Casino Wizard

Lieta, a suburban village two days away from the capital by carriage.

A beautiful place where the river’s hue and the green of grapevines and olive trees blended like paint.

Since it was royal territory, the tax rates were relatively lenient, and thanks to the capital’s influence, the infrastructure was fairly well developed. I’d heard that many retired bureaucrats, after working in the central government for years, bought vineyards here and settled down.

This was the place Lucy and I escaped to after putting my business on hold.

At first, I was at a bit of a loss with nothing to do…

“Oppa, how about a round of mini poker for one gold?”

“Natural?”

“Do your best.”

A few days in, I had more or less adjusted.

Life here was incredibly simple.

Wake up early in the morning at the inn annex Lucy had rented entirely,

Spend about three hours practicing magic, then enjoy a late breakfast with freshly baked bread.

And then, passing the time.

Poker was one of those ways to pass time.

“Cut.”

Lucy, half-reclined in a chair with a single armrest on one side, casually handed out the cards.

She was really just lying down.

Back in the days when she managed a casino for twelve hours a day, this would have been unthinkable.

Because of her posture, she played poker one-handed—shuffling with a one-hand cut, flicking the cards out with her thumb in a smooth one-hand pitch.

But the placement of the cards was consistent, and her speed was incredibly fast. She might have looked a bit relaxed, but…

“Hold on.”

“Hm?”

“You just bottom-dealt that, didn’t you?”

“Do you have proof?”

Even while relaxing, she was palming cards.

A one-hand second deal. And in that half-reclined position, no less.

Her technique was flawless, but there was no way I wouldn’t catch her cheating in a one-on-one game. She must have known she’d get caught—maybe she was even expecting me to call her out on it.

“Why bother cheating in a game just for fun?”

“Because it’s more interesting that way?”

“Sure, let’s go with that.”

Lucy yawned despite being caught red-handed.

She casually tossed me a single gold coin but showed no hint of tension on her face.

She finished her yawn with the same hand she used to bottom-deal, blinked lazily, and shifted into a more comfortable position.

There was no need for a truth-or-dare game about whether she had cheated or not.

I simply gathered the cards and shuffled them again absentmindedly, reminding myself that sometimes, taking it easy like this wasn’t so bad.

‘After all, this is my first time resting like this.’

Lucy probably felt the same way.

She was the one who had chosen this place as a hideaway. I had just followed her here.

“But, oppa?”

“Yeah?”

“Where did you even learn to gamble? I never asked before.”

“…….”

“I’m just curious.”

It was a reasonable question.

A bastard child scraping by in his early years, a mage recognized for his talent by chance, trained at the Magic Tower, and later recruited into the Hero’s Party.

Nothing about my life suggested a connection to gambling. And yet, I had taught her tricks and even started a casino. Of course, she’d find that odd.

I couldn’t explain, so I just smiled it off. Lucy didn’t press the issue, just raised an eyebrow and let it go.

“That’s fine. I’ll get my chance to hear about it later.”

Later? I just nodded and was about to deal the next round when—

Lunch arrived.

During the day, eating and lounging around was our main activity.

Salumi sandwiches and white wine. Nothing extravagant, but delicious. Drinking in the afternoon itself felt like a luxury to me.

“Tastes good.”

“Agreed.”

I hadn’t been keeping up with news from the capital.

Of course, if something urgent happened, I had arranged for a familiar to fly to me with a message.

The kind of urgent event I meant was something like the royal family seizing my business rights or gamblers rioting to demand I reopen the casino.

If it wasn’t something like that…

‘They’ll have to come looking for me.’

My customers. The royal family. Or perhaps the Dragon Kingdom’s ambassador, who seemed to be circling around Hilde.

Until someone came searching for me, I planned to wait.

If someone was trying to track me down, it meant the casino closure had caused a bigger stir than expected.

“Hey, Oppa. By the way, this place… it’s nice, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“The food is good, the streets are clean. The town isn’t big, but there are plenty of shops since so many retired officials live here. I wouldn’t mind just spending my days eating grapes in a place like this.”

Lucy kept praising the peaceful town before eventually dozing off.

It was still daytime… I considered waking her but decided to let her sleep. We wouldn’t be able to rest like this forever.

It might not be immediate, but sooner or later, a message would come.

I wasn’t wrong.

That evening.

“Sir, someone is looking for you.”

Before I could even respond, a man hurriedly entered the annex where I was staying.

“There you are…!”

I quietly set down my wine glass and sighed.

Like someone who had been in hiding and was unwillingly discovered.

…

Officially, he was just here to ask a question.

“When will the casino reopen?”

“And you are…?”

“I am the steward of Marquess Tripolia.”

It seemed like this wasn’t just a casual inquiry.

They had tracked me down and traveled two days in just one.

It was clear how desperate my clients were. The marquess was likely acting as their representative.

I answered with a bitter smile for a while before finally giving a reluctant response.

“I’m sorry, but I’m staying here in Lieta. Do you understand what that means?”

A town known for being a haven for retirees.

“No way…”

“I’m seriously considering retirement.”

“That’s…!”

“I just want to live safely. It’s only been a few months since that incident with the Second Prince, and now the royal family again… I might return later when things quiet down to deal with the casino building and equipment.”

“It’s not quiet…! You need to see it for yourself!”

“Sorry, but I’m not interested.”

I repeatedly expressed my regrets to the steward.

At the same time, I dropped a few hints for the customers.

That I was looking into a cozy house with a vineyard.

That I had already made too many enemies in high places.

That it wasn’t about taxes…

Then, I simply sent him on his way.

“Our marquess is struggling so much, though…”

The steward left with a troubled expression.

…

Two days later.

This time, the Marquis of Tripolia came in person—along with a group of clergy.

“Hyden, I’ve come as a messenger of His Majesty the King.”

“What message does Your Excellency bring?”

“It’s not a lie, considering I actually worked as a royal messenger in my younger days. I suppose His Majesty is concerned about this matter as well… If I listen to your grievances and convey them properly, I believe he will consider them positively.”

“…….”

“Say whatever is on your mind.”

The marquis was practically urging me to voice my complaints—using the king’s name as leverage.

Was he sent by royal decree? It didn’t seem that way.

With the casino shut down, various issues were undoubtedly surfacing behind the scenes…

But I doubted it was serious enough for the king himself to take personal notice.

In the end, this was likely the marquis’s own indirect approach. If I raised a complaint, he would appeal to the king on my behalf and resolve the issue.

‘I didn’t expect him to go this far.’

I appreciated the sentiment, but I still hesitated.

That said, I made sure to gather as much information as possible from what the marquis offered.

“Prince Alfonso has been strangely quiet. The ambassador from the Dragon Kingdom requested another audience with His Majesty, but he was refused. It seems like he’s trying to draw a line… No, that was too strong a phrase. In any case, discussions about the Sin Tax have also been put on hold for now.”

The First Prince, who had once been ensnared by Hilde’s schemes, was now distancing himself from the Dragon Kingdom. And on top of that, it seemed like the Sin Tax proposal could be withdrawn.

‘Is the First Prince trying to keep his distance?’

It was hard to say for sure. But this wasn’t a reason for me to return to the capital.

The Sin Tax wasn’t my real objective.

Nor was it wise to issue direct instructions to the marquis.

If I did, I’d end up indebted to my customers, and eventually, I’d have to set a concrete timeline for when the casino would reopen.

Still, I had no intention of letting him leave empty-handed. Offending a valuable VIP customer would be a mistake.

“Perhaps…”

“Perhaps what? Speak!”

“If the foreign guest from the Dragon Kingdom quietly departs, then there might be a slim possibility.”

“Hilde Rakae? That wretched—!”

“I’d rather not mention any names… Not because I fear that person, but because a careless remark could lead to diplomatic friction between the kingdom and the Dragon Kingdom. I trust you understand without further explanation.”

Our customers seemed to have already pinpointed Hilde as the mastermind. I had practically handed them the coordinates when I left, so it was only natural they knew.

I wasn’t asking them to take Hilde down.

I simply left the possibility open—that if Hilde, who was lingering in the capital and targeting me, were to ‘quietly’ disappear, then perhaps the casino could reopen.

“If Hilde leaves… you’ll reopen the casino?”

“I can’t promise anything.”

“Understood. Everyone’s waiting, so I should get going.”

The Marquis of Tripolia nodded with a determined expression. He had said ‘everyone.’ It was clear they were organized.

He immediately climbed into his carriage.

“We will reclaim the casino. And not just for the sake of indulgence.”

With that solemn declaration—

Whoosh.

The clergymen who had accompanied him chanted divine magic, healing the visibly exhausted coachman and horses.

Using divine magic on horses outside of wartime… It was a testament to their desperation.

“Let’s go!”

“Neigh!”

The forcibly rejuvenated horses shot forward at a frenzied pace.

A four-horse carriage, kicking up a dense cloud of dust as it rapidly disappeared from view.

Only once the dust settled did I drop my act.

‘They’ll act immediately. With that level of resolve.’

The idea that the casino might reopen if Hilde quietly disappeared…

To the marquis and our customers, that would sound hopeful.

It was now only a matter of time before someone stepped up to deliver a warning message to Hilde—telling her to leave quickly, for the sake of reopening the casino.

But to Hilde herself, this would likely come across as a provocation.

“Do you really think she’ll leave, brother?”

“No. The moment she realizes that my life will recover the instant she returns to the Dragon Kingdom, she’ll throw an even bigger fit. If she tries to retreat for the future, then we’ll just make sure she enjoys her journey home. Either way, nothing changes.”

Sending them all away was already decided. The only difference was that I would be borrowing the power of my customers in the process.

As I turned my gaze, I saw the marquis’s carriage growing smaller as it sped through the vineyards.

A mad dash to reclaim their playground.