The day had finally come.
We were about to make our way from the villa to the arena. Me, Thalia, and Celestine along with our opponent, Freya.
She was screaming at me.
"You are one heck of a greedy bastard! The greediest I have ever seen in my entire life! You used all the money you brought, then you used poor Celestine's money who foolishly gave you everything she had. And now, after knowing Thalia is penniless too, you're coming after me?!"
Her eyes were blazing.
"I won't give you a single coin of mine!"
I was cursing her from inside. But then I let it out.
"Fine! I don't need your stolen money anyway. I don't want someone's malediction following me around. I don't know how many lives you've destroyed to accumulate that tiny fortune."
I straightened my back with false pride.
"I would die rather than take that cursed money of yours."
I turned around. Ready to open the gate of our villa. Then added over my shoulder—
"And I'm gonna beat your ass today for acting as if you're some kind of queen. As if you have tons of money. You're nothing but a begga—"
CLINK. CLINK. CLINK. CLINK.
I stopped mid-word.
The sound of coins clashing. Falling from a height.
I looked behind me.
Freya stood there with the most smug expression I had ever seen. She was dropping gold coins one by one into the Coin Coffer placed on the shelf. Each coin catching the morning light before disappearing into the container.
My jaw dropped.
---
Sometime later, we were walking on the road toward the arena.
I was hugging the Coin Coffer against my chest. It contained 2,500 gold coins. Despite the weight of the amount, it wasn't physically heavy, coins in this world were strangely light.
Behind me, three girls walked. Or rather, three girls cursed.
I didn't care.
"At least have some shame! At least be a man of your words!"
Freya's voice dripped with contempt.
"What were you saying earlier? 'Cursed money'? 'I won't take a single one from you'? Now where is that iron will of yours?"
I didn't say a word.
Because I was defeated here. Completely and utterly defeated. I was shameless, and I had no defense against that accusation.
Celestine and Thalia were giggling behind me. Traitors.
"Don't think I gave you this money because I owe you something." Freya's voice turned harder.
"I just felt evil looking at that pathetic pleading face you made. How you begged like a dog. Even Celestine and Thalia's stares were haunting me so I couldn't take it anymore."
She paused.
"But don't think I'm a fool that you can scam like you did with Celestine. I will take back every coin with interest. And if you fail to repay me consider yourself a slave of mine."
I turned my head slightly. Gave her my brightest smile.
"Sure, my lady."
She sighed heavily.
"At least tell me where is all your money going? I know you're putting everything into betting. I also know you're winning every single bet. Then how the hell are you constantly bankrupt?"
I didn't reply.
Because I couldn't exactly tell her that my system just eats all my money.
Throughout these eighteen days, I had been placing bets on all my matches. Using Celestine as my proxy.
Making sure to keep an eye on her so she doesn't mess up. And that was the reason I had to place the bet before the match starts because I had no other choice.
However, my investing capital had been pathetically low. Only 200 gold coins which was everything Celestine possessed.
Her father probably knew she was too naïve and would lose any money given to her. I suspected he had given Thalia emergency funds to hide from Celestine. But when I asked, she refused to admit having anything.
Placing bets early, before the matches started meant I couldn't manipulate the odds by acting like I was losing mid-fight. This resulted in lower rewards since most odds favored us anyway. We looked too powerful.
And every single coin I earned? Fed directly to Zenos. I couldn't afford to lose any match.
Over the past sixteen matches, Zenos had consumed the 3,000 gold I had remaining plus an additional 16,300 coins from betting winnings.
He had finally reached Level 10.
─────────────────────
SUMMON UPGRADE
─────────────────────
Current Level: 8 → 9
Required Gold: 6,400
Available Gold: 19,300
─────────────────────
─────────────────────
SUMMON UPGRADE
─────────────────────
Current Level: 9 → 10
Required Gold: 12,800
Available Gold: 12,900
─────────────────────
And right now, I only had 100 digital gold coins remaining.
That motherfucker Zenos was consuming so much gold that reaching Level 25 would require me to orchestrate a heist on a royal vault.
But I understood now. The system had given me this feature for the initial stages only. A way to power up quickly without wasting time on slow improvement.
There were multiple other ways for a summon to grow, traditional methods that took longer but didn't bankrupt their masters. I would have to accept those ways eventually.
"Don't tell me you're wasting your money on those charming prostitutes?" Freya's voice snapped me back to reality.
'Charming what?'
Then I remembered. Those prostitutes I had spotted when I first arrived in the capital. My curiosity about how this sexless world handled such services.
I closed the distance with Freya. So close that our breaths mingled in the morning air.
"Can you give me all the details about them? How they operate? What exactly do they do?"
Her face turned red. Whether from anger or embarrassment, I couldn't tell.
She pushed me away forcefully. "Oh god, just kill this man already!"
She took a breath. Composed herself. Then looked at the money box I was clutching.
"You're going to bet all of this again, aren't you?"
I nodded proudly.
She smiled. But it wasn't a friendly smile. It was mocking. Challenging.
"Do you really hope you can win against me?"
I met her gaze without flinching.
"Winning isn't a hope. It's a habit. And unfortunately, I'm far too addicted to break it now."
---
We reached the arena.
The four of us took our positions. Facing each other across the battle stage. Waiting for the announcer to begin.
I stood there holding my axe. Ready to activate my Appraisal Sight and scan Freya's mysterious summon.
But before I could—
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"
The announcer's voice boomed across the stadium.
"WELCOME TO SEMI-FINAL NUMBER ONE OF THE ASCENSION DOUBLE DUEL!"
The crowd roared in anticipation.
"On our RIGHT representing the Kingdom of Aetherion and fighting for glory we have THALIA DI ZYLINDRA! Alongside her partner, EREN VAN ASTREA of the noble Astrea Clan!"
Moderate applause. Some cheers.
"And on our LEFT—two more distinguished members of the Astrea bloodline!"
The announcer paused dramatically.
"First BEATRICE VAN ASTREA! Sister of Eren van Astrea! And again the member of the prestigious Astrea Clan!"
Beatrice stood there. Cold. Composed. Not even acknowledging my existence.
"And her partner—the participant you have ALL been waiting to witness!"
The crowd's murmur grew louder. Excited. Hungry.
"She is the PRINCESS of the NORVIA EMPIRE!"
My heart stopped.
"The HEIRESS of the ASTREA CLAN!"
The world tilted.
"Ladies and gentlemen—FREYA DEL ASTREA!"
ROAAAAAAAAR!
The crowd exploded. Deafening. Thunderous. The ground beneath my feet seemed to shake from the sheer force of their adoration.
But I couldn't hear any of it.
My mind was reeling. Processing. Failing to process.
Princess of Norvia Empire.
Heiress of Astrea Clan.
Freya DEL Astrea.
Not some random thief. Not some mysterious gatherer with stolen goods.
She was royalty and worse of it all.
I looked at her across the arena.
She met my gaze. Expression unreadable. Neither apologetic nor defiant.
Just... waiting.
Many feelings crashed through me simultaneously. Confusion. Shock. Anger. Humiliation.
But the overwhelming one was the one that drowned out all others—
The betrayal.