yes. Due to investment from sources outside the city and even beyond the country, it has grown too much. Gambling’s the biggest industry in the city after magic-stone items. The Guild has no oversight there, so it’s the one place in Orario that the law can’t reach.”
In the past, Orario—often called the Center of the World—was missing just one thing: entertainment. In order to meet to the deities’ insistent demands, city authorities welcomed foreign capital and know-how from Mayrustra, the Country of Opera; the Paradise City, Santorio Vega; and other famous countries or cities. Thanks to that, countless entertainment options had been constructed in the Shopping District. Foremost among them were the Theater and the casinos.
Within Orario, where people and goods from all around the world gathered, those facilities ended up growing far beyond the control of the city where they were established. Business was booming, and the entertainment venues were set to overtake the magic-stone-goods industry Orario was so proud of. At this point, the Guild had to tread lightly around them. Consequently, the foreign entities that had originally provided the investment capital had complete oversight. It was fair to say these areas were extraterritorial.
“The casino I’m talking about has cooperation from the Guild, and it has contracted Ganesha Familia for security.”
“…”
“Infiltration is not feasible. And even if that could be done, you would definitely be caught. It’s not possible, Leon. Even for you.”
This particular casino was where upper-class adventurers, gods, and the wealthy visiting from outside the city went to spend their money. If anything happened to the richest patrons, the city’s prestige and reputation would be affected. Strong adventurers were employed to keep out anyone who wasn’t properly authorized. Ganesha Familia boasted many first-tier adventurers and was one of the preeminent factions in Orario. For a Level 4, second-tier adventurer like Lyu, it would be difficult to evade their guards, and on the off chance it came down to a fight, it would not end easily.
Exchanging glances with Asfi, Lyu was silent for a short while.
“Before anything else, consider that if a scandal occurs, it might even become a diplomatic problem. Orario can act as cocksure as it wants, but…well, at that point you can just call it the Guild’s problem…”
“There are branch casinos from several countries in the Shopping District. Which one bought her?”
“El Dorado Resort—the largest one in Santorio Vega. It’s known as the Paradise City’s Grand Casino.”
Lyu’s face finally scrunched into a scowl. El Dorado Resort was Orario’s most powerful casino.
“The one who bought Anna Kreiz was the owner, a dwarf named Terry Cervantes. It appears he was the one pulling the strings behind the Corporation as well as the street toughs.”
In other words, he was the one who first saw Anna and worked behind the scenes to avoid suspicion.
“El Dorado Resort…Terry Cervantes.” Lyu whispered the two names.
“A piece of advice, Leon. It’s in your best interests not to get involved.”
Ending the conversation, Asfi left her payment on the table and exited the restaurant. Lyu remained seated, silently watching Asfi walk away.
“…Hey, Ahnya, do you know what Lyu talked about with her?”
“…Myeah…I heard something or another about a casino, meow?”
Syr watched Lyu from the kitchen entrance. She was washing plates with Ahnya, whose cat ears were quivering. Looked slightly up toward the ceiling, Syr murmured.
“A casino, hmm…?”
Two days later, Lyu was lost.
Her thoughts kept going in circles as she carried out her duties in the restaurant. But it wasn’t because she was hesitant about breaking into the casino.
I could force my way in the back of the building from the Pleasure Quarter side…No, that won’t work. I heard the security has been strengthened after another familia tried to break in. Digging up from below isn’t realistic, either…
In fact, it was the opposite. Lyu was completely committed to helping this total stranger. To fund her campaign, she traded the magic stones and drop items she had been saving to an intermediary, and she had made good progress in gathering the needed equipment. She hadn’t thought at all about what would happen after the breakout.
“Stop thinking about complicated stuff.” Lyu was being true to her old friend’s advice.
The only thing that troubled her was the question of where to break into the casino.
In the evening after sunset, she was going through countless scenarios in her mind as she carried the buckets piled high with trash to the alley behind the tavern.
“…?”
The sound of people talking around the corner in the alley beside the tavern reached her. Surprised that she recognized one of the voices, Lyu peeked around the corner.
“Then I’ll take this…”
“Yes, thank you very much.”
She saw Syr bowing her head, thanking someone. The other person had finished their part in the conversation and taken their leave, just far away enough that it was difficult to make out their form in the dim light. All Lyu could see was a slender tail at the edge of her vision—probably a catperson’s.
“Syr?”
“Oh, Lyu!”
“What are you doing here?”
&n
bsp; “Lyu, look at this!”
Dodging the question, Syr excitedly held up a sheet of paper for her to see. It was a letter with a gaudy gold leaf on a white background. It looked like an invitation to a ball.
“Syr, what is that?”
“An invitation from a casino! Someone gave it to me!”
The ever-calm Lyu couldn’t help showing her shock for a moment.
“What?!…What do you mean, Syr?”
“I happened to hear your conversation the other day. I thought it would probably be hopeless, but I tried asking an acquaintance if it’s possible to get in. And then…”
“…Unbelievable.”
“Ha-ha-ha. But if you have this, you can go to the casino, right?”
Certainly, if Lyu had an invitation letter with a pass, then she would be able to enter the Grand Casino normally from the front without breaking in. Lyu kept glancing back and forth between the letter and a smiling Syr.
“It seems that if you aren’t rich, you can’t get in…My acquaintance said ‘pretend to be the person to whom this was addressed.’ It’s a count from some small country, apparently.”
“…Was the animal person earlier the one who arranged this? Was it a man…?”
“Eh-heh-heh. Working at this tavern, you just end up making some friends…”
The invitation was originally supposed to have gone to a VIP in another country. When Lyu tried to probe further about who brought it, though, Syr just smiled and evaded the question.
Just how big is this girl’s fan club?
The mystery surrounding Syr deepened again. Lyu knew she was well connected, often receiving stellar reviews from male deities who loved her unpretentious quality ever since she started working as the tavern’s greeter.
“Anyway…is it okay if I go with you, Lyu?”
“Wha…?!”
“I’ve always wanted to see what it was like at a casino, just once~~!”
At that last bombshell, Lyu’s finally raised her voice.
“Wait a minute, Syr. Even if you really want to go, that’s just…!”
“But look, the invitation says ‘for the count and his wife, the countess’ right there. If only one person goes, it’ll look suspicious.”
“…”
Syr held the page up and pointed out where the recipients’ names were spelled out. Lyu took a deep breath, unable to argue. She recalled what Chloe and Ahnya had said before.
“She seems normeowl, but that’s a lie. Syr is a witch, meow.”
Lyu was forced to agree. Syr was supposedly just some ordinary city girl, but she was already two steps ahead.
“Very well. I can’t choose my methods, so I’ll be counting on you.”
“Yep!”
“However, don’t leave my side, no matter what. This is going to be a dangerous job.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
She felt sick again after hearing Syr’s delighted response. Giving the cheerful girl a sidelong glance, she started to modify her plan before noticing there was a word in Syr’s explanation that she had overlooked.
“Wait a minute! Syr, you said ‘and his wife.’ You don’t mean…?”
Syr merely smiled sweetly as Lyu looked agitated for once.
The sun had set behind a distant mountain range while night unfurled from the eastern sky. In the blink of an eye, Orario was swathed in twilight. Viewed from above, no one could be blamed for mistaking the Labyrinth City for a sea of stars. Lit by countless magic-stone lamps, the city put on the mask it wore at night.
Tavern girls stood in front of their respective shops calling for customers while street corners overflowed with the sounds of bards singing and playing their strings or woodwinds. The smell of grilled meat mixed with smoke wafting from pubs. Adventurers returning from the Dungeon and laborers finished with work mingled along the main street, drinking and making merry to bring their days to a close. On top of everything, excitable deities who loved their children were out and about as well. The night in Orario was just getting started.
In the midst of that, the city wall’s South Gate opened. A long column of carriages and attendants proceeded along South Main Street from outside.
The richly decorated carriages that passed the inspection point and entered the city were shockingly lavish, and the demi-humans who stepped out of them wore elegant clothes. The visitors dispersed to the hotels, the theaters, various high-class bars, and elsewhere in the Shopping District, each and every one of them scions of foreign wealth.
Once a week, Orario would open the South Gate to let in the wealthy from around the world. This was the current Guild leader’s one and only political policy: invite wealthy people from outside the city, allow them to mill around as they spent their money, then reap the economic benefits. Of course, there was a strict security check in addition to the visa required to enter the city. Following that, carriages continued into Orario one after the other, carrying merchants, aristocrats, or people with wealth and status.
Inside the checkpoint, one carriage merged onto the main street from a back alley, becoming just another part of the long procession. The carriage pretended to come from outside the gate, looking exactly the same as the rest while waiting its turn to move along until it finally stopped at one corner in the Shopping District.
After opening the door, an elf in a tuxedo stepped down, his light green hair neatly styled in dignified fashion. A large eye patch covered his left eye and half of his face, evoking the image of a certain deity of forging. Even in the middle of the Shopping District where various aristocrats wandered, he stood out, exuding a mysterious allure. The ladies were rapt as the handsome man—or rather the elf woman wearing men’s clothes—took the hand reaching out from the carriage.
“Hee-hee, thank you, dear.”
“Please stop teasing me, Syr.”
“But if we don’t act like a real husband and wife, other people might catch on, right?”
Dressed in an evening gown, she took Lyu’s hand and stepped down. Syr smiled as if she were enjoying herself, not at all shy about playing the part of the young bride for the night. On the other hand, Lyu regretted going along with the plan to pose as the count and countess.
“More importantly, isn’t that dress a bit too bold?”
“You think? I asked a merchant for a favor and had it prepared in secret, but…”
The price for Syr’s long evening gown, combined with Lyu’s tuxedo, had set the two of them back quite a bit in rental fees. Needless to say, her outfit was especially revealing. Her slender shoulders and back were bare, plus her chest was barely covered. Normally her cleavage did not appear so large, but in that dress, everything was very prominently displayed. Syr did not seem to mind everyone looking at her, but Lyu was concerned by the lewd stares. Syr giggled when the men scattered in an instant under Lyu’s sharp glare.
“As someone who works at a restaurant, I never would have thought I’d get the chance to wear something so fancy.”
The long, slender stole hanging between her elbows swayed in the breeze.
Syr had traded her normal hairstyle for one more befitting an evening party, swapping her waitress’s white headpiece with an expensive hair ornament. But the person underneath all the accessories was key. With just a little bit of makeup, anyone who didn’t know better would easily mistake this girl next door for a noblewoman. Syr was too busy enjoying the attention to realize how alluring she appeared.
If I don’t protect her…Lyu momentarily seemed like a knight, earnestly bracing herself mentally for the task she had set for herself.
“Look at this, Lyu! He also prepared this fan for me!”
“Don’t forget what we are here to do, please.”
Syr had taken out a vibrant purple fan and seemed to be playing around, and Lyu tried to remind her of their mission. The local girl stuck her tongue out right before apologizing. Bemoaning her fate, Lyu took Syr’s arm, then started walking. The entrance to th
eir goal was a massive arched gateway built to face Main Street.
“Let’s see…Today, you are Count Ariud Maximilian, and I’m Countess Sirène Maximilian, his wife.”
“Maximilian…”
Lyu repeated the name in a daze beside Syr as their surroundings became even livelier with so many people around. There were extravagantly dressed visitors strutting around in their jewels and furs while many sturdy-looking animal people and dwarf bodyguards could be seen. From the South Gate to Central Park, located in the center of the city, Guild workers and Ganesha Familia members were placed around every major establishment along South Main Street.
That’s Shakti…So she’s here, too. Lyu had been casually looking around when she noticed a familiar beautiful woman with azure hair who was Ganesha Familia’s leader. Finally, Lyu and Syr arrived at the arch.
“Could you please show me your letter?”
“Of course. This will do, I’m sure?”
Syr showed the invitation to the human in uniform at the gate. The man glanced over the papers, then greeted them both with a smile.
“It is a pleasure to welcome you, Lord Maximilian. Please have a wonderful evening.”
They walked past the employee, as well as the formation of Ganesha Familia members facing outward, as they crossed the threshold of the arch. Inside the large plaza, there was a giant fountain surrounded by a group of ornate buildings that were highlighted by multicolored magic-stone lamps.
Far removed from the day to day, this was a gambler’s paradise.
Lyu and Syr headed into the resplendent casino.
3
In the south of Orario, the Casino Strip of the Shopping District was filled with places to gamble. The various venues established by several foreign countries and cities also had hotels attached to them. Many buildings had been designed to emulate the aesthetics of different cultures and climes. For example, there was one that resembled an oasis in a desert. Buildings more than three stories tall towered over the elliptical plaza on every side. Yashi trees from the south were growing here and there. In the center, a breathtakingly giant fountain launched sprays of water into the air almost like a giant wave at sea.
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Familia Chronicle: Episode Lyu Page 3
