"Let's have a riot today too, Brother Holy Knight! I'll back you real proper, so you just wait!"
Hearing his boasting, Ellin snickered. "You sure talk a lot for a pissy-pants."
"Missy! Will you please change the way you address me?!"
As the two men and woman were walking down the road, a golden palanquin was moving up the street behind them.
Halsem was startled, seeing the palanquin coming from over his shoulder, and quickly bowed his head.
"Eh? What is it? Why are you doing that so suddenly?"
Instead of replying to Ellin's question, he urgently grabbed her head and lowered it by force.
"Idiot! It's Lord Kelvin!"
Ellin froze with surprise at his warning.
The palanquin passed by them without anyone taking note of them.
'Kelvin? The enemy… of my benefactor?!'
Ellin grew agitated, her heart thumping hard, and as rage numbed rationality, her gaze and expression turned cold. But just as she hurriedly shook off Halsem's grip and was about to run toward the palanquin, someone caught her hand.
Ellin twisted her head and stared at Tom, who had grabbed her hand and was muttering to himself while looking at Kelvin.
"Kel—vin."
A chill ran down Kelvin's spine for a moment, as if grasped by an invisible hand. The strangely icy sensation caused him to cry out in terror.
"St-stop—!"
The slaves stopped on the spot out of surprise, while Kelvin gasped for breath, his body stiff. He was certain that he could feel a gaze fixed on him from behind. Fear took over his mind, but the curiosity in him began to overwhelm his horror as time trickled by.
'Who does this gaze belong to? Who is staring at me with such hatred and malice?'
Failing to stop himself, he turned his head back in the direction of the gaze.
And there, he saw a Holy Knight who met his eyes with a smile.
***
The Fortress of Money was an underground arena. Inside was a circular hall with a large metal cage in the center, inside of which dozens of human debt slaves were currently fighting. Holding weapons and shaking in fear, they had been tasked with fighting against an ogre—which was already covered in wounds—armed with a club. Cheers full of excitement rang out from the surrounding and what looked like tickets were fluttering about in the air. The atmosphere was electric and intoxicating, boiling the blood of the onlookers.
"Now, make your bet! It's a gamble! A gamble that can yield huge returns! A fortune that can change one's life!"
"Win! Slaves! Show your spirit!"
"The ogre's almost dead! It'll die even if you don't fight it! So just hang in there!"
"Ogre! Kill 'em! Your opponents are merely slaves! Eat 'em!"
"Don't be losin' to debtors! Ogre!"
Ardent voices could be heard from here and there while bewitching women who wore scant clothing tempted the surrounding people to make bets.
"I'll wager on the ogre."
"Then, I'll wager on the slaves to make it fun."
Masked noblemen made their bets with female slaves by their sides.
Whether it be nobles, merchants, or commoners, all of them gambled their money to try and obtain a fortune.
Over the din of the hall, the emcee cried out with a voice full of enthusiasm.
"Now, now! Who will win? Please look at the ogre, by the way! Those wounds all over its body! It has already fought for a month straight now! Will it hang in there this time as well…?!"
Ellin frowned while walking by the spectator seats.
"… What is this?"
She stared at the wounded ogre and at the demons locked in cages on the other side. All of them were thin, injured, and behind bars, their miserable fates quite evident.
This was the Fortress of Money, a place of gambling where humans were made to fight against demons, and money was wagered on the outcome.
"Oi! Lady, don't be spacing out!"
A mercenary working for Kelvin roughly pushed Ellin, and she staggered due to her hands being bound behind her back. She scowled at her aggressor before looking at the people walking in front of her: Tom and Halsem, whose hands were also tied.
The place they arrived at was Kelvin's private reception room.
Kelvin's eyes shone at the sight of Tom's belongings, he was entranced by the gold and gems inside the latter's money bag, his face brimming with delight.
"Ohh, oohhh! This is amazing. Oi! Release him, quick!"
The mercenaries undid the ropes binding Tom's arms and brought him a chair.
Tom took a seat and then looked at Kelvin.
"I didn't know a precious guest had come. Who would have expected a Holy Knight to be making small coin in a shabby place like this?"
Kelvin ordered a mercenary to return the money bag to Tom, which the latter received with a smile.
"It's simply too fun, this activity called gambling."
"Haha! Isn't it? Everyone enjoys it as a small pastime."
'Small pastime? This sort of gambling where you wager your assets and become a slave is a small pastime?'
Ellin wore a dumbfounded look.
At this moment, the door of the reception room opened, and a Holy Knight entered; he was the knight and acting lord of Fief Golden. Kelvin clapped his hands at the sight of the man, who—unlike Tom—was not in uniform, but was wearing plate armor that covered his entire body with a sheathed sword on his belt.
"Ohh! Sir Rahon, you've come at just the right time!"
The Holy Knight called Rahon placed a hand on his chest and quietly bowed towards Kelvin.
"It has been a while, Lord Kelvin."
Rahon went over to Kelvin, who furtively showed him a document that was placed on the reception table.
Rahon spoke as he read through its contents.
"… It is real: this token of a Holy Knight. Still an apprentice, though. And he possesses a small territory like I do. I don't know where it is, but it's likely to be a rural area since I've never heard of it."
"Is that so?"
Rahon nodded. He gazed at Tom for a moment before directing a wicked smile at Halsem and Ellin at the side, causing Ellin to tremble as she felt a chill spread throughout her body.
"Th-that Holy Knight, he's looking at me with strange eyes!"
"Ahh, that indeed seems to be the case. He must've taken a liking to you, missy."
Rahon moved to stand before the two and threw a question at Tom.
"Who might these two be? Your acquaintances?"
He asked in a polite tone as per decorum, seeing as they were both Holy Knights.
Tom glanced at the two and shook his head.
"We met in a casino."
"Not so close then, I see."
The Holy Knight Rahon licked his lips and lowered his eyes, which were flashing with a cunning glimmer, and then turned to Kelvin in order to receive permission.
"Ah, you've taken a liking to that one? Do as you will. An interrogation to determine whether they're a heretic or not should be fine."
With a satisfied smile, Rahon reached out his hand at Kelvin's words, which drew out an expression of disgust from Ellin and caused Tom's gaze to grow cold.
And… Rahon's hand came to gently caress Halsem's chin.
"… Eh?"
"Mm?"
Tom and Ellin released dumbfounded noises, while Halsem froze up.
"I'll be kind to you. Let us get to know each other well… And deeply."
There was but one thought now coursing through Halsem's mind.
'You swing that way—?!'
— Ω —