Casino Wizard

Since I’ve already made up my mind, I planned to push forward with speed from here on out.

I immediately gave instructions to my companions.

“Hero, please head home now. Rest until I give you further notice.”

“Understood, Hyden.”

“And Lucy? Head straight to the Adventurers’ Guild. Ask how many Gold-ranked adventurers are active in the capital or nearby areas. Then, tomorrow, visit the Saintess… Oh, if you’re uncomfortable with that.”

“No, I also want to see her.”

“Good, and…”

It wasn’t about scamming someone, but involving an old companion.

It wasn’t for money or safety, but purely for revenge.

Honestly, it wasn’t a profitable venture.

Even if we captured the Saintess, the middle-aged Hero would still have to go to the Demon Realm, and my casino would have to operate for months without a security head.

But everyone seemed more motivated than usual.

“Let’s catch them for sure.”

“Yeah.”

“Got it, Oppa.”

The sole purpose of this plan was revenge.

We didn’t even set a specific timeline for how we would go about it.

****

The Saint was praying.

“Goddess, do not hide when I make my plea.”

Like most people, the Saint’s daily routine was firmly structured.

Five hours of sleep, waking at dawn for nearly an hour of daily prayers to the goddess, followed by a simple meal, spiritual training while reading scripture, and either offering healing services or light manual labor during the week.

Then back to prayer, mass, reading, and serving others.

She was respected by almost everyone, even bishops, but her life was no different from that of a low-ranking nun.

“Goddess, hear my righteous story.”

“Hear my righteous story.”

“Hear my prayer, spoken with lips that do not lie.”

“Grant us your grace.”

Even now, with the Pope’s letter in hand, visiting the kingdom, she was still following this monotonous routine.

Her dwelling was a small quarters in the cathedral’s main parish.

She’d heard that the church was busier than usual because some followers wanted to catch a glimpse of the Saint, but it wasn’t something she welcomed. They didn’t truly revere her.

‘The people of the kingdom probably still remember me as the Saint of the Pierrot Party, don’t they?’

Saint Theodora’s fine brows furrowed slightly.

A terrible memory surfaced.

The day she first met the bald, uncouth serf.

“Is that the Hero… are you really the Hero?”

“Yes. Saint. Heh heh.”

“Huh?”

“Saint, I am an ignorant fool who cannot even read. But I plan to follow the path you lead. I don’t know why God has entrusted me with this… destiny, or calling, but I’m sure there’s a reason.”

“……”

“I will work hard! Please lead me.”

The Hero, Pierrot, acting so humbly, spewing words in a pitiful manner.

She wanted to forget, but she couldn’t.

An old man who looked like a worn-out mule pretending to be a Hero… Well, he wasn’t exactly pretending. He had received the goddess’s blessing, was recognized as the rightful owner of the holy sword, and was proclaimed the hero.

The problem was that the protagonist was inadequate.

Every day spent with Pierrot was a trial. They said blessings came after trials, but she never saw any blessing.

‘Still, I could have escaped.’

At the time, her goal had been to break up the party.

She had intended to pressure the serf Hero into stopping his activities, then find another way forward. Of course, the plan was to pin the blame entirely on the Hero and pretend to be a victim.

She could have joined a party led by the Heroes of the Dragon Kingdom or Empire, or even worked with the Holy Knights.

But the party never broke up.

Not even after the disgrace of being excluded from the demon king hunt.

‘It’s all his fault.’

The party didn’t fall apart until the very end, all because of the wizard.

Hyden, the bastard from Mantova, the bastard child of Mantova, who was notorious for his womanizing and famous for his handsome appearance.

The bastard children of Mantova were all handsome like their father. Hyden was no different. He was quite good-looking.

He was also quite competent as a wizard.

At first, the Saintess had thought she could cooperate with him. He seemed to be the least problematic of the party.

Most importantly, the wizard had shown interest in the Saint.

From the moment Hyden joined the party, he had shyly glanced at the Saintess’s body, especially her chest. Sometimes, he would flinch when their eyes met. He was a simple man who could easily be made to serve her with just a gesture.

But it didn’t take long for Hyden to change.

“I was supposed to meet a client in Manila… Oh, I took the wrong taxi and got shot. I intentionally took the yellow one, but those idiots were really out of control. I shouldn’t have let my father and sister try to catch the guy who killed me… damn it.”

He muttered incoherently for a while before his personality changed.

From some point onward, he didn’t hesitate to oppose the Saintess. It seemed he was trying to prevent the party from disbanding rather than siding with the Hero.

‘If it weren’t for him… sigh.’

The Saintess finished her daily prayers, troubled by these thoughts.

She had never failed to memorize her prayers or control her expressions to avoid suspicion from the other clergy. After all, she recited prayers three times a day, every day. She could recite the hour-long prayer even with her eyes closed.

“In the name of the Goddess Gaia, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, I pray.”

The Saintess maintained her pious demeanor until the end of the prayer.

Most days, it ended in silence.

But today, a delightful piece of news reached her, guiding her toward a throne of grace.

“Saintess, there is someone requesting an audience.”

“Who?”

“It’s Lucy, a former companion of yours.”

Ah, that brown-haired girl.

The Saintess smiled brightly and nodded.

Now, things were really getting important.

……

The huntress she met after five years was blunt and only delivered the message.

“Hyden oppa told me to let you know that he wants to discuss the conditions with you.”

“That person… Lucy, I told you so many times to fix your way of speaking.”

“Got the point, just get to the point.”

“Hyden oppa wants to receive what he’s owed and give you what’s yours. He wants to make a clean deal, and said we should negotiate the details in person.”

The Saintess fiddled with her rosary and looked at the huntress standing in front of her.

An old companion who used to amuse gamblers at a casino.

It seemed like she was still trying to charm Hyden and take advantage of him, just like in their younger days. Her form-fitting clothes made that clear.

‘He wants to make a deal with me?’

At first glance, it was an enticing offer.

But the Saintess didn’t fall for it.

“A deal, you say?”

“You said you would send the Hero to the Demon Realm, didn’t you?”

“Lucy, that’s a decision made by the Holy Knight Order. I can’t interfere with that. I’m just delivering a message.”

“Hyden oppa said you’d make excuses like that.”

“Again, so easily…”

The Saintess smiled as she was about to point out the flaw, but the huntress raised her hand with a scowl.

“Just meet and talk. It’s tomorrow morning. What will you do? After all, you want money, don’t you?”

The huntress tossed the words out in frustration and took a few steps back.

She clearly didn’t want to talk anymore.

The Saintess continued to smile while scanning her from head to toe.

It looked convincing. Really.

It seemed like a quiet suggestion to settle things through negotiation.

At face value, it seemed like an offer to gather money or bribe someone to save the middle-aged Hero.

If the Saintess agreed to the deal, it looked like she’d be guaranteed a substantial sum of money.

But this sweet offer was a trap.

In fact, the Saintess had been tricked in a similar way by Hyden once.

Six years ago, she had received a tip that the serf Hero had raped the daughter of a farmer. The victim, who wanted to clear her name, had made an offer.

The Saintess had thought this was her chance to bring the Hero down, so she rushed to intervene.

But the result was disastrous.

The victim had been an actor hired by the wizard. She wasn’t a victim at all.

The Saintess didn’t know that and falsely accused the Hero, embarrassing herself. She couldn’t confront the Hero for months after that.

That was the wizard’s way.

Throw out a bait, and when the opponent takes it, shame them.

It was likely the same situation again.

Pay money to save the middle-aged Hero?

She would likely get the money.

But that money would be poisoned bait. Once she accepted it, they would change their tactics and lead her into a trap. Not only would they fail to save the middle-aged Hero, but she’d probably end up losing the money too.

The huntress’s disrespectful attitude was probably due to a spell from the wizard.

The Saintess wasn’t foolish enough to fall for the same trick twice.

‘They think I’m an idiot.’

Actually, this was part of her plan.

On the first day she arrived at the kingdom…

She had openly expressed her greed for money when talking to Hyden.

She did have genuine greed, but exposing it to a perceptive person was a whole different matter.

Anyway, the Saintess’s plan had worked.

Hyden had thought she was a fool, and so it seemed like he had laid the same trap for her.

“Alright, Lucy. I’ll meet the wizard tomorrow morning. But can I choose the location?”

The Saintess said brightly, her heart racing with excitement at the chance to both collect money and grab onto their weaknesses.

****

There was always a type of person who would only learn after being tricked twice. They didn’t even realize that there was a method to throw out a decoy they could easily recognize.

The Saintess was one of those people.

“Oppa. The Saintess wants to meet quietly in the west corridor of the cathedral tomorrow. She emphasized that it must be a private meeting.”

The response the huntress had brought from the Saintess.

It seemed the Saintess was preparing some countermeasures.

Inviting her to a place where high-ranking clergy pass through and demanding a private meeting—it wasn’t hard to guess her reasoning.

There was no need to worry about countering the Saintess’s scheme.

“Hero, it’s tomorrow morning.”

“Got it.”

“What about the holy sword?”

“I’ll bring it… It’s been five years.”

I might throw in a few lies, but this time, I planned to break through with a relatively straightforward approach.