The legend of the Crimson Demon clan started from Suqing

#424 - Betting

Perhaps Prince Levi's thoughts were a bit muddled, and he hadn't quite grasped what was happening, so let's repeat it out of concern.

Firstly, this kingdom doesn't want to contribute money; they want to establish a mutually beneficial cooperative relationship with the Demon King's army, which means that this kingdom—Elroad—has abandoned the human alliance.

That's right.

In such a situation, there is no such thing as neutrality.

Once this precedent is set, the entire human alliance will crumble, so neither the neighboring countries nor other kingdoms have ever stated this.

"Then, Prince Levi, I must confirm here, are you really going to refuse to contribute money?"

Zun Zun's eyes flashed red.

Prince Levi shuddered, but he still stretched his neck and shouted: "Even if you threaten me, it's useless! I won't pay—"

"Prince Levi, be careful!"

Before he could finish speaking, his mouth was blocked.

The person who took action was the prime minister of this kingdom. Although Prince Levi is just a child, his constant fussing could only produce muffled cries. It seems that this seemingly weak man is not as simple as he appears.

"Prince, the honored guests are right. This matter must be considered carefully, so… hiss—"

The prime minister's cheek suddenly twitched because Prince Levi bit his hand. After breaking free, Prince Levi rolled his eyes and said unhappily:

"One percent."

"…What?"

"I'll only give you one percent. The defense funds that my country has been supporting suddenly stopped, which is indeed a problem, so I'll just continue to support you with one percent!"

He said this with a haughty look.

As if he was giving alms to beggars.

…No, in their eyes, Zun Zun and the others who are asking for money are no different from beggars.

"How…how can this be! With only one percent, there's really no way…"

"This is already a great favor."

Prince Levi refused to budge.

It must be said that he is not as mischievous as he appears on the surface and has actually given it some thought. First of all, giving one percent removes the suspicion that they are becoming Demon King's territory. At the same time, they can use financial constraints to get rid of Alice and the others, and even prevent the Demon King's army from reacting.

A triple win.

The prime minister, who was baring his teeth in pain after being bitten, nodded slightly at this time, indicating that Prince Levi was doing the right thing.

The matter was at a stalemate here.

But—

"Not enough," Zun Zun said, pinching her chin. "Only one percent, it's like giving alms to beggars. It's a bit annoying."

"But our country's finances…"

"Hey, Kazuma, it's your turn."

"I've been waiting for this!"

While the prime minister was about to say something, Zun Zun called over Kazuma Satou, who was eager to try, and asked him to speak on her behalf.

Honestly, in terms of status alone, Kazuma Satou is much nobler than her now because this guy can exercise the rights of two major nobles. However, it's not like there's no way to interfere. Zun Zun can remotely control Kazuma Satou like now, laying the groundwork and then letting him finish it off.

"You are…"

"I am Alice's older brother."

"Oh!?"

Prince Levi and the prime minister looked at each other, feeling that he seemed different from the rumored Jetis. In the end, the prime minister saw his black hair and black eyes and felt that he was somewhat similar to the rumored hero, but he didn't say anything.

"So, I wonder what your opinion is."

"Let's have a contest."

"A…contest…?"

"This is a gambling superpower, right? It's only natural that the winner takes the loser's property. In that case, let's increase the budget by gambling. Is that okay? Or—"

After Kazuma Satou finished speaking, the corners of his mouth curled up, forming an evil smile.

"Do you want to compete with us in martial arts?"

With a snap.

As Zun Zun snapped her fingers, the Fairy Dragon appeared in the venue. The scorching air and terrifying high temperature caused Prince Levi and the prime minister to lose their composure.

"Gambling is good, gambling is good!"

"Very good."

Then, the Fairy Dragon disappeared, and everyone in the venue breathed a sigh of relief. It must be said that Zun Zun's Fairy Spirit is very oppressive. The innate power of the Fairy Spirit combined with the dragon's might is really too much for ordinary people to bear.

"Then, for the first time, let's relax a little."

Kazuma Satou took out a coin.

According to the collected information, Prince Levi has no resistance to games and gambling. It should be said that Elroad was founded on casinos, so it is only natural that the descendants of the founder like gambling.

As expected, Prince Levi was quickly attracted.

"You want to decide the outcome with me through a game? You mean if you win, you want me to increase the support money?"

"That's the idea. After winning, there will be a chance to double it, so no matter how you think about it, you shouldn't miss it, right? Of course, we will also bet 10% of the budget on this side. Is that okay, Alice?"

"Yes, I'll listen to my brother's arrangements."

"…Very fair."

Alice and Prince Levi both nodded.

If in other kingdoms, using this method to increase or decrease the kingdom's budget would be a joke, but this is Elroad—a kingdom that was founded on gambling, just like the rules in a certain game life, so it is convincing.

"Then, please look here. This coin is in my hand. Please listen carefully. As long as Prince Levi guesses 'where the coin is', he will win. Otherwise, we will win. Is that okay?"

"…Okay."

A 50/50 probability is fair to both sides.

But Prince Levi is confident. You must know that he is the prince of Elroad, the royal family of a gambling superpower. Naturally, he is stronger when it comes to gambling, and he even couldn't help but jump in his face at the end.

"To actually use pure gambling to decide the outcome, are you an idiot? It's too late to cancel now!"

Being stared at with pity and disdain, Kazuma Satou did not react at all, but instead turned his wrist with a calm expression, hiding the coin in his hand.

Alice, on the other hand, suddenly realized something and exclaimed.

"Speaking of which, my brother's luck is unparalleled! I see, in that case…!"

"What!?"

Hearing this sentence, a drop of sweat dripped from the prince's cheek. He stared at Kazuma Satou's expression, trying to detect something unusual, but was startled by the sudden evil smile on Kazuma Satou's face.

But, now that it has come to this, there is no way to say that he won't gamble in front of many nobles. He can only force himself.

"N-No, it's just a bluff. I won't be fooled! This side! …No, it's this side! I've decided to guess this side!"

He stared at the clenched fist, and finally chose—

"Too bad, you guessed wrong!"

"Damn it—"

The fist without the coin.

As Kazuma Satou opened his right hand, it was empty, telling Prince Levi that he had just guessed the wrong option, paying 10% of the support fee for this.

Of course, it can't be said to be hurting his muscles and bones. It's better to say that the money that Alice and others came to ask for this time is just a drop in the bucket for the Elroad Kingdom.

But for the royal family, making a fool of themselves in public is very serious.

Being a royal family and losing to others.

Prince Levi's already bad reputation is even worse.

"Great!"

"You did it, Alice!"

"Thank you, brother!"

"—Wait a minute."

While Alice and everyone were cheering, Prince Levi stopped them, causing the happy situation to pause.

"No matter how you think about it, it's strange."

"…I say, you're not planning to go back on your word, are you? Doing this as a royal family will make people look down on you! Listen carefully, if you don't want to make a fool of yourself, then obediently take out the money!"

Aqua goes crazy at this time, clearly she didn't contribute any effort just now, but she acts as if it was her credit.

Naturally, he gained Prince Levi's hatred.

"Of course, I, as a royal family, won't go back on my word. The 20% support money will be given to you. But—"

"But?"

As everyone knows, as long as you add "but" at the end, you don't have to listen to the previous words at all.

"But, let's change the rules."

"…What do you mean?"

"Hey, hey, hey, don't tell me that 20% support money is enough. Obviously, you want to get more, right? Or, are you just going to pack your bags and leave with 20%? Of course, I'm happy to see that."

Should I say that he is worthy of being a descendant of the founder of the gambling superpower? After touching aspects related to gambling, Prince Levi immediately became quite shrewd and transparent.

Obviously, Alice and the others will not give up so easily.

Seeing their expressions, Prince Levi said with satisfaction: "Then, let's change the rules here. From now on, you will report every day, but no matter how high the amount you want to get becomes, as long as you lose once, it will be reset to zero. Listen carefully, it's not a reduction, but a reset to zero, and you must not mention the matter of support money again."

"Wait a minute, this is too—"

"Does it not meet the conditions for gambling? But this is normal, right?"

If you want to get something, you have to pay the corresponding price.

This is the most basic condition.

"Get it straight, this was originally just called negotiation, but in reality, you were just acting willful. I'm already mercifully playing with you, and you should compromise to this extent."

Indeed, the weaker side is now on Alice's side, and they have no qualifications to negotiate with the other party at all.

"Of course, we originally intended to do so."

"Zun Zun!?"

Alice was a little touched to see the person standing in front of her, while Prince Levi looked a little frustrated.

"In addition, you can only increase the budget by 10% each time you win, and the content of each competition will be determined by me! …Guessing the coin can be kept."

Probably because of his unyielding personality, he asked to compete with Kazuma Satou again.

And this is probably a competition that is advantageous to him. After all, there is a 50% probability of guessing correctly. Once you guess correctly, you will get a full refund, so how can you not keep it?

…If he thinks so, he will fall into Zun Zun and Kazuma Satou's trap.

The two showed evil smiles at the same time.

"—I understand, I agree."

Alice took the initiative to stand up.

"Okay, then the contract is established." Prince Levi waved his hand, wanting to drive people away, and said: "Then you can go, and tomorrow, except for you and that brother, neither the Crimson Demons nor the Axis Church, nor the daughters of the Dustiness family are allowed to be brought here… Wait a minute, this person can also come."

"…Ah, me?"

The person Prince Levi was pointing at was Zun Zun.