Flashing neon lights in every direction. A haze of smoke filling the air. Chimes went off from nearby machines while chips clattered against tables.

In the dark of the night, casino halls like this in Orario's entertainment district continued to glow bright.

Of the casino halls in the entertainment district, the largest was the Grand Casino El Dorado Resort, accessible only to the rich and connected.

Here, seated at a poker table in the Grand Casino, was a young man with black hair and crimson eyes.

Idly picking at a mountain of casino chips in front of him, he glanced at the pair of cards in his hands before placing them on the table. After that, he grinned at his opponents and shoved the chips in the middle of the table. "All in."

Welf watched from a nearby bar and nervously sipped on a glass of water.

This was the tenth round of poker. Not only that, but this round was against bigwig adventurers.

Welf wasn't able to pinpoint the exact level of adventurers like Bell was, but he could tell based on the equipment that they were wearing both openly and concealed.

Magic items from the Hermes familia, a few of the Hephaestus familia's finer works, magic swords that individually reached about half of the level of a Crozzo magic sword... and then there was a guy who actually HAD a Crozzo magic sword.

Welf gulped and then set his glass down, carefully eyeing the table.

He was a bit worried that people would catch on to him and Bell. But thankfully, everyone else in the casino was already watching Bell at that table.

And speaking of Bell...

"What's the matter?" Flashing a cocky smile, Bell grabbed a chip and flipped it in his hand before catching it with one finger, idly balancing it on the tip. He stared at it for a second before casually tossing it back to the top of the pile, letting it slide perfectly in line with the other chips below it. "I thought this was for VIPs? Don't tell me that this is just the warm-up group before I get taken into that backroom for the VVIP club."

Welf started to sweat.

Setting aside the fact that the adventurers sitting with Bell were at least level 5, they were in the middle of the El Dorado Resort.

The El Dorado Resort that you could only get in with an invitation ticket. And an invitation ticket that could only be obtained through connections or spending insane amounts of money at various casinos beforehand.

When they arrived, Welf thought that Bell planned to do the first by using his connection with Freya.

Of course, they went with the second option instead and cleared out the jackpots in all of the smaller casinos within the entertainment district.

Not only that, but they had cashed out in valis, which Bell had stored away somehow with one of his many, many, MANY random skills.

Which meant that Bell was walking around with billions upon billions of valis stored away somewhere on his person.

Welf calmed his shaking hands and carefully sipped on his glass of water, still watching Bell.

'No wonder Bell made us wear disguises...'

After tonight, he was DEFINITELY going to be number one on Orario's underworld hit list.

...And Welf probably was going to be too by association.

Honestly, Bell never did things by halves... And Welf still didn't understand why they were here.

Unless Bell just wanted to stock up on funds for a grand wedding?

...In hindsight, Welf wouldn't put that past him."Tch." One of the adventurers at the table with cheaper equipment clicked his tongue. After rubbing his short beard, he stood up and tossed his cards on the table. "I fold. Dammit." He turned around and walked off, running a hand through his short cropped black hair. "I've got nothing but bad luck these days..."

Bell watched him leave and then turned towards the others. "Anyone else?"

A tense silence. Adventurers eyeing each other before deciding.

Some thought it was a bluff. Others wanted to try their luck. But at the end of it...

Bell laughed and said, "Tonight's my night. Royal Straight Flush." After that, he stood up tossed his cards on the table. Turning to one of the waitresses nearby, he said, "Is that all this place has to offer? If so, I want to cash out." He glanced at Welf and said, "My brother and I have business to attend to."

@#$@#$!

'Dammit, Bell! Don't just drag me into this mess!'

A sudden shift in attention. Everyone that had been staring at Bell turned to stare at Welf.

Welf would be lying if he said he didn't have the urge to scream and run out of there from all the tension.

It wouldn't be the first time he was faced with so much attention, but it was definitely the first time faced with so much outright hostility from high-level adventurers.

It hadn't even that bad back in Rakia when he refused to make any Magic Swords for his family.

Still, Welf kept calm. Casually finishing his glass of water, he stood up and reached into his suit pocket, pulling out the pocket watch that Bell had handed him earlier.

Adamantite, Orichalcum, various expensive metals and flashy gemstones that were worth more than the average adventurer could make in their lifetime.

Staring at something that was on par in price with what he could make by selling a magic sword, Welf couldn't help his hand trembling a bit.

But since he couldn't help it, he put on an angry expression and snapped the pocket watch shut after reading the time, shoving it back into his pocket.

After that, Welf walked back to the table, mentally repeating that he needed to be able to handle at least that much pressure if he wanted to marry Fae.

Somehow, it helped him keep his composure all the way to Bell. "You finally finished, Bro?"

Bell glanced at Welf and said, "What? Bored already, Wolf?"

Welf nodded, mentally thanking the temperature control attributes he added to his clothes preventing him from sweating. After that, he glanced at the pile of chips and said, "This is just child's play anyway. Why bother playing around with something meaningless like this?"

It was a scripted line, but it was one that also had a bit of sincerity from Welf.

After all, valis really was meaningless to Bell considering the guy could materialize whatever mineral or gemstone he wanted out of raw mana.

Which reminded Welf that he needed to have a talk with Bell soon about enabling the kids to create dangerous magic items without parental supervision, but he put a pin in that thought and set it aside for the moment.

Bell laughed and then decisively turned his back on the mountain of chips on the table. "True, true. It was kind of fun, but it's just a game in the end with cheap prizes." He tucked one hand into his right pocket before walking off. "Come on, Wolf. Maybe we can find something more interesting before we head home. This isn't worth the protagonist's time."

There it was. "The Protagonist."

That was their keyword to head out for the night, prepare for a fight, and then bail.

Welf resisted the urge to let out a sigh of relief.

Not because they'd probably be fighting Level 5 and higher adventurers... although Welf was pretty sure he could at least not die with the way he was equipped right now.

But mostly because the night of tense nerves seemed to be at its end.

Now, they just had to walk out, draw their swords and then warp away with Bell's crazy ability and-

"Now, now." An elderly dwarf man with slicked back white hair and a full beard walked over. Wearing a beige suit paired with a purple tie, he let out a hearty laugh as he headed towards Bell. Bowing his head slightly, the dwarf man said, "Apologies for the delay." He raised his head and said, "My name is Terry Cervantes, owner of the Grand Casino El Dorado Resort. I would have come to greet such a VIP sooner, but I was... preoccupied with other affairs."

Bell paused and slowly turned his head back. "Is that so?"

@#$@#!

'Dammit Bell! Let's just leave already!'

Welf stared at Bell and did his best to signal with his eyes.

Even Welf had heard about Terry Cervantes, and none of it was good. Rumors about challenging people to card games, tricking beautiful women into becoming slaves and his lovers-

Oh.

Bell grinned, his crimson eyes glimmering as he stared at Terry. "Then I suppose you have a lounge with other esteemed guests where we can play for 'proper' prizes?"

Terry smiled in return and said, "Of course. However, the sorts of prizes that are exchanged-"

Before Terry could finish, Bell flicked his wrist and pulled out a familiar looking sword. One that was packed with enough mana to blow up the entire casino if he wanted to.

The wind-based magic sword that Welf had made for him after refining the magic sword Bell had.

Spinning it around in his hand, he held it out handle first for Terry to grab. "Is this valuable enough to buy in?"

Welf's eyes widened and he quickly put his hand on Bell's shoulder. "Be-Bro."

Bell glanced at Welf and winked. After that, his voice echoed from right by Welf's ear, despite not standing there.

*Can you hear this? I think it should be working now... but anyway, relax, Bro. It's just an empty copy with a lot of mana.*

Welf blinked.

He had *so* many questions. But Bell seemed like he had everything under control, so...

Well. Welf could always complain about it to Hestia when they got back.

...Though that would mean telling her that he was with Bell for his crazy shenanigans.

...Which meant that Fae would definitely find out about it...

"Hah..." Welf pulled his hand back and said, "Whatever. Just make it quick."

Bell chuckled and said, "Don't worry. I'll make it worth our while... Ah." He looked at Terry and said, "You don't mind if my brother comes along as well, do you? I'll pay for him."

...

Terry chuckled as he took the sword and said, "Of course not. Now, follow me." He glanced at the crowd watching them and said, "Gentlemen like ourselves should play in a more... refined setting, should we not?"

Bell simply smiled in response.

Welf shook his head.

He already knew it was going to be a long night after Bell asked about the casinos and mentioned the world being ugly, but...

Well. On the bright side, Welf wouldn't have to worry about testing his newest equipment in a live combat environment...

xxx

A room in the far back of the El Dorado Resort, away from the Ganesha Familia guards that patrolled the other parts of the casino. One with a non-descript door and simple-looking lock.

After arriving there, Terry opened the door and led the way down a long hallway to a table at the end where various scantily clad beautiful women were waiting.

...Various beautiful *young* women, and more than a few with bright smiles directly contradicting their dull and despairing eyes.

I suppressed the anger welling up inside me and put on a smile just as fake as the one those women wore. Turning to Terry, I said, "I see that you have interesting prizes available."

Terry laughed and said, "Well, I am a connoseiur of beauty and valuable objects."

I took a casual glance around the room and said, "I can see that."

Contrary to the outside, the inside of the room was luxurious and opulent.

Those beautiful women standing around making seductive gestures while carrying expensive refreshments. Soma wine, luxury cuts of meat radiating intense mana that showed they came from monsters deep in the dungeon, glittering crystal fruits that I didn't recognize... and powdered substances and pills that were definitely drugs.

In other words, what you would expect from a shady underground place like this where lives passed hands at the turn of a coin and Lady Luck's whim.

Terry waved his hands and said, "Make yourself comfortable. The other guests haven't arrived just yet, so it will be some time before we start."

I glanced back at Terry and smiled. "My. Honoring us as the first guests to such an esteemed venue... I suppose the El Dorado isn't quite the cheap and gaudy shack I thought it was."

Terry's eye twitched a bit, but he smiled back and said, "Of course not. And it is my greatest shame that you received that impression, Mister...?"

I smiled and said, "Caranus, like the ancient king of lightning and truth." I took a seat and made myself comfortable, placing an arm against the back while kicking my feet up on the table. "My mother liked fierce names, you see?"

In the corner of my eyes, I noticed Welf sit down next to me, visibly upset.

Well, to my eyes. To others, he just kept on a stony and serious face.

But considering the guy's normally carefree and relaxed personality, he was definitely strung-up about everything around us.

Though, I didn't blame him.

Especially considering that I could see all of the women were wearing chokers primed to take the life of their owner if they didn't obey orders.

Terry laughed and said, "Let's hope the game is as fierce as your names then, Mister Caranus and Mister Wolf." He bowed his head and said, "I'll return shortly with the other guests. And again, please, make yourselves comfortable."

With that said, he made a quick signal to the women before walking out.

The moment he did, the women started drifting towards us, doing their best to be seductive and enchanting.

One in particular, a beautiful blonde fox girl with green eyes, walked over and bowed her head. She held out a tray of Soma wine and crystal grapes. "Your refreshments, Sir."

"...Hah."

Seeing her expression, those dull eyes and hopeless gaze, I clicked my tongue and said, "This is why I can't be a hero."

The fox girl's eyes widened for a bit, but then she tilted her head, confused. "Pardon?"

I waved my hand, gently shoving all the women back with a gust of wind and said, "Leave us be. My brother and I have some discussion before the games begin."

The women looked confused, and that blonde fox girl looked a bit disheartened, but they did as I said.

The moment they were out of earshot, I used <Energy Manipulation> to prevent sound from reaching the rest of the room as well as blur our faces to prevent lip-reading.

After that, I glanced at Welf and said, "We're good to talk now."

Welf grit his teeth, his blue eyes frosty with rage as he looked at some of the younger women standing around the room. "That bastard! What are the gods doing letting something like this happen in Orario?! And Ishtar...!"

"Calm down." I conjured a glass of water and held it out to him. "We'll raze the place to the ground soon enough. But we need to see just how far the rot is before we rip everything away. Not to mention..." I glanced at the corner of the room at the pile of treasures Terry kept. "...I have some questions I still need answered from this guy."

Most of the things in the pile were usual fancy and expensive trinkets. But there were a few things that caught my eye.

The first was my fake copy of the wind magic sword Welf made for me, of course. That stuck out like a sore thumb no matter how you looked at it.

But the second was a seemingly ordinary vial of orange liquid.

I said seemingly because most people wouldn't be able to tell what it did since they weren't as attuned to energy as me. But as for me...

'Is that a mix of a god's blood and a potion like the one Naaza gave me?'

The potion definitely reeked of divinity. And from the way the mana flowed, it was similar to Naaza's strengthening prototype potion that increased muscle gains and training growth.

Combined like that... Was someone trying to make an artificial demigod? No, was someone trying to empower ordinary mortals in a way that avoided the use of a Falna?

Suspicious. But what was more suspicious was the third thing in the pile, tucked away beneath some gems.

A seemingly ordinary crystal with a soft white flame inside of it.

To the observer, it would just seem to be a fancy magic stone with a cool fire inside. But to me, it would be impossible not to tell the source of those flames.

'Why the hell are Fina's flames there?'

Before I could finish my thoughts, Welf let out a sigh.

Slicking his hand through his black hair, Welf shook his head and then said, "I don't know how you can do it, Bro." He clenched his hand and said, "Seeing all of this, I just want to pull out my sword and burn everything to the ground."

I made a glass of water for myself and said, "That's the inner Shirou talking there. Make sure to keep that in check."

Welf blinked and said, "The inner what?"

"Don't worry about it."

The door in the distance opened as Terry returned, leading in more guests.

I tilted my head and said, "Remember. Don't move until I do. You can gamble or whatever, but don't act hostile until I flip the table."

Welf nodded. "I know, I know." He paused and then said, "Wait. Do you mean flipping the table literally or-"

"I'm dropping the field now. Remember, Caranus or Bro, 'Wolf.' Don't slip up unless you want these girls to die a pointless death."

Welf scowled. "I got it."

"Good. Then... Back to the play." I let the sound and light flow like they usually did, dropping my <Energy Manipulation>.

As I did, I took a look at the other 'guests' Terry brought over.

The first few were expected. The typical fat noble mobs, a few gruff and scarred mercenary type mobs, some more generally sleazy bastards.

But the last three guests caught me off-guard.

The first was a young woman who looked Japanese with black hair kept in a neat ponytail. Wearing a traditional crimson kimono, she looked around the room with her dark eyes before settling on the fox girl from earlier.

Seeing her, the young woman's face distorted a bit with worry and anger before turning neutral again. After that, she fixed her gaze forward and continued after Terry.

The second was another young woman. And a young woman I knew well, although she didn't look like one at the moment.

It was Ryuu, wearing a black suit and pants. Paired with her slender build and short hair... which had been dyed white of all colors, she stuck close to the young Japanese woman like a proper escort.

When she met my gaze, Ryuu's eyes widened in surprise before they narrowed.

Hey! I'm just as surprised to see you here, so don't go doubting me now! And what's with that white hair!? And the girl?!

...Is what I would have liked to say. But it wasn't the time or place.

As for the last person... they were short. Enough to be mistaken as a child. However, they were wearing a neatly tailored black suit and pants combo, along with clearly expensive cuff links, jewelery, and cane. Not only that, but they had a gold monocle over one eye.

Like Ryuu, the last person looked a bit ambiguous in gender, and so currently looked like a handsome young man more than a young woman.

But I knew that wasn't the case because she was definitely the same girl that bumped into Welf earlier in the night.

The girl looked at me and then tensed.

No, it wasn't that she tensed, but that she paused to... read something?

I couldn't see it, but her eyes were definitely moving like she was reading something in thin air.

Wait.

I narrowed my eyes, carefully reevaluating the young girl.

That outfit looked ordinary... but it was also pretty similar to the outfit of the Monopoly mascot on the cover of the box art I made to play with the kids.

And then there was the way she ran into me and Welf twice in a row...

If I was a normal person, I'd already be suspicious. But since I was definitely the gary stu MC of a fictional story... or at least the equivalent, the law of conservation of detail applied.

Which meant that I knew this person somehow, someway through the connections I already had.

And piecing together all the info...

...I definitely needed to have a chat with Fina and the other girls when I got back home about making system quests to follow me and Welf.

After that last girl... or rather, the short young man, walked in, Terry headed over to the table and took a seat. Plastering a wide smile on his face, he looked at me and said, "Shall we begin?"

I glanced at the girls who numbly walked over to entertain the guests before turning back to Terry with a cold smile. "Let's. I'm rather interested in these beautiful 'toys' of yours, you see...?"