Chapter 39: Gambling Legend—Side Story—Queen ~ The Mystery of House of Cards (2)

It had been a shocking first game.

Dagaa’s victory was overwhelming—she didn’t even need a full turn. This is the Queen!

“…She’s too strong.”
“As expected of my Queen.”
“No, she’s not yours!”

Without letting the excitement fade, the second game started immediately.

In this round, Dagaa went third. The turns proceeded normally. The first two rolls passed without incident.

This game also had four rolls. If anything was going to happen, it would be in the third roll.

The first player, Pawn Man A, made a move. He picked up the “Hunter” card that the human woman had discarded. At the same time, he used a Legacy card. Its effect allowed him to choose one opponent’s card to discard.

Since he couldn’t see their hand, it was random. Dagaa was targeted—and he chose… the “Unicorn” card.

Dagaa discarded the Unicorn. The man didn’t reveal his cards—he must have been wary of Dagaa and tried to preemptively attack.

Next, the human woman drew from the deck and discarded.

“Heh heh.”

She chuckled in a suggestive, almost sly way. She wore a grand black wide-brimmed hat, giving her a very noble, elegant look.

It was Dagaa’s turn. She drew from the deck and discarded a “Chimera” card. She didn’t take any other action.

Pawn Man B drew from the deck and discarded as well.

Now, the fourth roll. The final one. Something has to happen. A twist is inevitable!

Huh?

It was forced reveal time, and no one had a valid combination.

“Things like this happen.”

“Hmm.”

The fish and crab crossed their arms behind them in an annoyingly superior manner. If no one had a combination, the round simply ended.

Next came the third game. Dagaa went first—and made a move immediately.

She drew from the deck, discarded, and used a Legacy card. Its effect reversed the turn order.

Wait—what? That pushed her from first to fourth.

The woman who moved from fourth to first drew from the deck and discarded a “Knight” card.

Knight, huh. Combine that with a “Saint” or “Princess” and “Dragon,” and you get the Dragon Slayer combination. Though getting the Dragon card is the tricky part.

Next, Pawn Man A, now second, drew from the deck and used a Legacy card. The effect allowed him to draw another card.

“Yes!”

He got a good one. He discarded the “Princess.”

“That’s it!”

The woman revealed her cards: Knight, Princess, Dragon… Dragon Slayer.

Everyone let out impressed gasps. She drew the Dragon card.

“Damn it!”

Pawn Man B, third, roared. He revealed a Prince and a King—he was aiming for a Kingdom combo. Pawn Man A’s cards were all over the place.

Dagaa held the Unicorn and Pegasus. Was she aiming for the Leprechaun to complete the Three Mythical Horses combo? Still, in terms of combo ranking, it was weaker than Dragon Slayer.

Dragons are strong, even on the receiving end.

The winner was the woman. This set up a one-on-one—duel rules applied, meaning Dagaa would face her directly.

Dagaa rolled second with the dice. The woman drew and discarded a Hunter—it ended there. Dagaa drew and discarded a Gryphon. Nothing else happened. One roll ended.

“…What is this atmosphere?”

Pawn Men A and B were unusually tense while seated.

The fish and crab seemed to feel it too.

The woman drew from the deck and discarded a King. Then she used a Legacy card: force an opponent to discard one card.

Dagaa countered with a Legacy as well: steal a card from the opponent. Then he drew and discarded a card. One roll concluded.

“She’s good, Queen.”
“Na!”

The woman seemed to be enjoying herself, and Dagaa was lively too.

Second roll: the woman drew and discarded a Hunter. Dagaa drew and discarded a Unicorn.

Third roll: the woman drew and discarded a Queen, then used a Legacy that skipped an opponent’s turn—Dagaa’s turn. She drew and discarded a Prince.

Fourth roll—the final one: the woman drew, discarded, and revealed her hand. Princess, Saint, Witch… The Lady. A very powerful combo.

“Na!”

Dagaa drew, discarded, used a Legacy, drew again, and discarded.

“Desperate, huh.”

It looked like desperation, but using all her options was admirable. Better than giving up entirely.

“Na!”

Finally, Dagaa revealed her cards: Dragon, Dragon, Dragon…

“Oh, a Three-Headed Dragon!”

“A Three-Headed Dragon!”

Pawn Men A and B couldn’t help but shout in astonishment. Three Dragon cards—a Three Dragon combo. Its nickname, Three-Headed Dragon, was widely known, even if the combo’s official name wasn’t.

One of the strongest combos in House of Cards. It’s tough to get all three. There are only three Dragon cards in a 64-card deck.

And she drew them all. Truly the Queen.

“Ha… complete defeat.”

The woman smiled, acknowledging her loss.

“Winner is… the Queen!!!”

Whoa, what just happened? And why did Pawn Man A shout that?

“Wonderful, wonderful.”
“Bravo! Bravo!”

The fish and crab applauded. The woman stood, placing her hat on Dagaa.

“This is for you, Queen.”
“Na!”
“Hey, it suits you.”

Truly fitting of a Queen.

“Congratulations. The next stage is the Full Moon Bazaar’s moving palace championship.”
“VIP area?”
“Yes. The Heizen Champion is strong. Look forward to it, Queen.”

The crab waved its legs and snapped its claws noisily. The chatter was so distracting, I almost forgot what was said.

“Hahaha! Winner takes all!”

Gymnema clutched silver and gold coins, dancing with joy. He was ecstatic.

It was a one-way ticket to the VIP area. Fun! I’ll be observing as a guard on the day, too.

Trade City Hyzen—Full Moon Bazaar, Outer Edge.

The day was hectic with tents being set up and goods being delivered. Pickpockets appeared, and guards ran about.

At the center of this chaotic, almost black-market-like area was a simple bar counter inside a cluster of shabby tents.

Sitting there was Hoss, a man with a scarred face, drinking cheap liquor and speaking in a low voice.

“This is info on the Red-Masked man.”

Hoss handed over a few sheets of parchment. The man read them.

“Sold some swords at the last Moon Bazaar, then left town, huh?”
“The hood and red mask made him stand out, but it was easy to gather info.”
“Seems he hasn’t been making any flashy moves.”
“Indeed. He hasn’t been involved in trouble either. That’s all we know about Hyzen.”
“Good work. Here’s the item in question.”

The man slid a plate across the counter discreetly.

“It only works once. Second use and you’ll be exposed.”

“…Thank you. VIP area entry would’ve been impossible otherwise.”

Hoss checked, then pocketed it.

“…I wish we had more useful intel or methods. Sorry it’s just this.”
“It’s fine. Just learning about Luma is enough.”
“To think someone would use that method… I know it’s shady, but few are as vile as him. Who would have thought he cursed Luma?”
“Not just Luma… every woman he forcibly married. Not only married, but many… victims of his twisted hobby.”

Hoss clenched his fists in anger. The man silently stood.

“Take care.”
“Yeah, I’ll make sure Barrow dies properly.”

Hoss drank, then set his cup down.