Cards were laid out in three places in front of the Demon Lord. Three games were happening simultaneously.
“17, 14, 9.”
A light gesture continued without any conversation. Cards were added or stopped, and chips exchanged hands based on the results.
While dozens of rounds were being played at another table, hundreds of rounds quickly unfolded without delay.
In blackjack, the number of chips exchanged during a game isn’t that high. As a result, the amount didn’t pile up too much, but enough for someone to afford a meal with gold-value gems was building up.
“What’s going on? Why isn’t he losing money? Isn’t losing money in a casino the norm? How does he do that? Is it some trick that only Demon Realm betrayers can use?”
Nathaniel, who had a hobby of losing money, was wide-eyed.
“Ha! Ha! Ha!”
Pastel had a clever look on her face.
“Don’t you know, Nathaniel? That’s card memorization! As the cards are revealed, they memorize them all, calculating probabilities! Smart people like the Demon Lord and me don’t lose money!”
Wow! I just said something really smart! Once the Demon Lord finishes this game, I could bet my whole fortune on a game of poker! If I win just one round properly, I’ll double my fortune!
“What are you talking about?”
Nathaniel looked bewildered.
“He’s using six decks, and every time a round ends, the cards are shuffled. How can you count cards in that case? Plus, I heard there’s some tricky magic involved, but I don’t know.”
Huh?
What the heck?
Curiously tilting her head, Pastel walked over to the Demon Lord.
“How do you make money, Demon Lord?”
Whisper, whisper.
If you share the secret, Pastel could become the richest person in the world!
Thanks to the Fairy, the Demon Lord’s position, which had been pushed back, might be restored, too!
『Stay. It’s not about making money. It’s about enduring through luck. The risk of losing per round in blackjack isn’t that high, so if luck holds out, chips keep circulating. After all, the goal is to fill the VIP spending quota, so it works out well.』
Huh? That doesn’t sound right at all! No matter how I look at it, it seems like he’s winning little by little! It’s totally possible to buy Pastel something to eat with expensive dining!
The Demon Lord looked over at Nathaniel.
『What’s the VIP spending criteria? This seems good enough.』
“Well, since the amounts keep circulating, I’m not sure.”
『A weakling who doesn’t help at all from start to finish.』
“Excuse me?”
『Dealer, what’s my current spending amount?』
Watching the Demon Lord carefully, the dealer hesitated but quickly ran the numbers.
“You only need to play twenty more rounds to fulfill your quota. Are you looking to enter VIP?”
『Correct.』
“There are indeed some who come in just for entry privileges, so I’ll speed things up for you.”
『Thanks.』
Upon hearing the explanation, the dealer stopped watching for tricks and sped up the game.
As the games continued, the Demon Lord’s chips gradually decreased, and after about twenty rounds, they returned exactly to the amount he originally had.
Huh?
『Has the luck run out.』
The Demon Lord said blandly after finishing exactly twenty rounds.
Huh?
The dealer smiled brightly.
“Unfortunately, it seems so. But it looks like you filled your quota.”
『That’s a relief. Let’s end it here.』
The Demon Lord dusted off his hands and left the table.
Pastel’s eyes widened at the chips she had merely matched.
“Wahhh?! If only I had stopped earlier, I would’ve been winning!”
She grabbed her head and shook it, her twin tails flapping as they slapped the Demon Lord.
『Don’t talk like a gambling addict. After all, the game is designed for players to lose by probability. There’s nothing worse than betting your life on a designed probability.』
“But! But! You played so well until just now, Demon Lord! The pot was low, so the amount wasn’t piling up easily, but you completely dominated the game! If we played all day, you’d be rich!”
Rich! Rich!
The Demon Lord is rich!
And I’m living off a rich person!
Double the riches!
『You’re just repeating the same thing all day long.』
The Demon Lord sighed deeply.
Pastel whirled around to face Nathaniel.
“You saw it too, right?! Super, super ultra skill! No matter how I look at it, it was skill, right?!”
Nathaniel furrowed his eyebrows.
“Well, yeah? Even though I floated in and out of here, I’ve never seen anything like this. Plus, it felt like he was scheming something with the dealer at the end?”
“Right?! Right?! The dealer seemed to notice the opponent was doing something, but in reality, didn’t know what, and since the amount wasn’t large, they were turning a blind eye! At the end, it looked like the Demon Lord was intentionally losing, so they were completely letting it go!”
If only I knew the secret, I could be rich too……!
A clicking sound resonated.
The Demon Lord’s red eyes glared at Nathaniel.
It was a look directed at someone weak in body, weak in mind, lacking in thought, and completely oblivious.
『You’re no help. Instead of standing by and chatting, go get the VIP entry. Didn’t you say you didn’t have time? Why are you so relaxed? Are you here to play?』
“Huh?”
Nathaniel, bewildered by the baseless oppression, stumbled off to get the entry. No—he was about to but turned back.
“We have to go together anyway…?”
『Then stop dawdling and guide me.』
Nathaniel wore a sullen expression.
The VIP area had a separate entrance as it leads into the depths of the casino. The guards, wielding swords and guns, stood watch, adding an air of tension.
The guard checked the entrance.
“Your spending quota has been met. Welcome to the VIP list. Are you trying to enter with that individual?”
He gestured at Pastel.
『Correct. I brought her as my attendant, and she is officially the representative.』
Hehe.
The Demon Lord called me ‘my lady’~.
Pastel blushed, covering her cheeks and twisting her body.
Ehehe.
Acting like it’s not a big deal, but he must have thought that all along! No wonder he does all the laundry and cooking for me!
The guard looked troubled.
“Then the young lady must also meet the spending quota to enter. It’s calculated per person.”
The Demon Lord narrowed his eyes and glanced at Nathaniel.
“What? That’s nonsense! If the attendant meets the criteria, the owner should be able to enter too!”
Nathaniel flinched and protested.
“Recently, due to Governor Craft visiting the capital, we’ve been on edge, and regulations have changed. It has become difficult to abuse the system, so from now on, proxies cannot enter.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?! The attendant is the owner’s hands and feet, so why the distinction?”
“Because those hands and feet may be wielding guns and swords. If the young lady wants to enter, she’ll have to come up with her own quota.”
Having been trapped in secret operations for a while, Nathaniel was taken aback.
Ugh.
“Nathaniel, I’m okay! Let’s play some games!”
Yay~!
The Demon Lord had a newfound reason to be unyielding!
The Demon Lord looked displeased.
Nathaniel raked his hair in frustration.
“There’s no time to fill the quota. We could stay up till dawn, but…”
“And.”
The guard suddenly spoke.
“There are stricter regulations for minors.”
“Huh?”
He pointed at the notice hanging on the wall.
No entry for minors after midnight.
“VIP areas are exceptions, but in general areas, this rule applies without exception. Even if you bring your family name, it won’t work.”
Wahhh!
So strict…!
“Why even have such a rule?!”
“Some of the legislators complained when their kids didn’t return late at night. Still, the VIP area is an exception, so keep that in mind.”
“Wahhh!”
Pastel trembled in protest.
That’s so unfair! So unfair!
Even minors deserve the freedom to gamble all night!
“Oh? If that’s the case, I really won’t have time to fill the quota? Wait, guard! Why do you have such ridiculous rules?! I’m Nathaniel of the Presley Family! Someone like me should be given flexibility!”
Nathaniel tried to flex his power.
“I see. I already know. Because you’re VIP.”
“What?!”
However, it seemed futile as the Demon Lord appeared satisfied for some reason.
『Oh, well then. Since this is the case, it seems only I and this guy can enter. You should head home.』
It was clear he would only allow Nathaniel in to permit him access to the casino.
Wahhh!
I don’t want to!
I really don’t want to!
Pastel wants to gamble all night too!
“Is there some sort of problem with that?”
Suddenly, a gambler leading some members of the VIP area approached. He scanned Pastel and her party before laughing smugly.
“If you’re short on funds, a few big games should cover it, right? Want to play with us?”
Huh?
“Big games?”
“I was about to play a game of poker with my crew, and there happens to be an open seat.”
“Wow! I’ve played poker a bit!”
“Well then! Want to join?”
The gambler grinned widely.
“I want to! I want to!”
Such good people!
The Demon Lord seemed uneasy.
『Wait, this looks suspicious—』
“The attendant stays behind~! From now on, it’s the young lady’s time!”
It’s a double-your-wealth event!
Yay!
Pastel gathered together her credit and cash assets and quickly sat at the table. Documents naming properties in the Demon Realm turned into heaps of chips.
“What a big spender! We need to match the chips!”
The gambler’s eyes widened. He then exchanged significant glances with his crew. It seemed like they wanted to match the young lady’s bold stake.
Such kind people!
The chips piled high on the table as the game began.
One round, two rounds, three rounds, four rounds.
Boo boo boo~!
“Well, darn, I’m out here.”
One of the gamblers laid down their hand.
“Seems like that young lady has a good hand again?”
“Not really! I’ll raise you!”
More chips were added. Pastel couldn’t help but grin broadly.
With her violet lens eyes, she took a quick look at her pile of chips. They had definitely piled up significantly.
Before long, it was almost at 1.5 times!
Her smile couldn’t be contained.
1.5 times the usable assets!
Whoa, I feel like a gambling genius!
Totally, totally feel like a genius!
Maybe I can even take the Demon Lord as my disciple!
Boo roo boo boo.
“What?! Why isn’t this working out?!”
Another gambler revealed his hand.
Huh?
If he folds, it reduces the chips I can take.
Pastel’s expression shifted to one of anxiety. Glancing over at the remaining opponents, she noticed that one of them wasn’t happy with his hand, frowning down at his cards. Then he slyly looked over at Pastel.
“This looks like a bluff, right? Your hand can’t possibly keep being that good.”
Whoa.
How do you know?
Pastel acted nervous.
The gambler’s eyes lit up with mischief.
“You can’t just roll the dice. All in.”
His entire stack of chips was pushed to the center of the table.
Whoa.
Pastel evaluated her chips against his and the pile in the middle.
It was roughly similar.
If I win, that means I’ll triple my usable assets…!
Her eyes spun.
“I’ve got the winning hand! You’re done for!”
The gambler stood up to collect his betting chips.
“Wait!”
Pastel quickly stopped him.
“I’m going all in too!”
She shoved all her chips to the center.
The chips piled up like a mountain.
Eheh.
Her smile couldn’t be contained.
I’m smart, so I’ll take this and head out!
“Show your cards already!”
Pastel pointed assertively.
The gambler grinned.
Huh?
He exchanged meaningful glances with his crew and then revealed his cards.
Pastel carefully checked the opponent’s two cards. Then she examined the dealer’s five cards and pondered what combinations would be formed.
Heart A
Heart 2
Heart 3
Heart 4
Heart 5
Huh.
A straight flush.
Probability of 0.0014%.
What?
Pastel jumped up.
“Wahhh! This is cheating!”
The gambler grinned.
“Looks like luck is on my side!”
No way! How could that even be luck?!
This is cheating! Cheating!
I’ve been played!
No wonder I was winning at first!
As soon as I went all in, he’s cheating!
This is a plot! It’s definitely a plot!
“There are no reversals of victory or defeat! Hand over the chips!”
“Wahhh!”
Pastel tossed her head back in frustration, twirling her twin ponytails.
“Dealer! This is cheating! Totally cheating! Cheat!”
“We merely act as intermediaries and do not involve ourselves in the outcome.”
The dealer answered nonchalantly.
It’s ridiculous!
“No way that’s just luck!”
“We merely act as intermediaries and do not involve ourselves in the outcome.”
It’s ludicrous!
This is real cheating…!
“Wahhh!”
Pastel wailed, refusing to reveal her hand, prompting the dealer to reach out.
As the cards turned over, they came into view.
Heart K
Heart J
Combining with the dealer’s hand.
Heart A
Heart K
Heart Q
Heart J
Heart 10
Huh?
Royal straight flush.
Probability of 0.00015%.
Huh.
But I was luckier~!
“What?”
The gambler, who had been reaching for the chips, froze.
“How did that even happen…!”
The chairs shook violently.
“Hey you cheater!”
The gambler’s crew sprang up in alarm.
Wahhh!
Pastel quivered in fear.
She was just lucky…!
“This is invalid! Invalid! Dealer!”
“We merely act as intermediaries and do not involve ourselves in the outcome,” the dealer replied nonchalantly.
Pastel trembled uncontrollably.
“There are no reversals of victory or defeat!”
“You should know your limits, you cheater…!”
Wahhh!
Why are you doing this to me?!
Totally bad people!
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