And then, a little while later.
"Royal Straight Flush."
As if to declare that the outcome had already been decided like this from the start.
The ruler of the golden paradise, who had cowardly schemed up a strategy for certain victory, was mercilessly defeated before a goddess-like stroke of luck.
"Grrraaaah...!"
"H-how could this happen...?"
Despairing screams filled the VIP room.
Watching that rare sight, I lazily tipped the wineglass in my hand to my lips.
Mm, nice aroma.
"That said."
So this is how it ended after all.
What a shame.
Sorry about that, boss.
Well, from the start, the problem was probably that he chose to challenge that woman with psychological warfare and a luck-based duel.
Who in their right mind could beat a woman like that at a game when she was cheating with born-in luck in real time?
Unless you were going to answer her with cheats of your own, that is.
"Hmm, what now?"
Even so.
To be honest, I'd landed in a slightly awkward position.
This was a conclusion that was, in a way, exactly as expected—maybe even too exactly as expected.
And it looked like there was still plenty of time before our appointment.
Which meant I had to drag things out a little longer here.
"Do you remember me?"
"W-wait, no way! You're... Lion?!"
Oops, in the end Ryuu had slightly revealed her identity and stepped forward head-on.
And then came the promised battle page.
Watching the third-rate extra goons get knocked out in one shot was pretty satisfying, honestly.
But if things kept going like this, it would make things a little troublesome for me.
What a headache.
"Tch, I guess I have no choice."
Guess I'll have to step in.
It was such a fun setup, too.
Thinking that, I set the wineglass I'd been holding down on some random nearby spot and rose from the sofa.
And just as the last underling went down and the liquor seller's real guards were about to step in to deal with her.
Clap!
"""?!"""
With one sharp clap, I drew everyone's attention to me.
Then came a strange silence.
Heh, nice reactions.
"Are you planning to interfere?"
"M-magus! What the hell is going on here!? D-don't tell me you're...!"
One gaze carried wariness, even killing intent in case things turned ugly.
And another was trembling with fear and anxiety.
"Now, now, ladies and gentlemen."
"Let's all calm down a little, shall we?"
At my words, delivered with a bright smile, the looks around the room changed one by one.
The anxious villains turned to relief.
The expectant victims turned to unease.
Only one person.
Only Ryuu Lion kept glaring at me with an unchanging stare.
No, her glare had actually grown harsher than before, as if she were seriously considering stabbing me through the heart if things went south.
Yikes, scary.
With that much fire in her, I wonder who she's planning to live with.
"Are you trying to get in my way?"
"That is a clear misunderstanding, pretty waitress."
To begin with, whether I was interfering or not was beside the point.
"I'm simply asking you to keep the noise down, since you're disturbing everyone around you. As a guest here, I'm speaking with due courtesy."
"Ha! A guest?"
Ryuu let out a short, incredulous laugh.
At that, her killing intent focused on me, and the owner, who had been uneasy over the shifting mood, seemed to catch on to the situation and twisted his expression back the other way.
Even from where I was watching, his facial changes were so fast they were almost funny.
The very picture of a clown's smile.
"Hahaha! Just as I thought! I believed in you from the very beginning, Magus boy!"
You should wipe the cold sweat off your forehead before saying that.
Despite that thought, I kept my business smile in place and gave the owner a slight nod.
It was basically a gesture telling him to leave this to me.
I wondered if the old man understood that.
Even if he didn't, it didn't really matter.
"I don't know exactly how this pleasant evening ended up like this, but it's not good for either of us if this goes any further. Would you mind stopping here?"
"I refuse."
"How decisive."
For a second, I almost thought she was a pumpkin.
No, let's set aside that stale old man joke.
"Then I have no choice either."
"I, too. I'm sorry to the absent Cranel... but that evil of yours should not be left at his side. I'll make sure to exclude you here and now."
"Oh dear, how frightening. Please go easy on me."
Even as she threatened me with murderous intent, I answered with a playful tease, and the atmosphere around us only grew heavier and more hostile.
And then, cutting through that tension, the voice that rang out next did not belong to either me or Ryuu.
It was the owner's ugly laugh, now that he had regained his confidence.
"Don't get cocky, gale!"
From the sidelines, he kept chattering away, faithfully narrating the current situation without anyone even asking him to.
Well, well. He actually had a surprisingly fine talent for being an explanation machine.
Truly the model posture of a proper villain.
"You know about the War Game that happened recently, don't you? This Magus here was the one who toyed with Apollo Familia all by himself! No matter how monstrously strong you are, you won't beat this guy!"
Just as he said.
Ryuu herself, having been there in person and even clashed with me, would know my strength and level better than anyone else in this room.
Which was why her expression was now fierce with killing intent, while inwardly she must have been steel herself for what was to come.
"Ah, about that."
But what could I do?
I could ignore the cheers from those old geezers in the back, but I did feel a little bad that she had genuinely steeled herself for this.
"The truth is, I came here today to handle a request and also to have a bit of fun on the side."
The fact that I hadn't brought a single piece of Magecraft equipment because I never imagined I'd be fighting seriously!
In other words, a Magus in the buff!
To put it simply...
"In this state, at best I'm only barely touching Level 3 combat power. No, I might even be closer to Level 2. At this rate, if I went head-to-head with the waitress, I'd lose one hundred percent of the time. And lose again."
Right now, I was unquestionably the weakest I'd ever been!
"W-what...!"
"What a shame. You were expecting so much of me, too. I'm sorry, boss."
Leaving behind the owner, who was flustered by my sincere confession, I fixed my gaze on Ryuu in front of me.
Even then, her expression hadn't changed much at all.
Apparently she was warily assuming I'd prepared some other ingenious—read, cowardly—trick.
Which, to be fair, I actually had.
"So, with that said."
Since it's come to this, why don't you play a game with me?
My sudden proposal.
Of course, everyone in the room had their faces twisted into bizarre expressions.
If I had to interpret those looks, it would be something like, "What the hell is this nonsense all of a sudden?"
"A game? With you?"
"Yes. Me and you."
Ryuu, who had received the proposal directly, asked me back to confirm what she'd heard.
I then reaffirmed that yes, what she'd heard was indeed true.
"Pointless. Why should I?"
"Oh dear, is that a refusal? What a pity."
She naturally rejected my offer on the spot.
What a shame.
"I'd even prepared a prize that would tempt the waitress."
"As I keep saying, I don't need something like that..."
"The One-Armed Tamer."
"!?"
"I'll tell you about that person."
Just two words.
With only that one phrase, Ryuu's once-ironclad poker face shattered with ease.
I could see surprise and a murky residue of emotion surging up across her face.
Looking at her, I smiled.
This time, it wasn't some fake business smile.
It was my genuine smile.
"Hmm, now that's a face worth looking at."
Come to think of it, this was honestly pretty cruel.
Had she really thought I wouldn't even be able to predict something as small as that kind of refusal route?
I'd thought we were close enough by now that I could at least vaguely anticipate something that minor.
And yet my sincere appeal had only amounted to that much?
That was so heartbreaking I felt like I might cry.
My eyes were practically getting a little moist.
"By chance, I recently obtained information about that man. So? Are you a little interested now?"
"You...! You...!"
"Then I'll take that as a yes."
Leaving the flustered woman trembling all over, I put the overturned game table and chairs back where they belonged.
Then, looking at her, still unable to shake off her confusion and shock...
"What are you waiting for?"
"Ma-magus... you... no, you...!"
"Sit down."
I threw away the flimsy, out-of-place manners.
Now then, let the game begin.