Casino Wizard

“Hilde. If you want to at least preserve your life, this is the best option.”

Hilde stared intently at her companion, who was trying to persuade her in a sorrowful voice.

Leticia. The most capable warrior among the elves dispatched to the hero’s party (excluding the Pierrot Party).

She was also the guide who had led the party with her vast experience.

In truth, they had only maintained a distant relationship after the war.

But now that Hilde stood on the edge of a cliff, Leticia had rushed over, extending a helping hand.

To save her.

Telling her that she needed to survive, no matter what.

Hilde appreciated the effort, but instead of answering, she pressed her lips together tightly.

Not because she was refusing, but because something was bothering her.

Had Leticia misunderstood her silence? She looked at Hilde as if she were a child throwing a tantrum and began to reason with her.

“Of course, I can guess why you’re upset. Before coming to the Kingdom of Alvinia, you were a renowned figure representing the mage society of the Dragon Kingdom. A diligent magician who remained devoted to magical studies without being swayed by power.”

“Stop.”

“But this is the only way right now. I know it’s an incredibly harsh decision for you, but if you don’t stop here—”

Hilde lacked even the strength to respond, so she simply pleaded with her eyes. Please stop.

Her snake-like eyes made emotional appeals difficult.

Fortunately, as a former comrade, Leticia seemed to understand Hilde’s emotions and fell silent. Hilde was both grateful and burdened by her consideration.

What a disgraceful sight.

But that shame quickly faded.

That wasn’t what mattered right now.

“I can’t just leave like this.”

“You’ll feel a sense of loss. That’s only natural.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

“What?”

“Felix, my brother.”

The moment she uttered his name, it felt as if a guillotine blade had dropped in her heart.

Hilde’s lips trembled, preventing her from continuing.

Meanwhile, Leticia started to reason with her again.

—About how she sympathized with what happened with the Dragon Ear, that if she had learned about it in any other way, she would have been the first to condemn Hilde. But now that Hilde’s crimes against the Knocker could no longer be hidden, she should give up—

Leticia thought Hilde was still trying to cover up her past.

Of course. I acted that way.

She had gone to great lengths to keep it hidden. She had subtly discouraged people from even mentioning Felix’s name around her.

Now that she was changing her stance, it was only natural that no one would believe her. Even Hilde hadn’t expected things to turn out like this.

“It’s not about Dragon Ear.”

“Hilde?”

“It’s not about Dragon Ear, or the Dragonfiend, or Lalo. It’s not even about the Wolpertinger.”

“Does that really matter right now?”

It mattered more than anything.

Because one of the things her brother had lost was his name.

Felix Rakae, who had too easily accepted the command to avoid disgracing the family name and had lived under a bizarre alias ever since…

Until now, she had been somewhat grateful for it. It had kept her from being affected by his eccentricities.

But not anymore.

“I can give up. But instead of simply being stripped of everything… can’t I give it to my brother instead?”

Leticia, who had been trying to dissuade her with furrowed brows, paused.

It seemed she had realized something.

That Hilde wasn’t listening anymore.

In truth, Hilde had been like this ever since the tribunal ended yesterday. Her mind had been adrift.

“Hilde.”

Leticia eventually backed down, gazing at her broken comrade.

Then, her uncle stepped forward.

“Hilde. I understand your feelings, but Felix cannot suddenly assume an important position now. …And if you don’t accept this, the young princess of the kingdom will eventually have you executed. Do you truly wish to die? Imagine how heartbroken your brother would be.”

He wouldn’t be heartbroken.

Hilde swallowed the words.

Saying them aloud would shatter her.

She already knew.

To her already broken brother, neither apologies nor compensation mattered anymore.

Even so, she didn’t want things to end like this.

She should have followed him back then, after retrieving his arm.

Regret pressed heavily on her chest.

…

For a long time, Hilde simply repeated, “I’m sorry.”

Then, someone interrupted her lament.

“Hilde Rakae.”

It was the voice of the magician, Hyden.

It was the voice of the magician, Hyden.

Hilde didn’t even have the courage to meet his eyes.

She was afraid.

Not of his power or status—if she broke free from her restraints and fought again, she was confident she could easily defeat that cunning magician.

Even knowing that, fear filled her.

Because she felt like she would be deceived again.

Because she felt like she would lose even the chance to apologize by chasing after a slim hope.

But she lacked the power to drive him away, so she desperately avoided his gaze.

****

I was momentarily facing off against Hilde.

In truth, I had come because I heard her muttering something strange.

I thought I had explained things clearly yesterday, but it seemed she hadn’t given up.

“I heard you’re planning to form a covenant with the Guardian Dragon and the Spirit of Words.”

I got straight to the point.

“There’s something I want to add to the terms of the covenant. A clause stating that you will not, in any way, antagonize the owner of the Holy Sword… This applies not only to the hero of your Dragon Kingdom but also to the other three heroes. I’ve already conveyed this to the envoys of the Dragon Kingdom.”

The safety of the middle-aged hero.

That was important to me. He had declared that he wouldn’t return to the kingdom until he was fully convinced.

The Demon Realm. A place once known as the Demon King’s Territory.

To humanity, it was still a treacherous land.

Even the so-called safe zone was limited to a single forward base and its surrounding area. There was no guarantee that Hilde wouldn’t cross paths with the middle-aged hero.

Next was my own business.

“I heard you kept refusing, mentioning Dragon Ear.”

“It’s not Dragon Ear.”

“Right. Not Dragon Ear—Felix. …Thanks to you, I now know the true name of Dragon Ear. But Hilde, you stayed silent all this time while he was gambling from den to den under that name, until I severed his right arm.”

Hilde finally turned her head to glare at me.

Her gaze was filled more with regret than hostility. For now, at least.

“As I said yesterday, Dragon Ear won’t want an apology. Never.”

“Never? How would you know?”

“I know from experience. Maybe even better than you.”

Even now, I could vividly remember the eerie sight of Dragon Ear.

That lunatic who placed his own arm under a guillotine blade, laughing as he told me to go through with it, saying that if I didn’t cut it off, it would be a violation of the rules and he’d have to prepare for a second match.

If Hilde really wanted to get her brother’s attention… there was one way.

“If you tell him you lost to me in a game of chance, he might take an interest in you.”

“What?”

“If you tell him you made a bet and lost, but then you caused a scene because you didn’t want to lose your leg, so you ended up having it taken by force… Dragon Ear would be thrilled to hear the details.”

Hilde shook her head in denial.

But just because she denied it didn’t mean Dragon Ear would change.

If anything, he’d do whatever it took to hear the full story of our gambling match.

If the reason she lost her status and wealth, and was ultimately banished to the Demon Realm, was because of gambling… Maybe Dragon Ear would be so moved that he’d grant Hilde’s wish.

“He’d be more than willing to forgive you. Without a moment’s hesitation.”

That’s the kind of person Dragon Ear was.

Hilde didn’t argue. She only stared at her right hand.

She must have known.

Why else would she not have gone straight to her brother after I returned his arm to him? It was clear she had chosen the easier path rather than facing the reality of his condition.

“If the Dragon Ear wasn’t like that, you would have gone after him the moment you got his arm back.”

Hilde eventually closed her eyes.

Now, I had to tell her.

What would happen if she didn’t comply with the compromise mediated by the First Prince, the Dragon Kingdom, and the kingdom.

“You might be crying now while searching for your brother, but you may change your mind later.”

I let the silence hang for a moment before adding,

“If you pull any reckless stunts, I’ll hold the Dragon Ear accountable.”

“Why my brother…!”

“When I first met the Dragon Ear, I struggled because I was in charge of protecting a business. …But what if the roles were reversed? I guarantee that if the Dragon Ear had to cut off his own leg and offer it to me, it wouldn’t even take a week.”

“What?”

“And that wouldn’t be the end. All your other relatives would become his ‘friends’ too.”

Hilde blinked, as if she had misheard me.

This was all a way to place invisible shackles on Hilde.

Perhaps even stronger than the covenant with the Spirit of Words—something to plant the thought in her mind: “I am protecting my brother.”

And I was going to prove that it wasn’t an empty threat.

“I’ll be receiving a noble title soon. The First Prince and the Princess have agreed to jointly recommend me.”

And that was with the support of the royal family, who weren’t particularly fond of increasing the number of nobles.

That wasn’t all.

“And… Thanks to you stirring up trouble at the casino, I now have an opportunity. My friend, the commander of the city guards, told me that incidents at gambling dens have been on the rise. I’m planning to solidify the casino’s position in the city.”

The casino’s influence was about to grow even stronger.

Why wouldn’t it? The moment Lucy reassembled the casino staff, the commotion caused by gamblers settled, and the capital regained its peace.

“This might be a good time to open a branch, too.”

“What?”

“Until now, I was content with running just one casino… but not anymore. If troublemakers like you keep popping up, money will be the best weapon. The more, the better.”

Honestly, there were plenty of ways to make money besides the casino.

Until now, I had held back to avoid making enemies… but look where that got me.

I still made enemies, and I nearly died.

I was choosing a relatively moderate approach this time (though Hilde and the Dragon Kingdom might not see it that way) for that very reason.

I had to become wealthier, climb even higher. That way, I wouldn’t have to let people I wanted dead walk away alive.

I hadn’t necessarily wanted this, but it was necessary.

“You and your brother changed my perspective.”

Hilde didn’t respond.

…

There was no further interrogation led by the princess.

In the end, Hilde accepted the compromise.

She was to be sent to the Demon Realm.

Other decisions were made as well.

The Dragon Kingdom’s ambassador, who had assisted Hilde, was dismissed. The trade company he ran was disbanded.

The First Prince, who had been swayed by Hilde’s request, admitted his political responsibility and went into seclusion. He also offered financial compensation for the damage caused to civilian homes.

Baron Bove, who had acted as a mediator between Hilde and the First Prince, was taken into custody by the city guards. He was expected to lose his title and face imprisonment.

There were those who had fallen, but no one had died.

“Hilde Rakae begged to see her brother one last time.”

It was her final request before she left for the Demon Realm via the Dragon Kingdom.