Yuri glared at the three gamblers sitting across the table with cold eyes.
One of them was Pamia, and the other two were gamblers they'd met at the casino.
"I can see everything."
The middle-aged man with a cigarette hanging from his mouth kept running his mouth with dirty talk to throw off his opponents mentally.
He craned his neck forward and stared at the back of Pamia's card.
"I saw a scratch on your card earlier."
"What?"
"That means I know what card is on your far right. Hehehe..."
"...What?"
"If you're curious, go ahead and check."
Yuri looked at the dealer. The dealer just shrugged.
He seemed to consider it part of the game.
Pamia looked on the verge of tears.
"Aren't you going to check?"
"If I do, the front will be revealed…"
"So you're not that stupid after all. Heh heh…"
"That was a trick, wasn't it…?"
"Depends how you think of it. Uhuhuhu…"
This time, he turned his attention to Yuri.
"Let's see, the guy with the mask over there…"
Yuri shook his head.
"Careful with that one."
"What, cards are meant to be played while talking like this, aren't they? Touchy, aren't you? You look like the kind of guy who folds like a clam. Fold, fold. You're folding, right?"
"No, it's just that your card is flipped upside down."
"What?"
He quickly looked down at the table in surprise. But all the cards were in the right position.
Realizing Yuri had tricked him, the man let out a hollow laugh.
"Got me good."
The quiet middle-aged woman finally spoke up.
"Ugh, you'd be fine if you just shut up."
"Why am I your guy, ma'am?"
"You're my guy because you keep handing me money, that's why."
"When did I give you money?"
"You bring me something every time we meet, don't you?"
"Isn't it the other way around?"
"Ha! Bragging now, are we…"
The woman let out a snort and pushed more chips forward.
"Anyway, let's go. I'm in. If you don't have the guts, fold, and if you fold, keep your mouth shut."
The man rolled his eyes and called her bet. Yuri nodded silently.
Pamia raised the stakes.
"I'm adding more chips."
"Oho…"
The dealer dealt the cards again.
From the cards on the table, there was no clear winner yet. Even so, Pamia kept raising her bets.
"Mister."
The man grinned.
"She's with you, right? Should you just let her be? Looks like it's her first time here…"
Yuri didn't respond. Instead, Pamia pouted.
"Um, am I doing it wrong…?"
"See that? She's going to lose all her money. Not that I mind."
"But she has a good hand…"
The man chuckled.
"What a cute little lady. Well, think of it as paying tuition for the lesson."
He revealed his cards.
They were quite high.
The middle-aged woman let out a deep sigh and tossed her cards face down.
"Okay, you're not my guy anymore. Let's not call each other that."
"What's wrong, ma'am? Hehe…"
"Don't laugh. I might start liking you."
The man gestured for Yuri and Pamia to reveal their hands.
Yuri flipped his cards.
The man's expression stiffened. Yuri's hand was one step higher.
"No way, that's what you had?"
"Just happened that way."
"That's ridiculous. Argh…"
He was just as dramatic as he was talkative. He grabbed his head and groaned. The middle-aged woman lightly smacked his arm, telling him not to be so dramatic.
"You're such a mess."
"I lost hard-earned money, of course I'm a mess!"
"Is this your last game ever?"
So when Pamia quietly revealed her cards, no one but the dealer was paying attention.
"Player 2 wins."
The dealer's calm declaration made the other three turn their heads.
Pamia's hand included a joker. It was a very high hand—an incredibly rare combination that might not come out even after an entire day of card dealing.
She covered her mouth and giggled.
"Guess I got lucky…"
The man spoke with a sour expression.
"This lady's actually a scary one…"
The rest of the matches played out in a similar fashion.
Pamia, acting innocent, completely toyed with the other players. She would fold repeatedly, then suddenly bet all the way, causing the others to give up, only to reveal it was a bluff.
"Hehe, didn't think you'd really fall for it…"
As the game continued, it became clear who was gaining and who was losing.
The man slumped in his chair and sighed.
"I just keep losing…"
"Me too. My hands are awful today."
"It's not your hands, it's your skill, ma'am…"
"It's not that, that girl's a hustler."
"Hehe…"
Pamia had won the most. Yuri, at least, hadn't taken a loss. It was thanks to keeping his guard up from the beginning.
Ever since she had suggested going to Basregas, he had suspected she had a knack for cards.
"What now? Keep playing?"
Yuri was checking his chips when he suddenly looked up. A familiar face was scanning the casino.
"That'll be it for me."
Yuri stood from his seat. Pamia blinked in surprise.
"Oh, you're leaving…?"
"I have an appointment. You've gotten the hang of the casino by now, so keep going."
"No, I'll go too."
Pamia got up to follow him, then bowed politely to the two gamblers.
"Thanks for the game. Hope to see you again."
"Yeah, sweetheart, go easy next time."
"Didn't you say she had to earn money to be your sweetheart?"
"Well, didn't she win money for me? We're each other's sweetheart, not just one-way."
"That's true. Uhuhuhu…"
Even though the game was over, the two didn't seem too hung up on their losses.
The Imperial City was the place with the most money flowing in on the entire continent. People gambling here were likely to be wealthy.
"I'm done here too."
"Then I'll go…"
As the four of them stood, the table emptied.
Just before they parted, the middle-aged woman held out her hand to Yuri.
"Let's greet each other if we meet again, okay?"
Whether she recognized him or was just being polite, Yuri accepted her handshake.
"Sure."
They exchanged brief goodbyes and went their separate ways.
Pamia asked Yuri,
"Why did you suddenly get up…?"
"There's someone I was supposed to meet. Looks like he came here."
He had left a note at the reception desk for Dale. If he wasn't at the hotel, he told him to come to the Basregas Casino.
Dale was glancing around, clearly looking for Yuri.
"Dale."
Yuri suddenly appeared, making Dale flinch and step back.
"Whoa, Your Highness?"
"Why so startled?"
"You came out of nowhere. Haha…"
"You recognized me even with the mask on?"
"O-of course! How could I not recognize you, Your Highness?"
For a split second, Dale's eyes moved quickly—first at Yuri, then at Pamia behind him.
Yuri activated his mana method, sharpening his senses.
In that brief instant, some kind of signal passed between Pamia and Dale.
Dale licked his lips, then quickly flashed Yuri a bright smile.
"And who might this beautiful lady be…?"
"Wait."
"Pardon?"
Yuri ignored Dale and raised his hand.
At that, the manager of the casino reappeared and bowed politely to Yuri.
"Is there something you need?"
"That private room I mentioned earlier, I need it now."
"Yes, understood."
Without asking anything further, the manager immediately led them.
Dale and Pamia followed Yuri in silence.
They climbed a hidden staircase to the upper floor of the casino. In the dim hallway, black, unmarked doors stretched out on both sides.
Dale asked quietly,
"Your Highness, what business do you have here…"
"There's something I need to talk about in private. Is that a problem?"
"N-no, not at all."
The manager stopped walking.
"This is the room. Please go inside."
Once they entered, not a sound could be heard. It seemed the room was magically sealed.
"No one can open the door from outside until you leave."
"Thanks."
"Not at all."
The manager bowed again and went back down the stairs.
Yuri opened the door.
The room was spacious, and in the center stood a large circular bed. It was clear what the room had been designed for.
"Come in."
Dale and Pamia followed him inside.
The door closed.
Yuri sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the two of them.
Dale was frozen stiff with nerves, while Pamia tilted her head with her usual gentle manner.
"Why did we come here…?"
But unlike before, her act didn't seem natural. She had sensed that something was off with Yuri's atmosphere.
Yuri ignored her and turned to Dale.
"Dale."
"Y-yes…"
"The Avers family—what territory do they govern?"
"The Maron Barony…"
"So you're a noble."
"Y-yes, yes, that's right, but…"
Yuri let out a small laugh and glanced around the room.
It was silent, cut off from inside and out. There wasn't even a window.
"Very quiet."
Yuri rose from his seat. Dale and Pamia looked up at him.
"So, what I'm saying is—we can end this nicely, just between us."
"I… I don't understand…"
"There's no way you cooked this up on your own."
Yuri turned his gaze to Pamia.
"Who introduced you to this woman?"
"W-what…?"
"Drop the act."
Pamia's expression slowly changed. The innocent, bashful smile faded into a grim scowl.
"We're screwed…"
Dale stared at her in a daze.
She covered her forehead with a hand and remained silent for a while. Then, with a sigh, she asked,
"When did you figure it out…?"
"From the beginning."
"Ugh…"
Yuri had never trusted Pamia. Though he was momentarily caught off guard by the sudden situation, it was easy to deduce with a little logical thinking.
A mistake like assigning the same room to two people in a luxury hotel like Duforia simply didn't happen. The idea that they had both received room keys didn't make sense to begin with.
And Yuri had unpacked his things. They were in plain sight the moment someone entered the room. But Pamia had acted like she saw nothing and tried to enter the bathroom while undressing.
Everything about the situation had been unnatural.
Above all, there had been a decisive hint.
As she tried to stop Yuri from leaving, Pamia had made a major slip.
"Saying it's okay to dry my hair and then go—did she think I was an idiot? Who says something like that in that situation?"
Pamia looked dumbfounded.
"That was the most natural part, though…"
"And then suggesting we go to the casino? It felt like you'd done your homework, like you already knew my tastes. That made it even more suspicious."
"Most people would call that a fated encounter…"
"Unfortunate. I don't believe in fate."
"You're the worst type…"
Dale was now completely pale. He stepped back and shouted at Pamia.
"Y-you said this would work!"
"There was a miscalculation in the analysis."
"Y-you…"
"I thought, since you rejected the imperial princess, you were a romantic who preferred natural meetings. Turns out, you're just a rock with no interest in women."
It seemed they had done quite a bit of research beforehand.
Yuri corrected her.
"To be precise, I didn't reject the princess, I rejected the introduction."
But they clearly weren't interested in that kind of detail. Dale yelled again at Pamia.
"T-then you should've prepared properly!"
"Prepared? That's not important. First impressions are everything. If I couldn't win with this face, then it's hopeless."
"You shameless…!"
"I'm serious."
Yuri actually agreed with her, to some extent.
Because he had felt nothing toward Pamia, he had been able to see through the truth.
But that was only because he was Yuri.
Objectively, Pamia was beautiful.
Emotions cloud reason. Most men would've taken all those "coincidences" as destiny, just as she said.
"That's enough talk."
Yuri stepped forward.
"Dale. Who's behind this?"
"I-I…"
"You don't have to answer."
"Huh?"
"But you'll die here."
Yuri drew one of the Four Wheel Blades from his coat—the Flame-Seal Sword.
"I just arrived in the Empire today. I'm very tired. That means I'm in no mood to be patient."
"W-w-wait…"
Yuri twirled the Flame-Seal Sword in his hand as he walked forward.
Dale's terrified eyes darted around.
He looked at Pamia in desperation, but she simply closed her eyes and stood still.
Dale's mouth finally opened.
"The chairman…"
"Who?"
"T-the chairman of the Hometown Association. The Briol Hometown Chairman told me to do it. I just did what I was told!"
Tears began to stream from Dale's eyes.
He was truly a coward. Yuri patted his shoulder as if to comfort him.
"Okay, so who the hell is this chairman?"
Yuri was curious.
If there was a group in the capital made up of people from Briol, and it had enough influence to orchestrate something like this, the leader must've had quite a bit of presence—even enough to stick in Yuri's memory.
So when Dale finally said the name, Yuri felt a rush of complicated emotions.
"That bastard's showing up here?"
Gott Bakbar.
The chairman of the Briol Hometown Association, and the one currently studying abroad at Academium—Gott Bakbar was behind it all.
[T/L: Read more chapters on Ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]