The Druid Who Devoured the Great Nature-Chapter 50 : Let's Play Together Again

Charrrr!
The sound of the roulette wheel spinning rang out cheerfully.
I observed the man's appearance with a hardened face.
His build was slightly smaller than average.
Pale skin and non-greasy hair.
His lips were thick and stubborn, and his high-set eyes revealed that he was the owner of a quick temper.
I rubbed my eyes to see if I had seen wrong, but it was still the same.
It was exactly as I knew him.
A member of Madhouse, the most prominent armed group currently, and a touch-me-not mercenary who vied for the top spot in the organization for his belligerence.
His widely known nickname was the Slaughterer.
But the name that some of his acquaintances and the players of FP liked to call him was...
'Mad Dog Buggy Vile.'
It was the moment I recalled that name.
His lips opened.
"What are you looking at, you bastard."
"..."
As expected of Madhouse's mad dog.
He threw a curse at a stranger without hesitation.
It was natural for someone who had lost money at a gambling den to not see anything, but this man's speech wasn't rough because he was particularly excited.
His foul mouth was his true nature and identity.
He was so foul-mouthed that users had even made a voice deletion patch.
"Is this a show? Is it fun? Lower your eyes if you don't want to die."
His handsome appearance spewing harsh words reminded me of a rich family's troublemaker.
Coupled with his behavior of losing over ten million at a gambling den, anyone who didn't know him would have mistaken him.
'It's all wrong.'
He wasn't small, nor was he a rich family's young master.
He had just disguised himself as such.
To be precise, it was that kind of ability.
It was close to a kind of constitution.
If you lined up the guys who had crossed the river of no return after underestimating him based on his appearance, it would be enough to fill the river.
'To think I'd meet him here.'
Among the veiled members of Madhouse, he was a guy who could be encountered relatively often.
This was due to his high attendance rate, participating in every inter-city war.
Did that make me feel a sense of closeness?
Absolutely not.
On the contrary, I was just furious.
'Why would I like a boar-like guy who charges at you, vowing to kill you if he meets you?'
The reason my fists were trembling under the table was half tension, half anger.
'Anyway, I have a rough idea of why he's here.'
There was a first incident where he made a name for himself as a formal member of Madhouse.
The District 4 massacre.
The place where the incident occurred was here, the Auction.
"Ah, I'm out of luck. If I lose again, it's because of that bastard."
Fortunately, he didn't act rashly.
He muttered and then nervously grabbed his chips and threw them on the table.
─Waaaaah!
The crowd roared.
It was because it was a large sum of money that was hard to come out in the first round.
A real man doesn't test the waters.
"Damn it, I'll definitely win this time."
Buggy prayed anxiously.
It was a typical loser's delusion.
In gambling, a previous loss did not guarantee a current victory.
'And I'll make it so.'
His identity didn't matter.
The fact that he was a sucker who would have his pillars pulled out by me didn't change.
I will repay the grudge of the past that made me experience game over several times.
I burned with personal resentment.
"All in."
I placed a bet right next to him.
It was all the money I had at the moment.
Buggy turned to look at me again with bloodshot eyes.
"Ha, this crazy bastard."
He swept back his bangs that had fallen down with anger.
And for good reason, I had bet on black, the opposite of him who had bet on red.
The payout was only 2 to 1, but the intention was clear.
Provocation.
"Are your guts swollen and sticking out, you want to have a go?"
"I just bet on my gut feeling."
"You're full of shit."
The betting closed before he could get more irritated.
From now on, all there was to do was wait.
A gamble based entirely on luck.
Both the participants and the spectators watched the result closely.
Dozens of pairs of eyes were focused on the small ball spinning on the wheel.
Charrrr!
The ball, which had been spinning due to centrifugal force, gradually began to slow down.
There was no way of knowing where the ball would finally land.
A complete work of luck.
The dealer, plastered with luck-enhancing artifacts, would in most cases reap the maximum profit with the minimum loss.
'That would be the case in a normal situation.'
I knew the path of the ball.
No, the ball would move as I wanted it to.
By the spirit.
I flicked my finger.
The spirit waiting on the roulette wheel moved according to my signal.
Clatter!
The ball reached the edge and jumped into the air, then fell into a small slot as if sucked in.
─Waaaaah!
The cheers erupted, piercing through the decibels of the loud music.
The reactions of the betting participants were mixed.
"Ah, shit!"
Buggy slammed the table and stood up, tearing at his hair.
I listened with pleasure to the feast of curses he was spouting again.
A loser's lament was like a pleasant melody to a winner.
"You lost again?"
"His luck is really terrible."
"The guy who went all in on the opposite side hit the jackpot."
He lost again.
And I won.
Buggy's chips were collected by the dealer, and I earned chips equal to the payout.
"Hey, if you won, don't run away, place another bet!"
Buggy practically screamed.
He had lost, but the person right next to him had won.
It was a condition sufficient to make one's head spin.
"That was my intention."
I smiled inwardly at the situation flowing as I had hoped.
"...Place another bet!"
The next round.
Opposite to him who had bet on even, I bet on odd.
As a result, my bet was successful.
"Damn it, one more round!"
I won the next round too.
'The bites should be coming soon.'
When you think about it, roulette is a fight between the dealer and the player, not between players.
Since it was all a build-up for the next development, I didn't aim for a high payout.
"...Hey, follow me."
And finally, the fish took the bait.
"By all means."
Seeing that he had no chance with roulette, the game he moved to was cards.
Poker, a real sword fight where players pit their brains against each other.
"!@$#^#%$"
Of course, I won.
'How can you win when you start with your cards revealed?'
I had the scout spirit.
If I started with the opponent's hand revealed, how could I possibly lose?
I bet big on fights I would win and folded early on fights I would lose, so he lost even when he won and lost even bigger when he lost.
He noticed something was strange midway and even changed the game, but nothing changed.
Mahjong, dice, and back to cards, even Texas Hold'em.
The collaboration with the spirit was an undefeated streak.
"My luck is pretty good today."
I shook the leather pouch full of chips.
It was to the point where it would overflow if I didn't close the entrance tightly.
"..."
The guy in the seat right next to me had a dazed expression.
His thick pouch had become thin at some point.
He was on the verge of ruin.
The spectators, who had been cheering at the rare sight, could no longer hold back their pity.
"...You son of a bitch, you cheated!"
The sense of emptiness soon turned into anger.
It was clearly his own fault that he had lost, but his eyes were as if he wanted to tear me apart, as if I were the culprit.
"Excuse me, sir. We'll have to escort you for a moment."
As soon as he shouted, some big guys approached.
They were the staff who had appeared one by one and had been watching me as each game progressed.
As expected, even if it was considered strong luck, the fact that I kept winning without losing was suspicious.
"I'm done having fun here, so go play somewhere else."
I obediently cooperated with them.
Of course, I didn't just go.
I had no intention of stopping until I had cleaned out his pouch to the bottom.
"I'll be back soon. Let's play together again."
I really would be back soon.
'If they check, it'll probably be a mana measurement or a video recording check.'
The staff would not find any suspicious points on me.
How would they prove the trick of an invisible spirit?
I was confident.
"Let's go."
Leaving the rampaging guy behind, I leisurely crossed the hall.
My expression reflected in the glass of a passing table was, even to my own eyes, incredibly smug.
***
The sun, which had been high in the sky, was now beginning to set.
That not-so-short time was enough to awaken the mind of the Mage Tower's school head, who had forgotten his purpose and fallen into wicked desires.
"Hah."
The wanderer Colin sat down on a chair near the entrance of the gambling den and sighed.
The dream of a lifetime to recover more than what he had lost so far had crumbled in the face of harsh reality.
"I'm screwed."
His thick wallet had shrunk as if it had been on a diet.
When he turned it upside down and shook it, only a single bill for a meal came out.
To put it without exaggeration, he was screwed.
It was no longer a matter of getting his money back.
"Come to think of it, I think this research fund was included in this...?"
Colin's face turned ashen.
It was a disaster brought on by the judgment of a gambling addict, "Can't I just win it back?"
This was a hundred percent a disciplinary matter.
The strict secretary newly assigned by the Mage Tower as a countermeasure to his wandering habits would never tolerate this deviation.
"...Ahem. Still, well, I'm not the only one who lost."
If he were alone, he would have been resentful.
But if there were two, it was a comfort.
He wasn't saying this after seeing the state of the many losers like him scattered around.
There was a companion, a novice at the gambling den, who had challenged with bravado and baseless confidence.
Colin waited for his return with a vile expectation.
"You were here."
And finally, he returned.
Colin raised both hands and greeted Allen.
"Welcome."
"...Did something good happen? You're being creepy, so get away."
"Ahem."
Colin was hurt in his tender heart, but he didn't show it.
He could endure such a small wound when he thought of the comfort he would receive in the future.
"I just earned a little. How about you?"
Colin casually probed, feigning disinterest.
In fact, he had lost a lot, and he was very interested, but there was no need to honestly reveal his own hand.
He planned to reveal the truth after sufficiently satisfying his self-esteem by laughing at the other's misfortune.
"I earned a little too."
"Hmm, right. Everyone starts by losing at first. Today, you were just being reckless, so consider it a good experience and..."
Colin, who was reciting his prepared lines, noticed something strange midway.
"...What did you just say? You earned?"
"Yes."
"You're kidding, right?"
"I don't kid."
"...How much?"
At the betrayal of the companion he had trusted, Colin's eyes became bloodshot.
Receiving the demonic gaze, Allen smiled refreshingly, almost smugly.
"No need for me to say it, they're coming over there."
At the place he gestured with his chin, a group of staff were rushing over.
The one at the very front was a high-ranking executive of the gambling den whom even Colin had only seen a few times passing by.
"The cashed-out money has been deposited into your exclusive account after deducting the commission."
"Thank you."
"And this is a token of our gratitude to the customer who readily agreed to our unreasonable proposal."
"You shouldn't have."
"…?"
Colin was confused.
Let's put aside the polite attitude of treating him like a VIP.
An exclusive account? A gift of gratitude?
It was a content that he couldn't grasp at all.
"Then we will be waiting for your next visit."
"I will be sure to contact you when I come next time."
"...I earnestly request it."
As the staff left, Colin quickly grabbed Allen's shoulder.
"Wh-what were you just talking about? Why are they like that to you?"
"I earned a little, and they asked me to go easy because their business was going under."
"How much did you earn...?"
Allen handed him the passbook instead of answering.
One, two, three, four...
Colin was terrified when he saw the number of digits.
The hand grabbing Allen's shoulder reflexively tightened, and his veins bulged.
"...The secret."
"Excuse me?"
"What's the secret?"
Envy is only envy when it's at a reasonable level.
A person who has glimpsed the world above can only admire it.
"It's nothing special."
Allen shrugged his shoulders lightly, just as he had said.
"It was quick once I caught a sucker."
Allen had, as he had declared, sucked the marrow out of a sucker's spine.
With the stake he had raised like that, he bet only on games he would win.
Thus, he reached a point where the casino earnestly begged him to leave.
"If it's nothing special!"
Colin shouted desperately.
"Lend me some money."
"..."
"I'll pay you back soon, please!"
Allen distanced himself from Colin.
***
District 4, a bar not far from the Auction.
In a corner of the venue, bloodied humans were piled up like a structure.
Against this backdrop, there was the figure of a beautiful woman drinking alone.
The moonlight shone through the broken window, dimly illuminating all of this.
The scenery, combined into one under the moonlight, was as bizarre as a painting depicting a nightmare.
Creak!
The suffocating silence was broken by the sound of the door opening.
The woman greeted cheerfully without even turning around.
"You're here?"
"..."
There was no reply.
Instead, the sound of footsteps stopped next to the woman.
The woman finally turned her head and then her eyes widened as if she had seen a ghost.
"What, what's with your face. Did you get beaten up by someone?"
"...Don't overreact, do I look like a bastard who would get beaten up by someone?"
"True. Our mad dog might get beaten up by us, but he doesn't get beaten up outside. Then what's the reason?"
"..."
The man, Madhouse's mad dog Buggy Vile, silently snatched the woman's glass and drank it down.
"...all."
It was a small voice, like an ant crawling, contrary to his boisterous behavior just before.
"What? I can't hear you. Speak up."
"...it."
"Why is a madman who swallowed a train whistle suddenly like this? Don't be so tantalizing, speak like you usually do."
At the woman's repeated urging, Buggy buried his face in his hands and shouted.
"Damn it, I lost all my money!"
"...Oh my."
At the shocking confession, the woman covered her mouth, and then burst into laughter.
(End of Chapter)