‘But there’s also the possibility it’s something else. He’s a cautious man.’
There’s no need to worry about a Fire Dragon leaping out of his pocket, but there’s still the risk of him slipping her something strange.
However, unless she takes it, she won’t know for sure.
She had no choice.
‘As long as I don’t give him an opening.’
Annamaria turned her gaze to the table where the cards were being dealt.
Without a single chant, she cast a spell on the face-down cards.
The printed symbols writhed and twisted, turning the cards dealt to Bruno into the strongest possible hand.
She glanced at Galileo, who, with a perfectly innocent face, left his seat and slithered under the table to hide by Annamaria’s feet.
Rosaria, wisely, did her best not to look their way.
She leisurely leaned back against the chair, holding the glass that had just been brought to her.
The six men all picked up their cards at once.
Each checked his hand, but suddenly, Bruno gave a small groan and his eyes widened.
The others began exchanging cards in quick succession, but Bruno alone passed, not changing any of his.
“Bet.”
At the dealer’s call, the men started placing silver coins on the table one after another.
Bruno, with a beaming smile, put down a gold coin.
The remaining five stirred uneasily.
“Hey, feeling lucky, huh?”
“You got that good a hand?”
Bruno responded to their banter with a thin, mocking smile.
“Well, who knows? Maybe. But I doubt any of you can beat me. If you want to pull out your silver coins, now’s your chance. The rate’s three times, isn’t it? If the dealer runs out of money, is this game over?”
Riled up, the young nobleman dealer muttered, “It’s a bluff,” and added another gold coin.
After a brief pause, the dealer called.
“Showdown.”
With a flourish, Bruno slammed eight cards onto the table and stood up in triumph.
“Look! The glory of the Great Magician!”
It was a perfect set of the eight strongest cards.
When this hand is dealt from the start, it’s said to be time to quit gambling.
It’s such an exceedingly rare and lucky hand, but precisely because it’s too lucky, they say it’s a sign to quit before a downfall.
The others half-rose from their seats, craning to see the cards.
Bruno thrust both arms up in the air.
“I’m on a roll, I’m on a roll, I tell you!”
As Bruno’s excited, high-pitched voice rang out, a flash of silvery fur suddenly leaped up from beneath his feet and pounced at his face.
“Wah!” Bruno shrieked, and the other five men whirled around.
“What the—?”
“Is that a Cat Dragon?!”
“Why here—” they exclaimed in astonishment.
Galileo clung to Bruno’s face, completely blocking his view.
“What the hell!? Damn it!”
Apparently overcome by confusion and surprise, Bruno seemed about to recite the chant for a spell.
But before he could, Annamaria pointed at Bruno’s chest, chanting over him.
“Come to my hand, that which my fingers seek!”
From Bruno’s chest, something flew out, which Annamaria grabbed firmly in her hand.
Bruno gave a little cry—”Ah!”—and clutched his chest.
By then, Annamaria had already moved five or six steps away from the table.
Seeing that, Galileo released Bruno’s face, spun once in the air, landed on the floor, and sprinted back to Annamaria’s side.
“What are you doing! Wild Countess. Return that at once.”
Bruno’s eyes were furious as he took a step forward.
At that moment, someone shouted.
“Look, the cards!”
The patterns on the cards scattered across the table were writhing and changing.
The eight cards Bruno had revealed were rapidly transforming from the strongest hand into a pile of junk.
“This man is a cheat!” Pointing at Bruno, Annamaria declared loudly, “He was trying to use magic to cheat!”
The five men, agitated, turned on Bruno.
“No! That’s not true! This is—that Wild Countess’s doing! She took something from my pocket—”
But as the five closed in, Bruno’s courage faltered.
The commotion caught the attention of the other customers, who half-rose from their seats, watching the scene from a distance.
The manager hovered anxiously, unsure of when or how to intervene.
“What’s all this racket?”
The timing was impeccable.
Rosaria appeared, standing behind Annamaria.
“Captain of the Romano Knight Order!”
The manager called out to her in relief.
“A cheat, you say? I’m off duty today, but as one responsible for the peace of Parsa, I can’t ignore this.”
Rosaria stepped in front of Annamaria, glaring at Bruno.
“A full investigation is required. You’ll come with us.”
Bruno seemed to understand this was Annamaria’s scheme, and glared at her with bitter resentment.
Yet confusion warred in his eyes as well.
Why would a Countess set him up like this?
If he accompanied Rosaria and proved there had been no cheating, his name would be cleared.
But if they investigated his background, they’d discover he had deserted from the Magic Army.
Realizing this, Bruno abruptly began to chant sharply.
“Wind, run!”
A gust of wind blasted through the room.
Screams erupted.
There was a crash of falling glasses, and the wind slammed the entrance doors open.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Bruno dashed for the exit.
Rosaria darted after him, faster than the wind Bruno had conjured.
As Bruno burst out the door, Rosaria caught up in an instant, blocking his path.
She drew her slender sword from her waist and, without hesitation, thrust at him.
Bruno also drew his sword, parrying her thrusts.
But it was all he could do to defend himself.
The relentless, rapid attacks left him no time to chant, and thus, no chance to use magic.
Annamaria, who had followed them outside, was awestruck by Rosaria’s fierce swordsmanship.
‘As I thought…she’s fast.’
She saw the blood of the Romano family on full display.
Most magicians can hardly use their magic without chanting.
Attacked so fiercely, a magician would never have a chance to cast a spell.
As she admired the swordplay, a chill ran down her spine.
‘If I’m ever possessed by Zoe, it’ll be that sword that pierces my heart.’
She could almost feel the cold, sharp tip driving into her chest.
In no time, Rosaria had Bruno pinned against the tavern wall.
“Don’t move!”
Rosaria’s swordtip was pressed against Bruno’s throat.
“Drop your sword.” At her command, Bruno let the weapon fall from his hand.
“Annamaria, bind him.”
At Rosaria’s calm voice, Annamaria began to chant.
“Bind.”
With that simple word, the Binding Rope at Rosaria’s waist slipped loose and coiled around Bruno’s body.
Rosaria, relieved, withdrew her sword.
“…We did it.”
Bound tightly, Bruno slumped against the wall, looking up at the sky in resignation.
“Monsters, the lot of you,” he muttered.
Onlookers, tavern staff, and customers began to gather, but Rosaria barked at them.
“We’ve only caught a cheat. He still has his honor—this isn’t a show! Disperse!”
At the stern order of the well-trusted Knight Order Captain, the crowd melted away.
“You got careless, Bruno Stecchi. If you let yourself be so distracted as to have something stolen, perhaps it’s time to give up gambling…”
Smiling, Annamaria looked down at what she had snatched from Bruno’s pocket—and her expression froze in shock.
“…This isn’t it.”
“Huh?”
Rosaria tilted her head in confusion.
Annamaria gazed at the polished shard of crystal in her palm.
“This isn’t Smeraldo.”