TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: N/A
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"Dead? Is this thing dead?"
"It's not dead, you brat."
"The brat's bluffing."
"Try . Try , brat."
In the largest gambling den of the Hobart Viscounty.
Eugene, who had entered 'Night of Hobart,' was wandering around various gambling tables, winning so and losing so appropriately.
'I am the gambling den, and the gambling den is .'
He had to beco a presence unnoticed by anyone.
He naturally blended in among the gamblers of the den, gambling on as if he had forgotten the flow of ti itself.
While doing so, he tried hard to identify suspicious individuals with the two eyes hidden behind his mask.
In the blink of an eye, a day had passed.
'This is not easy.'
Eugene, who had been gambling for 24 hours straight, stepped away from the gambling table and rubbed his eyes.
'Perhaps too much ti has passed.'
It wasn't easy to find soone who might know about the Hobart family's sinister plot.
His current thod was too straightforward.
'I should stay a few more hours.'
It would be better to look for another thod.
Thinking this, Eugene walked to the tavern inside the gambling den.
His throat was dry from gambling for too long.
"What can I get you?"
"A beer, please."
He thought drinking beer might make his thirst worse, but with water and other drinks sold out, there was no other choice.
"Here you go."
Eugene took the beer and sat down at a suitable spot.
As he was gulping down the beer...
He noticed a strange sight not too far away.
An old man with white hair and three swordsn with swords at their waists were sitting.
The swordsn stood up to bring food and drinks whenever the old man spoke.
The old man seed to be a nobleman with considerable power, and the swordsn appeared to be his bodyguards.
They had been enjoying gambling in the den since about ten hours ago.
Eugene had not paid them much attention as nothing seed unusual...
"It's hot from gambling for so long, so hot."
As the old man took off his coat, the emblem on his chest beca visible.
It was the emblem of the Hobart family.
'A person from the Hobart family.'
The old man being an elder was a significant possibility, and if so, he might know a lot about the past.
'I need to approach him sohow.'
Eugene thought of a way as he drank his beer.
The old man continued to fill his stomach with food and drinks.
After dozens of minutes, looking satisfied and full, he stood up smilingly.
"Ha ha, now that I'm full, I feel like gambling again."
'Is he going to the gambling table?'
Eugene focused his gaze to see where the old man was heading.
He intended to join whatever gambling table the old man chose.
'Huh?'
But the old man didn't head to a gambling table.
Instead, he approached Eugene's location.
"Why are you coming to ?"
Full of questions, Eugene remained silent as the situation didn't seem unfavorable.
The old man arrived in front of Eugene, smirking mischievously.
"I've been watching you since I ca here. You haven't stopped gambling. Do you like gambling?"
"Sowhat."
"Hmm? Your voice, I didn't realize you were a young man. Since we've t, would you like to join for a ga?"
The old man grinned, making an offer.
"I co here often, but I've never seen you before. How about we get to know each other over a ga?"
There was a gleam of malevolent desire in his joy-filled eyes.
'Does he think I'm an easy mark?'
He seed to want to fleece a newcor who wandered into the gambling den unaware.
Suddenly!
Eugene noticed the bodyguards realizing the old man's intentions, encircling him as if to trap him.
'What luck!'
He had been pondering how to approach, but now, they had co to him, almost bringing tears of gratitude to his eyes.
Eugene nodded and stood up.
"I do enjoy gambling. What ga do you have in mind?"
"I'm in the mood for a card ga right now."
"Do you know a good one?"
"Just trust and follow. I know how to make gambling fun."
The old man led Eugene to a spot with a mat and cards laid out.
'Those cards are...'
Eugene recognized them as traditional cards of this world, sothing he had encountered a few tis in the ga.
"Do you know how to play this card ga?"
"I know the popular ones."
"Then there's no need for an explanation."
The old man sat down, placing two bodyguards beside him.
Eugene naturally took a seat facing the old man.
Then the old man began shuffling the cards with practiced ease.
'The old man's objective is to fleece .'
Eugene's goal, however, was to gather information.
He hadn't decided on a thod yet.
'For now, let's play and think.'
The first ga began.
The old man dealt the cards to everyone and it was ti to place bets.
The old man smirked.
"Are you folding?"
"No. Let's see how it goes."
"That's the spirit."
Pretending to hesitate, Eugene raised the stakes.
Everyone revealed their hands, and the old man's hand was slightly better than Eugene's, securing his victory.
"Damn."
The silver coins Eugene handed over were clenched in the old man's fist.
"Hehehe!"
The old man laughed greedily, his eyes fixed on Eugene's bulging purse.
"Co on, we have plenty of ti. Let's play all night."
The old man shuffled the cards energetically, his shoulders bouncing.
The cards were distributed, and the silver coins flew through the air.
The gambling went on for hours.
During this ti, Eugene discovered two things.
'The old man is playing tricks.'
Firstly.
The old man was using sleight of hand.
The skill was of such a high caliber that it was difficult for the average person to notice.
Eugene had to infuse his eyes with mana to barely catch it.
Secondly.
'He's quite greedy.'
The old man's greed for money was imnse.
To the extent that...
"Oh my money! My moneyyyyyyyyyyyy!"
Even while deliberately losing to increase Eugene's stakes, the old man wailed as if he had lost a kingdom, despite the fact that the money he lost was re pocket change.
'If he's this distraught over a small amount...'
What would happen if he lost a large sum?
'It's worth creating the situation.'
Eugene began his strategy.
It was virtually impossible to win a substantial amount of money from the old man using his sleight of hand, but there was still a way.
'The old man's sleight of hand is good, but not enough to notice the disappearance of a single card.'
It was a simple trick of hiding a card.
Thanks to Eugene's act of losing money like a naive newcor for several hours, the old man was utterly unsuspecting.
After ten more rounds, the eleventh round provided an opportunity.
"The cards are being dealt. The caaaards are moooving~"
The old man shuffled the cards with great excitent.
Eugene looked at the hand he was dealt.
It was a high-ranking set.
'A hand that can win in almost any situation.'
But the old man was likely to have an even better hand.
'He must be planning to clean out this round.'
Eugene had already lost half of his money through the ongoing gambling.
Given such a good hand in this situation, it seed the old man intended to take the rest of Eugene's money in one go.
'This is the perfect round to turn the tables on him.'
Sssssssh
Eugene subtly manipulated his mana so that no one could notice.
A peculiar movent occurred in his hand.
A card from the deck and another hidden up his sleeve were switched.
The resulting hand was the highest winning combination in the ga.
"I can't resist this hand. I'm going all in!"
A bodyguard, playing the role of a decoy, raised the stakes.
"Ah, I can't resist either. Let's raise it even more!"
Another bodyguard increased the stakes significantly.
"Ah, you greedy ones. I'll indulge you!"
The old man joined the large pot with a reluctant face.
Then he looked at Eugene with a blank expression.
"What will you do?"
Greed twinkled unabashedly in his eyes.
"Hmm..."
Pretending to ponder, Eugene humd and then...
"Forget it! I'm betting it all!"
Acting out his best fool, he opened his purse and poured out all his silver coins.
Chalalalalalak!
Countless silver coins piled up.
Gulp.
The old man swallowed, his throat betraying his greed.
"Is this not killing soone with money?"
"Gambling should be about luck, not money."
The bodyguards uttered words they didn't believe.
"I fold."
" too."
They exited the ga as if it was prearranged.
Only the old man remained.
"Are you folding?"
"Let think, don't bother ."
The old man put on a show of indecision.
Furrowing his brow with all his might, he stood up and poured in his silver coins.
"I appreciate it! I'll take it. I'll take it!"
Contrary to his words of generosity, a smile of unrestrained greed played on his lips.
"How good must your hand be to bet such a large amount? This is my hand!"
The old man confidently revealed his hand.
It was among the highest-ranking hands, capable of beating most.
"Oh my!"
"This is unfortunate"
The bodyguards sent pitiful glances at Eugene, patting his back.
"You can't beat this hand, right?"
The old man began to pull the large pile of silver coins towards him.
That's when Eugene calmly spoke.
"You haven't seen my hand yet."
Eugene slowly revealed his own hand.
An invincible hand, boasting absolute victory, was laid bare for all to see.
"That, that is...!"
"The unbeatable hand?"
"Gasp!"
The faces of the bodyguards turned to stone.
The old man, shocked beyond belief, gasped loudly.
"I've won, haven't I?"
Eugene brushed the old man's arm aside and pulled the pile of silver coins towards him, filling his purse.
'I've won back what I lost, so it's neither a gain nor a loss.'
Taking back what one has given is the most infuriating act in the world.
The old man's face, looking as if he had lost everything, was proof enough.
'What now?'
Having done what the old man hated the most, Eugene had to watch how he would react.
"I've had a great ti~"
Eugene deliberately humd as he got up.
---
Raei Translations
---
Minutes after Eugene left the gambling den...
"How can this be? This can't be"
The old man trembled, replaying the most recent round in his mind.
He had surely given the newbie a top-ranking hand and held a slightly better hand himself.
There was no doubt about that.
Yet, the hand the newbie revealed was not the top-ranking hand given by the old man, but an unbeatable hand, guaranteeing absolute victory.
There was only one implication.
'I've been backstabbed'
The newbie had hit him hard on the back of his head.
'What trick he used, I don't know'
This was an impossible turn of events.
The feel of the silver coins in his hand was still vivid.
That money was surely his.
'Not that newbie's!'
Having been unfairly robbed of what was his, the next course of action was clear.
"Listen up!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
The bodyguards, with faces still hardened, responded.
"That newbie tricked the old man and swiped his pocket money! You know what you must do, right?"
"We understand!"
"We'll catch him, chop off his hands, and retrieve the money!"
"We'll strip him down to his undergarnts and bring everything back!"
"...There's no need to go that far. Just capture and hold him. We need to find out what trick he used."
"Understood!"
The bodyguards bowed and hurried off.
'He dared to pull a trick on , he must pay the price.'
The old man, Nathan von Randel Hobart, slowly stood up.
His face was filled with a confident smile.
'With their skills, they won't fail to catch him.'
The bodyguards of the old man, Nathan, were proven warriors, earning wages that would astound the average person.
All he needed to do was trust them and wait.
"Ha ha."
Nathan chuckled leisurely and headed out of the gambling den.
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