Demuad had already vanished through the mirror, but the glass continued to reflect the scene on the other side. I didn't know how much longer the effect would last, but it looked like I could still follow him if I went now. I felt a bit bad for the prison guard, but settling the chaos over there took priority.
"I'm sorry! I'll be back later!"
"Wait, what...?! Hold on a minute...!"
Ignoring the guard’s panicked shouting, I scooped up the Dream-Viewing Mirror.
■
The moment my fingers brushed the glass, the world flipped as if someone had swapped the scenery. The drab prison was gone, replaced instantly by the garish interior of a casino. It looked like the teleportation was a success.
"W-Who the hell are you now?! What is wrong with you people?!"
A man with a sinister, thuggish face was screaming at the top of his lungs. Well, his confusion was understandable. I was used to it thanks to Shadow Leap, but teleportation wasn't exactly a common occurrence for most people.
Behind me, Halfa, Spira, and Shiroru materialized one after another. Lowell didn't appear, though. Perhaps the mirror’s effect had finally cut out, or maybe he stayed behind to soothe the frantic guard.
"Oh, ignore us. Please, carry on."
Setting the logistics aside, I scanned the room. Demuad stood with his back to us, shielding the two young twin girls while facing off against the thug. Our sudden intrusion had ground the confrontation to a halt, so I decided to step to the side for the moment. Even if we were going to intervene, it would be best to see how Demuad handled things first.
And yet—
"How can I possibly ignore you?!" the thug barked at me.
"As I thought... trying to be a bystander in this situation is a bit of a stretch," Demuad added, sounding utterly exasperated. I hadn't actually intended to just watch, but I suppose my timing was a bit off.
Meanwhile, the twins at the center of the storm were clutching Demuad’s hands tightly, their eyes wide with anxiety.
"Demuad... who are they?"
"Did you pick up more kids?"
They actually seemed more shaken than the man who was screaming at us.
Since everyone except Lowell had made the trip, our group consisted entirely of children... plus one Pseudo-Puppy. Seeing Demuad, their surrogate father, show up with a bunch of strange kids probably made them worry they were being replaced.
Looking at them, they didn't seem brainwashed in the slightest. Just as I suspected, they simply didn't want to be separated from Demuad.
"No, they're..."
Demuad began to stammer out an explanation to the girls. His awkward, shifty delivery made him look exactly like a man caught in the middle of an affair.
The man’s roar shattered the awkward atmosphere.
"Enough of this! These two are facing a Slavery Sentence to settle their debts! It’s too late to back out now!"
He tried to look intimidating, putting on a tough act to cow us.
But we weren't the type to be frightened by a little posturing. In fact, Halfa and Spira didn't seem bothered at all.
"I bet you didn't even use legitimate methods! That makes the whole thing invalid!"
"You said some rich creep wanted them as slaves, didn't you? We heard everything!"
"Hah?! So what? I lent them the money after explaining that slavery was the penalty for default. Isn't it a bit late to cry foul now? You’re being way too naive."
Targeting children with poor judgment for loans was a vile tactic. Given the circumstances, he had likely targeted the twins from the start and then swindled the borrowed money back through cheating. This place could hardly be called a proper casino.
Despite that, the man showed no remorse. I had a feeling the authorities would shut this place down if this ever came to light.
Of course, Halfa and Spira weren't the type to back down.
"Then let's settle this with a match for their freedom!"
"If we win, you have to let them go!"
Halfa made the declaration boldly. The thug’s face twisted into a greasy smirk.
"Heh. Well, if that’s the way you want it, I’ll take you on. But if we win, you kids become slaves too, got it? Kehehe."
Under normal circumstances, there was no reason for the man to accept the challenge. Perhaps he was blinded by greed, or maybe he thought he could easily manipulate children. Or, more likely, if he intended to cheat, he didn't even consider the possibility of losing.
"Okay, Tort, we’re counting on you!"
"Tort-kun, please!"
And just like that, the baton was passed. I figured this was coming, but it seemed they intended to leave the gambling to me. Well, unlike the divine realm of Rainanorn, there was no need for restraint in a place like this.
I had been worried that information about my exploits might have spread, but the man didn't seem wary of me at all. Perhaps because this was an illegal casino, he was out of the loop.
"How is this possible?! This shouldn't be happening! I'm the one who’s cheating here!"
The results were a foregone conclusion... I won every single game. Roulette, dice, cards—it didn't matter. Even when they forced me into games where I didn't even know the rules, I somehow ended up winning. Driven into a corner, the man had finally blurted out his own cheating in a fit of rage.
"Just give it up already! There’s no way you can beat Tort!"
"That’s right! He’s Tort-kun, after all!"
"No, this is too much! None of this makes sense! Fine! If it’s going to be like this, I'll just use force!"
Pressed by the girls to admit defeat, the man finally snapped.
It was a cliché development, but... we are B-Rank Adventurers, you know.