They’d tease like that, and then someone would eventually drop a solution.

On [Easy Mode], the number of traits provided to the player was 122 in total. Among them, if you happened to get 「Master of Mana」, the game suddenly became shockingly easy. Thanks to features like these:

1. During dialogue choices with characters, it displays the outcome of each choice and shows the path toward the main quest.

2. Grants a 250% growth multiplier.

3. Greatly increases resistance to all magic, curses, and status effects.

4. If you're a mage, unlocks the entire skill tree from the start.

5. Lets you perceive all kinds of secret elements, including strange phenomena, magic, and curses.

As if breaking the floor of an already easy difficulty.

The final sixth option includes something like this:

6. For probability-based choices like gambling or enhancement, it tells you the option with the highest success rate.

This too is a kind of "magical foresight."

In other words, Rebecca is a god of gambling by birth—she just doesn’t know it herself.

“I’ll explain the plan. What you and I need to do is actually simple. Go in, gamble, and win.”

The location was a quiet spot beside the casino entrance.

“......”

Rebecca, who had been snapping at me nonstop, now—having come all the way here—must’ve realized it was pointless to keep fussing, and silently looked at me.

“If we’re confirmed to be operating with large sums inside the casino, we’ll be invited to the VIP room. That’s our goal. Once we get inside, we’ll cause a scene in the VIP room, and I’ll find the casino’s manager. Gray will track the manager’s location in real-time from the control room. Balmung will snipe him.”

“...Why the manager?”

“There are only three people who have access to the casino basement, including the VIP manager. Since it’s a magical clearance, there’s no way to steal it either.”

“You’re going to kill him?”

“Just planning to knock him out.”

“...For how long?”

“Three days or so. Why. Did the Virgin say not to kill people?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“Let’s go.”

I adjusted the anonymizing mask under my chin and moved to walk, but—

Rebecca stood with her hands clasped and eyes closed.

“What are you doing? I said let’s go.”

“......”

“Is this a protest? You don’t want to go?”

“......”

“Or are you praying to win money? But does the Virgin even take prayers like that?”

“Ah.”

Rebecca glared at me in annoyance.

“-Can you shut up? Do you know who I’m repenting because of right now? If the Virgin gets mad at me for this and I don’t become a cardinal, will you take responsibility?”

I didn’t bother asking whether a former serial killer had the right to be praying for repentance.

Also didn’t say there was no time left to become a cardinal anyway.

I simply clasped my hands and closed my eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“Requesting permission from the Virgin. To let me take you to a gambling den.”

“...Are you insane?”

“Got the okay. Let’s go.”

“......”

Rebecca reluctantly followed, but right in front of the casino door, she grabbed my sleeve, stopped me, and warned:

“Look. I’m not expecting anything. If I lose big, I’m walking out.”

That would be a disaster.

***

There was no way that would happen.

“...Huh?”

Red and gold-stitched carpet. Green tables. The sound of cards being shuffled under grand chandeliers. In this space that seemed to have gathered all the glamor of the world, we were playing blackjack.

And just now, Rebecca had landed a blackjack in the very first game—barely even an opening move.

Sat down, and instantly won.

“Hmph.”

“Strong start.”

The players who had already lost their bets smiled.

“You’re off to a great start.”

The dealer smiled too. Payout was 1.5x.

One blue chip became two, returned along with one red chip.

Placed before Rebecca’s hand.

‘You’re pretty good.’

I tilted my head slightly and said.

Rebecca snorted in response.

‘...Isn’t a beginner winning at a casino literally the most annoying situation ever?’

She’s right.

At least, for normal people.

“Opening.”

The dealer handed out two cards.

It was the start of the next round.

Blackjack is a game where you try to reach 21.

The two players beside us were sitting at 13 and 15—not ideal.

“Hit.”

“I’ll hit too.”

Looking at the dealer’s visible card, they decided to risk it.

Rebecca’s turn.

Our hand was [J♥] and [9♥], totaling 19. Pretty high, and conventionally a point where you stand.

Last round, she won right away. But now was the moment for Rebecca to choose.

At the time, I was standing behind her table. I leaned in and whispered.

‘What’ll you do?’

‘.......’

‘Look at the dealer’s card. Feel it out.’

Rebecca gave me a side glance, then stared back at the card shoe—the device holding the deck.

‘...Don’t blame me if it goes wrong. You’re the one telling me to do this.’

‘I won’t.’

Still grumbling, Rebecca spoke.

Her voice was low, as if lacking confidence.

“...Hit.”

Hit?

She was going to draw more with a 19?

Anything over 2 would make her bust.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one thinking that—the other players chuckled.

“Miss, most people stop at 19.”

“Yeah yeah. Looks like it’s your first game, but try sticking with 15 or 16 as your benchmark.”

Their advice bounced off her ears.

“Yes. Hit.”

The dealer handed over a card.

And the card that landed in front of Rebecca was—

[2♣]

My god.

It was exactly 2.

Which meant her total was now 21.

A win.

“Oh?”

Even I was surprised watching this, and I already knew the outcome—how shocked must the others have been?

“Ooooh. Damn.”

“Huh. That actually worked. Beginner’s luck?”

The players chuckled. The dealer smiled again.

“You’re quite lucky. Seems today is your day.”

Then what was Rebecca’s reaction?

“......”

I glanced at her face.

She wore her usual slightly sour expression, but surprisingly, she looked a bit... unsettled.

Rebecca was probably amazed right now.

She had a ‘feeling’ that it was okay to hit, so she did—

And it landed exactly on 21.

“Continuing. Opening.”

The next games were the same.

“...Hit.”

“...Stand.”

“...Stand.”

Just like the feeling that led her from the Church to this place, Rebecca moved according to a ‘certain feeling’ that only she possessed.

She repeated stopping and going.

“Another 21!”

“She’s standing on that? With just 13?”

“Whoa, she beat the dealer with just a 9?”

She kept winning.

“...Ah, I lost.”

Eventually, once or twice—since blackjack, by its nature, can’t always be won—she did lose some hands.

Even so, Rebecca beat the dealer at a high rate and kept raking in chips.

Out of 20 games, she had won 15.

“Whoa. Miss, you’ve got killer luck, huh?”

“Dealer, you getting nervous now? Hahaha.”

The people beside her laughed teasingly. The dealer, though not someone who would get rattled from a few losses, nodded in mild amazement.

“Sometimes we get folks like this. With a real sense for the game.”

“So jealous...”

“Right? Some of us come just to win back our drink money and we’re bleeding out instead.”

As praise flooded in from all sides, Rebecca’s discomfort seemed to grow.

“......”

She avoided everyone’s gaze and just wrapped a platinum strand of hair around her index finger, twirling it silently without a word.

I could guess. Rebecca probably wasn’t someone who had been praised much in her life.

She had always been above others as a princess. Praise from those below was nothing but flattery. And no matter what she did, she had no talent.

She wasn’t good at anything. Her personality was awful, so she had no friends. And even worse, she was the type who could see through the sycophantic intent of others and feel no joy from it.

That was the life she had lived.

“......”

And now, here—surrounded by people genuinely admiring her talent—Rebecca was flustered.

“Shall we move to the next game?”

“...Suit yourself.”

Blackjack was just the warm-up.

Next came the slot machines.

Machines where you pull a lever, match the patterns, and win money.

Dozens upon dozens of these lined up in rows, hundreds in total.

Clack!

Chrrrrrrrrrr!

Chrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Loud 8-bit music. Levers cranking into motion with roaring sounds. People shouting “Damn it! Again?!” A dizzying roar that seemed to snatch at people’s minds and souls.

I leaned close to Rebecca’s ear and said,

“Try to feel which machine is going to pay out next.”

It was utter nonsense.

That was the kind of thing I was saying.

“......”

Rebecca leaned away from me, wrinkled her nose, and said something.

It was too noisy around us to make out the words.

I could only see that her face was slightly flushed in annoyance.

“What?”

Then Rebecca rose up on tiptoes, leaned in, and snapped,

“I said don’t get so close.”

“...Fine.”

“And like hell I’d feel anything in a place like this. It’s not even a person—it’s a machine.”

“Try anyway.”

So we wandered down a few aisles together.

Then Rebecca frowned and gave me a sidelong glance.

She dragged me toward one specific slot machine.

“You said nothing would feel different.”

“I said don’t get close to me.”

“...Fine.”

Still, I put in a chip.

Pulled the lever.

Chrrrrrrrrrrr—

Clack, clack, clack.

The numbers clicked into place one by one. And inside, I couldn’t help but laugh.

There was no need for a second try.

[7] [7] [7]

Jackpot.

A 0.0025% probability.

A payout multiplier of 10,000.

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!!!!!!!♬♪♬♪

The machine suddenly lost its mind, blaring strange music!

Chrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr—Ten thousand chips pouring out like a waterfall!

“......Huh?”

Startled by the madness of it, Rebecca jumped up in shock and stumbled backward.

“Wha—what?! It’s a jackpot!”

A local, hearing the sound, leapt up.

“What the hell!?”

“Where? Where?!”

But the citizens of this empire were people who loved gambling, had no sense of boundaries, and unlike the folks from Hiaka, were all natural-born extroverts.

They came rushing from all directions. And started jumping up and down with her.

“Ooooooh! No way, that’s a real jackpot?!”

“Whoa! Is that tonight’s first jackpot? Hahahahahaha!”

“Dammit! That was the machine I was using earlier!!”

“Congrats, lady! Whoa! How much is all that?!”

While the person in question stood frozen, the crowd roared and began holding out hands asking for luck to be shared.

“Me! Me too!”

“Share some of that luck! I’ve lost eighty thousand Hika tonight!”

“Me too! Me too!”

People suddenly crowding in. Staff running over. Rebecca glancing at me in a panic. I gave a small nod.

When something good happens, sharing the joy with others isn’t so bad. There was no reason to stop them. Before she knew it, Rebecca had been swept up and was shaking hands with people left and right.

It was strangely touching. Was this really the same bloodless, tearless serial killer? This Rebecca, half her soul gone, shaking hands again and again?

Even though I knew this would happen, the scene was hilarious.

“Wow. You’re tonight’s Lady Luck. Congratulations, miss!”

Eventually, the casino staff exchanged the chips for cash, then converted the cash into orange chips again. (A trick to deduct taxes in advance.) They also verified our names and identities one more time.

“......”

Rebecca acted composed, but clearly the experience had shocked her deeply.

She stepped out onto the terrace, still breathing heavily with excitement—

“Um, miss? Weren’t you the jackpot just now...?”

A young lady approached.

One who had just lit a cigarette.

“I’ll borrow this.”

“Oh my~”

And just like that, Rebecca plucked the cigarette from the woman’s lips and stuck it in her own.

The woman, laughing as a handshake fee, stepped forward and lit it for her.

Drawing the smoke deep into her lungs, Rebecca finally looked visibly calmer.

“How was it? Not bad, right?”

“......”

By now, she’d have no choice but to acknowledge it. That there was something off about herself. I hadn’t yet told her this was the basis for her being a ‘genius mage,’ but later, it would be a powerful proof.

“I ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) had a feeling.”

“What kind of feeling.”

“A feeling that good things would happen if I followed you.”

“......”

So that’s why she followed me despite loudly declaring she hated it. Her mind said no, but her instincts pulled her along.

That too was part of ‘magical foresight’—the sense that draws one toward the main story.

The jackpot was entirely the result of Rebecca’s personal ability, but if not for me, she never would’ve come to the casino. So yes, she had followed me and something good had happened.

“So now it’s a problem.”

“Why.”

“Because... I think the good things are just beginning...”

Unfamiliar situations, unfamiliar joy,

And a wave of admiration.

I smiled.

“Yeah. It’s only just beginning.”

All of this had happened within just one hour of entering the casino.

And then.

Removing the cigarette from her lips, Rebecca let out a white sigh and asked me—

“......Why is it that your words are never wrong?”