Casino Wizard

The Return of Warhammer and Guillotine Cutter to the VIP Room

The aristocrats who had been sipping wine, now tipsy, and the ones playing poker like us, itching to compete, all had the same tense expressions on their faces.

That tension had spread to the table, and an eerie silence had settled.

Only Dragon Ear, excited as ever, was gleefully dealing the cards.

I checked the cards he had flicked toward me using his signature snap-pitching technique.

First card: ♥4.

Second card: ♥9.

It was a Flush Regamer.

A special poker hand that allowed a rematch against any hand ranked below a Stipple.

In traditional Seotda, it was like a 9-4 deadlock.

Was this mere coincidence, or had it been planned?

Manipulating the order of unmarked cards was supposed to be impossible.

But with that guy, you could never be sure.

When I glanced at the ♥4, I noticed that the top-left corner was slightly bent.

With Dragon Ear’s memory, even that could be used as a marking system.

For now, I didn’t raise any objections or ask for a card change—I just followed along.

“Raise to 40.”

“Call.”

“I’ll follow.”

“I… I’ll fold.”

The pot grew, and we revealed our cards. The result:

“Spade 8, 9. Stipple. I win.”

Dragon Ear’s victory.

As expected, he used a trick.

There was no clear evidence to prove it, but catching sleight of hand in the moment was never easy.

People used tricks precisely because they were confident they wouldn’t get caught.

Even if someone suspected them, they knew proving it would be difficult.

Even with hands quicker than the eye, the same rule applied.

If no one backed up the accusation, it would be dismissed as false.

“Looks like luck is on my side.”

With that nonsense, Dragon Ear scooped up the winnings and shuffled the deck again.

His one-handed cut looked unstable, as if the cards might slip, but his speed was undeniable.

I noticed his sharp index fingernail lightly tapping specific parts of the card edges or backs before moving away.

Of course, I could set up a trap and expose him.

But if I called him out clumsily, he would simply use Selena as a shield.

Even though Selena was already 50, there was no way she would suddenly blurt out, “Actually, I was instructed by Mr. Hyden to cheat.”

I had taught her better than that, making sure to keep her well-fed in the process.

Still, a more refined counterattack was necessary.

And more than refinement, timing was key.

‘That bastard is already walking a tightrope anyway.’

Dragon Ear was standing on a thin line. No one had pushed him, yet he put himself there.

His risks were greater than mine, but his strategy wasn’t entirely wrong.

Unlike him, I wasn’t some pervert who got a thrill from gambling body parts.

But that didn’t mean I had no way out.

“Let’s switch seats. Let’s take a breather.”

I bought some time and turned to the anxious half-elf, speaking deliberately.

“Selena. Sorry, but you’re fired.”

“…What?”

“You were never an official employee. I was just providing you with food and lodging. …It would be troublesome if you tried to repay that favor with deception. If you get caught cheating in a game with esteemed guests, you might face punishment.”

Selena’s puzzled expression seemed to say, “What the hell am I supposed to do now?”

It looked like she was momentarily thrown off by the unexpected turn of events.

I decided to make my message even clearer.

“Selena, from now on, you’re Mr. Dragon Ear’s loyal partner. That means you must do everything to help him. If you choose the wrong side while trying to read my intentions, he might pick up his hammer.”

If you try to help me, Dragon Ear might smash you with a hammer. So make sure to assist him.

Selena’s round face was still filled with fear and doubt.

At that moment, as if to reassure his partner, Dragon Ear corrected my words.

“Magician, sorry, but I didn’t bring a warhammer—I brought a guillotine.”

“Oh, right.”

“Not that I plan to use it. After all, neither of us is cheating, are we?”

“Of course not. But now that I think about it, a guillotine is better. I think I’ll use one too.”

That way, even if an accident happens, it’ll be easier to reattach things.

Selena, caught between my and Dragon Ear’s implied threats, turned pale.

“Pe… Peld…”

She was so frightened she could barely pronounce the word properly.

But at least she got the message.

Help Dragon Ear.

If you get beheaded, you can be healed.

And I, too, will use a guillotine.

She should know exactly what that meant, given that she had once nearly died after getting caught up in the dispute between me and the Second Prince—but ultimately survived.

Honestly, she was a bit slow on the uptake.

It took about ten minutes before she started glancing at the guillotine and sighing.

Not that it mattered. Her role was to give me just one critical moment.

****

Dragon Ear decided to stop doubting the magician.

After all, it was all lies—what was there to doubt?

As he let go of his paranoia, the cards began to stick to his hands.

“You must be full.”

“You’re eating too much. Can you see the faces of the cards or something?”

“I can’t. It just looks like luck is on my side.”

Two consecutive wins, one loss. Then another big win.

Right now, Dragon Ear was ruling the gambling table.

He had won by a single top card difference, taken pots with flushes, and folded immediately when he was dealt a bad hand.

His opponents weren’t fools, so it wasn’t the most thrilling game, but his losses were gradually being recovered.

But it wasn’t luck.

The cards told him where to go and how much to bet.

“Dealing.”

One card for himself.

One for the magician.

Lucy was eyeing his hands carefully, so he threw her card with a sharp diagonal pitch to disrupt her timing.

One card for the half-elf.

A round of betting, then one more card each.

Dragon Ear knew everyone’s hands.

How could he not? They were all marked.

There was no need to glance around conspicuously to check.

Cards with faint indentations from a thumbnail, slightly bent edges from shuffling, cards dampened by wine stains on the table—these details might seem meaningless to most, but to Dragon Ear, who had a perfect memory for such things, they were as good as markings.

Playing while reading his opponents’ hands and even using his skills—losing was impossible.

But the real thing Dragon Ear wanted to see wasn’t the faces of the cards.

‘What will you do now, magician?’

Would he use his own tricks to mount an aggressive counterattack…

Or would he keep folding, throwing away 5 gold at a time like a madman?

Dragon Ear welcomed either outcome.

If the magician used skills, he would catch him and cut off his right arm.

If he endured to the end, Dragon Ear would pressure that terrified half-elf into confessing whatever deal she had made with the magician.

If, by some chance, the magician managed to see through Dragon Ear’s tricks first… well, he was willing to lose an arm.

But before that, he wanted to see it.

The magician’s expression in that final, decisive moment—how desperately he would fight to protect his little gambling kingdom.

Maybe, just maybe, he would become like Dragon Ear and make a move that would lead him to ruin.

Just imagining that moment made the blood rush to Dragon Ear’s head.

His hands shuffled, pitched, and bet faster and faster.

It felt like he could keep playing forever. As if time itself had slowed down…

‘Huh?’

That was when Dragon Ear sensed a faint movement of magic.

It was so weak that he almost thought he imagined it.

But it wasn’t his imagination.

‘Is someone really trying to use magic right now?’

His suspicious gaze landed on the half-elf, Selena.

It seemed like she had just used her innate magic.

Clairvoyance—the same magic she had used to cause chaos in the casino before.

But why now? Was she trying to reveal his hand to the magician?

Brave, but too shallow.

A sense of unease crept in.

Because of this half-elf, he might not get to see the magician’s true abilities.

This wasn’t right.

This was too easy.

“Fold.”

“Me too.”

With the other players folding, Dragon Ear had the lead again.

Then, another faint pulse of magic.

Right after, Selena flicked her eyes toward him, signaling him to look in a certain direction.

Dragon Ear followed her gaze.

Lucy’s cards.

And a shabby flower vase sitting on a side table.

What the hell did this mean…?

He thought for a moment, then realized the answer.

His gambler’s instincts put the pieces together for him.

The half-elf was feeding him information.

She was using the objects in the VIP room to tell Dragon Ear what hands the magician and Lucy were holding.

Even breaking the game’s rule against magic to do so.

‘Huh?’

The moment Dragon Ear sensed something was off, he immediately glared at Selena.

But she didn’t stop.

Now, she glanced at the magician’s cards, then stared at the royal portrait hanging in the room.

Coincidentally, the cards Dragon Ear had dealt to the magician were a pair of Kings.

Then, she stroked a specific pattern on the tablecloth before looking back at him.

It wasn’t because she thought he missed it the first time.

This was probably…

‘A trap.’

Dragon Ear realized it immediately.

Why was Selena risking herself to give him this information?

Given just a little time, he could turn this around or at least break through the setup…

But the magician didn’t give him even that little bit of time.

“Dragon Ear. Take your hands off the cards.”

A moment of déjà vu.

As the magician’s cold voice reached him, Dragon Ear felt his head cool down.

His vision sharpened—yet at the same time, everything felt distant.

It was an unfamiliar sensation, but one thing was clear.

“Did you think I’d be happy with a pair of Kings?”

He had been caught.

This setup made it look like Dragon Ear had manipulated the game.

Which… wasn’t exactly false. But he hadn’t expected to get caught like this.

He had never been in this situation before. What excuse could he…

‘Wait. Excuse?’

Dragon Ear hesitated at his own thoughts.

In that pause, the magician pressed on, his eyes full of scorn.

“Lucy… Let’s see. You probably gave her a top card. Not just any top, but an Ace as her first card. That’s when I noticed your bottom-dealing. I get it. You had to do it so Lucy wouldn’t fold in the first round.”

“Magician. I didn’t bottom-deal—”

“You didn’t? Keep joking like that and I might actually laugh. Show your card, Lucy.”

“Okay, Oppa.”

The magician flipped Lucy’s first card.

Ace.

The spectators’ murmurs grew louder.

Now, it looked like Dragon Ear had been stacking the deck, the magician had caught him, and now he was exposing the cheat.

“Magician.”

For once, Dragon Ear had no immediate response.

What was he supposed to say?

That he wasn’t the one cheating, but rather, the magician and the half-elf were working together?

He could claim that, sure, but he was the one who had personally seated the half-elf at the table and promised her a reward.

He was the one dealing the cards.

And none of the onlookers had noticed the half-elf using magic. Not surprising—it had been subtle enough that even Dragon Ear had barely sensed it.

Which meant…

“Earlier, you gave me and Lucy trash hands to make us fold early… And this time, you gave me a pair of Kings to keep me betting. So, obviously, your own hand is better than mine.”

It was. That much was true.

And sure, the magician only knew that because of Selena…

But everyone in the VIP room already saw Dragon Ear as a cheat.

In gambling, timing was everything.

And the magician hadn’t missed his moment.

“I’m all in, betting that Dragon Ear’s hand is worse than mine.”

He shoved his entire stack of chips forward.

The move Dragon Ear had most wanted to see.

Without thinking, he glanced down at his right arm.