Casino Wizard

Bruno, a clerk working at the Dragon Kingdom embassy, was terrified.

It was because of the woman kneeling before him, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Even after losing your arm… why are you laughing? Why.”

When a woman cries, the normal response is to comfort her.

But the woman in front of him was not someone a mere clerk like him could console.

Hilde Rakaye.

To start, she was a Dragonian.

A race with physical prowess that surpassed most knights and mages.

Hilde was also the most skilled mage among the Dragonians.

And it wasn’t just her magical talent—she had earned her accolades as the firepower of the Hero’s Party and had secured a political foothold after the war through her cunning maneuvers.

‘Someone like me can’t offer any comfort.’

His sin was being assigned as the guide to this noble figure who had arrived from their homeland.

Bruno was silently praying even now.

He wished that Archmage Hilde would regain her composure soon and retreat to the luxurious accommodations provided by the embassy.

“His arm.”

Hilde, who had been quietly sobbing, suddenly spoke.

When Bruno hesitated and didn’t respond, she repeated herself, this time more deliberately.

“His right arm. Where is it?”

Ah, that arm.

Bruno couldn’t bring himself to speak.

He sensed the ominous air surrounding her.

Though he was just a clerk, he was familiar with the rumors.

He had heard of the shocking incident at the casino. How could he not? The entire embassy had been abuzz with the incident involving the Dragonian everyone was watching.

‘Surely she’s not thinking of causing a scene at the casino… Oh, this is bad.’

When Bruno didn’t answer, Archmage Hilde slowly rose to her feet.

She seemed to sway for a moment, perhaps from dizziness.

But she managed to regain her balance and stood, staring blankly at him.

Her eyes still glistened with tears, and her lips, bitten until they bled, trembled.

She wasn’t in a normal state. If he revealed the location of the arm, there was no telling what she would do.

“…I asked you. Where is His right arm?”

Ignoring the archmage’s question would be even more dangerous.

In the end, Bruno couldn’t hold out and confessed.

“It’s probably at the casino.”

“The casino, Hyden.”

“Yes! It’s run by Hyden, the magician of the Pierrot Party. It’s the largest licensed gambling house in the kingdom. It might even be the largest on the continent. Nobles, merchants, artisans—even clergy line up to enter.”

“Take me there.”

Bruno did his best to explain that, even for an archmage, it wasn’t a place where she could act as she pleased.

But Hilde didn’t seem to be listening.

What on earth was she planning…

Bruno had been stationed in the kingdom for a long time as a low-ranking official.

He didn’t know the exact relationship between Hilde and the disabled Dragonian who had just left.

Maybe they were family? She was clearly furious over the lost arm.

He was afraid of what would come next but couldn’t outright refuse.

“Um, Archmage?”

“……”

“Wouldn’t it be better if I arranged a meeting with Hyden? There’s no need for you to go to the casino in person.”

Hilde nodded slowly.

Did that mean she was maintaining some semblance of rationality? At least that was a relief.

“Call Hyden.”

All Bruno could do now was pray that the esteemed archmage wouldn’t cause a diplomatic incident in a foreign land.

****

In front of me now was the Dragonian’s right arm.

It had been cleanly severed by a guillotine.

It was stored in an elegant box that could have been used for a holy relic.

As strange as it sounds, the cut was surprisingly clean.

If the Dragonian showed up now demanding the return of the arm? There might be a slim chance it could be reattached.

I had stored it in a chilled state with the severed end wrapped in cloth, and although necrosis had likely begun, it appeared to be relatively intact on the surface.

Even if offered, the Dragonian would probably refuse to have it reattached…

But I still kept the arm.

“Hilde.”

It was because of the Dragon Kingdom’s archmage, who was likely in the capital by now.

I was acquainted with her, but she remained an enigma to me. We had never spoken properly.

I couldn’t predict how she would take news of a family member’s dismemberment…

Would she quietly cover it up for the sake of her reputation? Or would she try to silence me, knowing I was aware of their history? Maybe she had already lost her mind after seeing the Dragonian’s state, missing both arms…

Even if time could be rewound, I wouldn’t have let the Dragonian leave without cutting off the arm.

Because I feared that mad gambler more than I feared the archmage’s wrath.

Still, I needed to be prepared, which is why I had carefully preserved the Dragonian’s right arm. Not as a trophy, but to avoid any misunderstandings.

‘This… is exhausting.’

I didn’t leave my office at all that day.

I knew what kind of looks I’d get from customers.

Uncomfortable questions would rain down on me, and whatever I said would only reinforce their prejudices.

I decided to lay low and wait for things to settle. Whenever that might be. For now, keeping my head down was the right move.

Fortunately, I had someone who was cleaning up after me.

“Oppa, I just sent Selena off.”

Lucy, who had changed out of her dress and back into her dealer’s uniform.

If it weren’t for Lucy, things would have been much more difficult. The thought crossed my mind that I hadn’t properly thanked her… but there was work to do first.

“Did you give her the money?”

“Yes, 10 gold.”

“That’s too little for her efforts.”

“She’ll just squander whatever we give her, right? Every time she spends it all and comes sniffing around the casino again, we’ll give her 10 gold and send her off. It’s better that way.”

Apparently, Selena had been given a bit of travel money and released back into the wild.

She was a useless resource for anything else.

She enjoyed eating and drinking, but she couldn’t stay in one place for long. She’d roam around, devour all kinds of bread and liquor, and then return to the casino once her money ran out.

There were others I needed to keep an eye on too.

“What about Mrs. Bonucci?”

“She said she’d keep going about her business as usual.”

“She’s more resilient than I expected.”

“It’s more like… she doesn’t want to miss this opportunity, right? Everyone’s talking about the gambling match between you and the Dragonian, and she’s one of the witnesses. There’s no one else who can speak on our behalf.”

“Leave her be.”

One more person left.

The youngest, who had risked even losing her arm to sit at the table with me.

Even now, she was helping clean up the mess.

I owed her something.

“If this is about rewards, don’t bother, oppa.”

“Huh?”

“I made a lot of money this time.”

That was true. Lucy had been up by more than 500 gold before the final round, and that money was all hers.

While she hadn’t gambled for the money, it was a significant sum for one night’s winnings.

Financial rewards would be meaningless. So what could I give her instead…

“Plus, I still have my right arm. And so do you.”

This didn’t feel like a joke.

Even now, Lucy’s gaze was fixed on the Dragonian’s severed right arm.

The right hand that had once moved nimbly across the table, effortlessly handling cards and making marks.

If we had slipped up, both Lucy’s and my right arms might have been severed. Of course, we would have sought immediate treatment, but still.

“Yeah. We kept our arms.”

“For now, that’s enough.”

For now?

It sounded like she intended to add it to my tab, but I didn’t mind.

As long as she wasn’t planning to suddenly quit and leave, I’d accept anything. I nodded, signaling she could bring it up later.

And I closed my mouth again. It felt wrong to talk with someone’s severed arm right in front of me.

‘I’ll need to hold onto this until Hilde disappears.’

To be thorough, I cast another freezing spell on the container holding the arm.

It was a hassle, but necessary.

I didn’t want to face Hilde and her family on top of dealing with the Dragonian.

Even if they weren’t as bad as the Dragonian, Hilde was a major figure in the Dragon Kingdom. Fighting her would make things messy. Keeping evidence of my efforts was also for that reason.

If Hilde took the Dragonian and quietly left, that would be ideal…

But things didn’t go as I hoped.

…

An hour before closing time.

“Boss Hyden. Someone is here to see you.”

A pale-faced messenger appeared.

It was the clerk I had briefly seen when I visited the Dragon Kingdom ambassador.

At this hour, there was only one person who would call on me.

I was thankful they didn’t barge in and disrupt business. If incidents kept happening at the casino, gamblers would become cautious and stop coming altogether.

“Hilde, I presume?”

“Y-yes. Please be careful mentioning her name.”

“And the Dragonian?”

“He has already left.”

The Dragonian had left, but Hilde remained.

This alone was unusual.

It had been a long time since I last saw Hilde. The last time was when we were ordered to withdraw from the Demon King subjugation by the other hero parties.

At that time, Hilde had stood beside Hero Leandro, looking at us indifferently.

I still clearly remembered how she had turned her head away as if uninterested after briefly glancing at the middle-aged hero who had given in without much resistance. I never imagined we would meet again like this.

“Where does she want to meet?”

“At the Baladin pub.”

Hilde was waiting for me at the pub closest to the casino.

It was also where the Dragonian had been staying.

The fact that she chose to meet there was proof that Hilde had traced the Dragonian’s movements.

Blackjack, the VIP room, poker games with nobles, and even the final gamble with me—she must have heard it all. Despite knowing the details, she still summoned me.

I didn’t expect her to listen to me calmly.

‘I’ll try my best, though.’

I intended to choose my words carefully to avoid provoking her and was willing to offer various compromises to avoid conflict.

But would she really listen to the person who cut off her family member’s right arm?

In my past life, I had met with the families of those whose lives had been ruined by being involved with me. Not once did those encounters end well, even when I was the victim, not the perpetrator.

It wasn’t uncommon for estranged family members to be even more furious. It was as if they were channeling their guilt over neglecting their loved one onto me.

“I’m afraid I can’t meet her right now. Please give her this instead.”

“What is this…?”

“It’s the Dragonian’s right arm. I kept it in case it could still be reattached… I never expected him to leave on his own. Please understand that this wasn’t something I wanted.”

I declined the meeting and instead handed over the Dragonian’s right arm.

I also included a detailed letter explaining the circumstances that led to the severing of the arm, pretending to empathize with the difficulties of living with a gambling addict.

“Tell her that if this explanation isn’t enough, she can come find me.”

This was the best I could do.

I hoped Hilde would just take the arm and leave quietly.

If she saw this as provocation, there wasn’t much chance of resolving things peacefully anyway.