The Cruelty of a Bet
In the end, Rune let out a sigh-tinged voice.
“Kyuu.”
[Stop crying and pull yourself together. The time will come when you’ll have to act, whether you like it or not.]
The words “pull yourself together” had once worked well with Perdikion as well.
Rune thought the same now, and Baekya, beside him, added her own words.
“Don’t cry, Mr. Jed! Ttwok!”
-I’ll do it!
As expected.
Jed, who had been howling mournfully at the sight of the black room, quickly snapped back to his senses.
Yet his subtle attempts to draw Rune in were clearly showing his lack of intent to give up.
—By the way, Lord Rune… Since Christina-nim won’t be seeing this anyway, and with Lord Rune’s abilities, don’t you think it’s worth drawing out the full performance of this weapon?
Rune shook his head.
“Kyuuut.”
[No need to do it right now. We’ll do it later.]
He had thought that a refusal was enough, but the man who refused to give up was Jed.
He whispered to Rune once more.
—Ah, if not now, when else could it be? After all, it’s Lord Rune’s weapon. Just try grabbing it once. Haha, the mood is just perfect~ so I can make it perform even better.
For a while it seemed fine, but he kept edging the line while pretending to be drunk.
‘This Jed guy.’
No matter how he changed his appearance, his habits were impossible to break.
Rune sent a subtle Dragon Fear toward Jed.
“Kyuuu.”
[I said I won’t. Are you trying to talk while pretending to be drunk?]
—Huh? Caught me?
“Kyuu.”
[Of course.]
Paralium, the Ego Weapon and S-grade weapon, Jed.
Though his grade had risen and he was stronger than before, the instinctive fear a dwarf would feel standing before a dragon could not be overcome.
—I- I’m sorry!
Jed instantly lowered himself, only then whistling carelessly to change the subject.
Deep down he clicked his tongue, but the restlessness in his body showed how much he truly longed to see what would become of the power of Rune, the heir of the true darkness clan.
Realizing Jed’s obsession, Rune did not look at him but picked up something to divert his gaze.
“Kyuu, kyuu.”
[Want to try it?]
Clink!
What Rune held out was a kind of game board.
—Ooh? It reeks of dark aura, and there’s even a light seal on it.
Rune succeeded in shifting Jed’s interest and spoke.
“Kyukyuu.”
[It says it was made as a toy by the black dragon… but originally it was quite a dangerous item.]
“Kyah!”
[It’s dangerous?]
Perdikion’s sharp eyes narrowed at the word danger.
“Kyuuu kyuu.”
[I see, but it’s fine now.]
Rune shook his front paw lightly and shared what he knew.
[In this game, events that happen affect the real world. For example, if you draw a monster invasion event card, a real monster will be summoned.]
—Hooh. It sounds terrifying, and pretty interesting, though.
Jed, a dwarf from his previous life, showed keen interest in the production technique.
Rune shrugged.
[Because of this game, there were village-wide massacre incidents, disappearances, and people who went mad from seeing illusions… countless terrifying things happened.]
—Heh. I never expected such a terrifying thing to reach the human realm.
Surprised, Jed watched as Rune continued.
[When a great hero party raided the dragon’s lair, it spilled over into the human world.]
It had been a reality-touching plaything for the adult dragon, but a catastrophe for humans.
Rune began the game and concluded.
[Now it’s just a game tool, sealed by Christina’s power.]
Thanks to Rune’s story, the game seemed more sinister than cute.
Baekya tilted her head curiously.
“Can Baekya touch it?”
“Kyuu.”
[Yes.]
Baekya, granted permission, examined the game cards first.
“There are lots of monsters drawn. This is a Menticore!”
Heungmi’s small hand placed various cards on the floor.
Cards symbolizing assassins, knights, and natural phenomena like lightning and storms.
The images were drawn mysteriously.
Once the cards were checked, Rune activated the game.
“Kyuu.”
[Watch carefully.]
With mana infused, a glowing square window appeared in the air.
Monster cards, knight cards, and Joker, the assassin.
Along with various weather cards that could provide different effects, they flipped and spread out.
Anew, Rune felt a wistful emotion.
‘I remembered looking at them hoping monsters would help in training, only to be disappointed.’
That was over a hundred years ago.
Time passed so quickly, Rune shuffled the cards.
After reading the rules, Jed declared loudly.
—This is easy! Roll the dice to reach the goal point.
As Jed said, the basic rules were simple.
There were squares in the middle of the board that flipped additional cards. Proceeding according to action or event cards would bring them to the goal.
“Kyuu.”
[Let’s each choose our protagonist card.]
Jed and Dullahan decided to play together, and Heungmi sat with Baekya.
Perdikion and Rune each picked up their own protagonist cards.
—Then, Rai, judge!
[?? ????]
Immediately Rai began watching the group from above.
Rune selected a suitable card and spoke.
“Kyukyuu.”
[If cheating is detected, the board will give penalties. Be careful.]
Rune planned to proceed casually and finish.
‘As long as I just barely win, it’ll be fine.’
But Rune had overlooked something.
It was just a game he suggested to divert his gaze.
Yet Heungmi, Perdikion, and Jed all had burning competitive spirit and never held back in games.
***
“Kyuu.”
[What a shame, hyung.]
Among the protagonist cards, the one with the greatest combat power, the ‘Demon King’ card, revealed itself from Rune’s paw.
“Kyukyukyukyuk.”
“Kyahuuk!”
[You were the Demon King, Rune!]
The black hatchling’s laughter made the red hatchling’s expression twist in frustration.
Rune continued casually.
[If you didn’t draw the ‘Golden Saint’ card, you should have offered the sacrifice card or run away?]
At that, Perdikion bared his fangs with a solemn face.
The young dragon’s hesitant expression quickly changed into that of a hunter who had laid a trap.
“Kyaaraa…….”
[Rune. Never let your guard down to the very end.]
“?”
The ‘Demon King’ card had increased attack power every three turns.
It was this very third turn, so Rune had not doubted his victory.
Then the red hatchling turned his character card over with an evil… no, triumphant smile.
Thud!
“Kyahk!”
[Look! I’m the Princess card!]
“……!”
Seeing the female card in a flashy pink dress, Rune’s face fell in despair.
The Princess card turned anyone who attacked her into an ally.
Even Rune, as the Demon King, had triggered the ‘kidnapping’ event.
“Kuuu…….”
[Of all times, hyung has the Princess card…?]
Seeing Rune’s troubled expression, Perdikion lifted the corner of his mouth.
“Kyahk!”
[Yes. ‘Demon King’s Princess Kidnapping’ event. Get me on your back.]
Rune scratched his cheek and furrowed his brow.
‘Perdikion was the princess. I never thought of that.’
Then the knight had to be one of Heungmi or Dullahan.
When he glanced at them, Heungmi went “Hoooh” and spoke to Baekya.
—Hii— Actually, I’m the ‘Knight’! Baekya, let’s catch Lord Rune, I mean the Demon King quickly!
“Ppiyak!”
Suddenly it was 2:1 against Rune, who sighed inwardly.
“Kyuhuuu…….”
‘Since the knight revealed himself, he’ll come to save the princess first.’
Perdikion, holding the princess card dressed in jewels and a beautiful dress, hid his expression skillfully.
Rune inwardly admired.
‘Surprisingly, this guy can hide his expressions well in games.’
Rune had expected that if he held a card like the princess, it would show because he was honest.
He shook his head at his own misjudgment.
Of course, the game was still in full swing, so the situation could change.
“Kyukyuu.”
[Good. But since hyung was kidnapped by the Demon King, don’t forget that if you can’t draw the ‘Royal Castle’ card, we tie and I win.]
Perdikion let out a snort at Rune’s words.
“Kyahuuk!”
[Hah! Do you think I, the owner of the rare, can’t draw the Royal Castle?]
With confident face, Perdikion passed the dice.
Because of the kidnapping event triggered by the Demon King, Rune had to move together when he rolled.
The game, which seemed destined to become a three-way battle among Rune, Perdikion, and Heungmi, flipped again noisily after Dullahan revealed he was the ‘Holy Priest.’
—Uhhahaha! I am the Holy Priest right now! If I become the Archbishop, the world will have peace! You should be nervous, Demon King-nim?
“Kyuhuu.”
[Words from a betrayer are miserable, Jed.]
In the end Jed’s dream did not come true.
Because Rune had used the ‘Touch of Corruption’ on Dullahan, the Holy Priest, and Jed.
Not that Rune was not the winner.
“I won!”
Surprisingly, the final winner was Heungmi.
Heungmi, holding the ‘Knight’ card, had drawn the ‘Golden Saint’ equipment card and rolled a lucky streak of rolling six three times in a row.
“Look! Heungmi and Baekya won!”
“Ppiyak! Ppiyakppiyak!”
Overjoyed, Heungmi jumped with Baekya.
“Kyuu.”
[Congratulations.]
Rune congratulated calmly.
He himself had not lost much, and in fact he ranked second.
Perdikion had drawn the ‘Royal Castle’ card, but since neither Rune nor Perdikion reached the goal, they tied for second.
—How in the world did the ‘Archbishop’s Call’ card get drawn at this timing?!
Jed, who had tied with Dullahan, complained in a very aggrieved voice.
—I feel like I’ll cry!
If he had not received the ‘Touch of Corruption,’ Jed and Dullahan would have been the best protagonist cards in the game.
Only because Rune, the Demon King, had succeeded in using the Touch of Corruption right before the event would it not have been so.
“Kyuu.”
[Well, a bet is a cruel law.]
Rune said that, but Jed’s disappointment was understandable.
In a way, because Rune had corrupted it, the ‘Archbishop’s Call’ event, the strongest for a priest, had become a temple imprisonment event.
—Khhuhk! Even rolling a six in the ‘Temple Imprisonment’! This is too much!
While Jed had been chewing his fingers anxiously for six turns, he ended up unable to escape and the game concluded.
Perdikion also expressed his sorrow.
“Kyahu.”
[What a shame. Trapped for six turns.]
Once the imprisonment ended, the cards would be destroyed, the ‘Touch of Corruption’ effect would disappear, and if well, there was a chance to draw the event for becoming Archbishop… but it had been far too long an ‘imprisonment life.’
The guy who drew the strongest dice number and the strongest event card had tied, so he had every right to be aggrieved.
—No way! This Jed can’t be finished like this! Let’s play one more round!
“Heungmi likes it!”
“Kyah!”
[No accepting a game coming your way.]
Rune, who had something to do the next day, was about to sleep.
But the eyes of the others were not normal.
‘Well, it was fun… maybe just one more round.’
In the end, Rune nodded.
“Kyukuk.”
[Then I’ll play one more round.]
Perdikion crossed his arms and raised his head.
“Kyahk!”
[Good. Shuffle the cards, Jed, Dullahan.]
Clang!
To the words of the dragon hatchling, Dullahan, who had been the loser, began shuffling the cards.