Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

"Look, he's won again!"

"I never knew that there was such an outstanding man in that country."

"Yes, he looks so young, yet he's so handsome and dashing. He's truly outstanding."

"The lady beside him was also quite lovely, like a pure white flower..."

"I heard that wife is a distant relative of the imperial family!"

"That's truly amazing!"

The gods, mingling among the crowd, began spreading false information. These lies, seemingly true yet false, were quickly embellished and exaggerated. The amplified rumors then spread throughout the grand casino.

As expected, as Ryu won big in gambling and amassed a large amount of chips, the two became the focus of attention in the hall.

"This distinguished guest."

Just as Ryu was preparing to participate in the gambling game with higher stakes—

An older human dressed in a fine suit appeared beside Ryu.

"Lord Sabandis, the casino owner, would like to invite you to a meeting."

—They've taken the bait.

Ryu cheered inwardly, and Seele beside him smiled.

Liu remained calm and composed, certain that his opponent had taken the bait he had laid out.

"It's an honor for the casino owner to meet with a young person like myself. May I ask where we will be meeting?"

Please come with me.

This slightly older human, who appeared to be the casino manager, led the way for Ryu and the others like an old gentleman.

Ahead of the group was a burly dwarf who was greeting the distinguished guests.

"Oh, you must be Lord Maximilian!"

After noticing Liu, the other person opened their arms and walked over.

This person was shorter than Liu, with the standard build for a dwarf, and his beard was perfectly styled. His brown hair had his bangs combed back.

The expensive black suit he wore couldn't contain his thick limbs and muscular chest at all, as if it was about to burst. He didn't look like an ordinary citizen; he looked more like a bodyguard.

"My name is Terry Sebandis, and I own this casino. Thank you for coming all this way and for gracing our establishment tonight."

"You're too kind. I should be thanking you for your hospitality. I am... Aruud Maximilian, and this is my wife, Sirena."

"My husband and I had a great time, boss."

After Ryu introduced herself using a pseudonym, Seele bowed and thanked her like a well-bred young lady.

Terry, who was welcoming, was a master of social skills.

His appearance might seem menacing at first glance, but his always-smiling manner helps lower his opponents' guard. However, for Ryu, who has encountered countless people wearing this "mask" before, his approach is unlikely to waver.

She also put on a mask and continued to perform her act of impersonating a noblewoman.

"I originally wanted to greet you as soon as possible, but unfortunately there are too many guests tonight... Please allow me to reiterate my welcome to both of you."

Just as the human manager who had been helping to guide them stepped back, Terry extended his right hand.

Liu glanced down at the thick palm and politely declined the other party's offer of goodwill.

"I am very sorry, but I have sworn to be devoted to my wife for the rest of my life, and therefore I must not have any physical contact with anyone other than my wife. Please understand."

"That's quite surprising. It seems Lord Maximilian is a noble spirit. My lady, you are truly favored by your husband."

"Hehehe, I don't deserve it."

Liu keenly sensed from these words that the other person secretly disliked him for being an old-fashioned stubborn person.

The other party was a dwarf, the kind of person who gets along least well with elves. Ryu is no longer the immature person she was when she first visited Orario; she won't get angry over such a trivial matter.

One of the most striking details is the way Terry looked at Seele with a smile, his gaze momentarily filled with lust.

(That look in his eyes, just as I expected...)

Liu squinted her right eye, which was not covered by an eye patch, and immediately realized that her prediction was correct.

"Your Excellency Maximilian, I've heard you're having a very good day... I have a suggestion: why don't you move to the VIP room over there?"

Terry, who had initially worn a friendly smile, immediately replaced it with a sly grin befitting a businessman.

The spot he glanced at was the door located deep within the hall, which was the target of Ryu's attention.

"A VIP room, is that right...?"

"Well, please don't be too wary. To put it bluntly, it's a gambling venue where you can enjoy higher stakes. Not only does it offer top-notch service and exclusive gambling, but it also houses wealthy tycoons like yourself. I believe there are some topics that only those in similar circumstances will understand, and I guarantee it will satisfy you."

As expected, Terry did indeed come to invite guests with a large amount of chips and generous spending.

Pretending to be lost in thought for a moment, Ryu glanced to the side, and Seele returned the glance with a knowing smile:

"Honey, I want to go inside and take a look."

"Since my wife has said so, please don't mind."

"Hahaha, it's settled then!"

Terry burst into laughter and led Ryu and the others forward.

The group avoided the crowded guests and headed deeper into the hall.

"Speaking of that imposing eye patch on your face... if you don't mind, would you mind revealing its origin?"

"It's alright. Actually, I was protecting my wife when she was attacked by a monster... Although her wounds have been healed by 'magic,' her eyeballs, which were taken by the monster's claws, can never be found again."

"I see. So this can be considered a glorious wound. Lord Maximilian is truly a remarkable man."

After hearing Ryu's prepared speech, Terry praised it loudly.

At the same time, he seemed to be peering at Ryu's profile as if he were probing her.

"……What's up?"

"Since just now, I've felt like I've seen you somewhere before... No, it must be my imagination. I'm sorry, please don't take it to heart."

Terry, who looked thoughtful, quickly laughed it off.

During this exchange, they finally arrived at the oak gate guarded by strong guards.

"This way, gentlemen."

The tightly closed doors, which were open on both sides, were slowly pushed open.

Following behind Terry, Ryu and Seele finally entered the enemy's headquarters.

4

After passing through the door, the area, unlike the bustling hall, was quite quiet.

The brightness of the magic stone lamps used for lighting was deliberately reduced, making the room appear somewhat dim. Although the area here was no less than that of the hall, there were not many people present or gambling tables, making the use of space quite extravagant.

Waiters in black suits and beautiful women in gorgeous dresses elegantly poured drinks for the guests.

"I thought it would be even noisier here."

"Yes, it's just like a salon."

This is the VIP room of the largest casino, "Golden City Paradise".

Ryu and Hiel, brought here by casino owner Terry Sebandis, looked around the spacious room.

Behind an oak door, the noise of the hall seemed completely inaudible. Soft laughter and conversation rang out louder in the exceptionally soundproofed room. The mahogany table, clearly of high quality, was both sturdy and spacious. The guests around the table, in both their manners and attire, were a cut above the wealthy people outside. They were betting large sums of money, mostly on card games.

In addition to the guests, the VIP room also had male waiters who were impeccably dressed, as well as many beautiful women and young girls in formal attire.

Ryu, who was following behind Terry and whispering with Seele, squinted as she observed the women.

"Here you go, this is the table."

Terry led the two to a place where a group of people were enjoying card-cutting gambling.

There were four people present. The demi-humans present all seemed to know Terry well, and they struck up a conversation with him familiarly.

"I had a great time tonight, boss."

"By the way, who is this?"

"Let me introduce you all. This is His Excellency Aruud Maximilian, who is visiting our establishment for the first time tonight, and the lady beside him is his wife, Lady Shirene."

"Hello everyone, it's an honor to meet you all."

"Thank you for your patronage, my husband and I are honored to be here. We look forward to your guidance."

After Ryu and Seele greeted the smiling guests, a waiter immediately pulled out chairs for them. Once they were seated, an elven girl carefully placed cocktails on the table.

Faced with this beautiful compatriot whose smile was as lifeless as a doll, Ryu struggled to control herself, preventing her expression from freezing over, and asked Terry:

"Old Yue, who were those beautiful women we saw along the way...?"

"It might not sound nice to say this, but in short, they are all my mistresses. It may be inappropriate for me to say this, but I'm a womanizer, and they all genuinely reciprocated my advances."

Faced with Ryu's obvious question, Terry, who had taken his seat, made no attempt to hide his vanity and continued to explain:

"If I were to have all these beautiful ladies whom I love by myself, the goddess of beauty would surely have some complaints. Therefore, I took the liberty of having them help pour the drinks so that everyone could also enjoy the view."

Although the words were spoken in a roundabout way, in the end, they and Anna Kretz, who came to rescue Ryu and the others, shared the same fate—they were all pitiful people who were forcibly kidnapped by Terry after he took a liking to them at first sight, without any means necessary.

"The lecherous boss takes the opportunity to flaunt his many beautiful women to the guests"—it seems that all the information Modo provided about the VIP room was true. They were all "collections" that Terry had forcibly taken with his wealth.

These women, dressed in flamboyant and revealing gowns, were stunningly beautiful to anyone who saw them, almost like dolls. Their presence here was presumably not of their own volition, but rather forced upon them for various unreasonable reasons. Like Anna, they had all been brought here from within and outside the city through insidious and vicious tricks.

Each woman was portrayed as an object of a particular man, wearing various kinds of collars.

This scene is only possible because this room in Orario possesses genuine "extraterritoriality".

No one present dared to criticize the casino owner's arrogant behavior. Everyone even admired and praised his "collection," hoping to get close to these beauties.

(In that case, she should be here too...)

Seeing the smug casino owner and the guests whose eyes were fixed on the group of beauties, Ryu suppressed her anger and said:

"By the way... I heard on the way that the boss recently acquired a stunningly beautiful woman."

The moment Liu brought up this topic, the others, who seemed to have already obtained relevant information, began to join in the commotion.

"Oh, I've heard that too! Apparently, she was married from a distant foreign land!"

"Please let us see it!"

The surrounding wealthy people echoed their sentiments. The scene before them was truly disgusting.

In contrast, Terry burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha, everyone's got the inside scoop! That's right, just like you all said, I've picked up a new mistress. Since this is a rare opportunity, let me introduce her to you all! Hey!"

Whether he was pleased with the reactions of the crowd or had been looking for an opportunity to show off from the start, the dwarf owner clapped his hands at a young waiter. The waiter bowed respectfully and then led a human girl in a pure white dress out from the depths of the VIP room.

"Nice to meet you all... My name is Anna."

The girl lifted her skirt to bow and introduced herself as Anna.

There's no doubt about it; the girl, whose every word and action betrayed her inner terror, was the Krez couple's daughter.

(So ​​that's how it is... She really is beautiful.)

Her mother (Kana)'s description was not an exaggeration. Even by high standards, her perfect oval face was enough to convince anyone. Innocent blue eyes, porcelain skin, a perfectly curved chin and neck, and well-proportioned breasts. Objectively speaking, her appearance, somewhere between a girl and a woman, was more adorable and beautiful than Ryu, who was an elf, and could even rival a goddess. She also wore a collar like other women.

Her long, flaxen hair, inherited from her mother, was tied back with a shimmering gold hair accessory, swaying slightly as if reflecting her current emotions. The vivacity that a common girl should possess was gone; the way her long eyelashes lowered her eyelids was enough to evoke anyone's protective instincts, as well as men's sadistic desires.

It was clear that while the distracted tycoons were expressing their admiration, they were also glancing inappropriately at the girl's bare shoulders.

"She really is... outstanding in appearance."

"Yes, she's stunning. She's like a fairy descended from heaven. I'm so glad you spotted her, boss."

"Actually, I just happened to meet her in a foreign country, and I believe it must be divine guidance. Her captivating beauty made me fall head over heels for her on the spot."

Liu ignored Terry's lies and stared intently at Anna.

Perhaps because she was surrounded by curious gazes, but noticed that only one gaze was different from hers, Anna looked up with a puzzled and confused expression, which met Ryu's one eye.

At this moment, Terry also noticed Ryu's reaction.

"Lord Maximilian, why are you staring at her like that? Is there something on her face?"