Hate me, Miss Witch!

City of Eternal Night, Thorns of Sin.

A gramophonic magictech array broadcast soothing background music as shapely bunny girls meandered through the venue, awash with dazzling lights and hedonistic revelry, eliciting rounds of cheers.

The clinking of chips, the rhythmic shaking of ice in cocktail shakers, and the sharp clicks of high heels on the floor all proclaimed that a wonderful night in the City of Eternal Night was about to begin.

Suddenly, all the lights in the venue extinguished in an instant, only to reignite moments later.

In the next instant, a middle-aged man dressed in a white robe entered the venue.

The hall fell into a deathly silence, where even the sound of breathing was clearly audible.

The middle-aged man had an ordinary face and was dressed in plain white robes, resembling an unassuming priest or clergyman from a small village church.

All eyes were fixed on the middle-aged man who had entered the venue. Or, more precisely, at the emblem embroidered on his white robe—the pure white Eye of True Knowledge.

"It's 'the Audience'," someone finally said after a long pause, breaking the unsettling stillness of the venue.

The entire casino immediately erupted. Waiters, dealers, and gamblers alike began whispering amongst themselves. Those in the know spoke with confidence, while onlookers, upon understanding, relayed the information to others.

'The Audience'.

This was the epithet for a group of Transcendents.

Typically, Transcendent organizations or groups on the Western Continent have distinct tendencies. They lean either toward the Order Faction, like the Three Towers, or toward domains such as the Abyss and the Lost Kingdom, which include many evil cults.

However, 'the Audience', like the Dark Shadow Council, was a rare existence that was active both within the Order Faction and the Lost Kingdom, yet managed to be tolerated by all sides.

The Dark Shadow Council relied on its formidable strength and the intelligence services demanded by both factions, while 'the Audience' depended on their unique modus operandi.

They were, true to their name, merely spectators.

Two countries' armies in battle, the roar of artillery across the plains...

Battlegrounds where High Order experts engaged in life-or-death duels...

The sites where significant magictech inventions were born, occasions when sovereign power changed hands, or the transition of authority...

The figures of 'the Audience' could be seen at the crux of almost every major event on the Western Continent.

Members of 'the Audience' did not adhere to a clear Pet Beast system or style, unlike many Transcendent organizations. Their ranks were diverse, ranging from First Circle Beginners to Titled Rank Beastmasters, encompassing all levels in between.

Rumor even had it that on the very day the Holy Calendar Era began, and during the final battle that concluded the Age of Calamity Land, Legendary Rank members of 'the Audience' were present.

The sole commonality among 'the Audience' was their white robes, emblazoned with the mark of the Eye of True Knowledge. They could appear anywhere on the Western Continent, observing events that ranged from the rise and fall of kingdoms to perhaps merely the daily life of an ordinary commoner.

Moreover, 'the Audience' never interfered in the unfolding process, even if a member was caught in crossfire and killed on a battlefield; no retaliatory actions were ever taken.

It was as if 'the Audience', true to their self-proclaimed role, were merely witnesses and chroniclers of history.

And in the City of Eternal Night known as Thorns of Sin, the arrival of 'the Audience' could only mean one thing—

A legendary gamble against the house was about to take place.

In the City of Eternal Night, the minimum bet at an ordinary gambling table was one Rhine gold coin. While this might not seem substantial, the Rhine gold coin was, in fact, the highest currency denomination in the Western Continent's monetary system. A single coin was equivalent to the entire annual salary of an average urban commoner. Smaller denominations included copper coins and silver coins.

However, this paled in comparison to the upcoming gamble.

According to waiters with decades of experience in the City of Eternal Night, the house hosted such high-stakes games every one or two months, but it had been three years since 'the Audience' was last invited to bear witness.

The previous guest had wagered his hereditary demesne, which included three towns, and lost it all.

...

The ordinary-looking middle-aged man in the plain white robe ascended towards the highest level of the City of Eternal Night, quickly vanishing into a passageway.

The next moment, a metal shutter was raised.

The scene on the highest floor of the City of Eternal Night was then projected into the view of all the gamblers in the casino below.

A simple gambling table stood there. Viscount Lori sat on one side, an elegant smile on his face, while a young man, half his face obscured by a white mask, sat on the other. Both appeared calm.

The middle-aged priest in white robes stood at the head of the long table, his expression serene as he observed everything upon it.

He reached out, his hand brushing over a silver-white revolver and a box of amber-colored bullets on the table.

"The revolver—'Kamacite Moon'," he stated. "Purely metallic construction, no magictech arrays, no spiritual interference."

The priest removed the bullets one by one from the ammunition box and loaded them into the revolver's cylinder.

"Six rounds," he continued, "identical in mass and appearance. However, only one is a live round; the other five are blanks."

The middle-aged priest regarded the ejected cylinder, his finger tapping lightly in the air.

"During this gamble, all Transcendent abilities are forbidden. All forms of scrying are also prohibited..."

"The Eye of True Knowledge bears witness."

Having completed these preparations, he placed the revolver, its cylinder still ejected, upon the gambling table. "According to the rules," he stated, "the one who spins the cylinder plays last."