The Wager

Volume: Volume 2

Translated Title: Chapter 111: The Wager

“Now, can you tell me where the Rat King is?”

A second later.

Scarlet blossoms erupted, then dissolved into the misty night with the breeze.

The ‘ordinary citizen,’ who appeared to have done nothing at all, stood amidst the spilled blood, still holding his top hat. He politely, elegantly, and calmly smiled as he questioned Swick.

He resembled a lost gentleman, merely inquiring about his next destination.

Yet, Ewan’s smiling face, in Swick’s eyes, was akin to a demon from hell. He paled, trembling as he raised the repeating crossbow in his hand, aiming it squarely at Ewan’s brow.

However, the trigger, which typically claimed lives with a gentle pull, now felt as if it had been welded shut with molten iron, refusing to budge.

“You… what exactly are you?”

“Oh, how many more times must I introduce myself? I am merely an ordinary citizen passing by.”

Ewan calmly approached, pushing aside the crossbow, and looked down into Swick’s terrified eyes.

“Sir, I am a patient man, but this will be my final inquiry.”

His smile gradually vanished, replaced by a cold ruthlessness that settled upon his profound features.

“…Where is Rat King Sam now?”

“I…”

Swick’s pale lips trembled.

‘I can’t tell him, Swick, you can’t tell him.’

‘You are the Rat King’s confidant!’

‘You are his right-hand man, his most loyal subordinate! This is precisely the moment to prove your loyalty!’

With a sharp *snap*, the crossbow string suddenly broke. Ewan flicked his fingers, a glint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

“Sir…”

“The casino! He’s at the casino!”

Swick shrieked in terror. “Sam has a gambling addiction; every night, he can’t resist placing a bet. So he must be at the casino now.”

“Oh, which casino?”

“The underground casino on Mink Street. I can lead the way. As long as you don’t kill me, I can take you there…”

“Excellent.”

Ewan nodded in satisfaction, thanking him courteously.

“Then I shall trouble you.”

“It is my honor to assist you.” Swick forced a smile uglier than a cry, mimicking Ewan’s gesture in a comical bow.

‘Indeed, the more refined a person appears, the more twisted they are in secret! Just like those noble lords in the Upper City!’

****

Having dealt with this insignificant nuisance, Ewan turned to face the gaunt man who was still in a daze.

“Don’t kill me, don’t kill me…”

Noticing Ewan’s gaze, the man pleaded frantically once more. In his mind, anyone capable of effortlessly dispatching so many Rat Society thugs must be an even more vicious villain than the Rat Society itself.

He envisioned one of those urban legends lurking in the shadows of the city.

However, the anticipated death did not come. He only felt a warm hand gently placed on his shoulder.

He looked up in astonishment, sensing none of the expected brutality or ferocity. Instead, he met a pair of blue eyes, as deep and serene as a lake.

“You just said you wanted to be a good person?”

“…Yes.”

The man nodded blankly.

“I am already trying to be a good person.”

“That’s good.”

The man felt a heavy pat on his shoulder.

“Very good.”

In the distance, the searchlights from the tower bridge’s outpost occasionally cast a dazzling beam of light.

Through the man’s dazed gaze, the ‘ordinary citizen,’ who was more menacing than any thug, walked past him, waved, and then vanished into the deep shadows.

Swick followed cautiously, hunched over, as humble as a dog.

“Damn it… who said good deeds go unrewarded?”

The man suddenly burst into tears, bowing his head repeatedly in the direction Ewan had disappeared.

“Bruce Wayne…”

He reverently chanted the name.

****

“You lose.”

In the opulent, debaucherous casino, Rat King Sam slammed his hand down, glaring imperiously at the sweating middle-aged man before him.

“How… how is that possible?”

The middle-aged man slumped into his chair, staring disbelievingly at his cards.

“I have a three of a kind. Why would a three of a kind lose?”

“You have a three of a kind, but I have a four of a kind.”

Sam tapped the four identical cards in his hand, a cold sneer on his face. “Winner takes all; those are the casino rules, kid. You’re not thinking of welching, are you?”

“I…”

The middle-aged man’s face turned ashen. He tried to speak again, but a beautiful croupier in a low-cut mini-skirt had already swept all the chips in front of him towards Rat King Sam.

Earlier, confident in his hand, he had gone all-in, hoping to win back everything in one fell swoop.

Now, all his chips, totaling one million, belonged to the short, dwarfish man across the long table—a man no one dared to underestimate.

His dream of recovering his losses, or even getting rich, had shattered. Now, he had nothing left.

“Wait…”

In despair, the middle-aged man clutched the last few chips, his lips trembling. “I’m not finished. Please give me another chance, just one more hand. I’m sure… I’m sure I can win back all the money I’ve lost. Please, just one more chance!”

“Chances aren’t something I give away.”

Sam toyed with the exquisitely crafted chips, which felt far more captivating than paper money, and chuckled. “One thousand Emiles per chip. Everyone is equal. If you want a comeback, bring more money.”

“Money… but where would I get money now? The money I had tonight was from mortgaging all my family’s property and land. Where could I possibly get more?”

“Is that so? You have no more money, then.”

Sam sighed regretfully, then his expression turned instantly severe. “No money, yet you waste my time? Guards, throw him out!”

“Wait… don’t drag me away, don’t drag me away! I can get more money, I can get more money! Sam, Sam, I can mortgage my daughter to you, and my wife too! Just lend me a little more, lend me a little more! I feel like my luck is turning; I’ll definitely win next time!”

The middle-aged man’s eyes were bloodshot, struggling desperately in the grip of the casino guards, fighting with all his might to return to the place where he had lost everything.

But Sam remained unmoved. He took a deep drag from the cigar offered by his subordinate, and through the swirling smoke, he spoke disdainfully:

“Damn it, who doesn’t know your wife and daughter are like a mother dinosaur and a baby dinosaur? They’re uglier than the mud on my shoe soles. What would I want with them? To cure low blood pressure?”

Amidst his heart-wrenching wails, the man, stripped of everything, was thrown out of the casino, his fate unknown.

Yet almost everyone knew he would likely return, with money acquired from who knew where, to continue his descent into this bottomless abyss.

“Boss, still playing tonight?”

A confidant leaned in, asking in a low voice.

“Tonight…”

Sam glanced across the entire casino.

According to his usual custom, he wouldn’t end so early. However, the rumors around Belland had been unsettling lately, causing a significant drop in casino business. A quick scan revealed no ‘big fish’ to be found.

“Forget it.”

Sam casually ran his hand over the white, tender bosom of the nearby croupier, leering. “Didn’t that kid, Swick, offer up his sister? I’ll go have some other fun tonight.”

“Understood.”

The confidant responded, preparing to make arrangements.

But just then, a shadowy figure, who hadn’t been there moments before, appeared behind the previously empty gambling table.

“Hmm? Is it over already?”

The figure removed his suit jacket, placing an antique cane and a silver box together on the gambling table. He adjusted his high-crowned, wide-brimmed top hat and offered Sam a harmless, amiable smile.

“The night is still young, Mr. Sam. Care for a few more rounds?”