Gilded Dice

Lailas still had not revealed her true identity to Renato, even though he had bluntly pointed out the holes in her story.

"Renato, how can you just believe some stranger? That half-elf looks suspicious no matter how you look at her. I'm going with you!"

Ever since learning of his plan, Perly had been pestering Renato, arguing with him for nearly an hour.

Renato sighed helplessly.

"Perly, I'm only going to scout the place, not kill anyone. You're a mage. You'd stand out too much in a casino and draw all sorts of unnecessary attention."

"What about her, then? Doesn't that green hair stand out? Maybe she's bait the Wolf Gang planted... that's right, she's a waitress. How could she possibly have what it takes to be a detective? She must be some Wolf Gang thug sent to lure you in."

"She's not, Perly." Renato shook his head. "I spent half the day wandering around Wolf Gang territory today, and their thugs only gave me a few offhand warnings. That means they don't have information on us yet, or at least they haven't told their underlings."

That was merely Renato's excuse to Perly. It had nothing to do with the Wolf Gang. What truly drove him to take the risk was those 4,000 experience points.

His greatest assurance in daring to trust Lailas came from the [Adventurer's Guide], which explicitly stated that he was to accompany her on the quest. But he could not explain that to Perly.

Knock, knock, knock-

A knock interrupted their conversation. Renato slung the Silent Lady onto his back and approached the door.

"It's me, Lailas."

Once he had confirmed who it was, Renato opened the door and saw the half-elf's new look. The transformation was so drastic that the corner of his mouth twitched.

Lailas wore an excessively tight red leather dress, its neckline cut so low that it exposed nearly half her breasts.

Cheap white powder covered her face, vivid lipstick coated her lips, and exaggerated black eye shadow framed her eyes.

She also wore a pair of unraveling fishnet stockings, while copper coins hanging from her waist jingled with every movement.

Perly stared, dumbfounded. Her mouth fell open, but she could not get a word out.

"Shall we talk on the way? The Gilded Dice is still a fair walk from here."

Lailas ignored the mage apprentice's astonishment. After Renato gave the still-stunned Perly a few instructions, she led him out of the Silver Deer Inn.

"That outfit really took me by surprise."

"That means my disguise worked," Lailas said evenly. "You should have had a drink. Few adventurers heading to a casino at this hour are sober."

"Are the waitress and detective roles disguises too, Lailas?"

Lailas did not panic at Renato's blunt question. She remained calm.

"You're very clever, and very kind. It's been a long time since I met a young man with your sense of justice in this city... but I'm sorry, I can't tell you who I am yet. You'll understand when the time is right."

"You sound like you're lecturing a child." Renato narrowed his eyes. "I hear half-elves can live over a hundred and eighty years. How old are you, Lailas?"

"I take back what I said about you being clever." Lailas suddenly leaned closer, and the pungent smell of cheap perfume hit him full in the face. "But one thing is certain: I'm probably old enough to be your grandmother."

Seeing Renato purse his lips, Lailas laughed.

"All right, all right, let's stop testing each other. I don't want to be one of those fools in a fable who spend all their time distrusting each other. At least we're both good people with the same goal. Let's not worry about who we are for now."

Watching Renato retreat from the cheap perfume, Lailas grabbed his arm with a wicked grin.

"Don't shy away, boy. Come closer. What adventurer keeps that far away from his 'lady friend'? Put some effort into your acting."

Lailas gave him a flirtatious wink, then burst out laughing at the sight of Renato choking on her perfume.

Renato's face darkened. He pulled Lailas close by the waist and snarled into her ear:

"Shut your little mouth, you stinking bitch."

The Gilded Dice was unremarkable, its rough stone walls and narrow windows blending in with the rest of the slums.

But up close, the details became apparent. The heavy wooden door was well maintained, the iron strips nailed to it polished free of rust. Two burly doormen scrutinized the passing pedestrians.

Cheerful lute music drifted through the casino, played by a bard on a small stage in the center.

More than a dozen tables stood in the front hall, surrounded by guild apprentices, guards with a little spare money, and adventurers with equipment of varying quality.

Renato chose a table at random and sat down. The people around him shifted to make room.

The dealer glanced at Renato as he joined the table, coughed, and repeated the rules.

"The game is simple. It's called 'Gold and Silver Dice.'" He held up two dice, one gold and one silver. "There are three ways to bet: gold, silver, or a tie."

"Gold and silver pay one to one. A tie pays four to one."

The dealer shook the drinking cup in his hand vigorously, making the dice rattle inside, then slammed it facedown on the table with a bang.

"Now, place your bets."

Like the others around him, Renato tossed down five copper coins.

Lailas leaned against Renato's chest, her lips close to his neck.

To anyone watching, it would simply look as though the half-elf was coming on to him.

"Bet on gold."

At Lailas's whisper, Renato pushed his copper coins onto the gold die's betting area without hesitation.

Once everyone at the table had placed their bets, the dealer whipped away the wooden cup, revealing the dice beneath.

"Silver, four. Gold, six. Congratulations to everyone who bet on gold! One-to-one odds. Take back twice your stake!"

After seven or eight rounds, Renato left the table. With his arm around Lailas, he headed upstairs at her prompting.

"The second floor has private gambling rooms. It's more upscale, and it's also where the customers go for 'entertainment.'"

Carpet covered the floor, and the gambling tables were no longer ordinary wooden ones. Their jet-black surfaces had various betting areas marked out in white paint.

The gamblers on this floor were noticeably better dressed: minor nobles, city merchants, and seasoned adventurers like him.

He did not join a table. The minimum bet here was one Silver Crown, and the games were far more complicated.

A guard stood at the foot of the stairs leading to the third floor. It appeared that only casino staff were allowed upstairs.

Renato spent twenty coppers at the bar, ordering an Amber Dream for each of them.

Orange slices, dried fruit, and cinnamon bark floated in the drinks. The indescribable taste made Renato frown.

Lailas, however, drained the amber liquid in one go and settled onto his lap.

"See those scantily clad waitresses? If you didn't have me, you'd be bleeding money tonight. The girls here are frighteningly expensive."

The half-elf seemed drunk. Her alcohol-laden breath washed over Renato's face as she said, her eyes hazy:

"Let's get a private room."

Inside a private room on the second floor, Lailas rested her forehead in her left hand while her pen kept revising a sketch on a sheet of parchment.

"So you made me spend a silver coin on a room just to find somewhere to write?"

"What else? What were you hoping to do? Don't get too carried away with the act."

Ignoring her teasing, Renato looked at the parchment and asked:

"What are you changing?"

Lailas made no attempt to hide it. She spread out the drawing.

"A floor plan. The layout's changed since last year. The Wolf Gang must have renovated the place."

After silently memorizing the diagram and running through it in his mind, Renato lay down on the bed, bored.

"What if we fail when the time comes?"

"We each fight our way out and meet at the usual place-the inn."

Renato rolled onto his side and looked at the half-elf by the table.

"How did you know whether to bet on gold or silver?"

"Would you believe me if I said I guessed?" Lailas rolled her eyes. "There's a trick to these games. The dealer controls them. Otherwise, what would the house do if it lost money?"

She tapped the parchment lightly with her pen, her voice tinged with sarcasm.

"If you ask me, these gamblers are all idiots. They don't even get a chance to 'gamble.' They're just handing the house their money for nothing."