"Young master Amon, what are you doing?"
A stern voice came from behind me.
Weakly turning my head, I spotted an old man dressed in a black suit.
He looked just like a butler...
’Right, this guy is Sebastian. He’s the only person who followed Amon after the public began to shun him.’
It sounded nice and all, but Sebastian wasn’t a saint.
He plotted behind Amon’s back and stole what remained of Amon’s parents’ inheritance. After that, he just ran away, leaving Amon alone.
And as it so happened, this old man in front of me vanished right before the academy’s entrance exam.
I felt anger build up in my chest, but I suppressed it.
As much as I pitied Amon and what had happened to him... I was in his shoes now.
I couldn’t afford to make the same mistakes, but until I was strong enough, I had to turn a blind eye to this rat.
"Young master?" Sebastian inquired again. "Do you want me to take you to the doctors?"
Shaking my head in response, I rose to my feet, preparing to play the part of Amon.
Even though I was malnourished, I towered over Sebastian.
"Sebastian, what was I doing here?" I asked.
"You were trying to buy flowers to place on your parents’ graves," he answered.
Graves...?
Amon would never visit the graves of his parents.
Not in the game, and definitely not in reality either.
His guilt didn’t let him. Even now, I could feel my chest tightening at the old butler’s words.
He was trying to feed me a lie.
"Flowers, huh?" I dusted myself off, then grabbed a handkerchief out of Sebastian’s pocket and wiped the blood off my forehead.
Tossing the handkerchief aside, I met his puzzled expression with a smile.
"How about we get flowers some other day, Sebastian?"
His brows twitched once again, this time in irritation.
"Young master..."
"How much money do I have left?" I cut to the chase.
He straightened his back, his expression changing to that of a seasoned professional.
"16 gold coins, 55 silver coins, and 953 bronze coins, young master. Might I ask why you’re curious?"
"Ah, I just felt like wasting a bit of money today," I replied with mock playfulness. "You see, the adults talked about gambling. Apparently, if you win it big, you can buy even something as expensive as a manor with just a single gold coin. Can you believe it?"
He looked at me as though I was a fool.
Honestly, I didn’t blame him.
I did come off as a fool.
But that was because I knew that if I went to get flowers, Sebastian would pull something.
After all, I recalled very well that right before the academy began, Amon was homeless, living off dumpster food.
I didn’t want that.
But since there was someone I wanted to meet in the gambling house, this timing worked out perfectly.
"Young master, I think you’re under the misconception that—"
"You are my servant, Sebastian," I interrupted rudely. "I wish to go to the gambling house, and you shall take me there."
He looked at me skeptically, but after seeing my unyielding expression, he gave up and walked past me.
"Follow me, young master. Though I believe you should dress up a bit nicer if you want to leave a better impression on people."
My ass.
I could wear an imperial crown and have a divine gift, yet these people would still see me the same.
They would still see Amon with prejudice.
And my gaze was enough of an answer for Sebastian.
He led me through the streets of the city of Aldraazan.
It was surprisingly lively.
Merchants and machinery at every corner.
Inventors showcasing their inventions.
Pickpockets...
Most of the buildings were gothic, and the people wore very old-school casual attire. I could even see a few top hats and wannabe noblewomen trying out corsets.
The game was set in the Victorian Era.
Basically, steam-powered machinery and mechanical innovations thrived here.
But there was also a twist.
Most of the inventors around me showcased weird kinds of steam-powered machinery mixed with magic.
A miniature flying train. It still worked with some form of steam, but it was also powered by some kind of Wind-based gift.
It was cool to look at and all, but these newbie inventors were asking for an arm and a kidney just for a prototype.
In short, all this fancy stuff was way out of my budget.
After a couple of minutes, Sebastian and I arrived before a gambling house.
There was a tough-looking guard in the front who, upon spotting me, shot me a look of contempt.
But unlike the timid Amon, I wasn’t a red carpet.
"What’s up? Do I have something on my face?"
The guard froze for a moment, then looked me up and down.
"Amon Everness? What a pleasure for our establishment to welcome you."
Ah...
Even if people spoke terribly of me, I still had a noble title.
And with a noble title, I could have him executed on the spot.
I was still pissed, but picking a fight here wouldn’t get me anywhere, especially when this guard had nothing to lose.
Instead, I went with the flow.
"If you’re so welcoming, why don’t you allow me into the VIP lounge? I have a few coins I’d like to spend."
"I can’t do that, sir," the guard refused. "Company policy states—"
"That all rich people and nobles are allowed into the VIP lounge. I’m not rich, but I am a noble," I cut him off coldly.
Both Sebastian and the guard stared at me with shocked looks.
The previous Amon would’ve rolled over and accepted this mistreatment.
But not me. Until I find out what kind of shit I’ve gotten myself into, I can’t afford to not take all the boons in front of me.
As the silence faded, the guard gulped and gestured for us to follow, so we did.
We entered the gambling house soon after.
The first floor was modest, with commoners gambling away their life savings as per usual.
The second floor was filled with merchants who were there mostly to network.
And lastly, the third floor, filled to the brim with lower-ranked nobles and influential merchants.
All of them shared the same opinion of me, and so they all mutually ignored me.
While I didn’t like it, being given a free pass to avoid annoying young masters was something I’d take any day of the week.
The guard stopped in front of the blackjack table, then turned around.
"I’m afraid all the other tables are full. If you may, why not play blackjack until some esteemed customers leave?"
I nodded.
"That’s fine with me."
Turning to Sebastian, I said, "Cash in 15 gold worth of chips. I want to buy two mansions today."
"Uhh... Yes, young master," Sebastian replied after a pause, and alongside the guard, they walked off.
As for me, I quickly wrung my wet clothes onto the gambling house’s carpet, and then sat by the blackjack table.
I didn’t look up to meet the dealer’s gaze.
After all, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to control my expression.
The main reason I came here was to get a sponsor from the madam of the gambling house, Evelyn.
She was called the youngest queen of the underground. At just 22 years old, she ruled over nearly 50 gambling houses and pretty much had her fangs set into every single underground operation imaginable.
She was the closest one could get to untouchable. Literally.
I gulped, tapping the table with my finger nervously.
As lady luck might have it, that very same Evelyn was right in front of me.