CHAPTER 15…………………………
“Everyone’s coming with me?”
“Yes, my lady.”
The duke had once again assigned me an absurd number of attendants, just like the last time I went out.
Looking at the sheer size of the group, I was certain — he’d told them to keep an eye on me so I couldn’t run away.
So that’s why no one even asked where I was going.
Well, at least since I was going somewhere unfamiliar, it was better than going alone.
I gave a small nod and walked over to the coachman.
“Where shall I take you, my lady?”
“To the place where the gambling dens are.”
“…Pardon? The gambling dens?”
The coachman’s mouth fell open, and I shrugged.
“Yep. Where in the southern district are the most gambling houses clustered? Take me there.”
“Ah, my lady…”
The attendants nearby looked equally shocked.
It was only natural — what kind of thirteen-year-old noble girl goes to a gambling den in broad daylight?
Come to think of it, my outfit was nothing like my usual dresses either — a simple brown, neat one-piece dress, with my long, shiny red hair tied back into a single ponytail.
They must’ve assumed I was going to a boutique in town, at most.
“Are you sure you wish to go there?”
The one who asked seemed to be the leader of the attendants.
I remembered that the duke had whispered something to him yesterday.
“Yes. I have to go there. Quickly.”
Because that’s where the magician Kautz would be.
But even after I repeated myself, the attendants didn’t move, so I swallowed the irritation that was rising up and said in a low voice,
“Didn’t His Grace, the Duke of Kereis, order that I be taken anywhere I wished to go?”
“Th-that’s true, but…”
“Then you’re not telling me you’d disobey the orders of the noble Duke of Kereis, are you?”
“……!”
The leader’s eyes widened.
I gave him a firm look and turned to the coachman.
“Well then, where are the gambling dens gathered?”
“Most in the south have been shut down, but there’s still one remaining.”
The coachman looked around cautiously, then lowered his voice.
“It’s in a place called Litz.”
“Why hasn’t that one been closed?”
“Rumor has it, some of the dirty money flowing from there ends up in the hands of noble families. So everyone pretends not to see.”
“I see.”
Even here, corruption and power ruled everything.
It was disgusting, but none of my business.
My goal was the magician, after all.
“Alright then. Let’s go. I have to.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Yes!
As the attendants bowed their heads to me, I let my tension quietly fade.
Doing anything in the body of a young girl was such a hassle — no one listened unless I invoked my parents or the duke’s name.
Ugh. How pitiful.
The carriage carrying me traveled for a long, long time.
Eventually, the rattling of the wheels began to ease.
When I cracked the window open, the mixed smell of dirt and filth filled the air.
We’d finally arrived.
This was it.
I recalled a scene from the original novel — a seemingly ordinary building far from the southern city center.
Outwardly, it looked like a factory, but inside, illegal gambling took place.
The empire had banned gambling long ago — too many noble families had been ruined by it, some even selling their own children to pay their debts.
But addiction is a terrifying thing.
This was where those who couldn’t give up their thrill gathered in secret.
“Stop here.”
I spoke through the window to the coachman, and the carriage halted when the gambling den appeared like a small dot in the distance.
No way could we pull up in such a fancy carriage.
“You there — and you.”
After stepping down, I picked a few attendants to come with me.
If we all went in together, the gamblers inside would scatter like rats.
Three people, including myself, would be enough.
“Don’t say a word. I’ve made up my mind.”
The leader’s slightly open mouth closed.
He clearly wanted to argue that three people weren’t enough, but when he saw my determined look — and probably guessed I’d bring up the duke again — he held his tongue.
“Alright, let’s go.”
To meet the magician Kautz.
I pulled the robe I’d asked for over my head.
Even with my hair hidden, my small frame made me look unmistakably like a child.
“If only I had some insoles to look taller.”
“Pardon? In…soles?”
The attendant leader blinked.
“Never mind. It’s nothing.”
As we walked, the smell grew stronger.
“Ugh. The stench.”
We hadn’t even entered, but the smoky haze of tobacco and countless foul smells made me grimace.
There must’ve been a lot of people inside.
We hid behind a large bush and planned our move.
I ordered one of the attendants to go inside and scout.
“She’ll be dressed up — really extravagantly. Probably with shiny jeweled hairpins and covered in rings.”
That was how the magician Kautz was described in the original novel.
Whether the jewels were real or fake, she loved adorning herself.
Apparently, it was to compensate for the poverty of her childhood.
“When you spot someone like that, just confirm quietly and come right back.”
The attendant nodded, removed his weapon, and pulled his hood down tightly.
I handed him a pouch of coins.
The leader had already checked earlier — there was only one condition to get inside:
Money.
As long as you had enough, they let anyone in.
“Don’t get distracted by anything else.”
The attendant blinked solemnly, promising silently.
He was well-trained, of course — a member of the Kereis household staff — but still, it was a gambling den.
So I reminded him again, just to be safe.
“Go on, then.”
“Yes, my lady.”
After he left, we waited anxiously.
Time passed.
He hadn’t returned yet — which probably meant he’d gotten inside safely.
And since he had enough money, they must’ve assumed he was just another gambler.
Then — footsteps approached.
“…He’s back!”
The attendant slipped back behind the bush, smelling strongly of smoke and incense.
“Did you see the magician?”
He shook his head.
My heart sank in disappointment.
After all that, and she wasn’t even there?
Maybe today just wasn’t the day.
But according to the novel, Kautz practically lived at the gambling den.
I asked if he’d searched thoroughly — he swore he had.
“Let’s wait a bit longer.”
We kept our eyes on the entrance.
Luckily, there was only one, so we could monitor everyone coming and going.
“Ugh… it’s cold…”
After what felt like forever, my fingers went numb.
I flexed them, glancing at the attendants on either side.
Even for men trained for endurance, wasting time on an unexplained errand seemed to bother them.
Should we call it a day?
I sighed heavily and decided to give up for now.
If I wanted to make it back in time for dinner with the duke, I had to leave soon.
I could always come again another day.
Just as I turned to go—
“Hic…”
A sudden sob broke the air.
“Hm? What was that?”
It wasn’t coming from the gambling den.
The attendants had heard it too and looked around.
Then, from beyond a pile of dirt, a small foot stuck out.
“Whoa!”
“Hic… sniff…”
The crying grew louder.
Instinctively, I clutched the attendant’s sleeve and approached slowly.
And then I saw her.
“Gasp…”
The woman sitting on the ground, disheveled and crying, was the very magician I’d been searching for.
Kautz — you were here all along?
My heart felt like fireworks were bursting inside.
Finally!
I’d never seen her face before, but the glittering rings on every finger and the jeweled pins in her hair left no doubt.
It was her.
Sensing us, Kautz lifted her tear-streaked face — and then cried even harder, letting out a wail.
Fearing the guards might hear, I crouched down and soothed her.
“If you keep crying like that, your eyes will swell so much you won’t be able to see.”
“Hic…”
I knew why she was crying.
Everyone who came and went from gambling dens like this — it was obvious.
She’d lost all her money.
Her sleepless, hollow eyes met mine.
“Who… hic… are you?”
Well, it made sense — three hooded strangers had just appeared before her.
I lowered my voice so she couldn’t guess my age.
“Someone who’s been looking for you.”
