Chapter 15

Early in the morning, after forcing down the bitter medicine Dad gave me, I headed out to the marketplace.

I spent a moment thinking about how to make money, and for the first step…

‘Gambling.’

Technically, it was a lottery.

A grin spread across my face.

I had swiped a little money from Dad’s safe, but I could always put it back later.

‘Because today…’

Today was the day when a massive jackpot win would make the headlines.

‘It was a big enough deal that even a shut-in like me knew about it.’

I took a deep breath and clenched my fists.

The Empire ran a legal gambling system called “lottery.”

They had decided to regulate gambling themselves to wipe out the thriving illegal betting dens.

Illegal gambling came with too many risks like rigged games, unpaid winnings, or people running off with the money. Thanks to that, the state-run gambling system managed to establish itself.

Surprisingly, it had become a pastime not just for commoners but for nobles too, and enormous amounts of money circulated through it.

This led to the rise of a flawless gambling establishment called CONISA.

There were several kinds of gambling.

Horse racing.

Lottery.

Card games.

Roulette.

Dice number guessing.

These were the officially recognized and operated types.

And the one I was going for today was…

‘The lottery.’

Unlike the others, the lottery had no age restriction because you only had to write down numbers.

‘Not that I know anything about the other games anyway.’

There would be a huge horse racing event later too, but…

‘I’ll have to either save someone or get Dad to join me for that one.’

As a child, I couldn’t participate alone.

The reason lottery was the best way to earn my first lump of money was simple. With a small investment, I could win a huge return.

Walking away from the central capital and down a few side streets, I came to a quieter area.

Beyond that…

“Found it. CONISA.”

The gambling house came into view.

At first, the street had only a large building sitting there by itself.

But now…

“There are way more people.”

Once money started moving through that building, the surrounding area quickly turned into a bustling commercial district.

This place had become just as lively as the city center.

People really did flock to where the money was.

I exhaled slowly and marched toward CONISA.

In front of the building was a small counter where several attendants were chatting with customers.

I looked up at the banner hanging overhead.

[148th Lottery Ticket Booth]

This lottery was held only once a month.

Both nobles and commoners could buy tickets at the same fixed price.

One ticket cost just one gold coin.

Even ordinary citizens could legally try their luck, which made it the most active form of gambling.

A small amount of money for a shot at a fortune.

Another fun thing was that if no winner appeared in a round, the prize pool carried over to the next.

And…

‘No one has won since the 104th round.’

You had to guess 10 numbers between 1 and 999, so winning with a single ticket was extremely unlikely.

But if you did win, you’d be rolling in gold.

This was the 148th round.

The prize had rolled over for 44 rounds.

Someone would win an astronomical sum this time.

The “lucky numbers” would become the talk of newspapers, flyers, and gossip everywhere, so of course I remembered them perfectly.

After double-checking the round number, I approached the counter.

“Hello.”

“Hmm? Well now, a little young lady. Are you here to test your luck?”

“Yes. I have something super important tomorrow!”

I spoke with wide eyes and clenched fists like a naive child.

People often came here just to “test their luck.”

If you got one number right out of ten, you were considered a bit lucky.

Four numbers right meant you were very lucky.

And since it didn’t cost much, no one found it strange for kids to take part.

Sometimes parents even encouraged their children to try once.

‘The real gamblers buy a hundred tickets at a time.’

The same person could buy up to a hundred tickets per round.

Nobles sometimes used family members’ names to buy more, but…

‘They don’t bother much with lottery.’

They had no shortage of money, so they preferred other games.

They looked down on commoners’ gambling.

Other games also required more access or preparation.

“I’ll take two, please!”

I stood on tiptoe and placed two gold coins from Dad’s safe on the counter.

“Alright. The payment is confirmed.”

“Yes.”

“Here. Mark the numbers you want with circles, then bring it back. I’ll stamp it with the imperial seal in special ink.”

“Yes!”

The paper and ink were specially made.

It was a collaboration between the Empire and the Magic Tower, so counterfeits were rare.

Even within the Tower, only a handful knew how to make the lottery sheets.

After matching the numbers, the winner had to undergo a verification process by a CONISA-affiliated mage sent from the Tower before receiving the money.

I picked the same numbers on both sheets.

When I handed them back, the clerk pressed the seal on both and then paused.

“You picked the same numbers twice. You’re supposed to pick different ones, you know that?”

“Gasp, really?”

“Oh dear…”

He looked at me with a slightly troubled expression and shook his head.

“Sorry, but I can’t undo it after stamping.”

“It’s okay… I should have listened more carefully. Thank you.”

I bowed my head, looking sheepish.

Of course, it was all an act.

I had bought two on purpose.

This round would have exactly one winner.

With me in the mix, there would be two, and the prize would be split fifty-fifty.

But…

‘If I bought two tickets?’

The prize would be split three ways, but I’d get two shares out of three.

That meant roughly sixty-six percent of the prize.

Buying three or more would look suspicious, so pretending it was a “mistake” with two tickets was perfect.

‘The winning numbers are announced at seven in the evening, right?’

It was four in the afternoon now.

“I’m feeling good today, so maybe I’ll grab something tasty before then.”

I tucked the tickets deep inside my clothes and headed toward a row of food stalls.

* * *

Munch munch.

I spent my remaining three gold coins on all sorts of delicious street food until both my cheeks and my stomach were full.

Nibbling the last piece of chicken skewer, I made my way back to CONISA.

The area in front of the building was absolutely packed.

“Now, it’s time to announce the winning numbers for the 148th lottery round!”

The host spun a large magical roulette covered in numbers.

It whirred around and came to a stop.

“The first number is 5!”

Groans and cheers erupted all around.

I stood quietly off to the side and began matching the numbers with my memory.

“The final number is 999!”

The moment the host shouted the last number…

“Waaaaaaah!!”

A sudden scream rang out from somewhere in the crowd.