도박사 잭 II/8권

제8회 백과 흑

레너드가 지정한 장소── 그곳은 매일 열광하며 레이스를 즐길 수 있는 공화국에서도 최대 규모의 도력차 서킷이었다.

이곳에서는 일단 내기도 허용되고 있어, 그것을 목적으로 방문하는 손님도 적지 않다. 게다가 오늘은 일 년에 몇 번밖에 없는 실력파 레이싱팀이 모이는 빅 이벤트가 있는 날, 상당한 인파가 모여있다. 덕분에 레이스에 걸린 배당금의 비율도 높아져 있다.

「그리운 광경이군……」

갬블러로서 감을 닦기 위해서. 그런 이유로 레너드와 함께 이곳에 킹에게 끌려 왔던 일을 추억한다. 벌써 10년이나 지난 일이었다.

세 명 중에 가장 적중률이 높았던 것은 레너드였다. 그는 과거의 레이스 데이터를 철저히 모아서 분석했고 가장 확률이 높은 쪽에 많이 걸었다. 하지만 그렇게 되면 배당률이 낮아지게 된다. 「그런 게 재미있는가」라고 킹은 그를 힐책했다. 킹은 날카로운 관찰력을 근거로 하는 직감으로 모든 레이스의 결과를 차례로 맞췄다. 최종적으로 번 미라의 액수는 단연 1위였다. 잭은 언제나 큰 승부에 구애되었다. 안정감은 없지만, 때론 킹 이상의 직감으로 더블오 티켓(배당률이 100배 이상으로 승리한 티켓)을 몇 번이나 받았다.

레이스장 입구에서 그런 일들을 회상하며 감상에 젖어있는 잭 앞에 레너드의 부하인 듯한 검은 복장의 남자들이 나타났다.

「잭 님, 이쪽으로 오시죠.」

정중하지만 위압적으로 그를 어떤 방으로 안내한다.

레이스를 바로 앞에서 관전할 수 있는 유리로 만들어진 VIP룸── 거기에는 레너드와 니케, 그리고 묶여있는 할이 있었다.

「할──！」 자기도 모르게 몸을 기울이며 소리를 지르는 잭.

그러자 총을 겨눈 검은 복장의 남자에 의해 제지 된다.

「후후, 그렇게 서두르지 말라고.」

「잘 왔다, 잭. 오늘은 최고의 무대를 마련해 두었다고.」

「레너드……！」

레너드에게 잭은 노골적인 분노를 표출한다.

「훗, 드디어 나를 이름만으로 부르게 되었군. ……그것도 상관없다.」 레너드는 만족스럽게 대답했다.

잭이 니케에게도 시선을 보낸다.

「니케…… 너까지 가담하고 있었을 줄이야.」

「그래, 당신에게는 미안하지만.」 그렇게 말하고 니케는 레너드에게 몸을 기댄다.

「벌써 눈치채고 있을지도 모르겠지만…… 나의 목적은 할이 가지고 있는 킹의 “비장의 수(조커)”다.」

레너드가 할의 목걸이에 있는 보석을 움켜쥔다.

레너드 말대로, 잭은 이미 그의 목적을 눈치채고 있었다.

7년 전, 킹과의 승부── 잭의 승리가 결정된 순간, 할에게 전해주라고 부탁받은 킹의 유언이나 마찬가지인 “키워드”. 그것은 킹이 숨겨왔던“비장의 수”에 설치된 록. 잭은 그것을 받은 것이었다.

……당시의 잭은 그 의미를 알지 못했다.

「킹은 발이 넓었다── 그는“뒷세계”에 인맥이 많았으며, 그 인맥은“앞”과도 연결되어 있다.」

「이봐, 잭. 정치계를 앞과 뒤── “백”과“흑”으로 구분한다면 어느 쪽 같나？」

「글쎄」라며 받아넘기는 잭에게 레너드가 이어 말한다.

「정답은──“칠흑”이다.」

「킹은 실로 타산적인 남자였다.」

「할의 목걸이에 입혀진 기억 결정(메모리 쿼츠)── 이것에 기록된, 킹만 알고 있는 “어둠의 기록”이 가지고 있는 힘은 굉장하다.」

「나는 이것을 손에 넣어 정치가로서 한층 더 높은 곳으로 간다.」

「그렇게 하기 위해서는 잭. 너만이 알고 있는 키워드가 필요한 것이다.」

「거기까지 알고 있을 줄은…… 니케, 전부 네가 알려줬군.」

「그래, 맞아. 그가 더욱 날개를 펼쳤으면 하니까.」

「……뭐가 날개라는 말이냐」 잭이 탄식한다.

「사람의 약점을 잡아서…… 손에 넣은 지위가 도대체 무슨 가치가 있느냐는 말이다！」

「킹이 정보를 남긴 것은 어디까지나 소중한 사람을 지키기 위해, 단지 그것뿐이다.」

잭의 말이 할의 가슴에 꽂힌다.

하지만 레너드와 니케 두 사람은 개연치 않았다.

「후후, 당신의 그런 점이 싫지는 않지만……」

「그렇게 해선 힘없는 보통의 어린아이와 다를 게 없어.」

「뭐, 이 남자에게는 무얼 말해도 알 수 없겠지만.」

「하지만──그런 너를 철저하게 때려눕히지 않는다면 나도 뒷맛이 개운치 않지.」

「네가 알고 있는 키워드와 할…… 이 두 개를 걸고 나와 승부를 해줘야겠어.」

──신중하고 기민한 두뇌를 가진 레너드였다. 방금의 태도로 승부에 대한 절대적인 자신감이 엿보였다. 하지만 잭도 물러날 생각은 없었다.

그리고 잭과 레너드는── 오늘 만반의 준비를 하고 시작되는 빅 레이스에서 갬블 대결을 펼치게 되었다.

Chapter 8 - Black and White

The 'designated place' alluded to on the card was one of the largest and most well-known racetracks in all of Calvard. Part of its fame was due to the fact that it permitted gambling on its races, and this attracted a large number of visitors. Furthermore, today was one of the track's biggest races of the year, a day where many highly skilled teams of racers gathered to compete. It was a popular event, and the number of spectators was even greater than usual. The payouts for those who gambled on the races were bigger as a result, too.

Stepping out onto the track Jack sighed. 'Sure brings back memories...'

As he surveyed the familiar grounds, he found himself reminiscing about the times King had brought him and Leonard there to hone their gambling instincts all those years ago.

Leonard was the one who had predicted winners correctly the most often. He had spent a lot of time analyzing the outcomes of past races and bet large sums on the cars most likely to win. As a result of relying on safe bets like these, though, his payouts tended to be comparatively low. King often used to laugh at him for it, always remarking, 'Where's the fun in that?'

King, meanwhile, used his brilliant instincts and powers of observation to guide him and successfully predicted the outcome of one race after another. Of the three of them, it was he who consistently earned the most mira.

For Jack's part, his interest lay in winning big on a single bet. He lost money far more often than the other two but occasionally displayed even greater gambling intuition than King himself and sometimes won over a hundred times the mira he bet.

While he stood there mulling over those decade old wins and losses, several men in black suits approached him. Presumably, they were Leonard's subordinates.

'Please allow us to escort you,' one said politely.

Jack followed.

Eventually, he found himself in a VIP room. Encased in thick glass, it gave the occupants inside a very up close and personal view of the racetrack outside. In it sat Leonard, Nike...and a loosely bound Halle.

'Halle!'

Without thinking, he made to dash towards her but was quickly stopped by the men who brought him there. Each held a gun.

'Now, now. No need to be so hasty,' Leonard laughed.

I'm glad you could make it, Jack. I've got some real fun in store for you today.'

'Leonard, you son of a bitch!'

Jack's furious expression was a stark contrast to Leonard's playful tone.

'Heh. Finally saying what you truly think about me, Jack? I'm glad.' Leonard looked genuinely satisfied.

Jack shot a glance over in Nike's direction. 'I can't believe you're seriously helpin' him with this.'

'I'm afraid so,' she replied simply, before drawing closer to Leonard.

'As I'm sure you've already worked out, our aim is the joker that King left Halle over there,' Leonard continued, turning the jewel from Halle's necklace over and over again between his fingers.

Jack had indeed surmised as much.

When Jack won the battle against King seven years prior, King had given him a 'code' of sorts that he wanted him to pass on to Halle. That code was intended to unlock the 'joker' that King had once secretly kept on him. At the time, Jack hadn't understood the meaning of what he was being asked to do, but he did now.

'King was well known in the underworld. He had all kinds of connections, but those ties weren't just limited to the less savory of players. Many of the people he was connected to moved both inside and outside of the underworld.

'Tell me, Jack...' Leonard said, 'if the underworld is black, and the world outside it is white...which do you think the world of politics is?'

Jack snorted. 'Hell if I know.'

'As black as can be,' Leonard said matter-of-factly.

He made an off-hand gesture. 'King was a smart man. A calculating man. This jewel, here? This is a memory quartz and one full of information on the people he knew. People in the criminal underworld, public faces who have connections in it themselves... The power this information holds is nothing short of incredible, and I intend to use it to keep moving up the ranks as a politician.

'And for that, Jack,' he continued, 'I need the code that you, and only you, know.'

Jack was silent for a moment. 'I'm surprised you know all of that... I take it this is your doing, Nike?'

'But of course,' she confirmed. 'I want him to spread his wings and fly, too, after all.'

' 'Spread his wings and fly'...?' Jack repeated with a disbelieving sigh. 'That's what you call this? Preyin' on people, King's daughter no less, for a bit of political advantage? He left that data behind to protect Halle from harm... What's the point in being promoted if you have to take advantage of a father's love for his daughter to do it?!'

Jack's words resonated strongly with Halle, but they fell on deaf ears when it came to Leonard and Nike.

'I can't say I don't have a soft spot for that idealism of yours...' Nike said finally, 'but if you're afraid of using others for your own goals, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You'll forever remain a powerless child.'

Leonard laughed. 'Forget it. No amount of logic will get through to him. Still, I'd feel guilty taking everything from you without completely beating you into submission first. Got to give you a chance to fight back, after all. So here's what I propose, Jack. We'll have a little gambling competition. If you win, you can have Halle back. If I win, you'll give me that code. Simple, right?'

Jack considered it. Leonard was smart, but he was also very cautious. It was clear from his aura of confidence that he was pretty certain that he would win.

Jack, however, had no intention of backing down.

Thus began their great wager over the outcome of the day's races with Halle's fate on the line.