Casino Wizard

The Operation succeeded, and escape was prevented.

However, my money was still piled up on the table.

There was a reason I hadn’t touched it yet—it wasn’t settled.

For now, I was waiting briefly for the fools to regain their senses, while a middle-aged Hero stood guard near the door.

“Hero, about earlier, when I used informal speech—”

“It’s fine. I assumed it was a dire situation.”

“Regardless, you did well this time.”

The middle-aged Hero nodded with a satisfied expression at my compliment.

It seemed he had noticed that I wasn’t offering empty words just to appease him. Honestly, no extra tact was necessary; the tray and even the pot full of money piled on the table said enough.

‘I don’t need to worry about that guy’s mental state for a while.’

I turned my attention back to the fools. Their state was rather pathetic.

“Ugh…”

“…How do I ask my brother for money? What do I even say to convince him? If I can’t pay off the dress my wife bought on credit from the boutique, she’ll get suspicious… No, the dress isn’t the issue right now.”

“If only I hadn’t gone all in… I wouldn’t be in this mess… sigh.”

Lying on the carpet, staring at the ceiling, was Enrico, the knight. The Count of Immobile, who had attempted to escape earlier, babbled nonsense with blood dripping from his mouth, having been struck by the Hero. And Baroness Bonucci, staring bitterly at the self-made lousy hand of cards she had crafted, laughed ruefully.

Still, they were calmer than they had been ten minutes ago. At least they weren’t lying on the floor sobbing or banging their heads against the table anymore.

I slowly approached the trio who had lost their wealth.

“I’ll forgive your rash actions, Count.”

“Huh?”

“You tried to bring people in and make this all ‘go away,’ didn’t you? Honestly, I’m still offended, but I’ll chalk it up to a moment of madness caused by losing such a massive sum of money. …Running this casino, it’s not the first time I’ve seen someone like that.”

“Oh… oh.”

“I’ll also forgive Sir Enrico for drawing his sword under the Count’s influence.”

I clasped my hands together and politely made my declaration. Then, I spoke again.

“Hero?”

I instructed the Hero to open the previously closed door.

A silent command to take their losses and leave.

The Count stopped his muttering, the knight scrambled upright, and Baroness Bonucci gasped for air.

“Go home. It’s late.”

“Uh, but.”

“I understand how you must feel right now. If the stakes hadn’t gotten so high… no, even if we’d played in a more private setting, I might have returned a portion of the winnings.”

“…….”

“But I am a casino owner. I cannot show weakness in a gambling den.”

Pausing briefly, I glanced at the pot of money.

Then, I shook my head as if I hadn’t expected things to escalate this far, letting out a self-deprecating chuckle.

“If word spreads that I gave back the money I won over three days of poker, how do you think other casino patrons will react?”

“Huh?”

“They’ll see me as weak. Even if only one or two out of every hundred customers act up because of it, it’ll be exhausting. …Even you ignored the fact that we’re a Hero’s party, didn’t you?”

I wanted to show leniency, but I couldn’t. So, they should give up and leave.

This money was all mine.

But the three remained motionless, occasionally trembling hands or shoulders and staring at me with sorrowful eyes.

Of course, I already knew.

‘It’s money that’s hard to swallow whole.’

Money won in a rigged game wasn’t something one person could keep for themselves.

The largest share usually went to whoever financed the game and prepared the setup. Even the shills at the table or the lackeys cleaning ashtrays and running errands got a cut.

Naturally, I was both the financier and the player, and I hadn’t hired any shills.

Still, I couldn’t take it all for myself.

Cutting shares.

To avoid trouble, shares needed to be distributed. That’s what they expected in the end.

“Magician. I swear—I’ll never speak of this for the rest of my life! Let’s just agree you won big without anyone going all in!”

“I can’t trust you, Count.”

“No, no! As long as we keep quiet—”

“Yes, if we coordinate our stories, it could stay hidden. But why should I go to such lengths?”

The Count started toward me in desperation but froze when he caught sight of the Hero.

I ignored him and gestured toward Baroness Bonucci.

“Should I give her a share as well?”

“That wench lost back the money she won. Why should she—”

“‘Wench,’ is it? …That settles it. Think about the abusive words you’ve directed at Baroness Bonucci. If I don’t give her a share, she’ll undoubtedly expose what happened. You’ll need to pay for her silence.”

“Huh?”

This was one of the reasons I had sown discord among the three of them.

If they had united in begging for shares, it would have been harder to refuse.

“Count, should I also smooth things over with Baroness Bonucci?”

“Well, that is…”

“Why should I go so far for you? What would you have done to me if the roles were reversed?”

A situation impossible to resolve among the parties involved.

That was the scenario I had created.

This way, there would be room for a ‘third party’ to step in.

‘They should be arriving soon. Did the attendant fail to deliver the message?’

For the next two hours, I coldly dismissed their increasingly desperate pleas, holding firm to my intention to claim the entire pot.

Eventually, the middle-aged Hero blinked as if sensing an approaching presence.

Finally, I made my move.

“I’m exhausted. I’ll just take my money and leave.”

“No, wait—!”

As the Count and the knight lunged toward me, the door suddenly burst open.

A woman entered.

Her strawberry-blonde hair and blue eyes shimmered, and though she wore a formal dress, a sword belt hung at her waist—a striking beauty.

“Your Highness?”

It was Princess Beatrice Emanuele, the housemaster for this operation.

She, too, deserved her share of the profits.

…

The princess, gazing at the chaotic Operation room with evident displeasure, soon opened her mouth with a resolute expression.

“I fail to understand what’s going on here. I only stepped in to help mediate reconciliation between the Hero’s party and my second brother.”

“Pardon?”

“Have you forgotten, Sir Enrico? It was I who arranged this meeting.”

“Ah… yes! That’s correct.”

“Then what on earth have you done?”

The princess looked at the four of us with contempt etched onto her small face.

Her acting wasn’t half bad. Perhaps the scene before her was so filthy it genuinely disgusted her.

“Princess Beatrice, allow me to explain.”

Being the only one unscathed, I stepped forward to detail the mess.

I explained how a simple poker game that started with 10–20 silvers had escalated to this point, the vulgar and crude insults exchanged during the game, and—of course—I made sure to mention that I had offered them an out before things went completely off the rails.

“Hyden, is that true?”

“Yes.”

“Incredible. Count Immobile is the head of a venerable house, Sir Enrico is a Royal Guard tasked with my brother’s protection, and Baroness Bonucci is a renowned figure in high society.”

“If my words are hard to believe, you could always verify them with your unique magic. I assure you, I am not the one who let this situation spiral out of control.”

If you don’t believe me, use your confession magic.

At my suggestion, the princess sighed, and the fools averted their gazes.

Having lost their money and exposed their shameful behavior to the princess, their situation was utterly dire.

They had nothing left—no money, no reputation. By now, they must be envisioning a grim future in their minds.

But the princess didn’t appear at this moment just to watch the disaster unfold.

“I see. So that’s what happened.”

After a moment of pause, the princess finally spoke again, offering a somewhat forceful compromise.

“In that case, take only half, Mage Hyden.”

“Your Highness?”

“I said, take only half of the winnings. I cannot stand idly by while a chance occurrence in gambling ruins the lives of nobles.”

For the first time in three days, I broke my poker face.

I stumbled over my words, but—

“I won’t entertain objections, Hyden.”

“These people treated me like trash. They even insulted the Hero.”

“Which is why showing magnanimity is all the more appropriate.”

“Ha…”

“Are you sighing in my presence? I’ll forgive it. In return, you will accept my proposal.”

Without even sparing me a glance, Princess Beatrice forced her compromise upon me.

For the fools, this was the moment their savior appeared.

“You are most wise, Your Highness!!”

The count expressed his gratitude at the top of his lungs, the knight clenched his fists in triumph, and only Baroness Bonucci, who had initially brought the smallest amount to the table, looked somewhat ambiguous.

But their joy was fleeting.

“Your Highness, truly, thank you—”

“There’s no need for thanks.”

“Pardon?”

The princess walked toward the now-bewildered fools, her lips curling into a faint smile.

“Count Immobile, Sir Enrico. I expect to be compensated for my mediation.”

“Princess Beatrice?”

“You ruined the reconciliation I arranged and, in doing so, incurred the resentment of the Hero’s party. How will you make it up to me?”

In exchange for salvaging half their losses, she was demanding something else.

I frowned as I stepped closer to her.

“Your Highness, I haven’t yet agreed to this. That money is mine.”

“I’m not asking for your agreement.”

“Excuse me?”

“Surely you didn’t think you could walk away with all the money anyway. If you wish to avoid unnecessary conflict, follow my instructions.”

The princess, effectively fencing me in, forced me to settle for half the winnings. One of her hands rested lightly on the hilt of her sword.

“What will it be?”

I glared at her in silence for a long moment before finally dropping my head in defeat.

The middle-aged Hero, who had been watching the situation unfold, encouraged me to let it go, saying, “Let’s just end it here.” He didn’t know the intricate details of the plan.

“…Understood, Your Highness.”

“A wise decision. In return, I will guarantee your safety.”

“……”

“Soon, you won’t have to grovel for reconciliation with my brother either. That should be good news for you, no?”

Without responding, I gathered my share of the money—my initial funds and half of the winnings I had taken from the fools.

The remainder was the cost of peace, but it didn’t feel like a loss.

The generous peace offering would force them to betray their former master, the second prince. Not just switching allegiances but outright betrayal.

Now, it was time to send the second prince far, far away.