A few hours later.

"Ooh."

Callius, who had barely entered Tristar after some circumstances, walked the streets with a little admiration.

The small flowerbeds beside the streets were also beautiful, and the buildings were all built with different aesthetics.

All the residents had bright faces, and there was even a beautiful fountain constantly gushing out water in Tristar’s central square.

"It’s different, seeing it in person."

"Have you been here before, master?"

"No."

He gestured with his chin at the bastard, Bruns.

"Did you say you know where Lutens is?"

"Of course. I’ve seen all kinds of people, but that Lord was crazy because he wanted to go and gamble immediately!"

If it's gambling.

Then there is only one place where he could be.

That is, Cedric's gambling house located in Tristar’s downtown area.

‘I'll take care of him and see Cedric if I get a chance.'

Following Bruns’s directions, Callius walked down the streets.

After walking for a while, the surrounding buildings started to look shabby.

Callius' eyes narrowed.

"This is it! This is a secret gambling place only known to those in the know!"

"Is that so."

At Bruns' words, Callius strode in first.

Upon opening the half-broken door, a shabby table and a few chairs could be seen scattered inside.

It was then –

Clink!

The sound of chains rushed down from the ceiling, and something hit Callius.

Kuuung!

It was a giant iron net.

An iron net perfect for imprisoning people.

The place was a trap.

"Hahahaha! You were following me like a mutt without any doubts! Older brother! Aren't you really stupid!?"

Bruns was sporting a smirk as he mocked Callius. Then, new thugs of the same type as Bruns revealed themselves all around.

"Hey Bruns! You've caught a big fish again this time!"

"Bruns the Angler! Since you caught even another Pilgrim this time! Good job! Haha, catching a Pilgrim. How much money is this guy worth?"

"As long as you sell it to the Lord, he won't have to worry about swords ever again. We're just sitting on a cushion of money!"

Perhaps they were thinking of selling Callius.

There aren't many Pilgrims, but there are those who target them due to the nature of their wandering pilgrimage. It is easy to find cases where the Lords preparing for a territorial battle imprison Pilgrims to save on armaments and exploit them into making swords.

"How much can we get this time? I think we might even get more than a thousand gold coins?"

"What thousand gold coins? We might get more than three thousand right now."

"You idiot! Where do you find a lord who can afford to pay such a high price? There are thousands upon thousands of those who want to sell their country to the Empire because they don't have money."

Running away is going to be annoying.

"Hey, who has the paralytic poison?"

"Here!"

As the poisoned dagger was handed over, one of the two archers threw it towards Callius.

However –

Taaaeng!

"What, did he stop that?"

Callius easily deflected the dagger using Arsando.

"What are you surprised about? Throw it again! Even if he’s a Pilgrim, if you throw a bunch at the same time, he can't stop them all."

It wasn't a bad idea, but Callius didn't wait for them to implement it.

Whiiik! His sword flashed in a long invisible arc, evoking a sense of ferocity.

Kkiiig, kuguuung!

"You crazy!!"

The iron net was sliced apart.

Since the net holding him was cut off, it was obvious what would happen next.

Ahhh! Help me!

Bruns urinated in his pants as he heard the screams of his brothers from all directions. The Pilgrim’s sword was relentless and neatly reaped the lives of the surrounding thugs.

As if one sword had split into dozens. It was a swift and sophisticated sword.

Bruns didn't even understand how that kind of sword could be wielded.

During the course of his dirty deeds so far, he’d seen the swords of Knights a few times.

Their swordsmanship was fine and beautiful, but the sword wielded by the Pilgrim in front of him now, was not.

It was just a killing sword.

A monotonous but sure way to kill people, without any pretentiousness and form. It was a sword adorned with the flesh of its enemies.

There was no hypocrisy in it.

Bruns felt that it was an extremely practical swordsmanship.

After a while.

Callius was seen walking away from that shabby thief's house with a blood-stained sword, and Bruns was following him.

He whimpered and carried his brothers who had turned into Carcasses in his arms.

"You’re slow."

He was struggling to walk with as many as a dozen Carcasses wrapped in a bag.

A total of twelve swords. The larger the number, the greater the weight. Bruns felt so heavy that he thought he was going to die, but he tried to smile with a blue face.

"I, I'll speed up. Master!"

Bruns and Callius took the Carcasses and headed to the nearby weapon shop.

"It's a good sword. Are you going to sell this?"

"Yes……."

"Hmm… all right. One gold coin each."

"Hey! Just one gold coin for my brothers?! Make it at least three!"

"Brothers, what are you talking about? Bruns, did something happen to your head?"

"Oh, just give me that! Huhu."

"Why are you crying? What the hell."

Leaving Bruns haggling with a red face, Callius looked around.

‘Is Trish Market over there?'

As the sun went down, it started getting dark. The lights went out in the villagers’ area, but the other side was different.

Rather, colourful lights started twinkling as if waiting for the night, and the places started crowd with well-attired nobles.

And in the basement of that glamorous area, there will be a Trish Black Market that sells anything.

"Master, here you are! I’m really amazing at bargaining, hehe. Check it out! You won't get this amount anywhere else!"

"Well."

Jiggle jiggle.

The money bag was full.

‘Twenty-four gold coins.'

It looked like the swords were sold for two gold coins each.

"Not bad."

"Hehe."

The quality was not very good as the Carcasses were made of those small-time assholes.

Since they could be exchanged for 24 gold coins, of course, it was a small business.

Thanks to that, the money left in Callius’ hand was now 39 gold coins and 1 silver coin.

‘This guy… ….'

Looking at Bruns the bastard, Callius pondered on what to do.

The world he was reborn in was a cold and harsh place.

Clumsy generosity and mercy would only give others a chance to bite your neck.

There was nothing wrong with leaving no weeds behind.

‘Bruns.'

But he was still useful.

Callius would stay only a few days in Tristar, and Bruns' eyes were imprinted with fear and terror that would not soon fade.

It won't be too late to deal with it after the chores at Tristar are over.

"Guide me. To the gambling house where Lutens is."

"All right!!"

The name of the casino was Casino de Cedric.

As the name indicated, it was a casino run by Cedric.

"Master, I've finished all the entry procedures. At your convenience…"

I walked in straight away.

From then on, Bruns' guidance was not needed.

There were a lot of tables, and dealers and gamblers were seated.

There were those who had bloodshot eyes and focused only on earning money, and there were those who prayed earnestly and cried out to God.

And there were also a few nobles who gambled with the Knights around them from time to time.

It shouldn't have been difficult to find the kid of the Lutens family who fucked me in the midst of that chaos.

"Well?"

Obviously, it should have been easy.

Baldwin de Lutens.

But the man was nowhere to be seen.

Anywhere in the casino.

"Why is he not here?"

He should’ve been here.

When Callius stopped walking and turned around, Bruns opens his eyes wide in surprise.

Then, as if embarrassed, he waved his hand back and forth to make excuses.

"It wasn’t me! I've been with master all along!"

"Maybe you've been talking to him in secret."

Sreung, hik!

When Callius pulled out his sword halfway, it made a squeaky sound.

Bruns’ face turned white, and cold sweat formed on his forehead.

"I'll definitely find him! I can do it!"

Saying that, Bruns hurriedly ran out somewhere.

Ten minutes later.

I slowly removed my ass from the chair since Bruns had reappeared.

"Master."

"You’re here. Did you find him?"

"Yes, I found him. But…"

Bruns' expression was strange.

Looked for him, and found him, but seems like he saw something unexpected.

"What. Did he die or something?"

“That’s right….”

"What?"

I heard the story.

Baldwin de Lutens.

It was said that he was quite gifted at gambling.

However, in Tristar's casino, he immediately squandered all his fortune and died while struggling in anger.

That was exactly an hour ago.

"What an idiot."

I could go see the body as Bruns was acquainted with one of the casino staff. To be honest, it was hard to believe until I saw it with my own eyes.

After a while.

Seeing Baldwin’s body rolled up in a sack, Callius admitted the truth of his death.

Baldwin's body had become cold.

Near the corpse was a glimmer of silver.

It was the light of the Corpse Grace.

"I'll take Baldwin’s body."

"Oh? Well, it's a little difficult because he's a nobleman…"

The casino employee gently rubbed his fingers.

He was plainly just asking for money.

When Callius threw a single gold coin, he snatched it with a happy face and disappeared.

Callius immediately turned the cadaver into a Carcass.

Then, with a soft light, the memory of the man permeated into his mind.

Wine glasses were stacked in front of him, and ashtrays were scattered nearby. Stacks of chips piled up all around.

The dealer's bad expression and the similar faces of the casino guards nearby was understandable.

‘At first, he did quite well.'

Baldwin was playing dice.

Gambling based purely on luck.

It was incredible to have won that much money just from playing dice for fun.

But he didn't seem to be gambling for fun. The attitude that permeated his mind was different. He was serious, and he was gambling with a desperate determination.

‘For the sake of the family.'

The eldest son of the Lutens family.

But the only talent he had, was gambling.

So, he came to Tristar to make money, and to help the family.

I thought he was just an idiot, but it didn’t seem like he was.

But that was only for a while.

At some point, he lost all his accumulated chips in an instant.

Baldwin was furious, as if he had encountered something impossible, and as he quarrelled and drew his sword, he was stabbed to death.

‘His hope… …'

To get his family's money back.

"That’s one annoying Corpse Grace."

"Oh? Master, what are you talking about?"

I ignored Bruns' question and headed straight back to the casino.

Baldwin de Lutens.

I didn't remember it at first.

But seeing his death, I was convinced.

Baldwin's name, I remembered.

Because –

Because he had the settings that I had made.

Editor's Notes:

None for this chapter.