Casino Wizard

The second prince sneered as he looked me up and down.

I returned the gesture, maintaining proper decorum by clasping my hands respectfully, conscious of the eyes watching us.

The interrogation began immediately afterward.

“Magician Hyden, this is your last chance.”

“Last chance, Your Highness? It seems you’ve already decided I’m guilty—”

“To confess your crimes on your own,” he interrupted, glancing around.

The first floor was packed with people, and the second floor, with its VIP rooms and lounges, was no different. Just moments ago, these were gamblers eagerly awaiting the casino’s opening.

It was clear the second prince planned to humiliate me in front of everyone to prevent me from using the casino as leverage against him later.

“I must admit, I’m unsure what crime you’re referring to, Your Highness. Are you perhaps upset because I declined your offer to hand over the casino in exchange for a title?”

“When did I ever suggest such a thing?!”

Shing!

The prince’s knight reflexively unsheathed his sword, though he quickly put it back.

Feigning ignorance, I sighed as if I were still confused. The goal was to provoke the prince into revealing his false accusations himself.

Eventually, the second prince pulled a letter from his pocket — a letter I had written and sent to the shield knight.

“Will you deny it even now?”

“How did Your Highness come by that…?”

“Enough. You’ve already squandered your chance to confess.”

The prince, acting as though I wasn’t worth his time, turned away to show the letter to the gathered crowd.

Then, in a loud voice, he began to list my supposed crimes.

“There is a half-elf woman named Selena. She’s fifty years old and worked as an adventurer based in the small town of Heleni. Given her lack of advancement in her rank, it’s clear she was incompetent as an adventurer.”

“……”

“She frequented this casino, indulging in gambling. Whether due to ignorance of the rules or sheer greed, she allegedly used her unique magic to cheat. Magician Hyden here caught her in the act — though that’s merely his claim,” he said, pointing at me. “And since that day, Selena has vanished.”

“Your Highness, wait—”

“You’ve lost your chance to explain! Everyone, hear this! Hyden here is suspected of abducting Selena, detaining her somewhere, and torturing her.”

“That’s—”

“If only it had stopped there. But it seems things escalated.”

The prince ignored my protests, steamrolling through his accusations as if they were facts.

“Magician Hyden is believed to have murdered Selena.”

Murder.

“She was a half-elf who cheated at the gambling table. Did you think it justified killing her? If not, then consider this: there’s evidence Haydin committed another crime to cover his tracks. He disposed of her body without following proper procedures.”

Now adding body disposal to the list.

The crowd started murmuring uneasily.

“No bells were tolled for her passing. No holy water cleansed her body. No white shroud adorned her. Faithful congregants weren’t gathered to mourn her, and no mass was held. By denying her these rites, Hyden effectively condemned Selena’s soul. This is a violation of church law. That’s why I’ve brought priests of the kingdom along.”

The second prince concluded by justifying his actions.

The crowd? No need to check their reactions. The rising murmur was evidence enough.

“Half-elf? Wasn’t she just an elf?”

“Why would an elf be at a casino? Definitely a half-elf. …Still, I didn’t expect her to be killed. Hyden is more ruthless than I thought. Is that why he’s been acting strange lately?”

“But why is His Highness personally involved?”

“Careful. Watch your mouth.”

No one outright denied the prince’s claims. Framing an innocent person so convincingly was no small feat.

‘Given the situation, I can see why they’d doubt me.’

The image painted by the prince was damning: the second prince storming into the casino with soldiers, backed by a circuit court judge and a bishop, and me, looking powerless and unable to defend myself.

By all appearances, I was guilty.

The second prince seemed emboldened and moved on to the next phase.

“Bishop Fabriano, what punishment would befit Magician Hyden?”

“The matter has not yet been referred to—”

“If it were referred?”

“For the murder of a baptized individual and improper disposal of their body, excommunication would be appropriate. After excommunication, secular laws would dictate further penalties.”

“Excommunication. I see. And Judge Maragelta?”

“Stripping him of his citizenship and confiscating his assets would be just.”

He had his lackeys deliver instant verdicts on the spot.

‘This is… actually perfect.’

I had indeed deceived him, but I hadn’t expected him to leap to murder without even confirming Selena’s status. I’d even prepared a script for questioning, which he completely bypassed.

If I were the second prince — or his advisor — I’d have taken a subtler approach: targeting my employees to isolate me, bribing or framing my key staff, and slowly pressuring me into compliance.

But his brute force saved me time.

“Arrest Hyden. Search for Selena’s body. It’s likely been hidden, but we can’t lose hope.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

The prince gave the order, and city guards approached me, heavy shackles in hand.

“Your Highness!”

I couldn’t let them cuff me. Raising a hand, I stopped the guards and shouted urgently.

“How many times must I say it? Your chance to confess—”

“I’m not here to confess.”

“What?”

“My apologies, but I had to risk being rude to secure a chance to explain. Prince Stefano, may I have a moment?”

Amused by my submissive tone, the prince smirked and nodded.

He had no idea what was coming next.

“You claim I killed Selena?”

“Whether she’s a half-breed or not.”

“Yes. Even if she’s mixed-blood, murder is murder. But, Your Highness, I did not kill her. Nor did I ever strike her. Do you think I resort to violence every time someone cheats in my casino?”

“……”

“I will prove it now. Hero, please!”

At my cue, a middle-aged hero bolted out of the casino.

“Where do you think you’re going—!”

The prince stopped mid-sentence, hesitating. Perhaps he was contemplating the reason behind my sudden move.

Before he could say more, I stepped forward.

“I didn’t kill her, Your Highness.”

“Lies.”

“Yes, I caught the half-elf cheating. Yes, I interrogated her. But never once did I resort to violence.”

The prince’s gaze wavered, his attendants showing similar unease. They suspected the truth but refused to accept it.

But his thoughts didn’t matter anymore.

“Huh?”

The hero returned, carrying Selena on his back.

Her gaunt appearance spoke of days spent locked in storage, but aside from her disheveled hair and crumbs at the corner of her mouth, she was unharmed.

Selena was alive.

Healthy. Not a scratch on her.

With a thud, the hero set Selena down between us.

Minutes ago, she had been declared dead by the prince. Now, here she was, standing before him.

Seeing someone presumed dead return alive would typically be cause for joy. Yet, the second prince stared in disbelief, blinking silently.

His gaze flicked between Selena’s pointed ears and the equal-tier adventurer’s badge hanging from her neck. A badge that declared her identity.

It seemed he was slowly realizing the gravity of his actions.

I observed him with a somber expression for a while before speaking.

“Your Highness, the Second Prince. It is true that I detained this woman for ten days.”

“Y-Yes. There was something suspicious—”

“It was done out of loyalty to the kingdom, nothing more. She claimed to have been sent to infiltrate my casino under someone’s orders. I suspected it might be a lie to deflect blame, but I believed it necessary to uncover the truth.”

“Why would you, of all people, investigate the truth?”

“Do you truly not understand, Your Highness!?”

I cut off his retort, locking eyes with him.

It wasn’t a gaze filled with hostility but one of overwhelming sorrow and frustration, as if I were pouring out my grievances.

“Last year, Your Highness’s casino suffered a catastrophic failure, did it not? And Your Highness even publicly insinuated that I was the cause of it!”

“…”

“If this woman claimed to have been acting on orders from ‘a person of influence,’ who would be the first to fall under suspicion? I merely sought to prevent unnecessary conflict with Your Highness…” I sighed, rubbing my forehead as if overwhelmed.

And at that moment:

“The prince didn’t… No one ordered me. I—I acted alone! It was all me!”

Selena, who had been sitting on the floor trembling, suddenly blurted out in a panic.

It was, of course, a line I had trained her to say in advance.

Silence descended over the casino.

Everyone was likely struggling to make sense of the situation, stretching their imaginations to fill in the gaps.

From this point onward, the mess was entirely the second prince’s problem.