Chapter 31: The Void’s Greed

I caved. Unfortunately, I could not resist my own curiosity, and I have equipped the bunny suit. Even more embarrassing was my crash course in how to wear it. I had to ask that overly pretty succubus for help, and now I’m awkwardly shuffling myself down a corridor to meet the owner of the casino.

I’ve learned that heels are truly pointless. What is the point of standing just a little higher if you’re going to be walking on death traps the entire time? Secondly, I learned that pantyhose are quite convenient. I can still maintain showing off my legs without actually revealing bare skin. I never had any interest in showing off my legs anyways, but well, I have to follow the dress code. Some of the monster girls that are wearing bunny suits have bare legs, others have other legwear, and the succubus in front of me has fishnets.

Fishnets seem like the final boss of legwear. How the heck do they even work? It seems like it would be such a pain to put on. At least with pantyhose, it’s relatively a smoother equipping process and it also teases something greater behind the fabric. Sometimes the tease is greater than the reveal. This is why pantyhose is currently taking first place.

I’m still debating if this is truly the correct choice. When the Little Angel Talon and the Little Devil Talon on my shoulders started fighting, the Little Angel Talon was defeated mercilessly. Was it just my imagination, or was Little Angel Talon sick, coughing, and sporting a medical mask? The poor thing looked a little frail.

Well, she lost regardless, so even if my decisions are accompanied by delusions, I must follow my heart.

“Alright, darling, the mistress will be in here, okay?~”

“Ah. Um. Yes. Thank you, Ms. Succubus.”

“My pleasure~”

The room inside is circular, and tall. It’s shaped like a large cylinder, and every single wall is glass, with the aquarium of abyssal creatures behind it. As soon as I stepped inside, an eel monster I didn’t recognize swam along the perimeter and disappeared into the decorative rocks inside the aquarium tank.

“Woah…”

My gaze drifts back down towards the middle of the room, and I see a woman leisurely lying down in a chaise longue that’s partially submerged in water. I would dare to say that she’s even more beautiful than the succubus that guided me here. Her skin is shining, and it’s tinged with a slight blue tint. Her seafoam colored hair drifts down in waves movements along the chaise longue, and even falls into the water under her. Her eyes are a brilliant purple, piercing through my very soul. It takes me a bit to break eye contact and see that she has fish fins where her ears should be. There are a few other fins on her body as well. So she’s an aquatic monster girl?

She’s dressed in what seems to be a bunny suit combined with a one piece swimsuit. The bright white color works well with the dark lighting of the room, and even seems to reflect the lights of the abyssal creatures surrounding us. With a casual gesture she beckons me inside before picking up what looks to be a bubble blower. It’s not a lollipop shaped bubble blower, but rather one that looks like a kazoo… but it seems as if she’s treating it more like a cigarette. After sucking in some air, she blows multicolored bubbles from it with a deep sigh. The bubbles dance across the room before popping into glitter. They must have been mixed with magic.

My immediate conclusion is that she must really like bunny suits. My second conclusion is that she’s probably a really powerful individual. That’s in both financial and actual power. My last thoughts are a mix of admiring her immeasurable charm levels and wondering what she wants with me. Aren’t I just a squid next to her radiance? I have a feeling Nephelai herself would be jealous of her.

“You’re staring quite a bit, aren’t ya darling?~ Well, that’s fine, many people can’t help themselves. You can admire me as much as you’d like. Though I have a feeling the dusty boys you traveled here with might be more willing to stare at someone else right now.”

“Huh?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Just making my own conclusions about various things. You should probably reunite with your companions first before we continue. They’ve been here since before you arrived, but it looks like you were a bit too distracted, hehe.”

She says all that with a wink and a chin movement to direct my attention to the two people standing on the left side of the room. It seems Reuby and Maddie also changed outfits. They’re both wearing black uniforms with red vests worn on top. I’ve made an additional conclusion. This woman really likes men in vests. Or maybe she’s just really particular about uniforms? Is she taking advantage of our commoner status to play dress up with us? How devious. Even with her odd plans, I shall remain the cheerful Village Girl A I’ve always been!

“Hello there, Reuby and Maddie! They made you change clothes too, huh? I have no idea what’s going on, but let’s do our best!”

“I have been defeated by a human who has disgraced herself to this level, and yet, for some reason, I cannot look away, my dignity has truly been banished into the abyss…”

“Hey Talon, could you um, not come so close? I need to, um, take a breather. Right. That.”

Hm. They seem to have pretty negative reactions to my outfit. I truly need to work on my charm if they’re dismissing me even like this. I was hoping to make myself feel a little better by messing with these guys, but all I get is something lukewarm.

Oh well! Let’s focus on this new mysterious character and see what info I can get.

“Wild darling, I must say I’m impressed. Having won The Void’s Greed, which no one has ever done before, is truly a remarkable feat. What should I call you?”

“You can call me Village Girl A! I’m just a simple NPC!”

“...Pardon, darling?”

“Her name is Talon, ma’am. Please ignore her odd terms. She gets trapped in her own head a lot.”

“Is that so?~”

“Indeed. I’ve known her for a while, but I still don’t understand it all yet.”

Am I getting slandered by my own party member? I simply answered her question! What was wrong with my answer?

“Well then, Talon, darling, let’s talk. My name is Faul Formi. I’m the owner and sponsor of the Gobroak Casino here in Gimmimunee. I’m half-succubus, half-siren, and fully single. A few of the staff here are my children, so I hope you treat them well.”

That was quite the package of information dropped into an introduction. Wow.

“That aside, Talon darling, what do you know about The Void’s Greed?”

“Hmmm, well, it’s a super famous machine that has a crazy big jackpot. That’s why I tried it!”

“I see, I see… Well, there’s a few things about that slot machine that I need to tell you about. Firstly, it was specifically enchanted to be extremely difficult to win from. Even for the luckiest people.”

Well I knew that part, but I didn’t want to vocalize it to her out of fear of getting questioned.

“I purposely had that done. Such a machine allows the casino to have a catalyst for business. The qualities of The Void’s Greed are meant to be spread through word of mouth in the hopes that we’ll get more customers. It was quite the moneymaker for us… until about right now.”

“Ah, did my winning of the jackpot shatter all those plans?”

“Well, yes, that much is true. But well…”

She takes another breath of her magic bubble mix before blowing out a long stream of bubbles.

“There was a lot of money in that jackpot prize. An infinitely large amount. True to its name, the jackpot from The Void’s Greed can fill the abyss itself.”

“I mean, that sounds like a lot, but I’m sure I could find a way to use it if I wanted to.”

“Talon darling, I think you’re missing what I’m trying to imply.”

“Oh?”

I see a bitter expression flash across her face before she reveals the problem.

“If I paid that jackpot out to you… I would be bankrupt.”

“...Huh??”

“I wish I was joking. Even I paid you all of my savings, blackmailed every noble in Gimmimunee, sold the building, auctioned off all the abyssal creatures in our tanks, and sold every one of my children, I’d need to give you my next four children and miraculously find a magic stone mine to even hope of working back the debt. I’d be ruined beyond repair.”

“That’s… way too ridiculous…”

This wasn’t explained in The Tears of Nephelai! What do you mean Faul would go bankrupt? The casino was fine even in the postgame. Did the very presence of the Hero just invalidate any qualms Faul would have about the situation? In another timeline, where the Hero got the jackpot, did Faul spend everything she had, and more, just to appease the Hero? With a smile on her face, she ruined her own life just because she was an NPC? Was she never seen in the game because of this very thing? She’d have to completely change her life and abandon who she was.

What a ridiculous power this accursed Hero has. Being in his very presence means someone is locked into supporting him no matter what.

“Talon darling, does that frustrate you? It seems like the idea of not receiving your prize has stirred your anger.”

“No, Miss Faul, that’s not why I was angry. I was simply strengthening my resolve on a completely different matter. I was reminded of something.”

“Hmm, I see, I see. Are you… open for some negotiation, then?”

An idea is brewing. One that can allow Faul to take revenge on the Hero. One that will allow her to honor the alternate versions of herself. She doesn’t have any bad blood with the Hero now, so maybe I’m just doing this for my own satisfaction, but I want to preserve the life of such an interesting character. She’s just like Sheffie and the General. For that reason alone, I’ll do what I usually do.

“Sure! Actually, Miss Faul, I already have some ideas, hehe.”

Indeed, I’ll do what I do best, and I’ll mess things up completely!