RAYLEIGH’S POV: DEN OF DICE
He only knows what he’s learned from the Light - as it said to address it - and his most recent life, but it’s clear to Rayleigh that he has to do his part.
I was the one who succumbed to Corruption first.
“Rayleigh Loredan.” Demon Queen Apatie is both beautiful and terrifying, with lustrous black hair and eyes the same color as his, large breasts straining against a dress that both shimmers and absorbs light as she leans forward slightly when he enters. “You have come to join us.” Her voice slithers in the air and through his head, and Rayleigh clenches his teeth as he drives her out of his mind.
“I’ve come to wager.” He’s never been more grateful for the strict Imperial education forced on him his last life, since it allows him to stand tall and appear calm when every god, demon, and demigod stares and starts to whisper.
“Wager?” When she smiles, the Demon Queen is both enchanting and horrifying. “And what will you be gambling with, Rayleigh Loredan?”
“These credits.” He tosses nine coins on the World Table, hearing the gasps from the otherworldly beings.
“Where are his divinity credits?”
“Perhaps the blood of Loredan is so diluted he doesn’t even have one?”
Ignoring the gossiping beings, Rayleigh looks at Chronelia. Like her sister, the Goddess of Time is also lovely and deadly, with white hair and eyes the same shade of Asha’s. “May I?”
Chronelia’s smile is exactly the same as Apatie’s. “Of course, Rayleigh Loredan. What is your first wager?”
Refusing to look down at where he’d spotted Asha in view earlier, Rayleigh smiles coolly like he was trained to do. “Asha will complete her mission successfully.”
I have faith in you, even if you no longer remember me.
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ASHA’S POV
She leaves the dilapidated rented townhouse right after sending the messenger bird to her father, in order to avoid being at home when his response arrives.
I’m sorry, daddy.
Fortunately she has Luna in this life - though her beloved horse is thinner than she’s ever seen her - so Asha is now riding out the southern gate with Monique in pursuit of someone a spice merchant claims paid in counterfeit coins.
This shouldn’t be too difficult, as long as Hekaty keeps winning for Monique.
She remembers reading about forgers in every life, and in her last there’d been some casual chatter at her father’s engagement ball about a new type of counterfeit coin.
They’re not fighters, they prefer to use their wits. So it should be alright even if I’m just a weak magic user here. At least I still remember all those years of combat training. If skill levels were measured in terms of time invested, I’d be a Grandmaster of the bow and blade.
Being free from interference by gods and demons is both blessing and curse, but Asha is sick of the nonsense they’ve put her through the past seven lives when she wasn’t Independent.
I remember a little more now. In my second to eighth lives, there were always some ridiculous situations I ended up in with...
“Mph!” Clenching her jaw hard to prevent from crying out, Asha curses the gamblers in the Den once more.
If not for your stupid games...
So far no petty tricks have been used against her and Monique since it’s still early days of the reset, but Asha can’t let her guard down. In her third life she’d died by choking on an olive, thanks to her great-aunt.
This is the final round. They must be betting aggressively.
Since House Lamberg’s finances in this life are so lacking, Asha and Monique can only afford to rent a stable stall for the night. Squeezing in with their horses while surrounded by the smell of hay, mud, and equines would have upset this timeline’s ‘original’ Asha, but the current Asha is unfazed, shocking the purple eyed Mage.
“It’s fine, let’s just rest and leave at dawn.” When Monique looks like she’s seen a ghost, Asha giggles. “Come on, Monique. Let’s share a sandwich then go to sleep.”
“You can have mine, my lady.”
Devoted as ever.
It makes her eyes a little watery. “I’m not very hungry. Let’s share.” They really don’t have much in this life, though ‘original Asha’ still demanded dresses, shoes, and jewelry constantly in her pursuit of Marquess Vihur.
I KNOW I don’t like him that way and never have. In every life I...
Wincing and biting her lower lip quickly, Asha barely manages to keep from crying out when her head fills with flaming lances stabbing and slicing while high pitched wails accompany the burning strikes. When the pain ebbs enough though, she hastily smothers a smirk and accepts half of a soggy roast chicken sandwich from Monique.
I knew it. Whoever it is I’m not allowed to remember is the person I loved in each life.
It’s a vital clue gained through multiple rounds of agony, and Asha’s determined to uncover more.
I’m not living this life as a fool thinking I’ve only just returned from dying once. And I’m absolutely not living this life believing that the gods are benevolent. They’re a rotten bunch of degenerates, just like the demons.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Fortunately, Independence means no one but her knows her own thoughts.
I won’t let anyone roll the dice on me.
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Great-aunt Apatie...
The rain is torrential, making the ground they’re trying to traverse turn into slippery and muddy traps that cause their horses to struggle to pull their hooves out of the soft, wet ground. It also reduces visibility to the point that Asha can’t see beyond Luna’s nose, but turning back now isn’t an option when they should almost be at the town of Endrathe.
When I win this game, I’ll use one of my three favors to make you suffer for eternity.
Luna almost stumbles when she steps into a particularly deep puddle of mud, and it’s only the fact that she’s a trained battle steed that prevents the white mare from falling over.
“Good girl, Luna!” Asha has to shout to be heard over the downpour, but she thinks Luna’s ears turn towards her slightly in acknowledgement.
Next to the white-haired demigod, Monique is checking the magic compass which continues to point them towards their quarry.
“My lady!” The Mage has to raise her voice despite leaning towards Asha. “We are close!”
She has her reservations about the reliability of an old magic device bought sixth-hand three years ago, but Asha just nods and flashes Monique the thumbs up.
They need to stick close to each other and slow down more once they reach Endrathe, to prevent riding into buildings or infrastructure. Gritting her teeth, Asha curses her ridiculous relatives once more as Monique points 10 o’clock with her entire arm.
After almost riding into several stone walls and eight carts, the pair finally arrive at what looks to be a tavern. The wind is more violent now - indicating that either the Demon Queen and her minions are winning rounds, or the gods want to be entertained - so Asha has to pull Monique along as they exit the stable and inch towards the front door while keeping close to the wall.
I will kill ALL of you.
If she didn’t know the truth about the game, she’d be grateful for her enhanced strength and speed as a guardian. But when they finally manage to open the door and stumble in while pulling it shut, all Asha wants to do it commit mass deicide as soon as she turns around.
It’s full - many having sought shelter from the rain - which means more than a hundred wet, sweaty, grumpy, and intoxicated individuals are now cramming into a tiny space probably made for forty to sit comfortably.
“Well look what the cat dragged in, boys.”
I will make you wish you’d never met me, Azmodeon.
Many are leering at them now, especially when wet clothes are wrapped tight around their bodies, thin fabric doing nothing to hide Asha’s and Monique’s genders.
“Can I help you, sweetheart?” She can only hope Hekaty is trying to roll for Monique now. Taking on such a large group that includes what looks to be several other mercenaries, as well as adventurers and retired knights, would be difficult for her and Monique without divine intervention.
Her second death was the only time Asha had ever actually dealt with an agitated group of commoners, and she hadn’t successfully managed to convince them she wasn’t a demon worshipper before they’d burned her alive.
Demons take it. I’ve only ever lived as a wealthy noble, Grand Duchess, Crown Princess, or Empress before things go south.
As the leering individuals start to approach, Asha tenses and instinctively reaches for a sword while summoning mana, eyes widening when she realizes that right now all she has are cheap twin blades, a bow on its last legs, a worn quiver of sodden arrows, and barely enough magic skills to light a small fire.
DAMN you, Demon Queen.
Hekaty comes through in Monique’s sudden flaring of mana, and the crackling of lightning in gloved palms as the purple eyed maid glares the lecherous group down.
Perhaps that wasn’t the best idea, Moon Goddess.
At the clear sign of challenge, magic users push their way through the throng and begin condensing their own mana.
I need to do something.
Looking around, Asha spots a familiar face when the crowd parts slightly. One of the gods must have won.
“Uncle Dwayne?”
Green eyes flick to her and widen, before the muscular man sighs and signals the group seated at his table.
“Asha, come join us.”
The dark haired woman next to the leader of Smoking Rock Company starts playing with a dagger while smiling coldly at the startled commoners, while a bored looking High Mage casually plays with several little summoned balls of fire.
Unable to stop the relieved smile, Asha grabs Monique’s wrist and drags the Mage over even as purple eyes continue to glare at their would-be attackers.
“Uncle Dwayne, it’s good to see you. Thank you for inviting us to join you.” When Asha rises from her bow, she blinks at the infamous mercenaries. Why...oh. “I accepted a small job, Uncle Dwayne, and only Mony was available to help me.”
Her words and demeanor are clearly shocking to the hardened mercenaries, which means the ‘original Asha’ hadn’t looked kindly upon these swords for hire.
Idiot.
“‘A small job’, you say.” Dwayne Robertson can’t be rude to Asha when he owes Callan Lamberg his life many times over, so the bald man simply averts his eyes and indicates for her and Monique to take the seats a scar-faced man ‘borrows’ from the next table. “And what might that be?”
It’s obvious from his tone that he’s both disinterested and contemptuous, which is in line with what Asha’s heard and assumed about her life here prior to the reset.
“Just hunting a forger, Uncle Dwayne.” Smiling brightly, Asha turns to Monique and gestures. Miraculously the magic compass hasn’t been damaged by the rain despite its obvious age, and is now pointing directly at a mousy looking man playing cards two tables away. “Oh, it looks like we’ve found him. Please excuse me.”
One of the most important things that Asha’s learned from her past eight lives is the effectiveness of a little politeness towards those who aren’t quite expecting it.
“Hello. My name is Asha Lamberg. You cheated my client. Now pay up.”
He’s almost out of his seat before freezing, Asha right behind him with twin blades pressing against his throat. Proving my worth in front of others is boon and bane, but I need Uncle Dwayne’s support to win, I know. “Where do you think you’re going? I said pay up. You owe my client 332 gold coins, after applying a compound interest rate of 3.24% over 26 days.”
“I...I...”
“I want the money.” Her eighth life had been the best in terms of teaching her to smile while getting her way. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Your choice.” She exerts a bit more pressure and blood starts to seep from a moving Adam’s apple. “What’s it going to be?”
“I...I can pay! I’ll pay!” Flicking her eyes to Monique, Asha signals for the Mage to take over guarding the terrified man as she sheathes her blades. When the trembling forger hands her a bulging pouch, Asha opens it immediately and pulls out three of the larger and heavier coins, which are sometimes used in place of 10 or 50 regular gold coins depending on size and weight.
Fool.
Had it not been for her fifth and eighth lives as an alchemist, Asha would probably have been fooled by the excellent counterfeit coins.
“Are you making a mockery of me?” Her client only knows the man as John Smothe, which is probably an alias. “These are fake. Mony, cripple him.” Though she has memories of all her lives, those from her eighth shine brightest as the most recent ones. I should have just beaten up anyone I suspected of being a threat. Nathaira...it was probably you who made the bombs that killed me when I was just 4 months away from winning the game.
“Aghhh...AHHHHH...mer...MErcy...NOOO!” Monique’s lightning strikes are vicious, severing tendons on the dark haired man’s legs painfully. “N...no, PLEASE!”
“Stop.” Instantly her Mage maid withdraws mana as Asha smiles down at the sniveling, whimpering man. They want a show, I’ll give them a show. “You’re no good for money, so you’ll have to work for my client until you die. I don’t care if you have to become a human toilet, since you brought this on yourself.” Sobs wrack a scrawny body at her words, but Asha just smiles cheerfully and leans down, grabbing slightly damp hair and dragging the pleading male to Smoking Rock’s large table.
“Would it be alright if I kept him at my feet, Uncle Dwayne?”
When green eyes widen and the veteran mercenary smirks, Asha knows she’s gained an ally.
Commoners really are much easier to get along with.
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MOONRISE BY LUNASEA: CHAPTER 35 END