Chapter 91: A Minor Sin (1)

Yuri watched the three players across the table with cold eyes.

One was Pamia. The other two were gamblers they had met at the casino.

“I can see everything.”

The middle-aged man, with a cigarette hanging from his lips, wouldn’t stop talking trash, using his words to distract the other players.

He leaned forward, trying to peek at the backs of Pamia’s cards.

“I saw a mark on one of your cards.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, I know what your far-right card is. Hehehe…”

“Huh…?”

“If you’re curious, check it.”

Yuri looked at the dealer. He simply shrugged, as if it were all part of the game.

Pamia looked distressed.

“Aren’t you going to check it?”

“But then the face of the card will be revealed…”

“Guess you’re not that dumb. Hehe…”

“That was a trick, wasn’t it…?”

“Depends how you see it. Hehehe…”

This time, the man turned his attention to Yuri.

“Hey, mask guy. Let’s see what you’ve got…”

Yuri shook his head.

“Hey, be careful.”

“Come on, cards are played with your mouth too, right? You’re so dry. I bet you play like a clam—fold, fold—I’m sure you’ll fold, huh?”

“No, it’s just that one of your cards is flipped.”

“What?”

The man looked down at the table in shock, but all his cards were placed correctly.

Realizing Yuri had tricked him, he let out a forced laugh.

“You got me.”

The middle-aged woman who had been silent finally spoke.

“Ugh, what a pain. You’d be better off keeping your mouth shut.”

“Since when am I your sweetheart, huh?”

“And since when weren’t you? Every time we meet you give me money—that makes you my sweetheart.”

“When have I ever given you money?”

“Don’t you, every time we run into each other?”

“Isn’t it the other way around?”

“Bah, all talk…”

The woman giggled as she pushed more chips into the pot.

“Anyway, let’s go. I’m betting. If you’re not confident, fold. And if you fold, shut your mouth.”

The man rolled his eyes and called the bet. Yuri nodded silently.

Pamia raised the stakes again.

“I’m adding more chips.”

“Oh…”

The dealer dealt another round. Just based on the visible cards, no clear winner could be determined yet. Still, Pamia kept betting with confidence.

“Hey, buddy.”

The man smiled at Yuri.

“You two came together, huh? That girl seems new around here…”

Yuri didn’t answer. Pamia, instead, put on a helpless face.

“Oh, am I not doing it right…?”

“See? She’s gonna lose everything. Good for me.”

“But I’ve got good cards…”

The man burst into laughter.

“What a cute girl. Well, think of it as paying for a lesson.”

He showed his cards. They were pretty high.

The middle-aged woman sighed and threw her cards down in resignation.

“Bah. You’re not my sweetheart anymore. Don’t call me that.”

“Why not, woman? Hehe…”

“Don’t laugh. I might actually like you.”

The man gestured for Yuri and Pamia to show their cards. Yuri turned his over.

The man’s expression hardened. Yuri’s hand beat his by a single rank.

“What?! You had that?”

“That’s how it turned out.”

“No way… ugh…”

As talkative as he was, he was equally dramatic in defeat. He held his head in both hands and groaned, while the woman slapped his arm.

“What a scene.”

“That was hard-earned money! Of course I’m making a scene!”

“Only playing today?”

Meanwhile, Pamia quietly revealed her cards. No one except the dealer paid attention.

“Player number 2 wins.”

The dealer announced softly, and the other three turned to look. Pamia had a joker. Her hand was incredibly high—a rare combination not seen even after a full day of playing.

She covered her mouth and smiled.

“Got lucky…”

The man muttered with a sour face,

“She’s scarier than she looks…”

The following games followed a similar pattern.

With her innocent demeanor, Pamia fooled the others. She pretended to fold every time, then suddenly bet all the way to the end—only to reveal she’d been bluffing.

“Hehe… I didn’t think they’d fall for it…”

As the game went on, it became clear who was winning and who wasn’t. The man slumped in his chair with a sigh.

“All I do is lose…”

“Same here. Bad hand today.”

“It’s not your hand. You just play badly…”

“It’s not that. That girl’s a pro.”

“Hehe…”

Pamia had won a lot, and Yuri, at the very least, hadn’t lost. Because from the beginning, he’d stayed alert.

Ever since she suggested going to Basregas, Yuri had suspected she was skilled with cards.

“What now? Continue?”

While counting his chips, Yuri looked up. A familiar face was scanning the casino.

“I’m done here.”

Yuri said, standing up. Pamia looked surprised.

“Huh? You’re leaving…?”

“I have a meeting. You’ve probably gotten used to the casino, so continue on your own.”

“No, thank you.”

Pamia also stood and bowed slightly to the two gamblers.

“That was fun. Until next time.”

“Yeah, sweetheart, next time more calmly.”

“Didn’t you say I was only your sweetheart if you made money?”

“But I helped you win today, right? If we both win, we’re both sweethearts.”

“Well, I guess that’s true. Hehehe…”

When the game ended, no one complained about their losses.

The Imperial Capital had the highest money circulation in the entire continent. Gambling here was mostly for the wealthy.

“I’m done for today too.”

“Then me as well…”

As the four of them stood, the table emptied. Before leaving, the middle-aged woman extended a hand to Yuri.

“If we meet again, let’s say hi.”

Whether she actually recognized him or was just being polite, Yuri shook her hand.

“Of course.”

They waved casually to each other.

Pamia asked Yuri,

“Why did you leave so suddenly…?”

“I had to meet someone. And it looks like he came here.”

He had left a note at the front desk for Dale, in case he wasn’t comfortable staying at the hotel. He had told him to come to the Basregas casino.

Dale was scanning the area, searching for Yuri.

“Dale.”

When Yuri suddenly appeared, Dale jumped back.

“W-whoa, Prince!”

“What’s wrong? Did I scare you?”

“You came out of nowhere. Haha…”

“You recognized me even with the mask?”

“O-of course. How could I not recognize you, Prince?”

Dale’s eyes darted briefly. He looked at Yuri, then at Pamia standing behind him.

Yuri activated his mana technique, sharpening his senses.

In that brief moment, he picked up a silent exchange between Pamia and Dale. Dale licked his lips nervously and then gave Yuri a big smile.

“And this lovely lady is…?”

“One moment.”

“Huh?”

Yuri ignored Dale and raised his hand. The casino manager reappeared and bowed deeply to Yuri.

“Do you need something, sir?”

“That private room you mentioned earlier. I need it now.”

“Understood.”

Without asking any questions, the manager immediately guided them. Dale and Pamia followed Yuri silently.

They went up a hidden staircase to the upper floor of the casino. The dark hallway was lined with black doors without labels.

Dale whispered.

“Prince, what kind of place is this…?”

“There’s something I need to discuss in private. Does that bother you?”

“N-not at all.”

The manager stopped.

“This is the room. Please, go ahead.”

Once inside, there was absolute silence. Some kind of magical soundproofing seemed to be in effect.

“No one can open it from the outside until you exit.”

“Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

The manager bowed again and descended the stairs.

Yuri opened the door.

It was a large room, with a massive round bed in the center. The purpose of the space was clear at a glance.

“Come in.”

Dale and Pamia followed him. The door shut behind them.

Yuri sat on the edge of the bed and looked at both of them.

Dale was tense, almost frozen, while Pamia tilted her head with an innocent expression.

“This place… what’s it for…?”

But her act was no longer convincing. She had sensed that Yuri’s demeanor had shifted.

Yuri ignored Pamia and focused on Dale.

“Dale.”

“Y-yes…”

“If you’re from the Aebers family, what territory do you govern?”

“The barony of Maron…”

“I see.”

“Y-yes, that’s right, but…”

Yuri let out a small laugh and glanced around the room. It was completely quiet—no windows, no outside noise.

“Very peaceful.”

Yuri stood up. Dale and Pamia looked up at him.

“That means if we wanted to settle this here and now, we could.”

“What do you mean…?”

“I doubt you pulled this off alone.”

Yuri turned his gaze to Pamia.

“Who put you in touch with this woman?”

“Huh…?”

“Drop the act already.”

Pamia’s expression started to shift. Her innocent facade vanished, replaced by a scowl of irritation.

“We’re screwed…”

Dale stared at her in shock.

She held her forehead with one hand and remained silent for a while, then sighed and asked,

“When did you figure it out…?”

“From the start.”

“Ugh…”

Yuri had never trusted Pamia. Though he was a bit caught off guard at first, all it took was logical thinking.

At a high-class hotel like Duforia, it was nearly impossible to assign the same room to two guests by accident. It was absurd that they both had keys to the same room.

And Yuri had already unpacked. Anyone entering would have seen that immediately.

But Pamia had acted like she noticed nothing, undressed, and entered the bath.

It was all forced. And the biggest giveaway was her awkward line when Yuri tried to leave after apologizing.

“Telling me I could dry my hair before leaving? You think I’m an idiot? Who the hell says something like that in that situation?”

Pamia looked puzzled.

“But that was the most natural part of it all…”

“And suggesting the casino visit, like you knew exactly what I liked—that was even more suspicious.”

“Most people would call that a destined encounter…”

“Too bad. I don’t believe in destiny.”

“You’re the kind of guy I hate the most…”

Dale was completely pale. He took a step back and yelled at Pamia.

“B-but you said this would work!”

“Looks like we misread our mark.”

“Ggh…!”

“Since you turned down the princess, I figured you were a romantic who believed in fate. But turns out you’re just a stone who doesn’t care about any woman.”

It seemed they had done thorough research.

Yuri corrected her.

“I didn’t turn down the princess. I declined a formal introduction.”

But neither of them seemed interested in those details. Dale shouted at Pamia again.

“Then you should’ve been better prepared!”

“Prepared? That doesn’t matter so much. What counts is the first impression. If this face isn’t enough, then there’s nothing more to do.”

“Shameless!”

“It’s the truth.”

In a way, Yuri agreed. Because he felt no attraction to Pamia, he was able to see the truth clearly.

But that was only possible because it was Yuri. Objectively, Pamia was beautiful.

Emotions cloud reason. An average man might very well have believed all this was fate, just like she said.

“Let’s end this conversation here.”

Yuri took a step forward.

“Dale. Who’s behind all this?”

“I-I…”

“You don’t need to answer.”

“Huh?”

“But if you don’t, you’ll die right here.”

He drew one of his four swords from his waist—the Sword of the Fire Seal.

“I arrived in the Empire today. I’m tired. That means I’ve run out of patience.”

“I-it’s just…”

Yuri began spinning the Sword of the Fire Seal as he stepped closer. Dale’s eyes trembled with pure terror.

He looked at Pamia as if begging for help, but she remained still, eyes closed.

Dale opened his mouth.

“The president…”

“Who?”

“T-the president of the Association of Comrades of Briol. He gave me the order. I was just following instructions.”

Dale began to cry. He was a coward through and through. Yuri patted him on the shoulder as if comforting him.

“And that president… who the hell is he?”

Yuri was curious.

For there to be an association of people from Briol in the Imperial Capital, it had to be someone with enough leadership to be memorable.

So when Dale said the name, Yuri felt a flood of mixed emotions.

“What the hell is that bastard doing here?”

Got Bakbar.

The president of the Association of Comrades of Briol, and a student at the Academy.

Got Bakbar was behind all of this.