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Chapter 96: Game
With the help of the staff, Tsuna and Shakti had finally found a way into the elusive VIP room.
"We're in," Tsuna whispered.
"We owe those two big time," Shakti replied quietly.
They had successfully infiltrated the room, moving about completely unnoticed under the guise of casino staff. Meanwhile, the two real staff members who had assisted them were given different clothes and taken outside in handcuffs by the Ganesha Familia. The handcuffs were a ruse—escorting them out as criminals deflected suspicion and guaranteed the Ganesha Familia could protect them if anything went wrong.
"What now?" Tsuna asked.
"Good question…"
While the infiltration was a success, this undercover investigation would be meaningless if they couldn't secure hard evidence of Terry's crimes. Shakti scanned the room, formulating a plan to catch the casino owner red-handed.
"Hey, you two! This is sudden, but we have some guests arriving. Get over here and help set up," another staff member barked, ruining their timing.
Tsuna and Shakti were forced to move to a different room to prepare for the incoming VIPs. Inside the new suite, they spotted a middle-aged dwarf with white hair and a thick white beard. He was surrounded by high-rolling guests and beautiful women of various races, with a Catperson and a Human man standing nearby—clearly his bodyguards.
So that's Terry… As they arranged the room, Tsuna and Shakti immediately pegged the dwarf as their target. A moment later, the suite doors swung open, ushering in the next set of guests.
Is that… Syr and Ryuu? Tsuna thought, his eyes widening.
What are those two doing here…? Shakti wondered.
Despite their disguises, Tsuna and Shakti recognized them instantly. However, speaking up now would only blow their cover, so they remained strictly silent.
Syr and Ryuu had deduced that Anna was being held in this exact room. To catch Terry's attention, they had gone on a massive winning streak on the casino floor, drawing the owner's greedy eyes right to them. Their gamble paid off, earning them a direct invitation to the VIP suite. But as they stepped inside, Syr briefly glanced in Tsuna and Shakti's direction, flashed a meaningful smile, and smoothly looked away.
Did she notice us? Seeing that smile, Tsuna and Shakti realized their disguises hadn't fooled her for a second.
Syr… just who in the world is she? Even a Level 3 adventurer like Hyakinthos hadn't been able to see through his Mist flames. For a normal town girl without a Falna to pierce through his illusions should have been completely impossible. Tsuna already knew Syr wasn't an ordinary girl, so he wasn't entirely shocked, but it made him endlessly curious about her true identity.
"Allow me to introduce them," Terry announced to the room. "Visiting our establishment for the first time tonight is Lord Allude Maximilian, and beside him is his lovely wife, Lady Sirene."
"A pleasure to meet you all," Ryuu said, bowing her head slightly in her male disguise.
"We are truly graced by the owner's generous invitation," Syr added with a flawless, aristocratic curtsy.
"Speaking of which," Ryuu prompted casually. "On our way here, I heard a rumor that the owner recently acquired a woman of world-tilting beauty."
"Oh!! I heard that as well!" another guest chimed in eagerly. "They say he took her from a faraway, foreign land!"
"Please, you must let us see her!"
The moment Ryuu brought it up, the surrounding guests broke into a clamor. The sheer ugliness of the display made both Tsuna and Shakti feel a deep wave of disgust.
"Gahahaha! News travels fast among you all!" Terry boomed, thoroughly pleased with himself. "Yes, it's exactly as you say. I recently welcomed a new mistress. Since you're all so eager, allow me to introduce her. You there, bring her out."
At Terry's command, a staff member led a young girl with flaxen hair into the room. She was draped in a lavish dress.
"N-Nice to meet you… My name is Anna," she stammered.
She introduced herself while nervously clutching the hem of her dress with both hands. Her expression was one of undeniable terror.
Just as we thought. She was brought here against her will… Seeing Anna tremble, Tsuna knew she hadn't come here by choice. A few of the other women in the room cast her sympathetic, darkened looks, which didn't escape Tsuna and Shakti's notice. But they still lacked concrete proof. If they acted now, the investigation would be ruined, and it could easily spark a diplomatic incident. They had no choice but to grit their teeth and watch.
"Lord Maximilian, is there something on her face?" Terry asked, noticing the intense glare Ryuu was leveling at Anna.
"No… it's just that she bears a striking resemblance to a girl I know." Ryuu smoothly spun a tale. She explained that an acquaintance of hers had been framed by a certain man, driven into gambling debt, and subsequently had his pride and joy—his only daughter—kidnapped. She claimed to be tracking down that very girl.
So that's why they're here…Ryuu… you really haven't changed at all, Shakti thought.
Tsuna had assumed Ryuu was simply here to chaperone Syr, but now he realized they had come specifically to rescue Anna. Shakti, meanwhile, felt a small swell of warmth. Even after retiring as an adventurer and becoming a wanted bounty, Ryuu was still moving to protect the weak.
"A fascinating story, Lord Maximilian," Terry said, utterly unfazed. His lips curled into an arrogant smirk. "By the way, I hear you are the famed Count of Fernas."
"Yes. I am but a simple, inflexible elf from the countryside. A stubborn fool who cannot overlook those who stray from the righteous path."
"I'm afraid I have no idea who you've mistaken me for…" Terry chuckled, "but it seems you are quite fixated on this girl, completely neglecting the lovely wife right beside you."
"Then how about a game?" Ryuu challenged.
"A game…?"
"Yes. A gamble. The winner gets whatever they desire from the loser. Whoever wins takes what they came for."
"Very well. I accept your challenge."
Confident he couldn't lose, Terry agreed to the high-stakes gamble. Though Ryuu fully understood Terry was targeting Syr, she fearlessly stepped up to the table. And so, the game for their respective prizes began. The game was poker, and the rules were simple: the first person to run out of chips would lose.
"Oh my? It seems this old dwarf has won again," Terry gloated.
The game was entirely one-sided. Terry won hand after hand, and Ryuu's stack of chips steadily dwindled. It was painfully obvious why. The dealer and every guest in the room were in on it, feeding Terry information through subtle signals.
Ryuu wasn't foolish enough to miss it. She knew Terry was cheating, but because she couldn't figure out the exact method, she couldn't counter it. A faint sheen of sweat formed on her brow.
"Come to think of it, I haven't yet stated my prize for winning, have I?" Terry asked, pressing his psychological advantage as he noticed Ryuu's impatience. "When I win, I think I shall borrow your partner. The lovely wife sitting right beside you."
Terry locked his greedy eyes on Syr, practically tasting his victory.
"I am quite envious that you have such a young, beautiful bride. I would very much like to partake in your good fortune. Oh, don't worry. I'll just have her pour my drinks when I have some free time."
Terry relentlessly prodded at Ryuu's emotions. Ryuu tried her hardest to keep her composure, but beneath the surface, she was desperately suppressing an explosive rage.
"The arrogant ones. The ones blinded by greed. And the ones driven by a naive sense of justice, just like you… I've preyed on them all," Terry sneered.
This is bad… Ryuu didn't say a word in response to the provocation, but a terrifying bloodlust began to leak from her. The bodyguards instantly tensed, sensing the killing intent. Tsuna and Shakti frantically tried to think of a way to stop her before she blew everything.
"Darling."
Suddenly, Syr placed her left hand gently over Ryuu's, her voice impossibly soft and soothing. That single touch washed away Ryuu's blinding rage, bringing her back to her senses.
"Everyone, my husband seems to be a little tired," Syr announced pleasantly. "Would you mind if I took over as his substitute for the remainder of the game?"
"Syr—"
"Please, darling. I want to decide my own fate… I don't want to resent you if we lose," Syr pleaded, acting the part perfectly. She turned her gaze to Terry. "Owner, if we lose, I will do exactly as you wish. So please, leave my husband out of this."
"Hehehe… Hahahaha! What truly beautiful marital love! Very well, Madam. You have my word," Terry agreed easily.
Syr had secured his promise. Utterly convinced he couldn't possibly lose, Terry accepted her terms without a second thought. Ryuu tried to protest, but Syr silently shook her head. Her eyes were filled with absolute resolve. Seeing that, Ryuu backed down, leaving the fate of the game in Syr's hands.
The one-on-one match between Syr and Terry began.
What the…?The flow of the game changed… Tsuna and Shakti watched in silent shock. Terry, who had been dominating just moments before, started losing. And it wasn't just the two of them who noticed—everyone in the room felt the shift. Terry's arrogant smirk melted into a panicked sweat as his massive mountain of chips rapidly vanished.
"Royal Straight Flush," Syr declared, flipping her cards face up.
Terry, who had never for a second entertained the thought of losing, froze in his chair, his eyes bulging out of his skull.
"Faust!!" Terry barked at his Human bodyguard, silently demanding to know if Syr was cheating.
The man simply shook his head. All it confirmed was the terrifying truth: Syr hadn't cheated even once.
"Owner. Will you honor my husband's request as promised?" Syr asked, snapping her fan open and smiling as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. The rest of the room was dead silent.
"Very well… I suppose I can grant her some time off. Come to think of it, she must be exhausted from traveling all the way from a foreign land," Terry grumbled. Furious at the upset but unable to deny a fair loss, he reluctantly agreed to hand Anna over.
"No. We're not done," Ryuu interrupted.
"Excuse me? Are you saying this girl alone isn't enough? My, my. For an elf, Lord Maximilian, you are remarkably greedy. Just how many of my beloved treasures must I part with?" Terry forced a smile, though his rage was bubbling dangerously close to the surface.
"All of them. You will release every single woman you've stolen using your wealth," Ryuu declared. She had never specified she only wanted Anna. By the rules of the game, she hadn't broken their agreement.
"My husband is a very greedy man," Syr giggled, hiding her mouth behind her fan.
"Don't push your luck, brat…" Terry growled, his voice dropping into a menacing, guttural snarl. His patience had finally snapped. "Do you honestly think you can make an enemy of me and live to tell the tale!? If you think the Guild will protect you here, you're dead wrong!!"
His pride shredded to pieces, Terry bellowed in fury. He raised his right hand, and the bodyguards instantly drew their weapons, surrounding Ryuu and Syr.
"Do it!!" Terry roared.
One of the bodyguards drew a knife, gripping it in reverse, and brought it plunging down toward Ryuu.
But before the blade could fall—
"Gah!"
"What!?"
Tsuna's hand chopped violently into the side of the bodyguard's neck. The man's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed face-first onto the floor. The rest of the room stared in disbelief. A member of the casino staff had just betrayed the owner.
"Clear intent to kill. You can't complain about an arrest now, can you?" Tsuna said clearly.
"R-Right…"
Shakti had been half a second away from stepping in herself, only to find Tsuna had already knocked the man out. Startled by his sheer speed, she fumbled her response.
"Mr. Tsuna!! You came to save us!!" Syr cheered.
"S-Syr!? What are you saying—!?" Ryuu panicked, hearing her accidentally drop his real name.
Mist flames suddenly erupted around Tsuna and Shakti. When the indigo flames cleared, their disguises had vanished.
"Good grief… You saw right through us from the start, didn't you?" Tsuna sighed.
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