Chapter 476

The moment Encia's orange eyes sparkled, Raon was certain about what she was about to say.

'She's definitely going to say damn hands—'

"Goddamn handsome!"

He was wrong. God was added in front of the damn handsome. She had surpassed his expectations.

Ugh…

The rough groan from Wrath revealed his surprise.

Isn't she the madwoman who only wanted a handsome face when she was on the verge of death?!

'She is.'

Wrath was right. Encia had previously picked her healer for his face even though she was about to die. She was special enough to deserve a demon king's surprise.

"Sir Raooooon!"

Encia ran towards him while shouting. She was even shedding tears, and people would've thought they were separated family members finally reuniting.

"I wanted to see you! I really did!"

She bit her lip tightly, her hands in front of her chest. Her expression revealed that she was speaking from the bottom of her heart.

"I-it's been a while, Lady Encia."

Raon stuttered and took a step back.

"How…"

"Sorry?"

"How did you manage to become even more handsome from that state?"

Encia stepped forward as much as Raon had stepped back.

"I thought you were already perfect, but how could you get even better?!"

Her large eyes were sparkling under the moonlight.

"This is revolutionary! How can you be so special?!"

Encia's gaze was fixated on Raon as she told him that she'd never thought such an excellent face was possible. Even though Runaan was right behind him and she'd been close to her, she didn't even look at her.

"Erm, Lady Encia?"

"What have you even been eating to become more handsome every time I meet you? This is madness!"

"Hmm…"

Raon bit his lip.

'I'm the one who should be saying that this is madness.'

Merlin only appeared when he was alone, at least. Encia kept shouting damn handsome whether people were watching or not, and it made him so embarrassed that he could die.

If she were hiding bad intentions like the Thespian Emperor or Derus, he would've pushed her back with a sneer, but Encia didn't have any ulterior motive and was unconditionally favorable towards him. That was why he was helpless against her.

"L-lady Encia?"

"You know, I braced myself. I was ready to find out that you'd become a bit more handsome while we were apart, but Sir Raon's current face is beyond my imagination!"

Encia's flushed cheeks looked like she was admiring him from the bottom of her heart.

"Please calm down for now…"

"How could I calm down?!"

She shook her head, saying that no human in the world could calm down after seeing his face.

"Wow…"

"He is damn handsome apparently."

"Ohh, our vice division leader is damn handsome!"

"Goddamn handsome!"

The Light Wind swordsmen started to copy Encia with grins on their faces.

"You all…"

Raon furrowed his brow, but the swordsmen simply avoided his gaze and kept shouting damn handsome.

Hmph!

Wrath snorted expressively.

The King of Essence would like to show them his main body! The title of damn handsome would belong to him instead of you!

He frowned, saying that it was regrettable that he couldn't bring his main body out.

'You can have it. I don't need it.'

Wrath looked like he was jealous of Raon being called the damn handsome as he rubbed his hands. Raon wanted him to please just take it away from him.

"You were a boy as beautiful as a flower back then, but today, you are such a wild beau—"

"Please stop!"

"I can't. I can't stop it!"

Encia took out a rectangular object the size of a palm from her subspace pocket.

A black gem was embedded at the center, and his face was reflected on it like a mirror.

'Is it an artifact?'

He'd never seen it before, but he could guess that it was an artifact that she'd created since he could feel the presence of a mana stone inside it.

"What is that?"

"It's an artifact that I made while thinking about you, Sir Raon."

"What?"

Chills ran down his spine as soon as he heard the answer.

"Please stay still."

Encia raised the rectangular artifact to her face and closed one eye.

Click!

She pressed a button protruding above the artifact, and it made a sound similar to a palm hitting a desk.

'What's going on?'

Raon was standing blankly because he couldn't understand what was happening, and a white piece of paper emerged above the artifact.

"Huh?"

Raon's jaw dropped upon seeing the paper.

'What the hell is that…?'

A faint light undulated on the paper, and his appearance was engraved on it.

Even an excellent artist would've been unable to achieve such similarity.

"Wh-what is this…?"

"Do you happen to know about video magic? Its magic used to record what happens at a location."

"I do know about it."

Raon nodded since he'd seen Merlin using it while spending her lifespan.

"This is an artifact called a camera that utilizes that magic. It can record a moment like this. And this is called a picture."

Encia fluttered Raon's picture in the air.

"So please look this way."

She activated the artifact rapidly while saying that such an artistic face needed to be recorded for the next generation. The papers called pictures were raining down from the sky.

"Raon, damn handsome."

"Pfft, damn handsome."

"So damn handsome that he can even create an artifact."

Record the King of Essence too! He is the most handsome in Devildom…

Starting with Runaan, people started to shout 'damn handsome' as Encia's camera kept clicking, and Wrath continuously complained. Their harmony was blowing Raon's mind.

'I was having so much fun until a moment ago…'

He was feeling so good because he'd perfectly messed the Thespian Emperor up, but he suddenly started to feel suffocated.

He'd never thought that being unable to talk sense into someone was so painful.

'I'm understanding how the Thespian Emperor felt…'

Raon sighed and closed his eyes tightly.

"Sir Raon! Open your eyes!"

The next day.

As soon as Raon finished his breakfast, he left the lodgings with Dorian.

"Where are we going?"

Dorian asked while yawning his head off.

"It's the same place as we always go whenever we visit a new city."

"Ah!"

Dorian immediately understood and raised his finger.

"The casino?"

"Yes. This is the perfect moment."

The Five Divine Orders must've spent an astronomical amount of money to build Banneret.

Since they could hardly make up for that money with income from lawful activities, the casino business was definitely going to be more than roaring.

'And I'll rake it all in.'

Thinking about the face the Thespian Emperor was going to make once she realized that she'd lost so much money while she was mentally unstable brought a smile to Raon's face.

"Aren't you just trying to run away from Lady Encia?"

Dorian narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"…That's one of the reasons."

Raon's shoulders drooped as he nodded.

'Yesterday was hell.'

Encia had requested that he change his posture every time she took a picture, and the mental exhaustion was even worse than a battle.

Because of that, he couldn't even tell her what he had to say.

"By the way, I heard the dealers here are extremely good. Is it going to be okay?"

Dorian came up next to him and lowered his voice.

"I went around a bit after dinner yesterday, and the residents warned me to not go to the casino. They said the dealers were extremely skilled. The stakes are extremely high, and we are either bound to go big or go home."

"It's the same in every casino. Have you ever seen me lose?"

"…Well, I haven't."

"Then just stop worrying about it and follow me."

Raon shook his hand and went towards the White Whale's casino, the Killer Whale's Horn.

As soon as he entered after opening the white door with a drawing of a killer whale on it, countless lights were directed at them like comets, and decorations were sparkling brightly from left and right.

The Killer Whale's Horn was extremely luxurious, as opposed to the Thespian Emperor's mansion.

'I wonder which is her real personality.'

Raon smiled faintly and looked around the casino. Just as Dorian had said, the dealers were extremely skilled, and the stakes were higher than in average casinos.

The amount of chips moving around was far greater than normal.

'This is the perfect place to go big.'

Since the stakes were high, he could guess that he was going to carry a heavy load by the time he returned.

What kind of gamble are you planning to make?

Wrath wagged his tail while lying above Raon's head.

'I'll play poker since the stakes are high.'

Poker? But aren't dice games the only gambles you can make?

'It's okay. I have a helper with me.'

Helper?

Raon was observing the tables without answering him and suddenly heard a familiar scream from the inside.

"You must be cheating! How could you get a royal straight flush here?!"

An elf with long red hair hanging down was being dragged out by guards holding his arms.

"Moreover, why are the stakes so high?! You fucking cheaters! Do you even realize who my disciple is? He's going to invade this place as soon as I tell him…"

Raon had wondered where Rimmer was because he was nowhere to be found during breakfast, and he had apparently come to the casino before him.

Raon pretended he didn't see him and joined the poker table where he was eliminated a moment ago.

"Haa…"

Dorian poured the chips on the table that he had exchanged with two hundred gold coins.

"Ooh…"

"You are so handsome, mister."

"He's the complete opposite of the petty elf who was dragged out a moment ago."

The gamblers who were at the table before him were drooling from their mouths, their eyes red.

'So they don't recognize me.'

The gamblers hadn't figured out his identity. It must've been because they didn't think that a swordsman called the White Sword Dragon would come to a casino in broad daylight.

Raon placed his hand on the table and nodded.

"Let's stop with the talk and get started already."

"What a cool personality. You are my type."

"I guess money will do the talking."

The gamblers nodded in agreement, and the dealer started to distribute the cards.

Raon bobbed his hand to call a staff member while the gamblers were checking out their cards.

"I feel like having something sweet right now. Can I order it?"

"We can bring you anything you want."

The staff bowed to him and told him to order anything after seeing the amount of chips in front of him.

"What's your recommendation?"

"Our chef is proud of our cake parfait."

"Then I'll have one of those."

"Understood."

The staff returned shortly after with a dessert, which was a round cake with ice cream and fruit placed on it.

The alternating chocolate syrup and strawberry syrup looked extremely appetizing.

"Thank you."

Raon accepted the cake parfait and placed it on the table right in front of him.

Wh-what's up with you? Ordering such great stuff?

Wrath darted his tongue in and out while looking at the cake parfait. Drool was flowing down nonstop from his red tongue.

St-start eating already! It's getting cold!

Raon ignored him and flipped the card.

"Triple."

"You have a nice hand, mister from the very first game. However…"

The middle-aged woman wearing an elegant dress flipped her card and a flush was revealed.

"I'm so sorry for you."

She took the chips on the table with an expression that didn't look sorry at all.

Raon didn't pay attention to her at all and touched the long spoon nestled in the parfait.

Wh-what are you waiting for?! It's going to melt! The ice cream is getting mixed into the cake!

'It's your turn now, my helper.'

Haah?

Wrath widened his eyes, unable to understand what he was talking about.

D-do you mean…

'You've already done it before.'

Raon smiled faintly and pointed at the other people's cards.

'Check them out for me.'

You bastaaaard! The King of Essence is the monarch of Devildom! He swears on his honor that he will never partake in your dirty tricks!

'I was planning to have the butter-roasted lobster and stir-fried pig's feet this evening since you wanted them so much…'

Which one shall I start with?

Wrath wagged his invisible tail. Just like always, the demon king's honor was truly cheap.

Tell him already!

* * *

Ariel sighed, her palm on her forehead.

'I still have a headache.'

The effect of that punk Raon's actions still remained even though a day had passed.

'He got me good.'

Even though Raon perfectly understood the situation, he kept repeating the same line while pretending he didn't.

He continuously got on her nerves while almost crossing the line, and she was about to lose it.

'When was the last time I had a nightmare?'

Because of the tremendous mental shock, she'd even had a nightmare where she was being chased by someone. It was the first time she'd had a nightmare after reaching her realm.

'But there was some harvest. Now, I can roughly tell now what kind of person Raon Zieghart is.'

She still needed to complete the picture of Raon by gathering more information, but she felt like she had a rough sketch of him.

'It won't be easy anymore.'

While she was hardening her resolve to not be defeated anymore, McCain hurriedly ran into the office.

"Master!"

His panic reminded her of the incident the day before.

"Don't tell me he's here again."

"He's not, but…"

"Then calm down before you speak. He's the only one that we need to be careful of."

Ariel shook her head and drank her cooled tea.

"R-Raon didn't come here, but it's still related to him."

"Related?"

The teacup she was holding started to tremble violently.

"R-Raon Zieghart went to the Killer Whale's Horn and w-won money."

"Money? How much?"

"M-more than 1500 gold coins…"

The tea inside the cup she was holding started to boil and evaporate.

Clang!

The teacup eventually shattered, and Ariel's pupils were distorted in a frightening manner.

"This crazy son of a bitch! Where is he right now?!"

"They said he went to another casino."

"You goddamn punk, you've done it now!"

Just as Ariel was about to scream, the office door opened violently. A middle-aged man who was giving off a ferocious impression with his navy hair randomly spiking up smiled while looking at her.

"I came to see you because I heard you were destroyed by a young man. I guess it was true."

The middle-aged man sneered while skimming through Ariel's state.

"He made that great Thespian Emperor scream like this. I'm starting to take a liking to that youngster."

"Demon Slaying Spear!"

"Aah, I'll leave. But I heard that you even lost the money…"

The man called the Demon Slaying Spear shrugged his shoulders.

"Just let me know if you need a loan. I'll lower the interest for you since it was a great sight."

He shook his hand and left the office.

"McCain!"

The Thespian Emperor bit her lip and looked at McCain.

"Which other casino did Raon go to?"

"He went to the Western Sheep."

"The Western Sheep."

Western Sheep was the casino belonging to the Demon Slaying Spear who had left a moment ago.

"Get busted and feel my pain."

A frightening smile appeared around the Thespian Emperor's mouth.

"I can't be the only victim."

* * *

Rustle!

Raon gathered the golden chips piled up on the table with both arms to bring them in front of him. Because great victories followed one after the other, the chips were piled up like a mountain on his right.

"Hmm…"

"H-how is he winning every time there's a large amount of stake?"

"Im-impossible…"

"How much is that? It looks like at least a thousand gold!"

The dealer broke out in a cold sweat looking at the excessive amount of chips, the gamblers sitting at the same table were biting their lips, and the countless spectators swallowed nervously.

"Uaaah…"

Dorian's jaw dropped as he looked at the overflowing chips. He'd been to many casinos before while following Raon, but it was his first time seeing that much money, and his fingertips were shaking before he knew it.

Raon casually rolled a chip and smiled faintly.

'So easy.'

Since Wrath was telling him about his opponents' cards, he was pretty much gambling while watching the solution.

Making money was a piece of cake.

He'd robbed the Killer Whale's Horn affiliated with the White Whale of 1500 gold coins total in the morning, and his earnings were going past 1700 gold coins in the casino run by the Demon Slaying Spear.

'We are helping each other, though.'

Raon chuckled and swallowed one piece of red macaron placed on the left side of the table.

The moisture of the meringue cookie melted into the strawberry cream and created a small firework in his mouth.

Mmmm!

Wrath exclaimed deeply while clenching his fist.

Every single dessert here is awesome!

Since he'd been continuously eating desserts while gambling, the smile never faded away from Wrath's mouth.

"I-I'll distribute the cards."

The dealer was switched four times already, and the fifth dealer started to distribute with his shaking hands when a dull sound could be heard from the right side.

Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click!

Raon turned his head to see Encia taking pictures with the artifact from the day behind. It was unknown how she had learned about his whereabouts.

"This is insane! He's damn handsome even when he's gambling!"

Encia kept hitting on the artifact's button so quickly that her finger couldn't even be seen. It almost looked like the punch of an extremely powerful warrior.

"Excuse me, dear client. You can't do that here—"

"Be quiet!"

The casino's guard was trying to stop Encia, but she took out a gold coin from her pocket and threw it at him, which made him fall silent.

"Haa…"

Raon put his palm to his face.

'It's about time I stopped and left.'

Since he'd won a large amount of money, the owner of the casino—the Demon Slaying Spear—must've gotten angry as well.

When he was about to pick up a card to finish the last game, he sensed a covert gaze from behind him.

'Since when?'

He was getting goosebumps because it was impossible for the random guards of a casino to possess such pressure. Raon immediately turned around.

He was above the chandelier at the casino's ceiling.

A middle-aged man whose blue hairs were wildly spreading around was smiling at him with his legs crossed.

'Could he be…?'

As soon as he saw the middle-aged man's wild appearance, he remembered the information delivered by the Black Market. He was the Demon Slaying Spear, who was one of the Five Divine Orders' heads.

"Huh? You actually noticed me?"

The Demon Slaying Spear jumped down with a grin.

Wham!

The entire casino trembled from the impact of his landing. He must've purposefully made that huge noise, as he was powerful enough to land without making any sound.

Rumble!

The gamblers gathered around the table sank to their knees with trembling legs because of the Demon Slaying Spear's presence.

"Are you Raon Zieghart?"

Raon nodded while looking at him calmly.

"Yep."