From the three consecutive wins where I bet an entire pouch of gold coins, to now, with seven consecutive wins.
The gold pouches on the table now amount to almost 30, combined with Frederick’s.
At this point, it’s not an amount you can bet with a sane mind. But hey, since when do gambling addicts have a sane mind?
And besides.
It’s still “only” 30 pouches.
“F-Frederick… I don’t have any more money…”
“Huh…?”
“What, is it already over?”
Finally, Frederick ran out of gold coins. That means even his entire fortune wasn’t enough.
My bet was 16 pouches of gold, but even if Frederick scraped together everything he had, it was only 14 pouches.
The Byron family is wealthy, but even as the second son, this must be the limit of what he can spend privately. Just the gold I’ve won could build a mansion in the imperial capital.
‘…Wait, can he really spend this much privately?’
If he were the eldest son, it’d be possible. He’s the heir, a genius in both Aura and Magic, so he’d be getting all sorts of support.
But Frederick is the second son. Not to mention, he caused enough trouble with gambling to be sent into forced exile.
Even so, would the family, would his father, have given Frederick this much money? That father?
‘If it’s not from his father, then where did he get this much money…?’
…Oh.
No way.
“Hey, Frederick.”
“Don’t worry about the bet! I’ll figure something out—”
“Are these gold coins… all debt?”
“……!!”
No, seriously? For real?
Common sense says you can’t earn this much money from just a few days of gambling. So it must have been money he had before returning to the family.
But he was sent into exile, and he doesn’t exactly have a knack for business. There’s no way he could have earned this much from scratch.
That leaves only one possibility.
A possibility I’d rather not think about, one I’d rather be wrong about.
Debt.
“……It’s none of your business, is it?”
“What do you mean it’s none of my business, you crazy bastard! How could you borrow over 30 pouches of gold without any collateral? You must have sold something off…!!”
The jewelry and trinkets Frederick carries around could never cover such a huge sum.
If he borrowed money, the only thing he could have used as collateral is obvious.
Being the second son of the Byron family.
That name.
“Did you… sell off the family?”
“I didn’t sell it off, I just made a promise.”
“A promise? That you’d pay it back if you became the family head? Or rights within the territory? Don’t talk nonsense.”
“W-what!?”
Did this idiot even read the contract before signing? He probably just saw the big sum and signed without thinking.
My head is spinning from this situation. I just wanted to drain his fortune to stop him from gambling, but now it turns out his fortune was debt all along.
And who knows what he even sold off!
“You… are really hopeless.”
I was planning to just clean out his entire fortune and leave the rest to his father.
But now, I can’t just let it end like this.
“You third-rate bastard shouldn’t be meddling! You don’t even have a family to bet, do you? A powerless, incompetent fool!”
“I don’t care about your crap, just bet.”
“What?”
What do you mean, “what”?
Everything you’ve got.
“All the rights Frederick Byron has as the second son of the Byron family. Investment rights, development rights in the territory, shares in the trade guild, whatever miscellaneous stuff there is.”
“What are you…?”
“Then I’ll count all that as gold pouches. The jewelry and stuff you have won’t even amount to a few coins, right?”
“………….”
Wow.
I’m the one who told him to bet all his rights as the second son, but Frederick seriously considering it is just as crazy.
For a moment, it seemed like he came back to his senses when I mentioned betting his rights.
But.
“Can’t do it? Then I’m leaving?”
“W-what! You can’t leave!!”
“Why can’t I? You don’t have any money to bet, so how can we gamble? I’m all in. If you can’t match it, it’s over.”
“……Damn it!”
Ugh.
Frederick, gritting his teeth hard enough to draw blood, grabbed a piece of paper and started writing something with a pen.
He roughly threw the paper at me, written in red ink as if it were blood.
“Is this enough!?”
“……You really went all in.”
A hastily drafted list of rights he’s giving up, and…
With Frederick Byron’s signature on it, this deed of transfer now holds official credibility.
By the time we got here, the guy seemed so excited that he was glaring at me like he wanted to chew me up.
“This is worth two gold coins…!!”
“What are you talking about? This is still a bit short.”
“……!! I’ve staked all my rights, Frederick Byron’s rights!! And you’re saying this isn’t even worth two gold coins!?”
“Value changes depending on the situation. Well, just a little more would do.”
“What on earth───”
“Your right hand.”
“……What?”
It just reminded me of something I saw in a movie.
You’re the kind of guy who’d gamble away your entire fortune and even sell off your family name.
Might as well cut off that hand you use for gambling.
“Don’t want to?”
“Ha, is that supposed to be a provocation? I’m in, I’m in! So let’s just get started!!”
“Alright. No turning back?”
“You’re the one who’s going to have to hand over every single gold coin…!!”
Now I finally understood why Frederick took the risk and silenced Victor so sloppily.
He was that desperate for money. He planned to bring in as many people as possible and win as much money as he could.
That’s the only way he could pay off his debts.
‘What a real lunatic.’
I set up Kyle Galli again. No matter the outcome, this would be the final gamble.
……Can this even be called gambling? Frederick was using Aura, and I was using tricks, so it’s a bit ambiguous to call it gambling.
‘This is why I thought Kyle Galli would never be used for gambling.’
Frederick, you’re really something.
He was a pathetic guy, but from now on, I had to be careful too.
Looking at that bastard’s crazy eyes, he’s definitely waiting for a chance to crush my hand.
‘Until now, I’ve been holding back…’
I gave without hesitation, and took before the cards were even flipped, so there weren’t many clashes.
But I always have to remember: if it comes to a contest of strength, I’m the one who’ll lose.
Considering that even a bit of Aura left a bruise on my shoulder, it was clear that Victor-level injuries wouldn’t be the end of it.
He might just try to completely crush my hand.
I took a deep breath and flipped the cards.
Click. Click. Click.
And then.
Ding!
Even though I pressed the bell this time too.
Frederick, who had been staring intently, burst into maniacal laughter.
“……Ha, haha. Hahaha! You bastard, of course! You were pulling this kind of cheap trick…!!”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb! How could you press without even looking at the cards? Were you predicting based on the slight glimpse of the card design!?”
……So this was why he kept gambling with Kyle Galli even after losing.
The situation of needing to earn as much money as possible to pay off debts, the humiliation and inferiority complex of losing to someone he’d always ignored, and the growing sense of unease after losing seven times in a row.
These were the factors that kept Frederick from giving up on gambling with me.
“Of course…there’s no way I, a genius who uses Aura, would lose to a useless bastard like you…!!”
The reason I could win seven times in a row against Frederick, who uses Aura.
As if he had finally figured out my trick, Frederick laughed like a madman.
“I’ve been waiting for this chance. You were just a stupid fish caught on the hook!”
“…………”
“Go ahead and flip the cards, you useless bastard!!”
Suddenly, he’s full of confidence. Well, now that he’s figured out the trick and has overwhelming physical ability, he must think he can’t lose.
His smug grin was already getting on my nerves.
Ding!
“……Huh?”
I pressed the bell without even flipping my card.
I lifted just the very edge so he couldn’t use the trick I had been using.
And when I flipped the card.
“Five…stars?”
“You figured out the trick, right? Go ahead.”
“You…you?”
The flaw in my trick.
It’s that you can only predict based on the opponent’s card, not your own.
If I flipped my card and matched five shapes, I could never beat Frederick with reaction speed. That’s why I gave him most of the cards in such cases.
But that was only in the early stages when we hadn’t played much.
The solution to this flaw is simple.
‘Just memorize the cards.’
All.
It’s not about memorizing the order of the cards. How do you even do that?
What I memorize are the cards with five shapes drawn on them.
Those cards, with only one of each shape, are like cheat codes in a one-on-one match—you can ring the bell as soon as they appear.
So, just by remembering their positions, you can easily win a few games.
“He didn’t even notice the first shuffle.”
It wasn’t for nothing that I shook him by betting rights and fingers.
Thanks to that, I could check and distribute the cards I had my eye on while setting up Kyle Galli.
I also learned this trick while playing Hali Gali in the real world, often getting beaten by others. Of course, I only figured it out—I never actually did it.
Naturally, Frederick was the only exception.
“Now, let’s see how this plays out.”
Frederick, who had gotten cocky after uncovering my trick, had his mentality shattered again as I performed beyond his expectations.
Would he give up easily? Not a chance.
Ah, he’ll give up. The thought of winning “fairly.”
“…………….”
That guy glaring at me like he wants to devour me.
He was always like that, but since he can’t win normally, he’ll persistently try to crush my hand.
And inducing that behavior… was exactly what I was aiming for.
*Clang!!!*
“Ah… sorry? I accidentally hit a bit too hard. Must’ve misread the shapes.”
“It’s fine. I didn’t expect much from a gorilla who can’t control its strength.”
“…………….”
Crazy bastard, it hurts like hell. Did I dodge that?
Even though I pulled my hand back at the last second while trying to ring the bell with all my might, the tip of my middle finger got grazed and is now bruised.
The cards were three diamonds and one star. Of course, I shouldn’t ring the bell, but just because I reached out, Frederick raised his Aura to the limit and struck.
It’s burning red, and I feel a sharp pain. I can tell he’s really trying to destroy me.
But it’s still not enough.
You need to use more power.
So I can’t back out.
The cards are gradually coming to my side. It was inevitable once Frederick started ignoring victory and only targeting my hand.
After all, Frederick can only target my hand until this Kyle Galli game ends.
He’ll get more desperate.
*Flip. Flip. Flip.*
“………….”
“…………….”
I flip a card. He flips a card.
Even though five shapes matched in the middle, Frederick didn’t ring the bell. His gaze was solely on my hand.
…This is my chance.
*Flip. Flip. Flip. Flip.*
I keep flipping cards. The pile grows.
As the quiet card-flipping repeats, he must’ve sensed something was off, shifting his gaze from my hand to the cards.
“…………….”
*Flip.*
Frederick flips a card. Two circles.
Now it’s my turn to flip, and I know what the next card is.
Five diamonds.
So.
*Whoosh!*
“………!!”
I lift the card slightly and head straight for the bell.
The five-diamond card flutters up, revealing itself to the world.
The distance to the bell is short, but Frederick moves several times faster than me.
‘Now, this is the best move.’
If Frederick rings it here, he can take over half the deck and crush my hand in the process.
In this perfect situation, how will you move?
Will you raise your Aura just enough to not get caught?
You, who’ve been humiliated and mocked by the so-called incompetent third son?
In this golden opportunity where no one can say a word?
“────”
Perhaps the last chance Frederick will ever get.
He didn’t disappoint me.
*Whoosh.*
‘───Aura.’
Finally.
Even though it was banned, he kept using it secretly.
But now, he raises it to a visible level, as if he no longer cares about being caught. As if, even if caught, what can you do with your right hand about to be crushed?
As if to repay all the humiliation he’s suffered in Kyle Galli, he pours all his strength into it, his face twisted in ecstasy.
“────!!”
No words were needed.
The knights’ house rules weren’t in play, and in ordinary Kyle Galli, ringing the bell was faster than the blink of an eye.
So, Frederick, at the very last moment, blatantly used Aura to try and completely finish me off.
*Thud.*
“…Huh?”
“You’ve crossed the line, Young Master Frederick.”
*Ding!*
Grandpa Butler Charles had snatched his hand.
I pressed the bell right then.
It was a refreshing chime, as if signaling the end.
“W-what is this…? Ch-Charles, the head butler…?”
“I told you, I didn’t come alone.”
Did he really think I showed up in front of this guy and provoked him without any backup? If things went south, he and his gang could’ve physically done something to me, right?
It was only possible because Grandpa Butler Charles was watching over me.
‘Frankly, I was scared until the end because I couldn’t sense his presence at all.’
Grandpa Charles knows just how bad the relationship between me and Frederick is. Even though I told my father I’d handle it without his help, Grandpa, being who he is, would step in if things got really dangerous.
That’s what this was based on… Though, as a regular person, I couldn’t detect Grandpa’s Aura stealth, so I was on edge.
Well, even if my hand got smashed, I could’ve called Sally waiting outside, so it would’ve been resolved somehow. Though I’d have suffered a lot before getting treated.
Anyway, I succeeded.
I rang the bell and made Frederick blatantly use Aura.
“With this, I’ve taken most of the cards, but since you used Aura despite the ban… As promised, disqualification.”
“Y-you…!!”
“Those bags of gold coins, the deed of rights transfer you wrote, and…”
“…Huh?”
*Swoosh.*
Even though I called him “brother” instead of using informal speech in front of Grandpa Charles, whatever.
He’s going to live without his right hand now, so I can give him that much.
“Your neck is mine too, right?”
“W-what?”
“Grandpa Charles, hold him tight. My swordsmanship is clumsy, so I might need a few swings.”
“W-wait!! Ch-Charles, the head butler!! Are you just going to stand there!? Stop this crazy bastard!!!”
“…I heard everything from start to finish, Young Master Frederick.”
“…What.”
“Starting the gambling den, selling the family to pay debts, writing a deed to transfer your rights as the second son, your descent into gambling madness—I saw and heard it all clearly. So stay quiet. To cure Young Master Frederick’s gambling addiction… this might be the only way.”
“N-no. No…!!”
The sword, Frederick’s usual carry.
Made for Aura users, it was heavy enough to easily slice through a human wrist.
Realizing this wasn’t a show or a threat but deadly serious, Frederick’s face turned pale.
He struggled, but with his untrained Aura, there was no escaping Grandpa Charles’s grip, who trained his Aura daily.
With just his two hands, Grandpa Charles had Frederick pinned firmly to the table.
I lifted the sword with difficulty and whispered with a smile.
“Without a hand… you’re just a useless cripple now, huh?”
“…!!!”
*Whoosh!*
Just before the sword came down on his wrist.
“I-I’ll talk!!!”
*Clang!!*
At the very last moment.
The blade narrowly missed his wrist, and Frederick whimpered.
“I-I’ll confess everything! The gambling den, selling the family for debts… I’ll tell Father everything! And you can take all the gold and the deed, just please!!! Spare my wrist…!”
“……”
“Don’t take my Aura… it’s my…!”
That was his surrender.
The sound signaling the end of the final gamble.
