Casino Wizard

The Royal Palace, Residence of the Second Prince.

Second Prince Stefano was shuffling cards.

These were playing cards systematized by Hyden, the magician who swept up all the capital’s wealth.

There had been cards before Hyden.

But back then, they weren’t simplified cards with symbols and numbers. Instead, they bore crude illustrations drawn by artists.

They were used for games, divination, and collection purposes.

Now, however, they were strictly recognized as playing cards for games.

The reason for this shift in perception was clear:

“The Casino.”

On weekdays, people lined up to enter, and on Sundays, they had to queue from morning just to get a table.

While roulette and big wheels were popular, card games were the main attraction.

In hindsight, it was an absurdly profitable business.

Yet, people were utterly enthralled.

Second Prince Stefano was still curious:

“…Why did my casino, which offered grander, more lavish entertainment, fail? Why do people go all the way to Hyden’s casino on the outskirts? You can enjoy most gambling games at home with a deck of cards, so why the casino?”

“No matter how much I think about it, I don’t understand.”

He had pondered this ever since his business collapsed last year, but no clear answer emerged.

So, Stefano decided to stop thinking about it.

Instead, he chose another path.

“I’ll take it.”

“Your Highness?”

“Hyden’s casino. I’ll make it mine,” he declared.

His attendant looked bewildered, clearly unsure of the prince’s intentions.

Stefano didn’t reprimand him. It was natural to wonder how one would take over someone else’s thriving business.

“Your Highness, many nobles frequent the casino.”

“Do you think I don’t know that?”

“Most of them maintain amicable relations with Haydin. Even if they grumble occasionally, few speak ill of him…”

“I know that too.”

It was a risky endeavor that could backfire spectacularly. Of course, Stefano understood that.

Until recently, he had no concrete plan—just a vague sense of deprivation that “pierrot party’s magician shouldn’t own such a lucrative business.”

But now, he saw a path, sparked by the friction at the restaurant.

“Hyden avoids conflict.”

“Pardon, Your Highness?”

“At first, I thought he was cautious because of the disgrace he earned as a magician in the Hero Party. Think about it. Everyone, from royal courtiers to beggars on the street, openly ridiculed that bunch of cripples.”

“I understand that criticism has diminished compared to the past.”

“Because it’s no longer trendy. But now, I’ve realized what kind of person Hyden really is.”

In Stefano’s eyes, Hyden was someone who instinctively avoided conflict. The evidence was overwhelming.

When the Church demanded the introduction of a rest day, he accepted without resistance.

When nobles and merchants pressured him to create high-stakes tables, he complied.

Just yesterday, Stefano had picked a fight with him, and Hyden knelt silently before everyone, swallowing his pride. It had been an awkward situation.

“He’s clever but weak-spirited. What do you think?”

“Forgive me, Your Highness. I cannot say.”

“A disappointing answer. Leave me.”

Stefano clicked his tongue and dismissed the attendant.

He summoned his other advisors.

Though the casino’s failure last year had dealt him a blow, Stefano was still the kingdom’s second prince.

Advisors were plentiful, ready to offer their wisdom.

…

Soon, ideas began pouring in.

Not all were good.

“Your Highness, I have an ingenious plan. Recruit retired adventurers to cause trouble at the casino. If chaos breaks out, patrons will surely flee!”

“And then?”

“Approach Hyden and suggest he sell the casino. Subtly threaten to continue the disturbances until he relinquishes it. Leave everything to me, if you wish!”

This trash suggestion was summarily rejected. Wrecking the casino he intended to acquire was out of the question.

More lackluster ideas followed: spreading malicious rumors to tarnish Hyden’s reputation, leveraging the Mage Tower’s influence to force his hand, or summoning him to the palace and persuading him to surrender the business.

“Everyone around me is useless,” Stefano thought.

Finally, a promising suggestion emerged.

“Your Highness, why not purchase the casino?”

“I don’t have the funds.”

“Indeed, paying full price would require an astronomical sum—perhaps more than your estates could yield. However, Your Highness, you can offer something other than money.”

Something other than money? What could that be?

“Ah.”

Stefano’s eyes lit up as he grasped the advisor’s meaning.

“Hyden is an illegitimate child, isn’t he?”

“Precisely, Your Highness.”

“He must have lived with a lifelong sense of inferiority.”

“Indeed. All illegitimate children do, but especially one like him, born as a Mantova bastard.”

Stefano smiled, finally understanding how to acquire Haydin’s casino at a bargain price—and make it seem like an honorable exchange.

“This might be easier than I thought.”

He immediately set his plan into motion.

****

The casino was bustling as usual.

Blackjack, baccarat, roulette—every table was packed.

“Yes! 21!”

“Sir, I also have 21.”

“Huh?”

“It’s a draw. I’ll return your bet.”

“Arghhh!”

Winners and losers alike were fully immersed in their enjoyment.

Normally, just watching this scene would have made me feel content.

But not today. Something was weighing on my mind.

It all started three days ago when I clashed with the second prince.

Nothing serious had happened yet—no major blowback.

The tension from that dining hall incident hadn’t escalated into any kind of scandal.

It was just a drunk second prince throwing his weight around, and I had appeased him to smooth things over.

Yet I couldn’t shake this unease.

What was that man thinking…

“Hyden-oppa.”

“…….”

“Hyden-oppa… boss?”

“Huh?”

“The new roulette table will be arriving tomorrow morning. It’s a 36-player simultaneous betting table. I think it’d fit well in the secondary gaming hall.”

“Ah. Got it. Thanks for letting me know.”

Even my trusty ranger’s report barely registered in my ears.

A new roulette table. Sure, it was important.

But not as important as the royal risk looming over me.

The second prince was a man with enough power to disrupt my business at will.

And now that the VIP room’s success was agitating him, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down until I figured out his true intentions.

Sure, messing with me would harm him as well.

But not everyone in positions of power operates rationally.

In fact, back in my past life, I once encountered someone who ruined themselves dancing to the rhythm of their own whims.

“There was this younger guy from my hometown who never greeted me properly. Later, I found out it was because my birthday was early in the year, so calling me ‘hyung’ felt awkward for him. But it wasn’t even that my birthday was early—I just had a late birth registration! Anyway, I let it slide because scolding him seemed petty. But over time, his tone got shorter and more familiar. I held back as long as I could, but everyone has their limits, right?”

This high-ranking official was caught spying on that junior and even orchestrating a targeted investigation, all because of a perceived slight.

It made headlines at the time, but the root cause was some trivial birthday hierarchy nonsense.

As absurd as it sounds, not everyone acts rationally.

There are people who deliberately create excuses to crush those they dislike or deem disrespectful.

Even I wasn’t innocent of that. I had once turned a loan shark named Miriam into a debtor—convincing myself it was justified.

And now, I was dealing with someone even more dangerous:

A second prince who believed my casino was to blame for ruining his own business.

There was no telling what lengths he’d go to.

Maybe I was overthinking it, but staying vigilant seemed the only sensible option for now.

Running this casino was never going to be as simple as flipping on auto-pilot and raking in the profits.

“Why’d I have to attract such a troublesome guy… Sigh.”

Hoping to calm my nerves, I glanced down at the gaming floor.

The tables were still bustling, alive with activity.

Thinking about how each table represented money was at least somewhat comforting.

But then, out of the corner of my eye—

I spotted a stranger in the lobby.

He was dressed in fine clothes, with a longsword hanging at his waist.

Standing firmly at the entrance to the gaming hall, he blocked the flow of people without anyone daring to complain.

Even though carrying weapons or using magic was strictly forbidden inside the casino.

Our customers and staff weren’t tolerating him out of kindness—there was a reason.

That man was a member of the Royal Guard.

The elite force tasked with protecting the kingdom’s most distinguished figures.

A group granted special privileges, including the right to carry arms.

Him standing there meant only one thing:

He was waiting for me to respond.

Though his intentions were unclear, ignoring a Royal Guard wasn’t an option.

I sent for a messenger to bring him to me.

“Hyden, sir. I serve His Highness, Prince Stefano.”

“I know. You’re the second prince’s bodyguard. What brings you here?”

“I’ve been instructed to deliver this letter.”

What he handed me was a sealed missive, bearing the second prince’s insignia.

I opened it immediately.

The letter was full of flowery language and lengthy formalities, but the key message could be summed up in one blunt line:

[I want to acquire your casino. I’ll pay not in money, but with a noble title.]

In the end, it was nothing more than a thinly veiled demand to seize my casino.

This prince was even more insane than I had thought.