The Sleight of Hand tale is a compact combat gauntlet with one critical dialogue choice and a lasting unlock. You’ll start at Lake Kuttara, fight alongside a ronin through a multi-room skirmish, defuse a standoff with the right response, then gain access to Zeni Hajiki, a coin-flipping pastime you can revisit anytime.

Start Sleight of Hand (where to go and how it triggers)

Ride to the southern dock of Lake Kuttara. A ronin is fishing there. Speak with him to kick off the quest. The conversation immediately spills into a running brawl that carries from the dockside into a nearby house and beyond.

Clear the dockside house (outside, first floor, reinforcements)

Fight side by side with the ronin against a group gathered outside the house near the dock. When the yard is clear, enter:

  • At the entrance level, you’ll encounter two opponents right away.
  • Push deeper into the room to draw out four more enemies; expect reinforcements to rush in. Don’t move on until the entire floor is secure.

Go upstairs, break out the window, and drop the sharpshooter

With the ground floor safe, climb the ladder to the second floor and eliminate the hostiles there. Exit via the window beside the ronin; you’ll both leap out and sprint uphill. At the top, a sharpshooter blocks the path. Defeat him to end the combat segment.

Tip: Sweep the area after the fight. Enemies often drop currency and gunpowder.

Keep the alliance intact (the one answer that matters)

After the battle, the ronin wheels on you and raises his rifle, suspecting you’ll bolt with the payment. Two responses appear:

  • “That’s not true”
  • “Now I’m tempted”

Choose “That’s not true.” He lowers the weapon, your partnership holds, and the tale moves forward without extra friction.

Unlock Zeni Hajiki (permanent minigame)

With tensions cooled, the Sleight of Hand tale concludes. You wake inside a Gambling Den. Walk toward the exit and look to the right for the ronin. Talk to him to play Zeni Hajiki. This coin-flipping game becomes a permanent activity you can return to later.

Quick reference

Step What to do Outcome
Start Meet the ronin at Lake Kuttara’s southern dock and speak to him. Quest begins; immediate combat outside a nearby house.
Outside Fight alongside the ronin to clear the yard. Path opens into the house.
Ground floor Defeat 2 near the entrance, then 4 deeper in; handle reinforcements. Ground floor secure.
Second floor Climb the ladder, clear the level, then leap out the window with the ronin. Chase continues uphill.
Hilltop Eliminate the sharpshooter blocking the route. Combat phase ends; loot coins and gunpowder.
Standoff When confronted, choose “That’s not true.” Alliance preserved; tale wraps cleanly.
Minigame In the Gambling Den, speak to the ronin near the exit. Zeni Hajiki unlocked as a permanent pastime.

The tale is brief but layered: a co-op brawl that tests timing and crowd control, a single line that decides your rapport, and a quiet payoff in the form of a new game you can keep returning to. If you follow the path above and pick the right words, you’ll see everything Sleight of Hand is designed to open up.