I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 13

Becoming a Hidden Power in the British Empire 13 (2)

“You have to pay what you owe and leave.”

The rules of the pseudo-poker game currently in progress are simple.

Like regular poker, you initially receive three cards, and each time you receive one card from the dealer, you decide whether to bet. Once you receive a total of seven cards, you reveal your hand.

And the opponent can see a total of four cards, including the first one you reveal.

Looking at those four cards, you can guess your opponent’s hand and decide whether to bet or fold, comparing it with your own hand.

Anyone who has played card games, regardless of the era, will naturally try to predict not only their own final hand but also their opponent’s.

Jack, who is diligently rolling his eyes, is no exception.

Even if he’s a guy who’s had fun with cheating at gambling—or rather, precisely because of that—he’s likely to have mastered some basic tactics.

But the more someone is like that, the easier it becomes to control them as I intend.

If they decide whether to bet by comparing the revealed cards with their own hand, I can just deal the cards in a way that makes them mistakenly think they have a chance.

I distributed the cards so that the first and second rounds would both turn out that way.

Sure enough, look at that face crumpling like a piece of trash after confidently opening his cards, convinced of his victory.

I can easily guess how Wellesley must be feeling watching this.

I can say with certainty.

The most enjoyable revenge in this world is to return the favor to the opponent who mocked you and then teabag them for all to see [a crude gesture of dominance].

It’s not visible from Jack’s angle, but I can clearly see it from my side.

Wellesley is so happy that he’s constantly taking deep breaths and pinching his thigh to prevent his lips from curling up, even twisting the flesh.

I was worried he might burst out laughing for real if I left him like this, so I didn’t delay and immediately dealt the cards for the final round.

“Oh, is it already the last round? If I had known my card luck would be this good, I would have made it five rounds.”

“······.”

While Wellesley was joking around, Jack was pretending not to notice and kept glancing sideways at me shuffling the cards.

He probably thinks he’s being sneaky, but unfortunately, it’s way too obvious.

Jack then divided the cards I had shuffled in half, placing the bottom pile on top and the top pile on the bottom.

This process is called a cut, and by doing this, even if a cardsharp [a cheat at cards] has stacked good cards at the bottom, it becomes impossible to pull the bottom card because it ends up in the middle.

In fact, after losing suspiciously twice, it’s only natural to suspect cheating.

And since the only person who can cheat here is the dealer, it was inevitable that he would be watching me.

The fact that he volunteered to cut the cards himself makes it clear that he suspects I’m pulling the bottom card.

And he’s probably relieved that he’s cut the cards thoroughly, so I can’t pull from the bottom, but unfortunately…

I haven’t pulled a single card from the bottom during the two rounds we’ve played so far.

“······I’ll deal the cards.”

Muttering in a voice that seemed to shrink, befitting the boy who was called out on a whim, I deal the cards.

Even in the midst of all that, Jack kept glancing at my hand supporting the bottom of the cards, but of course, he wouldn’t be able to find anything suspicious.

Because I wasn’t pulling the cards from the bottom, but from the middle.

The reason Jack couldn’t notice even when I showed him right in front of his eyes wasn’t because he was stupid or simple.

This technique, also known as a center deal, was an extremely difficult skill that wasn’t even known in the early 19th century.

The center deal became known to the public in the early 20th century, and even before that, it existed, but it was a circus-like skill that very few people in the world performed.

The difficulty itself was unbelievably high, and even skilled cardsharps had to undergo 5 to 10 years of training to be able to demonstrate it proficiently.

Even I had to frantically improve my skills because it was too obvious with this unfamiliar body at first.

So much so that this technique is treated as little more than a circus act in modern times because it’s not cost-effective compared to its difficulty.

The reason I’m bothering to do a center deal here is very simple.

What if it’s the early 19th century, where even the existence of the center deal is unknown, even though it’s not cost-effective in modern times?

No matter how careful someone is, it’s impossible to prepare for a concept that doesn’t exist.

So, the fact that he doesn’t realize he’s being played like a puppet from beginning to end was a predetermined fate from the start.

“Hoo······.”

The cards Jack received this time were two eights and one ace.

It’s the best start like before, but after losing two rounds in a row even with this start, he’s stiffening up with tension.

Conversely, Wellesley was leisurely observing Jack’s reaction, acting according to the order I had told him in advance.

Since Jack has already lost two rounds, he’s cornered and can’t fold.

The moment he folds, he’s guaranteed to lose, and if he loses, he’ll be dragged to the gallows, so how can he stop?

From the moment he lost the previous two rounds, Jack had no choice but to follow Wellesley’s bets in the final round.

And this round, I’m giving Jack cards that are even better than any other round, so he won’t be able to let go of hope until the very end.

“······Hmph!”

Jack, who completed a three of a kind with the fifth card and then a four of a kind with the sixth card, unknowingly took a deep breath and straightened his posture.

Is it because his life is on the line? He’s really terrible at managing his facial expressions.

He frantically rolled his eyes, scanning his hand and Wellesley’s four revealed cards.

Wellesley, seeing the pair of aces even with just the revealed cards, continued to raise the bet.

“Raise 100 pounds.”

“…Call.”

“Raise another 100 pounds.”

“…I call as well.”

As Jack, who completed a four of a kind beyond a three of a kind, has no reason not to accept this.

Moreover, since I initially made sure to include one ace in Jack’s hand, I could clearly read his mind.

-Since I have an ace, Wellesley’s ace can only be up to a three of a kind. He can’t complete a four of a kind. So, the best hand he can realistically make is a full house. I win with my four of a kind.

Of course, a full house is such an obvious hand to bet on until the end, so it’s not strange to keep raising.

Jack is probably worried that Wellesley will suspect that he’s continuing to call and give up betting in the middle.

And the final moment.

The money on the table reached 500 pounds, and the moment of judgment finally arrived.

Jack, who had gathered four eights to complete a four of a kind, exhaled a sigh of relief, as if there was no way he could lose this time.

“Heh, hahaha! Look at this. As expected, the game isn’t over until it’s over! How about that! I won this······.”

“Sorry to interrupt your excitement, but wouldn’t you like to take a look at my cards?”

“Aren’t I looking? A three of a kind of aces! A promise is a promise, so you have to keep your word that you won’t take this. There are so many witnesses watching here······.”

“No, you have to set aside those two aces and look at the other five cards, my friend. Does this look like a three of a kind to you?”

“If it’s not a three of a kind, then what······all the suits are the same, so a flush? Still······wait a minute. A, K, Q, J······10? A straight······flush······?”

He assumed it could never happen and didn’t even consider it in his mind, so he didn’t even see it.

Jack, who began to recognize reality little by little, blinked several times, rubbed his eyes, and even shook his head, but nothing changed when he looked at Wellesley’s hand again.

The highest-ranking hand that many people never see even once in their lives, even if they play poker every day until they die.

The ultimate hand that can only be completed with A, K, Q, J, and 10 cards, all of the same suit.

Jack’s pupils shook violently as he saw the royal straight flush.

“T, this is impossible. This…this…this can’t be happening. I got a four of a kind, but a royal straight flush?”

“I know, right? How can something like this happen? I’ve never seen a hand like this in my life, but I’m finally seeing it today.”

“No way. Th…this, this is it, right? This is cheating! It can’t be anything but cheating!”

“Are you making excuses after losing?”

“Excuses? With seven cards, a royal straight flush comes out, and the remaining cards are two aces. Do you think that makes sense!”

That’s right. It’s definitely an impossible probability.

But so what? That’s how it actually turned out.

“The cheating is what you were doing. Are you now accusing me of cheating after getting caught cheating?”

“It’s not that, but isn’t it impossible for these cards to come out like this in terms of probability! A three of a kind in the first round, a straight in the second round, and a royal straight flush in the third round. Even a cheater wouldn’t make the cards come out like this and you’re saying it’s not cheating?”

“Then let me ask you in return. You’re saying I cheated, but how do you think I could have cheated? In your place of business, with the cards you were using, with an innocent child as the dealer, how could I have cheated? Tell me.”

“Uh, uh…well, that’s…”

Jack hurriedly examined the deck of cards I had just used, but of course, he couldn’t find any traces of manipulation.

This was his place of business, so it was naturally impossible to use the location for tricks.

And Wellesley didn’t even touch the cards being shuffled throughout the game.

Of course, it was impossible to manipulate them in reality.

“Are you perhaps going to say that the little kid cheated? No, you were so worried about that that you cut the cards yourself after the kid shuffled them, right? You even kept glancing around to see if he was pulling the bottom card, so did you find any evidence of cheating?”

“N, no…that’s not it, but…”

“That’s right. If you had really seen me cheating, you would have just exposed me on the spot like I did, and that would have been the end of it. So, you have to admit that you’re making ridiculous excuses, right?”

“E, excuses? Even if I can’t prove the means, the fact that the cards came out like this is the most solid evidence…”

“No matter how extreme the probability is, as long as it’s not 0, it can eventually happen, and you’re saying that the cards coming out well is evidence…should we test whether a judge in a courtroom would agree with you?”

If you make a promise in front of many people, especially with a lawyer present, that promise usually has legal force.

Especially if it’s a financial promise to a nobleman, there’s no way to deny it.

Jack, realizing that the Grim Reaper’s scythe was already hanging over his neck, shed tears and desperately bowed his head, grabbing Wellesley’s legs.

“No! I, I was crazy and talking nonsense! So please, just spare my life…”

“We originally agreed that you would receive the punishment you promised if you lost, but I’m a benevolent person, so I’ll spare you the extreme penalty.”

“Thank you! Thank you!”

“But that’s that, and this is this. You lost in gambling, so pay the promised stakes and go to jail.”

“The stakes…? Could it be…? N, no, right?”

Jack, who finally realized what hand he had lost with, trembled and sweated profusely.

Of course, that’s exactly what it is. Did you think I would just send you to jail like this?

If I had only intended to send this guy to jail, I would have just overturned the game the moment he pulled the bottom card, and that would have been the end of it.

The only reason I didn’t do that is because.

If I just expose the cheating gambling, I can only recover a few times the money Wellesley lost, right?

Even if I take him to court, the most I can do is send him to the gallows or jail, and it’s difficult to extract more than a certain amount of money.

So, shouldn’t I make him spit out all his assets with his consent, and in the same way he’s been doing it?

“I won 380 pounds by the second round. And the stakes in the last round were 500 pounds, and a royal straight flush is 256 times the stakes, so…how much is that?”

“128,000 pounds.”

“Right, a total of 128,380 pounds. It’s an incredibly expensive amount, but at least you saved your life, right? Bring it to me by tomorrow. Then I’ll spare you the fate of disappearing into the dew on the gallows, as promised.”

“N, no, no, no…Wellesley! How can I make over 120,000 pounds by tomorrow?”

Of course, you can’t. That’s why I set up this game in the first place.

In the 1830s, the reality is that not many even wealthy aristocrats earn more than 100,000 pounds a year.

An amount of about 130,000 pounds is equivalent to over 20 billion won [approximately $15 million USD] in modern value.

Considering the era, only a very small number of wealthy people would be able to raise that much money.

So, no matter how much Jack flies and crawls, he can never bring that much money.

“You know that if you can’t pay the stakes, you have to compensate with assets equivalent to that, right? Can you make 120,000 pounds by liquidating all your assets?”

“Even so, I can’t possibly make 120,000 pounds…”

“I have no choice then. Then I’ll specially waive the remaining compensation on the condition that I take everything you have. Let’s start by taking over the rights to this gambling house and building? There’s a lawyer here, so there’s no need to go far.”

“Are you telling me to hand over the gambling house and the building as a whole? Even so, that’s…”

“I’ll tell you in case you’re mistaken, but you know that you don’t have a choice here, right? You owe me 128,380 pounds right now, and since you can’t possibly pay that amount, I’m directly taking your assets. You’ve probably seen this situation a lot while running the gambling house, so why are you acting like an amateur?”

Wellesley, who had been desperately holding back his laughter until just now, now revealed his mockery without hiding it.

He now has the right to legally take over not only the gambling house but also all of Jack’s assets, so how could he not be in a good mood?

Conversely, our poor Jack, who has been stripped of everything and is going to jail.

If you think about it rationally, he probably knows that he’s been reverse-engineered, but he couldn’t receive sympathetic glances from anyone.

He cheated and got caught, so what can he do?

What can you do besides hand over all your money and beg for your life, you cheating bastard?

Wellesley’s cold gaze and the cold gazes of everyone surrounding him were saying so.

But there was one important secret that no one in this place knew except for Wellesley.

In fact, I was supposed to take half of the income from the gambling house and building that Wellesley confiscated, not anyone else.

Wellesley had agreed to handle all the taxes and disputes that might arise, so you could say that there was no possibility of me being exposed on the surface.

Putting down the now lukewarm glass of milk, I smiled at the people around me, pretending not to know anything.

“Wow! So, the cheating guy just had to offer all his assets to Wellesley in reverse? Wellesley is amazing.”

“Hahaha, you think so too, young master? Wellesley is really amazing. I don’t know how he did it, but he completely played that guy in the palm of his hand.”

“I know, right? Justice is still alive. I want to become a cool nobleman like Wellesley when I grow up!”

Everyone around me except Jack laughed and agreed with my innocent words.

Wow, it’s so sweet.

That’s why I can’t quit this taste.