Trust Me
Trust me—the illegal gambling den known as Sweet Dessert. The most meticulous yet sloppy thing about this place was its membership-only policy. If you didn't know the procedure, it was so airtight you'd never suspect the café was a gambling house. Conversely, once you learned that special procedure, it became easier to break into than anywhere else—like a house made of candy waiting to be robbed.
The so-called special procedure wasn't anything complicated. Put on a decent disguise, walk straight toward the owner like you couldn't care less about the café, and say:
"I heard you're selling the sweetest thing in the world."
"We don't have anything like that."
"I was told you did."
After spitting out a line that made my hands and feet curl up in secondhand embarrassment, I slid one gold across the counter. The owner would answer, "Please wait in the room and I'll guide you shortly." Then I'd enter the fourth of the five rooms in the Sweet Dessert café and wait quietly. Soon the wall inside the room would vanish, stairs would appear, and I'd head down. That was it.
Because knowing the procedure already guaranteed my identity, even a completely new face would be waved through without question.
I can call this half a success, at least.
Once I'd passed the guards and entered the gambling floor, the first thing I needed to do was get marked as an easy target. It's the perfect time since Pestford and Struite aren't here. If they had been, they would've immediately latched onto any new face and started dedicated marking just in case. Since they were absent, they were probably holed up in a back room, slapping money around, banging drums, and having a grand old time.
The key is to sit at the table with the most money on it.
To be seen as a sucker, it wasn't enough to keep losing. I needed someone who could stamp that label on me in one shot. The ideal person would talk a lot, have a loud voice, plenty of money, and the most influence inside the gambling den.
Exactly like that guy.
Wang Sangbak. The richest man in Sweet Dessert, a noble who was surprisingly down-to-earth and well-liked even among commoners. He had a decent talent for gambling, so unlike other rich men, he actually enjoyed himself here from time to time. With his wealth attracting people like flies and his noble status making everyone desperate to befriend him, he was the perfect mark.
The only downside was that the stakes at his table were ridiculously high.
"Oh? First time seeing your face. Didn't think Sweet Dessert got new blood."
"Haha, nice to meet you."
"You've got a good smile. Keep smiling while you can—it's hard to smile after losing money."
The moment I sat at Wang Sangbak's table, he naturally struck up a conversation, indirectly revealing he was the boss here. He openly showed that he expected everyone to suck up to him, then clapped me on the shoulder and ordered me a drink.
"Gambling's supposed to be fun. What's the point if you don't enjoy it? Knock that back and let's play."
"Thank you."
As soon as I took the glass, I turned my head as a show of politeness and pretended to drink. The real trick was slowly pouring it down my sleeve without anyone noticing. There was no way I'd actually gulp down alcohol from a stranger.
Though technically he isn't a stranger.
I'd seen him so many times in the game that I was starting to feel attached.
"A one-shot! What a bold one! Alright, alright! Deal the cards already!"
"Yes, we'll begin the game immediately."
The dealer waited on the players. At Wang Sangbak's table, the game only started when he gave the signal and stopped if he was distracted.
"We'll begin Blackjack."
"Mm, hurry it up."
Wang Sangbak made no effort to hide his eagerness to fleece the new sucker, hurrying the dealer along.
"Now that I think about it, I don't even know your name?"
As expected, Wang Sangbak started digging for my personal information while the game progressed. It was part of determining whether I was worth skinning or not.
Just as planned.
Happy that things were proceeding according to my script, I gave the answer I'd prepared.
"I'm Bernove Pars."
"Pars? Of the Pars family? Really?"
"Hahaha."
The most important part here was answering with an ambiguous laugh that was neither confirmation nor denial. Naturally, Wang Sangbak would fill in the blanks himself and then verbalize his conclusions in a torrent.
"Looks like it's the real deal... You're more naïve than you look. You seem old enough, yet you're throwing your name around so carelessly. You shouldn't do that here. Look around. Even while playing Blackjack we're supposed to deceive each other, so why would you reveal your family name? You must have come from far away and don't know the rules."
"Haha."
The Pars family was one of the noble houses guarding the north against monsters. Located relatively far back, they frequently engaged in external activities. They had many children and various other factors, but to summarize easily: using their name won't cause any backlash whatsoever.
Since the distance was great, people would simply assume their own reasons for why a member had come down here. It was incredibly convenient. And because the family wasn't to be trifled with, it also preemptively blocked any schemes Wang Sangbak might try.
Just think of me as a sucker and nothing more.
I didn't need any deeper interest than that. All that remained was playing the game.
"Continuing the game."
Blackjack was the perfect game for someone who knew absolutely nothing. A simple game where the person closest to or exactly at twenty-one won. Reaching exactly twenty-one was called a Blackjack, and if you didn't have one you could keep asking the dealer for cards. In other words, you could deliberately lose by continuously taking cards.
The dealer distributed cards, then asked if anyone wanted more. I just had to act like a complete beginner and keep asking for cards. The rest would sort itself out as Wang Sangbak manipulated the situation.
"Aigo! Are you playing Blackjack for the first time?"
The moment he heard the Pars name, his attitude flipped completely. He switched from casual speech to polite honorifics, and his previously crude gestures became slightly more refined.
This money is basically an investment.
I used the living expenses I'd received upon enrolling at the academy along with money earned from the black market, betting appropriately while maintaining a losing streak. After losing three times in a row, Wang Sangbak spoke again.
"Would you like another card?"
"Give me one."
"Blackjack is a battle of psychology. You don't necessarily need to reach exactly twenty-one. Being closer than others is enough, so how..."
Wang Sangbak pretended to give advice while continuing to assess my skill level—whether I was hiding my true ability, adjusting my bets, and so on. He was probing to assign me a rank in his mind.
Time for the acting.
I kept losing with a frustrated expression, maintaining the losing streak. And finally—
"Aigo, then!"
"Heh heh, I'm on a roll today."
After about four more consecutive losses, Wang Sangbak uttered that line.
"How about trying a different game? Seems like luck isn't on your side today."
It sounded like considerate words, but it was a heavily sanitized version of 'You've lost this much so it's not fun anymore and it looks like your money's about to run out, so get lost.' It was clearly an order to leave—the phrase Wang Sangbak frequently used when declaring someone a sucker.
The moment I heard it, I nodded and immediately stood up. After that, everything proceeded smoothly.
Bernove Pars, who had fallen deeply into the fun of gambling but had no money left, mindlessly fed coins into the slot machine and pulled the lever. Then a miracle happened. The northern noble who had received no attention because he had neither money nor skill suddenly hit it big on the slots.
The machine known as the "penny pincher" for its abysmal odds transformed into a donation angel, spitting out chips like crazy. It started with five chips, then ten, thirty, a hundred. Every time the lever was pulled, money seemed to duplicate. People began gathering at the bizarre sight.
It was the first time such a thing had happened since Sweet Dessert opened, drawing everyone's attention solely to me.
Lucky Seven is a machine designed to eat every last penny, so just putting money in will naturally fail.
This was the moment to trigger the jackpot. The method was simple. Just stroke the lever seven times and pull it down. One hundred percent success.
I reproduced exactly what I'd done countless times while playing the game.
"Seven! Seven! Seven! Seven! Seven!"
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!"
Clatter clatter clatter.
When I triggered the jackpot with an appropriate number of spectators—
"Waaaaaaaaah!"
A crazed cheer erupted as Lucky Seven began vomiting chips as if it would burst. It was spitting out not only the proper payout but all the pennies it had been collecting since opening. Chips poured out until the safes of all five slot machines were completely empty.
Naturally, the broke gamblers still in the den picked up the chips for me and neatly stacked them. I gave them tips, stuffed the chips into my bag, and that was that.
"...This is truly incredible! Hello, my name is Pestford. It is a tremendous honor to welcome such a distinguished guest to this humble establishment. Moreover, I'm truly delighted to share this rare and noble moment with you. Would it be possible to invite you to the VIP room for a more detailed conversation?"
"Of course."
After that, Pestford appeared and began moving exactly according to my plan.
"This way, please."
Struite guided me with a face like he'd seen a ghost. Meanwhile, Pestford went to Wang Sangbak to ask what had happened, and Wang Sangbak relayed my fabricated background using every ounce of his imagination.
Bernove Pars. A northern noble who had come to enjoy entertainment, hit the jackpot at gambling. If I'd been some nobody, they would've used any means to recover the money, but that was impossible now. Pestford's head was probably filled with exactly those thoughts.
I hid my sneer and followed Struite into the VIP room.
Go ahead and rack your brains all you want.
You're already in the palm of my hand.
++++++++++++
The moment I sat on the VIP room sofa and placed the money on the table, Pestford came running over in a hurry. Having heard the whole story from Wang Sangbak and been completely fooled, he looked back and forth between me and the money bag with an expression of utter confusion.
I didn't drag it out. I opened my mouth immediately.
"Excuse me? What did you just say?"
Pestford asked again, looking like he must have misheard. I spoke with an extremely arrogant expression.
"I asked what you thought about legalizing this gambling den."
"L-legalization, you say?"
"That's right."
Step two of devouring Sweet Dessert: After extracting as much money as possible in a short time through the slot machine, naturally create an opportunity for a private meeting with Pestford. In his position, he couldn't just let such a huge sum walk out the door, so he'd have to at least pretend to listen to my demands.
I'll use that.
How many people could stay calm when half the shop's assets could vanish in an instant? Especially if they then heard a completely unexpected proposal.
"S-Sweet Dessert is an illegal gambling establishment... First of all, a gambling den near the academy would never be permitted... And, um... the original betting amounts and commissions like this wouldn't be possible if it were legal... Also... so, um..."
Normally he would've rejected it outright, but given the situation, he couldn't stay cold-headed. If he refused the proposal, I'd take the money and leave. If he accepted, he knew better than anyone that it was impossible.
Time to finish this.
Bang!
I put my foot up on the table and looked down at Pestford arrogantly.
"Are you ignoring the power of the Pars family right now?"
"...N-no, of course not."
"Trust me."
You idiot.
I swallowed the rest.