Casino Wizard

“Hilde Rakae. Her Highness the Princess summons you.”

Upon receiving the official notice, Hilde forced her expression to harden.

This might be her last chance.

She still had unfinished business.

Proving her innocence through a public hearing and being repatriated?

She didn’t even wish for that.

The casino mage. He would likely be present at today’s proceedings. Bringing him down to her level was her only goal.

It wouldn’t be easy.

The First Prince, who stood against both the Princess and Hyden, had expressed his willingness to cooperate…

But whether he would actually help was uncertain.

Hilde felt anxiety creeping in.

A sharp, needling pain stabbed at the severed part of her ankle. …Had her brother felt this kind of pain, too? When he lost his right arm helplessly to Hyden and was cast out of the casino?

‘This isn’t the time to think about that. I need to focus on what’s in front of me.’

Fortunately, a path soon became clear.

[Demand that Hyden be asked the same question.]

The maid who was dressing her up discreetly showed her another short message.

The same maid who had advised her to respond to the hearing. As soon as Hilde saw the note, the maid crumpled it and tucked it away. That was probably another directive from the First Prince.

The mage. The same question.

This should be enough. A faint thrill ran through Hilde.

She had finally found a small opening.

Holding on to that sliver of hope, she headed to the interrogation chamber. Or rather, she was dragged there.

****

The interrogation chamber, set up within the royal chapel.

Hilde was on her way.

At that moment, I deliberately stepped forward in front of the envoys from the Dragon Kingdom.

They were here to clean up after the Dragon Kingdom’s Grand Mage’s mess.

Soon, the one who would question me appeared.

“Did you truly defeat Hilde? I would have you answer.”

A fairy with an adorable face and iridescent wings flitted about.

“This is a question born of curiosity. I swear that your answer will not affect my judgment.”

“……”

“You?”

Only after a few rounds of prodding did I finally respond in a somber tone.

The fairy was the only one speaking, but the others who had come with them were undoubtedly listening. They kept silent, perhaps because they hesitated to interrogate someone who had been labeled a victim.

“I never defeated Hilde.”

“What?”

“I hid from her with my companions, and we were ambushed. We barely survived. You must not speak as if I engaged her in a fair fight. Unless… are you trying to sway public opinion in Hilde Rakae’s favor?”

The fairy’s wings slowed. A dragonean who had been glaring at me with slit eyes looked away, troubled.

I stood up abruptly, as if overwhelmed with emotion—

Then, slowly, I sat back down.

“I don’t understand it either.”

“How… How did this happen?”

“I hope the truth comes to light today.”

The envoys from the Dragon Kingdom were seated directly behind Hilde’s chair.

So they could stare at the back of her head.

It was an intentional arrangement, of course.

That way, Hilde would feel pressured to prove something.

The envoys had come to either rescue her or abandon her.

If they had been seated where they could see her face, they might have had some unspoken exchange. But in this arrangement, that was impossible.

The dragoneans wouldn’t be able to nod at her reassuringly. The fairy wouldn’t be able to flutter their butterfly wings in support.

All that remained was the burden of proving her legitimacy.

The one seated directly in front of Hilde was Princess Beatrice, the interrogator.

A living lie detector.

And I was seated diagonally behind her.

I needed to make Hilde believe—

That I was on the same side as the Princess. That Beatrice was using a gambling tycoon to eliminate her own brother.

Fortunately, Hilde already saw me as a demon.

And a demon’s ally was, naturally, also a demon.

When humans identify something they must eradicate, their instinctive response is to seek out allies.

At the very least, someone whose interests align with theirs.

‘For Hilde, that person is the First Prince.’

Now, all that remained was execution.

“Bring Hilde Rakae.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

At the Princess’s command, Hilde was soon brought in.

“Tch…!”

One of the Dragon Kingdom’s envoys (whose hair color matched that of the siblings) ground their teeth.

They were clearly agitated by Hilde’s wretched appearance.

And truly, it was pitiful. Shackled and bound.

With only one foot remaining, she had to be dragged in by the knights. A prisoner, through and through.

‘It looks like they’ve already decided the verdict and are just going through the motions.’

As soon as Hilde was seated, she glared at me.

A wave of hostility and hatred radiated from her.

But she didn’t curse or sneer at me outright.

Instead, she maintained the composed expression befitting a mage of the Hero’s Party. Likely conscious of the envoys behind her. At the very least, she would want to appear dignified before them.

“Let’s begin.”

Princess Beatrice spoke.

No unnecessary preamble—she went straight to what she did best.

“Hilde Rakae. I have a few questions for you. Are you willing to answer honestly?”

A pointed finger directed at Hilde. A faint but tangible flow of magic followed.

A confession spell.

The magic would only activate if the subject explicitly agreed.

And once triggered, there was no resisting it.

It was full of restrictions, but its effectiveness was unquestionable. Thanks to the Princess’s frequent use of it in childhood, its reputation was well-known internationally.

A heavy silence settled over the chapel.

Hilde had two options.

But there was a third choice—one the Princess hadn’t mentioned.

And Hilde didn’t even need to figure it out herself.

Because the one who had baited her into this situation had just made his appearance.

The First Prince, Alfonso Emanuele.

Hilde’s gaze had already shifted toward somewhere on the chapel’s second floor.

She must have spotted him by now.

They had never met before, but his distinctive appearance made it impossible to mistake him.

Anyone who wasn’t a total recluse would have heard of the First Prince’s striking features from traders or traveling bards.

Albinia’s First Prince had only one notable trait.

His exceptionally small stature.

Not just short, but small enough that, were he not of noble birth, he might have been sold to a traveling circus for a handful of silver coins.

There was a reason he remained secluded in a separate palace.

His presence here had only one purpose—to show Hilde that she had an ally with shared interests.

‘I’ve done everything I can.’

If Hilde ignored the First Prince’s groundwork and refused the confession spell? I would immediately step in and say, “Then I will undergo it first,” pressing her further.

I had already coordinated with the Princess beforehand.

I would answer pre-arranged questions, and by rejecting the spell, Hilde would make a fool of herself in front of the Dragon Kingdom’s representatives.

Luckily, the backup plan wasn’t necessary.

After a long silence, Hilde finally spoke.

Still staring directly at me.

“I will comply if he undergoes questioning first.”

“What?”

Blatant informality toward the Princess.

“On one condition, Your Highness. Ask the same questions to the casino mage… Hyden. Otherwise, there’s no point in a cross-examination. …If he agrees first, I will follow.”

The First Prince’s gambit had worked. She actually believed in him.

The Princess hesitated for a long moment before nodding slowly.

“Very well. Then—”

“Your Highness!”

At that moment, I hurriedly intervened.

The Princess played along.

“Hyden. Hilde’s point is valid.”

“This was not discussed beforehand.”

“My apologies, but I am not seeking your consent.”

With an almost regretful look, she narrowed her eyes and urged me to comply.

I reached toward her collar, only to flinch and withdraw my hand. A bastard commoner like me couldn’t touch a princess.

“I am not a criminal.”

“I do not doubt that. But to dispel any unnecessary suspicions, a fair verification is in order. So… submit.”

“…Your Highness.”

The Princess ignored my protest and gently activated her magic.

“I will ask you the same questions I prepared for Hilde.”

A faint, triumphant light flickered in Hilde’s eyes.

The same look her brother had when I offered him a chance to speak.

They really were alike.

Resigned, I sighed.

“I will answer truthfully.”

“Then let us begin.”

The Princess’s unique magic took hold.

That same unbearable discomfort and headache settled in.

The Dragon Kingdom’s envoys watched me closely.

Hilde, too, was staring expectantly.

But the questions we had prepared were far from what she had hoped for.

Who had set fire to the inn? Had I manipulated gamblers and pressured the royal family to frame Hilde?

Those questions wouldn’t come.

We weren’t going to evade or dilute the truth, either.

We would simply start from the very beginning.

“This entire conflict began with the actions of the one called Dragon ear. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“Who is he?”

“A dragonean, a wandering gambler, a lunatic addicted to the thrill of risk. And… the elder brother of that mage over there, Hilde Rakae. I once suspected they were merely from the same clan, but now I am certain they are blood siblings.”

Hilde’s pupils trembled.

Princess Beatrice tilted her head.

Then she asked a question that wouldn’t shake me—but would strike Hilde like a dagger.

“Then why did Hilde Rakae stand by while her own family ruined your life? Answer only what you know for certain, without speculation.”

“I cannot say with certainty, as I am not the party involved.”

“I see.”

Hilde’s face rapidly paled, and some of the Dragon Kingdom’s envoys visibly wavered.

Perhaps realizing things were going wrong, Hilde raised a hand.

But Princess Beatrice simply gestured toward the scroll before her. A silent indication that she would only ask the prepared questions.

Hilde finally seemed to grasp that she had walked into a trap.

But it was already too late.

“I will keep my promise.”

Her turn was next.