Morgan unsheathed her sword and stared at Medici with a murderous gaze. This little... Muscular punk, how dare he?
"Wait, wait, wait! I'm sorry. I swear, I can explain." Medici raised his arms, his face pale and sweat pouring down his forehead as he stepped back.
Morgan tilted her head, her vermilion eyes burning with anger while her lustrous black hair cascaded down her back. She was wearing simple black pants, a white blouse and high heels, with dark glasses pushed up on her head. "Hmm? I'm listening."
"You see..." Medici began, a manly tear sliding down his cheek. "My wife and kids... we haven't eaten in days. You could say that we're starving. If I hadn't taken those coins, then I wouldn't have been able to provide for my family during the festival..." Medici said with a sad, lonesome expression. Morgan could have sworn she even heard the cries of babies, which made her more bewildered than sympathetic.
What in actual... Wait a second!
Her eyes widened, than she looked back and saw that Amon had summoned some kind of memory that was creating the sound while he was giggling. He tilted his head and smirked at Medici. "You know damn well that you ain't pulling bitches."
That was enough confirmation as Morgan raised her sword. Medici, a bit panicked now, gulped down his saliva and shouted in desperation. "Hey alright, alright! I will make it up to you."
Then he pulled out a ticket and showed it to Morgan. "It's a free ticket to the Raven's magic show that will start at night during the festival."
Morgan stared at him for a full minute, completely expressionless. Her eyes were fixed on the ticket with such an unimpressed look that Medici felt as if she were evaluating a piece of trash rather than a person.
Sensing her reaction, Medici wisely hid behind Amon, who was calmly sipping his juice after taking a bite of his spicy shawarma, chewing with a perfectly straight face. "How about the coliseum, then?"
At that, Morgan's ears seemed to perk up. She turned toward Amon, curiosity glinting in her eyes. "That is a fine suggestion, Duke Amon. But I do have a question."
Amon shrugged, tossing the empty glass back at Harus, who immediately threw another grape juice at him. Before it could reach him, the juice vanished in the air, appearing in his hand and he continued sipping it. "Hmm? Sure, what is it?"
Morgan smiled pleasantly, crossing her arms. "Can guests fight?"
Amon raised an eyebrow in surprise but nodded nonetheless. "Everyone can, really. There are two types of fight. Duels and battle royale. Luckily or not, today is the day of battle royale..." He paused, glancing at her. "But you have to pay to participate."
Morgan's expression twitched. She had the feeling that something was really, really wrong with this place. Why should I pay for everything, ughh!? She huffed, rolling her eyes in irritation. "Fine, we will."
"We?" Medici pointed at himself with a baffled look.
Seeing his reaction, Morgan smiled sweetly, patting his shoulder. "Yes, we. If you win, you can keep the money. If I win, you do me a favour. How's that, Mr. Medici?"
Medici's eyes widened, then he frowned. While his social anxiety was quite the headache and he had, because of a certain someone, developed a fear of women, that did not mean he was an idiot. Sure, he could do a small favour but nothing outrageous that went against his own desires. "Alright, but nothing ridiculous."
"That's great. Now... shall we?" She gestured toward... well, she had no idea where that was. She quickly remembered that she was not familiar with this place.
"No worries, Princess. I've got you." Amon waved his hand with a cheerful smile.
"Oh? You have my gratitude, Mysterious Duke." Morgan bowed slightly, though it was more mocking than respectful, not that Amon cared. His attention was mostly focused on his shawarma.
As Morgan turned around, Medici grabbed Amon's shoulders, shaking him with a pissed, desperate look. "Fuuuuck, what have you done? I'm done for, dude. She will destroy me."
"Chillax, hotdog. You will thank me later."
Medici blinked, staring at his calm, bored smile with a bewildered look... What's he scheming?
Ignoring Medici's desperate look, Amon stretched with a loud yawn and added with a satisfied expression, "And I've heard there will be free food too."
"Cheers for that, lad."
"Right? Now you get it... holy shit! When did you appear, dude!?" Amon jumped back in shock, his heart beating wildly as he saw Gunlaug beside him. He had spawned out of nowhere.
"Hmm? I've heard there was free food so here I am." Gunlaug replied with a smile, then glanced at his shawarma. "Hey... can I get a bite?"
Amon narrowed his eye, then started licking the shawarma. After finishing, he handed it out to Gunlaug with a warm smile. "Here, take it."
"... Forget it," Gunlaug muttered, not accepting it and deciding to wait for the free food, even if he was tempted to take the shawarma.
At the same time, beside Harus's stall was Ah Chu and his café. Standing before him were Nephis, Effie and Cassie. After eating at Harus's glorious palace of peace and happiness, they decided to drink some coffee and enjoy desserts.
"What will you order?" Cassie asked Effie and Nephis softly.
"I will have pudding." Nephis nodded, her expression calm.
"Hmm... then I will get that apple pie." Effie giggled cheerfully.
"That's not apple pie. It's some strange fruit Kido created. If I remember correctly, it's called Budzgu," Cassie reminded.
"Bah! Who cares about that!? What's important is enjoying food, so shut up, Cas!"
"I'm starting to think that's exactly what you want," Cassie replied sharply.
"Gee, they're about to throw hands..." Ah Chu muttered.
"It's nothing. It's just that she's butthurt because her cookies tasted like poison." Cassie crossed her arms, stating it calmly.
"Ughh! I poured my heart into it and you and Sunny couldn't even appreciate it!" Effie huffed, feeling especially salty now that she had been reminded of it.
"Hey, hey... if you aren't here to eat, can you fuck off?" Ah Chu muttered. At this point, it was getting annoying.
"Coming through!" Aiko giggled as she walked straight to Ah Chu, ignoring all three of them. Aiko was in a really good mood after making so much money, practically sparkling as she placed her hand on her chest and declared haughtily, "I want your entire stock of fudge."
"Hey, Aiko. Can you get those guys away from me?" Ah Chu raised his hand, covering his eyes from the light of the artificial sun. "Lesbians scare me."
"I'm not... that." Cassie said, grimacing in displeasure.
"Uhm... Aiko, you can't just cut the line." Nephis said flatly, her eyes glued to the pudding.
"Who are you again?" Aiko squinted, staring at them with exaggerated focus, her finger resting on her cheek.
Effie nodded, supporting Nephis. "Hey, who do you think you are?!"
Nephis nodded. "I don't think it's polite to cut the line like that. It's not like you're a king or something."
Aiko laughed, throwing her head back and placing her hand on her chest, closing her eyes. "I am Aiko, the person who is managing the entire economy of the Moirai. And also your elder."
"Oh~ twenty-four years and you couldn't even grow a few inches." Effie giggled, covering her face. Involuntarily, a small smile appeared on Nephis's and Cassie's faces as well.
"Hey! Take that back! I have a sensitive heart!" Aiko glared at them, giving them the middle finger, her eyes tearing up.
Effie stuck out her tongue in mockery, while Nephis closed her eyes, her lips twitching. "Hahaha! That's why you're still under five foot!"
"That's why your father's dead!" Aiko shouted back. Nephis and Effie froze, their eyes widening in shock.
"How tall is he now, huh?! Oh, right, six foot under!" Aiko spat with venom. Rule number nine: don't mention Aiko's height and don't mention that she's flat as a plank.
"Damn..." Gunlaug shook his head, standing beside Ah Chu and eating Nephis's pudding. "That was brutal, even I feel bad."
Ah Chu blinked, realizing his dessert was disappearing next to him. Then his expression twisted with anger as he grabbed the pudding and yanked it away from Gunlaug. "Fuck off, you bumass punk!"
"Hey hey, take care of your old man, Ah Chu." Gunlaug muttered, trying to sneak another bite.
"Bless you," Cassie said softly. At that, Ah Chu let the pudding go, then looked up, a manly tear flowing from his eye.
"I hate my life... fuck."
"Shut your mouth, unwanted, near-aborted brat, and pack my damned fudges!" Aiko yelled, pointing a knife at Ah Chu.
"Okay, fine! Chill out!" Ah Chu muttered, packing the fudge and handing it to Aiko, who walked away cheerfully.
Meanwhile, Amon returned after escorting Morgan and Medici to the coliseum. Then he noticed the kind of mess happening near Ah Chu's café and frowned, walking toward it while sipping another juice.
Then Gunlaug appeared beside him, spitting and cracking his neck. "Boss... I'm starving. Can we just go to the coliseum and get that free food?"
"Not yet, it's not time," Amon replied casually. "Not to mention, Rose Redemption is kinda broke now. Why do you think we're scamming those idiots? And Bug is also broke because someone decided to steal all our savings and bet on the race of Carapace scavengers."
"But I thought Mr. Crabs could win!" Gunlaug shouted in righteous indignation. Yes, those idiots caught the scavengers, locked them up, and then forced them to race by placing a human at the finish line so the Abominations would rush after them. Of course, that person was usually Caster, who could just destroy the scavengers or escape thanks to his ridiculous speed.
"Yeah, whatever, man. We're broke again because of that," Amon yawned, shaking his head.
"So, pudding, ice cream, and Budzgu pie. That'll be 80 Luna," Ah Chu said, eyeing the trio, who he assumed were lesbians with psychological problems.
As Nephis was about to take out coins, she froze, checking her pockets and finding nothing. "Uhm... did any of you have some coins? I think I lost mine."
"..." Both Cassie and Effie remained silent.
Hmm... Aiko, what have you done this time? Amon frowned, looking back at Aiko, who was jumping around in joy while eating her fudge.
"Oh yeah." Ah Chu remembered that they were lesbians. "Couples eat for free today."
Effie stepped forward, grabbing Cassie's hand with a confident smile, but Ah Chu's next words froze her in place. "But you have to kiss for proof."
Ah Chu grinned, intertwining his fingers in anticipation, but they just looked down gloomily and walked back, leaving him disappointed.
As they left, Amon and Gunlaug were revealed. Gunlaug's face was twisted into a wide, maniacal smile as he spread his arms with glee, laughing wildly. "Boss! I have an IDEA!"
"Absolutely not."
At this moment, the entire Moirai went wild as everyone rushed toward Ah Chu, who had closed his café and was walking out with a confident smile.
"AH CHU!"
"AH CHU!"
"AH CHU!"
People cheered wildly, leaving Nephis and the others dumbfounded. Ah Chu continued moving forward, and it seemed like everyone in Swindler's Trick was following him behind.
Destination? Coliseum!
...
"Okay, I talked to Aiko, so things changed. The first part will be duels, while the other will be battle royale. You guys will participate in three battles. Those with the highest points will get to enter the battle royale, understand?" Amon explained to Medici and Morgan. Medici nodded, a wide grin appearing on his face as he punched his open palm, while Morgan had a faint, satisfied smile on her face.
"I'll be cheering for you, Medici!" Luna giggled, patting Medici's shoulder and giving him a thumbs up, which he returned with an even wider grin.
"Heh, bet everything on me." Medici said with absolute confidence, acting arrogantly. Amon had the feeling that Luna was fanning the fire. It didn't feel like encouragement, it felt more like she was feeding his ego, and she was doing it with an innocent smile... hmm, so she wants Medici to act like he's allat, only to lose miserably?
Amon glanced at her with a faint smile. That's my girl... this is going to be fun.
As they left Morgan and Medici, Luna asked Amon curiously, hugging his arm. "So... who are you going to bet on?"
Amon kissed her cheek, his mouth curling into a small smile. "You'll see..."
Luna rolled her eyes, huffing as she was about to retort, but then Amon summoned Fraud's Bag and pulled out some ice cream.
"It's so sweet..." Luna said with a dreamy smile, taking a bite.
Jackpot... Amon thought, seeing her happy, and nodded. He wasn't really in the mood to listen to her nagging. Yes, Luna wasn't perfect, especially when she was pregnant. The amount of complaints Amon was forced to listen to almost drove him crazy.
At last, they left the underground area where fighters were preparing for battle and approached the woman at the betting window.
The arena resembled a Roman coliseum. The ground was a mix of blood and sand, though the fighters weren't allowed to kill and were prohibited from using any weapons.
Along the way, they met Gunlaug and Harus. Luna asked how they were doing, paying particular attention to Gunlaug, who was in a rather peculiar situation after finding his long-lost son.
"Greetings, Duke." The woman smiled politely at Amon, then glanced at Luna. "Princess Luna, it's an honor to meet you."
"Can I ask who you would like to bet on?" she continued, bowing faintly.
Luna touched her chin, pondering for a moment, then smiled and handed over her coins. "I will be betting on Morgan."
The woman nodded, taking the money and handing her the ticket. Then she and Luna glanced at Harus, Gunlaug, and Amon.
Amon had a small smile playing on his lips. Harus was grinning darkly, his expression a bit scary and his eyes murderous, causing the woman to gulp.
Gunlaug, meanwhile, was laughing loudly, hands in his pockets.
Then, they pulled out their coins and handed them to the woman.
"Five hundred Luna on Ah Chu." Harus grinned.
"Seven hundred Luna on Ah Chu." Gunlaug was next. But before Amon could place his bet, he frowned, glancing at Gunlaug. Harus wore a similarly bewildered look.
"Dude... why do you have money?" Amon asked in confusion.
"Yeah, aren't you homeless after betting your house?" Harus added.
Gunlaug smirked, shaking his head in amusement. "Amateurs... of course I begged!"
"..."
Both of them stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded in understanding. Of course, where else would he get money? It made sense.
"I want a thousand Luna on Ah Chu, too." Amon smiled at the woman and handed her the coins.
"Boss... how could you? I thought you didn't have money!" Gunlaug said, his expression betraying his disbelief.
"Hey, I didn't." Amon grimaced at his pitiful look.
"Then how... oh..." Gunlaug and Harus nodded this time, understanding exactly what had happened without a word.
After getting their tickets, they went to their seats. Luna, this time, didn't know what was happening. "Why are you guys betting on Ah Chu? He's going to lose miserably!"
The three of them glanced at her, then shook their heads with self-satisfied, smug looks, as if she didn't know the ways of the world.
"Because Ah Chu is a three-time champion and the most powerful fighter in this arena."
Luna blinked... What the fuck?
Her confusion was cut short when Harus bumped into someone and then hit his head on a pillar. "Hey! Watch where you're going, bitc... huh?"
"Hmm?" Seishan glanced back at him, Hel and Eunbin at her side. But after seeing Harus and Gunlaug, her expression darkened with displeasure. "Come to get more?"
She said this while summoning her warhammer. Gunlaug stepped back, hiding behind Luna, while Harus's eyes dimmed with the memory of that hammer smashing his face. He grimaced, then stepped forward with a dark smile.
Meanwhile, Gunlaug hissed, whispering to Luna and Amon, "Damn... it's a barbarian woman."
Seeing her sister raise her hammer, ready to crash Harus's face again, Luna panicked and instantly hugged her arm, pulling her back.
Meanwhile, Gunlaug tilted his head, smiled, and pulled out a gun, pointing it at Seishan before pulling the trigger without the slightest hesitation.
Click! Click! Click!
Gunlaug paused, staring at his gun with a dumbfounded look. Hmm, I sold bullets to bet on Mr. Crabs... right. But that also meant he couldn't shoot Seishan. "Well... shit."
"Sister, please wait!" Luna shouted at Seishan, dragging her back as she tried to reach Harus, who was staring at her mockingly and waving his hand.
"And why should I?" Seishan gritted her teeth in frustration.
"I swear you don't want to kill them! Look at them, they're changed man! Harus is a kebab guy now, not some butcher, and Gunlaug is... uhmm, a loving father raising his son alone because the child's mom left! He has to provide for his son! Look at him, he's practically homeless because he's spending everything on his kid!" Luna pleaded, trying with all her might to convince Seishan.
"Yeah, Seishan. Gunlaug's known as the Daddy Storm on social media," Amon added with a straight face, eating his ice cream.
"Daddy... what?" Seishan squinted, baffled.
"Mhm, he's flexing his biceps for teenage girls so they can donate to his channel." Amon nodded with a proud smile, giving Gunlaug approving look. "And Harus is known as the Kebab King."
Seishan and her sisters stared at them, bewildered. For a few seconds, they said nothing, and then, perhaps out of pity, Seishan dismissed her hammer, returning it to her soul sea. I-I... can't hit them, they're already beaten in the head...
Eunbin giggled, hugging Amon's arm. "And do you have as interesting a name as your subordinates, my charming duke~?"
Amon gave her a thumbs up. "My username's It Takes a Real Man to Become Best Girl."
"Pardon?"
Luna, knowing that Eunbin was deliberately trying to annoy her, giggled as she stared at Eunbin's dumbfounded face.
"Oh my, sister. You don't look well." Luna smiled, separating her from Amon with a sweet smile, though it was clear she was pissed as she grabbed Amon's arm.
"It's... I... I'm just surprised," Eunbin muttered, leaving Amon alone.
"What's their deal?" Gunlaug leaned toward Harus and Amon.
"Beats me." Amon shrugged, eating his ice cream with a straight face, while Harus just nodded.
***
[A/N: It's been a while since I wrote an author's note, guys. Hope you're all doing well. I wasn't able to post the chapter because I got drunk accidentally yesterday, so sorry about that.
Besides that, I think I did pretty well with world-building. What do you think about Moirai? It's a funny place, eh? I think I described how they live pretty well, too.
Anyway, guys, this fic isn't as active as it was before, so throw your stones, will you?
And don't forget, Mr. Crabs and Ah Chu are real champions. That's it for now, gang. Enjoy the meal.]
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