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!
