Clatter.

Rolling.

Click, click.

“Call!”

“Check—no, double!”

“All in on red eight!”

The casino was at its peak during the transition from midnight to dawn.

Inside, people clinked their glasses and chatted excitedly, while others buried their noses in their cards, oblivious to their surroundings. Some gathered around the night’s lucky winner, hoping to get a share of his good fortune after he correctly predicted the placement of the ball three times in a row.

In one particularly lively corner of the casino, the air was thick with laughter and exhilaration.

Beyond that raucous atmosphere, past a hallway accessible only to staff, there was a hidden room behind what appeared to be an old, dusty door meant for storing cleaning supplies. However, the space beyond was nothing like one might expect.

From a hole in the wall, nearly two-thirds of the casino floor was visible. The room was equipped with a sofa for relaxation, various weapons, and tools for disguise.

In this secretive space—whose very presence in a casino was baffling—two men huddled together, peering through the hole at the scene beyond.

A man with a scar on his cheek slung an arm over Kertan’s shoulder and whined.

“Damn, look at those chips piling up. How much do you think that is? No wonder this is the biggest casino in the capital. They say the gold flowing through this place in one night is more than we can even imagine.”

“I’ve heard as much.”

Kertan’s response was so flat and devoid of emotion that the scarred man shot him an unimpressed look.

“Damn, you’re as dull as ever. Can’t you crack a smile when you’re with us? You grin at your little sister all the time.”

“If I did that, it would physically pain me.”

His tone and expression remained unchanged, and the scarred man blinked twice in disbelief before bursting into laughter.

“Hahahaha! You’re a real piece of work, you know that? You meant that, didn’t you?”

“I have no reason to lie.”

The scarred man, finding Kertan’s deadpan delivery absolutely hilarious, slapped him on the back and laughed for a long time.

Just as Kertan’s back was starting to ache, the scarred man finally stopped, as if sensing the perfect moment, and turned his gaze back to the casino’s blazing lights.

“What are we after today?”

“The ledger.”

The response was short, but it was all they needed.

“The casino is the base of operations for the man managing several of the emperor’s financial streams—funds poured into creating the Elixir of Immortality.”

This was a task for Aiger’s personally assembled unit.

A force composed solely of those handpicked by the crown prince himself.

They existed solely for their liege, clearing obstacles from his path, setting fire to his enemies, and fortifying the road he walked.

Each of them had their own past, their own reasons, but they were all bound by a singular purpose: Aiger’s command.

The emperor, aware of their existence but not their full extent, mocked them with disdain.

“A pack of lowborn mongrels playing the crown prince’s hunting dogs.”

When Aiger’s men heard of this, they laughed and raised their glasses in a toast.

“We’re not slaves, we’re hunting dogs! We’ve made it!”

Even Aiger had smirked as he drank with them.

Though each of them was twisted in some way, their abilities were beyond reproach.

For example, the man from the back alley who always smiled and talked nonsense, the one who carried Kertan’s younger sister on his back, was a genius at infiltration and reconnaissance.The old woman, who looked like nothing more than an eccentric hag, could make even the most hardened knights weep and confess all with just a few tools at her disposal.

The scarred man, despite his rough and brutish appearance, was a combat expert capable of taking down multiple knights at once. Yet, surprisingly, he also had a delicate touch and a talent for cracking safes.

And then there was Kertan, who, after reclaiming his sister, had willingly joined their ranks.

“You’ve earned the right to rest now.”

“And you as well, Kertan.”

Those were the words of the Lady of Greuga, who had saved both him and his sister.

“Do as you wish. If you have nowhere to go, I’ll make sure you have a place to stay.”

And those were the words of his other savior, the crown prince.

Thus, for the first time in his life, Kertan found a place where he could rest.

With every passing day, he could see the improvement in his sister’s condition. Soon, she would be able to move into the house newly prepared for them in Greuga’s annex.

Kertan, who had been contemplating a better future, turned his head at his comrade’s words.

“Our priority is the ledger, right? Were there any orders regarding its owner?”

“No. We were told to secure the ledger first. As for the emperor’s informant, His Highness will handle him personally when he arrives.”

“Ah, if His Highness is coming, then this mission is as good as done.”

The scarred man grinned widely and clicked his tongue.

“What do you say? If we have time after this, should we try our luck at a few rounds?”

He rolled his hand like tossing dice, but the reply came instantly, leaving no room for argument.

“Gambling is bad.”

Hearing Kertan’s deadpan response, the scarred man looked at him as if he were the dullest person alive.

“That’s just prejudice. A little bit of gambling is great for relieving tension. It’s actually better than drinking. Alcohol dulls your senses, but gambling doesn’t.”

Deciding to ignore the nonsense that, at first glance, almost sounded logical, Kertan turned his gaze back toward the casino—only to suddenly freeze.

Earlier, when the scarred man had excitedly pointed out various people, Kertan had remained indifferent. But now, he abruptly leaned forward, staring intently at someone.

“Huh? What, did you see a girl who suits your tastes—?”

Before the scarred man could finish his teasing remark, Kertan cut him off.

“Where is His Highness?”

“Did the target appear?”

“No. Someone even more important has arrived.”

“What? Who? Now? Where?”

Ignoring the scarred man’s barrage of questions, Kertan replied flatly.

“If anything happens to that person, His Highness will skin us alive.”

At those words, the scarred man asked no further questions.

Who it was, why it was important, and where they were didn’t matter.

The only thing that mattered now was informing His Highness immediately.

“At this time, His Highness should be nearby. I’ll go fetch him. You don’t take your eyes off her.”

Without hesitation, the scarred man darted out of the room.

Kertan, following his instructions, focused all his attention on her.

As he had said—if anything happened to that woman, Aiger would never forgive them.

And even beyond that, Kertan himself would never forgive himself.

The person at the end of his gaze was Raylin.

She had just stepped into the casino, wearing an expensive-looking outfit and a mask that covered half of her face.

The mask, adorned with jewels and feathers, was gaudy at best. However, given that many others inside the casino wore even more extravagant masks, Raylin did not particularly stand out.

While gambling was not illegal, it was not exactly a respectable pastime either. As a result, many casino-goers preferred to conceal their identities.

Thanks to that, Raylin could move freely, adjusting her mask as it kept slipping while quickly scanning the casino.

Not here…

She couldn’t be sure just yet.

It was impossible to tell if they hadn’t arrived, if she simply hadn’t spotted them yet, or if they were inside one of the private rooms reserved for high-profile guests rather than out in the open hall.

Keeping all three possibilities in mind, she decided to thoroughly search the main hall first.

Just as she was about to move—

“Miss, would you take a look at this for a moment?”

A woman suddenly pressed up against her, shoving something in her face.

Raylin frowned and waved her off.

“Move.”

“Oh, come now, don’t be like that. Just take a look! It’s a chart summarizing the best roulette odds in the casino today. I’m offering it to you at a very special price…”

“I don’t need it. Move.”

“I was asking nicely, but why are you being so cold? Do you want to get hurt, miss?”

For a moment, Raylin was at a loss for words.

She had heard something like this before.

It reminded her of the electronic markets in early 2000s Korea—where vendors would aggressively push their products onto passersby.

The woman continued rambling nonsense as she pressed in even closer, as if sensing Raylin’s hesitation.

“I said move.”

Seeing that reasoning wouldn’t work, Raylin tried to ignore her, but the woman persistently clung to her, refusing to step aside.

Raylin didn’t want to alert security or cause a scene, nor did she want anyone to know that she was here at this hour. Swallowing her irritation, she held back her growing frustration.

She hadn’t expected to encounter this kind of nuisance in a place where only verified guests were allowed entry.

It was a fresh reminder that the world was vast and filled with fools.

Even stranger was the peculiar emotion hovering around the woman—it was bizarre, making it impossible for Raylin to even guess her true intentions.

Taking a deep breath, Raylin decided to play along for now, waiting for the right moment to slip away.

Tonight, she had time to spare.

She had already blocked off Catherine’s key sources of money—preventing her from acquiring valuable artifacts at the night market, stopping her from arranging kidnappings to seize control of a mine, and obstructing her investments in a highly profitable trade ship.

Now, the only thing left was cutting off her attempt to make a fortune at the casino.

A few days ago, there had been quite a commotion at the Sillion estate.

“Do you know the heir of House Sillion? The one who pretends not to be arrogant while being incredibly arrogant?”