Casino Wizard

Dragon Ear was engulfed in deep contemplation.

‘I need to take the gamble. Honestly, I want to.’

The card the magician had placed face-down on the table.

If that card was an Ace or a King, Dragon Ear planned to go all in, betting all his remaining money and pressuring the magician.

But his gambler’s instinct was warning him.

Touch that card, and you’ll die. If not death, then certain defeat.

If he was completely wrong, he might end up losing everything, humiliated and trampled.

Even worse than when he had naively stepped into the trap his younger sister had set for him long ago…

Perhaps he would take an even greater hit this time and end his gambling life for good.

If he made an unreasonable accusation, he would only end up donating his money to the casino owner like a fool, while the magician would simply look at him with disdain and order him to leave.

Rather than mocking or ridiculing him, the magician would probably just tell him to disappear forever.

After that, he would likely be captured by his sister and dragged back to the Dragon Kingdom. The bleak future flashed before his eyes.

And yet, Dragon Ear couldn’t shake off the urge to gamble.

It wasn’t just about rejecting his instinct (or perhaps rational suspicion). It was the burning desire to place an irreversible bet.

Like the feeling of someone beneath him beckoning him to jump.

If he was drawn in and made that dangerous bet, whether he won or lost, the thrill of it was guaranteed.

And if he wagered not only his money but also his arm, that thrill would amplify even further.

Give that up? That would be madness.

So, as Dragon Ear wrestled with his hesitation, unable to let go of his lingering attachment—

“What exactly are you trying to do right now?”

The magician suddenly questioned him, looking visibly tense.

His pupils dilated in real-time, his arm hovered slightly above the table, and when Dragon Ear’s gaze landed on his left hand, he saw the faintest tremor.

He was trying his best to hide his unease.

Was the magician merely acting? Or was he truly unsettled?

‘I can’t tell.’

Dragon Ear had heard plenty of rumors about the magician.

But among those who gossiped about him, few had ever actually sat across from him at a gambling table.

They said that at most, he would play poker in VIP lounges where no real stakes were involved. That wasn’t gambling—it was just entertainment.

This was Dragon Ear’s first game against the magician. That’s why he couldn’t be certain.

“You suddenly freeze mid-motion… Isn’t that a bit rude, dear customer?”

“Magician.”

“Yes. Please, go ahead.”

The magician frowned slightly and subtly covered his card with his hand.

Was he trying to provoke suspicion? Or was it an unconscious reaction?

Or maybe he was attempting to swap the card using a trick to escape the situation… Dragon Ear couldn’t be sure.

The spectators were holding their breath, watching intently.

They all understood.

Depending on what Dragon Ear said next, guillotines and war hammers might make an appearance.

He wasn’t about to blame them for secretly hoping for chaos. After all, he had allowed them to spectate for exactly this reason.

If anything, the person most eager for things to explode was none other than Dragon Ear himself.

It was time to make a decision.

Dragging this out any longer would mean he had only stirred up unnecessary fear.

Dragon Ear swallowed his overwhelming urge to make the ultimate bet and turned his gaze toward two women.

First, Lucy.

The one who had taunted him throughout the game with fake shuffles. If Dragon Ear exposed the magician’s fraud, she would lose her right arm alongside him.

“You’ve gone all serious, and now you’ve suddenly gone silent?”

“……”

“You’ve only lost a little over 110 gold, but you’re overreacting. If Hyden sells just one vial of dragon’s blood for you, you can cover that easily. Anyway, at this rate, I don’t think we can keep playing together.”

She laughed, treating Dragon Ear like some sore loser throwing a tantrum over lost money.

When he didn’t respond, she turned to the spectators, smiling and gesturing as if seeking their agreement.

She was trying to smooth things over somehow.

But even while doing so, Lucy’s hands continued to move.

As if it was second nature, she performed a false cut with an invisible card, splitting and restoring it.

A signal, no doubt. And the one receiving it? Madame Bonucci, of course.

‘Is something really going on here?’

Dragon Ear shifted his gaze to Madame Bonucci.

She had hidden her fan and repositioned herself.

The circumstances were too clear.

They were all scammers.

It was only reasonable to conclude that they were pulling tricks to sweep this under the rug.

After all, if they didn’t get caught, it wasn’t fraud. Even if Dragon Ear accused them, if he couldn’t prove it, they would simply move on.

Swift concealment—or a deliberate trap for Dragon Ear.

‘I’d say it’s the former. That card is either an Ace or a King.’

If this was an elaborate trap, it would mean the magician had prior experience with this kind of gambling. That he had deliberately led Dragon Ear to suspect fraud before stopping short.

But… was that even possible?

The magician could have easily beaten most gamblers without needing to cheat. And even if he did, there would have been no one capable of noticing.

A hastily prepared trap being this sophisticated? That didn’t add up.

Dragon Ear’s gambling-corrupted mind and the evidence he had gathered were pushing him toward one conclusion.

Bet everything you have.

Stop hesitating.

“Magician. I appreciate the invitation, but I’m not satisfied with how this game is playing out.”

But at the last moment, Dragon Ear swallowed his resolve and spoke flatly.

The magician furrowed his brows as if wondering what nonsense he was hearing.

Dragon Ear hardened his expression and gestured at the massive pile of chips.

Over three thousand gold in total sat on the table.

This was just the stack for formal betting. Additional stakes were allowed.

Not only the magician but even Dragon Ear still had plenty of valuables that hadn’t been cashed in yet.

“What about the money?”

The magician looked impatient.

Even now, Dragon Ear wanted nothing more than to snatch his card and reveal the truth.

But he restrained himself with every ounce of patience.

“The stakes are too small for a game of this scale. Look at the audience, magician.”

“What are you saying?”

“They’re all getting bored.”

“Gambling isn’t a performance…”

“Right. But you’ve been sticking to minimum bets, just waiting for a good hand. How long do you plan to keep that up?”

A few spectators nodded in agreement.

“Here’s my wager. Take it.”

Dragon Ear pushed forward a vial of dragon’s blood instead of cash.

Dragon’s blood—an elixir highly valued for enhancing magical refinement.

The bet had been pre-approved. The agreed value was 120 gold per vial.

The problem was, this amount exceeded the current raise limit.

“Are you provoking me? Playing like this?”

“You don’t have to accept. If you refuse, I’ll withdraw it.”

“……”

“If you take it… how about we raise the minimum bet to five gold from the next round?”

Dragon Ear provoked the magician while smoothly shifting the conversation.

He knew the magician wasn’t just some amateur blindly betting in hopes of winning. He was calculating the values of his hands and working in tandem with his partners to manipulate the game.

Even if Dragon Ear had mocked him for low bets, that wasn’t entirely true.

But the audience didn’t know that.

Many of them were now on Dragon Ear’s side.

Eventually, the magician, conscious of public opinion, nodded.

“Fine. Lucy?”

“I’m good with it too.”

The stakes had suddenly escalated, drawing gasps from the aristocrats.

‘If this was a trap, I escaped it.’

Yet, Dragon Ear felt no relief.

Not because he regretted missing a chance to win.

But because he had willingly let go of the ultimate thrill.

He had chosen to keep playing.

For now, at least.

****

A carefully laid trap. Even with the performance staged alongside Lucy, capturing Dragon Ear ultimately ended in failure.

He had good instincts. A madman like him wouldn’t have escaped purely by relying on them, though.

Still, I couldn’t call this a complete failure.

‘After all, his goal and mine are different.’

A gamble with money and an arm on the line.

But even if I only managed to strip Dragon Ear of his money and win, it would be a victory for me.

The condition of severing an arm was merely a penalty imposed for cheating.

For someone like Dragon Ear, who sought thrill, money alone wouldn’t suffice. But my true objective was to get rid of him—make sure he never came back.

There was no absolute need to take his arm. I was certain that if I won, he would accept his defeat.

So, I played around for about twenty rounds, gradually chipping away at his remaining funds.

“Wine!”

“Yes, here you go.”

At that moment, the half-elf Selena appeared, carrying a bottle of wine to serve a customer.

Her entrance wasn’t unnatural.

I was setting her up for later, using her to stir up Dragon Ear’s paranoia—like placing an ashtray without a cigarette. The best outcome would be winning without needing any tricks, but you never know.

This time, too, Selena simply finished serving and left.

But right after that—

“Magician. I have a proposal for you.”

Dragon Ear called out to me in a low voice.