The Gambler’s Game

The game had begun.

The young man across from him had already stopped shaking the dice cup, yet Reyn showed no urgency to act. His gaze wasn’t even on the gambling table; instead, it drifted towards several elderly enforcers.

“Is that what happens when time runs out?”

The young man’s eyes narrowed slightly. He seemed overly confident, unconcerned with revealing information to Reyn.

“I didn’t take all their time, but it’s only enough to last until the old day dawns again tomorrow morning. Once their time is completely depleted, their bodies will turn to ash.”

Reyn’s expression grew even graver.

The young man, laughing freely, asked, “How many years do you intend to wager?”

Reyn pressed his lips together, his voice deep. “What’s the minimum wager?”

The young man held up a single finger. “One year.”

“Then I’ll wager one year to start.”

Reyn gently shook the dice cup in his hand, then slowly and nervously lifted it open.

Three, six, five, three, four, one—a total of twenty-two points.

A slight smile played on the young man’s lips. He lifted his own dice cup, glanced down, and sighed softly.

“Just a little less than yours, it seems.”

He lightly tossed a golden coin, which landed before Reyn. “One coin equals one year of time. What a pity. Don’t you think you wagered too little?”

He let out a soft chuckle, his gaze playfully fixed on Reyn. “So, how much will you wager next?”

Reyn remained silent, merely toying with the dice cup in his hand. Suddenly, his gaze fell upon the young man’s dice cup.

“I want to inspect it.”

The young man raised an eyebrow, then chuckled lightly, spreading his arms wide with an air of frankness. “Do you need to check if I’m carrying anything I shouldn’t be?”

Reyn didn’t stand on ceremony. “That would be best.”

He walked over, first meticulously examining the young man’s dice cup and dice. Yet, no matter how closely he looked, they appeared to be nothing more than ordinary dice and an ordinary cup.

Next, he thoroughly frisked the young man’s entire body, finding nothing. After repeatedly confirming there were no issues, he returned to the gambling table.

The young man straightened his clothes, speaking in a gentle tone. “So, how much do you intend to wager this time?”

Reyn slowly began, “Ten years.”

The young man’s lips curved upward. “Very well, ten years.”

Both parties simultaneously lifted their dice cups, and all eyes in the vicinity converged on the gambling table.

Thirty-one points and thirty-two points.

Reyn had the former.

In that instant, his body immediately underwent a drastic change. His formerly black short hair rapidly grew to his waist, and his face aged ten years in a single moment. It was as if, in that brief span, he had lived through a decade.

Conversely, ten golden coins appeared before the young man.

Reyn stared blankly at the result on the gambling table, while the young man across from him spoke with an air of profound regret. “What a shame, just barely missed it.”

Reyn slowly raised his eyelids, his gaze fixed on the young man who seemed to pity his opponent. His voice was low.

“You cheated.”

The young man’s lips twitched, revealing a hint of derisive mockery. “Where’s the evidence?”

He didn’t directly deny it, but instead countered by asking Reyn for proof.

Reyn remained silent, his somber expression gradually transforming into one of acceptance. He turned to look at Louise, who had already become a middle-aged woman, and spoke softly.

“I’m sorry, I dragged you all into this.”

Louise stared blankly at the apologetic Reyn, a sudden chill engulfing her heart.

This expression did not seem feigned.

Could it be that all her previous deductions had been wrong? Was Reyn Rheinhebo actually just an ordinary person who knew nothing?

Then what had she been doing all this time, and for what purpose?

The young man, with a half-smile, urged, “Continue! How much will you wager next?”

Reyn’s gaze returned to the young man’s face. The outcome of this gamble was already predetermined; he had no chance of victory from the very beginning.

‘Can only heretics fight heretics?’

He let out a relieved, soft chuckle, his expression calm as he frankly accepted his fate. “All in.”

The young man laughed freely. “Alright, I’ll match it.”

****

“Continue!”

****

“Again!”

****

“Again!”

****

Time slowly flowed, and the chips before Reyn gradually accumulated into a small mountain. The young man suddenly slammed his fist heavily on the gambling table, roaring in a low voice.

“What are you doing?”

He seemed to be questioning some entity, yet received no response.

The young man’s eyes, cold as ice, fixed on Reyn, a forced smile on his face. “You’ve won back their time, but you’ve won so much already. Don’t you want to continue?”

Reyn decisively shook his head. “No.”

New time surged into the aging bodies. The closed casino doors swung open, and under the young man’s icy gaze, Reyn and his companions departed the casino.

The young man coldly watched the gambling table, then suddenly, in a fit of rage, overturned the entire table, stomping furiously on the scattered dice on the floor. He roared in a low voice:

“Why! Didn’t you say you would help me! Why did you let them go! This was a prime opportunity for me to enter the Demon Tower, that circle of top nobility!”

[I did not break the agreement. You did win against Reyn Rheinhebo.]

The young man’s brow furrowed, and he said in a deep voice, “But the outcome wasn’t like that!”

[…]

[If you truly wish to know the truth, then watch the videotape. However, I do not recommend it.]

The young man’s expression subtly changed. Monitoring facilities were indeed installed in the casino. But for *it* to say that, did it mean another heretic was at play?

He quickly made his way to the room storing the videotapes, his steps abruptly halting as he stared intently at a videotape box resting quietly on the table.

On it, in delicate handwriting, were clearly written the words: “The Cursed Videotape.”

The young man’s face instantly darkened. He snatched up the videotape, replayed it, and spoke with a chilling voice.

“Playing tricks!”

Only heretics could fight heretics, and as a heretic himself, he had nothing to fear.

He watched his own image on the screen, laughing wildly, seeing Reyn Rheinhebo instantly lose all his time, collapsing withered onto the gambling table.

‘Yes, that’s how it should be.’

His eyes grew colder, and his desire to root out the heretic who opposed him intensified.

And then, he saw it.

[Sigh…]

An ancient, drawn-out sigh echoed through the room. A humanoid figure with a dice for a head slowly materialized, stepping over a pile of ash on the floor, and walked forward to turn off the recording.

Thump—thump—thump!

The steady footsteps drew closer and closer. A pair of icy blue eyes coldly swept over the pile of ash on the ground. A deep voice spoke.

“Waste truly is waste forever!”

The Gambler quietly watched the golden-haired noble young master behind him, and said indifferently, “You lost. As per our agreement, you must accept my existence.”

The golden-haired noble young master’s face darkened somewhat. He looked at the Gambler and said, “You anticipated this long ago?”

The Gambler remained silent for a long time before shaking his head. “No, no one could have predicted this.”

The golden-haired noble young master’s gaze fell upon the videotape by the Gambler’s hand. “That recording?”

“You’d best not watch it. Even if you aren’t recorded within it, some things are better left unknown.”

The golden-haired noble young master frowned in thought for a moment, then slowly spoke. “So, Reyn Rheinhebo is also a host for a certain heretic? And its ability is to corrupt history?”

“Are you referring to Reyn Rheinhebo? He’s just an ordinary person, nothing more.”

“He wasn’t behind this?”

“Of course not. As a person who couldn’t be more ordinary, Reyn Rheinhebo doesn’t possess such an ability.”

The golden-haired noble young master’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I truly can’t watch that recording?”

This time, the Gambler actively extended the videotape. “Since you insist on watching it, then go ahead.”

Yet, the golden-haired noble young master strangely did not take it. He stared at the videotape in the Gambler’s hand for a long time, then shook his head. “No, I give up.”

The Gambler suddenly let out a “hehehe” laugh. “Won’t you bet on it? What if I’m lying to you?”

The golden-haired noble young master looked at the Gambler with calm eyes, and said indifferently, “I only play gambles I’m guaranteed to win.”

“But you lost this time.”

“You’re wrong! No matter who serves as your host, as long as this power is in my hands, I will always win!”

“Splendid! Wayne Michelle, that’s what I love about you! Within you, there exists the very humanity I crave!”