Chapter 2
Chapter 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: I Became the Count Family's Scoundrel (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The world had perished.
Black dust that gnawed at the foundation and origin of all life, and the resultant monstrosities born from it, devoured the world with ravenous ferocity.
Even the faiths inscribed upon the sacred scriptures of the gods.
Even the splendor of civilizations that once commanded vast continents.
Even the magical creed proclaiming that mages must achieve transcendence.
All lost their light amid the thick, black fog.
Yet humanity had prepared.
For the survival of the species, for survival itself, for the gods, for transcendence.
After a great prophet foresaw this "Great Devouring," international collaborative projects transcending borders and races began.
Humanity erected walls taller than any tower.
They connected those walls longer than any mountain range in the world.
They built a cradle for humanity to defy annihilation.
This was Aden, known as the Ark City.
That was the full setup of the other world where I had landed.
"Boring and pretentious."
That was my take.
Wouldn't it have been nice if it were just a story I knew or some cliché-ridden world?
'Is this finally my ticket to an easy life?'
Ever since possessing this body named Sedric.
The moment I realized this was another world, my heart had raced.
Otherworldly transfers came with privileges by common sense, even if not in the fine print.
Panoramas of kingly plots from all the isekai stories I'd read flashed by, sending shivers of excitement through me.
'Really no abilities at all...?'
But no such luck.
Sedric was a total dullard.
A good-looking slacker who knew nothing of martial prowess or magic.
And possessing him didn't change that.
'Status window, stats, info screen, choices, selection menu?'
Not even the clicky status screen that guaranteed chaos in other worlds could be found.
Even the selection screen I'd seen right before the possession was gone.
Still, it was fine.
These days, protagonists didn't need standout abilities.
The trend was harem character farming, and heroine quality was paramount.
Did every guy need to accomplish grand feats just because he was born male?
Wasn't burying oneself in a flower garden and living happily enough?
My personal favorites were the big-breasted saintess heroine (a virgin), the tsundere grand mage heroine, and the maid heroine who couldn't resist her master's lecherous demands...
But none of that existed.
'Sedric, can I ask you one favor? Please just die quietly somewhere secluded. Stop shaming the family.'
'Just kill yourself. Kill yourself. I can't stand the sight of you.'
'It's horrifying that blood like yours flows in my veins.'
Instead, all I had was his bitchy older sister Arbel, who seemed to know exactly where to hit.
Fine.
There was always the next best thing in isekai: territory management business.
'Hah...'
But the Montraven Count family wasn't even that impressive.
Once a great noble house commanding Ark City under the empire, it had lost its magical lineage a century ago and seen its interests siphoned away bit by bit, leaving only the facade of wealth.
I still remember the disappointment when all my hopes crumbled.
But that was because my expectations were too high. Thinking plainly?
Not bad.
I'd pulled off the worst thing you could do at a funeral—revive—and succeeded.
On top of that...
Even a fallen rich house feeds you for three generations.
"Hey."
"Yes, Master Sedric."
"I'm a bit peckish."
"Right away! I'll set up your usual!"
The casino host rubbing his hands by the betting table brought out something fancy on a silver tray.
A transparent tequila glass filled with tequila as the base, tomato juice, lemon juice, and a whole fresh oyster dropped in.
A cocktail called an "oyster shooter."
"Guh, this is the stuff. Sticks right to the roof of my mouth."
I knocked back the glass, and the oceanic aroma exploded in my mouth alongside the tequila.
The salty, clean flavor of the oyster mingled with the tangy tomato and lemon, drawing forth praise.
Top it off by scorching my lungs with a cigarette...
"Guh..."
Pure bliss.
A Las Vegas oyster bar shimmered before my eyes.
"Um, young master. Is that really that good?"
"Want to try one?"
"Oh no, how could a country bumpkin like me eat something so precious."
Ark City, sealed on all sides by walls, had no official ocean.
Naturally, no brackish coastal waters either.
In such an environment, fresh raw oysters were worth their weight in gold.
One oyster shooter cost 100,000 Bios.
I'd just gulped down a month's worth of an average laborer's blood, sweat, and tears.
"I'll cover one if you deal this."
I nodded to the dealer who'd paused the game, then grabbed five bundles of purple chips.
"Ah, no... young master, what's the occasion today?"
The host's eyes, now round as saucers, frantically tallied the amount.
"Shh."
Silence fell.
The faint jazz melody from the record player faded.
Consciousness converged to a single point, and I became aware of my heart pounding within me.
Player.
Banker.
Tie.
On the polished wooden table covered in fine felt, only three zones stood out sharply.
"...This feels right."
I placed the chips on Tie.
Tie pays eight times the bet when Player and Banker tie.
It was the switch that turned baccarat's near-50/50 into true gambling.
"T-Tie bet. 5 million Bios."
The usually composed dealer kept glancing nervously at the host.
Well, 5 million Bios was no small sum.
Equivalent to a fresh salaryman's starting pay at a decent city corporation.
Far from trivial.
An absurd amount to stake on the slim 9.52% odds.
"I-Is that okay, young master? 5 million Bios? On T-Tie?"
The story dragged a bit, but as you can see, even without snagging isekai perks, I had no major complaints.
No roots in this world, possessing the talentless eldest son of a declining count's family, but lounging in a casino with 50 million Bios in deposit? A wastrel's life. Not bad.
It was my long-cherished dream.
With decent gambling luck, I could nurse a fixed sum, play conservatively, and maybe enjoy VIP treatment for a year.
"......"
But as always, I craved more.
More thrill, more dopamine scorching my nerve endings.
And my instincts and gut were screaming at the top of their lungs.
Right now.
"Hey, how much in my deposit right now?"
"Let me check... About 24 million."
"Down a lot already."
"Aw, that's still playing smart. So take it easy this time too, hehe. Shall I escort you to our room and send in two or three panorama girls? New hires just came in, and their looks are just—kya..."
I ignored the host trying to blow smoke to fold the game.
"All of it on the line."
"...Pardon?"
"All in. No table limit, right?"
A beat of silence.
The host, face drained pale, pleaded.
"Master Sedric, you can't do this! I'm saying this for your own good. Really, what if you lose it all?"
"Why's the house worrying? All in."
"But the new girl is killer!"
"I'm gay. All in."
In Vegas, big spenders torch 500 million or a billion per hand.
That's why they send private jets and comp president suites.
But this piddling casino with one VIP room was making a fuss over a measly 29 million Bios.
-Clatter!
Colorful chips piled high on the table.
"N-No more bets."
The dealer trembled.
The host clasped his hands in prayer.
A gambling den boss praying? We're screwed.
I trusted only my own luck and judgment.
My eyes fixed solely on the dealer's fingertips, the cards.
His subtly shaking hand flipped the cards on the table.
"......"
Pressure built in my ears with a brief ringing, my heart clenching tight.
My mind cleared.
Crystal clarity, as if my brain had been removed and rinsed in a hexahedral sieve.
My heart raced.
The final card flipped.
"...Ah."
The dealer let out a strangled gasp and dropped the card.
Perfect tie.
"Aaaah!!"
The host wailed in despair.
I flipped the slipped card back and flashed a grin at the dealer.
"Promise is a promise. One for you too."
My clear mind clouded instantly.
Shivers of ecstasy and pleasure raced through like popping candy laced with food dye dumped into brain fluid.
"Uuuuuuuum!!!! Whoa!!!!"
======
::: Challenges (NEW!) :::
- Attend the casino for 30 consecutive days. +1pt
- Lose 5 million Bios or more gambling. +1pt
- Bet 10 million Bios or more in one game. +2pt
- Bet 20 million Bios or more in one game. +2pt
.
.
-
::: Achievement Unlocked :::
You seized a fortune in the world of cool-headed gamblers.
The goddess of luck smiles upon you.
Today, that is.
▶ Achievement: 「Lucky for Now」 Unlocked
- 'Luck' increases slightly.
- The chance of good items appearing in ■■■■(LV.0) increases slightly.
- 30pt awarded.
======
2.
The rush from a big win doesn't fade easily.
My steps felt weightless, no gravity at all.
Before my eyes, that final card-turning moment replayed infinitely in beautiful slow motion.
No wonder—230 million Bios after the house cut.
I'd gone from nibbling at 50,000-Bios bets to scooping that sum in one night.
On a Tie bet, no less.
Drunk on the hazy border of dream and reality, I stepped out of the car.
A vehicle resembling an early 1900s Ford from my old world.
Bought outright from a nearby pawnshop.
The rest stayed in deposit.
"Jackpot hit hard."
Striding in triumphantly, someone blocked my path.
"Master Sedric. You've returned."
Albert, the old Montraven Count family butler.
He twitched one eyebrow at the shiny red sports car, then the other at my reek of cigarettes and booze.
"Yeah, old timer. Tough shift since dawn. I'm beat; gonna crash."
Honestly, Albert rubbed me the wrong way.
Early after reincarnation, I'd strutted wanting to test sword talent and gotten decked, tumbling away. Nights I came home drunk from cards, he'd pierce me with glaring eyes.
But today was different.
I had massive spoils of war now.
230 million Bios wasn't pocket change for the declining Montravens.
Felt a bit guilty hijacking his son's body willy-nilly, but here's my filial piety chance.
"Come this way a moment."
"Uh, what's this about."
Timing when to pull the casino deposit certificate from my pocket, I got dragged to the drawing room.
Once the flashiest among nearby nobles, now under a chandelier passé by fashion.
A familiar silhouette stood leisurely.
Lustrous golden blonde flowing like honey.
Creamy pale skin smooth as buttered lamb, bewitching golden eyes gleaming yellow.
Slender body lines peeking through thin nightgown, beauty overwhelming to behold.
Sedric's sister.
A "true" mage who'd opened her third eye and reached 1st Rank.
The last hope of the Montraven Count family, bereft of magical lineage for ages.
Arbel Montraven.
Damn, she's always been stupidly pretty.
"...Hm."
Truth be told, that first reincarnation day, I'd thought Arbel—born of Sedric's late mother—was the ultimate heroine.
Sure, incest, but I'm a mind-over-matter guy.
Spirit above flesh? No issue.
"Sedric, rolling in the gambling dens again?"
"C'mon, sis."
"Don't act chummy. Gives me the creeps."
But pretty Arbel's true nature was a gorgeous poison mushroom.
A scary sister who turned venomous at the sight of Sedric.
Heard they hadn't been this bad originally—what the hell happened while "Sedric" slept?
No way to know.
When incensed, she'd unilaterally tear into him.
I'd kept it passive to avoid long chats risking "FYI, your son's soul got swapped."
"So why'd you call? Even sending Albert."
She approached step by step.
"Because I have a chance to get rid of you from my sight."
Her steps echoed because Arbel's frame was petite compared to her presence.
To Sedric towering over 180 cm, her eye level barely reached his chest.
Looking up at him with youthful beauty, she seemed far younger than her mid-20s brother.
Well, mages and all.
Then.
-Ding!
A notification rang in my ear.
Chills prickled.
Before Arbel could speak, before I could pull the ornate certificate.
[ 1. Obediently go to the academy ]
[ 2. Refuse enrollment and confess burning love to Arbel ]
What filled my vision first was the déjà vu choices.
"......"
What the fuck.