Konosuba Dust Spin Off 4

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KonoSuba Dust Spinoff

Volume 4: The Never Victorious Gambler

Written by Hirukuma; Translated by Cannongerbil

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Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1: Spring Comes for That Blockhead Too

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6
• Part 7
• Part 8

Chapter 2: Tailing That Noisy Bunch

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6
• Part 7
• Part 8
• Part 9

Chapter 3: A Breakout for That Boss

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3

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• Part 4
• Part 5
Chapter 4: A Great Match for the Sake of That Succubus
• Part 1
• Part 2
Epilogue
Afterword
Short Story 1: Haunted House
Short Story 2: Such a Waste
Translator Note

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Prologue ↲

TL: Cannongerbil
Editor: Ulti

I took a seat opposite the table from a brat.
This is the basement of a casino, and surrounding me on the
nearby tables were the various tools and apparatuses used for
various types of games.
Behind the brat stood a pair of well-built, fully equipped
bodyguards. If anyone did anything untoward in this place, they’d
probably be on them in an instant.
Even I of all people managed to feel nervous in this setting, and I
unconsciously placed a hand on my sword to calm my nerves.
Taylor, dressed in nothing but his underwear, was sitting stoically
over at the corner of the wall. Keith was similarly dressed, but his
demeanour was anything but motionless.
And Lynn, dressed in clothes that might as well be underwear,
tried to hide herself behind Loli Succubus as much as possible,
but at the same time, she never took her gaze off me.
Right now, I had no choice but to engage in a decisive match with
the brat in front of me.
All I have to do is win, but, if I lose…
I gave a simple explanation of the rules, and the brat appeared to
be satisfied by it.
“Very well. All I have to do is draw a single card, yes?”
With the very picture of smugness playing on his face, the
precocious brat drew a card from the deck.

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It would appear that he was quite confident in his skills at
gambling. It doesn’t even seem like he’s even considering the
possibility that he might lose.
I started extending my hand towards the deck of cards too, but
hesitated for a moment.
Loli Succubus, standing next to me, had her eyes closed and her
hand clasped as if she was offering a prayer.
“I actually met her in person, so maybe it might actually work…
Nah, forget it.”
I was briefly tempted to follow her example, but that’s just not my
style.
Turning my attention back towards the table, I closely examined
the twelve cards arrayed in front of me.
To be honest, I had my doubts, but the only thing I could do right
now was to believe in the power of my luck–
“I’ll go with this card.”
After my declaration, the prince nodded once.
“I’ll reveal my card first. You are fine with that, I presume?”
“Go right ahead. I’ll let you make the first move.”
I instantly answered, but at the same time, sweat started
accumulating on my palms.
I gulped in order to soothe the feeling of dryness around by
throat.
It’ll be fine. It’ll be fine.

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I could do nothing but repeat that to myself as I stared down at
my opponent’s card.
And the card that he so slowly flipped over is–

↲

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Spring Comes for That Blockhead Too
Chapter 1: Part 1 ↲

TL: Cannongerbil
Editing: Ulti

I sighted Keith lewdly eyeing the passing women at the
adventurer’s guild, along with Lynn who was nibbling on a
vegetable stick like she always does, and hurried over to them.
My wallet was extremely light today, so I was thinking of getting
them to treat me to a meal.
“’Sup. You’re looking really cool today, Keith. As expected of a
popular man, they really give off a different aura. Can you lend me
some money?”
“…If you’re trying to flatter me, you could at least say something
more believable.”
Keith rested his chin in his hands and he gave me an exasperated
look.
Well, that didn’t work. The words I used must have been too far
out of sync with reality for him to see through it this easily.
Oh well. There was still someone else I could turn to.
This time I’d go with some more grounded flattery.
“Oh, Lynn, you seem to be in good spirits today. Your skin looks
to be quite shiny too. Ah, I see, you must have let out a big one,

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haven’t you? I feel like you’ve been complaining about being
constipated–”

“Lightning!”

“Uwah!?”

That was close… I only managed to dodge that bolt of lightning by
the skin of my teeth.

That flash flew out through an open window behind me and sailed
off into the sky.

“You little… Don’t start shooting magic at me out of the blue!”

“Blame yourself for saying such disgusting things to a girl
currently having a meal!”

“Umm… Could you please refrain from casting magic within the
guild?”

The person who uneasily interjected as we were glaring at each
other was the most popular receptionist in the guild, Luna. Her
huge breasts were wobbling in the most appealing way today as
well.

“Yes, say it! She might actually listen if someone with breasts as
huge as yours reprimands her! Let her and her flat chest know
their place!”

“You son of a… I definitely won’t miss this time. Sorry, I made
sure to target my spells so they wouldn’t cause damage to the
guild, but…”

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So it wasn’t a coincidence that the bolt of lightning flew out
through the window?
“Well, in that case, I guess it’s fine.”
“Don’t be convinced so easily! How could that be fine!? If it had
hit me, one of the reliable adventurers of the guild might have
been taken out of commission! That would’ve been a great loss for
the guild!”
“Eh? Well, I suppose you’re pretty strong as far as your skill at
arms are concerned, but if that means that you won’t cause any
problems for a while… I think it would’ve ended up a net benefit.”
How could she say such a terrible thing with a smile on her face?
“Leaving that aside for a moment, if that had hit me, the
surrounding chairs and tables would’ve been burnt to a crisp too.
You would’ve been stuck with the bill, Lynn.”
“I had faith that you would’ve dodged it.”
Don’t stare at me while clasping your hands in prayer.
“You had faith in nothing of that sort.”
“Anyway, if you are going to fight, please do it outside.”
With those words, Luna went back to her work.
…Isn’t it your job as a guild staff member to stop fights like this?

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“Right, anyway, would you rather prefer to lend me money or
treat me to a meal?”
“…You still think you’ll get a treat in this situation? You really
are…”
“What’s with that prideful attitude?”
“If you treat me, the leader of the party, to a meal, your standing
within the party will go up, won’t it? Depending on how you act, I
wouldn’t mind elevating one of you to the position of second in
command.”
In response to my confident declaration, the two of them sighed at
the same time.
What’s with this reaction?
“Did you figure out a way to get drunk without drinking alcohol?
Our leader is Taylor, remember? We all decided on that. Did you
forget already?”
“If Dust was our leader, we would’ve been disbanded a long time
ago.”
“…Eh? Are you serious? Isn’t the true, reliable leader of this party
me?”
I was completely taken aback by those statements.
I know Taylor was in charge of taking on quests and accepting the
rewards, but those were boring chores that nobody wanted to
burden themselves with… right?

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I thought they just let him act as the leader because it was more
convenient that way.
“How could that possibly be the case? Putting you in the position
of the leader would be the same thing as committing suicide.”
“The only place where you could be any sort of leader is the
prison.”
“You guys sure don’t hold back, do you!? So, where’s that reliable
leader of ours!? He’s not off slacking somewhere during this
important meeting, is he!?”
I shouted while repeatedly smashing my fist against the table.
“Just what part of this meaningless conversation can be
considered an important meeting?”
Normally, Taylor would be in the guild bright and early in the
morning to check up on the quests available, but today, of all days,
he was nowhere to be found. I swept my gaze across every nook
and cranny of the guild, but I couldn’t even catch a glimpse of
him.
“Say, Taylor seems to be quite busy as of late, doesn’t he? I hardly
ever see him in the guild these days.”
“…Now that you mention it… I’ve seen the two of you around here
often enough, but not Taylor…”
I didn’t notice it before Keith brought it up, but when was the last
time I saw Taylor? It must have been at least a few days back…

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Yeah, it was a few days ago. I think I saw him together with
another person, but I was pretty deep in my cups back then, so I
don’t quite remember much from that encounter.

“Unlike the two of you, Taylor is a busy person.”

Lynn said while shooting us a cheeky grin. Just what’s with that
meaningful smirk of hers?

“What do you mean by that? Lynn, do you know what Taylor has
been busying himself with?”

“The two of you really haven’t noticed, huh?”

“Hey, hey, just what are you saying? Don’t keep it to yourself, tell
us too.”

“Yeah, yeah. There shouldn’t be any secrets amongst us
companions.”

A shiver went down my spine upon hearing Keith’s words.

My body subconsciously reacted. There might come a day when I
would need to reveal my secret to them.

…Well, this and that are different things! I’m going to drag what
Taylor’s secret is out into the open!

“He’s been getting along fairly well with another adventurer lately.
A girl, at that.”

The moment I heard that, I silently met gazes with Keith.

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His brows were furrowed and he had a very unpleasant-seeming
frown on his face. My expression was probably pretty similar.
“Hmm, I should go clean my ears. I could’ve sworn I heard
something out of this world.”
“Dust too, huh? My ears must have been really clogged by
earwax.”
After a brief intermission, we once again turned back to Lynn.
“Please say that again.”
“It seems like he’s getting along well with a cute kouhai
adventurer.”
“…Whaaaat!?” x2
We couldn’t help but raise our voices upon hearing something so
unbelievable.
That stiff and inflexible Taylor has a girl!?
“Stop joking! We’re talking about that blockhead Taylor, you
know!? He who probably doesn’t even know what hitting on girls
entails! If you’re telling me that Keith has a girlfriend, it might
actually be believable!”
“You know, I don’t think Taylor is quite that stiff.”
“No, no, no, wait, wait, wait. This is totally strange! If spring has
come for Taylor too, then where does that leave me? Even Dust

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here has some women hanging around him, so why the hell am I
the only one left out!?”
Keith and I were wailing while clutching our heads, but Lynn was
simply coldly staring at us.
Aren’t you a little too calm? One of our companions might be
betraying us, you know?
“Why are you so calm, Lynn? You’re part of our singles alliance
too, you know?”
“I don’t recall ever joining such an alliance. In the first place,
there’s nothing odd about this. It’d be something else if one of you
two is going out with a girl, but not if it’s Taylor we’re talking
about.”
“How could that be the case? If you put me next to that stern and
unfriendly Taylor, most women would naturally gravitate towards
me!”
I guess I could give Keith, who’s worked himself into a little bit of
a frenzy over this matter, some support.
“Yeah, yeah! No matter how you think about it, the two of us
should be more popular than Taylor! Right, you guys?!”
Of course, I’ve noticed the gazes that the adventurers around me
have been shooting my way, so I turned around and addressed
them.
“Heck no. No matter how you look at it, Taylor is obviously the
better man.”

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“No, no, there’s no way. I’d rather join the Axis Cult than consider
dating either of you.”
“Yeah, yeah, a goblin would be a better choice.”
These guys are just shooting their mouths off…
The others bystanders who were silent before were egged on by
those words and started adding their own complaints to the mix.
And behind us, the guild staff solemnly nodded in response.
“I’ll definitely tell that Party Priest that you want to join the Axis
Cult, so you better remember that! Hey, Keith, don’t just fall
silent, you say something too!”
“Is our reputation really that bad…?”
Ah, Keith has curled up on the floor and seemed seriously
depressed.
I’m not exactly unaffected by this, but it seems like Keith has
taken far more damage.
I suppose I’ve built up some resistance to such comments after all
the time I’ve spent trading barbs with Yunyun and Loli-
Succubus…
That doesn’t make me happy at all.
Still, these guys really are going overboard. Right, I’ll use covering
for Keith as an opportunity to wring some money out of them.

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“Look, you’ve made Keith-kun cry! Do you guys not have a shred
of compassion in your hearts? You fiends! If you feel bad about
this, lend me some money or treat me to a meal!”
I tried to appeal to their conscience, but all of them simply let out
a snort in response.
“Fiend is more fitting for someone who not only borrows money
without paying it back, but attempts to borrow even more money
on top of that.”
“And on top of that, when anyone pesters you to return the
money, you snap. Hurry up and return me my money!”
“You even gave my name to the police to throw me off at one
point, didn’t you!?”
Dammit, if anything, things have gotten worse.
This isn’t a good spot for me. If I don’t change the subject, all of
my evil deeds are going to get dragged out one after another.
“A-Anyway, does anyone know that girl who’s been spending time
with Taylor!?”
I loudly shouted over the voices of the other adventurers, and they
slowly fell silent.
Eventually, murmurings to the tune of “Ah, wasn’t that the girl we
saw?” and “Oh yeah, I think I saw her.” started spreading around
the crowd.

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“I don’t know the details, but it’s true that Taylor has been
spending quite a bit of time with a newbie adventurer recently.
Apparently, he’s showing her the ropes of being an adventurer. He
is that sort of person, after all.”
One of the veteran adventurers said as he stroked his beard.
Perhaps encouraged by it, the other adventurers started sharing
their stories about having seen Taylor together with a female
adventurer too.
“So it was true after all… Dammit, how cold could he be!? He
should’ve told us, his friends, right away! Right, Keith?”
I turned my attention to Keith, just in time to see him collapse on
his side, hugging his knees to his chest.
“Who cares about that anymore…”
Oh, boy, seems like he’s taken far more damage than I thought. It
doesn’t seem like he’d be useful for a while.
“Well, that’s the story, so just leave it be.”
“You idiot! Our precious leader might have gotten a woman, you
know? As his friends… we need to give him our blessings.
Mwahaha.”
“What’s with that wicked expression of yours? You’re not thinking
of doing anything strange, are you?”
Taylor isn’t used to interacting with women, so it falls to me to
make sure that he’s made the right choice. I’d have to gather

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information about her to determine if she is indeed a worthy fit
for our leader.
She’s a newbie adventurer, so asking the guild staff about her
would probably be the fastest way to go about this, but it’s
unlikely that they will reveal any personal information to me. That
means I’ll have to ask someone else who’s familiar with the
rumours and stories that circulate around in the guild.
And I already have someone in mind. There isn’t a single person
who spends more time hanging around the guild than that person.

↲

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Chapter 1: Part 2 ↲

“Yo, Yunyun. Since you’re someone who’s perfected the art of
being a loner, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”
I noticed Yunyun, who wasn’t already in the guild for once, slide
in through the doors, and wasted no time in calling out to her.
“That nickname is kinda cool and Crimson Demon-like, but I
won’t be fooled that easily. Even if you prostrate yourself again,
I’m not lending you any more–”
“I’m not here for money today, though if you are willing to give me
some, I’d gratefully accept it. But nevermind that. More
importantly, have you heard anything interesting about Taylor
recently?”
“Ah, are you referring to that adventurer that seems to be getting
along well with Taylor-san!?”
Yunyun’s eyes practically lit up the moment the topic of romance
was brought up. Despite her having no luck in such matters, she is
still extremely interested in the romantic relationships of others.
“Yes, that’s right. He doesn’t really interact with women very
often, so I’m a little worried that he’s being led on. If you know
anything about that, please share it with me… or so Lynn said.”
“Lynn-san said that?”
Such concern would be fairly suspicious coming from me, but it’s
a different story if it was Lynn.

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The two of them have interacted with each other more often
recently, and have gotten closer as a result. If I were to frame it as
a request from Lynn, Yunyun, with her loner syndrome, should be
much more willing to spill the beans.
“Yeah, Lynn is a companion of Taylor and thinks of him as a
friend. She’s a little bit worried if Taylor is being deceived, so if
you tell her anything you know, she’ll probably be grateful to you.”
“Just ask me anything! I’ll do my best!”
Yunyun confidently stated while puffing out her chest. It’s really
great for me that her buttons are so easily pushed.
“Well, according to the rumours, the girl is a newbie adventurer,
but is that actually true?”
“Err, I first saw her in the guild starting about two weeks ago.
After that, she’d frequently show up and observe the guild while
occasionally taking glances at the quest board.”
“Observe?”
“Yes. I kept my eye on her because I thought I might be able to
become friends with a newbie, so there’s no mistaking it. She
seemed quite nervous and seems to always be staring at some
adventurer or the other.”
It’s a pretty common story to have a newbie adventurer cheerfully
head to the guild, only to get cold feet and become unable to make
any further moves.

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To think that such a newbie had to suffer under Yunyun’s piercing
gaze… It gives me the chills, but I think I’ll pass on commenting.

“And then, about a week ago, she came back to the guild together
with Taylor. I was sitting nearby, so I overheard what they said…
Ah, I’m not eavesdropping on purpose! I wouldn’t do something
that rude!”

“Nevermind that, the important bit is what they were talking
about. They weren’t fooling around with each other or talking
about indecent stuff, were they?”

“They aren’t you, Dust-san. Err, apparently, Taylor-san came to
the newbie adventurer’s rescue when she was fighting a monster
on her own, and after that, he offered to help show her the ropes
of being an adventurer. He really is a kind person, isn’t he?”

I see. Well, he is a bit of a busybody, after all. He probably
couldn’t help himself.

In other words, their relationship was one of a teacher and a
student. It seems I was too hasty in jumping to conclusions.

“So a teacher-student relationship, huh. Well, as long as he
introduces her to me later, I can let that slide.”

“Why do you sound so high and mighty? And, from the look in the
newbie adventurer’s eyes, she has completely fallen for Taylor-
san. Those were the eyes of a maiden in love.”

“…Are you sure it’s not just her idolizing a veteran adventurer?”

“Hmm… I don’t think it’s just admiration, but…”

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A girl who’s in love with Taylor.

Unforgivable.

She probably doesn’t know that an amazing adventurer like me is
present in this guild, and happen to think of Taylor as a good man
after he just so happened to help her out. That has to be it!

“What’s wrong? Why are you biting your lip like that?”

“By the way, what does that newbie look like?”

“She’s a beautiful girl with long black hair. And she’s slender, but
her bodyline is really amazing.”

“I’ll kill him!”

“W-Where did that come from?”

I couldn’t help but put voice to my thoughts.

That bastard, how dare he enjoy such a situation all by himself!? A
beauty with an amazing bodyline? All the women around me have
nothing to speak of between their waists and their necks, and the
only one that has any potential is this loner brat.

“Where are you staring!?”

The brat in question hastily covered her chest in a huff.

In this case, I’ll have to make contact with the girl directly and
spread a few rumours here and there to drag him down.

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“Right, I’m going to look into this. Yunyun, you come with me too.
You’re probably just planning to sit all day in the guild by yourself
anyways, so you should have plenty of free time.”
“I-I’m not free, but I’ll follow you because I’m interested in this
too.”
I briefly considered inviting Lynn with us too, but she’d probably
just get in the way if she was there, so nevermind that.
As for Keith… He’s still frozen at a corner of the guild, so let’s just
leave him be for now.

↲

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Chapter 1: Part 3 ↲

It didn’t take long to find out where Taylor and that newbie
adventurer were headed to today. Luna told Yunyun where they
were the moment she asked. Even though she wouldn’t breathe a
word of it to me…
It seems like they accepted a monster subjugation quest a short
distance away from town and happily headed out together.
“Love blooming during an adventure… Isn’t it beautiful?”
“What are you saying? There’s no way that can happen. Fighting
monsters means putting your life at risk. It’s not a task you can
take on with such a casual attitude! Lowering your guard for a
single moment could be all it takes to lose your life!”
“…And what do you really think?”
“I want to show a beautiful girl the ropes of being an adventurer
too! In such a situation, she wouldn’t get angry even if my hands
happened to make contact with her hands or her chests, right?”
I answered without thinking, and Yunyun shot a cold gaze back at
me.
Dammit, I stepped right into that.
“…You really are completely hopeless… Ah, there they are.”
“Dammit, she really is a beauty after all.”

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I dragged Yunyun behind the shadow of a large tree, where we
observed the two of them.
Taylor stood in front of the newbie, placing himself between a
monster and her, and seemed to be shouting something towards
her.
Just as the rumours suggested, the newbie was a woman with
long, flowing black hair and was bountiful in both the chest and
ass department.
She was a newbie adventurer, so I thought that she’d be on the
younger side, but she seems to be close to Taylor in age.
They are only facing off against a single goblin, so there’s no need
for us to intervene. We’ll just continue observing them.
Moving from tree to tree, we slowly crept closer.
“Looks like we can hear them from here.”
“What if it’s a confession of love!? What should we do?”
Don’t get lost in your delusions and slap me on the back! What are
you going to do if they hear us?
Plus, from where I’m standing, he can’t be doing anything apart
from giving her advice on how to take down monsters.
“If you have high defenses like a Crusader, you’ll be able to stand
on the front lines and absorb attacks, but you’re a warrior type
like Dust, so you’ll need to use your speed to dodge your enemy’s
attacks. Do keep that in mind.”

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“Yes, Master Taylor!”

Come on, is that really worth calling him master over?

Taylor nodded in a dignified manner, but it doesn’t seem like he’s
reveling in it.

“Huh? It seems like they are just focusing on the fight.”

“A hardhead like Taylor would never have a tryst out in the woods
like this. I’m glad to see my trust in him isn’t misplaced.”

“…Didn’t you say something about killing him earlier?”

“Did you just imagine what you wanted to hear because your time
as a loner has gotten to you?”

“T-This man…”

I ignored Yunyun and focused my attentions on those two, but he
merely taught her about how to defeat the monster and the kind
of mindset an adventurer should have.

Nothing interesting, in short.

It seems like Yunyun agrees with me, for her intense gaze soon
faded into one of boredom when it became clear that it wasn’t
what she expected.

“Good work. Shall we take a break?”

“Yes!”

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Taylor took out a sheet from the bag that the newbie was carrying
and spread underneath a tree, and the both of them sat side by
side on it.
They seem to be sharing a cup of tea together, and from where I’m
standing, they seem to only be good friends and nothing else.
“I think you’ll be able to get along fine without my guidance now.
It’s best that you find a party around your level soon.”
“Eh… Yeah… I’ll just be a bother if I keep sticking with you.”
“T-That’s not what I mean.”
Taylor seemed flustered when faced with the lonely look that the
newbie had in her eyes.
There is a bittersweet atmosphere that could be felt even all the
way over here…. It kinda pisses me off.
“I knew it, there is something there! Just look at the sad look in
her eyes…. W-Why are you taking your shirt off!?”
“I thought I’d rush out there naked and break this stupid
bittersweet mood in an instant!”
“Please don’t do that! Just support your friend’s budding love
from the side!”
“I refuse! Nothing pisses me off more than the happiness of
others! Especially when it comes to romantic relationships!”

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“Y-You are the worst! I won’t let you get between those two! If you
want to, you’ll have to go through me!”
Yunyun brought herself up in front of me and entered into a
stance where she could cast magic at any time.
She has always been easily swayed by the plight of others. I’ve
made good use of that personality of hers in the past, but it’s
certainly problematic in such a situation.
“Hah, too bad, you’ve already walked right into my trap.”
“I won’t fall for such a transparent trick! I’ll be serious today!”
“How naive. Do you seriously think they won’t hear you if you
shout loudly like this?”
“Ah!”
It’s too late to cover your mouth.
If you rave and shout like this, people will notice even if they don’t
want to.
Yunyun was blocking my view, so I adjusted my footing slightly to
peer past her and check up on what Taylor and the newbie were
doing.
Only, there wasn’t a single person there.
“They left while I was dealing with you! Dammit, where did they
go!?”

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“Ah, wait! I won’t let you get in their way!”
I thoroughly looked around the place while trying to dodge
Yunyun who was desperately chasing after me, but I couldn’t
catch even a glimpse of them.
This means that they must have returned to Axel.
“Dammit, in this case, I’ll just have to go with my original plan
and directly fill her ears with bad rumours of Taylor!”
I could see Yunyun chasing after me from a distance, but I
pretended not to see her and headed back to town.

↲

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Chapter 1: Part 4 ↲

I went straight to the adventurer’s guild the moment I made it
back to town, but neither Taylor nor that newbie was there.
Keith was still curled up into a ball at the corner of the guild, and
Lynn was sitting at a table next to him. From the looks of things, it
doesn’t seem like Taylor had made his way back to the guild yet.
Right, now what do I do? If the two of them were headed out for a
meal, they should’ve passed by the main street. Perhaps I should
ask the old man if he has seen them.
“P-Please don’t leave me behind like that~!”
Yunyun said amidst ragged breaths as she grabbed me by the
shoulder.
So she followed me after all.
“Right, we’re heading over to the general store. Follow me.”
Trying to shake her off would be a pain, so I guess she can tag
along for now.

“–So that’s the story. Have you seen Taylor around?”
“I haven’t seen him pass by today. Ojou-chan, you’re still hanging
around this guy? This man is a thoroughbred scum, so it’d really
be best for you to cut your ties with him as soon as possible.”

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“I can’t refute that…”
Don’t seriously think on it.
Still, it seems like this was a dead end. Unless…
“Hey, you weren’t slacking off in the back instead of actually
working, were you?”
“Even if that was the case, this is my shop. There’s no place for
you to be lecturing me about it. Though… You said the girl was a
beauty with long, black hair, right?”
“Yeah. Her chest and ass were both amazing. Did you recall
something?”
The old man gazed off into the distance.
“A girl I’ve never seen before dropped by a few days ago to sell off
some jewelry and equipment the other day. It’s probably just a
coincidence, but she does resemble your description of her.”
Hmm?
“Please tell me more details.”
“I think it was about four days ago. She came in bearing a huge
load of rings in all kinds of different sizes as well as armour made
for a man and a bunch of weapons. It’s fairly common for people
to sell me such things, but it’s the first time I saw someone come
in with such a mismatched set of items. Plus, she was a beautiful
girl who I’ve never seen before, so it left quite an impression on
me.”

37

…She came here to sell stuff?

It’s not unusual for adventurers to pick up second-hand weapons
and gear at this shop. It’s particularly attractive for newbies to
purchase a set of gear here when they lack the funds for anything
better.

However, she came here to sell. This is starting to smell fishy.

“Did anything stick out as suspicious to you?”

“Well, I didn’t want to get caught selling stolen goods, so I asked
for some identification, and she produced her adventurer’s card.
There wasn’t anything suspicious about it, so I took them.”

“What’s up with that…? Did she become an adventurer just so she
could get something that could assure her identity…?”

“E-Err, don’t you think this is a little odd?”

So even Yunyun picked up on it, huh?

“Hey, why are you furrowing your brows like that? Did you think
of some new scam or something?”

“Why would you think that!? Bah, I don’t have the free time to
spend hanging around such a stifling old man. Seeya.”

“H-Hey… Sigh, what a carefree fellow…”

“Sorry. Thank you for having us! Hey, I said not to leave me
behind~”

38

Yunyun was shouting something at be from behind, but I ignored
her as I proceeded down the main road.
This is definitely worth looking a little deeper into.
I’m not really worried over Taylor’s safety, but if that woman
turned out to be some kind of criminal, I would probably be able
to get some kind of reward if I turned her over to the police.
I don’t know where she got the jewelers and gear from, but there’s
only a few things one can spend a windfall like that on.
Gambling, wine, or women… No, she’s a girl, so she probably
wouldn’t be spending it on women. In this case, perhaps I should
look into the shopping district.
Well, I’ll hit up the local gambling parlour first.

↲

39

Chapter 1: Part 5 ↲

When I tried to enter the gambling parlour that I hadn’t visited for
quite some time, the bouncer standing at the front doors stopped
me.
“Hey, didn’t you notice this sign?”
He jabbed his overly large thumb towards a sign pasted above the
door, which read: We refuse to service broke, troublemaking
customers. That means you, Dust.
“What did you do this time?”
“I didn’t do anything! What is the meaning of this!? Just how
much money do you think I dumped in here!? I should be a VIP!”
“True, you’re really bad at gambling, so you’re very profitable for
the establishment. However, you constantly harass the other
customers the moment you go broke! And stop hitting on the
dealers!”
“If the ones who won were to share their winnings with me, the
money will flow fairly throughout the entire establishment! That’s
what economy is! And it’s only polite to hit on beautiful women!”
“Yeah, and that one time you actually won, you quickly left with
all your winnings. And the dealer has been asking us to do
something about that creepy delinquent for quite some time now.”
How could you operate a business like this! I’m never coming
back again!

40

And that dealer is the same one who once whispered “If it’s
someone like you, you’ll definitely hit the jackpot” sweetly in my
ear and caused me to lose a large sum..
“Anyway, we are busy preparing to deal with the card shark right
now, so I really don’t have time to entertain you.”
“Card shark?”
“There’s a woman who appeared in town recently who’s been
making a killing at the gambling dens throughout the town. There
are quite a few people who’ve lost large sums of money and even
valuable items going up against her.”
“…Tell me more about this woman.”
“Why are you so… Oh, fine. I’ll tell you, so give me a shout if you
learn anything. She’s woman who’s blessed in both high luck and
skill in cards. She’s never lost a match, so we think she’s cheating
somehow, but we just can’t grasp her methods. However, her
movements definitely aren’t those of an amateur. And she doesn’t
seem like she’s in the same business as us either.”
After that short exchange, I left to gather information from the
other gambling parlours in the town, where similar scenes played
out, and where I was told similar tales. I also asked any fellow
adventurers I saw on the way.

“Ah, I heard a friend of a friend lost everything on him going up
against her. She is not only skilled with her hands, but she doesn’t

41

hesitate to make use of her feminine charms either. Just thinking
about it makes my blood boil.”
“That friend of a friend is just referring to you, isn’t it?”
“W-What are you saying!? There’s no way that can be! Ahahaha!”

“That woman, huh… She approached me out of the blue, but in
the middle of our conversation, she went off after some other guy.
When I went after her, she said that ‘I’ll go out with anyone who
wins against me. If you win, you may do whatever you want with
me as your prize.’ There’s no man who wouldn’t challenge her
after hearing something like this! You understand, right!? Any
man would definitely take her on after hearing that!”

“Well, when she starts crying and saying that her sister is
suffering due to her illness, anyone would be moved to give her a
bit of money, right? I mean, sure, I had some hopes that this
would allow us to grow closer, but…”

After gathering information from the various idiots who got
tricked by her, I’ve managed to piece together a pretty good
picture of who the rumoured card shark is. It’s definitely that
newbie adventurer who was calling Taylor ‘Master’ not too long
ago.

42

It seems like she’s gotten close to many other adventurers other
than Taylor and fleeced them off their gold and valuables. Not
only that, but she uses a different method for each person.
Some people were completely taken in by her seductions, and
others were taken in by some sob story that she spun.
True, they are idiots for getting tricked in the first place, but she’s
certainly a deft hand at it.
And that’s how she’s getting all those equipment and valuables to
sell.
“It seems like that newbie is quite the villainess indeed.”
“It’s not true, right? I mean, she seems so honest…”
“You can’t judge a person by how she looks. Take the girls at the
bar, for instance. They’ll keep you company as long as you pay up,
but they’ll instantly vanish the moment you run out of money.
Still, I didn’t see this coming. Now, what should I do?”
I did want to get in their way before, but I didn’t expect the
woman to be the problem.
I could just expose the plot to Taylor. That’d wrap things up
quickly, but…
“What should we do? Wouldn’t it be best to tell Taylor-san about
this? He might end up losing all of his money like everyone else at
this rate.”

43

“Why would we tell him? It’s his own fault for falling for such a
scheme. If he does end up handing over his money, that’d be his
problem.”
“What? But he’s your friend…”
“But, well, it’d be pretty fun to knock someone riding high to the
ground, don’t you think?”
This is definitely not for Taylor’s sake, but the idea of turning the
tables on that woman who’s riding high after fooling so many
people out of their gold does seem like it’d be pretty fun.
There’s nothing wrong with tricking a villain, after all.

↲

44

Chapter 1: Part 6 ↲

“Hey, beautiful lady over there! Yes, you with the long black hair
and the truly bodacious body!”
“What, are you referring to me?”
The woman who replied so languidly was, of course, that newbie
adventurer.
She gave off a completely different feeling from when she was
hanging around Taylor.
“Yes, yes, you! You seem to be extremely blessed by good fortune
as of late. That really piqued my interest, so I called out to you.”
There’s a reason why I’m speaking like an old man.
Right now, I’m wearing a fake white beard along with a pair of
thick, round glasses.
With that, I’ve set up a fortune-telling store along the road that
woman takes to the clothing store that she frequently visits.
“Fortune, huh? Well, I suppose you aren’t exactly wrong. You’ve
got a pretty good eye, don’t you? Eh, I’ve got some money, so give
me a reading.”
“Thank you very much. Now, come, come, take a seat.”
I directed her to the cloth-covered table in front of me, and she
took a seat.

45

Even though she had an aura of a sunny and honest newbie when
she was hanging around with Taylor, right now, she had an
extremely seductive aura that attracted the gaze of half a dozen
men from the street.
Women really are scary beings indeed.
“Now then, please look into this crystal ball. I’ll be able to see your
past and future. Hmmm, oh, I see it now! You’re an adventurer, I
see.”
“Anyone would say that when I’m dressed like this.”
True, the only people who’d walk around town wearing leather
armour and a sword would be adventurers.
Thus far, her reaction is fairly tepid, but the true abilities of
fortune-telling is yet to come.
“This morning, you remembered that you forgot to remove your
makeup before sleeping last night, so you got into the bath in a
hurry. You start washing from your feet up, and you pay special
attention to your chest… Wait, seriously, Sir? Tell me more about
that.”
“Eh? How do you know that?”
“Heh heh heh. I’m a pretty skilled fortune-teller, after all. I can see
everything, even the colour of the panties you’re wearing right
now… Oh come on, don’t be that petty, Sir. You can see it just fine,
can’t you?”

46

“Hey, why are you whispering like that? Is there someone else
there?”
The woman cast a suspicious gaze down at me.
I’ll get busted if I don’t play this off more naturally. I should keep
that in mind going forward.
“What are you talking about? There’s no one hiding under the
table. Anyway, let’s continue. At this rate, a huge misfortune shall
befall you.”
“Misfortune? You’re joking, right? I’ve been having the time of my
life with all the suckers in this town. I’ve been making a killing
every day.”
The twisted smile playing on her face really puts her beauty to
waste.
As I suspected, the face she puts on in front of Taylor was an act
after all.
“Fortune flows around like a wheel. If you receive the blessings of
great fortune, it’ll definitely come back around. Particularly so if
that fortune came as a result of fooling other and taking their
possessions for yourself…”
“You speak like you saw it in person…”
Her smile vanished instantly, to be replaced by a cold expression.
“Sigh. I get it now. You’re a friend of one of the guys that lost
everything to me in a gamble, right? Too bad, I’m not the kind of

47

person to fall for that kind of tricks. You’re a hundred years too
early to be fooling me. Try again in your next life.”
Saying that, she turned to leave, and I called out to her.
“When the earth starts rumbling, a large disaster shall befall you.
That’s a portent that only you shall be able to feel. Do try to keep
that in mind.”
“Yeah, yeah, come up with a more believable lie next time.”
The woman casually said that as she vanished into a side alley.
Yeah, most people wouldn’t believe something like this right off
the bat. Still, it should weigh on the back of her mind a little.
I took off my fortune teller’s disguise and straightened up.
It seems like she’s still trying to forge a relationship with Taylor
right now, so he shouldn’t come to any harm for the moment, but
at this rate, it’s only a matter of time before he joins the ranks of
the people who have been taken advantage of by her.
“Thanks for the help, Sir.”
I lifted the white cloth and conveyed my thanks to Sir Vanir who
was sitting cross-legged underneath it.
The fortune-telling earlier was all thanks to Sir’s power to see the
past and the future. He merely conveyed what he saw to me.
Sir emerged from underneath the table, straightened up, and let
out a laugh.

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“Fuhahaha! There’s no need for thanks, Delinquent who’s only
good at getting up to no good. Such pranks are perfectly suited for
my tastes, not to mention that it’s a good chance to taste more
dark emotions. You have not forgotten about that matter, Moi
trusts?”
“Of course not. Right, now, here comes the main event.”

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