Casino Wizard

A week had passed since the half-elf Selena was detained.

Today, news arrived that the second prince had taken the bait.

I hadn’t gone out of my way to discover this; the prince himself had sent a knight to kindly inform me.

“It’s all over now, Mr. Hyden.”

“What exactly is over?”

“Prince Stefano already knows about the incident you caused at the casino. He even has evidence.”

The mention of evidence made me briefly stiffen, but I quickly put on a smile.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“Until the very end, huh… Understood. You seem to be relying on the customers in the VIP room, but even they won’t shield you. …In any case, it’s unfortunate. You’ve squandered your final chance.”

The knight clicked his tongue and left.

Giving me a last-minute opportunity to surrender and hand over the casino.

Of course, it wasn’t an act of goodwill—if anything, it was proof that the prince was about to make his move.

Not some minor interference like sending a cheat to disrupt games or accusing my dealers of fraud, but an attack so devastating it could determine whether the casino could even continue operating.

“Guess he’s having second thoughts about shutting it down entirely.”

The prince, reluctant to let go of the casino, was still urging me to capitulate and surrender it.

So far, he’d been acting exactly as I had expected—perhaps even better than anticipated.

The second prince seemed utterly convinced that I had killed the half-elf Selena.

Now, my job was clear: to provoke him into casting aside any remaining hesitation and making his move.

“Hero, take this to the church.”

And so, I discreetly assigned the hero a task.

“Money, huh. A donation?”

“Yes. Go directly to Bishop Fabriano and hand it to him. If he asks why, just awkwardly make something up—say it’s to support his pastoral work or something.”

Making a small donation to the bishop of the diocese where my casino was located. Naturally, it was to make it look like I was trying to cover up something shady.

“After all, death falls under the church’s jurisdiction.”

The prince was convinced that I had killed the half-elf and was now trying to hide the truth.

Murder alone was a grave crime.

But if it were just murder, it might somehow be swept under the rug.

Selena wasn’t a noble or anything—just a wandering adventurer scraping by. She was even under suspicion of cheating at my casino.

Handled politically, it could end with a relatively minor punishment.

But a body disposed of without a proper funeral? In the capital, no less?

With that accusation added, not even money could save me.

This was a world where the undead existed. Even when a vagrant died, it was customary for the community to pitch in for a modest burial service.

Failing to receive even the last rites was considered ominous, causing quite a stir. In such a world, murder and disposing of a corpse without a funeral were unforgivable sins, tantamount to challenging the church’s authority and disrupting the community.

“Hero, if I donate to the church without any apparent reason at this time, the prince will be convinced. He’ll think I’m trying to buy favor in advance. That conviction will lead to action.”

“So, the donation is for that.”

“Yes. Please go immediately.”

The hero nodded thoughtfully but didn’t leave right away, hesitating for some reason.

It didn’t seem like he was procrastinating out of laziness. Why, then?

“Um, Hyden, I’m not sure if I’m in a position to say this, but… if you keep pushing this, things might get out of hand. He’s royalty, after all.”

“Of course.”

“I know you’re aware of that. And you know the prince struck first. But if this spirals into a real disaster, wouldn’t that be bad?”

I was aware the situation might escalate. I also knew that even if my plan worked, it would bring complications.

But I had already made up my mind.

“If I compromise, I’d have to surrender everything. And I can’t accept that.”

If I’m going to be exhausted either way, I might as well win first.

The hero, looking solemn, left to deliver the bribe to the church.

This was the last bait I intended to throw.

Now, all I had to do was wait for the results.

****

Ten days had passed since the half-elf disappeared.

“That damned bastard’s stubbornness is about to shut down that precious business.”

The second prince was deep in thought.

In his hand was a letter written by the magician Hyden himself.

The letter detailed his efforts to quietly cover up the death of the half-elf Selena. While it didn’t explicitly state where he had buried or burned the body, it was enough to solidify the prince’s suspicions.

Murder and corpse disposal.

These charges alone made it easy to eliminate Hyden. The prince could even guess why he’d done it—anxiety from opposing royalty had pushed the weak-willed magician to make a mistake under pressure.

Once Hyden’s crimes were exposed, the casino would be finished.

A bastard-born criminal couldn’t retain property rights—it would naturally be confiscated.

This was the inevitable outcome.

A disaster Hyden had brought upon himself. If only he’d agreed to a deal sooner…

“No, enough of that. He squandered his chance.”

The prince shook his head, discarding his last lingering doubts.

Then, he turned his gaze to the man seated before him.

A middle-aged cleric clad in the white robes of the priesthood.

Fabriano, one of the capital’s bishops, was among the prince’s specially invited collaborators for this endeavor.

“Bishop Fabriano?”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“I believe caring for the dying and the recently deceased is among the church’s most sacred duties. Even the lowliest person deserves the church’s care in their final moments.”

“You speak truly. But why bring this up now…?”

Why, indeed? To recruit you, of course. The prince didn’t waste time.

“Bishop, an unfortunate incident occurred at the casino.”

The prince explained: Hyden had allegedly killed a woman named Selena. Though she was just a wandering half-elf, she was still a baptized member of the faith. Yet Hyden was using his connections and wealth to cover it up. This needed to be stopped.

The bishop’s expression grew increasingly grave as he listened.

He seemed hesitant, but the prince had another card to play.

“Bishop, you recently received a donation from the hero, Pierrot, correct?”

“Well, yes, but—”

“It’s true, then. I apologize for mentioning it—I didn’t spy on the church, I merely heard rumors. They say the hero rushed to the cathedral and handed over a sizable sum. …Think about it. Why would he do that?”

“Ah!”

It was a blatant accusation that Hyden had tried to bribe the church to cover up his crimes.

The bishop couldn’t refuse to cooperate. To do so would be to tacitly condone a criminal who had violated both secular and ecclesiastical laws.

“What would you have me do?”

“Simply stand by my side.”

“Your Highness intends to act directly?”

“Yes. I’ll go to the casino. Be ready to witness justice.”

Merely apprehending Hyden wasn’t enough.

The nobles obsessed with the casino might side with him, swayed by his manipulations.

It wasn’t paranoia; the nobles were so attached to the VIP rooms that even their temporary closure had nearly incited rebellion.

The prince planned to crush Hyden publicly, leaving no room for anyone to defend him.

…

The following morning.

A military detachment appeared in front of the casino as it prepared to open.

A bishop, doubling as an inquisitor, accompanied by priests.

Troops from the city’s watch, tasked with maintaining order in the capital.

A circuit court judge summoned at the prince’s behest.

And leading them all was none other than the kingdom’s second prince, Stefano Emmanuel.

“Move in.”

“Your Highness, there are too many people here.”

“This place is always crowded. Don’t let that stop you.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to summon Haidin separately?”

Despite the orders, the soldiers hesitated.

But their reluctance didn’t last long.

“I’ll take full responsibility.”

The prince flashed his signet ring, the symbol of his authority.

At that, chaos erupted at the casino entrance.

“Hey, hey! Weapons in the casino…!?”

“Clear the way.”

“Do you know who I am!?”

“We’re acting on orders from Prince Stefano!”

Faces turned from eager anticipation to bewilderment among the customers waiting to play baccarat and blackjack.

****

Accidents had happened in the five years since the casino opened, given the nature of the business.

But soldiers storming in right before opening? That was unprecedented.

“Miss Marie, hurry up and start. Shuffle the cards!”

“Please, read the room, sir.”

“Wait, the city watch…?”

The armed soldiers pouring into the casino had caused even the most fervent gamblers to freeze in confusion.

Bringing soldiers to raid the casino was a gamble for the prince.

Most of the customers were locals—not impoverished residents but the middle and upper-middle class with disposable income.

Creating an atmosphere of fear in front of them could backfire.

‘He must be confident. That’s what this means.’

Tension blanketed the main gaming floor.

Seeing the stage set, the prince strode in slowly, flanked by the bishop, exuding authority.

Ignoring the uneasy bows and greetings of the customers, he marched directly toward me, his expression grave.

Then, in a commanding voice, he declared:

“Magician Hyden, step forward and confess your crimes!”

Hatred burned in the prince’s eyes as he glared at me, eager to bring me down.

But it wasn’t me who would fall today—it was him.