Great Governor Pastel~!
She’s great at games! Great at gambling! And super smart~!
Having met the entry requirements, Pastel strolled along humming, her borrowed flats from Melissa striking the red carpet of the VIP area.
“Thud! Thud!”
The Demon Lord looked on suspiciously.
“What kind of mischief did you get into in that secret room for the fraudsters to protest and scream like that?”
“Pufufu! I counted cards with my brilliant mind!”
Just one scratch can call a Fairy!
Two scratches make my poker hand sparkle!
Three scratches fill my wallet!
Ha, this is card counting!
I’m totally smart!
The Demon Lord’s suspicion deepened. It seemed to be the demeanor of someone who’d get suspicious rather than happy when an inherently lazy student suddenly aced their tests.
“Don’t learn from bad actions. You did well not to fall for the fraudsters, but still…”
Her pink eyes sparkled.
“Right! Right! I did super well!”
Pastel Super Super Ultra!
“Yay! Yay! I got a compliment!”
I must live like this from now on!
Pastel hopped around.
“Whaaa. How did you do it?! I’ve frequented this place so much, yet I’ve never won money from the VIPs!”
Nathaniel asked excitedly, looking like a gambling addict confronted with a cheat code. Given his gambling addict act, it wasn’t an exaggeration.
“Eh?”
Pastel smiled and elongated her words.
“You don’t know that? Card counting! Only smart people can do it!”
“Card counting! Aha! Of course! There’s a secret to it! I knew it!”
Nathaniel swung his fist in excitement.
“It’s not about luck or probability; there’s a secret! The reason I lost all this time was that learning takes time and experience! It’s all just tuition fees, meaning I’ll recover it in the end! No matter what the butler says, I’m not entirely wrong! I’m just a bit slow in learning!”
The Demon Lord, watching this, looked utterly taken aback, spinning halfway around in disbelief.
“What’s good about a guy like that?”
The Demon Lord appeared genuinely curious.
Pastel’s eyes widened. After a moment of silence, she mumbled with a curious tone.
“A wandering self…?”
Her red eyes looked confused.
Pastel just chuckled gleefully.
She had dressed up for a date today, but she had totally forgotten about Nathaniel’s presence, and honestly, she wasn’t sure what to make of it.
But she definitely felt some camaraderie? Normally, she would have hesitated to enter such a gambling den that looked so pinkish and slightly off, but no matter how much she disguised herself in purple, she had followed in like water flowing.
Suddenly recalling something, Pastel poked the Demon Lord in the side, mischief dancing on her lips.
“Demon Lord, when you ask me those questions, it like looks like you’re indirectly confirming why mom chose dad over you.”
Is it a little pathetic for a heartbroken guy to hold onto a married woman?
Just a little bit much!
“That’s absolute nonsense.”
The Demon Lord touched his forehead.
But there seemed to be a mental blow after all, as his walking speed slowed, and his expression became slightly vacant.
“Ooof.”
Pastel felt a tingle of betrayal.
I defeated the Great Demon!
Pastel became an exorcist!
“Wow! I’m an exorcist!”
Genius! Youngest! Breaking records! All the great descriptors!
Jumping around, she arrived at the VIP area.
While even the existing area operated for nobility and wealthy folk, lacking ostentation, this place was on a different level.
You could feel a restrained, dignified luxury. Gold is something everyone has, and it seemed to say that dignity lies in formality.
Melissa would nod at this demeanor. But learning it was a gambling den, she’d likely shake her head.
“Ugh, black red black red.”
Available colors all over the area were only selectable in business mode!
Pastel felt utterly drained.
It seemed the atmosphere wouldn’t allow a lucky, newly minted Governor Pastel, who met the Emperor, to be here.
Ahh.
She was a wealthy, unlucky Pastel Lovecraft.
Huh?
Thinking back, I’m from the historic Craft Family. Not an unlucky new rich but a lineage with deep roots.
Pastel rolled her pink eyes and slowly started to feel revitalized. It felt like she was in a space where the air was familiar.
Her expression turned a bit arrogant.
“Finally, I’ve arrived at a place that suits my dignity! It’s been a long time coming!”
Wow.
“What are you doing?”
Nathaniel waved his hand dismissively and pointed around.
“The game setup in the VIP area isn’t vastly different, but the presence of private rooms for each person makes a big difference. Usually for servants’ waiting areas, but they can be used differently.”
Connections to radical groups or cult meetings were among them.
Originally, even knowing the rendezvous spot, it would be difficult to access due to the encrypted communication system and ever-changing locations. However, thanks to Nathaniel, who pretended to be a gambling addict but was really a secret agent for the princess, they could easily navigate the obstacles.
That’s some secret agent skill!
Even if he sounded like a gambling addict moments earlier, it was all an act!
“Where’s the cult? What’s going on?”
Sadly, the hateful cult that had terrorized the train station earlier seemed to have vanished without a trace at the very front of Governor Pastel.
“Ugh. Quick to catch on.”
Should she be proud as a daughter of her father’s efficiency? She had no idea.
Honestly, having gotten the cult out of the way, she headed towards the radical group’s meeting point.
She intended to forge a connection with them and use Nathaniel’s help to steal the evidence from within.
While Nathaniel could do it alone, he wasn’t very cooperative, and objectively, he wasn’t reliable either; thus, it was riskier to undertake a solo mission.
Stopping at one of the sparsely placed private rooms along the red carpeted hall, a fancy golden plate caught her eye.
Pastel swallowed hard.
“What do I do now? Knock three times and then tap twice in rhythm? Or slip a note with a code under the door?”
What an adventurous feeling.
Nathaniel, feeling shy, rubbed his nose.
“Usually, it’s left opened, so just open the door and walk in.”
“Huh?”
“It’s an open hallway, so doing that would actually stand out.”
That’s true.
Her pink eyes sparkled.
“Wow, Nathaniel, you were totally professional just now!”
This is the aura of a secret agent!
Nathaniel’s expression turned proud. It seemed he felt it was good to have visited the gambling den frequently.
Uh-oh, that wasn’t a compliment.
“You’ve kept being trapped because of me, and I don’t know who the rendezvous source is right now, so just stay back, and I’ll handle it.”
“Yes! Demon Lord, please wait outside for a moment!”
“Sure.”
Nathaniel opened the door. The spacious private room seemed to embody a hotel.
A man seated on a sofa reading a newspaper looked up.
“Lord Presley? They said you went missing, but you look fine. Where did you go?”
“Stepped in it.”
Nathaniel grimaced.
Huh?
What’s this reaction? Is that guy bad news?
“Calling it a turn of events is too much.”
He pointed at Pastel.
“Anyway, I came to introduce you to a human who wants to join our faction.”
The newspaper folded. The man neatly folded the paper further and placed it aside before finally directing his gaze at Pastel.
It wasn’t a look indicating he guessed she was Governor Pastel due to Craft’s special purple dye and makeup techniques.
“Welcome. There is a misunderstanding that we reject all humans, which is indeed a misunderstanding. We prefer rational and logical humans and would love external sponsors even more. Are you the daughter of someone from the target organization?”
Pastel felt like an interviewee.
Pass! Pass! Pass!
What’s key to passing…!
With that feeling, she threw her arms up victoriously.
“Long live the Great Demon King!”
Flattery! It’s all about flattery!
“The Empire is a mere mortal, unable to reach the absolute sovereign that is you! Long live! Long live!”
Nathaniel and the man were stunned.
“Long live the Great Demon King!”
Pastel jumped around, her expression radiating sincere loyalty only a true vassal could create.
The first to regain composure was the man.
“You’ve brought a rather significant sponsor in many ways.”
“Uh, uh.”
“The admission procedures will be prepared. Other than that, do you have other matters?”
“None….”
As Nathaniel was about to confirm that, he caught Pastel’s “What about this?” look and remembered the extra task.
“I heard Governor Craft was attacked by the cult, and there are rumors that we caused it. Is that true?”
The man cleared his throat.
“That’s a matter we’ve been troubled over too. We didn’t do anything, yet the Governor insists it’s our fault. Why should we be blamed for the negotiations with the cult?”
“Oh? Is that so?”
Nathaniel glanced back.
Pastel used her eyes to signal, “Say it!”
As a victim, I know for sure it was the radicals causing the trouble! The cult sent them to cause suffering to people right in front of me! The Fairy can testify!
“Got it. Still, I want to confirm, so please send any related information to my mansion.”
“Understood.”
The man jotted it down lightly.
“However, since the recommendation came from the head, while I’ll skip the ideological checks, I have to follow procedures since you’re human, so we need to move somewhere private. Miss, please come with me. We’ll discuss briefly.”
“Yes! Long live the Demon King!”
Pastel dutifully followed the man. They entered a soundproof room. The soundproof magic circle was activated.
“While the Emperor is just an ordinary human being, he is surprisingly knowledgeable.”
“Yup! Yup!”
Pastel’s cheeks flushed.
“Betraying the family of the crush who you liked! Taking all their assets and stashing them in the imperial treasury!”
Her finger pointed to where the Imperial Palace might be.
“Just because he got dumped, he acts so small! This is why he proposed publicly before the subjects during the founding festival only to be rejected! Wasn’t it during the founding festival? Really, bang bang! Black history in the books! Documented in history!”
Mom’s excellent choice! Yes!
“Long live the Great Demon King!”
Pastel bounced around.
The man looked utterly stunned.
He seemed speechless at first, but then covered his face with his hands. The skin tightened as if peeling off a mask.
Huh?
As his face revealed itself, Mr. Penguin adjusted his hair. Mr. Penguin grinned with a newly tidied-up face.
“Governor, I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Mr. Penguin seemed bashful.
“As you surmised last time, our budget is a bit tight, so I’ve been scrambling around.”
Mr. Penguin.
He’s Elly’s older brother, a confidant from the moderate faction.
But as it turned out, he was also the Empire’s spy hidden by the Great Emperor to exterminate the Demon King.
But today, it seemed he had infiltrated the radical faction, too.
Huh?
– Betraying the family of the crush he liked…
Huh?
– Just because he got dumped, acting so small! That’s why he proposed publicly before the subjects during the founding festival only to be rejected! Wasn’t it during the founding festival? Really, bang bang! Black history in the books! Documented in history!
Pastel felt a profound loyalty swell within her.
Her arms flew up like lightning.
“Long live the Great Emperor who oversees all!”
Good girl Pastel has always followed!
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