Готовый перевод Страж Империи / Guardian of the Empire: Глава 3

Chapter 3
* * *

Kaylee also lost seven coins, but she was not despondent. We had not lost even one silver one. Nonsense, basically. The only annoying thing is that the matrons immediately began to bet against me and have already made four silver roldos each. As if they immediately counted me among the losers and did not doubt their assumptions at all.

//“Who throws like that, who throws like that?!” – the indignant voice of the imp, who had materialized on the wooden edge of the table, rang out in my head as soon as I blew the eighth bet.

Immediately stifling the joy that had stirred my soul, I asked as indifferently as possible: //“What’s wrong?”

It seems like I'm not interested in anything at all and I'm keeping up the conversation out of pure politeness.

//“No, it's not that you have to twist the dice, twist them!” – the devil set out to teach me sense and reason.

“Let's try it now,” I decided, and lost another six silver coins. My streak of bad luck coincided nicely with the need to lose.

“Let me throw!” demanded the indignant imp, snorting as he watched my game.

\\“What for?” I feigned surprise. “I only have a short time left to live… And why should I waste my time on your entertainment?”

The imp thought for a moment, glancing sideways at the bones in my hand, and then suggested: //“Let’s make a deal!”

"On what terms?"

"You let me play, and I'll spare you the pain for the time being."

Oh well… – I wasn’t impressed by this proposal. – The pain doesn’t bother me much yet, so I don’t see any need to get rid of it. But if you could rid me of this nasty thing forever…

And then where should I go? Ask the angels for a place in heaven? – The imp sneered. – I won’t be able to go home after saving a dying man. – And, rubbing his paws in a businesslike manner, he suggested: – Let’s do it this way then. I play, and you get rid of the pain for a whole day. Just think about it – it’s a great deal, because you’ll be able to live a whole day for your own pleasure, without any physical torment!

"An evening of gaming in exchange for a day without pain?" I asked and agreed without much thought. It was a start. Let the imp get a taste of the pleasures of earthly life; maybe he'll be more accommodating later.

"Sit back and relax," The imp commanded. "Don't try to do anything or interfere with my control." He grinned. "Now I'll show you how to roll the dice!"

\\Be careful not to lose everything!" I egged him on.

The first throws were indeed unsuccessful. But it was mostly my fault. I couldn't immediately extinguish my will, and I took over control of the body from the imp as soon as my hands began to live their own life. It was too unusual and unfamiliar for me.

However, I soon adapted, and the game went well for imp. He quickly won back the coins I had lost and put us in a small profit. The dice flew onto the table and, after rolling a little, obediently turned with the higher and lower sides facing up. The eternal seven. The croupier even got a little nervous and began to look suspiciously at the dice and then at me, suspecting foul play.

//“How do you do this?” I asked. “You don’t use any magic!”

//“Do you know what kind of experience I have?!” the tailed creature almost burst with pride. “I once almost won an entire kingdom at chess! And what's this? Dice...” He waved his paw dismissively. “All I need to do is throw them once to calculate the hand movement necessary for a successful throw! If you want, I can throw them so that they land on their edges!”

//"No need," I refused. "They're already looking at our game askance, and after such tricks, they'll definitely kick us out of the table." And then I suggested, "Maybe it's better to play roulette, since you're calculating everything so well?"

//Well?!" the imp was indignant. "Yes, we, demons, are the best accountants in all the worlds!" And he said heatedly, twitching his tail: "Yes, if you want to know, all the treasurers of your states have junior imps as assistants! And they do all the calculations!.. And what should I explain to you... Let me show you something that is really difficult to calculate?"

//Go ahead, I agreed, not finding any catch in the demon’s plan.

//“Look over there!” the imp said, looking behind me.

Turning in the direction indicated, I saw a girl in a light beige dress walking between the tables. Quite pretty. And I felt my jaw drop involuntarily as the girl's clothes began to dissolve, as if they were washable paint on canvas, and not material.

//“Imp, what are you doing?!” I came to my senses, looking away from the completely naked girl.

\\"Did you see it?" The evil imp became proud. "That's just it! Throwing dice is a trifle when I can calculate the real image of a body, hidden by opaque material, by just one movement! And outline it visually!"

//"Imp, stop with this debauchery!" I demanded, glancing sideways at the still naked girl who had approached Kaylee. "We agreed on a game, not an orgy!"

\\"Really?" the Imp seemed to doubt and scratched the back of his head. "And by the way, what punishment do you have for public adultery?"

//“What kind of public adultery?!” I exclaimed indignantly. “Have you completely lost your mind, you horned one? Don't even think about it!” But after cooling down a bit and realizing that the devil was just trying to provoke me, I explained to him what was going on in order to quell his interest in such games: “Here, they'll throw coins at us for our blatant debauchery, but on the street, it's a gamble: either nothing will happen, or we'll get whipped.”

\\ “Yes, it will work out right away,” the devil grimaced disappointedly and, turning around, suddenly suggested, “Let's exchange!”

\\“What for what?” I asked cautiously.

\\“You give me one wish, and I’ll show you everything your dark-skinned girlfriend is hiding!”

“Thanks, I'll take care of it myself,” I said, disappointing the devil with my refusal. The tailed creature dared to make such a suggestion.

\\“Oh, what a pity, what a pity,” he cheered up for some reason. “What about your games? Do you only play for silver pennies?”

\\“No, play for gold too. But to play for large sums, you need to have something to bet with. We don't accept unsecured bets.”

//"So they won't let me play on credit?"

//"No," I suppressed a grin. "You won't be able to send me to a debtor's hole even if you wanted to." And I egged on the imp: "You wanted to play. So you can play with small change to your heart's content."

\\Are you kidding me?! – The imp flew into a rage. – I can win back your entire city with just one silver coin! Bet the coin on doubling! Now I'll show you how to play!

//"Okay," I agreed easily and warned the imp, who was irritably twitching his tail: "But don't be too cocky. There's a mage here, no matter what. As soon as he notices that we're cheating, we'll be kicked out of here."

\\“Big deal, a mage!” the demon said dismissively. “Only a priest or a powerful demonologist could detect me. And there's no cheating in my game, so there's nothing to complain about.”

"Tier, are you going to throw or what?" distracted me from my mental conversation with the imp croupier.

“I will,” I nodded. “And what is the maximum rate here?”

"If you play against a club, the ceiling in the lower hall is five silver roldos, and in the upper hall you can put a couple of gold ones."

Satisfied with the explanations, I bet a silver coin and began the game. Let the imp have his fun. The whole night is ahead.

Looking at Kaylee, who handed over most of the coins she had won to the girl who had approached, I raised an eyebrow questioningly. Malvian girl smiled back and shrugged. As if to say: easy come, easy go. I winked at her and handed over the reins of my body to the imp.

And so it began. The tailed one turned out to be not only a gambler, but also a rather cunning player. Now there were no more constant sevens. Losses alternated with wins, although there were still many more wins. The devil was simply mocking those present, throwing out such combinations that those betting on the outcome of the throws were tearing their hair out. It seemed that he was much more interested in playing not against the club, but against the bets of secondary players.

Gradually, my game attracted other participants. All ten seats at the table were occupied, and it became more difficult for the demon to break their various bets. But by then it no longer mattered - the game had moved to a completely different level. The demon sat on a small pile of silver that had accumulated at my end of the table and watched as the second pile, the gold one, slowly but steadily grew. As if he really wanted to prove to me that he could win the whole city.

The glitter of gold coins attracted a crowd of spectators, and soon there was no room to move around the table. It is not every day that ordinary people win several dozen gold coins; everyone wanted to take a look at such a miracle.

\\“Good,” the imp decided when they changed our bones for the second time. “We can move on to the second hall.”

We had quite a good run. Our winnings amounted to twenty-nine gold coins, not to mention countless silver coins. And it all took less than two hours! That's almost a quarter of a century's worth of conscientious service as a guard! How could anyone not be tempted by the life of a professional gambler?

//“As you say,” I replied, thinking about how best to use my newfound wealth. After filling my purse, I began to distribute the money among my pockets, as there was nowhere else to put such a pile of coins. Then I walked away from the table amid the disappointed murmurs of the other players and idle onlookers.

"Shall we have a drink, Kar?" Kaylee asked, clinging to me, extremely pleased with her slightly more modest, but still significant, win of seven gold pieces.

"Go ahead," I agreed. "My throat really is dry."

The Malvian girl and I went to the bar arm in arm.

It's amazing, but I almost forgot about my imminent death under the weight of incredible impressions. A dose of “ice,” which gave me euphoria, a beautiful girl who delighted me with her accessible closeness, and crazy money in my pockets worked wonders. I hadn't felt such a lift in my spirits in a long time... It seemed that if I wished for anything, it would come true... Perhaps that's how a big win intoxicates a gambler...

//"Order some Numian red wine," demanded the imp who had settled on my shoulder. "Or let's go play, because there was no agreement on breaks."

//"Maybe something else?" The unclean spirit's wish did not inspire me. "This is not wine, but some kind of syrup. You won't quench your thirst with it..."

//"Exactly what we need!" The horned one declared. "And let them pour some pure spiritus into a separate glass."

//“For what?” I asked. “Do you want me to get drunk and fall over?”

//“You definitely won’t fall from this!” the imp grinned mockingly and fell silent.

Only when we reached the counter and my strange order was fulfilled did he continue his instructions: //“Now take out the dope and pour it into the spiritus.”

//Why?

//“That's needed!” snapped the malicious imp, but he still deigned to comment: “We'll make impish booze! Of course, it won't be as strong as the real thing, but it'll still be pretty good!”

//“Are you sure that I won't be carried away to heaven after your poison?” I wondered.

\\“Don’t be afraid, everything will be fine,” the horned one reassured and began to teach how to prepare an unusual drink.

"What are you planning, Kar?" asked Kaylee, watching my manipulations with undisguised amazement.

“One moment,” I replied, gutting a golden ball of 'ice' over a glass of spiritus and thoroughly stirring the contents with a spoon.

"Kar, you're just crazy," Kaylee said with delight, looking around. "Everyone's watching!"

"Let them watch," I waved it off. "We don't sell dope, we use it for our own pleasure. So we're not in danger of hard labor."

Pulling the glass of Numian wine closer to me, I poured the mixture of spiritus and 'ice' into it and began to stir it again. This time, I stirred for a very short time. And I carefully tasted the cocktail praised by the imp.

The horned one wasn't lying. It really is the Real Thing! That's right, with a capital R. The thick wine with a tart aftertaste I didn't like before became intoxicatingly delicious. And the thick consistency of the wine became its undeniable advantage — the 'ice' was absorbed very slowly from this mass into the tongue and palate. And the slight euphoria arising from the Sparkling Ice stretched out over time...

"Try it," I handed Kaylee the glass. "Just take a little sip or you'll fly away."

"But you will hold me back, won't you?" The girl laughed and closed her eyes, tasting the drink. And when she opened them, she declared enthusiastically: "This is something!" And she tugged at my sleeve: "Where do you know such interesting tricks, Kar?!"

"An ancient recipe of the Kelm guards!" I laughed, not paying attention to the imp, who was extremely indignant at my statement.

"Your service is great!" Kaylee remarked, taking another sip from her glass and handing it back to me.

We consumed a quarter of the impish drink, and the amazing feeling of lightness of body and cheerfulness of spirit returned to me. The blood flowed faster through the veins, the beauty of the surrounding world sparkled with new colors, and the soul was overwhelmed by the delight of life. Now, perhaps, any simple task would be a joy. Everything around is so interesting and wonderful... Especially Kaylee...

Apparently, Kaylee sensed something too, and we started kissing right there at the bar like crazy lovers. And we didn't care about anyone.

//"Don't get too carried away," the imp teased me as soon as I tore myself away from the sweet girl's lips. "We didn't agree on these games."

//“Don’t be afraid, everything will be fine!” I returned the horned one’s bait.

But I still distanced myself from Kayley. Enough is enough. We'll have some more fun. But for now, we need to appease the imp.

Turning around, I found my friends, the guards, and nodded to Roald, who waved at me. The sergeant gestured for me to mind my own business. Apparently, he thought I needed to relax and enjoy myself, and that they would only get in the way. Veld didn't even notice me; he was so engrossed in chatting with the girls.

“Kaylee,” I said to my companion, looking at my red-haired friend, “these girls you brought… Do you know how they’ll react to the offer to have some fun and earn some money?”

"They'll be fine with it," Kaylee assured me and laughed. "Although you could get away without paying."

"No, that's not what I meant at all," I shook my head, gathering together the scattered fragments of the idea that had flashed through my mind. It was such a funny thought...

"What do you mean?"

Having put my little idea together, I joyfully exclaimed:

"Ah, I remember!" And, leaning towards Kaylee so that no one could overhear, he whispered: "I want to play a prank on Veld! Will you help?"

"Easy!" Kaylee agreed easily. "What do you need to do?"

"We either need to persuade these girls to have some fun, or find others," I explained my cunning plan. “So that they approach Veld with a very immodest offer to spend the night together. Let him then blab out of it as best he can, the red-haired villain, who is so fond of boasting about his bedroom exploits. He claims to have had dozens of Numians...”

Kaylee giggled like crazy, and I stared at her in confusion. Once she calmed down a bit, she explained her reaction:

"Your friend seems unaware that the Numian girls have a wonderful custom whereby children are entrusted to their fathers for upbringing!"

"Veld got in trouble!" I laughed, imagining my poor friend with a dozen little kids in his arms.

“I’ll now persuade Isha and Larry to arrange a fun life for your friend,” said Kaylee, rising from her chair.

"Then we’ll meet in the second room,” I decided, taking the glass of impish drink with me.

The crowd at the Silver Ringing has grown considerably since the very beginning of the evening. It seems as if Kelm is home to only playboys and inveterate gamblers. Although this is not true at all. But there are still plenty of people willing to spend their hard-earned money.

Climbing the wide wooden staircase to the second floor, I found myself in a hall that was more modest in size than the one below. Apparently, the rest of the space is taken up by guest rooms. And there is no need for a large room here. There were only eight gaming tables. Not many people wanted to play big with a minimum bet of a silver roldo. However, there were some rich people in Kelm, as all the tables were in play.

Having looked around, I went to the girl, dressed in a uniform silver-blue jacket, sitting at the very beginning of the hall at a horseshoe-shaped table, which was surrounded by an openwork lattice. After all, in the upper hall, coins are not put on the line. At the instigation of the imp, I exchanged almost all the money he won for chips. And, having received in return a whole pile of different-colored silver and gilded rounds, I went to play. Again at dice.

I had to wait a little while for the thrower's place to become free. But then everything went like clockwork. The imp quickly got used to the new dice and, having won a couple of silver ones, demanded that the stakes be raised.

Horned bastard. I simply could not watch indifferently as the gilded chips were won and lost – big round things with a square hole in the center. This is real money! Even more - huge money! You can live for six months without working on one such gilded round thing. Nothing fancy, of course, but still quite decent.

My game almost immediately attracted the attention of not only the players but also the employees of the Silver Ringing. I noticed two seemingly ordinary regulars of the club with too keen glances before the imp, despite the euphoria provided by the booze and dope. It's a common thing: many gambling houses hire retired swindlers for this kind of job, to make sure no one tries to cheat. But I play by the rules.

When my charming companion joined me, the imp had already managed to heat up the Silver Ringing for another fifty gold pieces. Then the long-awaited magician showed up. The imp, who had settled down on a pile of chips he had won, only snorted when he saw him and continued playing as if nothing had happened. It was true. The skinny guy with watery eyes did not make an impression. Most likely, he had only recently reached the initial, seventh stage of initiation, having completed his apprenticeship. Definitely no match for Sir Roderick, and he would not be able to figure out the imp even if he wanted to.

However, the magician hired by the establishment did not put in much effort. He just created the appearance of some actions. Otherwise, I would have felt the magical influence directed at me. The guy was more interested in the restless Kaylee spinning around me. Yes, it is very difficult not to notice the Malvian girl, who claps her hands enthusiastically and tries to kiss me with every successful throw...

The table was packed with people. The imp had gotten so worked up that the gambling club was facing its biggest loss in its history. The tailed one was already sitting on a whole mountain of gilded circles. Like some kind of king on a pile of treasures.

The sight of such wealth woke up the greed in me. There was no way I could spend almost a hundred gold pieces in a day and a half. Even if I threw a party for the whole city, there would still be enough for a royal funeral, a monument made of white Aquitaine marble, and a decent amount left over.

I was a little mistaken. It looks like I'll have to give up the monument. And all because of the imp, who very quickly lost more than a quarter of what he had won. As if he had forgotten how to throw dice.

//“Imp, what are you doing?!” I asked indignantly when the pile of our chips had almost halved in size.

//“What?” the imp rubbed his snout with his paw.

//“You’ll lose everything, that’s what!” I said in my heart.

//"You think so?" The horned one narrowed his eyes. "Well, well."

He's obviously up to something, the dark spawn. Maybe he wants to calm the club employees down? It's hard to tell right away...

And it all turned out to be simple. I haven't felt such disappointment for a long time... Almost since childhood. My hands were shaking. I wanted to strangle the vile imp so much! Too bad he's immaterial... I'd like to rip his skin off and use it on a drum!

Even another portion of the impish drink brought by Kaylee was of little help. The disappointed hum of the crowd did not cease in our ears when, by the mercy of the imp, we were left with nothing. Oh, it is not for nothing that the holy fathers call imps malicious scoundrels, sowing discord in the soul and pushing towards base feelings. I would kill the bastard... Cruelly...

//“Oh, we had a great time playing!” the imp said, scratching his hairy belly and baring his teeth.

//“Oh, you s-s… asshole…” I hissed. “And you’re even making fun of me?!”

//"Of course!" the satisfied imp nodded and recalled his old words: "I told you - turn me back, or you'll regret it!"

//"You know what, horned punk?" I was indignant and gloated: "You'll regret getting involved with me even more! Before I die, I'll ask the priest to grant you holy forgiveness for your kindness and help to the suffering! How will they accept you in the Lower World with such a snow-white spot on your dirty gray soul?"

//“You know… Don’t even think about it…” the imp suddenly stopped grinning. “I didn’t do it out of malice… Out of habit…”

//"You'll explain this to your kind!"

//"Why are you angry?! What else did you want from me?! I'm not some kind of angel!"

“Remove the filth that is killing me from my body and let us part on good terms,” I suggested, realizing that the imp was affected by the promise to whiten his skin.

\\"Why are you clinging to your life so much?" the horned bastard asked with annoyance. "Why do you need it like that? It's just a shit, not a life! And you can't immediately figure out what to call it - either a miserable existence or a dismal existence. But it certainly doesn't look like real life!"

//“What do you know about this?” The imp’s statement offended me.

//“More than you!” he assured me. “Life is joy! And not “this is not allowed, this is bad, and this is completely forbidden”! Have you ever lived the way you want? So that every moment brings you joy?” And he bared his teeth angrily, seeing my confusion: “You are an ordinary weak little man! I’m ready to bet that you wouldn’t even survive a day of real life! You would immediately hide in your safe hole, built from conventions and prohibitions.”

\\"You don't know me well, you little tailed runt," I said angrily. "If there's one thing that doesn't scare me, it's life. After all, I've been living for twenty-one years already."

\\"Okay," the demon nodded accommodatingly and suggested, "Let's have a bet? If you can truly live for at least one single day, I'll remove the gray rot from your body, and if you can't, don't hold it against me."

\\“Now this sounds like a serious conversation,” I was delighted at this turn of events. “What exactly do you mean by real life?”

\\"Nothing complicated," the imp assured me. "You just do what you want, regardless of the obstacles. And don't do what you don't want. And I'll make sure your desires match your actions."

I didn't think long. I quickly figured out the imp's true intentions. And, barely holding back from cursing, I asked angrily: \\"Have you decided to fool me? Tomorrow the pain caused by this very gray rot will return to me, and I feel that my only desire will be to die quickly."

//"I didn't even think about cheating," the horned one folded his paws on his chest. "Pain is nonsense. Do you want me to take it away? If, of course, you allow me to have fun with the gamble tomorrow."

//“Deal,” I agreed, since the absence of suffering is an undoubted win in any case. “You can spend tomorrow evening playing.”

//"What about the main deal?"

The imp's persistence is alarming. Even my mind, clouded by stupidity, suspects that there is a major catch in his proposal. But what can I do? I'll have to agree. After all, my actions are not so far removed from my desires. Veld and Roald are assigned to me so that I don't get into trouble. If I act up, they'll knock me on the head and calm me down. Besides, if anything happens, I can always blame it on the dope. Say I didn't realize what I was doing, I don't remember anything. I'll sort out any problems that arise somehow. You can't negotiate with death...

//“Okay, I’ll prove to you that I can live one day without overstepping my desires, and you’ll drive the gray rot out of me,” I agreed with the imp.

//“Okay,” he said cheerfully and rubbed his paws: “Then perhaps we’ll continue the game.”

//"You've already lost almost everything," I noted. "There aren't even ten of the smallest chips left."

//“Nonsense,” the imp dismissed carelessly. “We haven't played roulette yet...”

"Kar, Kar, wake up!" Kaylee, who was shaking me, interrupted her communication with the demonic spawn. And, seeing my meaningful look, she said tenderly: "Don't worry so much, Kar, so what if I lost. It's not your own."

"Everything is fine with me," I assured the beautiful Malvian girl. "Let's have another glass of Numian wine with 'ice' and sit at the roulette table?"

“I don’t mind,” Kaylee agreed easily.

Having convinced the horned one not to worry for a while, I went down to the lower hall with my companion. There, at the bar, we mixed up some impish booze and sat for a while with a cheerful company consisting of Roald, Veld, Larry, and Isha. We also had a bite to eat. It was unknown how long the game would last.

Because of the demon who had blown away a fortune, we were left with only eleven small silver coins. A little more than one gold roldo in real money. But we were sitting at a roulette table, and the maximum win here is much greater than in dice. The demon began the game cautiously – betting on odd-even or red-black. This way, you can only double the amount you bet. We were winning back very slowly… Even the onlookers who were interested in my return quickly got bored and wandered off.

But I don't mind. Let the horned one play for pennies. In any case, I won't be bored in the company of Kaylee sitting on her lap and with a glass of impish booze. Although if I remember the agreement to live the way I want...

"Imp," I said to the evil spirit who was engrossed in the game. "I'm kind of tired of sitting here... I want to do something more interesting. So go ahead and wrap it up if you don't want to have proper fun."

//“Wait a little, the best part is about to begin,” the imp held me in place.

And, having won up to two gilded chips, he put them on seventeen. And on the next move, seven large rectangular plates, almost the size of a palm, covered with lunar silver, raked up to us. Seven of the club's most expensive chips, worth ten gold roldos.

The crowd buzzed excitedly, discussing my luck. Understandably so. After all, such a windfall instantly transforms even the poorest person into a wealthy citizen. The money I won would be enough to buy my own shop in the market or a house in a decent neighborhood. How could anyone not envy such a player?

And what a wave arose when fourteen of their girlfriends joined the seven expensive rectangular chips... And after only two moves... A real crush arose around the table. And the croupier immediately began to sweat and looked around with a hunted look. Then the magician from earlier materialized next to us, and a whole crowd of club employees gathered, whose duty it was to monitor the fairness of the game.

After another stunning loss, the club changed the croupier. And some brutes grabbed the poor guy who had just been spinning the roulette wheel and pulled him somewhere. Probably to talk about big wins. They put an elderly smiling man to spin the wheel and throw the ball. Apparently, they trusted him immeasurably.

True, the smile quickly disappeared from his face when I hit the jackpot two more times in a row with the help of the imp. Then we had to make our way through the crowd to another table. With a new dealer. The horned bastard, grinning nastily, lost fifty gold, building up the intrigue, and then won three times. And all at maximum bets on one number!

Kaylee was absolutely delighted. And the people in the upper hall were slowly but surely filled with envy.

"No more bets accepted!" the croupier hissed as one of the club employees whispered something in his ear.

"Hey, what's wrong? What's going on? Just because someone started winning, you're going to close up shop? What about fair play?" Indignant cries came from the crowd of onlookers.

"No more bets are being accepted in the upper hall!" a short middle-aged man, sporting a thin mustache in the latest fashion, repeated the words, pushing the croupier aside. "The club's cash limit has been exhausted! Sorry for the temporary inconvenience! The game will resume tomorrow evening!"

//"They're lucky, they found a way to get out of this!" the smugly grinning imp proclaimed. "Otherwise, I would have left them without their last pair of pants!"

And Kaylee gasped:

"Wow! Kar, you broke the Silver Ringing! They don't have any more money to cover the bets!"

"Of course," I laughed. "We won more than half a thousand in gold. I am generally shocked by the fact that a gambling club has such a fortune."

"Kar, you did it! If I hadn't seen it myself, I would never have believed it!" Veld, who had somehow made his way through the crowd surrounding us, patted me warmly on the shoulder. Seeing me raking chips onto a small tray, he offered, “Let me help you! I want to hold such riches in my hands at least once!"

"Take it!" I easily gave my friend the right to drag the chips to the girl sitting in the openwork cage. I had a good memory of the imp’s last outburst. This tailed bastard could easily lose all of today’s winnings tomorrow, and I would be left with nothing. Veld doesn’t understand that in such a situation, my wealth is illusory and will go away as it came… Therefore, it’s better not to take the winnings seriously.

Having exchanged the chips for open bills of the First City Bank, guaranteeing the receipt of five hundred gold roldos, I put them in my pocket and immediately forgot about them. At the same time, I immediately put to use the small change that came in addition to the monetary obligations, if you can call eighty-two and a quarter gold. I ordered drinks for all the visitors of the Silver Ringing and paid for our company to stay in the club for two more days with full service. Well, and I discreetly passed a couple of coins to Isha and Larry through Kaylee.

“Want to throw a huge party?” the girl quietly asked me.

"Something like that," I replied. "Let people have fun."

"Are we going to have fun?" A smiling Kaylee asked provocatively.

"Of course!" I assured her. "We’ll just rent a more comfortable room…"

Having given up on our friends and buddies, Kaylee and I stocked up at the bar with all the supplies we needed to make some imp's booze and headed up to the second floor. To the closed side, where the guest rooms were.

And, hiding from prying eyes, we decided to play a more interesting game than dice... So interesting that I had no words to express my admiration. Sparkling ice combined with a truly beautiful girl who knows a great deal about pleasure is something...

Passion simply overwhelmed me, not letting go for a moment. It seemed unthinkable blasphemy to let go of this wild cat with amazingly tender light-coffee skin. Kaylee really got going, appearing before me in the guise of an incredible lover, making me instantly forget about all the past girls. She was incomparable to them... I wanted to possess such an amazing girl forever...

Our madness did not leave us until the morning. And only when our strength was completely exhausted, we decided to rest a little. A couple of hours.

And I didn’t need any imp's tricks to find out what Kaylee was hiding under her dress from prying eyes…

From a report by As-Tarkh Covan to the head of the Security Department, Count de Noel, on the fourth day of the sixteenth decade of the year four hundred and fifty-seven.

...Towards dawn, when the available guard units and magicians on duty were summoned to the mayor's house, it became clear that a battle involving magic had indeed taken place in Count de Seita's mansion, and that the fire in the annex had been caused by unnatural means. However, the count, guided by his own motives, refused to recognize the incident as an attack on a person vested with state authority, thereby saving the nighttime villains from the gallows. However, four of the five people who broke into his house were already dead (killed by the guards).

The impetus for Di Seito's decision was undoubtedly the fact that the girl who had attacked him as part of a criminal gang (identified as Lady Angel de Sameri) had survived. Upon recognizing her, the count immediately interpreted the attack on his house as a burglary, although it was obvious that it was an attempted murder due to the blood feud between the houses of de Seito and de Sameri. Probably enraged by the destruction of his home, the count decided to punish the girl as severely as possible, using this interpretation of events. After all, it is clear that the last representative of the de Sameri family would not be able to pay the damages claimed against her.

Overall, the situation seems simple, clear, and does not require the intervention of the Security Department. If not for one “but”... As it turned out, the Dark Coven did not conspire with the traitor directly, but through Aquitanian agents. And quite by chance, a day after the smuggling from Aquitaine was intercepted, a man arrived whose goal was to kill the governor of Kelm city.

Perhaps I am making too big an assumption, but it can be assumed that the followers of the Dark One made claims against their Aquitaine partners, who, in turn, were forced to ask the traitor to pay for the failure. And they quickly sent the most suitable person for cutting off the ends to Kelm. Blood revenge — and everything is settled.

Due to the suspicions that have arisen, I request permission for immediate intervention and investigation with the support of mentalist magicians.

* * *

When I woke up, I didn't understand where I was at first. It seemed like a room, but it was clearly not mine... I couldn't make out anything when everything was swimming before my eyes. I could assume that I had had too much to drink yesterday, but nothing except for my blurred vision and wild thirst hinted at a recent drinking binge. No headache, no nausea...

However, I was only confused about my whereabouts for a few moments. Until I found Kaylee next to me. And then I remembered everything.

Carefully getting out of bed so as not to wake the sweetly sleeping girl, I shuffled to the table. There was water in a decanter. And it was to quench my thirst that I wanted more than anything in the world.

Water turned out to be a real salvation. Life immediately became a joy, and the furnishings in the room stopped running before my eyes. Nice, that's it.

“Kar?” Kaylee asked half-questioningly, without lifting her head from the soft pillow, when I inadvertently clinked the neck of the decanter against the glass.

"Here I am. Do you want some water?" I suggested.

"Very much so," admitted the girl, rolling onto her back.

Having filled the glass with water, I returned with it to my charming girlfriend's bed. There was no need to hurry; I could still lie on the bed to my heart's content.

After drinking, Kaylee put her glass on the nightstand and snuggled up to me. She kissed me on the lips and, gently tracing her fingers along the outline of the magical tattoo on my left forearm, purred:

"I'm impressed, Kar... Do you really like me that much?"

"You can't even imagine," I assured Kaylee, who was brazenly provoking me to continue the fun. And I wasn't lying at all. The seductive Malvian girl really did delight me.

Kaylee certainly liked my answer, and the start of the new day turned into a continuation of the previous night. And it’s not that I was in the least bit against such a wonderful morning. If only it were always like this…

After admiring enough, we decided to take a little break. And finally have breakfast. Without leaving the room. Bes will, of course, be against it, but that's what I want — to spend the day alone with Kaylee. I'll kill two birds with one stone. I'll enjoy myself for a day, and by evening, I'll be rid of any potential problems with the girls. My desires won't conflict with my actions, even if an army of seductive beauties descends on the club.

There were no problems with breakfast. It was enough to ring the silver bell for the servant to come into the room and take our order. We were only given a hint that it was too late for breakfast. It was long past noon…

“What are you doing here?” I was amazed to see Stan and Tim in full dress in the corridor as I was escorting the servants who had brought us food out the door.

"We're keeping an eye on you," Stan explained readily.

"And for your winnings!" Tim chuckled and winked: "It's a pity Roald didn't let us drill a hole in the door, otherwise we would have been happy to keep an eye on something else!"

"Oh, come on, calm down," Stan punched him in the side and said to me, "The foreman said that you've brought the gambling house to ruin, and so we need to make sure that no trouble happens because of this."

"And he also said that you'll make a party for it later!" Tim added.

\\“If there's anything left,” I chuckled to myself at my coworkers' expectations. They don't know that the evil imp will surely drain all my money tonight. Just to spite me. And it would be fine if I only lost money because of him. It would be much more offensive if the horned one deceived me with his persuasion. The imp's spawn could give me hope, and then, after having his fill of fun, take it away...

“How long have you been here?” I asked the guys, not reacting to Tim’s hint.

"Since last night."

"Only two of you?"

"No," Stan shook his head. "Steve and Glen are outside, watching under the windows."

“Well, thank you,” I thanked you for your support. “We’ll settle the score.”

And went back to the room. Before Kaylee got bored and went off to find out where I was. Or, even worse, ate our entire brunch by herself.

"Who did you meet there?" Asked the girl, placing pieces of boiled veal in a spicy sauce from a large dish onto my plate.

"Yes, our people have taken it upon themselves to protect me from thieves and ill-wishers," I replied, starting to eat breakfast. "Roald seemed worried that they might twist my head off for such a win.

“You have a good foreman,” Kaylee approved of Roald’s actions.

“Yeah,” I agreed.

Chatting about trivial matters, we ate, stretching out the meal for almost an hour. Strangely enough, Kaylee never once mentioned the money I had won, although I thought any girl would be curious to know what I was going to do with such a large sum. After all, five hundred gold coins is a huge sum... It would certainly be enough for a small estate with a decent income. Or maybe even to support a charming beauty...

"Kar, how about some 'ice'?" Kaylee asked, smiling at me after the meal.

“I don’t want to,” I refused, already being in a great mood.

"Why is that?" The Malvian girl raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"You know... Because of the dope, it seems like everything that happens is some kind of sweet, but unreal dream. And it's almost impossible to remember... But I want the wonderful moments spent with you to remain in my memories forever, and not melt away like smoke the next day," I explained the reason for my refusal.

"Wonderful," Kaylee smiled slyly. "Then I'll try to make sure you don't forget me for the rest of your days."

"Do you think you can do it?" I egged the girl on.

Bantering, we drank a glass of Dark Vine each and then moved to the bed. We still have time until evening, which means we can give in to the passion of possessing this beautiful Malvian girl. Maybe this is the last joy in my life...

//“‘Enough sleep!’” A stranger’s thought interrupted my sweet dreams. I almost jumped out of bed, opened my eyes, and saw a demon sitting on the back of the bed. So that’s who woke me up! And he was immensely pleased with himself.

//“Have you gone completely mad, you horned bastard? Why are you waking me up? Can't you see I want to sleep?!” I exclaimed indignantly, deciding to rein in the devil a little. Otherwise, he'll sit on my neck and dangle his legs. He's got no shortage of audacity.

//“Get up, it’s time to go play!” the imp said as if he hadn’t heard me.

//We'll make it, I replied casually. Fifteen minutes is enough for you to leave the gambling club without any money again.

//“And if I give you back the pain, maybe you’ll hurry up?” the little tailed brat inquired ingratiatingly.

Knows how to pin me down... Horned beast. But we are good too. We only gave our tired bodies a little rest and immediately passed out.

"Kaylee," I said tenderly, kissing the girl lying next to me, "wake up. It looks like night has already come."

Stretching sweetly, Kaylee opened her eyes:

"I didn’t even notice how I fell asleep."

“I’m the same way,” I admitted.

But still, no matter how much the imp hurried me, I couldn’t get out into the hall quickly. Kaylee was a girl, after all. And it took her at least a quarter of an hour to get herself in order. However, this worried only the imp. I was interested in watching the Malvian girl preen herself and put war paint on her face. She was beautiful… It’s just a pity that we are too different, and even if I don’t die tomorrow, nothing will work out for us.

"Wow," I said in surprise as I walked out into the hall with Kaylee by the arm and saw a real crowd. "Is everyone really that inspired by my victory?"

"No, most likely the Great Game is planned today," said my companion.

//“You are fortunate,” I said to the malicious imp sitting on my left shoulder. “We have arrived at the most significant event in the city.”

//“Will there be unlimited bets?” The imp asked happily.

//“No,” I replied. "The club owner came up with this clever entertainment for the wealthiest visitors to his establishment. They buy something very expensive and then raffle it off among the players. Six months ago, for example, the prize was a fist-sized black diamond from Korakhem. And a little earlier, it was a mansion in the central district of the capital."

//“Well, that’s going to be more interesting!” the imp perked up. “And what are they playing?”

//“In the ‘nine’. And the club isn't involved. Only the guests of the gambling house.”

"Want to join in, Kar?" Kaylee asked.

“Perhaps,” I shrugged. “If there’s something worthwhile at stake.”

"Then I'll come right now!" said the Malvian girl and flew away.

Without thinking twice, I went to the bar accompanied by Tim and Stan. Going down the stairs, I noticed that the lower hall was not empty either. It was quite crowded, unlike the previous evening. But there weren't many players, to be honest. The club's patrons were much more interested in the low platforms behind the tables along the wall than in gambling. Or rather, not the stage itself, but the action taking place on it. There, six wildly painted girls in sequined dresses danced the Aquitaine can-can, kicking their long legs in white stockings almost to the ceiling. Beautiful! Today, there will clearly be no shortage of people wanting to get into the Silver Ringing. Even if it costs a whole silver roldos. Of course, there are other shows like this in the taverns of the port district, but the girls there are not as pretty, and often don't know how to dance at all.

Tearing my gaze away from the dancers hiding their faces under white half-masks, I noticed Roald sitting at the counter and headed towards him. But I didn't have time to reach him. Veld, who flew out from behind the table like an arrow, intercepted me. He grabbed me and whispered passionately:

"Kar, you won't believe what happened to me..." And he rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry, Veld," I smiled and patted my friend on the shoulder. "After what happened to me... I'll believe anything!" And, without letting him say anything, I dragged him to the bar. To Roald, who was sitting on a high stool, holding a falchion attached to his belt with one hand. Although yesterday, like me, he had only brought a narrow dagger with him. We didn't think we would need to use the right of servicemen to carry long-bladed weapons.

"Well, how are you, Kar?" Roald asked, looking at me with noticeable anxiety. "Have you used the Tier Eldar potion yet?"

"Not yet," I shook my head. "The pain doesn't bother me at all. It looks like I can manage without any strong drugs. Wine will be enough."

"Well, that's great," Roald rejoiced and put the guys in their place, who were staring at the girls dancing the can-run: "Stop staring at this obscenity. Better keep an eye on the sides. And these girls aren't going anywhere. They'll be performing here all summer."

“As you say, foreman,” Tim sighed, looking away from the stage.

"Why are we hanging around here?" Stan asked. "So what if Kar won? Is he going to live in the Silver Ringing now?"

"Today is the Great Game... Get it?" I winked conspiratorially at the lanky Stan.

"Well..." he scratched the back of his head. "But there's a different layout there. Simple luck won't help in a card game."

"We'll see about that," I chuckled.

“You’re a risky guy, Kar,” Tim noted and sighed with disappointment: “If I had that kind of money… I wouldn’t risk it for anything.”

“Kar…” Kaylee whispered in my ear as she crept up behind me.

"Yes?" I turned to the Malvian girl and, hugging her with one arm, handed her the glass of red wine I had ordered for her.

"I found out about the prize!" the girl chirped cheerfully and narrowed her eyes slyly: "But I don’t even know if I should tell you about it!"

"What's at stake there?" I played along with Kaylee.

“You’ll never guess!” she blurted out.

“Have they really put all of Kelm on the line?” I widened my eyes in fear.

"No," laughed the Malvian woman, slowly sipping her wine and pretending that she was not going to tell me anything about the prize in the Great Game. Having tormented me with anticipation long enough, she repeated Veld's recent phrase: "You won't believe it, Kar... Today's prize will be a noble girl!"

I almost choked on my wine. And, clearing my throat, croaked:

"Are you kidding?! How is this possible?!"

"You just don't know what happened last night!" Kaylee remarked emphatically. "Today, our mayor was almost robbed! By that noble young lady and her accomplices! They say that when the guards discovered them, they caused such a mess in Count de Seita's mansion, it was just horrible! And out of anger, the mayor sued them for three times the value of the damage to public property! It came to almost two thousand gold pieces!"

"What did they do there?" Veld and I looked at each other in bewilderment. "They demolished half a block, apparently?"

"I don't know," Kaylee shrugged. "They say these thieves wrecked some terribly expensive security complex. Now they'll have to order a new one from the capital. That's how they calculated the losses..."

"Yeah, right," I drawled and shook my head, "But it's still some kind of utter nonsense. A noble girl in a gang of robbers? Nonsense... And our count isn't crazy... This girl's relatives would never let him get away with such a slap in the face."

"They say she's the last of her line,“ said Kaylee. ”So there's no one to stand up for her. And I don't know if our mayor is crazy or not, but the fact that he filed an exorbitant lawsuit against this girl and quickly saddled her with an insurmountable debt through the courts is a fait accompli. And the owner of the Silver Ringing took advantage of the moment and bought off this lady's debt obligations at today's auction."

"But two thousand…" Veld muttered, stunned. "No one could earn that in five lifetimes…"

"How to put it," Kaylee said thoughtfully. "Rumor has it that this girl is stunningly beautiful... And the court ruled that ten years of debt bondage for her is equivalent to two thousand gold roldos. So she won't have to work off that money for the rest of her life."

"Yes, I heard something like that," Roald confirmed the Malvian girl words, thereby removing the suspicion that Kaylee was simply playing a joke on us. And he added: "True, I thought it was some kind of nonsense... Anything can happen, of course, but for a noble girl to make a living by robbery is a marvel of marvels. And around the mayor's mansion, there is a fence six yards high. It is beyond my comprehension how a lady could climb over it. It seems that a noble upbringing does not include acrobatic tricks and rock climbing. Maybe they got her origins mixed up?"

"Maybe," Kaylee shrugged. "In a quarter of an hour we'll see what's real and what's been lied about to attract players. This lady should be brought here at exactly eight. So that everyone who wants to can appreciate the prize. And an hour later the Great Game will begin."

"Then let's have dinner for now," I suggested, forcing away the stupid ideas creeping into my head. "And then we'll see where the lie is and where the truth is."

Thanks to Veld, who took a table with Isha and Larry, there was a place in the hall for us. And we didn't have to wait long for the ordered food. Still, the service at Silver Ringing is top-notch. No incidents, even with such an influx of guests.

Having dinner and chatting with my friends, I was able to forget and distance myself from my problems for a moment. Although the worm of anxiety was already beginning to gnaw at me. Am I relying too much on the promises of the evil demon? He will say that I could not live one day as I wish, and that’s it. You can’t drag him to court after all…

"Oh, they're coming!" Tim jumped up from his chair and almost rushed towards the group of club employees who had burst into the hall. But there was no point in running. The thugs in white and blue suits were moving in a tight group, and it was impossible to even see who they were accompanying.

"Yes, they are," Kaylee agreed, glancing briefly at Tim. "It's already eight o'clock." She stopped us. "You don't have to go anywhere. The prize is always on display on this stage for everyone to see."

And indeed, the dancers quickly cleared out of the stage, and the Silver Ringing security came up on stage with the prize. And when the brutes parted, the audience, buzzing with impatience, gasped in unison and fell silent.

There was a reason... The person who appeared on the stage instantly eclipsed the dancers who had fled. A short, slender girl in a light-golden silk dress was the embodiment of some kind of unreal beauty... And she looked so innocent that, probably, it was not only I who felt a pang in her heart. Such delicate facial features... Huge blue eyes, framed by coal-black eyelashes, wonderfully beautiful and expressive against the ideal background of white skin... Pale pink lips, moistly shining in the light of the lamps... A small upturned nose... Light-golden hair, raised and hidden under a small hat, so that only a small fringe and a few thin strands were visible from under it... Thin arms in lace gloves... And a chain-collar encircling the throat, and a very original one at that - gold and with three blue diamonds, and not steel with an amethyst, as usual. Which is not without reason and not just for beauty...

"What, she also wields magic?" Roald was the first to come to his senses.

“It looks like it,” I said in a hoarse voice for some reason, looking at the bondage collar, combined with a cut-off device that prevents the Gifted from using their power.

“She is a real lady after all!” Veld declared enthusiastically.

“That’s true,” I agreed, not taking my eyes off the girl who looked like an angel who had descended from heaven. To fully match the wonderful image, she probably only lacks snow-white wings behind her back. She, of course, clasped her hands in front of her, but she didn’t tremble or shake. And she didn’t cry. It’s not befitting a lady… That’s what noble birth means…

“Such a prize,” Tim whispered.

"Yeah," I nodded and, taking a sip of wine, fell into thought, looking at the young lady of unearthly beauty. People say all sorts of things about our mayor, but what he did is beyond anything imaginable. Yes, theft must be punished. And compensation for damages is also right: if you break or damage something, you pay for it. If you don't have the means, you work it off. But in this case, it's not that simple... For this young lady, debt bondage will be worse than hard labor... Beautiful debtors like her have only one path: straight to one of the elite brothels in the capital...

Poor thing... How will she survive such an unimaginable blow to a lady's dignity?

Looking at the girl shining with immaculate beauty, I took another sip of wine and turned to the imp. //“Horned One, are you sleeping there or something?”

//"No, I'm waiting for the game to start," the demon replied, appearing on my shoulder in the blink of an eye. And the bastard started to kick up his hooves, settling in more comfortably. "What?"

//"Well, here's the case..." I drawled, weighing up all the pros and cons of my idea. Finally, I made up my mind: "In short, the game will be for winning only. If that suits you, you're in. And if not, I'll do without you." And I immediately felt a sense of relief in my soul. Roald was right - I'm too soft with criminals. And I'm completely prejudiced against thieves, filled with unnecessary sympathy. Childhood memories are too strong...

//“How is it without me?!” the imp raged. “And why is it for winning? I play as I want! We didn’t agree on whether I would win or lose!”

//“That’s true,” I agreed. “But an agreement is an agreement, and there’s also our bet, which is much more important to me. After all, you egged me on! And now I can’t do anything, since I’m eager to get the prize of today’s game. And I can’t go against my own will…”

//"What, are you tired of the dark-skinned beauty already?" the imp sneered. "Or did you want to get a light-haired one to go with the dark one?"

//“Doesn't that idea appeal to you?” I asked the tailed one, hoping to persuade him to help me with the game. I'm not much of a player myself.

//“Nah,” the demon shook his absurdly large head. “I want to play however I want. And I know how to deal with your desires...” And, without finishing his sentence, he disappeared. My body was pierced by a flash of such monstrous pain that the light dimmed in my eyes. Not for long. My vision didn't improve, but the darkness before my eyes was dispelled by flashing red balls. However, I couldn't admire their dance — my chest was burning with fire, and the pain prevented me from focusing on anything.

I blindly rummaged through my pockets, pulled out a vial of Tier Eldar's potion, and drank it. It felt better almost instantly. The pain subsided a little, and my vision cleared up.

With a sigh of relief, I wiped away the tears that had formed in the corners of my eyes and, carefully pronouncing the words so as not to reveal my suffering, explained to my friends who were looking at me in bewilderment:

"It suddenly got a little worse. Nothing terrible."

“Are you sure?” Roald asked cautiously.

“Yes,” I answered firmly and turned to Kaylee: “Let’s make some impish booze like yesterday?”

"Okay," the Malvian girl shrugged, slightly surprised by my offer. I recently refused to use the 'ice', and now I'm offering it myself.

Having swallowed a mixture of viscous wine and dope, I felt that the pain had completely subsided. It hadn't disappeared completely, but it had become bearable. It was just advisable not to move, to avoid its intensification. In general, it was possible to live, although there was very, very little that was pleasant in such a life. But the end justifies the means, so I'll endure it.

//“Well, have you changed your mind about the game yet?” the imp who had appeared asked sarcastically.

//“No, I haven’t changed my mind,” I responded angrily. “I’ll die, but I’ll still get the prize!”

//“Why do you need this noble beauty!” the horned sadist began to admonish me. "Do you really think she's any better than your dark-skinned girlfriend? Not at all! Maybe she's prettier, but that's all. And she's probably as cold as ice. Why do you need a slave like that? Do you want me to make your girlfriend look like her? Then your girlfriend will be indistinguishable from this charming golden-haired beauty. And she'll be much more affectionate."

//"No need," I said. "Kaylee is Kaylee, and I want to win this lady."

\\"Okay, hell with you!" the demon cursed, surrendering. "We're playing to win. But for this, we'll make another deal."

//“Which one?” I asked warily.

//"If you do win our argument, and therefore survive, then under no circumstances will you try to get rid of me."

//“Well...” I seemed to think about it and reluctantly agreed: “All right, have it your way.”

And he tried to hide his jubilation at the successful turn of events. The cunning imp had outwitted himself! He doesn't know that Sir Roderick will throw him out of my body tomorrow! And I, giving such a promise to the demon's offspring, am not risking anything!

//“That’s great!” the imp grinned, pleased.

It was like a club had hit me on the head, so abrupt was the transition from a painful ache throughout my body to a state of intoxicating pleasure. The Horned One had freed me from bodily torment, and the 'ice' showed itself in all its glory, instantly raising my mood to a level that couldn't be better.

"What are you thinking about, Kar?" Roald asked. "Are you planning to take part in the Great Game, too?"

I glanced sideways at Kaylee, who was clinging to me, waiting with interest for my answer. Would the beautiful Malvian girl be offended? That was the question… It would be a shame if Kaylee snorted, turned around, and left. Who would I spend the rest of the night and part of the day with then?

"I'm going to," I answered Roald anyway. "Just out of curiosity, I'll try to beat the city's fat cats."

"I would play too," Tim said dreamily, but seeing the corporal's disapproving look, he immediately tried to justify himself: "No, I didn't do anything like that... I would just make a deal with the girl right away. She gets her freedom, and I get the title. And hop. I'm no longer a simple guard, but at least the commander of a hundred of the crown army or the manager of a small town... Not life, but a fairy tale..."

"Do you think a noble maiden will agree to marry you right away? No way! She'll send you away, and that's all," Stan broke his dreams.

"She will send you!" Tim was offended.

"That's enough," Roald snapped at them. "Don't you dare fight again."

"It's a shame," Kaylee sighed in disappointment, resting her head on my shoulder. "We'll have to part ways."

"You shouldn't be like that, Kar," Veld reproached me, apparently feeling indebted to Kaylee for introducing him to two wonderful girlfriends.

"No, you misunderstood me!" The Malvian girl smiled. "I don’t mean that I’m going to part with Kar forever. It’s just that the Great Game is being held in a separate room, and spectators are not allowed there. So we’ll have to wait for him here and stare at the magical illusion, following the progress of the game."

“I don’t think I’ll be staying long,” I said, looking at the imp, who was impatiently twitching his tail.

"If you're as lucky as you were yesterday, then sure!" Kaylee laughed and shook her finger at me: "Just don't lose, Kar, I'll be worried about you!"

"Exactly!" Veld perked up, casting an adoring glance at Kaylee. "Since Kar's luck has come his way, it would be a sin not to support him." He glanced around furtively, moved closer to the Malvian girl, and, lowering his voice, asked: "Where can I place bets on the outcome of the game here?"

"Tambourine usually takes bets on the Great Game," Kaylee replied quietly. "And a couple of other people, but they're a bit unreliable."

"Who is he? And where can I find him?" Veld, interested, bombarded her with questions.

"Well, he's short, stocky, his real name is Luke, actually,“ Kaylee began to explain. ”But everyone calls him Tambourine. It's his favorite saying. Whenever he gets into an argument or gets angry, he yells, ‘I'll hit your a tambourine!’”
T.N. Бубен

“A shaman, perhaps?” Veld asked, puzzled.

"I don't know," Kaylee laughed. "But you can ask him about the tambourine yourself! He's usually upstairs, hanging around in the second hall."

"Wait, Veld," Tim stopped the red-haired man who was getting out from behind the table and started rummaging through his pockets. "You'll bet for me."

"Oh, and don't forget about me!" said Stan, who was also struck by the fever of excitement.

So nine and a half gold pieces were collected. Everyone chipped in for the promising bet. Even Isha and Larry decided to take a little risk. But Veld, of course, was not trusted with such money, and he went to look for Bubn in the company of Roald and Larry.

A little later, we all went up to the second floor. On one side, I was hugged by Kaylee, and on the other side, I was supported by Veld. My friend tried to share the secrets of the card game, and didn’t forget to threaten me with the most terrible punishments that awaited me in case of loss.

Having reached the trio of guards standing at the half-open door, I parted with my companions. What can you do – such are the rules, onlookers are not allowed into the small hall. And I, it seems, have become a very well-known person in certain circles, since they let me in without any questions about the validity of my claims to a serious game. They know that I have enough money…

Behind the door was a richly, even luxuriously, furnished room. In the very center was a massive round table covered in green velvet, around it were large armchairs upholstered in thick fabric with a beige and gold pattern. The walls were covered with light drapery with a strict, gray steel pattern, and bronze lamps hanging from the ceiling on thin chains gleamed with polished sides. The floor was laid with dark, almost black, varnished parquet.

"Come in, come in, Tier Steini," a short man in a formal suit standing at the table smiled cordially, interrupting his conversation with a couple of club employees. "I'm very glad you decided to take part in the Great Game," he said confidentially, shaking my hand. "I think you won't be disappointed."

"Where are the other players? I asked.

The other players haven't arrived yet. You're the first. But don't doubt it - there will be someone to play with today. At least three opponents," the man smiled cordially. "Allow me to introduce myself - Richard Heron. You can just call me Tier Heron. I am the owner of the club where you have the honor of being."

I looked closely at the owner of the Silver Ringing and nodded, taking his words into account. Of course, I knew Richard by sight before, but I was not on first-name terms with him. So I had to control myself, otherwise they would kick me out without letting me play. Okay, Heron than Heron. Although in other circles, they usually called him Crab. They say it was because he preferred to get rid of the corpses of ill-wishers by feeding them to the crabs that were found in great numbers under the piers in the port. A serious man. And not stupid. A fool would not have been able to unite the majority of disparate criminal gangs into a community of thieves, murderers, and robbers, calling their organization the Night Guild, following the example of his Aquitaine friends. And opening a decent gambling club to launder dirty money also testifies to his remarkable intelligence.

The шьз, who was rubbing his paws contentedly, became cheerful: \\"Let there be at least ten rivals! They will go home without pants!"

\\"Are you sure you can win?" I egged on the imp, in order to direct his ardor in the right direction. To the owner of the Silver Ringing, I said:

"Well, that's great. I was hoping to find worthy opponents."

"Len, Dark Vine for our guest!" The owner of the club commanded his subordinates, who rolled a table filled with bottles of booze into the small hall. He explained to me: "So that you don't find it a burden to wait for the other guests."

I took the glass; I couldn't refuse free booze. But I only sipped the wine. Everything looked too good. All sorts of stupid things started popping into my head. Maybe, of course, Heron just knows how to take a punch, but that's unlikely. To treat the person who strips his establishment so cordially, he must be at least a holy ascetic... And they say something different about him. And it's clear without saying anything that only the strongest and cruelest predator of this criminal pack can be the head of the Night Guild. He could easily make you drink poison with a smile on his face...

In order not to disturb the owner of the club, who was busy with the final preparations for the game, I went to the nearest window to the left of the table. Having pulled aside the heavy curtain, I looked out onto the street and began to examine the carriages driving up to the main entrance. Everything is clearly visible through the transparent glass. It’s just a pity that the guests of the gambling house do not have any information on them, indicating why they have come – to have fun in the lower hall or to keep me company at the green table.

"Please sit down, Tier Steini," Heron suggested, taking a momentary break from his concerns. "You have the rare opportunity to choose any seat at the table."

“Yeah, okay,” I nodded, making an interested face, as if I cared where I sat.

The wait turned out to be very short, and the players were exceptionally punctual. As Kaylee had predicted, by nine o'clock, everyone who wanted to take part in the Great Game had arrived. I arrived a quarter of an hour before the deadline, and in the five minutes remaining before the start, everyone else showed up. What a bunch of people... I never would have thought I'd be hanging out with this crowd.

True, I recognized only Tier Foss, our rich man and honorable citizen, since I had seen him before, and the first beauty of Kelm - Lady Majeri de Orlar, Baroness Cantor. But this is enough to impress my friends. Who among them can boast that he had the opportunity to sit at the same table with such persons?

Taking advantage of the opportunity, I began to look at the noble lady, since I managed to get so close to the crush of the absolute majority of Kelm guys. I myself have often looked at her from the side when she appeared in the city. She is very beautiful.

Especially since the mood matched it. The mixture of Tier Eldar's potion with the impish drink brought me to such a peaceful and complacent state that I wanted to embrace the whole world. And not just its individual representatives in the form of young beauties. It's just not life around, but a fairy tale...

Apparently, because of this, when I looked at the Baroness, I saw only her stunning beauty. And I didn’t even remember all the nonsense that was being said about her. Of course, the old Baron, Sir Logan, and his son-heir died very unexpectedly… Almost immediately after Lady Majery moved in with them. She is asking for shelter under the roof of her uncle’s house. Moreover, no one doubted that the death of the men was violent. Latik Boru, from the seven ten, who went with the investigators to the crime scene, spread the word throughout the city that the Baron and his son were literally gutted with some kind of kitchen knife. Premeditated murder, and nothing could be changed about it. Everyone immediately thought that it was the sweet niece who chopped up her relatives into cabbage in order to take possession of the property of the deceased. She was even taken to the capital for a special interrogation, with magicians-mentalists. And she returned not just acquitted, but with the title of Baroness... An imperial decree secured her right to this noble title. And Sir Logan's distant male relatives, one of whom was supposed to become the new Baron, found themselves in the lurch...

Then Lady Majery became not only the most beautiful, but also the most mysterious person in Kelm. Especially since she continued to behave unusually. She did not allow noble gentlemen, of whom there was no end, to come within crossbow shot of her and did not accept serious proposals. As if she did not want to get married. But at the same time, she was not a recluse - she had friends. Which gave rise to really vile rumors ... But most likely this is because she was rarely seen in the city. She disappears more and more in the capital, only spending the summer in Kelm, by the sea. And then we have the good fortune to see her.

But I didn't get a chance to admire the stylish beauty in a snow-white silk dress with a bell-shaped hem: at that moment, Lady Majery's companion appeared in my field of vision - a rather tall, very slender, and long-legged girl. And dressed in men's clothes! In black! Like some kind of Dark adept! And armed! A short rapier with a double twisted guard and a narrow long dagger are attached to a belt made of wide silver rings. And the scabbards of the blades are beautifully decorated with ebony and silver to match the clothes, which deserve special attention, because such a capital fashion has not yet taken root in our country. Unfortunately... The youngest daughter of the mayor's first adviser once dared to go out in public in something like that, so that same evening she was caught and mercilessly flogged by her father, and the next day she was sent to a boarding school for noble maidens at the monastery of St. Elke. However, silly Anna was only fourteen at the time, and this lady is definitely not a teenager. She must know what she is doing, showing off the charms of her figure to everyone.

Unable to resist, I shook my head disapprovingly as I looked at the stunning legs covered in black suede pants with a curling silver pattern on the sides, and looked up. A short, form-fitting jacket that clearly outlined her attractive curves was stunning. But a wide-brimmed men's hat with a feather, very similar to mine, although smaller in size, of course, was no longer arrogance, but a challenge. To men and to established norms.

Crazy girl. Even the most masterful use of a blade won't help her fight off the crowd of people wanting to brighten up her leisure time if she dares to appear in such an outfit on the street alone in the evening! And in the Central Quarter, where this lady undoubtedly lives. It's better not to mention Port Quarter.

The girl, moving toward her friend, turned her back to me for a moment, passing one of the guests, and I covered my eyes with my hand. I praised myself warmly for my foresight. The evil imp seemed to know what would happen that evening when he proposed that ill-fated bet. And if it hadn't been for the day spent in Kaylee's arms, I would definitely have gotten myself into deep trouble. For a moment, I had an irresistible urge to slap someone's suede-covered butt... But I was too lazy to get up. That saved me from possible punishment. After all, according to the law “On Crimes Against the Person,” insulting a person of noble birth is punishable by hard labor for a term of one to five years... The imp would dance with joy, even if he lost the argument. A terrible life in the quarries or salt lakes is no better than death.

The imp, lying belly up on the wide curve of the armrest of the chair, suddenly jumped up and began to rush from side to side, as if looking for a place to hide. If only there were something to hide from. The lady who finally turned to face us was not at all scary, like a night terror. On the contrary, she shone with defiant beauty. Black hair, falling on her shoulders in large curls, curling at the ends, regular features, golden skin without the slightest flaw, plump, slightly parted lips, painted a pale pink, a pretty nose... And very expressive gray-green eyes. Huge. With an unusually clearly defined black border along the edge of the iris. And very long eyelashes, slightly curling towards the edges.

An extremely pretty girl. And, apparently knowing this, she practically doesn’t use jewelry. In her earlobes, there are only tiny emerald stud earrings, and on her neck, there is only a thin twisted chain of moon silver. You won’t even notice such trifles. Especially when this lady stares right at you with her huge eyes… So penetrating that it seems – she sees right through you.

//Imp, why are you so freaked out?” I asked the tailed creature, who calmed down only when the lady, who had been looking at me intently, looked away.

\\“Yes, that's nothing,” waved the embarrassed imp with his paw. “I made a little mistake...”

\\“What did you get wrong?” His answer piqued my curiosity.

\\"Well..." the horned man hesitated. "In short... This girl has the gift of seeing beings from other planes of existence. But, fortunately, she doesn't know how to use it. Otherwise, we would have gotten into trouble... This bitch would have given us a merry life..."

\\“Why don't you like her so much?” I laughed silently at the frightened demon. “She's a very striking beauty. And since she prefers black clothes, she must be a well-rounded and self-sufficient person. And it's not written on her forehead that she's a bitch.”

//“What do you know?!” the demon said heatedly. “They’re all bitches, these dem…” And he cut himself off abruptly.

//“What – dem?” I asked again, not understanding the essence of the phrase.

\\“I can't say,” shook his head the horned creature. “They'll skin me alive for that.”

The mischievous imp intrigued me. I immediately took a closer look at the girl, trying to understand what kind of demon she was... But the only thing that immediately caught my eye was her attractiveness. No, the prize might be prettier, but she shines with a different, pure, and innocent beauty. And this one is seductively beautiful... And when I look at her, wicked desires boil up in my soul... How lucky I was to spend the day with Kaylee! Otherwise, I would have definitely done something stupid!

Taking my eyes off the girl dressed in suede, I scratched the back of my head in confusion. Love at first sight, no doubt about it! Although, of course, love is an exaggeration, it was simply a desire to possess that stirred my soul. It's not as if I've never seen pretty girls before! But this one is simply out of the ordinary... Some kind of embodiment of seduction... Like a succubus...

Almost jumping up in my chair, I tried to contain my excitement and closed my eyes. That's right! That's why the imp got scared when he saw the demoness! But how could she get into the city? And why haven't the inquisitors caught her yet? Or am I wrong?

Opening my eyes, I cast an interested glance at the supposed demon of seduction. No, something doesn't add up. She could hide her tiny horns under her hat, but where would she put her tail? It can't be hidden under pants that hug her amazingly slender legs! Or are succubi able to get rid of their demonic features when they transform? It's very possible... It's a pity I neglected to attend theological classes!

\\"So you wanted to say that this lady is not a girl at all, but a demon of seduction," I decided to expose the demon and sort everything out. "Or simply put, a succubus. Am I right?" And I drawled contentedly, seeing the horned man's upset face: "What do you think the demons will do to you upon their return, when we hand over this seductive, mischievous girl to the kind inquisitor uncles?"

//"You should worry about yourself," the imp, who had become completely despondent, responded venomously. "The demons will skin you, too." He shook his head sadly. "And do you know what's most offensive?"

\\“I don’t know,” I admitted. “What?”

||"That nothing will happen to this bitch!" snorted the demon. "The inquisitors won't touch her."

//“Well, well,” I smiled at the imp’s naivety. “It seems you’re not very familiar with them…”

//“We didn’t get to get to know each other closely,” admitted my horned interlocutor. “But, whatever you say, the girl turns out to be innocent. She only has a bit of demonic blood in her, and there’s no way she can be held accountable for the sins of her ancestors. But you and I will definitely get in trouble…”

//"Half-breed?" I was amazed. "So amazing!"

\\What's so surprising about that? - The imp was surprised. - Four hundred years after your arrival in this world, purebred people are practically non-existent. You just don't want to admit it."

\\“Speak, but don't ramble!” The remark from that demonic spawn made me cringe. “People aren't so depraved that they would associate with all kinds of monsters and cursed demons.”

//Well, look who's talking. The imp retorted.

//“‘From simple desire children are not born,’ I reasonably remarked in response to the reproach. ‘And knowing her nature, I will not go even close to her.’”

\\"That's right!" the demon nodded approvingly. "You shouldn't get involved with her. You want to live. And for this kitty, they'll quickly knock your head off! And I still want to play."

\\“Are you baiting me on?” I said angrily at the horned rogue.

//“Not at all,” assured the imp. "On the contrary, I approve of your determination to have nothing to do with girls who have even a quarter of demon blood. She is beautiful, it's a fact, but I can bet my horns that she has an exceptionally bitchy personality. In short, she'll cause you more trouble than pleasure. Although, of course, some of her virtues outweigh any shortcomings..."

//“Go to hell!” I snapped at the tailed provocateur. “I have a wonderful girlfriend, and if you don't let me down, I'll have a second one. That's all I need.”

\\“Can you handle two?” the imp asked with considerable sarcasm.

//“Don’t worry, I’ll do,” I assured, not intending to reveal my true plans regarding the Great Game prize.

//“Or else...” the imp's eyes flashed. “If anything happens, I can save you from the hassle of dealing with a bunch of girls...”

\\“In what way?” I couldn’t help but ask.

//“The simplest!” grinned the horned creature happily. “I can give your dark-skinned girlfriend absolutely any appearance. And if that's the case, why do you need other people? One with many faces is enough to keep things interesting!”

"And how are you going to pull this off?" I asked curiously. Last time, I had no time for that.

//“Let me show you with a visual example,” the imp suggested. “There’s nothing complicated or dangerous about it.”

Without thinking twice, I agreed. I closed my eyes as the horned one advised, and almost gasped. At first, I thought I could now see through my eyelids, but I quickly realized that I was mistaken and that it was all the devil's doing. The image frozen before my eyes began to transform. The game room, the table, the club's employees, and guests began to disappear. Only one person remained in the perfectly clear image — a girl of demonic origin. Moreover, the image seemed alive. The outrageously dressed lady walked back and forth, as if looking for the missing people, came closer and turned around, allowing me to admire her charms. And, stopping, she looked me in the eyes. Thoughtfully. I even shuddered. She was real! Well, the devil brought an example... Even a dope doesn't give such hallucinations.

\\“So what now?” I asked, feeling a little awkward around such a real illusion. “Is it going to keep spinning around me?”

//“No, you can remove it, it won’t go anywhere anyway,” the imp allowed. “Now this image will appear at any time you wish.”

"What's the point?" The imp's actions puzzled me. "Should I now close my eyes when talking to other girls and imagine her in front of me?"

\\"No, you can open your eyes now," the imp said cheerfully. "The necessary image has already been deposited in your memory, and it can be used in reality. Here, take a look."

I carefully opened my eyes and looked around. Nothing had changed in a few moments. Except that Lady Majery had been standing to the left of the girl in black, and now they had switched places…

//“What is this?” I was dumbfounded.

//"And this is the superposition of visual images in action!" boasted the imp, pleased with his prank. "You only have to wish, and you will see any of these girls as your girlfriend. And you will never find a flaw in the superimposed images!"

And, as if intending to drive me completely crazy, he turned all the people gathered in the hall into black-haired demonesses. My eyes ran wild.

//"Imp, give it all back!" I begged, feeling myself going crazy from the amount of beauty surrounding me. "This is absolutely the demon knows what!"

//"That's just a trifle!" the imp puffed up with pride, returning the true appearance of the hall. "I can guarantee that all tactile sensations will correspond to the superimposed visual image!"

//“So I won’t be able to tell by touch that it’s Kaylee in front of me, for example, and not Lady Majery?” I was shocked by the imp’s ability to mislead the person it possessed.

“Exactly!” he confirmed.

//"Then no more tricks!" I immediately demanded. "I don't want to accidentally see a demon attacking me and kill an innocent person!"

\\“Oh, come on,” the imp waved his paw soothingly. “I’m not trying to instill any illusions in you. It’s just that you humans are so funny… You have enormous potential, but you practically never use it. For example, why don’t you develop your memory? You can retain everything you’ve seen in your head, down to the smallest detail, without my help. For example, the image of this beauty… What’s stopping you from remembering her as if she were alive, and not leaving behind only a vague idea of ​​her? There’s nothing complicated about it. And among you, only magicians work on themselves…”

\\“Do you think it’s possible to remember everything down to the smallest detail?” I doubted.

\\"Of course," the imp assured me. "This is a very real ability, provided by your memory. The main thing is to develop the skill. Or use my help. Your nobility always uses our services when conducting important negotiations."

//“Interesting,” I said, appreciating the merits of such a developed memory. Negotiations are not so important to me, of course, but to gain knowledge from many books just by glancing through them... Just think of how much money one could save on buying valuable manuscripts! And that's just the first thing that comes to mind; there are other ways to use such a gift.

“Magnificent ladies," Heron interrupted my conversation with the imp, bowing to the ladies. "Noble sirs." He nodded toward the young man sitting to my left in a stylish gray-steel suit. “And, of course, esteemed tiers. Allow me to introduce today's, dare I say it, most magnificent prize... Lady Angel de Sameri!” He waved his hand toward the golden-haired woman entering the hall, accompanied by security.

Up close, this lady was even more beautiful. A charming flower that one can only admire. And the old-world name, otherwise sounding like "angel", suits her amazingly...

But Heron ruined everything by blurting out:

"A magnificent prize worth two thousand gold!"

As if such beauty could be valued in money.

“But he bought the receipts for one thousand nine hundred!” Tier Foss scolded the club owner and shook his head regretfully: “It’s a pity I didn’t make it to the auction…”

"We can only thank the Creator that you didn't make it in time,“ Heron remarked with a smile, paying tribute to the wealth of Tier Foss, who was indeed capable of outbidding anyone else at the auction. ”Otherwise, there would have been no reason for such excellent players as those present here to gather around the table!"

"A great prize," the guy sitting to my left said approvingly. "It was not for nothing that I accepted your invitation."

"I assure you, you will not regret the time wasted, your grace," Heron promised him with a short bow. And, folding his palms, he said softly: "Well, it's time to begin. Please take your seats at the table."

The first chair from me, if you count clockwise, was already occupied by the noble sir. The next one was occupied by Tier Foss. Lady Madgery, by the will of fate, settled down right opposite me, allowing me to admire her chiseled face, and the black-haired beauty brazenly sat down next to her on the wide, soft armrest. And she threw her arm over the low back of the chair, which made it look as if she was hugging Madgery by the shoulders. From which it followed that only one of the noble maidens was going to play, and the other was present for company. Well, no one would dare to send such a spectator out of the hall.

Next, behind the girls, an imposing middle-aged man with a thin moustache in the Sukhlim fashion took his place, and the sixth chair remained empty. Only five players. Not counting the imp sitting on the table right in front of me.

"So, dear players, please deposit four hundred gold roldos each and let's get started," said Heron, and a couple of club employees immediately began to place silver trays with chips in the appropriate amount in front of us. A stack of large rectangular lunar silver plates and fifty gilded round ones.

//“The rich play well, they don't waste their money on small change,” I thought. And, suppressing the greed that had awakened from its slumber, I gave most of my winnings from yesterday to the club owner, who was walking around the players.

//“Don't worry, we'll get it all back with interest!” reassured me the imp, twitching his tail in anticipation of the fun.

//"Well, if you say so..." I took the imp's promise kindly. And I glanced sideways at the golden-haired girl standing quietly by the window with a couple of thugs. Such a glorious prize...

"Everything is in order," said Heron, having collected the money from everyone. "Now let me introduce you to each other, so that there will be no difficulty in addressing the enemy. First of all, our beautiful ladies "Lady Majery de Orlar, Baroness Cantor... And present as a spectator, Lady Caitlin de Mans. I think the first beauty of our city does not need a special introduction, since she is known to everyone."

My neighbor on the left involuntarily winced as he looked at them. Both ladies, noticing this, gave him cold, if not icy, looks. Familiar, it seems.

"Sir Tyler de Marco, Baron Clobray," Heron introduced this guy from the noble family. "Unfortunately, he is not a frequent guest in our area... He is known in all the capital's clubs as a very passionate player, who knows a lot about card games."

I glanced sideways at Tyler di Marco. Well, well... It turns out that next to me is a legendary figure. A capital dandy and playboy. Sir Michael, his now deceased father, didn't teach him a lesson. And after all, he had just recently seen his father off on his final journey, and he was already sitting down at the table. Although they say he promised not to play anymore. Yes, it seems he is very bored, both at the estate and in Kelm, which is sparsely populated compared to the capital.

"Tier Foss," the club owner continued. "An honorary citizen of the city. A collector."

I smiled. Everything is correct. Only the collection of Tier Foss is rather peculiar and consists mainly of nice golden rounds.

The rich man of Kelm laughed when he heard Heron's passage. And the owner of the club continued:

"Tiers Otis, merchant. Came to Kelm to expand his business. Indifferent to games. But he was impressed by our prize today and decided to try his luck."

Heron took a breath and turned everyone's attention to me:

"And finally, our last player of the day. Tier Steini. The foreman of the city guard. An unusually lucky young man. And after almost ruining my establishment yesterday, he is also very wealthy." And all this with a smile, as if it were such a trifle to bring his gambling house to zero.

I nodded briefly to the players staring at me. Let's get acquainted, so to speak. Although it's unlikely that anyone gathered will recognize me on the street. Most likely, everyone will pretend that they're seeing me for the first time. Too bad. Veld would die of envy if he saw Baroness Cantor wishing me a good day. But there's nothing to be done about it. Even money won't help me break into noble society. And for me, meeting the charming Kaylee is enough.

"And to make sure the game is fair, our esteemed guests, Tier Lemas, a fifth-level mage, and Tier Gerdan, a magistrate's adviser, will be watching," Heron waved his hand somewhere behind my back. I was forced to turn around to see the people he named.

Having made sure that there was no deception here and that Lemas, one of the mages attached to the city guard, was really behind me, I turned to the table and shrugged. Everyone earns as best they can. And Heron probably paid our mage a pretty penny for this evening. But in general, Lemas shouldn't have done that. You can't accept handouts from the Night Guild. Well, it's not for me to judge him. Maybe he's short on other sources of income - after all, he's a weak mage, albeit a very knowledgeable one.

Throwing all the nonsense out of my head, I turned my gaze to the girls occupying the chair opposite me. One in a discreetly stylish outfit, and the other in a provocatively spectacular one. And yet both look amazing. So well-groomed... Not comparable to the girls from the common people. They differ from them like tigers from domestic cats.

"The game of nine. It goes until the last chip," Heron clarified the rules. "Only when they run out can you bet money. Whoever collects all the chips that have been dealt wins the prize. They deal in turn. Clockwise. The game continues until the end – whoever leaves the table leaves us. If the game drags on, there will be a short break to drink and stretch. There are no limits on bets. That's about it."

The club employee deftly opened a brand new deck and, having shuffled it, dealt one card at a time face up. Having received a deuce of spades, Thier Foss acquired the right to deal first.

Our rich man gathered up the cards and began to shuffle them rather clumsily with his plump fingers, adorned with massive gold rings with precious stones. And the imp, watching his actions, grinned mockingly.

//"I'm even worse at shuffling," I warned the horned one. "So keep that in mind."

//“It’s okay, I’ll take care of this matter,” promised the grinning imp.

//"How are you going to win anyway?" I asked. "After all, little depends on sleight of hand here. Everyone deals in turns. And the whole point is not in winning combinations, but in bluffing."

\\“You're going to teach me how to gamble?!” the horned one exclaimed indignantly. “I've spent more time at the table than you've been alive!” After letting off some steam, he grinned. “Bluffing is good, but when you know what cards your opponent has, it's even better!”

\\"You just won't be able to peek at someone else's cards," I was disappointed in the imp's abilities. I thought he really could do something...

//“You're amusing!” laughed the imp. “Why would I need to peek at the cards when the players reveal them themselves?”

//"You mean you'll be able to recognize these cards later, even though they're face down?"

\\"What's so complicated about that?" The horned one was surprised and suggested, "Let me show you how it all looks, and you'll understand how simple this method is."

//“All right, let's do it,” I agreed, intrigued by the devil's spawn's proposal.

The horned bastard did something to my eyes, and it seemed as if I was now looking through glass. And then it got even stranger. Along the edge of this glass were laid out exactly the same cards as those that Tier Foss was now stirring. Except that they were translucent and six of them were flickering, turning sometimes face down, sometimes face up.

//"See?" the imp asked importantly and began to explain in the tone of a seasoned teacher: "The main thing here is to be able to look and remember. All these thin, multi-colored stripes on the backs of the cards can only confuse stupid donkeys, but in fact, each drawing is individual and has its own characteristics."

“But humans can't notice these differences in the drawing,” I noted. “Otherwise, the cards wouldn’t be marked by cheaters.”

//"What do humans have to do with this?" the demon said with annoyance, apparently displeased that I had interrupted his lecture. And he muttered: "The main thing is that you can do it with my help."

"We'll check that now," I said, looking at the card lying face down on the table in front of me. As yet unknown.

The second card dealt to me by Tier Foss, when revealed, turned out to be the jack of spades. In other words, a dud. But it doesn't really matter when you don't know what card you have face down. Maybe it's the nine of diamonds. And then we'll hit the jackpot.

And Sir Tyler, as far as I could tell, got the two of spades. This was hinted at by the semi-transparent image with a spinning picture that had disappeared from the layout before my eyes, now appearing right in the air above the real card.

Interesting. If the noble sir's closed card is really a two, then with the open ten of clubs, he gets nothing. He'll pass for sure.

I threw the gold coin representing the initial bet onto the center of the table after the others and looked at my face-down card. An eight of spades! An excellent start. You can play with a card like that.

\\“Pass,” the imp demanded, marking another now-known card on the layout.

//“Why?” I was a little surprised. “With an eight, we can win this hand without bluffing.”

//"Why do we need one hand?" the imp grinned cheerfully. "One more deal and we can raise the stakes to the limit. The whole deck will be revealed, then we'll play."

//“Okay, you’re a professional player, it’s up to you to decide,” I agreed and folded the cards, not supporting the dealer’s proposed doubling of the stakes.

The first round ended very quickly. No one seemed to have yet got into the spirit of the game. So, they supported the game and folded their cards, giving the round to Tier Foss.
* * *

Внимание! Этот перевод, возможно, ещё не готов.
Его статус: идёт перевод

Переведено на Нотабеноиде
http://notabenoid.org/book/88185/590589

Переводчики: Camrad_RIP