The cmour of the hall faded into silence as the door closed. A shadowy room lit by magic-stone mps greeted us. The room appeared as rge as the main hall, but there were drastically fewer tables and people around, creating a uniquely grand atmosphere.

  Waiters in bck suits and gorgeous women in magnificent gowns poured alcohol for the customers. A great many of the tter.

  This was the VIP room of the Grand Casino of El Dorado Resort. Escorted by the owner, Terry Cervantes, Ryuu and I examined the wide room. As we expected, none of the noise from the grand hall made it past the oaken doors.

  Faint conversation echoed in the spacious chamber. The tables were clearly high-css mahogany, broad and solidly constructed. The guests surrounding them were also clearly above the rich and well-to-do outside in both make and manner. Many of them were pying cards with rge stacks of chips in front of them.

  Ryuu's eyes narrowed when she caught sight of them.

  “Over here, this table.” Terry led us to a table where several guests were engaged in a card game. Four people. The demi-humans in the seats seemed to be old acquaintances of Terry since they started talking without reservation.

  “Tonight’s been fun, as always. Thanks, owner.”

  “Speaking of, who are these two?”

  “Allow me to introduce them. Patronizing our establishment for the first time tonight, Lord Alric D’Averin. And beside him is his wife, Lady Rielle.”

  I stepped forward. “Thanks to the owner's kindness, we were able to come here. Please take care of us.”

  Ryuu followed up with a short greeting. “A pleasure to meet you, everyone.”

  Greeted by pstered smiles, Ryuu and I finished our introductions as a waiter neatly pulled a chair out at the table for Terry. The moment he sat down, an elf girl appeared, carefully setting a cocktail in front of him. I noticed Ryuu's hand getting stiff around my arm as she suppressed her feelings at watching a fellow elf being treated like a pretty doll. I turned to Terry and asked,

  “Mr. Cervantes, these beautiful people we have been seeing are…?”

  “The girls are…well, it probably doesn’t make the best impression, but they are my mistresses. If I say so myself, I courted them quite passionately, and they did me the honor of responding in earnest.” Terry responded without hiding his pride as he settled into his seat. “And since so many maidens responded to my love, the goddess of beauty would surely scold me for keeping them all to myself. It might be a bit presumptuous, but in order to share the wealth, I have them help out with serving drinks.”

  So, in short, you took a liking to them like Anna Kriez and then did everything in your power to control them. Pig bastard. I thought as I remembered the information Asfi had provided us. ‘The owner’s a pervert who surrounds himself with several women. And likes to funt them in front of the VIPs.’ She had said.

  Each and every one of the girls was beautiful in their bold and erotic dresses, doll-like. Against their will, they were here for various absurd reasons. Like Anna, all of them had been brought in through illicit channels, whether from inside or outside the city. Various colors of chokers adorned their necks, as if to show that the girls belonged to him.

  This room was part of Orario that was actually beyond the w. And so even things like this went unchecked. Then she must also be here.

  Tampering down my anger after seeing the arrogant owner while the guests leered at the beauties around them, I spoke again.

  “Now that you mention it…I happen to hear you recently got your hands on a siren-like beauty.”

  Just as I put it out there, the other guests at the table quickly chimed in with excitement.

  “Ohhh! I also heard that. Something about marrying a woman from a faraway country.”

  “Do you think you could let us see her?!”

  The elite chorused. It was another vomit-inducing picture. Enjoying the attention, Terry grinned.

  “Ga-ha-ha! Everyone’s ears sure are quick! As you said, I’ve welcomed a new lover to my fold. Let’s have the long-awaited introduction! Hey!”

  Whether he felt gratified by our interest or perhaps he had intended to show her off from the start, the dwarf quickly waved over one young waiter. He bowed respectfully and went through a door at the back of the VIP room to return with a human girl in a pure white dress.

  The girl stepped forward timidly, lifting the hem of her skirt politely. The girl introduced herself.

  “Please to…meet…you…My name is Anna.”

  Even a blind guy could tell she was having trouble suppressing the fear that seeped into her trembling voice.

  I exchanged a look with Ryuu, and she nodded, confirming the girl's identity as Anna Kriez.

  Just as Ryuu described, she was a pretty girl with round, gentle blue eyes, white skin, a slender jaw, and neck. Her fxen hair was tied behind a gaudy hair band. Overall, she gave the impression of a timid dy that triggered people's protective impulses, as her long eyeshes shaded her eyes when she looked downwards. The star-struck elites sighed in admiration, lustfully staring at her bare shoulders.

  “This one’s also…grade A.”

  “Yes, splendid. Well done finding her.”

  Terry puffed his chest in pride as he spoke.

  “The truth is, I stumbled across her while wandering around foreign nds. It must have been divine guidance. With such beauty and charm, she entranced even me.”

  As Terry sang his tale of lies, Ryuu and I stared at Anna. Perhaps sensing something different about this gaze among all the ill-mannered ones, or perhaps perplexed, Anna lifted her head in wonder and locked eyes with us. Terry, noticing where her attention was, spoke up.

  “Lord Alric, Lady Rielle, is there a problem?”

  “No…it’s only that we know a woman who resembles her.” The air around Ryuu changed as she spoke with a sharp edge in her voice.

  “According to our acquaintance's story, he was lured into a gamble by some crooks and dirtied his hands. After having everything stolen, his daughter was taken away from him.”

  Both Terry's and Anna's eyes flickered in recognition.

  Ryuu continued after me.

  “The girl’s father, who took the bet, was assuredly a fool…However, if you look closely, it appears that events happened at a certain person's instigation. That person set those criminals on the man in order to seize the daughter. After it was all over, he quietly made the girl his own, it seems…quite the sad story.”

  Without making it explicit, we made it clear we knew the entire story and all of the details regarding Anna’s situation. The amiable dwarf let his mask slip and gred dangerously at Ryuu. A mobster would not have a gre more brutal than his. Only someone who had trodden this cruel path could wear such an expression.

  Sensing the change in atmosphere, the wealthy guests around the table became flustered, though some who were more clever realized what was happening. The center of the conversation, Anna, was totally dumbfounded. After all, Ryuu had pretty much decred that we had come to take Anna back.

  Silence settled over the VIP room, which was broken by Terry.

  “It seems there is some misunderstanding that has happened between us. But…” A smile formed above his beard. “Why don’t we py a game?”

  “Game…?” I inquired.

  “Yes, the person who loses has to fulfill one request made by the winner. It has to be something accessible to the loser, naturally. Also, we’ll py the game with the highest-value chips.”

  He snapped his finger, and a waiter emerged, pushing a cart holding a big pile of chips. The mountain of ptinum-colored pieces sparkled. The value of all the chips we had collected in the main room fell extremely short compared to what was on the cart.

  “We’ll py with this on loan. It won’t be much of a game with any less,” he said, clearly intending to push us into a rge debt. Other than the man pushing the cart, several more men surrounded the table where Ryuu and I were seated. And just like the guards at the entrance, they were all muscur. I guessed a few of their level to be somewhere around Level two to three—nothing for us to worry about.

  “For people like us, who have already achieved wealth, status, and prestige, what we really want is the thrill of gambling without lives on the line. Am I wrong?”

  As the bck-suited bodyguards exerted pressure with their presence, Terry id out his challenge. I guessed pying along for now wouldn’t be too bad. There is still time until the real pn comes into motion. Ryuu and I had a special pn prepared for today. We just had to buy some more time for that to come to fruition.

  “Of course. Let's have that game. But I would like my wife to participate in this in my stead.”

  Terry and the other guests let out a hearty and mocking ugh at that. I held Ryuu's hand tightly under the table, stopping her from attacking them.

  “So the great count wants his wife to fight his battles? Now that is certainly new,” one of the old men sitting at the table spoke between ughs.

  Terry leaned back in his chair, stroking his beard with amusement.

  “Ga-ha-ha! How fascinating! A husband who hides behind his dy's skirts!”

  He gestured magnanimously toward Ryuu.

  “Though I must say, such confidence in your wife's abilities is admirable. Very well! Let's see if this beautiful flower has thorns sharp enough to match her tongue!”

  The other guests chuckled at his words, clearly entertained by the prospect.

  Terry continued as he spread his arms.

  “How about all of you, dies and gentlemen? This is the Grand Casino! It won’t be fun if it's just a one-on-one match. Why don't we all participate and have fun together?”

  At his words, all the elite smiled, nodding along with each other.

  But just as the game was about to begin, I felt a vibration in my suit's chest pocket. Unconcerned with the elite stares, I pulled the communication device from my pocket.

  “We are done on this side!” Alise's cheerful voice resounded from the device.

  “That is way earlier than I thought,” I replied, as a bewildered expression came over Terry's face.

  “Wha-what is happening, Lord Alric?” he asked.

  Instead of replying to him, I continued my conversation.

  “You won't believe it, Arin, it was so easy getting those evidences,” Alise continued. “We will be there in a few minutes, okay?”

  She cut the contact.

  “A-Arin? Evidences? What is happening here?! Who are you?!” His voice boomed like thunder.

  I met his eyes and beckoned him closer. He put his hand on the table and leaned forward.

  The moment he came within range, I spped his face so hard he tumbled to the ground, several teeth flying from his mouth.

  “My apologies, it seems we won’t be able to py the game anymore, Owner. Or should I call you Ted now? You must have had a lot of fun till now, taking on the identity of Terry Cervantes.” After all, with the information we had dug up and his stiff movements, it was already clear he was just a small-time criminal who was using the now-dead Terry Cervantes.

  His eyes widened at my words, confusion clear in his gaze, which was soon repced by rage.

  A strange mood took over the VIP room. As if the room had frozen over, no one moved a muscle. Left in the lurch, the guests, girls, and even the waiters looked on in fear and confusion.

  “You are making a huge mistake! Faust! Polo, kill them!”

  At their employer's order, the two bodyguards standing near him moved.

  But Ryuu was faster.

  One moment, she was sitting on the chair observing everything calmly, the next, she was locking bdes with the bodyguards using the dagger she had on her. Spark flew in the air, as she made quick work of them before lunging toward the remaining bodyguards.

  I moved closer to Ted and kicked him in the stomach. The impact sent his body flying into the middle of the room.

  Seeing the extreme violence, the elite prum ran toward the door exiting the VIP room, and the rest followed after him.

  I didn’t bother capturing them. Ganesha and Astraea Familia had already surrounded the casino.

  Instead, I looked over the girls gathered.

  “All of you don’t have to worry about anything; we are here to help,” I said and looked back toward Ted, who was writhing on the ground, emptying his stomach on the floor.

  “And there is some time before my companions arrive to arrest him, and I am sure you must have a lot of resentment toward this piece of garbage. So until they arrive, you are free to do with him as you wish.”

  A spark ignited in the girls' unfocused eyes as they lunged toward him with rage-filled voices. They started beating his writhing body. His feeble resistance proved to be futile as the women of his ‘collection’ kicked him all over. I could even hear the sound of his joints breaking.

  I made no move to stop them.

  After all, even if he ends up dying, then…well…it will be a small miscalcution in the pn.