Casino Wizard

(Tl Note :- Ch 69, noiceeeee :3)

“It was all for my brother.”

Hilde declared firmly.

The ambassador from the Dragon Kingdom, who had been drinking tea with her, gave her a look of helpless frustration.

“If the Kingdom of Alvinia had not managed its gambling establishments, including the Hyden Casino, so irresponsibly, such a disaster wouldn’t have happened.”

She added an explanation, but a faint displeasure appeared on the ambassador’s face.

Hilde was not oblivious to the shift in his mood.

Even though she held more than four prestigious titles in the Dragon Kingdom as a Grand Mage, her opponent was also a high-ranking official. A mere glare was not something to complain about.

After clearing her throat a few times, Hilde adjusted her words.

“Perhaps I didn’t explain myself well. I believe these measures are necessary to prevent innocent people, like my brother, from being lured into temptation. Once the kingdom verifies the effectiveness of gambling regulations, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to implement them back in our homeland.”

The ambassador did not refute her words outright.

It was another moment that confirmed Hilde’s unique position.

In truth, among their own kind, there were whispers.

That the process of Hilde being chosen as the mage of the Hero’s Party over her brother was murky, and that she had turned a blind eye to her brother, who had been severing people’s wrists left and right.

Even knowing this, their kin had chosen to remain silent.

They decided to protect Hilde Rakae, now a celebrated name, and abandon the ruined Yong-Gwi. They must have seen no need to stir the pot any further.

‘Of course, I still have to be careful.’

Hilde had no intention of acting recklessly, relying only on her status.

With the demonic realm at peace, blindly trusting in force and past achievements could lead to her downfall.

But she also didn’t believe in achieving great causes without sacrifice.

“If things go wrong, I will take responsibility, Ambassador.”

“And by responsibility, you mean?”

“At the appropriate time, I am willing to reveal that my brother and I are blood siblings. I’ll acknowledge my past negligence and personally apologize for the trouble he has caused with his gambling habits. Wouldn’t that be enough?”

At that, the ambassador’s expression eased, and he nodded.

However, there were things Hilde would never yield.

For instance, the fact that she had once set up her brother by sending a con artist gambler to deceive him. She had never disclosed that to anyone. Her brother had found out, but thankfully, he had let it slide.

At most, those closest to them had suspicions about the odd timing of events.

Thinking about the storm that would follow if the truth came to light, she resolved never to admit it.

‘It’s fine. There’s no way my brother will speak up anyway.’

Though her heart clenched at the thought of him traveling away in a wagon by now… Hilde had work to do.

To prevent others from being destroyed by gambling.

And to stop more families from suffering because of gambling addicts.

Some might criticize her for interfering in another country’s domestic affairs, but she knew this was the right thing to do.

After all, when she had fought as the Hero’s Party’s mage, she had never discriminated based on nationality when helping people. If she could prove the effectiveness of gambling regulations here, she would have enough justification to advocate for the same policies in the Dragon Kingdom.

“Am I wrong?”

“It’s not completely unreasonable… but.”

“Ambassador, my brother lost his arm.”

“……”

“Ah, and I have a request.”

It wasn’t a difficult one.

“Please deliver a message to the First Prince. Tell him that I have my eyes on the mage Hyden. If necessary, you may even reveal my brother’s identity.”

“You really are making this a bigger mess.”

“I’m not escalating things—I’m resolving them. Given that Hyden is close to the princess, the prince has no reason to refuse.”

Fortunately, the ambassador did not reject Hilde’s request.

It was hard to refuse a Grand Mage carrying her brother’s severed arm.

She wasn’t waving it around—she had stored it properly—but an arm was still an arm.

A request from a Grand Mage who had seen her own kin’s blood was incredibly persuasive. No one knew what she might do if denied.

“I’ll go now.”

After the ambassador left,

Hilde immediately wiped away the polite smile she had been maintaining.

She would be lying if she said she bore no ill will toward the casino mage. If he ended up ruined by royal displeasure while trying to evade regulations, that would be perfect.

‘This is the right thing, isn’t it?’

The wrong ones were on the other side. Hilde never doubted the legitimacy of her actions for a moment.

****

An abrupt statement, but my casino made a significant contribution to the kingdom’s tax revenue.

Property tax, proportional to the size of the building.

Capitation tax, based on the number of employees I hired.

And lastly, an annual recognition tax to maintain the status of a licensed gambling establishment.

Frankly, it wasn’t a heavy burden.

‘If you want to run a business, you have to pay. No way around it.’

Even after paying all dues and making donations to the church, the profits were more than sufficient.

Operating at this scale meant that running illegally wasn’t an option anyway.

As long as I provided the assurance that the royal family could continue extracting taxes, they wouldn’t easily touch us. I had never even considered tax evasion—legal tax reduction, sure, but never outright evasion.

And yet, today, I found myself worrying about taxes.

“A sin tax might be imposed on gambling houses.”

A high-ranking individual had come all the way to my home in the morning to deliver the news.

Silken hood, strawberry blonde hair peeking out, plain clothing but an unmistakable air of nobility.

It was Princess Beatrice Emanuelle.

The sin tax itself was a major concern, of course.

But even more important was the person who had proposed it to the king.

“My eldest brother had an audience with His Majesty yesterday.”

“The First Prince…?”

The one who proposed the sin tax was the First Prince.

It was natural for the king’s eldest son to participate in governance.

But in this case, it was odd—because the First Prince had been far removed from the throne for a long time.

Perhaps from the moment he was born.

And now he suddenly wanted to impose a sin tax on gambling establishments?

To me, this reeked of someone else’s influence.

Hilde had made her move.

I don’t know why the First Prince was persuaded, but in any case, what’s done is done. The princess must have come because of him.

“Perhaps His Majesty will permit it.”

“Since an unfortunate incident did occur at the casino.”

“Yes, there’s a justification for it.”

Beatrice seemed to know more but chose to stop there, dodging the subject.

She didn’t even meet my eyes.

It wasn’t that she was anxiously shifting her gaze; instead, she moved her eyes naturally from left to right while picking up the teacup I had served. It was proof that she wanted to conceal her discomfort while maintaining proper etiquette.

Only after I gave her a small nod, signaling that I understood, did she continue speaking.

“A levy tax. Probably.”

A tax that’s already being paid.

It seemed like they were planning to pile on additional charges.

“Would it be imposed per table or on the cards themselves?”

“From what I’ve heard, per table.”

“That would be the simplest method.”

Baccarat, blackjack, casino war, hold ’em, roulette, big wheel.

Even the dice games like Sic Bo and craps that were under review…

The simplest method would be to require approval for each table and impose a flat tax based on the total number. That way, administrative efforts wouldn’t be wasted.

If this so-called “sin tax” were truly implemented—

The one who would suffer the most would, of course, be me.

After all, aside from my establishment, the others were all small-time operations.

Most of them were taverns with two or three tables, relying more on alcohol sales than gaming fees.

Since the former Second Prince’s massive failure last year, no one had even attempted to expand. The risk of investment failure was too great.

In the end, I was the real target of this tax.

“Hyden?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“I’d like to hear your opinion.”

So she’s not offering to block it for me outright.

I suppressed a bitter laugh and looked at Beatrice.

I could understand why she was in a difficult political position.

“If Your Highness directly opposes the new tax, it would put you in an awkward position.”

“It would seem like I’m blatantly siding with you.”

“And it would be odd to be seen as obstructing tax revenue. It could also look like you’re crushing a policy proposed by the First Prince.”

“That’s true as well.”

It could easily escalate into a conflict between the royal siblings.

The First Prince, who had been staying quietly in his quarters due to his condition, had been forced back into politics. Now, he and the princess were clashing over this sin tax. Meanwhile, the King, watching his only two heirs fight, would only age faster.

And if the dispute escalated—

“In the end, one of them would have to fall.”

“I agree.”

“It won’t be an easy matter.”

What starts as a debate could very well end in a purge.

It was no wonder Beatrice hesitated. If I asked for her help, she probably wouldn’t refuse.

Of course, there would be a price.

At that moment, Beatrice set down her teacup and looked directly at me.

“I can block it. I’ll meet with Alfonso and quietly persuade him. But it would be easier if you helped me.”

“……”

“Do you have any useful information?”

“I don’t have proof yet, but this is the work of Hilde, the Grand Mage of the Dragon Kingdom. If we investigate, something will turn up.”

That wouldn’t be too difficult. Beatrice nodded.

Still, she didn’t give a definite answer.

It would have been natural for me to respond positively at this point.

I could have said, “If you help me, I will repay the favor however I can. I’ll help you take down your eldest brother and secure your place as Crown Princess, using both my wealth and my wisdom.” That would have been the proper move.

Because borrowing power from the royal family for free wasn’t an option.

That was just the way things worked.

But I didn’t want to do it.

The sin tax hadn’t even been implemented yet—though the King might be tempted—and I didn’t want to get caught up in another power struggle between the royals just to prevent it.

It wasn’t that I doubted my ability to win.

I could strategize to block the tax, remove the First Prince if he interfered, and even eliminate Hilde, who was probably waiting to see how things played out.

But after all that struggle, all I would achieve was “maintaining the status quo.”

No, it wasn’t even maintaining the status quo.

The casino would continue to flourish, but as its owner, I wouldn’t have a moment to enjoy it, constantly being caught up in conflicts.

No matter how I looked at it, this wasn’t the right path.

“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. But I must decline your help.”

Beatrice tilted her head slightly, as if surprised.

She must have assumed I’d immediately jump into scheming.

But I was serious.

I would accept a free favor, but I had no interest in making a deal.

…

After sending the princess away, I deliberately headed to the casino just before opening.

Not through the staff entrance, but through the front door.

As usual, a long line stretched outside.

Half the people turned to look at me, while the other half focused on warming up their hands, uninterested.

Amidst it all, I overheard a customer murmuring—

“If you land a seat at the 30-dice table, you can make two silvers… maybe three if you’re lucky. That’s enough for the day, damn it.”

A part-time worker reserving baccarat seats, it seemed.

There were people who truly made a living off this.

Customers who couldn’t imagine life without the casino.

Business was booming, but that didn’t mean I could just accept the sin tax.

If I backed down like a fool just to avoid conflict, the First Prince and Hilde would simply move on to their next scheme without hesitation.

I needed to seize the advantage first.

But I didn’t have to fight directly.

“If I set the stage, these people will move for me.”

And the method I came up with—was a temporary shutdown.

With all the recent incidents at the casino and even the royal family discussing the sin tax…

I had enough justification to declare a voluntary closure for reflection.

There would be losses, of course, but they were manageable.

Because from now on, I planned to change my approach entirely.