From then on, Arendt completely took over.

Saif had been smiling brightly after unexpectedly receiving money, but after seeing Arendt’s actions, his mouth dropped open and he stared blankly; that expression said everything.

It didn’t matter whether he lost or won money.

Every time the roulette wheel spun, Arendt would throw money into the air. When he lost, he would click his tongue, but he would bet a large amount again on the next spin, and when he won, he would feel good and throw gold coins to the people in attendance.

As a result, people at the surrounding tables also started coming in to watch and join in. Arendt was now being treated like a king.

“Hahaha! This young man is really generous!”

“Isn’t this something you should enjoy doing?”

Although he did not like to physically touch other people, Arendt completely dominated the atmosphere by putting his arm around people he met for the first time and drinking alcohol offered to him without refusing.

Moreover, since the young man showed an attitude like it didn’t matter if he lost money, it was natural for the excited gamblers to applaud as they watched him spend money like crazy.

‘Spending money like water.’

Arthur thought about it from a distance, taking a step back.

‘Is that kid possessed by a ghost who died because he couldn’t spend money?’

That can’t be true.

He had never once been obsessed with money. Whatever happened with his relationship with his father, he was still the son of a noble family.

So, it would be more correct to see that this was just a guy who knew how to spend money lavishly, letting loose and running wild when he thought the time was right.

‘But why does he look so happy?’

As he stared blankly at Arendt, who was moving his facial muscles more actively than usual, he felt a little uneasy.

Arthur could never have dreamed that the son of a noble family housed the soul of a poor actor who lived a miserable life, even saving money on food.

Regardless of Arthur’s thoughts, Arendt was raising the stakes and throwing money at others, and the stakes on each roulette were getting higher and higher.

The host who was spinning the roulette wheel looked at Merlin in confusion. However, Merlin was also dumbfounded.

He brought that greenhorn here expecting him to have a lot of money, but this was beyond his expectations.

He didn’t know if he was just a narcissist who couldn’t tell right from wrong or if he really had so much money that it was overflowing, but he felt like this couldn’t go on.

Merlin, who suddenly came to his senses, strode towards Arendt.

“Young master, are you having fun?”

“It’s fun, but it’s getting boring. There’s no point in making money in a place like this.”

Arendt answered as if he had been waiting for the question.

Merlin leaned down slightly as if he had expected that answer and whispered in Arendt’s ear.

“Then how about going somewhere else?”

“Somewhere else?”

“Let’s stop tasting here. There is a more wonderful space inside. I’m sure you will like it.”

“Umm…”

Arendt, who had been pretending to think hard and take his time in answering, soon nodded.

“Since you said this, I might as well go.”

Arendt glanced at Arthur and Saif, who were taking a few steps back.

“Would it be possible for my companions to come along?”

“They may accompany you, but the escorts must wait in a separate waiting room.”

Saif muttered something like, “I’m not an escort, what the heck,” and then Arthur nudged him in the ribs, making him shut his mouth.

However, Arthur looked at Arendt with an uneasy expression.

“Is it really okay?”

“There’s nothing dangerous.”

But Arendt just remained calm.

There was no way Arthur could add more. After all, he was just a mercenary serving the young master.

Merlin nodded with a grin.

“Then I will bring you there right away.”

The three people who left the noisy place followed Merlin to an underground space one floor below.

As he walked behind Arendt, Arthur secretly looked around closely.

‘It looks like an ordinary one-story commercial building from the outside.’

It seemed like they had dug deep underground to create a space underneath the building. As they went down one floor along the stairs, the dizzying noises seemed to disappear into the distance and a space with a completely different atmosphere appeared.

“I think a place like this would be better for someone as noble as the Young Master.”

Meanwhile, Merlin continued to flatter and fawn. Arendt’s expression did not change at all, and he only responded indifferently.

“It’s good that it’s not noisy. It smelled really bad over there earlier. How about paying more attention to ventilation?”

“Yes, I will suggest that.”

The thick carpet was made of a different material from the one on the upper floor. The long hallway was decorated with beautiful candle holders and statues. The doors that appeared here and there on both sides were as splendid as any castle.

In addition, there were guards dressed in various outfits all over the hallway.

It was impossible to estimate the extent of this organization’s financial resources. There must be many nobles supporting them.

Arthur, whose thoughts had reached that point, became somewhat disturbed.

‘I wonder how many people will get involved…’

He had a gut feeling that this wasn’t going to end well either.

He turned his head slightly and saw Saif looking around with a blank expression. It seemed like this was his first time coming in here too.

If that was the case, then this must mean that this was a secret space that was not open to anyone, which was really ridiculous. It was so easy for them to infiltrate the enemy’s inner circle.

“Sir, you may come in this way. You two can wait in the room next door. There are drinks and snacks prepared.”

Nodding, Arthur glanced at Arendt. Arendt met his eyes and smiled slightly, the corners of his lips curling up.

“Then let’s meet later.”

Arthur’s eyebrows furrowed slightly at those meaningful words, but Arendt turned his back on him and strode into the room.

The door closed silently.

Now that Arthur and Saif were gone, Arendt was completely alone.

He turned his gaze straight ahead.

A splendidly dressed gentleman leaned back on a sofa, smoking a cigar, while a woman in a dress nervously picked at her gloved fingers.

‘So to speak, is this the VIP area?’

There were separate areas for mercenaries and commoners to play, and the area above was for the rich, the nobles that Arendt had chosen for this concept, or lower-class nobles.

And the people gathered here must be the real wealthy people.

“Merlin, why have you brought this young master here?”

As the man looked Arendt up and down and snickered, Merlin immediately started to joke.

“This young master is no ordinary man. I am sure you will have a good time together.”

“You are truly wicked, to drag a young man with a bright future into a place like this.”

On one side, another person burst into laughter. Arendt, who had been listening quietly, twisted his lips.

“It seems like both you and I are wasting our lives in a place like this. At your age, shouldn’t you be watching your grandchildren’s tricks instead of gambling with money?”

“Judging by the way you’re talking, it looks like you’ve had enough of the teasing.”

A mocking retort came back.

It didn’t seem like an opponent that would easily give in to provocation.

‘I didn’t even expect it in the first place.’

In that case, it would be better to show it with actions rather than just talking.

“Now that everyone is here, shall we begin?”

As the man who got up from the sofa blurted out a sentence, the people scattered around the room slowly gathered around the table. The hosts who had been waiting quietly by the wall also approached with quiet steps.

It seemed that it didn’t really matter who the other party was as long as they could get the money.

“What would you like to play? I’ll choose the one that best suits you, young master.”

“Well, if possible, please choose one that has simple rules. I don’t have much experience with these kinds of things.”

Arendt shrugged, and the man’s smile grew even wider.

“Then let’s just play a simple odd-even game. Any objections?”

“Yes, that’s alright.”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

As everyone else readily agreed, Arendt nodded without any change in expression.

Then the host brought a deck of cards and started shuffling them.

“I will draw a numbered card. You have to guess whether the card I draw is odd or even. The winnings will be distributed equally to those who guess correctly.”

As soon as the explanation was over, everyone took out their money pouches from their pockets and placed them on the table.

“Let’s start lightly with five gold coins each.”

It was a sentence that anyone would be shocked to hear, calling that amount light, but no one complained.

Dududu

Everyone was silent, and only the sound of cards being shuffled could be heard in the quiet room.

The rest of the people exchanged glances across the table, leaving Arendt staring blankly at the cards without any sign of tension.

The older man nodded, the woman nodded again, and then the middle-aged man blinked as if he understood. The others did that too.

They didn’t know where this kid came from or what he was doing, but it seemed like it was necessary to flatten his nose for a while. Guessing odds and evens was the best game to correct a rookie’s bad habits.

Finally, the dealer placed the face-down cards on the table.

“What would you like to bet on?”

“I’m betting on even.”

“Then I will do that too.”

“I’ll bet on odd.”

Merlin leaned against the wall, a curve forming at the corner of his mouth.

It was never fun to see a young kid acting all cocky, but he was sure they would take care of it.

“Then I’ll also bet on odd.”

He had a calm expression now, but that wouldn’t last long. Merlin was sure of that.

The card was turned over, revealing the number 3.

Gold was piled up in front of the man who bet on odd like Arendt. A proud smile appeared on the lips of the young man who was still a newbie.

First, he’s given a sweet taste, then he’s strangled and he can’t escape. It’s done so leisurely that he won’t even realize he’s dying.

“Would you like to bet again?”

“Let’s bet 10 gold.”

The stakes were doubled. This time, everyone placed their bets without saying a word, and the dealer began shuffling the cards again.

While the young man’s gaze was again fixed on the card, the others briefly exchanged glances with each other.

Everyone had one goal:

Make that young man penniless.

For those who spent a long time in a gambling house, sending a child to the abyss was not difficult at all.

The young man probably wouldn’t be able to return safely today. They would be able to secure a solid share.

They were all immersed in the same dream.

Little did they know that the kid who seemed so innocent and focused on his cards was actually a conman approved by the Crown Prince.