Chapter 605: "Judgment"
Upon hearing Gehrman Sparrow, Darkwill's first reaction was to reveal
everything about the strange die. He wanted this adventurer, that he had
spent huge sums of money on, to grasp the problem at its root so as to
effectively ensure his personal safety.
But on second thought, he recalled his teacher's exhortations. Believing
that the die might very well be a rather important Sealed Artifact of
the Life School of Thought, he was afraid that the truth would entice
him to cause even more negative developments!
*There are plenty of rumors about adventurers who killed their employers
during missions in order to earn greater benefits for themselves. I
don't know Gehrman Sparrow, and I have no idea what kind of character he
has. I need to be cautious! Besides, the die had automatically rolled a
two. The situation isn't at its worst and most despair-inducing. I can
still wait for a chance...* Darkwill hesitated for a few seconds
and finally decided to talk about superficial matters while avoiding the
key points.
He subconsciously dodged Gehrman Sparrow's seemingly calm eyes.
"It's this. My teacher and I belong to a secret organization. I'm
escaping because a traitor has appeared internally.
"They grasp the pathway related to fate and can make themselves
sufficiently lucky and their target unlucky... I-I might have been
cursed, so I was unlucky enough to be struck by lightning."
After the explanation, he forcefully hid the nervousness in his heart
and awaited Gehrman Sparrow's reply.
*Will he believe me? This kind of adventurer with rich experience and
strength is likely hard to deceive... If he were to discover that I'm
lying, he will likely sink me into the ocean...* Darkwill stood
there anxiously, like a student being summoned to the teacher's desk.
*He's indeed from the Life School of Thought... Monster
pathway...* Klein nodded in thought.
"I understand.
"Try to do as little as possible. I will consider how I'll deal with
your bad luck."
Uh... Darkwill was taken aback, completely unable to believe
that Gehrman Sparrow would so easily accept a lie he fabricated on the
spot.
He forced a smile and quickly expressed his gratitude. Then, he returned
to his room, leaning his back against the door as he took out the ring
box.
Pa! His hand trembled as he opened the lid, only to discover
that the milky-white die had already strangely rolled itself to have the
six side facing up!
*Does this mean that I was lucky enough to successfully fool Gehrman
Sparrow?* Darkwill thought in enlightenment.
Mr. Harry swooped down and didn't choose to perch on the chubby
Apothecary's shoulder. Apparently, it was still somewhat worried about
how it could've also been implicated when Darkwill was nearly struck by
lightning.
It stood on a wooden desk and stared ahead with its round eyes.
"Darkwill, you're very nervous."
"You don't have to tell me that," Darkwill said in frustration.
The owl spread its wings and said, "Alright, I'll use a different
explanation.
"I believe I should consider changing owners.
"Gehrman Sparrow seems to be a pretty good choice."
"...Then what about me?" Darkwill asked in surprise, momentarily
forgetting his anger.
Mr. Harry tsked and said, "Don't you sense the concern and fear in your
heart? You're already suspecting whether you can see tomorrow's sun.
That strange die is really, really dangerous!
"If I were you, I would've thrown it out the window and into the sea and
get your teacher's teacher to fish it out himself."
"...How do you know about my teacher's teacher?" Darkwill blurted out
the question.
Mr. Harry proudly lifted its head and said, "Don't doubt an owl's
vision."
Darkwill fell into thought and didn't faze himself with its answer.
"No, that won't work. Throwing the die into the sea wouldn't resolve all
my problems.
"According to Old Man, even if it's buried out at sea, any powerful
person will be able to find it in days. That will mean that I'll really
lose it. Silly bird. You lack general knowledge in mysticism, and you
don't know how some important Sealed Artifacts are just like the most
popular prostitutes in Red Theater. They'll always be able to attract
hungry men."
"Including you," Harry calmly replied. "As for the problem of being
lacking in general knowledge in mysticism, I believe a famous quote can
explain it. Emperor Roselle once said that if a child doesn't receive a
good education, then it's the father's fault. This sentence can also be
used to describe problems between a pet and its owner. Alright,
Darkwill, regardless, I believe you need to discuss the die with Gehrman
Sparrow. Otherwise, there will only be greater danger."
"Let me wait and see a little longer. Perhaps it will be fixed at
six..." Darkwill said with some hesitation.
He sat on the edge of the bed before lying down.
At this moment, the storm that had been howling had gradually calmed
down. The sky began to turn calm as the liner blew its horn, indicating
that it was setting sail.
Inside the first-class cabin's living room, Klein looked out the window
and saw blurry rainbows that appeared after the rain. Yet, his heart
wasn't calm.
He wasn't too afraid of enemies. Out at sea, apart from the Four Kings
and the official demigods, or the pirate admirals who appeared with
their fleet, there were very few matters that could threaten him, who
had Creeping Hunger and several mystical items. Even if the ship was
sunk, he was able to escape thanks to the many charms he had from the
Sea God domain.
But luck was something he really had no confidence in. It wasn't within
the limits of his abilities, nor could he think of a way to handle it.
*Although my title is "the King of Yellow and Black who wields good
luck," that was modified from the luck enhancement ritual. And the luck
enhancement ritual clearly wasn't to allow people to get out of bad
luck... Darkwill's matter is quite difficult to handle. I can only
invest more effort into keeping a close eye on his situation. I'll
immediately rescue him if something unlucky that can cause death
happens... Let's hope that we can last for these few days until we
arrived at Oravi Island. His seniors should be able to help him change
his luck...* Klein rubbed his temples, but he didn't show any
abnormalities.
Darkwill, who had been too nervous the previous night, fell into a deep
sleep without realizing it.
After a while, his stomach's growling informed him that it was time for
lunch.
He tried hard to open his eyes, but he felt as though an invisible
person was pressing down on him, making it impossible for him to move.
He felt the back of his head swelling with a sharp pain. He felt his
breathing become more difficult as his heart raced at an abnormal pace.
*D-don't tell me that I'm going to experience a sudden death in my
dreams...* Darkwill struggled with all his might, but he failed
to wake up. He became weaker and weaker with time.
At this moment, his mouth was opened up by a sharp object as an ice-cold
liquid was poured in. The liquid also flowed down his face, wetting his
chin and neck.
Darkwill's body recovered as he finally managed to open his eyes. He saw
two bright, round, gold-like eyes nearly slamming into his head.
Rearing a Beyonder pet can be quite effective sometimes...
Darkwill first felt wistful before he rapidly sat up and took out the
ring box.
Inside, the die had rolled to another side.
1 point!
*So unlucky that I almost died in my sleep? No, I don't think it's that
simple. It seems to magnify certain probabilities such as the chances of
being hit by lightning or the chances of experiencing sudden death while
asleep... No, this can't carry on. If this continues, I'll definitely
die!* Darkwill thought in hysteria.
Horror quickly overwhelmed his thoughts as he spurred his hand to hold
onto the ring box and rush to the door.
Perhaps as a result of nearly suffering a sudden death, he was lacking
in strength. He could hardly twist the handle.
"Help! Help!" Mr. Harry screamed sharply.
Bang!
The door was opened, slamming into Darkwill's head. If Klein hadn't
controlled his strength, the chubby Apothecary's head probably would've
cracked open with blood spewing out everywhere.
Without even rubbing his bruise, Darkwill frantically shouted, "It's
this! It's this!
"It's this die that gives me bad luck!
"When it's at 1 point, I'll fail at everything I do!"
He had already decided to inform Gehrman Sparrow of the whole truth, and
he looked forward to the powerful adventurer giving him some effective
suggestions.
He didn't eliminate the possibility of him killing him out of greed, but
he had weighed the matter. If he had to make a choice, he definitely
chose the one which wasn't as terrible.
Telling Gehrman Sparrow might lead to death, but not telling him would
spell certain death. This choice was no longer something that needed
consideration.
I don't care if the die is lost. My life is more important!
Darkwill thought with righteous indignation.
Then, he saw a smile appear across Gehrman Sparrow's mouth.
"Thank you for your humor.
"The joke isn't too bad."
...It's not a joke... Darkwill looked down at the ring box and
saw that there were no changes to the blood-red single point on the die.
*C-could it be that even an explanation with plenty of logic will
fail...* The chubby Apothecary suddenly fell into despair.
"It's real! He's speaking the truth!" Harry flapped its wings.
Darkwill, who felt hope arise in him, heard Gehrman Sparrow say in a
deep voice, "Then why don't you throw it into the ocean?"
With that said, Klein politely closed the door and returned to the
living room.
*This fellow must be hiding a secret. I mustn't be fooled by such a
clumsy excuse...* Klein sat in his chair and waited for Darkwill
to describe the situation in detail.
Darkwill sat down, depressed. He sat there motionless, afraid of
encountering another failure.
He didn't notice that the die had already switched its face again to a
three.
Before lunch, Klein entered the washroom to clean out his digestive
system.
After washing his hands, he went above the gray fog in passing,
preparing to browse through the prayers of the Sea God believers.
Just as he sat at the high-back chair of The Fool, he suddenly recalled
many details as his eyes widened.
H-how could I believe such a weak explanation...
Why do I think that it's because of that die?
*In the past two events, it felt like my mind had been clouded. No, it's
not that. Darkwill's explanation happened to match certain theories of
mine. Therefore, I instinctively believed it to be real and
fake.* Klein's eyes constricted as he thought about it.
At that moment, he had already made a judgment.
That die is indeed problematic!