Casino Wizard

House by the Scenic Pond

A man and a woman sat by a scenic pond, playing cards.

More precisely, the man was teaching the woman.

“Miriam. The key to pitching is to unify your stance whether you add a snap or not.”

“Yes.”

“If you can drop the card exactly where you want, at the speed you want, there’s nothing more to ask for. But since your athletic ability is somewhat lacking, it’ll take a long time to master… Starting today, you’ll throw at least ten sets of cards daily.”

“But isn’t dealing the dealer’s job?”

The instructor, Dragon Ear, was a Dragonian, while his student, Miriam, was human.

But more significant than their species difference was the number of limbs they had.

Miriam had all four limbs intact, but Dragon Ear had no arms.

At first glance, it looked like some cripple was rambling nonsense…

But the atmosphere of the lesson was extremely serious.

“If you’re not a dealer, do you think you don’t need to learn pitching?”

“Isn’t that right?”

“The biggest games happen at tables without dealers. A single well-placed card, a stolen moment, could bring you victory.”

“Yes.”

“Begin.”

Whoosh— Thunk.

She threw it low and cleanly across the floor.

Snapped it sharply into a diagonal landing.

Purposely let one teeter on the edge of the table.

Miriam was still clumsy, often making mistakes.

“You dropped it again.”

“Sorry. It would help if I could see a demonstration…”

“I’d love to show you, but I have no arms.”

Practice. Again and again.

Dragon Ear’s expression remained stern, but he never forgot to offer tips between moments.

“You have small breasts, and you’re not exactly stunning.”

“I’m not young either.”

“That, too. But it gives you an advantage. A female gambler I once met in Bellville, in the City Union, was plain-looking, yet…”

A gambling education built on theory and experience.

But their lesson was interrupted.

“Felix, sir. Your sister is here.”

Dragon Ear merely blinked, as if to say, What’s that got to do with me?

Still, he didn’t refuse the meeting.

In truth, even for Dragon Ear, his sister Hilde was a tough opponent.

She had the power to disrupt, or even outright stop, his free-spirited gambling life.

She was the one who forced him onto a wagon, escaping from the capital right after an intense run at the casino.

She was also the reason he was practically under house arrest the moment he arrived home.

But it wasn’t all bad.

Training a disciple.

Researching how to gamble without arms.

It all brought new kinds of enjoyment.

“I’ll be back.”

“Yes, sir.”

A trial to endure in order to continue gambling.

Dragon Ear instructed Miriam to practice shuffling and stood up.

Hoping to finish quickly.

But that hope changed in an instant.

No foot?

For some reason, his sister was missing her right foot.

Amputated just above the ankle.

Where had she lost it?

“Brother. It’s been a while.”

“Yeah.”

Dragon Ear’s lips tingled with questions.

The situation was far too suspicious.

He remembered the sister who had clung to him, crying desperately, as he tried to leave after throwing his right arm and his money onto the casino table.

Maybe… Just maybe.

Fortunately, his sister relieved his burning curiosity.

“Hyden cut it off.”

I see.

Dragon Ear knew then that this conversation would take longer than expected.

He had a lot to hear.

****

Hilde hesitated as she looked at her brother.

She had spent the entire trip home, after suffering disgrace in the kingdom, lost in thought.

A pact with a Guardian Dragon?

That was terrifying.

For a Dragonoid, who prided themselves on their draconic blood, a dragon itself was an object of reverence. She never imagined she’d encounter one like this.

But that wasn’t the most important issue.

This might be the last time she saw her brother.

She wanted to make it meaningful.

I need to apologize…

Hilde swallowed dryly and steeled herself.

She wanted to pour out her sincere regrets.

To say she was sorry.

That it was too late, but she wanted to repent now.

That her foolish ambition and hunger for success had led her to betray the family she loved.

She wanted to confess and beg for forgiveness.

Without excuses. Without saying she didn’t mean for it to happen, that she had struggled too, that she had tried in her own way.

But she couldn’t do it.

Because it would be utterly pointless.

She knew exactly how it would go.

She would apologize. Her brother would stare blankly. They’d go in circles, then part awkwardly.

He wouldn’t care, no matter how much she cried.

She didn’t want their last meeting to end like that.

So, she came up with another approach.

A way to stir her brother’s emotions.

“Brother.”

“Yeah.”

“Felix… Brother.”

“Yeah.”

“I… played Hyden in a gamble.”

That was it.

A complete lie—but strangely, it worked.

“…Really?”

Felix’s remaining left arm twitched.

His pupils widened into half-moons, and his Adam’s apple bobbed.

A clear sign of interest.

Hilde wanted to collapse in sorrow, but she held on.

She continued.

“Yes. And I lost.”

His reaction came instantly.

“What was the game?”

At last, they were looking in the same direction.

She was in an absurd situation—forced to fabricate a gambling story she had never experienced.

But she was prepared for this.

Her brother, obsessed with gambling, would fill in the blanks himself if she gave him a few fragments.

“Do you really want to hear?”

“Yes.”

It was a conversation.

…

That, too, was a rare conversation.

“At first… I couldn’t believe that you had lost, so I went to question him. That man, Hyden, explained everything very kindly and in great detail. But he was so kind that I couldn’t trust him. I thought he must have cheated in some way.”

“I’m the one who cheated. That’s why I lost my arm.”

“Maybe he also…”

“If you don’t get caught, it’s not cheating.”

Hilde realized once again how seriously her brother took gambling.

“In the end, I demanded that he explain it to me while playing directly.”

“If he was a magician, of course he would have accepted. To send you back quietly.”

“He told me in extreme detail exactly how you got caught cheating. He even demonstrated it.”

“And that demonstration made you more suspicious?”

“Yes. That.”

“That’s the fear of magicians. You can never be sure where the lie begins or ends. …Sigh. If I had been there, I could have given you some advice.”

He even sighed as if he regretted missing the spectacle.

“At first, it was cards. When I realized I couldn’t win with cards, I switched to yacht.”

“…Yacht?”

“You know, the one with five dice.”

“You thought dice would be fair?”

“I did.”

“Dice are never fair!”

For the first time in years, she saw him raise his voice.

Her brother really lived for gambling.

Her heart ached, but Hilde forced herself to keep up the lie. It had been years since they had spoken this much—she didn’t want to ruin it.

“Hilde? Tell me more.”

“Ah, um…”

Hilde stared at her brother’s face, which was now brimming with life.

Her brother wasn’t stupid or slow-witted.

On the contrary, he was brilliant—he just devoted all of that brilliance to gambling.

If she didn’t want to get caught lying, she had to keep talking.

But for some reason, the words wouldn’t come out.

That was when she realized tears were running down her cheeks.

Just as she hurried to wipe them away—

“Hilde. I understand how you feel.”

A voice filled with warmth reached her ears.

Did he really understand?

When she looked up with a flicker of hope, her brother was gazing at her with pity. First at her tear-streaked face, then at her missing foot.

“Do you really know?”

“You must be resentful. You lost even your ankle to gambling.”

“I didn’t bet it as a stake! I just kept losing, got angry, and started a fight. Ridiculous, isn’t it? Fighting over gambling.”

“It’s not ridiculous.”

Thud.

Her brother’s severed left arm—his wrist gone—rested on her shoulder.

If this was his way of comforting her, she would accept it.

It was a little sad, but still a kindness.

“Knowing your personality… you probably didn’t demand your money back. You were just purely angry, or frustrated that a magician cheated, and you couldn’t prove it. You’re just being true to your emotions.”

“Is that what you think?”

“Yes. I don’t laugh at you for it.”

Her brother, telling her so kindly that she hadn’t been wrong.

It was strange, yet touching.

Ever since she had first witnessed his wretched downfall, she had fought a lonely, blind battle of her own.

And the only one who ever validated her for it was him.

Even if the comfort was built on a lie, his gentle gaze at this moment was real.

Somehow, the conversation had drifted into personal matters.

“You have a prosthetic hand now?”

“I got it three days ago. It’s quite useful. I can’t shuffle cards or perform tricks, but I can move my bets and flip cards.”

“There are better magical prosthetics available.”

“Those take the thrill out of it.”

His prosthetic hand, resting where his wrist had been, was meticulously crafted.

“And that green-haired woman? Who is she?”

“She was also scammed by Hyden. She’s still drowning in debt. I paid off half of it.”

“Why?”

“She’s my apprentice.”

So, he had taken in some woman as his disciple.

They continued chatting, even taking a moment to eat together.

Just a sandwich—his usual meal—split in half.

But it had been so long.

Yet, the pleasant time didn’t last.

From a distance, her own kind were watching. Silent. Observing.

Her guards.

It was time to leave.

“I’m heading to the Demon Realm.”

“There’s still so much I want to hear.”

“Sorry. I don’t have time… And I won’t bother explaining how this happened. It’s a political decision, and you’d find it boring. I just came to say goodbye because I might never see you again.”

This is enough.

At least she saw him.

Even now, a part of her wanted to apologize for everything in the past, but she held back.

She couldn’t stop her tears, though.

“…That’s disappointing.”

“Me too.”

“I’ll come find you someday. We’ll finish our conversation then.”

Just before she left, his gentle words reached her.

It was overwhelming. And yet, somehow, heartbreaking.

“Yes. Let’s meet again.”

With her brother’s warm farewell, Hilde set off for the Demon Realm.

It had been a better reunion than she had hoped.

Yet, for some reason, the tears wouldn’t stop.