HSRD 08

Chapter 8

<Altruistic Luck> random luck activated!
The mana detection ability of nearby mages temporarily increases!

At that moment, the necklace I was wearing gave off a faint glow—and a loud commotion broke out beside me.

“Ugh! What is the meaning of this all of a sudden, Lishian Sein?!”

Startled, I lifted my head.

Lishian had already subdued Baron Beko.

The baron was slammed face-down onto the table, his bulky body writhing helplessly.

“Are you seriously suspecting me over something like guessing cards?! I-If anything, you should suspect that woman instead! She could’ve been colluding with the dealer!”

Huh? Why is he dragging me into this?

I walked over to the pinned-down baron and spoke.

“Just because you have a mouth doesn’t mean you should use it so carelessly. Anyone can see you’re the suspicious one. Ah… is this what they call a criminal’s final struggle in novels?”

I didn’t mean anything malicious—I was genuinely curious.

At my words, Baron Beko ground his teeth.

I tapped my chin lightly with my finger and continued,

“You’ll ruin your teeth like that. You’re about to have a long, difficult prison life ahead—shouldn’t you take better care of your body?”

“What did you say?! You insolent brat! Let go of me! You dare treat an imperial noble like this without any physical evidence?!”

“No physical evidence—but what if there are witnesses? Baron Beko! You just tried to use magic!”

Cutting off his shout, Lishian spoke sharply.

His words sent shockwaves through the room.

Baron Beko’s face turned pale instantly, and the crowd fell silent as they watched.

‘Come to think of it, the effect said nearby mages’ mana detection would increase.’

Lishian was also a mage who had learned magic directly from the Emperor.

Though he supposedly lacked talent…

Still, it seemed the boosted detection allowed him to sense something I couldn’t.

‘But wait… why did something beneficial happen for someone else?’

If luck was supposed to affect me, shouldn’t something good happen to me?

As I pondered the necklace’s effect, one of the onlookers stepped forward.

A woman with silver hair similar to Lishian’s bowed elegantly and spoke:

“I am Cateri, a mage of the Capital Magic Tower. I, too, sensed mana from Baron Beko’s hand just now.”

At her words, others stepped forward as well.

“I felt it too.”
“Um… I’m not very familiar with that kind of mana, but I definitely sensed something.”

As the witnesses spoke, the previously silent Young Duke of Mayville rose from his seat.

He leisurely approached Baron Beko and removed the navy gemstone ring from his finger.

“I also sensed mana. The reason it felt unfamiliar is because what he attempted to use was ancient magic.”

“Then that ring is an ancient artifact?”
“How does someone like Baron Beko even possess something that valuable?”
“The important thing is he used magic inside a casino! That’s the same as cheating!”
“Can’t the casino’s detection spells identify ancient artifacts?!”

As the awakened mages spoke over one another, Lishian cut in.

“That can be investigated later. The important fact is that Baron Beko attempted to use suspicious magic! What are you all doing?! Arrest the cheats immediately and summon the Imperial Guard!”

“Yes, sir!”

The guards, who had been watching in a daze, rushed forward.

They subdued Baron Beko, the dealer, and several others at the table who had acted suspiciously when the cards were revealed.

Baron Beko struggled violently.

“I-I don’t know anything! I’m innocent! I was just following orders! That ring wasn’t even mine! I have someone above me!”

The Young Duke of Mayville gave a calm order to one of the guards.

“He’s being noisy. Gag Baron Beko and detain the cheats in an empty room. It’s too loud—I need some rest.”

The guard nodded nervously.

The duke casually turned and headed upstairs toward his private lounge.

Meanwhile, the guards busily cleared out the spectators crowding the VIP room.

The casino fell into chaos once more.

* * *

Fortunately, the Imperial Guard arrived quickly.

They swiftly brought the chaotic casino under control.

After giving a brief statement, I was allowed into the casino’s public lounge.

‘Sigh… how did things escalate like this?’

Everyone except the victims of the scam and witnesses like me had been sent home.

The casino now felt strangely empty.

‘I just wanted to stop the time reset… how did I end up a witness in a cheating scandal…?’

Since I had already given my testimony, maybe I could go home now.

As I sat alone, Lishian—who had also stayed behind as a witness—approached.

“We were lucky. I never expected all the mages present—not just me—to detect the mana.”

He sat beside me and handed me a card.

“This is the last card you didn’t get to confirm, Miss Atlas.”

Ah… the card the dealer was about to give Baron Beko.

When I checked it, it wasn’t the Ace of Spades—it was a 2.

“Baron Beko must have used the ancient artifact’s magic to swap the card. If we hadn’t detected the mana, you might have been in serious trouble.”

Lishian scratched his head.

“Though, honestly, I’ve never been good at sensing mana… Maybe I was just in good condition today? I don’t even know how I noticed it.”

At his words, I couldn’t help but grin.

“What if that was part of my strategy too?”

“…What?”

“You remember I said the goddess of luck was on my side today?”

I didn’t intend it—but what if even the mages sensing mana happened because of me?

‘Heh… everything went exactly according to my plan…’

I indulged in my usual internal monologue—

And Lishian burst into laughter.

“Hahahahaha—!”

Why is he laughing again?

Still, when a handsome man laughs, everything seems to sparkle.

‘Alright, I’ll laugh too! They say laughter brings good luck!’

“Hahaha!”

I laughed along with him.

Seeing this, Lishian laughed even harder before finally calming down.

“…Haah, I really like you. Let’s drop the formalities and be friends.”

He leaned toward me as he asked.

I already knew he was famously sociable, so his sudden offer wasn’t too surprising.

After a moment’s thought, I nodded.

“Sure.”

Of course, part of my decision was calculated—

It’d be beneficial to get close to a snow leopard beastman favored by a divine messenger.

Unaware of my ulterior motives, Lishian smiled brightly.

“Then call me Lishian. I’ll call you Aigle. Sound good?”

“Alright, Lishian. Was I helpful to you?”

“Of course! You were amazing today!”

At that moment, a system window appeared.

☆Urgent! Special Quest Complete!☆
Reward: <Secret Art of the Evening Glow Nymph 1>

The moment I read it, unfamiliar movements flooded my mind—

As if someone forcibly injected knowledge into my brain.

Startled, I looked at Lishian, but he was just staring at me with sparkling eyes.

Meanwhile, the movements continued seamlessly.

‘This… is this a way to use mana?’

Before I knew it, I was fully focused on the repeating sequence.

And then I realized—

‘Using mana like this… I can completely erase my presence!’

The moment I understood, the sequence stopped.

No matter how much I tapped my head, nothing more appeared.

“Aigle, are you okay? You look tired.”

“Huh? O-Oh, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

Still dazed, I lowered my head.

This is <Secret Art of the Evening Glow Nymph 1>? And if there’s a ‘1’… there’s more?

My heart began to race.

‘Does that mean… I can finally use mana properly?’

Nymphs could use ordinary magic like humans—

But their true power came from utilizing their innate mana.

‘But I’m a half-blood… I didn’t have much mana.’

On top of that, my mother’s health had been poor, so she couldn’t teach me much.

She barely managed to teach me how to change my hair and eye color.

After I inherited her mana and grew stronger… she passed away.

So even though I had mana, I didn’t know how to use it.

‘Like having a fortune in your bank account but no card to access it…’

And now, the quest reward had just handed me that card.

Even more astonishing—

I felt like I could use the technique perfectly without practice.

‘Is this the power of a “reward”?’

As I marveled quietly, another window appeared.

Third Sub-Quest
~Ijanseol Lafmen is in danger of assassination! Enter the Lafmen Ducal Estate banquet immediately!~

“Ah—the Lafmen banquet!”

“Huh? Aigle, you need to go there?”

Lishian looked at me in surprise.

“Then ride with me! I’ll take you in my carriage!”

“But I heard you don’t like banquets…”

“If a new friend is in trouble, of course I should help!”

If I went with Lishian, I could pass through the Lafmen estate gates without trouble.

I gladly accepted and hurried out of the casino.

Today, I absolutely have to stop the reset.

‘Otherwise, I won’t be able to cash in my chips!’

Filled with a new kind of determination, I climbed into Lishian’s carriage and shouted—

“Let’s go!”

* * *

The carriage carrying Lishian and Aigle sped away from the casino.

From the top floor, the Young Duke of Mayville watched them leave and smirked.

‘That woman earlier… she seemed close to Lishian.’

He recalled the scene.

That woman, who had completely toyed with seasoned gamblers using an unreadable smile…

‘Maybe I should’ve asked her name.’

She had provided such an entertaining spectacle—he should’ve at least thanked her.

With a faint sense of regret, he watched the carriage disappear.

Then, a trembling voice came from behind him.

“D-Duke… I’m sorry. Please forgive me…”

A large man lay flat on the floor, begging desperately.

The Young Duke of Mayville—

Duke Mayville—stepped away from the window and approached him.