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

The sound of thin playing cards being drawn from the deck, the girl's (Anna's) trembling breath, and Terry's smirk as he clutched the chips tightly in his hand. All eyes in the VIP room were on her. Under Ryu's gaze, the girl reached for the playing cards that had been dealt to her.

The instant Seele put the card into her hand—

"Heh, heh heh—hahaha!"

She seemed quite surprised, and a laugh escaped her lips.

"I just feel... only slightly wavering."

After saying this in a strangely intoxicated tone, Seele closed her eyes like a girl in love.

With a smile on her face again, she opened her eyes and looked directly at Terry, who was sitting on the opposite side.

Although Terry was momentarily stunned by the gaze, he reassured himself that the woman was just using him as a shield and ultimately decided to trust his own hand to settle the score.

Both sides placed large bets, just before the cards were about to be revealed—

Seele spoke:

"It seems I've received a blessing from Mr. Lucky Rabbit today."

She then revealed her hand.

"Flush"

*Thump*—The old orc gentleman kicked the chair away and collapsed to the ground.

The impact caused the pile of chips in front of Terry to collapse like a waterfall. Amid the clattering sound of the glittering chips scattering on the ground, the beautiful women covering their mouths with their hands, the guests with cold sweat dripping down their foreheads, and Anna, who stood frozen in place, were all filled with astonishment.

This is the strongest deck to appear today, including wild cards.

Terry, his eyes wide open as if they were about to pop out, suddenly turned around to look behind him.

"Fast!?"

Compared to the dwarf's ear-piercing roar, the human guard pondered and shook his head in response.

After witnessing the bodyguard's response that the other party had not cheated, Terry gritted his teeth in anger.

"Hehe... Thank you, Mr. Rabbit."

Seele takes out a wild card from the deck—the Joker sitting astride the "Rabbit"—and holds it in her hand.

The girl gazed tenderly into the "rabbit's" round eyes, as if recalling the warmth she felt when saying goodbye to the boy, and gently pressed the back of her hand against her cheek.

"...!?"

Terry looked at the mountain of chips and the elven guardians waiting behind the gambling winners.

Having lost all his chips, he was so shocked by the scene before him that his whole body stiffened.

They misjudged their opponent.

Terry had to admit that he had misjudged his opponent.

Terry originally thought that Ryu was a knight who came alone to save the girl (Anna).

But he was wrong. This knight, in addition to himself, possessed a truly formidable "trump card".

The girl before them was the "trump card"—the "queen" served by the knight.

"Hey, Ryu? So this is...?"

"That's right, Seele—"

With clumsy movements, the girl opened a bright purple fan with both hands.

"—You won."

As Liu began to announce, Xi'er covered her lips with her fan, slightly narrowing her pale silver eyes as she gazed at the group of stunned tycoons.

(illustration)

5

The VIP room was enveloped in silence.

Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and stared in the same direction with horrified expressions.

The highest-value chips, piled up like small mountains, were stacked on the mahogany wooden table. The gamble, which the guests had also joined in, ended with a young girl's overwhelming victory.

Faced with this unexpected result, no one could hide their astonishment, not even Terry, the owner of the largest casino (gran casino).

Disguised as the countess and countess, Ryu and Hiel looked at Terry with a leisurely air.

"Boss, according to our original agreement... you have to accept my husband's request, right?"

Seeing Seele's smiling face, Terry clenched his fist.

Before the gambling began, both parties verbally agreed that the loser must fulfill the winner's wish. If he were to deny it in front of the guests, he would only make a fool of himself. Terry glanced at the beautiful, flaxen-haired girl, Anna Kretz, beside him, chewing on his humiliation, and replied:

"Alright... I'll let her rest for a while. Come to think of it, she just came from a foreign country, she must be quite tired."

According to Ryu's initial statement, his main purpose was to search for and rescue the girl (Anna), so Terry agreed to hand her over.

Seeing Anna's confused expression and her trembling figure as she left, Terry felt an uncontrollable rage.

This move was tantamount to agreeing to release her. He had only bought Anna a short time ago and hadn't even had a chance to enjoy her yet.

"Is this alright, Your Excellency Maximilian?"

Facing Seele, who was getting up from her seat, and the elf who had kept the girl (Anna) by his side, Terry uttered these words with a fierce look in his eyes.

—That damned young man! That hateful brat!

We'll see. If you dare to make me lose face, I'll make you regret it!

As Terry cursed inwardly, Ryu spoke up:

"No, this isn't over yet."

Upon hearing this, Terry was so angry that he could feel his eyes twitching.

"...What does this mean? Are you not satisfied with just Anna?"

Looking back now, Ryu definitely never said that "taking the girl (Anna) away" was her demand. However, her attitude of trying to take this opportunity to make more demands only made people more angry.

The blindfolded elf paid no attention to Terry's feelings and confronted him directly.

"My Lord Maximilian," he said, "I never imagined that an elf could be so greedy. How many of my lovers do you want me to release before you're satisfied?"

Ignoring Terry's sarcastic remarks, Ryu only said the following:

"Everyone."

This one sentence silenced the VIP room instantly.

"I demand that you release every woman present whom you forcibly took with your money."

Ryu's further declaration broke the silence.

The ladies inside were all like startled birds, turning to look at Liu with surprised expressions.

When Seele heard this, she opened her eyes wide in surprise.

She was stunned for a moment, then smiled and chuckled softly, her shoulders rising and falling slightly.

"My husband is really insatiable, haha."

The girl with light silver hair seemed to find it very funny, yet also seemed to be laughing quite happily.

"...You, you!"

Terrified, his face flushed red with the surge of resentment that welled up within him.

The dwarf, who had risen slowly from his seat, no longer concealed his true nature and began to intimidate with a fierce expression.

"I advise you not to get too cocky, young man..."

A savage voice, completely out of place in the VIP room, echoed in the room.

Faced with Terry's fierce expression, not only the young girl (Anna) and the ladies, but also the guests huddled together in fear.

"Have you misunderstood something? Who do you think you are? You just beat me this once!"

"..."

"You think you can survive in this world by being my enemy?! If you think the guild will protect you, you're sorely mistaken!! I, from the entertainment city (Santorio Beja)—"

"wrong."

Ryu interrupted Terry's threat with a calm remark.

"You're not from Entertainment City (Santorio Beja). And to be honest, your name isn't Terry Sebandis."

Upon hearing this, the dwarf boss froze on the spot.

"Your name is Ted."

Upon hearing the next sentence, the man's expression changed drastically.

"This person was a gang leader who ran illegal casinos in Orario on multiple occasions... Even though his god has been banished from the city and sent back to the heavens, the [ability value] sealed on your back will still remain."

Ryu took out a small bottle from her bosom, which contained crystalline fragments and bright red liquid.

This is called an "Unlocking Potion," an item used by deities to unlock the blessings (ability values) imprinted on their followers.

Using this tool, the evidence called "True Name," which is engraved with the name of God, should appear on the back of the person in question—Ryu explained, then held the small bottle forward.

An eerie atmosphere dominated the entire VIP room, and everyone present seemed frozen in place, afraid to make any rash moves.

The guests, beauties, and waiters, whose minds couldn't keep up with the situation, all looked bewildered, exchanging glances at the elves and dwarves who were facing off.

"...Hmph, hmph, stop spouting nonsense."

After some time, the dwarf boss finally spoke up to refute.

Even though he puts on a calm and composed appearance, one can still glimpse the unwavering resolve he has never shown before in his words and actions.

Moreover, he exuded a terrifying killing intent towards his enemies.

"Although I have no intention of taking your lies to heart... this matter involves my reputation, and even more so, the credibility of our shop. I cannot let a scoundrel like you leave alive."

The moment Terry raised one hand, the bodyguards who had been standing by immediately took action.

This scene caused a commotion as the men in black surrounded Liu and Xier. The bodyguards they had hired glanced at the orc gentleman and the dwarf tycoon who hurriedly retreated from the gambling table, obeying their employer's orders like loyal dogs.

Including the "unlocking drug" in front of him, Terry planned to completely eliminate Ryu and all of her previous statements.

"I'll just...yes, just to confirm who you are before I kill you?"

Terry suppressed his inner turmoil and asked a question.

Just as the girl (Anna) was filled with fear and anxiety, Ryu reached out her hand to Seele, who was standing to the side.

Don't you remember who I am?

Ryu took the shawl that was draped over Seele's arms.

She tied her long, thin shawl around her head like a cloth, covering her entire face except for her right eye, which wasn't covered by an eye patch.

Terry seemed somewhat surprised at first, but when his eyes met Ryu's—

His body began to break out in a cold sweat.

"Could it be—"

Sky-blue eyes peeked out from under the shawl.

This face, concealing its true appearance, is identical to a person from a certain part of the man's memory.

Faced with that piercing gaze that seemed to see right through him, Terry shouted at the top of his lungs in the next instant.

"—Rion!?"

The name of this adventurer once struck fear into the hearts of villains.

"Leon: The Gale"

This person usually wears a cloth mask and has been an unknown and renowned second-tier adventurer since then. He is both a top-tier adventurer who is often compared to the [Sword Maiden] and whose growth rate is astonishing, and a champion of justice who follows the [Asteria Familia] to fight evil and punish wickedness.

Faced with this person who has returned to the scene... no, who has revealed his identity as a former member of the goddess Astrea's kinship, Terry was ashen-faced.

"You're still alive...!? So you really were the one who participated in that war game...!?"

According to the information Terry obtained, Hayate, who lost all his companions in his Familia and became avenger, fought a fierce battle with the rival Familia, resulting in a grudge that left both sides severely wounded, and he died on the spot. Even though no remains were found, Hayate's reputation suddenly ceased at that time, which is why Terry believed this rumor without a doubt.

However, all of this ends today.