EP.24 Grand Casino -1
EP.24 Grand Casino -1
Around the time Miho's jealousy was beginning to ease.
I had finally found room to breathe and intended to shake off every last bit of accumulated fatigue during the remaining time, but regrettably, time had run out.
At a dramatically timed moment, the Director's summons came in.
Holding back tears, I once again headed into the government agency and made my way to the director's office.
"I thought I had given you a sufficient break by my own standards, but it seems it was not enough."
"No, it was plenty. It's just my fault for not resting properly."
I'd wanted to tell him exactly what happened—that I couldn't rest properly because I was being wrung dry the whole break.
But since I was still hiding Miho's existence, I couldn't. I just had to quietly accept the situation.
"So would it be safe to assume you called me here to assign the mission you mentioned last time?"
"That's right. As you can see, the materials are all prepared—let's talk over some tea at the table."
Looking at the neatly arranged documents and the thick stack of A4 paper on the table, I could already guess this wasn't going to be an easy job.
While Director Edwiner prepared the tea, I lightly skimmed the materials laid out on the table.
Documents about a drug cartel and its distribution network.
News that ordinary people addicted to drugs were surging one after another, and that a drug cartel organization had raised its head.
The cartel's main area of activity was the southern region.
Among the many islands, Yuryeo Flowers—which cause hallucinations and addiction—were being cultivated on one of them, but the documents were full of statements about the authorities' inability to make arrests.
The fact that Director Edwiner had prepared these materials before my arrival could only mean one thing.
Extermination of the drug cartel.
If drugs were being distributed smoothly despite it being illegal, that meant the terrorists were involved.
Since I was second to none when it came to wiping out terrorists, it was obvious he intended to hand me that mission.
"Here, lemon tea. Good for fatigue recovery."
"Thank you."
I accepted the teacup the Director handed me and gently brought it to my lips.
Even though I could no longer perceive sweetness or bitterness, I could still feel the sourness of the lemon stimulating my tongue.
The sourness prickling my tongue made me reflexively scrunch both eyes.
"I did add honey, but it seems the lemon content was higher. My apologies."
"No, it's plenty delicious!"
"Is that so?"
"Yes! So please, let's move on to the mission details!"
The fact that half of my five senses had disappeared was something I still hadn't told him.
Since I had been called out once before for being so obvious, I was putting all my effort into acting as if nothing was wrong.
But it seemed I couldn't help occasionally doing things that almost gave it away.
"You seemed to be eyeballing the materials I prepared. Do you have a sense of what mission I'll be giving you?"
"Weeell... since the drug cartel has been running rampant lately, isn't this about nipping it in the bud?"
"I wish that were the case, but unfortunately, that's not the mission I'll be entrusting to you."
"Then what is it?"
"This drug cartel is presumed to have some kind of connection with someone in the upper echelons of the government agency."
"So you're saying the organization distributing drugs is backed not by terrorists but by someone on the government side?"
"No—terrorists are involved as well. It's just that, as you said, there's one more piece of trash—a traitor—added to the mix."
"That's a real headache."
The traitor we had arrested before had also been a guy who caused considerable trouble.
A traitor with a record of leaking government secrets to terrorists and endangering everyone.
We managed to arrest him somehow and thought it was over, but it seemed people willing to turn their backs on their organization for their own profit always showed up.
"Indeed it is. They're distributing drugs to ordinary citizens, causing addiction symptoms, and then selling the drugs at high prices. And those funds are padding the terrorists' operating costs and fattening the traitor's wallet."
"So what exactly do I need to do? Find and destroy the farms making the drugs? Or wipe out the terrorists backing them?"
"Neither."
"Then I honestly don't know what it is. Can you please just tell me now?"
"All right. But before that—have you ever heard of the Grand Casino?"
"Grand Casino... you mean the largest gambling facility in the country?"
"That's correct."
"But why bring that up all of a sudden?"
"Because from now on, that is the area where you'll be carrying out your mission."
"What?"
***
The Grand Casino was a legal gambling house located in the southernmost port city of Rohas, famous for frequent appearances by major corporate executives, celebrities, sports stars, and other prominent figures.
The building itself was constructed from dazzling, glittering metal, and all the employees working there greeted guests in sleek tailcoats.
But the real reason this place had flourished was something else entirely.
It had gained popularity for its inclusiveness in welcoming not just celebrities but also ordinary people, and for its accommodating space that never ran out no matter how many humans and companion animals poured in.
On top of making the gambling facilities accessible to anyone like that, there were also plenty of other things to enjoy: a swimming pool, club, sauna, bowling alley, and more.
There were even restaurants run by famous chefs, and an indoor stage where well-known bands and singers frequently performed, earning rave reviews.
The Grand Casino was simply a place where every entertainment facility in the world had been crammed into one spot.
"It's depressing that I'm working instead of playing in a place built specifically for enjoyment..."
"We have no choice. We just have to finish our work quickly and then play."
"Yeah, that's how it is, huh?"
The building itself had a reasonably long and storied tradition, but relatively recently, this Grand Casino had reportedly been acquired by some tycoon.
The problem was that ever since the acquisition, covert drug deals had been frequently taking place inside the casino.
The presumption was that since ordinary citizens were allowed entry, they were using a vicious method—slipping drugs into the beverages they drank to forcibly induce addiction.
The ordinary people who fell to the drugs naturally became dependent on them, reached for more deals, and handed over huge sums to the drug cartel.
It was said that the number of people whose families were utterly ruined by this had skyrocketed since the casino's acquisition.
Because of this, the government side conducted an investigation, but for some reason, every time government agents were dispatched, there wasn't a single incriminating piece of evidence to be found.
Thus, it was determined that someone in a high-ranking government position was leaking information to the casino.
Revealing the identity of that connected person—that was the objective of my current mission.
'But honestly, I didn't even know where to start...'
Getting inside the casino had been the easy part; beyond that, I was at a loss.
I had brought files on the key figures running the casino and an internal map, but carrying out an investigation mission with no inside helper was indeed difficult.
Still, we had the ultimate secret weapon, so I had brought her along placing my trust in her. But...
"Just leave it to me! Dear husband! I'll go make every single person here end up in their underwear and be right back!"
"Uh, I came here for an investigation mission, though?"
"Exactly! So if we strip even the casino's general manager down to his underpants, it's game over."
"Even so, solving things through force seems a bit..."
"Don't worry! I have absolutely no intention of solving it with force."
"Then?"
"We came to a gambling house—we should gamble! Well then, I'll be back soon, so you just wait here quietly, dear husband!"
"Ah, wait, Yata...!!"
Like a fish meeting water, Yata's eyes lit up with such excitement, and she took off somewhere.
To her, who could see the future, this place was indeed a gold-rush location.
A future where Yata lost was utterly unimaginable.
But I wasn't sure if I could really just wait around like she said.
"Yuu! Dwink owange juice!!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah! Can I dwink one mowe?"
"As many as you want."
"Awesome!!"
I had agonized a lot over whether it was okay to bring Tia to a place brimming with human desire, but thankfully, Tia showed no interest in the gambling facilities.
The young dragon with a sweet tooth was focused solely on food, so I handed Tia some casino coins and told her she could eat as much as she wanted.
"Tia is always so energetic no matter where she goes."
"Isn't that Tia's strong point?"
"It is, yeah. That's why I let her roam free to do whatever she wants."
Watching Tia run around with a happy smile on her face naturally lifted my mood.
The heart of a father raising a daughter—I just wanted Tia to grow up healthy.
"Hey, mister with the shiny head! Gimme owange juice!!"
"It seems she might need some etiquette education, though..."
"That's probably because she's still young. When she grows up, I'm sure she'll become a courteous lady just like me."
"Will she, now?"
"Yes, I guarantee it."
I was about to just let it pass, watching Miho puff out her shoulders and answer confidently.
Then, the bartender who had been near us approached her and offered a beautiful red cocktail glass.
At the moment, my divine beasts were all fully visible, with only their ears and tails hidden.
So I could understand them catching people's eyes, but I was startled by the bartender's sudden action of offering her a cocktail.
However, we soon understood why he had done it.
"A cosmopolitan, sent to the young lady by that gentleman over there."
"Ah..."
When I turned my gaze in the direction the bartender pointed, there was a man staring passionately at Miho.
A handsome man draped in nothing but luxury brands from head to toe—the fact that he had sent Miho a cocktail meant he was openly trying to seduce her.
On top of that, the cocktail he sent was a cosmopolitan, known as a lady-killer.
Honestly, it was offensive that he'd send something like that when I was clearly right here with her.
So what might Miho be thinking? When I looked, she was unexpectedly grinning from ear to ear.
"Master? I'd like to send a drink in return to him as well—would that be all right?"
"Pardon, miss?"
"Milk."
"Excuse me...?"
"Send that man some white milk, and please make sure to convey this message: 'Mommy's milk...'"
I immediately covered Miho's mouth with my hand.
Anything beyond that was dangerous. It would become a clear declaration of war.
Having skillfully stopped her just in time, I told the bartender to give him my thanks and sent him back.
"Sheesh..."
Tia was a minor problem.
At this very moment, Miho's etiquette education was more urgent than Tia's.
I was definitely going to have to have a serious talk with her later...
"Waaaaah!!"
Just as my head was aching from the words and actions of my companion divine beasts who were already trying to cause trouble, a tremendous roar of cheers erupted from the direction of the casino hall.
When I looked toward where the cheering was coming from to see what was going on, there was a woman arrogantly crossing her legs and a man bowing his head.
The two of them were radiating an atmosphere of mixed joy and sorrow. Wondering what on earth was happening, I took the divine beasts and headed closer.
"P-please, I beg you...! Could you not show mercy just once?"
"Mercy~? Where would you find mercy at a gambling table?"
"My car keys, my house deed, everything's already been stripped!! So in your magnanimity—just one single coin so I can play one last round...!!"
"Then strip."
"What...?"
"Take everything off but your underwear! Then I'll give you one more round."
A black-haired woman was clinking and playing with a large pile of coins, sneering at the man.
Her appearance and her behavior matched our household crow completely.
The moment I realized this, I had to press my palm to my forehead.
When she said she'd make everyone end up in their underwear, I'd thought it was a joke—but she had actually meant it.
Simultaneously, the throbbing in my head began to hurt even worse.
"Seon-juu...!!"
Just then, hearing a warm voice suddenly calling out, I lowered the hand from my forehead.
The most benevolent, warm-hearted wolf among my companion divine beasts. Her mere presence was healing to the heart, and I was about to greet her happily—but I couldn't see her anywhere, even though her voice was coming through normally.
"Over heere...!!"
At the wolf's voice coming from near the hall, I looked up again. There, besides Yata, a woman with a familiar face was waving her hand this way.
She was a woman dressed in a casino dealer's outfit.
There was only one woman in my memory with a chest whose buttons looked like they might burst at any moment.
Kor. I had no idea why she was wearing a dealer's uniform and acting as a dealer.
But when I spotted the black-haired woman near Kor, smiling at me so full of mischief, I finally realized.
"Th-those two, don't tell me...?!"
"They were in on it together."
It seemed all of my divine beasts were in need of etiquette education.