I Became The Tyrant Of A Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 436

After easily beating Violet at poker, I left the Mercenary Guild, muttering to myself as I walked.

“I guess the named gamblers are starting to show up now that the hotel and casino are almost finished.”

Lucas quickly caught up and asked me,

“Are more swindlers like that woman coming?”

“Violet is a member of the gambler group, ‘Gamble Club.’ In other words, four more will come.”

These were the high-ranking heroes I wanted to recruit, and I even went so far as to build a hotel with a casino to attract them.

One of them—and the one I wanted to recruit first—was part of the gambler group, Gamble Club.

They were the first to get caught.

“Good, while they’re coming…”

I grinned.

“I’ll crush them, make them owe me a ton of money, and make them my subordinates.”

***

A little ways from Crossroads, at a three-way intersection in a forest, a campfire blazed, and a skillfully set-up campsite was present.

In front of the campfire were a middle-aged man and woman with tired faces, and a young boy and girl.

They seemed like a normal family at first glance, but they were all glaring at each other with sharp eyes.

That’s because… they were holding gambling tiles in their hands.

Holding gambling tools similar to mahjong tiles from Earth, these men, women, and children were sharply observing each other, playing a match—

“Uwaaaah! I’m so mad!” Violet burst out.

Wearing a well-tailored fedora, coat, and suit, she appeared with her light purple hair flying, then threw the fedora she was wearing onto the ground.

The four people playing mahjong immediately brightened at her return.

“Violet!”

“The leader has returned.”

“How was the scouting? Does Crossroads smell good?”

“Is it worth coming all the way out here to fleece?”

Violet gritted her teeth at the four people who were pecking at her like chicks.

“…I got fleeced.”

“What?”

“I said I got fleeced, damn it!”

Abandoning the formal tone she had been using to try and act dignified, Violet sat down on the ground in annoyance.

Then, she roughly swept back her sweat-soaked bangs.

The four people, surprised by her words, surrounded her.

“What are you talking about? You got fleeced?”

“The lord of Crossroads, that reckless Third Prince! I ended up playing a round of poker, and that guy… my illusions didn’t work at all. I got completely wiped out!”

Everyone was shocked at the news of Violet’s defeat.

That’s because, among the five of them, Violet might have the worst gambling skills, but she had the strongest ‘cheating skills’.

That’s why she was nominally appointed as the leader of this gambler group.

“…I’ve never seen a guy like that before.”

Violet bit her lower lip.

“He instantly saw through my illusions and played with me with bluffs. It was like… like he was cutting open my stomach and looking inside?! Ugh, damn it, I’m so embarrassed…”

Violet, sprawled on the ground, flailed her arms and legs, shouting, “Uwaaaah!”

The other four looked down at Violet with serious expressions.

“Hmm, I heard a casino was opening in this rural town, so I thought we could easily fleece it…”

“To make Violet like this, he must be something else.”

“I-isn’t this a big deal? How about we just run away?”

“…We can’t do that.”

The last to speak was the youngest of the four—a girl with a red hood pulled low over her face.

“We came all this way with so much difficulty.”

When the girl spoke, the other gamblers all fell silent. The girl continued quietly.

“I don’t know how Violet’s illusions were broken, but the four of our skills are still valid. If the five of us work together, we can manipulate any opponent.”

That’s why they formed the gambler alliance.

The girl, muttering softly, glanced at Violet.

“Right, Violet?”

When the girl asked for her agreement, Violet jumped up.

“Y-yeah, that’s right! Of course! I might not be able to do it alone, but if you… and we move together, we can fleece anyone!”

“Then it’s decided. Come on, get up.”

Violet, who had quickly stood up, picked up the fedora she had thrown on the ground and put it back on her head.

The girl smiled thinly and gestured with her chin.

“Come on, Violet. Like a leader. Order a powerful re-sortie.”

“U-uh… !”

Violet looked at the girl’s expression, then raised her arm.

“Okay, let’s go! Gamble Club! Let’s repay this humiliation! And fleece that man, no, that city… !”

Violet looked at the girl’s expression again, and the girl nodded. Violet grinned.

“If the five of us gather, we can rob the Imperial Central Bank! A rural town like this is nothing!”

At those words, the other gamblers laughed and packed their belongings.

The middle-aged man, Lime.

The middle-aged woman, Orange.

The boy, Cobalt.

The girl, Scarlet.

And the leader—Violet.

These five gamblers, all using colors as their aliases, were the gambler group, Gamble Club.

Checking their respective ‘skills,’ the five gamblers began to head towards Crossroads.

As gamblers always do, to make a big ‘score’.

***

The day after Violet’s defeat, the five gamblers of the Gamble Club came to my mansion.

“I didn’t expect them to come head-on? Show them to the drawing room.”

“…Are you sure about this, my lord?”

Lucas was sweating profusely.

“The opponents are professional swindlers. Are you really going to get involved with them?”

“Swindlers are just human swindlers.”

My main enemies are the monsters.

“All they’re after from me is money.”

Monsters are after our lives.

Compared to that, how cute are these swindlers?

Considering their shallow goals and small minds, there’s no reason to be afraid. Rather, they’re just toys for me to play with.

As I entered the drawing room, the five gamblers bowed to me in unison. The age range was very diverse.

“We were very rude yesterday, Your Highness Prince Ash.”

As I sat on the sofa at the head of the drawing room, Violet stepped forward and spoke.

“Since I’ve been living abroad, I never imagined that a member of the Imperial Family would be ruling such a rural town. Please understand with a generous heart.”

I wondered why her tone had changed, but I guess she was being polite in front of royalty.

“Don’t mind it, Miss Violet. By the way, it seems you’ve brought your friends this time?”

“Yes. These are my beloved parents and siblings.”

I chuckled at them as they bowed to me again.

Family setting, really? Do they think I’d believe that, these swindlers?

“From what I experienced yesterday, Your Highness is quite good at poker.”

“I’m about as good as anyone else.”

Actually, I’m just at the level of an average person.

“You were also known for enjoying the finer things in the Imperial Capital.”

“Well, I enjoyed myself as much as anyone else.”

“Moreover, you’re even building a luxury hotel and casino in the city, so it seems you have a special affection for this area.”

Ash in his reckless days was said to have been addicted to alcohol and gambling.

To put it bluntly, they were implying, ‘Aren’t you building a casino in this rural area because you’re a gambling addict?’

Violet looked at my expression. I gestured.

“Don’t drag it out, Miss Violet. Get to the point.”

“…Aren’t you bored until the casino is completed, Your Highness?”

Violet pointed to her companions.

“How about enjoying a little ‘gambling’ with us until then?”

Hey, you gambling addict. We’ll play with you. Let’s roll around all night.

That’s how they were approaching me.

I curled up the corners of my mouth into a smirk.

‘Look at these guys.’

They’re trying to work me over before the casino is even built? Trying to fleece the prince’s wallet?

“Sounds good.”

That’s what I wanted.

I wanted to recruit you as soon as possible and use you as my subordinates. I snapped my fingers.

“I don’t know if you can handle me, though. Shall we loosen up a bit right now?”

“What game would you like to play?”

“Poker, of course.”

I don’t really know the rules of other games.

I gestured to the side. Then, Aider, who had been waiting, immediately brought me a pack of playing cards.

Shuffling the cards in my hand, I gestured to the gamblers to take the seats around me.

“Sit down? Didn’t you say you’d play with me?”

As if they had been waiting, the five of them sat in the chairs around me.

And the poker game began.

***

We played poker for hours.

During that time, I won a lot.

Of course, it wasn’t because I was good. It was because they were letting me win to make me feel good.

I was throwing out bluffs, and they were falling for them. In a poker game with small stakes, I was on a winning streak and kept making money.

During that time, they were figuring out my skills. Their thoughts were obvious.

– This guy’s poker skills are mediocre.

– He’s addicted to bluffing. He keeps betting large sums on low hands.

– He uses reckless tactics like a rich prince.

– The reason he beat Violet yesterday was just because his big bluff happened to work out.

I could see the gamblers exchanging glances. I snorted inwardly.

It’s time to start playing for real.

“Wow~ this is fun, this is fun. It’s definitely nice to play with people I don’t know. I’m tired of playing with the people in this town because we’ve known each other for too long and we’ve memorized each other’s styles.”

After sweeping the pot with a low hand by bluffing again, I shrugged as I shuffled the cards.

“When you’re in a rural area like this, you get bored and your hands are always itching. That’s why I was building a casino… It’s nice that people like you came to play with me before it even opened.”

“By the way, Your Highness. Aren’t you getting bored?”

There it is.

I furrowed my brow.

“Huh? Bored?”

“I mean, playing with such small stakes. Isn’t it too small an amount for someone like Your Highness to be excited about?”

“Haha. You know me well. I was getting a little tired of playing with such small change.”

“We’ve been playing for a while, so the tension has eased. How about we raise the stakes a little to start fresh?”

Little by little. Little by little.

They’re planning to gradually raise the stakes and fleece my assets, like getting wet in a drizzle.

But-

“Why raise it a little? Let’s raise it big.”

Do we need to be so subtle?

Let’s get straight to the main game. You bastards.

I gestured to the side. Then, Aider, who had been waiting, appeared, struggling to pull a cart with a box on it. I opened the box myself.

Whoosh-!

From inside the box, a dazzling golden light burst out.

“…?!”

Gold bars.

A box full of gold bars the size of a child’s forearm.

The five gamblers’ eyes widened.

“All of you, from now on, will take turns playing against me one-on-one.”

I grinned as I looked at the five of them in turn.

“If even one of you can beat me, I’ll give you this entire box of gold bars.”

I tapped the gold bars with my hand and glared at them.

“But if even one of you can’t beat me. In other words, if I crush all of you.”

“…”

“Your lives will be under my control. In other words, your lives are mine.”

An absurd expression crossed the faces of the five.

In their eyes, it probably looks like a young prince who has only dabbled in gambling in the Imperial Capital is recklessly acting up in front of professional gamblers.

I hope they keep thinking that.

Because I’m going to crush you all.

“So, will you do it?”

“…Please clarify one thing, Your Highness.”

Violet, who had swallowed hard after seeing the gold bars, looked at me.

“I’m worried that Your Highness might change your mind after the match. Is this condition really valid?”

“There’s no need to worry about that. This contract will be sealed with notarization magic. If violated, you will pay the price.”

You were trying to trap me and suck my money dry.

But it’s the opposite.

“So, what do you say? If you want to back out, now’s the time, friends.”

I took out a gold bar, shook it in my hand, and smiled wickedly.

It’s not me who’s trapped…