The Marquis’ Eldest Son’s Lascivious Story - Chapter 237

It may have been a failure.

I let out a sigh while thinking about that.

[I thought there’s finally a winner, but…]

The uncle who challenged me just now suddenly chose to lose. Even though he would’ve been able to take the gold coins with the winning formula, he basically forfeited near the end.

It was clear why he did that. I’m sure he was afraid of me winning against the Nobles. Looking at him, his face was so pitifully pale.

[I think it can’t be helped.]

The civil official said so quietly.

Inviting commoners to play games is reckless, he said something like that the other day, and it turned out exactly like that.

Well, the purpose of this game is half to play, and the other half is to promote playing cards. After returning home, the challengers should say things like, [We had a showdown to grab 100 Kiris gold coins at the castle]. If it is known that there is such a bonus stage at the card game tournament, not only the card game would be more recognized but also future new products will attract more attention.

Recently, I’ve been thinking about this game because the amount of money that I have on hand has increased strangely due to things like the cost of keeping the body intact from the Spierzeig family. But when I think about it calmly, I feel like I went a little too far with 100 Kiris gold coins. I’m doing something like nouveau riche.

For the time being, it seems that the part about playing games between Nobles and commoners will be strictly shut down. So, I think it’s like trying to have a proper match against a knight in a castle. After a while, I’ll catch a random commoner and ask him what kind of rumors are going around.

[The next one will be the last. It took a long time.]

I saw the simple waiting room that was quickly put together. Behind the curtain, the final challenger awaited.

After clearing the game table, the civil officer took out a man from the waiting area.

[Young Master, this is the final challenger. This person has won the highest award in both Poker and Concentration…]

He was not included in the initial audience members, so his introduction was longer than the first three. Without averting his gaze, the man stood still and stared at me as if observing me.

[…His name is Vidardo. He is from the Holy City of Maguaose.]

He’s the only person from outside the city this time.

I don’t know how accurate it is because he self-reported that he was from the Holy City, but at the very least, it’s true that he’s not a citizen of Newnelly.

[Sit down.]

[Thank you for your generosity.]

After bowing politely, he sat down comfortably.

It doesn’t look like he’s nervous because he’s dealing with a Noble. I can feel the atmosphere of him being accustomed to interacting with people of higher status. That said, it’s not like he’s as hesitant as the uncle before him.

[I heard that there is an item that this person wants to present to the Young Master. How would you like it?]

This time, I invited them to the castle for my own reasons, so I gave instructions to make things as convenient as possible for the top performers.

It seemed that most of them didn’t say anything in particular, but Vidardo was the only one who brazenly insisted that he wanted to hand over the tribute directly to me. Therefore, the civil officers had to deal with it first.

When I heard about it beforehand, I thought he might be a troublesome person. But looking at his behavior like this, he looks like a decent human being.

[Bring it here.]

[Yes.]

When I gave the order to bring it, a civil officer came with the gift, as if it had already been prepared.

The tribute was a single painting. Apparently this challenger drew everything himself.

[Oh, this is amazing.]

It is a picture of people walking along a main street somewhere.

The realistic design was completely different from the flat, deformed designs often seen on the Eruo continent. The way people live in the city is depicted in detail.

[Didn’t you say you were from the Holy City? Is this kind of painting common in the south?]

I asked with some hope, but Vidardo shook his head and denied it.

[It is not. Rather, painting like this is strongly disliked. It’s probably the same everywhere.]

His last words were directed at Tesh and the civil officer.

I see. The two of them certainly had this expression which seemed like they wanted to say something.

[Tesh, do you have any thoughts about this painting? Answer me frankly.]

[Yessir. I think it’s a creepy picture.]

[And how about you?]

[I can’t stand it either.]

Both Tesh and the civil officer only had bad words about it. Even with the painter right here with us.

[People won’t be able to die properly unless it’s completely destroyed.]

The civil officer added at the end.

People won’t be able to die properly unless it’s completely destroyed. But in a way, it’s true.

[The kind that captures the soul.]

It’s a matter of the Zeth religion’s view of life and death, rather than that of the Eruo continent.

There is an idea that when a person dies, the soul is released from the body and eventually becomes one with the great existence that is ubiquitous in the world. Therefore, it is recommended that the corpse be properly cremated to facilitate the separation of the body and soul. Conversely, leaving the body unattended, buried, or left like a mummy is strongly discouraged.

I think it’s a derivative of that idea, but statues of real people are rarely made on the Eruo continent. They seem to think that if there is something that resembles their life form, their souls, which have gone to great pains to be freed from their bodies, will be dragged and trapped inside the statue. If there are human-shaped statues, they are usually statues of spirits in human form or statues of “someone whose model is unknown” like mob characters.

This idea also applies to painting. It’s still better than a three-dimensional image, but it’s shunned by the mysterious theory that paintings with a realistic touch attract souls. Even if paintings still exist, it will be a flat, deformed, or simplified portrait. There are many people who do not like to be portrayed for that reason. There are many people who do not have portraits of the successive heads of the Quordenze family.

Perhaps that’s why there is no demand for realistic paintings in the first place. Artists who need patrons don’t reach out to genres where they can’t afford to eat.

[…Well, that’s fine. I’ve never seen a painting like this before, and I like it.]

Vidardo then asked for permission to speak. This type of exchange is plain troublesome.

[As long as you’re at this table, you can talk as you please. So, what is it?]

[Well, are you sure you have never seen this picture before?]

No, I’ve seen realistic paintings in art textbooks in my previous life as a student, so it’s not really my first time…

Thinking that it was a riddle that didn’t make sense, I took another look at the picture presented.

A boulevard full of people, active citizens, and a large mountain in the distance…

[Is this the main street in Newnelly?]

[Yes. I drew a picture of the northwest district.]

[I see. Even though it’s the first picture that I’ve seen, it’s also a landscape that I’ve seen before. It’s quite interesting.]

There was a long waiting period between the card tournament and today’s visit to the castle, so I wonder if he went out of his way to prepare for it.

[…It feels even better when you think of the scenery of Newnelly. It’s especially good that it’s not flattered and beautified. The good parts and the bad parts are all the same.]

I think it’s normal to give some consideration when drawing a Noble’s home base. Nevertheless, Vidardo’s paintings are drawn as if they were cut out of the city as it is. There is only the truth.

[Well, I’m… I’m the type of person who can only draw what I see. I’m having trouble drawing a normal picture.]

[Even if you can only draw as you see it, it’s amazing that you can draw in minute details.]

If this remains for future generations, it will be a valuable historical document that tells us about the present era. I will be grateful.

Besides, it might be useful for other things.

[You said you came from the Holy City, didn’t you? Then wouldn’t you be able to draw that city as well?]

[I can draw immediately if it’s Colpa Cathedral or Rene University.]

In that case, why don’t I let him draw Rene University? Since Cynthia is a graduate of that school, if his drawing isn’t accurate, she’ll know right away.

[How about anything else? What about the lives of the people of the Holy City?]

As for me, I want to know the current state of restoration of the Holy City the most, so seeing the historical buildings just makes me feel like I’m sightseeing and it’s fun, but that doesn’t make much sense. Then Vidardo gave me a word of refusal, but whispered something into the civil officer’s ear.

It seemed that he kept a draft of the picture in the bag that was checked in as baggage when climbing the castle. After chatting for a bit and waiting, a civil officer came back with a bundle of paper.

[There are quite a few.]

It was pieces of uneven parchment about B5 paper size that had been cut in half. But there are too many sheets, and the curved parts are not properly folded. There must be more than 100.

[A few sheets are enough.]

When I instructed so, three sheets of paper were placed on the desk by the hand of a civil officer.

An unfamiliar land is drawn on the slightly rounded paper. It seems that the focus is on the building, and no person is drawn in any of the three pictures. It may be more accurate to call it a sketch because it is expressed only with light and shade without color.

It was interesting to look at each of the buildings with their own characteristics.

[There are a lot of them, so I’ll leave some of them with you. If I need it in the future, please allow me to see them again.]

I don’t really understand the point of giving it away after depositing it. That being said, we probably won’t lose out by acknowledging this.

[I understand.]

I can check the sketches again later. Let’s start the game already. Thus I ordered the civil officer to collect three of the sketches.

Looking at the gold coins thrown into the box, Vidardo opened his mouth as if he hated silence.

[How was the draft?]

[It’s interesting. Maybe you’ll hear more about it later.]

He’s a person that I’d like to keep at hand.

There aren’t many people who can draw realistic pictures, and the labor costs of one or two commoners can be estimated. Should I talk to Tesh after the audience is over?

[That is good to hear. I am… I have a few more interesting things besides this. If there is an opportunity, I would definitely like to present it to Young Master.]

…..Somehow, the way he changed the topic was quite forcible. A car that corners unreasonably comes to mind. I could tell that he had some kind of speculation and wanted to guide me there. This man named Vidardo doesn’t seem to be good at stomach tricks.

However, the quality is different from the black-hearted talk of Nobles. I don’t feel the smell of him trying to frame me or trap me. If I dare to say it, I would say that it is an atmosphere that invites you to “let’s do something interesting together”.

[I don’t mind. As long as it’s fun and interesting.]

That’s why I accepted the invitation.

Since it’s a great place to play, I decided to just play. A Noble could never make a fatal mistake against commoners, and even if we do, it’s easy to shut their mouth.

As expected, Vidardo showed a happy expression and raised his voice a notch.

[Then, let’s show you the fun right away. I would like to follow the wishes of the Young Master.]

[My wishes?]

[Yes. For that, I have one request.]

A request from commoners to Nobles. Tesh and the civil official moved to stop it, but I turned my hand to stop them.

It’s really rare for a commoner to be so open-minded. Even though he looks like he’s already around 20 years old, I’m worried about whether he’s really okay with such a freewheeling attitude.

[Feel free to say it. I’ll listen.]

[Yes, this is it.]

Saying that, what Vidardo showed was a memento of the Grand Prize of the Card Game Tournament.

It’s a commemorative badge that I ordered a craftsman to make. It says, “Newnelly City Card Game Tournament, Poker Division, First Prize”. Since Vidardo won a double award, there was also a badge of “Newnelly City Card Game Tournament, Concentration Category, First Prize”.

The other challengers left it in the waiting area, so did he bring it on purpose?

[What about it?]

[Doesn’t each of these give the right to challenge the Greed Game once?]

Ah, so that’s what it is. He won two divisions, so he wants to tell me that he intended to challenge me twice.

[I thought it would only be one try, but… well, if you lose, I’ll allow you to try a second time.]

[But, how about if I win?]

[It’ll be boring to repeat the same thing twice, isn’t it?]

[I see. I agree with you. Doing the obvious is boring. Yeah.]

It was Vidardo who nodded. I thought he was okay with that, but he gave me a proud look.

[Well, it’s good if it’s interesting. In that case, even if I win the first time, I will be given the right to challenge the second time.]

That was a slightly provocative tone. If you can do something interesting, try it. I feel like I’m going to blurt it out.

He’s a strange guy who aggressively attacks Nobles. He might have something in mind, but I wonder if he hadn’t noticed that Tesh and the civil officers have been quite nervous since a while ago.

If I were a normal Noble, he would have already been punished. …..but then again, if I were an ordinary Noble, would I even play like this?

In any case, even if I lose twice, it’ll only be 50 coins at most. Let’s take the provocation.

[Alright, then I’ll declare it. If I find it interesting, I’ll allow a second challenge regardless of win or loss. Of course, I’ll give you as many gold coins as you earned.]

[Oh, this is motivating… I assure you. I will provide an entertaining game, no, two entertaining games for Young Master.]

[I’m looking forward to it.]

After I finished saying that, the civil officer placed the box on the desk as if to claim that he had finished putting in the gold coins.

The game is finally starting.

[Which turn are you going to take?]

Being confident is an afterthought. It’s a game where the second turn player will always win.

[I will take the first turn.]

[…..ha?]

I unintentionally let out a strange voice.

Is this guy just a big idiot?

In this Greed Game, the second turn player always wins.

[I’m going in earnest, so I’m going first. Of course, I’d like the Young Master to be serious as well.]

[…..very well. Then, I’ll take the second.]

When the start of the match was announced, Vidardo said while reaching for the box.

[When I look at this beautiful box, it reminds me of the fable of Pandora’s Box. Do you know about it Young Master? It’s a story written in a book published in the city of Newnelly called『Another World’s History』. But……]

I never thought that a commoner would talk about Another World’s History.

Before I could reply, he took out a gold coin.

[1, 2, 3 coins.]

Vidardo says so and arranges the gold coins on the desk. There were three gold coins lined up in a horizontal line in a position that was easy for me to see, as declared.

Is this also the 3-coin type on the first move?

[Yes. I know the author of that book well.]

Because it’s me.

By the time Vidardo took the lead, it had already been decided that he would lose hope, so he decided to secure a victory. Since I said I would do it seriously, I will earnestly win.

I reached into the box and grabbed a gold coin.

[I take 1 coin.]

As long as both players take gold coins in multiples of 4, you will never lose in this game of greed.

I put the fourth gold coin in my hand. The sound of the coin clicking was pleasant.

[Haa… so Young Master knows the author well…]

Vidardo reached out to the box again and took out a gold coin.

[5, 6, 7 coins. I took 3 again.]

He then arranged the three gold coins in a vertical line. When they are lined up like this, they look like three-colored dumplings.

A total of 7 gold coins were taken out of the box. I grabbed the 8th gold coin that leads to victory.

[1 coin.]

At that time, Vidardo looked away from me and saw something. Naturally my eyes are caught there.

What was there was a painting depicting the main street of Newnelly.

[The reason why I came to Newnelly City is related to the Another World’s History. …alright, it’s 9, 10, 11 coins. 3 more coins this time.]

When I turned my gaze back, Vidardo’s hand was about to come out of the box.

The number of gold coins placed on the desk was 3 as declared. This time, instead of being in a horizontal line or a vertical line, the three coins were stacked on top of each other.

Since it came with 9, 10, and 11, I need to take the 12th coins, which is a multiple of 4.

[What do you mean by that? ……1 coin.]

I placed the gold coin on the table.

The total number of gold coins I pulled out of the box is now 3. It is still far from the final 25th coin.

[I happened to find that book when I was working in the Holy City. I thought there was a strange book, and when I started reading it, it was very interesting. I want to read the latest volume, I want to read it quickly, I want to go to the Newnelly City where this kind of book is being made, to know what kind of place it is, what kind of person writes it… I quit my job when I realized what I want to do. Well, Newnelly was far away afterall. Hahaha… 3 more coins. 13, 14, 15 coins now.]

Vidardo took three gold coins and arranged them in the shape of an inverted triangle. What a restless man.

After 13, 14, and 15 is 16. A multiple of 4.

[…Hey, did you really come all the way here from the Holy City just for that reason? …1 coin.]

[Of course. Besides, Founding Father Zeth also said that traveling is a good thing. This time I came to visit Newnelly City, but next I might be visiting the Imperial Capital, the Royal Capital, the Forbidden Land of Mammushred, and maybe even the Mist Land. …..it was 16, wasn’t it? So 17, 18, 19. Yes, I took 3 coins…]

Vidardo placed three gold coins in a normal triangle this time.

After confirming that 3 coins have been taken out, I reach out to the box and grab one. Is this the 20th in total?

[If you value your life, don’t carelessly say things like Founding Father Zeth in front of a Noble. It’s like opening a box that contains calamities… 1 coin.]

As if to give a warning, I made a loud noise when putting the gold coin on the table. It’s not something that one statement will do, but it’s a word that could step on an unnecessary landmine.

[Thank you for your advice. Even so, it seems that Young Master is reading Another World’s History well. …..and I take three more. 21, 22, 23.]

The rows of gold coins had returned to a horizontal line. …..It seems that he wants to talk about Another World’s History. I sensed Vidardo’s intention to pull back the topic’s trajectory.

When I got on board with him, he happily began to talk about the charm of Another World’s History. Somehow, rather than a Greed Game, it felt like it’s turning into a talk about Another World’s History.

1 gold coin, 3 gold coins, 1 gold coin, 3 gold coins are pulled out one after another without any disturbance.

As the game neared its end, Vidardo said.

[Pandora’s Box. People take that story differently, don’t they? …85, 86, 87 coins. I took 3, please.]

After confirming that Vidardo had lined up three coins, I grabbed one.

I now have my 88th gold coin. Victory was just around the corner.

[1 coin. …that’s right. It’s a thought-provoking story.]

I haven’t thought about it that deeply.

Pandora’s Box was written in the bonus corner of Volume 1 of Another World’s History, right? When I wrote the first volume, all I could think about was writing down the memories of my previous life. I feel like I’ve written as many myths and legends as I can think of.

[Since it’s a big deal, could you please listen to my own interpretation? ……89, 90, 91. Three more coins.]

Did we have less than 10 coins left? In Vidardo’s hand, the three gold coins he just took were lined up. Let’s check it properly. I will not let my guard down until the end.

I hold the 92nd coin.

[Sure. Let me hear it.]

Will we be able to finish talking? Game set is near.

I pulled out the hand holding the gold coin and glanced at the box before placing it on the desk. …1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. The numbers are calculated. No mistake.

I placed the 92nd gold coin I was holding on the desk.

[1 coin.]

[Then, I will be presumptuous…]

Vidardo pointed his left hand at me. And after turning his wrist to show me the back and palm of his hand, he put his hand in the box. Since I blatantly counted the number of remaining coins, I wondered if it was an appeal that he wasn’t cheating.

[I think it’s not what’s in the box that matters in the Pandora’s Box fable.]

I wonder if saying suggestive things was his strategy to distract me.

He took out 3 gold coins and placed them in a position that was easy for me to see.

[93, 94, 95 coins. I took 3. Now, Young Master, please continue.]

When I glanced at the box, there were 5 coins left.

There was no mistake in my counting.

If I take one here, it will be the 96th gold coin in total. That’s the winning number.

[I’ll take one. I won’t let my guard down until the end.]

Then, I took out a gold coin and put it on the desk.

There were 4 gold coins left in the box. The turn went to Vidardo.

[…..if Young Master loses, there is supposed to be one more match, yes?]

[That’s right.]

Then Vidardo let out a sigh.

[I won’t give up. I’ll take 3 coins.]

I’m glad Vidardo didn’t take one or two coins in the hope that I would show mercy. If that happened, I would have felt cold.

Vidardo put the three gold coins he took out on his side of the table. I saw that there was only one Kiris gold coin left in the box.

[If I take one coin, the game is over.]

I grabbed the last coin, the 100th gold coin.

It’s a game set.

I slammed the gold coin on the desk with a little force. Producing a good snap sound.

[Is that so?]

The moment my finger left the gold coin, Vidardo’s face burst into a smile.

Then, he said,

[Then, I’ll take 1 coin.]

What are you going to do? Vidardo pointed his left hand at me as if to stop me from saying that.

It’s the same as before. By twisting his wrists and showing off his palms and the backs of his hands, he appealed that there is no dishonesty.

When I silently watched it, he stretched out his arm as wide as possible. The left hand slowly approaches me.

Do you really think you’re going to touch me? As I thought that, the hand stopped moving in the air. Then it descended vertically like a UFO catcher and entered the box.

The place where the hand fell was inside the box, just on the side.

From my position, it’s a blind spot where I would need to stretch my neck to be able to see what’s there.

[This is the last coin.]

When his hand came out of the box, he was holding a single Kiris gold coin in his hand.

[Please check the box. There are no more gold coins.]

I picked up the box in response to Vidardo’s request, but there was nothing inside.

It’s empty.

[The one who takes the last one is the one who is truly greedy. The first match is my victory.]

……….what happened?

[Young Master?]

[…..yes, it’s a game set.]

[Yes.]

The civil officer counted the number of gold coins Vidardo had on his side.

During that time, I secretly counted the gold coins I had earned.

[…..The number of gold coins obtained by the challenger is 75.]

And I had 25 coins, so the total would be 100 coins.

But…

[It was an interesting game.]

Vidardo said that kind of thing, but he had a smile on his face.

It wasn’t that he was mocking me, it was a face full of expectations, as if he was playing a prank and waiting to be noticed.

[Young Master.]

[I don’t remember allowing any unnecessary remarks. This is a match between me and Vidardo.]

After confirming that the civil officers were waiting, I raised my concentration to the Royal Capital’s social level.

There shouldn’t be any miscalculations.

I always pulled out gold coins while maintaining a multiple of 4 so that I could always win. That is proved by the 25 gold coins that exist on my side of the table.

There shouldn’t be any omissions.

The number of gold coins taken out by Vidardo was visually confirmed each time. Except for the last time, Vidardo took three gold coins each time.

Then, how come Vidardo got the last one?

If there were no miscalculations and there were no problems with taking out the gold coins…

There were 101 gold coins in the box.

With 1 extra coin, it’s a natural conclusion.

There’s no way a civil officer or Tesh would prepare this one.

Before the game, 10 rows of Kiris gold coins with each row containing 10 coins were lined up on the desk, so there was no possibility that the previous player had prepared them.

In other words, by process of elimination, it was Vidardo’s doing. He said that he came from the Holy City to Newnelly City, so he should have a certain amount of money on hand. It wouldn’t be too strange if he had about one Kiris gold coin.

Before the game, there were 10 rows of Kiris gold coins with each row containing 10 coins

After the game, the civil officer checked that there were only 100 coins.

In other words, somewhere during the game, the 100 coins in the box became 101 coins.

I didn’t miss the gold coins that Vidardo had pulled out, but I wasn’t very conscious of how to get them into the box.

…..Come to think of it, there was a moment when I lost my gaze for a moment when the talk about Another World’s History began. At that time, he may have put the 101st Kiris gold coin in the box.

In the early stages of this Greed Game, it’s hard to count the number of gold coins with your eyes. That’s why I don’t notice even if it increases by one.

However, how did Vidardo retrieve the Kiris gold coin that he put in the box?

I made them collect 100 neatly polished Kirisu gold coins with little distortion for the game. If Vidardo had brought gold coins, he might have noticed. When I thought about whether there was such a dirty gold coin, I had an idea.LEARN MOREBlue Billywig Video Player

…it could be that.

Vidardo played by arranging the three gold coins that he took out in a horizontal line or a vertical line, or by making triangles, but there was also an occasion where he stacked them. As long as there is no difference in thickness, even if the gold coin on the middle or bottom of the stack was dirty, I won’t notice. After all, I’m not looking at gold coins, I’m just looking at the number of coins.

With this in mind, Vidardo’s actions had some convincing points.

[…Counting the total number of coins when taking them out was meaningful.]

Every time Vidardo took out the gold coins, he would say “5, 6, 7” or “93, 94, 95” with an awareness of the total number of gold coins.

I thought he was doing a self-check, but he was actually directing that to me. To reassure me when the number of remaining gold coins can be counted visually at the end of the game.

When I heard Vidardo say “93, 94, 95”, I was relieved to see that there were 5 gold coins left in the box. It never occurred to me that there was one hidden in the foreground. 95 gold coins were taken out, 5 can be seen in the box, totaling 100, if that’s all there’s no problem… yes, I was relieved.

Since I’ve been caught off-guard this time, let’s check every corner of the box just in case next time. I was misled by the numbers and calculations.

Of course, if this were to continue, Vidardo would end up with 76 gold coins. It’s natural because the additional gold coins he put in will make his total earnings added by 1.

However, this is easy to handle. It would be nice to secretly put additional gold coins in my pocket around the middle stage when the gold coins on hand increased. What I’m paying attention to is the number of gold coins taken out of the box, and the gold coins that have already been confirmed are completely unmarked.

Once the additional gold coin is recovered, there will be no evidence left. In the end, 25 and 75 will balance the bill.

Here’s what Vidardo did.

First, pick the first move and take as many gold coins as possible. At the right time when the other party let their guard down, he put his hand into the box with one gold coin from his wallet and collected it himself. The gold coins in his hand should be dirty and can expose his ruse, so when he took it out, he stacked two on top of it so that the surface was not visible while showing it to the opponent. Then, when the opponent was off guard again, he collected the additional gold coins in the acquired gold coins and returned it to the wallet. When the final stage was approaching, he moved all the gold coins to a position that was easy for me to see, while placing only one in a blind spot to hide it. And when I thought I’m taking the 100th coin and let my guard down, he collected the 101st coin. Even if each gold coin is counted, the total will still be 100, so there is no evidence of fraud.

…..but to think he dared to do something so outrageous to a Noble. Either he’s a ridiculous idiot, or an extremely genius person. If he made any mistake, it would be straight to the execution site for him.

Just add one gold coin and place it in the blind spot.

With this alone, you can take the lead and get three gold coins each. On the other hand, I, who was caught up in the winning strategy, could only take one gold coin at a time.

As a result, Vidardo would win a big victory with 75 gold coins. To think that a single Kiris gold coin could turn everything upside down…

[…..how interesting.]

Yes, it’s interesting.

[No, it’s more than that. I have to say that this is brilliant.]

I couldn’t help but laugh having realized that I’ve been tricked so beautifully.

The story of Pandora’s box was also a prelude. The important thing isn’t what’s in the box…

The important thing in this match was the 101st additional gold coin outside the box. Vidardo casually threatened to commit a crime during the game.

[I’m happy to hear that the Young Master is having fun. It looks like we’ll be able to go on to the second challenge.]

…and my intentions. Is everything as calculated?

There’s no point in doing a second round now. This is the first shot, and I should show him my magnificence.

[Hahaha, what are you talking about? It’s boring to do obvious things, didn’t you say that? I’m the same.]

I spread out my palm and pushed out the 25 gold coins I had in my hand towards Vidardo.

[It’s too late to play a selfless game. I don’t care if you win the second time, I’ll give you 25 gold coins. Take it.]

In the second challenge, Vidardo will not do the “101 gold coin strategy”. I’ve already figured it out, and if I counted the inside of the box properly, it would easily thwart his trick.

Therefore, in the second challenge, Vidardo will win by sticking to the “non-greedy game”, picking to go second and taking gold coins one by one. In that case, Vidardo will get 25 gold coins.

[You followed my wishes wonderfully, Vidardo.]

Vidardo must have heard from the other participants that I said [I’ll give you 100 gold coins] to them.

They can get 25 gold coins per person if they use the winning formula. If all four challengers were to win, a total of 100 gold coins would flow into the castle town.

Vidardo got 75 gold coins in his first challenge. If he plays the “non-Greedy Game” in the second challenge, he will get another 25 coins, and the total will be 100 coins.

This is equal to the maximum number of losses that I originally assumed. I think Vidardo probably estimated this line as the limit of greed.

Since the result is already known, it would be better to hand over the rest of the gold coins comfortably.

[Oh my, the Young Master of Newnelly is truly generous. Thank you very much.]

A civil officer stuffed the 100 gold coins into a cloth bag. Ordinary commoners would enjoy looking at the situation, but Vidardo was looking at me with great interest instead.

I asked him about various spoilers on the condition that I would not accuse him of any wrongdoing, but it seems that I was mostly right in my estimation. It’s a pity that I didn’t notice it during the game.

[…Come to think of it, Vidardo. How do you interpret Pandora’s box? You said that what was important was not what was inside the box, but you didn’t get to elaborate what it is. Let me listen to the end.]

If you don’t listen to things like this while you can, you’ll regret it later when you’re curious about it.

[I think Pandora’s Box is a good, positive story.]

Vidardo spoke in a serious tone, in stark contrast to his playful atmosphere just now.

[Before the box was opened, there was no impurity in the earth. Pandora opened the box out of curiosity, and calamities spread to the earth…]

[That’s what it was about.]

[People are naturally curious. What was in the box didn’t matter. Satisfying curiosity is. It’s neither good nor evil, neither evil nor hope. Being curious means being human. …that’s how I interpret that story. That’s why I came to Newnelly out of curiosity. The important stuff is always outside the box.]

His monologue about living out of curiosity was strangely persuasive.

In fact, if I leave him alone, I feel like he’s going to wander around the continent. He’s extremely healthy for a serf.

[Certainly, it’s a good and positive interpretation. Is this Greed Game also the result of acting out of curiosity?]

[Indeed it was. I wondered if I could do this, and I couldn’t help but do it.]

Did you trick a Noble with such a simple motive…?

Now that I think about it, he managed to make the journey from the Holy City to Newnelly safely. Normally, there should be fear of accidentally dying along the way. Nobles and knights often say, “Commoners die quickly”, but I could understand that sentiment somewhat.

[Young Master.]

Then, Vidardo looked at me.

[Since it’s a big deal, why don’t you hire me? I think you’ll make a good deal out of it.]

His tone was so light that it was hard to believe that he was seeking employment from a Noble. In general, if you’re going to look for a job, shouldn’t you be more appealing about your achievements?

However, I wanted to keep such a brazen, incomprehensible, weird, strange, and funny guy close at hand.

If I leave him to his own devices, he might die as quickly as a beetle that an elementary school boy keeps.

[What’s important is outside the box, isn’t it?]

A strange coin washed up in a box called Quordenze. It may be this Vidardo.

Now I can grab that rare coin.

Besides, it doesn’t feel good to keep losing.

If I can turn the odd coins into gold coins, I can return to being the winner. The last person to win the gold coin wins the Greed Game.

It’s just a matter of mood, self-satisfaction. But anyway, I want to wrap this up feeling good.

If that’s the case, there’s no reason not to grab it here.

[I expect interesting work more than good work from you.]

[I did it], said Vidardo, clapping his knees with joy.

I glanced at Tesh. The look in his eyes was already grim.

Unfortunately, it seems that Tesh’s etiquette training would be Vidardo’s first job.