“What in the world…?”
When I returned to the group, Lancelot was staring at me with a dazed look.
To be precise, he kept glancing back and forth between me and the hefty pile of casino chips in my hand.
In any case...
Lancelot, still looking like someone who’d just been told the moon was made of cheese, finally managed to speak. “S-so, you’re saying, all of that is money?”
“You really do say the daftest things sometimes. These are chips—casino chips, mind you. If they look like money to you, I’d suggest paying a visit to the local healer.”
“But you can exchange them for money!” Lancelot shouted at me, once again the hierarchy between us.
Honestly, the fellow didn’t possess even an ounce of decorum in him.
I raised a finger, flicked him on the forehead, and handed the chips to the coachman.
“Keep these safe.”
“M-me?!” The coachman jumped in alarm, clutching the heavy leather pouch to his chest.
He immediately began scanning the area, worried someone might steal it—which, ironically, made him look exactly like a thief himself.
“You mustn’t lose it. That’s my entire fortune,” I warned.
“I-it’s so important?!”
The coachman looked at me as if to ask, “Why would you entrust something like that to me?”
I let out a quiet chuckle.
To tell the truth, it wasn’t actually my entire fortune. I’d only started with five gold coins, and that pile was my winnings—so really, all I had at stake was those five coins.
But if I said that, the coachman wouldn’t guard it with his life, would he?
Seeing him already on high alert, determined to protect the chips at all costs, I was certain I’d made the right choice.
That much effort is only fair.
Frankly, it was the least he could do. After all, while taking my revenge on House Artezia, I was going to help the coachman get his revenge, too.
“Keep sharp.” I patted the coachman on the shoulder and walked past him, heading for a new gambling table.
Now, let’s really have some fun.
A grin curled at the corners of my mouth.
From this moment on, this casino was mine.
* * *
A few hours later…
“Huff! Huff!”
A man dashed up the stairs to the third-floor VVIP suite.
The guards were obligated to stop suspicious people from running upstairs, yet strangely, no one so much as lifted a finger to stop him.
Before long, the man was knocking at the door of Makio’s suite and then pushing it open to step inside.
“S-sir, it’s a disaster!” the man cried out.
“…What’s happened to get you so worked up?”
“Th-the casino’s been completely cleaned out!”
* * *
“…What the heck?” Lancelot let out a small, incredulous laugh.
It was much the same reaction he’d had earlier, when I’d come back after my little windfall at mahjong.
“…So you’re telling me all of this is money?”
“Hm, as I said before, it’s not money, it’s—”
Lancelot clapped a hand to his forehead and cut me off, saying, “Just—just give me a moment of silence, please.”
How dare he interrupt his master? Truly, he never changed.
But this time, no one else seemed inclined to scold him. They all wore the same stunned expression, simply staring at me and the pile of casino coins spread out beneath me.
“…With this, I could buy houses for all my siblings,” Kai exclaimed quietly.
“We could also raise an army to invade the Demonic Realm,” Rowen calculated.
“…That’s two hundred thousand Kobold skewers.”
“It’s probably even more.”
Kai and Roxen exchanged murmurs, swallowing hard.
And beside them, the coachman stared into the void, his eyes trembling as he mumbled to himself.
“C-coins… the coins… coins…”
Judging by how he kept repeating the word “coin,” the shock had clearly rattled him to his core.
How could grown men freeze up at the sight of a few coins?
What a timid bunch.
“Stop gawking and start gathering these up. Surely the master can’t be expected to carry his own loot.”
I tossed the leather pouch full of coins, and the coachman—who’d been mumbling to himself in a daze—leapt for it in shock.
Whump!
Clutching the pouch to his chest, the coachman gasped for air. “Huff! Huff! Not even selling my house would get me this much money…!”
Hmm… I hadn’t meant for him to guard it quite that fiercely.
I scratched my head awkwardly as I eyed the coachman, who looked like he’d misplaced a few screws in his head.
Next to him, Lancelot edged over and asked hesitantly, “By chance, were you the God of Gambling in a previous life?”
“There’s no such god, I assure you. If the Holy Temple people heard you say that, they’d be dragging you off for blasphemy in a flash.”
“Let them. If those Temple folks saw this, they’d be thinking exactly what I am.”
Lancelot raised a finger and pointed at the leather pouch, which contained a total of thirty million gold coins.
Even House Praha would struggle to move that much money at once, and here it was, rolling around on the floor like it had nowhere better to be.
And this was all from just five gold coins. That was a return of six million times the original sum.
“Who goes and sweeps out an entire casino? Look over there—everyone’s eyes are glued to your haul. I swear they’ll be out to shank you any moment now.”
I turned, just as Lancelot said, and saw the losers glaring at me with bloodshot eyes, their stares brimming with greed and murderous intent.
I’d even left them a generous cut, but judging by those looks, you’d think I’d stolen their last crumb. Honestly, gamblers—no sense of gratitude.
So this is why they say you should never get involved with gamblers.
I spat a silent curse at my past self and shook my head.
Meanwhile, Lancelot glanced around and said, “So, what now? Do we kill them all?”
“No need for that.”
“If we don’t, I think you’ll be the one who ends up dead, Boss.”
“Don’t worry. In a few days, this will all be sorted out.”
* * *
Six days had passed since then.
Every day, I’d dropped by the casino to gamble, and each time, I left with an obscene amount of money.
Today was no different.
But just as I was about to spend my latest haul on booze—having thoroughly plundered the gamblers’ pockets—a man appeared at my side.
“Will a mere martini suffice?” he remarked.
He was dressed in an immaculate suit, the sort that looked decidedly out of place in a den like this.
A slow smile curved my lips as I took him in.
There you are, finally.
I’d been gambling partly because I needed the funds, but the real reason was to draw out the true master of this establishment.
If the casino’s money all vanishes, the owner has no choice but to show up.
That’s the nature of gambling.
Everyone convinces themselves they have a fifty percent chance of winning, but in truth, it’s just a way to pay the casino for a fleeting taste of pleasure.
But what if you end up buying pleasure and walking off with the money, too?
From the casino’s point of view, that’s enough to make them want to tear their own hair out.
So what’s left for them to do?
The owner has to step in personally.
Well, my status probably played a part, too.
The moment they heard what happened, they would have rushed to find out who I was.
If I’d been a commoner, they could’ve just killed me and taken the money, or maybe handed over a handful of gold coins after a little intimidation.
But I was a noble—the youngest of House Berg. That’s why they hadn’t come to see me right away.
There’s nothing to gain from picking a fight with a noble, so they probably just hoped this particular force of nature would pass quickly.
But I kept coming back, every day for six days, and walked out with a total of one hundred and fifty million gold coins.
They must have wanted to kill me.
That much gold could found a small kingdom.
Handing it over to some stranger they’d never met must have made them physically ill.
And sure enough…
A man took the seat beside me and spoke to the bartender. “Hey, bartender. Skip the martini—bring out a bottle of Vallon, ‘89.”
“You paying for this?” I asked.
“Of course.” The man answered with a friendly smile.
Soon, a glass of wine that looked expensive enough to have its own family crest appeared, and the man handed me one.
Never thought I’d get to taste this.
Even when I’d been the son-in-law of House Artezia in my previous life, I’d never had the chance to drink such costly wine.
It was always cheap beer or ale for me.
Every time, I’d look at those fancy bottles and tell myself they were just sour grapes. As if I couldn’t drink them anyway, since they’d be too tart for my taste.
That’s how I consoled myself, and that’s how I lived.
And yet…
“…Delicious.”
I let out a satisfied little sigh as I drank the Vallon ’89.
Did I look that pleased? Only then did the man beside me finally begin to broach the real subject.
“I never expected to meet the Third Young Master of Berg County in a place like this.”
“Oh? You know who I am?” I asked with a shamelessly innocent face.
The man, still wearing a sycophantic smile, continued, “Of course I do! Who on the continent doesn’t know the Third Young Master of the greatest spear family—especially the one they call the most free-spirited? There isn’t a fool alive who wouldn’t recognize you!”
“Heh, well, I suppose that’s true.”
“Ah, allow me to introduce myself. I’m Makio, the general manager of this casino.”
The man who introduced himself as Makio handed me a business card.
I snatched it up, wearing a look that suggested I was doing the card a favor by accepting it.
Makio… Now that I think about it, wasn’t that the name of the patron who would become Martin Artezia’s guardian in the distant future?
Yes, I was quite sure the wealthy man destined to be Martin Artezia’s guardian was called Makio.
I tucked the card away and nodded, commenting, “Good name.”
“Haha... Thank you.”
“So, what brings the general manager of the casino to see me?”
Since he’d finally gotten to the point, I decided to hurry things along. The wine was excellent, but wasting time listening to flattery wasn’t really my idea of fun.
“Haha… As expected, I can’t keep up with you, Young Master Louis.”
Makio gave a weak laugh and raised both hands in mock surrender. Then, putting on a serious face, he lowered his voice.
“Of course, we’d love nothing more than to treat you as an honored guest here at our casino, but there are certain rules set by Duke Artezia’s House.”
“…Rules, huh. Don’t tell me you’re about to kick me out just because I won a little money?”
Rumble!
I began channeling the power of Crushing Presence as I spoke.
“Ahem!” He winced slightly, but quickly recovered his smile and went on talking.
“Please, calm yourself. Surely you understand we have no choice in the matter? I beg you, spare a thought for the humble lives of us commoners.”
“Ha! And why should I? Like you said, you lot are just common rabble, aren’t you?”
I leaned in further, turning up my hooligan act and letting the crushing pressure of my Aura seep around me.
That’s when the knight, who’d been standing firm beside Makio, grabbed my shoulder and uttered, “That’s far enough.”
“…What?” I turned to face the knight. Slowly, I said, “You dare lay a hand on a noble? Lancelot! Kill him!”
Lancelot looked bewildered by my sudden outburst. Still, he hefted his spear and moved toward the knight.
But then, Makio bowed his head low and shouted, “I’ll grant whatever you wish! Please, have mercy!”
His desperate plea froze everyone in their tracks.
Watching him, I asked in a steady voice, “Anything I want? Truly?”
“If it’s within my power, I’ll do anything you ask!”
I curled my lips into a smirk.
He probably thought I’d ask for a woman or some money at most. That’s why he was so quick to promise anything he could manage.
But what I wanted was nothing so petty.
I flashed Makio a bright smile and said, “In that case, I’d like two of the Miph Merchant Guild’s trade routes. I trust that’s doable?”
The first step to absorbing the Miph Merchant Guild had just begun.