EP.43
Well, luck was on my side.
The four of a kind wasn’t due to any cunning strategy of mine. It was, quite literally, pure serendipity. I was just as bewildered.
Anyway, I originally intended to shout “die.” Maria would’ve had a fit, but for my purpose, that seemed fitting. If I acted like a fool deliberately, anyone watching me—especially after drawing a four of a kind—would clearly grow suspicious if I didn’t make a big move.
However, I still needed to see how the game unfolded, so I carefully observed the faces of the participants.
To my surprise, someone was visibly ecstatic.
I couldn’t tell what hand he held, but hadn’t they told us in public service announcements from my previous life? When you get a four of a kind, you should toss your identification card into the pot and go all in!
I trusted my hand and decided to provoke him. No sooner had I made my raise than he immediately declared all in.
Naturally, I accepted. And thus, we ended up with the current results.
“Well, I’m off to enjoy my winnings~”
“Wow, I never expected to witness such a game!”
“Beating an all-in flush with a four of a kind. You’re really lucky today.”
“Boy, the loser must feel pretty aggrieved.”
“Isn’t that the charm of this game?”
As the onlookers chattered, the stakes involved were astronomical. Sure, they might have been slightly less than what I originally brought in, but combining what I’d won with what I’d lost and gained from prior hands, I could very well leave with more than I initially possessed.
While Maria blinked in disbelief, I flashed her a victory sign and whispered, “Didn’t I tell you? Just trust me. I’ve never come out of a casino with less money than I went in with.”
Of course, that wasn’t exactly due to my gambling skills but rather because I meticulously analyzed my opponents’ movements as a Sword Expert. Still, results are what matter, right?
Proudly detailing my glorious success, I soon felt like perhaps I’d crossed an invisible line.
“…So you were just making money off jobs to loiter at gambling halls?”
“Oops.”
Coughing softly, I realized I might have let something slip.
I hurriedly turned my head away.
“Well, that happened.”
I shrugged and comforted the guy who sat staring dazedly at his cards. Of course, I didn’t genuinely pity him. If he were a normal VIP gambler, this wouldn’t threaten his livelihood, and if he were an abnormal gambling addict, there was no need to worry about him.
Regardless, I had the perfect excuse to clear out.
“Wow, I’ll make sure to end on a high note!”
Of course, I didn’t forget the etiquette of gambling. Some people often forget that casinos are meant for “spending money for fun,” not just to make a profit. And that meant there was more to it than just not winning excessively.
“Still, doesn’t this feel a bit lacking?”
As I stood up, I waved to the crowd that had gathered around.
“Bartender! Let’s buy everyone here a drink!”
At those words, cheers erupted from the crowd.
“A person who knows how to have fun!”
“That’s why the Lord bestowed upon you the four of a kind!”
While everyone placed their orders with the bartender, I started handing out some cash to those who’d played with me (well, at least that was the official pretext). They all soon realized they’d bitten off more than they could chew and accepted the money with a sigh.
However, the one who had gone all in couldn’t hide his expression, even despite the generous payouts from others.
“Tough luck. You should be a bit more cautious next time.”
I patted his shoulder, tossed a few chips to the waiter, and headed with Maria towards the exchange counter.
“Let’s exchange this, please.”
As if waiting for us, the staff member who first guided us arrived to take my chips. The amount I received back was just slightly above the price of a platinum bar. It was just enough to break even.
“Told you so!”
I removed my mask and tucked it into my pocket (I was a bit surprised to use a magical mask only once) and winked at Maria.
“…Sigh.”
Perhaps it was because I broke even, but Maria seemed to have plenty to say, yet restrained herself. The topic she brought up, however, was something else entirely.
“By the way, didn’t you say you were looking for a guide to lead you through the sewers? What happened with that?”
“Oh, that.”
Naturally, I hadn’t forgotten my original purpose. In fact, this was all part of the plan. More precisely, everything I had done so far was merely laying the groundwork.
“It’s time to check now.”
And now was the moment to see if the trap had caught any fish.
―――
I’m going to die.
I’m going to die, die, die.
Jack paced the hall, his teeth chattering in a fit of panic. He had thrown aside the few meager payouts and wandered out in desperation. No amount of petty cash could save him from the debt he had to pay.
What Jack needed was a large sum of money to save his skin.
“Ugh, I need to find a way to get money…!”
The organization he’d enlisted for money laundering was, as typical for back-alley groups, extremely legally flexible.
I don’t mean their legal interpretations were lenient. It meant they’d only act like citizens of a lawful state when it suited them.
If he wasn’t careful, Jack could end up boxed up and sailing over the ocean like countless partners he had seen before.
For a moment, he toyed with the idea of resorting to loan sharks, but quickly dismissed it. Jack understood better than anyone what it meant to borrow from loan sharks while trading with various organizations.
It was merely postponing the inevitable; it wouldn’t save his life.
“Damn it…!”
But, as is often the case, wallowing in worry while pacing the casino wouldn’t solve anything. The scale of the debt he had was far beyond what he could resolve by collecting a few pittance in this place.
In that moment, one thought crossed Jack’s mind.
“…That bastard.”
Thinking back, the one who had pushed him towards the cliff had nonchalantly pulled out a high-value chip from his pocket that he had only heard about in whispers. Deriving calculations based on the money exchanged between himself and that guy at the table, he suspected he had won at least double that amount.
And just the value of that one high-denomination chip surpassed the funds Jack had been entrusted with.
If he could just get his hands on that money, he could return what he owed and still have plenty left over. The laundering was already neatly completed just by being in the casino once.
He promptly headed to the nearest contractor agency (of course, it belonged to a different organization). On the surface, it appeared to be an ordinary restaurant, but Jack knew its “special” menu.
“One pineapple pizza, please.”
Goodness, pineapple pizza? Who in their right mind puts that expensive and terrible-tasting monstrosity on their pizza? Shaking his head at the strange code, he placed his order and waited for the staff member to guide him.
“What would you like to order?”
The staff member who skillfully opened the wall to reveal a secret space asked Jack. He presented his bankbook, which contained all his savings, as collateral and placed his order.
“I’d like to buy a weapon.”
Since requesting a hit would require more information than just knowing the target’s clothing—like how they looked—it was simply too expensive for him to hire a killer. Therefore, he decided to take matters into his own hands.
“Please give me the most suitable sniper weapon within the limits of that bankbook.”
The staff member nodded and disappeared through another door for a moment. Soon, he returned with an enchanted crossbow in hand.
“This crossbow is magically enhanced to allow for sniping from about 1 kilometer away. I’ve included three arrows.”
This was more than sufficient. They were known for their high assassination success rates even against knights. He had bought a crossbow using his entire life savings as collateral. As long as the target wasn’t some sword expert or a magician of level five or above, he was confident the assassination would be a success.
Feeling reassured, he quickly wandered around the entertainment district where the casino was located.
Fortunately, he was able to spot people dressed just like those he had seen at the casino, not too far from it on a café terrace.
The two fools who drove Jack’s life to the brink of death were chattering away happily, seemingly enjoying their little romantic tryst.
It was pointless to point out how they had brought him to this state, especially since that was something only the foolishly righteous followers of the Golden Cross Church would say.
If I placed a bet, then I should win; why should that jerk walk away with my money?
So, this wasn’t an unjust act of killing someone and stealing their wealth.
This was merely delivering appropriate punishment to the scoundrel who had stolen Jack’s fortune and then fled.
“Have your fun, will you?”
Jack positioned himself atop a nearby high-rise building where he could clearly see them. He waited until they left the café and moved toward a spot less visible to others. Luckily, they stood up not long after Jack settled in.
And then the moment he had been eagerly anticipating arrived.
“Now!”
Click.
Swoosh!
The arrow sliced through the air with a sound that was unlike anything Jack had ever heard—at least not during the brawls he’d witnessed, which mostly consisted of gangsters wielding knives and trying to take his money.
‘Got it…!’
Jack was confident this would work.
But the outcome that unfolded before his eyes as he awaited the result, with the relaxation of having two more arrows left, shattered his certainty.
“…Did he catch it? The arrow?”
The scoundrel who had robbed Jack of his money spun around as if he had eyes on the back of his head, catching the arrow with his bare hands.
It was an unbelievable sight, even for Jack, who was witnessing the absurdity with his own eyes. But the shock didn’t stop there. The young lady who had been chattering and following that jerk then placed her hand on the arrow and muttered something. To Jack’s horror, the arrow twisted in mid-air.
And before Jack could even register that it had been shot, it whizzed past his ear and embedded itself into the wall.
Jack realized that something had gone horribly wrong.
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