Scam Gambling (3)
Incubus bodies come with a lot of convenient perks.
First off, the tail is flexible and surprisingly strong, so you can use it just like a hand.
And the wings sprouting from my back? Flap 'em hard enough, and you can even hover for a bit.
Thanks to that, my short stature gets somewhat compensated.
Shelves that are too high? I can just fly up and grab whatever's on them. So even being short isn't that big a drawback.
"Hm."
"Ah, I'll get it down for you."
If push comes to shove, I can always have Rasca—who's over 170 cm—handle it.
"Morgana? Give me a business update."
"Yes, sir. The aphrodisiac business is exploding right now. And all the smaller ventures are pulling in solid profits too."
The restaurant doing better than expected threw me for a loop. Sure, I'd hoped for decent returns, but this good?
"Apparently, a lot of highborn races like high elves and angels have been showing up as customers."
"Huh? Why the hell are they coming all the way here to eat?"
"Who knows... Maybe the food's just that good?"
Fair enough. Even back in 19th-century America, folks looked down on fried chicken made by black people while secretly devouring it as the best stuff out there. Same with barbecue culture. Food from other races always tastes better, somehow.
"Guess high elves eat meat too."
"Pardon? They eat a ton of it."
"What kinda nonsense is that?"
"Well, high elves originally lived in harmony with nature, right? Turns out they eat even more meat to preserve it."
So, they protect nature by slaughtering grass-munching cows. Feels like staring at a carnivorous zealot spouting some twisted ideology.
"Whatever. Not my problem."
I vaguely recalled hearing cows were a big cause of global warming. Wouldn't more meat-eating make that worse? But whatever—small stuff. As long as the money rolls into my Seoul account, I'm good.
"Oh, right—word on the street is that Noxbell... that dark elf chick's been hanging around the casino non-stop."
"Hm... Interesting."
As expected, Noxbell's hooked bad. Her addict brain just woke up, so she's gotta be in a frenzy of excitement. By now, it's not even about winning money—gambling itself is the thrill.
"You got some plants watching her?"
"Of course!"
"Good... Guess I'll swing by in a bit."
Our casino's crawling with pros pulling every trick in the book—bottom dealing, card switching, you name it. I told 'em to let her win and lose just enough to keep her desperate. Poor idiot. She has no clue it's all a trap.
"Today's the day I ruin Noxbell's life."
Not really—she won't be ruined. I'm planning to buy up all her debts anyway.
"How's the debt acquisition going?"
"Ah... Negotiations are hitting a wall."
"It's just some imp bank, isn't it? They probably ain't paying interest worth shit."
"True, but they seem to have their reasons. Feels like someone's pulling strings behind the scenes."
Hm... Really? Who the hell would dare mess with my plans? If it's a guy, I'll kill him. If it's a woman...
I'll turn her into my personal fucktoy.
"Ace four card."
"Congratulations, you win."
"Hm."
Win, lose. Win, lose. Win, lose...
Noxbell wasn't thrilled with this back-and-forth. Last time, she'd racked up wins non-stop. Now? She won some, lost some.
"Looks like I take this one."
Hell, sometimes she even dropped two in a row.
"Luck's not on my side today."
The pros had already clocked all her tells and were steering the game accordingly.
If she touches her nose like that, strong hand. Quick double blink? Weak. Even a monkey could spot it.
Is this bitch really the police chief? How the hell does she interrogate suspects?
When they rigged her a strong hand, they'd feel her out then fold. Weak hand? They'd shove hard, forcing her to lose. After all this sleight-of-hand bullshit, Noxbell coughed up most of her winnings—barely breaking even.
"Oh, Lady Noxbell. Back again today?"
"An imp, huh... Sounds like you'd rather I stayed away."
That's when I strolled into the hall. Noxbell lit up like she'd hit the jackpot.
Sucker spotted.
A rich imp who sucked at cards? Easy prey for her. Licking her lips at the thought of refilling her thinning wallet, she shuffled up.
"Amodeus, was it? Care to play a few hands?"
"Ah, Morgana's got me on a job right now..."
"No worries. Tell her I held you up—she'll understand."
I feigned reluctance, then signaled one of the pros.
"Fine, I'll yield my seat. Wife's in labor, actually."
I slid into his spot, and Noxbell smirked like she'd hooked her fish.
Time to bleed him dry.
One thing she didn't know: every pro at the table was on my payroll. Hypno-washed zombies who couldn't dream of betrayal.
Look at that smug face. Thinks I'm a total mark? Time to shatter that sweet illusion.
Started by folding weak at first...
"I'll fold."
"Three straight folds already? Impatient much?"
"I run my businesses safe, y'know? Even a slightly weak hand gets my heart racing—can't handle it."
"Figures. Imps aren't exactly known for guts."
Then, fourth hand—I signaled the pros discreetly. A monster hand landed in mine. Noxbell's was strong too, but one rung below.
This is it.
She shoved half her chips in. No way she'd lose with that.
"Going hard all of a sudden? I'll fold."
"Me too."
The others folded in turn. Last one standing, I shot her a nervous glance.
"Uh, I'll raise too."
"Heh, fine."
She bit. Same thought crossed our minds—but the outcome split joy from despair.
"Huh...?"
"Phew~ Looks like I win. Thank goodness. Thought you had something bigger."
"No way."
"Ahem, tough break. But I cleaned up this round."
Half her stack gone, Noxbell stared in shock. Her head spun. Panic set in. And like every gambler who'd lost their mind, she jumped to the wrong call.
It's fine. Still got half left!
She played on, cool as ice. But I had no intention of letting her.
"King-two card."
"Ace-two card."
"Eight-three card."
"Ten-two card."
"...Ace-three card."
"Heart eight straight."
"Eek... Back straight!"
Losing every goddamn hand. By now, any sane person would've smelled the scam. But Noxbell's reason was long gone.
"Full house."
"Aaaagh!"
In the end, she blew her last chips.
How the hell did this happen? He was just a sucker...
Zero cash. She'd scraped her accounts dry for one big score, converting it all to chips. Now? Balance: zilch. Not even pocket change for tomorrow. And she was the damn police chief.
"Ah, um."
"Rough luck today, Lady Noxbell. You'll win big next time."
"Uh... hey, Amodeus."
"Whoops! Time flies. Got carried away playing with you... Sorry, gotta run."
If I left now, she'd be broke as hell—no ramen money. Desperate, she grabbed the arm of the imp she'd despised.
This bitch got no pride?
Easier than expected. I turned with a grin.
"What is it?"
"C-can... can I borrow some money?"
"Hm."
Even her speech got slutty. This was too easy. Visions of her soft body had me throbbing harder.
"Of course."
That cash would pry her pussy wide open.