Chapter 37

"Why are you here? Where's Rotaer?"

"......"

Leandros didn't answer.

Tired of watching the gambling hall and observing people's emotions, he had gone looking for a place where there were no people.

A place where those who had no more money were standing around pitifully.

But who he met there was none other than Leandros.

Leandros had been standing blankly, but he flinched as soon as he saw him.

Since then, he had remained in this state.

Standing straight with his hands behind his back and legs slightly apart, head bowed, as if he were being disciplined.

He hadn't even told him to stand that way.

It was absurd.

"If something happened, you should tell me. I can't read minds."

"......"

What could have happened in the meantime?

Leandros appeared greatly disheartened.

If not that, then perhaps something extremely unpleasant had occurred.

After a long while, Leandros finally opened his mouth.

"I gambled because it was necessary, but."

"......?"

"I lost everything."

"?"

What was he saying?

Leandros was now frowning.

For someone who could usually only manage to look cold or expressionless, it was quite something to see him scrunching his face in anger.

And he was especially sulky after losing everything in gambling.

Seeing him like this, it felt real that Leandros was actually younger than himself in real life.

"How much did you lose?"

"......All of my money."

"Ah."

After parting with Arndt, they had divided their travel expenses in half in case of an emergency.

Of course, they hadn't drawn a line specifying whose money was whose, but.

Technically, wasn't it his money?

Since it came from the information he sold.

"Why did you participate in the game? Did it look fun?"

"No. While pursuing Rotaer, I judged it necessary."

"I, I see. How much were you trying to win?"

"About fifty gold coins."

Even if he sold Leandros here, he wouldn't be able to earn that much...

He swallowed the words that were about to come out.

Given Leandros's character, it wasn't likely to be a lie or an exaggeration.

Anyway, he must have had some protagonist-like logic.

He asked again.

"Was the situation so urgent that you found it difficult to discuss it with me first?"

"I couldn't drag Your Grace into such a dirty game."

That was the reason?

That was the reason?

He considered giving Leandros a smack but decided against it.

Instead, he dragged Leandros to the cup gambling table.

"Your Grace. This place."

"I'll give you this."

He handed Leandros one silver coin he had been carrying.

Leandros looked at it and opened his mouth in bewilderment, but he cut him off.

"Listen carefully. There's nothing fair in gambling. All talk of luck and such is made up. This is a mud pit where scams and schemes prevail from beginning to end."

"Luck... isn't real?"

"Of course not."

The biggest misconception that complete novices have about gambling is one thing.

Thinking that they could win if only their luck was good.

Or thinking they lost money because their luck was bad.

Leandros seemed to be pondering something while holding the silver coin.

He pointed at the board with stones and cups.

"Your motion vision is good, right? You should be able to do this easily."

"But."

"Just for your reference, there are two stones used here."

After finishing his words, he pushed through the crowd and seated Leandros.

The dealer, who had just finished fleecing a pitiful victim, smiled broadly.

"What a handsome fellow. Want to try this? Do you have some money?"

Leandros dropped a single silver coin onto the wooden board.

The dealer's smile now nearly reached his ears.

"Oh my, betting such a large amount. I wonder if you'll be alright. This is quite simple! I'll put this stone under a cup and mix them up, and you just need to pick the cup with the stone."

"I understand."

"Keep your eyes wide open! The stone is here! Did you see it well?"

The dealer, with exaggerated movements, demonstratively placed the stone inside a cup.

Then he arranged two identical empty cups on the board.

A total of three cups.

Even the onlookers were enjoying watching the game of the "handsome man" who appeared to be a novice.

"Now, I'll mix them. Don't take your eyes off! You must watch!"

The same skill.

The dealer started by mixing the cups slowly, but gradually increased the speed.

It was confusing even for him.

But Leandros was quietly watching those cups.

The cups that were being mixed so quickly that they made a scraping sound on the board stopped, and the dealer asked.

"Which cup?"

"The first one."

Leandros answered.

At that, the surrounding onlookers erupted in exclamations.

Some claimed they saw it in the third one, others insisted the first one was wrong.

The dealer, pretending to be solemn but with twitching cheekbones, asked again.

"The first one! Really the first one?"

"Hmm."

"Then I'll open it now!"

The dealer slowly opened the first cup.

Amid everyone holding their breath, the dealer's face was already filled with joy.

"...Huh?"

Of course, it soon disappeared when the stone appeared under the cup.

"What?"

"It, it was the first one?"

"I thought it was the third or second one too."

People murmured.

The dealer, unable to hide his bewildered expression, looked alternately at Leandros and the stone, then quickly composed himself and clapped.

"Wow, I've never seen someone with such good luck! Would it be okay if I gave you your stake in copper coins? How about trying one more time? The young man is good at this!"

"Then once more."

"One silver coin like before?"

"No. Everything, including what I just won."

Suddenly the stakes doubled.

The atmosphere heated up due to the large amount of money bet on a simple game.

As if determined to recover this time, the dealer poured copper coins onto the wooden board and inserted the stone.

The cups were mixed at a speed several times faster than before.

The three cups laid out that way.

The dealer triumphantly exclaimed.

"Which one?"

"The third one."

"The third one! Really the third one? I'll give you a chance to change. I'm offering this because I feel sorry for the young man."

But Leandros was resolute.

"The third one."

The dealer lifted the third cup.

When the stone appeared underneath, the surrounding onlookers were about to go crazy.

Of course, the dealer who had to pay out two silver coins felt the same.

They only left the table after securing eight silver coins.

The expression of the dealer, who had lost in an instant what he had earned the entire night, was quite a sight to behold.

Having avenged himself, Leandros's expression looked much more at ease.

"Could you see well?"

"Yes. I didn't know wide sleeves could be used that way."

While putting away the silver coins carefully inside his clothes, Leandros continued.

"What you said about there being two stones was also correct. I noticed they dropped one into the sleeve while mixing."

"There's a reason they don't open and show the other cups."

Open one cup, show the stone.

But in reality, there's another reserve stone in the unopened cup.

The dealer skillfully flicks the shown stone into his sleeve while mixing.

The participant inevitably points to an empty cup.

And while pretending to clear the board, he secretly adds another stone again.

It was a simple scam.

But it was a scam easy to fall for if one didn't know.

Leandros asked as if he had just remembered something.

"How did Your Grace know?"

"I've been watching that game continuously."

Actually, he had just remembered a video about the history of gambling he had seen on YouTube long ago.

Leandros nodded.

Somehow, it felt like his trust in him had increased.

"Anyway, now we have eight silver coins. When do we turn them into gold coins?"

One hundred copper coins make one silver coin. One hundred silver coins make one gold coin.

Thinking this way, they would need to amass five thousand silver coins to enter.

While he was pondering, Leandros was staring fixedly at another direction.

What was he looking at?

In the direction Leandros was looking, a gamble using cups and dice was taking place.

It was a game where several dice were placed inside a cup, shaken, and then the player had to guess whether the sum of the dice showing was odd or even.

He wondered what technique this one used.

While he was intently watching the ongoing game, Leandros asked first.

"Would it be alright if I try?"

"That one? Do you understand how it works?"

"Yes."

That one? Just by watching briefly?

But Leandros was already walking towards that gambling table.

He had shown him how to dip his feet in the water, and now Leandros wanted to swim.

Leandros sat in an empty seat, took out three silver coins, seemed to touch the dice and cup, and then proceeded with the game in a convivial atmosphere.

He joined the onlookers to watch the game.

He thought Leandros had gained confidence.

Otherwise, how could he join a gambling table he had only briefly observed?

While thinking this and watching the game, his mouth soon fell open.

Win once, double the stake.

Win again, and now, with confidence, add more silver coins.

In this way, the sixth round of the game ended.

And thus, Leandros brought back stakes amounting to 2 gold coins.

By the way, the dealer looked as if his very soul had been stripped.

Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked Leandros.

"How did you do that?"

"The dice had subtly different weights. An ordinary person wouldn't have noticed."

"What?"

"So I calculated the trajectory of how each die would move inside the cup according to its weight. It was a simple task."

...That was simple?

Was it possible to calculate that in one's head?

But seeing Leandros's strangely confident face, he couldn't bring himself to challenge him.

Leandros continued to break game after game.

He had simply informed him once that gambling dens were scams.

But Leandros had reached some level of enlightenment on his own, identifying scam techniques and winning money.

He could understand if there was some buff attached to his protagonist position, but...

...This seemed a bit extreme.

Around him, people who had lost money were either quitting or crying.

He contemplatively watched Leandros, who was sweeping through gambling tables like a hurricane in the gambling world.

He pondered whether it was a good or bad thing that Leandros was the protagonist...

In this manner, in less than two hours, Leandros returned with 64 gold coins in hand.

They received an invitation to go beyond the red curtain as today's VVIPs.

* * *

Entering beyond the curtain, they saw a long corridor. There were several rooms along the corridor.

From each room densely packed all the way to the end of the corridor, faint sounds of laughter or shouting could be heard from inside.

The guide whispered to him.

"You can enjoy fun games with specially prepared people."

"Specially prepared people? Like those running the tables outside?"

"Those people are no match for someone like you, young master! It's your first time here, and you've won so much in one go! You must find it boring, don't you?"

He almost turned to look at Leandros who was following behind.

It wasn't him who won the money.

It was the person behind him who won it.

"How does this work here?"

"If you wait in the room for a moment, we'll send people to you. They're the best gamblers who can meet your expectations, young master."

Ah.

So the format was to wait in the room and play with dealers affiliated with the gambling den.

Customized gambling where he could privately enjoy the game of his choice.

He didn't know who had developed such a thing in this era, but they seemed to possess quite an extraordinary ability, at least limited to entertainment.

Plus, introducing the concept of customized luxury.

He nodded.

"Show me."

The guide, bowing repeatedly, provided a room.

It was a small room that would normally be used as an individual prayer room or lodging.

The room was adorned with splendid decorations and paintings, a plush sofa, a large table, and some alcohol and beverages.

There was a paragon of luxury inside the prayer hall.

He couldn't help but laugh wryly at the service that looked like a luxury inn.

He sat on the sofa, and Leandros stood by the door.

The guide brought in several people after a short while, but he shook his head.

"What fun would there be in enjoying a game with just a dealer and me? I'd like to mingle with other guests."

"Many usually play with those who came together, but since you don't have any companions, young master..."

"Nothing can be done about it."

He nodded to Leandros.

Leandros tossed a heavy money pouch onto the still empty table.

As a result, the tied string came undone, and several gold coins spilled out.

"Find another guest. If it's a game betting one's entire fortune, wouldn't there be many people whose eyes light up?"

"Young master, that's."

"It's also troublesome to accommodate such a request, isn't it? Thank you for your hard work."

Imitating a department head at a meeting with a subcontracted company, he tossed one of the spilled gold coins.

Though he thought a gold coin might be a bit much for a tip, the effect was definite.

The guide, who had been about to refuse, hurriedly accepted the gold coin and bowed deeply several times.

"I'll search thoroughly for someone! Please wait a moment, young master!"

True to the principles of capitalism, the guide quickly left the room.

All they had to do was wait.

How long did they wait?

There was a commotion in the corridor.

And with a knock, the guide came in, dragging in a staggering person.

"Thank you for waiting! Young master, this guest is one who has spent several years in this prayer hall, and can be said to be a master among masters! If you chat for a while, I'll soon bring the items!"

The guide quickly left and closed the door.

Three people remained in the small room.

The person the guide had brought had severe gray hair, which was matted and stuck together in various places.

His clothes looked relatively decent, but upon closer inspection, dirty spots were noticeable.

His beard was quite thick as he hadn't shaved for a long time, and his eyes were red.

Despite his shabby appearance, the man spoke with his shoulders fully squared.

Incongruously, his face was full of arrogance and self-pride.

"Speaking of myself, I once won 200 gold coins in a single card game. Don't resent me too much if you lose all your money today."

"That's impressive."

"What game shall we play? Dice? Cards? Do you intend to bet all this gold? It will be an exciting game! Speaking of myself, in the old days, in a dice game..."

"Wait, before we get into details, shall we introduce ourselves?"

His gaze was on Leandros.

The man, focused on the gold coins, opened his mouth.

"Right, my name is..."

"Rotaer. Rotaer Licht."

It wasn't him who had spoken.

At the name quietly uttered by Leandros, who was standing by the door, the man froze instantly.

He turned his head creakily towards Leandros.

Rotaer slowly backed up until he bumped into the table.

Gold coins poured onto the floor like a golden waterfall.

Trembling like a debtor who had seen a loan shark, Rotaer momentarily looked at him.

He removed the hood he had been wearing all along.

Rotaer Licht.

The former head butler of the Hartmann ducal family, and before that...

"It's been a long time, Head Butler. It's your first time seeing me all grown up, isn't it?"

Rotaer, the gambling addict who had nearly ruined the gambling den operated by the viscounty.

He was now standing before him.