luck or cheating?

Merfy meticulously gathered the chips, a cascade of winnings from the roulette table, cradling them with both hands as if holding a treasure.

Perplexed by Merfy's unorthodox approach, Kyros questioned, "What are you doing?"

His gaze, a mix of genuine confusion and subtle disapproval, observed Merfy's unconventional behavior.

Pausing, Merfy turned towards Kyros with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Taking my wins, obviously. Oh, don't worry; I won't snatch a single chip from your pile."

His hands continued their dance, sweeping the chips towards his chest.

Kyros's forehead creased in response to Merfy's statement. He inwardly sighed at the eccentricity of his gambling partner.

With a subtle snap of his fingers, Kyros summoned an elderly man from his retinue—white-haired, adorned in a polished black tuxedo with matching boots. Despite his age, the butler's eyes retained a sharpness that portrayed wisdom.

Positioning himself behind Kyros, the butler awaited further instructions.

Kyros, gesturing towards Merfy, instructed the butler, "Do this gentleman a favor."

His gaze then shifted towards Merfy as he explained, "He is my butler. Hand over your balance card, and he will ensure your winnings find their way to it."

Merfy eyed the butler skeptically, his grip on the chips betraying a hint of mistrust. The butler, unperturbed by Merfy's dubious demeanor, extended his hands with a courteous gesture. "May I have the card, young sir?" he requested.

Caught in a moment of contemplation, Merfy locked gazes with the butler. The decision to hand over his savings to a stranger weighed on his mind.

"It's okay; how can I ask an elder to do my work? That would be really rude of me," Merfy replied, not intending to hand over his little to no savings to a stranger he had met for the first time.

Listening to Merfy's cunning refusal, the butler returned to his previous spot.

"Haha, you must have a great sum of money for you to be this protective," Kyros mentioned, hoping to decrease the awkwardness between them.

'Quite a sum of money, my arse; it's just 200 points.'

The entrance fee to the casino was 2000 points, and Merfy was now left with little to no money. Still, he wouldn't hand over his balance card to someone he had met for the first time. This was also the reason why he had to ask Kyros for a deal.

"How about we play further? Ahh, and don't worry; I'll settle your score later," Kyros mentioned, interrupting Merfy's thoughts, implying that he would only settle the score if Merfy played further. Of course, Merfy had no power to claim his winnings, but what could be done?

Merfy nodded hesitantly as he glanced towards the people gathered around them, listening to their conversation. From their gazes towards Kyros, he concluded that Kyros was a renowned figure and wouldn't be able to go back on his words.

'Go back or not, I don't have a choice,'

Merfy thought with a bitter expression before settling his gaze above the roulette on the panel for the next outcome.

Meanwhile, Kyros looked towards one of his guards, tilting his head and pointing at Merfy with his eyes; he nodded towards the guard.

The guard reciprocated the nod and left the casino, carrying out Kyros's silent directive.

*****

The hologram of the casino displayed yet another jackpot on the roulette, followed by more consecutive wins.

"Haha, I never thought I'd win this much in a single day. This is another kind of fun," Kyros chuckled, clearly amused by their unexpected streak.

"I guess that's enough for today. How about we settle the score and bid farewell?" Merfy suggested, glancing towards Kyros, afraid that it would be doubtful if he won for the fourth time in a row.

Honestly, Merfy wanted to lose the third bet, but the amount Kyros bet was more than he could repay even after adding his previous winnings.

"Why not," Kyros replied.

He was about to gesture to the butler to hand over Merfy's share when his guard finally returned.

The guard came closer to Kyros and whispered in his ear, "his name is Morpheus, he is a refugee from Almyrah nation. His family died in the great catastrophe ten years ago that destroyed Almyrah, and there is no record of him being awakened." With a pause, the guard added, "At least not yet," implying the possibility that he awakened recently.

Merfy, who was observing the unfolding of this bizarre scene before him, felt something was off as he asked for his share.

Kyros, on the other hand, came closer to Merfy and whispered, "You know that it's illegal for awakened to use their abilities in casinos, right?"

"What abilities?" Merfy replied, feigning ignorance to his statement, hiding his fear and shock.

Kyros looked at Merfy, then glanced towards the roulette, and with a little smile, turned away and gestured to his guard.

His guard handed over a golden card to Merfy.

"Come visit me, and I'll hand over your share," Kyros states before finally heading outside, accompanied by his retinue.

***

In a room secluded from the casino's clamor, a symphony of fragrances enveloped the air, complemented by the soothing melodies of lo-fi music. Seated in a comfortable chair, a man savored the tranquility, his enjoyment disrupted as the door creaked open, revealing the entrance of a portly, dwarf-like figure.

"For God's sake, if you're disturbing my peace for anything trivial, consider yourself fired," the man in the chair declared, his eyes narrowing as he appraised the newcomer.

"Boss, there's something you ought to know," the rotund fellow began, his voice trembling with a hint of trepidation. "Someone managed to scoop up around a billion points in the casino today, winning consecutively on three roulette straight bets."

The chair-dweller's demeanor shifted. "Did they resort to cheating?" he inquired, a casualness in his tone that belied the significance of a billion points.

"Strangely, no signs of cheating, but pulling off three consecutive straight bets in roulette is next to impossible," the rotund informant explained, emphasizing the gravity of the feat.

The man in the chair rose slowly, the room seeming to tighten with tension as he sought more information. "Were they an awakened?" he queried, a glint of curiosity in his eyes.

"No registration as an awakened," the rotund man replied.

"Who was behind these wins?" the chair-dweller pressed further.

"The individual placing the bets was none other than Sir Kyros," the informant disclosed, his voice lowering with each word.

At the utterance of Kyros's name, the casual atmosphere morphed into an undercurrent of unease. The man in the chair leaned in, his eyes piercing through the room. "What are you suggesting? That the wealthiest figure in Astra cheated in our casino for mere change? Are you out of your mind?" he questioned, a ferocity in his tone.

The informant hesitated but continued, unruffled by his boss's anger. "There was another figure involved, someone who struck a deal with Sir Kyros," he elucidated, providing details of Merfy's involvement.

"Let it rest. Kyros may appear young and affable, but crossing him is perilous. He's a beast, ruthless enough to annihilate us without batting an eye," the boss asserted, genuine fear lurking behind his authoritative facade. The unspoken implications hung heavily in the air, portraying the boss's deep-seated apprehension about getting in Kyros's way.