The Wager

Inside the hotel room, the oil lamp cast a soft glow.

Frieren sat cross-legged on the bed, her silver hair gleaming softly in the warm light. She watched Fern packing his bags, blinked her emerald eyes, and suddenly spoke:

"Speaking of which, why does Fern hate gambling so much? You didn't seem to dislike those adventurous drinkers in the tavern like this before." In her mind, drinking and gambling were pretty much the same thing.

Fern stopped what he was doing, turned around, put his hands on his hips, and had a hint of smugness on his face:

"Hmph~ Frieren, you really know nothing. Wine is the best medicine!"

"... That guy Heiter, he can't even drink anymore, yet he keeps spouting nonsense." A few black lines appeared on Frieren's forehead.

Just then, a mournful howl faintly came from the direction of the distant square, exceptionally clear in the silent night.

Fern paused, raised his head, and looked at Frieren with his pale purple eyes, asking in a questioning tone, "Lady Frieren?"

Frieren blinked, listened intently, and then nimbly jumped out of bed. "Okay, let's go check it out."

"Good."

The two stepped out of the hotel, a cool evening breeze blowing. At the edge of the square, a few people had gathered around the spot where Sein playing cards. Upon closer inspection, the scene was somewhat speechless.

Sein, the Village Chief, and another villager—the three who had just been playing cards—were all wearing only shorts and sitting against the stone steps. Sein had a cigarette dangling from his mouth, looking completely nonchalant, as if losing all his clothes was perfectly normal.

Fern's eyes widened instantly, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she immediately turned her head away, simultaneously reaching out to precisely cover the large, curious eyes of Frieren, who was trying to see what was happening.

"It's so dark..." Frieren struggled.

"How could we lose like this!" Fern released her grip, but turned Frieren around, her voice filled with disbelief and condemnation.

Lowell was humming a tune, picking something out at a nearby stall. Seeing the two approach, he smiled and held up the item wrapped in oil paper:

"Oh! You've arrived. Look, things here are really cheap! Honey cakes, five for just one copper coin!" He walked over, opened the oil paper package, revealing golden-yellow cakes inside. "Here, two for each of you."

Frieren's attention was immediately drawn; she took the cake and began to eat it with relish. Fern also took a small bite, but her brow was still slightly furrowed. "Lord Lowell, even... oh my... hmm, it is indeed very sweet. To even bet on clothes, isn't that a bit too much..."

Lowell chuckled, his tone light. "Haha... it's their own fault for saying, 'It's not over until you've lost everything.'" As he spoke, he tossed several neatly folded pieces of clothing back to Sein and the others. "Alright, alright, here are your clothes."

Sein he exhaled a smoke ring. "Thanks. I never expected you to be this good, Lowell. Even the usually godlike Village Chief lost everything, just like me..."

Lowell looked at him and brought up the old topic again. "So, I won. Now, can you seriously consider joining us on this adventure?"

Sein took a drag of his cigarette, the smoke momentarily blurring his expression, then chuckled and shook his head, his tone as casual as ever. "Haha... I said I'd 'consider' it. Now that I think about it, it really won't work. Adventurers... they're too dazzling for me right now."

He paused, his gaze sweeping thoughtfully over Lowell. "Besides, you have a strong aura of Goddess Magic about you. You shouldn't need a half-baked monk like me, right?"

Lowell raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You can even tell that? Quite a fine monk. I do know a little bit about Goddess Magic..."

You don't look like someone who only has a 'slight understanding' of things.

"Haha..." Lowell smiled noncommittally, stuffed the last bite of cake into his mouth, clapped his hands, and his eyes became serious again, "Anyway, it's not important. What's important is that I can see that you just look like a decadent uncle on the surface. Your heart is still burning, right?"

Sein a moment, his gaze drifting away for a fleeting instant amidst the swirling smoke, but ultimately, he shook his head and stubbed out his cigarette on the ground.

"You guys go back..." He stood up, brushed the dust off his pants, and his tone returned to its previous aloofness. "The Harvest Festival is still a few days away, have fun."

Lowell looked at him, offering no further persuasion, and simply shrugged indifferently. He turned to look at Frieren, who was happily finishing her cake and licking her fingertips, and Fern, though eating cake, was still giving Sein a disapproving glance.

"Let's go," Lowell said casually, "Back to the inn first. The accommodations here are cheap, and the Harvest Festival is quite interesting; staying a few more days wouldn't be bad."

He naturally took Frieren's hand, and Frieren let him hold it as usual, her other hand still holding the parchment paper for the cake. Fern followed beside them, then glanced back at Sein, who was already arm in arm with the Village Chief, and sighed softly.