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The Rising of Tanaka – 47 Part 2

Pasifista

　There, Tanaka couldn’t help but listen to the whispers of the devil. He put his position as the leader before the bonds of camaraderie.

　What an evil. What a little man!

　It would not be an exaggeration to say that he had awakened to evil charisma. There was no doubt that the current Tanaka had stepped on the domain where he could without any hesitation perform a simulation in his brain of calling out to a high school girl on the street. No, that was not all. If he continued to tread upon this path of evil, it might not be impossible for him to simulate in his brain the scene of him smiling at a middle school girl. He’d just pulled off that much of a heinous act which involuntarily led to such a conclusion.

　And then, the smirk on Tanaka’s face as he continued to move forward. It was truly the culmination of small men. It could be said that the stench of little man he radiated had reached the domain of God. However, perhaps that was an inevitable occurrence. As the man, who originally possessed unparalleled qualities of a little man, had inherited the power of God, after all. It was already at the point where no matter how much of a little man they were, in front of Tanaka they were as good as a great man with beautiful women on their beck and call.

　Such a king of little men thought. The heights of vigilance the soldiers from earlier displayed…. Something bad was about to happen – he thought. Truly a terrifying intuition of a little man. Carefreely proceeding forward, Tanaka racked his brain. A plan to sneak into the town alone and gather information. While he was at it… no, maybe this was the most important point. He vowed resolutely in his heart to grab ahold the opportunity of encountering a beautiful woman this time.

◇ ◇ ◇

　The most prosperous city in the eastern part of the Purin Kingdom, Ketavanagh O. It was both the central government of the eastern part of the kingdom as well as a city of entertainment where riches gathered. As if to show off their wealth, many of the people who came and went there were gaudily dressed, the conversations they had were lively, and the air of decadence was wafting around at some places. This air of decadence was most apparent in the huge building standing at the center of the city and which was also the symbol of the city, the state-run casino.

　The casino was even more bustling than the city itself. Numerous people were enjoying various kinds of gambles here. The situation was similar to that of the city itself, and there were even some seedy-looking people who did not seem to be able to afford to enjoy themselves in gamble. However, that was nothing but one part of this casino. Once you walked upstairs, the scene changed completely. There was no shadow of the lower class people seen on the lower floor, and the amount of money being wagered by the people playing there was on another level. The higher you went up, the more pronounced the tendency became, and a hint of madness began to drift about somewhere along the way.

　And then the top most floor. Those who were possessed by madness were engrossed in a brutal game there. The one that attracted the full of madness eyes was a certain table. Two groups of people were facing each other there.

　One group was the leader of the army that protected this city. General Red, and his cronies. General Red, with his large and stocky physique, was a man who truly embodied a military man. Surrounded by beautiful women, he was full of youthfulness and vigor that belied the fact that he was in his prime of life.

　And then, the one facing this General Red at the table was a young man. His lanky and frail figure was a stark contrast to General Red. His face and dark hair color indicated that he was a denizen of the Haru Empire.

「You seem to be at a loss for words for suddenly being brought to a place like this, don’t you? As you may already know, you are under suspicion of being a spy of the Empire. However, it’s not like we’ve secured definite proof of this or anything. At best, we only have some people who have witnessed you acting suspiciously. However, punishing suspicious people is the rule of our country, you see. So unfortunately, I’m afraid you’ll wind up to be executed.」

　Listening quietly up to this point, the young man whose face was already pale to begin with turned even paler. As if to reassure such the young man, General Red smiled and continued.

「I’m a very compassionate man, you see, if I do say so myself. I’m thinking about giving you one last chance. As you may have vaguely guessed, the way is simple. Gamble against me, if you win, you’re innocent. If you lose, you’re guilty. Unless, of course, you prefer to face your punishment gallantly, what do you say?」

　The young man had no other choice. This was where the game with the life of Toby Saar, a gambler from the Empire, as the bet began.

「Toby-kun, was it? This may be the last game you will ever play. So enjoy it to the fullest.」

　Cards were then dealt in front of the two of them. The card game they were about to play was a game handed down by a hero from another world. The so-called poker, a game that utilized cards. However, the rules were slightly different. Both players were allotted 30 points. The players then drew cards one at a time from a deck placed on the center. The first player to complete a straight or better won, and the loser had to hand over their points.

Straight 1 point

Flush 2 points

Full house 3 points

Four of a kind 8 points

Straight flush 12 points

Royal Flush 20 points

　The game ended when either player’s point was reduced to zero. Even though this rarely happened, there was the chance of his defeat settled in only two games with his opponent pulling off two consecutive big hands. The pressure weighed heavily on the young man, Toby. Desperately telling his hand that seemed about to tremble in nervousness to calm down, Toby checked his hand. The result was no pair. No sequential numbers. And each card was of a different suit. Truly the worst possible start.

「Let’s start the game with me as the lead. Fufufu, I’m a sucker for this game you see. Especially when we’re betting something in the game.」

　General Red drew a card from the deck with a relaxed smile on his face. Showing no hesitation in his movements, he added the card to his hand and discarded another.

　Was he taking one step forward? Or was he just bluffing to make it look like he was making progress and to prevent his opponent from going for a big hand? Toby did not have the ability to read the expression on General Red’s face.

　Right now, his first priority was to advance his hand. Telling so to himself, Toby drew a card from the deck. The cards in his hand did not advance. In order to at least put some pressure on his opponent, he kept the card he drew and discarded another.

(Fufufu, not bad. But he failed to conceal his expression and gesture. I can read his thoughts like an open book.)