That World of Otome Games is Tough for Us - Volume 3 - Chapter 10.1

Chapter 10:

The Casino

AFTER I FINISHED DINNER, Luxion and I made our way to the deck and enjoyed the view.

“It gets pretty chilly at night,” I said. Our destination would be summery, but the sea winds were strong enough to pierce right through you. I shivered.

“Please dress warmly,” Luxion said with obvious exasperation. “You will catch a cold otherwise.”

“Nah. This is a perfect way to cool down. A nice escape from the fever.”

“Fever? Master, your temperature reads as perfectly normal.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” I said.

There were heaters aboard the ship, so the temperature was cozy anywhere you went, but what I was really referring to was the excitement among the students. That was the nearly inescapable fever. Lucle and his group were desperate for an opportunity to get close to Marie’s friends, since fewer rivals were present at the moment. Their overzealousness was what had pushed me to retreat outside and cool my head; they obviously weren’t going to cool theirs.

“Anyway, how are preparations going?” I asked, changing the subject.

I’d worded the question vaguely, but Luxion instantly picked up on what I was referring to. “They are, in fact, finished. The rest is up to you.”

I let out a long, slow exhale. “Now I’m nervous.”

“All I can do is offer support in the form of wishing you luck.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ve got to be the one to take it from here.” I sighed again, resigned. Eager to change the topic and get my mind off things, I added, “Anyway, I haven’t seen Miss Olivia this entire time. I know she apparently shut herself up in her cabin because she’s sick, but I’m getting a little worried.”

“You already have Marie, yet you are focused on the woman with the larger breasts?”

“You dummy,” I said. “That’s not it at all.”

Lately, Luxion had developed a habit of tying everything to love and romance. I could only guess that was thanks to Marie’s influence. I really wish she wouldn’t teach him crap like that.

“I’m saying that I feel bad for her, having to go on this school trip all by herself with no friends or support system,” I explained.

“You ‘feel bad’? Does that mean you intend to intervene?” Luxion asked.

“That’s exactly my dilemma. As much as I want to help her, I shouldn’t. I think it’s better for me to keep my nose out of her business.”

Since I’d already basically derailed the game’s plot, I felt no desire to rub elbows with the protagonist or her love interests. The last thing I wanted was to make the story completely unsalvageable—assuming it could still be salvaged, of course.

“I’m sure a background character like me butting in would only mess things up more.” I shook my head, sighing dramatically. “Ugh. Couldn’t at least one love interest have boarded our ship?” If the plot had proceeded as originally laid out, one of them would’ve been here.

“You and Marie seem to view every event as a predetermined element of the game, Master. However, I personally consider their absence a natural consequence of everything that has happened.”

I raised an eyebrow at Luxion. “How so?”

“You and the Roseblades essentially took down two regional lords on your own. It’s no wonder the other nobles are busy discussing the matter back at the capital. From what information I was able to gather, Julius, Jilk, and Angelica are apparently attending those meetings.”

“Wait. It’s our fault they’re not here?” My jaw dropped.

“Yes.”

It hadn’t even crossed my mind that our actions would have that much impact. “I guess that means we really ruined things for them, huh?”

“There is no need for you to feel apologetic. Julius is the crown prince and is responsible for this kingdom’s future. Attending the meetings is his duty.” Unlike me, Luxion seemingly didn’t feel the least bit regretful about ruining the trip for Julius.

“Isn’t that a bit cold?” I asked.

“I am merely stating facts. I have no interest whatsoever in Julius or the others. My concern is entirely for your and Marie’s futures. Why does each of your proposals end in failure, Master? I thought you were better-versed in the art of romance. I am beginning to wonder whether you are dealing with a mental issue. Shall I offer you counseling?” There was no sarcasm or spite in his voice. He was being genuine.

I cringed. “Don’t start acting all nice on me! Ugh. That gave me the creeps.” Maybe niceness is supposed to be some new way of getting under my skin? “Now I’ve got chills for two very different reasons. That’s it. I’m going back to my room.”

Luxion and I started toward the nearest entrance. Suddenly, his lens flashed several times. “Master, Marie is looking for you. It seems there is some sort of emergency.”

***

“Hurry!” Marie shouted at me.

“How come unscripted problems like this keep coming out of left field?!”

As soon I found Marie, she dragged me toward the onboard casino. In our previous world, that wouldn’t have been an appropriate place for students, but it was perfectly legal for us to enter in this world. In fact, a number of students had visited the casino since we first boarded, and some had already blown all the money they had on hand.

A crowd had gathered in one section of the casino. We immediately headed that way. As soon as I realized what was going on, my face tensed. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Sitting there with cards in her hands, betting money she didn’t have, was Olivia.

“Those two at the table with her are Dolly and Donna,” Marie informed me. “I hear they strong-armed Olivia into joining them.”

The two girls wore sinister smirks. I could tell instantly from the location of the chips on the table that they were winning. Something was off about the whole scene, though.

“Those two are cheating, aren’t they?” I said, revolted.

Luxion, who was using his cloaking device, whispered beside me, “Yes, they are.”

Meanwhile, Olivia was losing repeatedly.

“What a pain. Looks like I won again,” Dolly said loudly, a hint of glee in her voice. “You really are bad at this.”

Donna’s sharp incisor teeth protruded as she snickered. “Aw. What a shame. Looks like all your chips are gone. How far does that put you in the hole? Like, sorry, but I wasn’t counting, so I can’t tell you.”

That basically answered my question about how Olivia got the chips to begin with.

Marie grimaced. “That means they put her in debt by getting her those chips.”

“I can’t believe they’d go that far,” I replied.

Given how rich the two were, whatever money they’d given Olivia was probably negligible to them. But to a commoner like Olivia, it was an exorbitant amount she could never hope to pay back.

Olivia was deathly pale. On top of that, her breathing was erratic, and her eyes had clouded over. She wasn’t just physically ill, but also at her breaking point mentally. It was painful to watch.

Marie grabbed my sleeve, tugging it several times in quick succession. “What’re we gonna do?” 

What she really wanted to ask was whether we’d keep our nose out of things this time, too. I couldn’t give her an immediate answer. Luxion and I had just discussed exactly this—that I wanted to steer clear of the protagonist as much as possible. What irony that the situation unfolding in front of me challenged that immediately.

It was the love interests who were supposed to swoop in and save Olivia from this sort of thing, but they were all either part of a different trip group or hadn’t been able to attend at all. None of them were here to rescue her.

“She’ll go bankrupt at this rate,” Marie said, panicked.

I had no idea how much those two girls were forcing Olivia to bet on their games, but however much it was, it would be well beyond her means to repay.

Tears streaming down her cheeks, Olivia pleaded, “Please have mercy. There’s no way I can pay all this back.” Her voice hitched with a sob.

Dolly and Donna’s smiles vanished. Donna reached over and snatched a fistful of Olivia’s hair, shoving her head against the table.

“I don’t want to hear about how you can’t repay it,’” she snapped. “You’re going to! You went into debt to get those chips, remember? I’m not asking for anything unreasonable, am I?”

Not only had Donna cheated to win, she was now determined to make Olivia repay her losses, no matter what.

“Disgusting,” I muttered under my breath. I couldn’t help it. The worst part of all this was glancing around and seeing quite a few students grinning and supporting Dolly and Donna.

“Feels good to see that commoner get her just deserts.”

“It’s her own fault for throwing the prince’s name around.”

“She acted way too pretentious for someone with no rank.”

Not a single person was interested in helping Olivia. A few probably thought Dolly and Donna had crossed a line, but they weren’t about to stick their necks out for a commoner. I couldn’t even blame them. There was no merit to doing the right thing in this case. Everyone knew that the prince favored Olivia, but most assumed it was a passing fancy and that he was only having fun. Thus, none wanted to risk the ire of two ladies whose fathers were among the Redgrave faction’s foremost members.

If I hadn’t had prior knowledge of the game, I probably wouldn’t have felt inclined to help the protagonist, either. I wasn’t so nice a guy that I’d happily risk myself to save someone else’s skin.

“What’re you doing?!” a familiar voice cried.

Everyone’s attention shifted to the young elf who’d arrived. Kyle must’ve heard about the fuss and rushed here to aid Olivia. Although he found himself surrounded on all sides by aristocrats, he kept his chin held high. 

Kyle stomped over to his mistress and grabbed her arm. “Let’s be off, Mistress.” Even though Olivia didn’t respond, he tried to drag her along anyway.

Dolly slammed her fist as hard as she could against the table. “Hold it! Who said she could leave? Don’t make this a bigger pain than it already is.”

Kyle flinched initially but put on a brave face. “I should ask you whether you understand what you’re doing. Have you forgotten who favors my mistress? If Prince Julius hears about this, he won’t let it go unpunished.” 

In mentioning the one name he shouldn’t have, Kyle had made a costly mistake. The whole room erupted in loud murmurs.

Marie’s shoulders slumped in relief. “That should put a stop to this.”

Studying Dolly and Donna’s expressions, though, I knew it would only do the opposite. “He just added fuel to the fire.”

From what I recalled from the game, I’d have thought Kyle would be cleverer than this, but obviously I was wrong.

Donna’s lips curled into a Cheshire Cat grin. “What would you tell him? She’s the one who gambled and lost.”

“Excuse me? Who’d ever believe that nonsense?” Kyle grimaced as though he didn’t understand what Donna meant. He did need to reevaluate the situation, though. Julius’s support didn’t mean much if the prince wasn’t actually here in person.

“Of course people will believe it. Like, I’m pretty sure everyone here will even act as witnesses for me,” Donna said.

Eyes wide, Kyle scanned the area, realizing for the first time how coldly the other students were regarding him. Few were pleased with how recklessly he’d thrown their prince’s name around. Even if some students didn’t personally respect Julius, they still didn’t appreciate someone invoking his influence to act haughty and superior.

“Look, I don’t care if you want to sit here and cry because you lost,” Dolly told Olivia in a cloying tone, “but do you really think a scholarship student ought to request mercy?”

“Huh?” Olivia blurted out.

“Don’t make me repeat myself. It’s a pain. I’m asking whether you really think you deserve to be a scholarship student at our school after digging yourself this deep into gambling debt.”

The prince and his friends would probably realize immediately that Olivia had been forced into this situation and pay her debts off for her. The academy’s reaction was another matter, though. They might deem her unworthy of keeping her scholarship.

“They’re horrible!” Marie cried, realizing that that had been Dolly’s aim all along. 

I couldn’t agree more.

By this point, Kyle also had to recognize that this had been a trap from the start. Dolly snapped her fingers, and her and Donna’s personal servants stepped forward to pull Kyle and Olivia apart. Olivia, still feverish, plopped back into her chair like a limp puppet.

“This is starting to be a real pain, so why don’t we just close it off with one final bet? If you lose, you withdraw from the academy,” Dolly suggested.

“What?” Olivia’s head snapped up.

Donna beamed. “Great idea! Like, we’d be over the moon if you just left altogether! You’ve got no business being there anyway, seeing as you’re not an aristocrat.”

Olivia dropped her gaze as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Dolly cackled at her. “Don’t assume leaving the academy will erase your debts, though. We’re going to make sure you pay us back in full.”

Donna leaned in, pressing her face close to Olivia’s. “You can’t run from us, either. Our families will follow you to the ends of the earth if need be. We’ll even chase you back home to your family and hound them to pay up.”

Olivia’s tears fell faster. “Please have mercy,” she said. “I’m begging you, don’t do anything to my family or hometown. Please.” She bowed her head.

Dolly and Donna exchanged glances, then gave Olivia frosty looks. “It’s a pain that I’ve got to do this,” said Dolly, “but let me spell it out for you. Do you honestly think we’d show you any mercy after the way your servant made fools of us?”

“By the way,” added Donna, “mocking us was the same as mocking our families. Like, I sure hope you didn’t think you could get away with humiliating two viscounts’ houses.” It was kind of scary how maniacal she sounded.

Dolly snatched the cards from the dealer’s hands and began dealing herself, sliding a few cards Olivia’s way. “Your servant mocked us, and as his employer, you’re responsible for what he says and does. That means you’ve got to take his punishment, too.”

Logically, that wasn’t unreasonable. An employer was responsible for their employees’ mistakes. If Kyle did something inappropriate, the blame fell on Olivia. She couldn’t use the excuse that he’d acted without permission; it wouldn’t fly here.

“We’re going to keep playing,” Dolly said curtly, impervious to Olivia’s tears. “You can’t wriggle out of this. And not a single person here is going to give you a hand.”

I glanced at the other students. Some looked sympathetic, but they showed no sign of stepping in to help. Honestly, they were right to remain bystanders. That was a perfectly reasonable choice if you didn’t know that Olivia would one day become Saint, as Marie and I did. No—even if those other students knew, they’d probably still be too afraid to intervene, just as we were. The last thing we wanted to do was butt in and screw the game’s plot up even more. This could be a valuable learning experience that helped Olivia grow. I mean, anything was possible, right? 

As much as I tried to rationalize my choice to stay out of this, I eventually couldn’t tolerate the bullying anymore. 

“I can’t stand this.” The words slipped out before I knew I’d spoken. I even wrinkled my nose in disgust at the two despicable girls.

Yep. I really am a friggin’ moron. Because of course, after I said that, the whole room fell silent. Everyone turned to look at me, the idiot who’d spoken up.

Dolly narrowed her eyes at me. “It’s a pain to even ask, but I’ll do it—you want to repeat that?”

“I said I can’t stand what you’re doing. While I’m at it, what was that nonsense about how no one will step in to help? Ha! Bold assumption. I’d be happy to step in and take over from here for Miss Olivia.”

Olivia lifted her head and stared at me, disbelieving. “B-but why?” Her face said it all; she couldn’t believe anyone had volunteered to help her.

Marie snatched my arm. “Hold it right there. You can’t gamble.” 

You don’t care whether I help Olivia, but you can’t stomach gambling? Then again, after what Marie underwent in her past life, it was little wonder she hated gambling with a passion. It wasn’t as though I’d enjoy it, either—assuming, of course, I was actually going to gamble.