Black Badger

Above the scientists’ heads, Martin spun around and around.

The one responsible for kindly unspooling and broadcasting Hildebert’s poker SNS live.

The round machine glittered, radiating joyful light.

[A queen of diamonds!]

Martin’s voice echoed through the research wing.

[Hildebert has taken 1.5 billion!]

“Wooooaaah!”

The scientists jumped up and down, celebrating Hildebert’s victory.

They had no idea why Hildebert was over there doing that, but they were simply happy that a Badger they liked had won money.

The one who’d actually won it only smiled faintly, though.

Still—whatever the reason, how fortunate it was that Hildebert had made 1.5 billion. Kate hugged Hiroshi, overjoyed. It made her happy to see the Badger they cared about doing well.

After bouncing around for a while, she suddenly thought she should let Hildebert’s mentor know.

But it seemed several scientists had the same idea.

The moment Yun—who’d been away for a while—walked in, the scientists rushed him, having completely forgotten fear.

“What.”

Yun frowned.

At that low single word, the scientists screeched to a halt.

“John Mühlen is right there, isn’t he?”

He must have assumed their strange behavior was because of John Mühlen.

He lifted his head, confirmed John was quietly conducting experiments in his seat, then raised a brow at the people who looked desperate to say something.

One of them, keeping a safe distance, explained.

“It’s about Hilde!”

Yun pressed a finger firmly to the space between his brows.

“What now.”

He looked like he was one breath away from sighing.

The scientists understood his mood—and at the same time, felt deeply relieved that the outcome of the card game was good.

If it hadn’t been, what would have happened?

Well. Good is good....

Kate shoved her phone screen at Yun and explained the situation.

Yun took the phone from her.

He watched the beginning of the video with an expressionless stare, then slowly relaxed the tension in his eyes.

“What.”

That was his review a moment later.

“He’s good.”

***

“He’s good~....”

Ricardo, who hadn’t gone down to the underground parking lot and was watching the live stream from the lobby instead, muttered.

“Almost semi-pro....”

“It’s gambling!”

Ami shouted, covering her face while staring at her phone.

She looked up at Ricardo beside her, both hands gripping her cheeks.

“The result isn’t one hundred percent skill!”

Ricardo didn’t even blink.

“That’s true for stocks too~. Honestly, with that level of skill, he’d get a better return doing that than trading stocks....”

“Do you play poker?”

Karl was also watching the live stream instead of going down to the underground parking lot.

“Sometimes....”

“Is Hilde good?”

“It might look better because the other players are all amateurs, but.... He’s not playing thoughtlessly~.”

The green-eyed man murmured calmly, taking in the video.

“And it doesn’t look like he was forced into that seat....”

But the live was obviously unauthorized.

He probably didn’t know he was being filmed. If he did, he wouldn’t be smiling that faintly.

That junior who dragged trouble around everywhere didn’t seem likely to end up penniless, at least.

But what did it mean—“a debt twice his net worth”?

And why was he on a broadcast again?

Ricardo’s brow creased slightly.

He’d heard recently that Yehyeon had sent him on a mission that doubled as rest.

So what had he gotten tangled up in this time....

***

“...Should we report this to the Commander?”

“Probably don’t need to.”

Ska answered Gilbert’s reluctant mutter.

He’d had his chin propped up the whole time, watching Hildebert’s play.

He’d even forgotten he was heading to the smoking area.

“He won. He just made 1.5 billion.”

“He just got lucky.”

“No. He played well.”

“He played well?”

Gilbert looked at Ska in bafflement.

After watching the chaotic cauldron on the screen, he shot his colleague a look that said he didn’t understand.

“No matter how well you play, it’s still a card game.”

“With that kind of skill, it’s not hopeless gambling.”

“That’s what gambling addicts usually say.”

“It’s true. And even if it’s gambling, it’s not a big problem. Black Badgers have restrictions on drinking, but light gambling is allowed. Hilde probably knows that and sat down there.”

Ska had regained his composure now.

On top of that calmness, a dense interest settled into his black eyes.

He’d thought there was nothing left about Hilde that could surprise him.

“When did he learn poker?”

With a small smile now, Ska murmured to himself.

He let Gilbert’s “Please get a grip” go in one ear and out the other.

He also half-listened to, “The Commander’s mood hasn’t been good lately—if he sees this and we didn’t report it, who knows what he’ll say.”

Ska just chuckled and replied lazily.

“Relax. If he hadn’t been secretly filmed, there’d be no problem at—”

[You’re filming.]

Hildebert’s voice, heard at just that moment.

On the other side of the screen, the man looked straight at the camera and widened his smile.

[I never gave permission.]

***

“Sorry.”

The woman said it boldly, without even lowering the hand propping up her chin.

“I didn’t know you were on screen.”

The man with an arm wrapped around her waist grinned nastily.

Neither of them looked like they had any intention of putting away the phone filming me.

How typical.

The people making a fuss over the poker result didn’t seem interested in stopping them either. If anything, they shouted while waving their fists—“It’s good you got filmed winning! Since we’re here, play one more round! It’s not like you’ve ever made money like this before!”

I watched the entire circus with a faint smile.

After skimming the pile of messages on my phone, I lifted my head and spoke.

“The live title is quite straightforward.”

So light and vulgar even those cheap nobles would weep.

“It seems you want the public’s attention, even if you have to do that. I suppose you can’t buy everything with money after all.”

The area fell quiet.

The people who’d been yelling in excitement froze.

A casino turned cold, like someone had thrown a bucket of water over it.

I smiled as I watched the man twist his face and slap his phone down on the table.

“Thank you.”

“If it weren’t for your job, you’re the kind of guy who’d never set foot in a place like this in your life, and now you’re cocky just because you won a few hands.”

The smile vanished from the woman’s face too.

She didn’t contort her expression as hard as her boyfriend, but her voice that followed was icy.

“Wake up. Money solves many things. It even prevents the misfortune of becoming a spectacle for an entire Core. We don’t struggle to pay compensation.”

“I’m jealous.”

“Isn’t this what happens when you let someone who’s out of his depth into the Core.”

The man joined in, placing a hand on the woman’s shoulder.

Thinking his lover had landed a blow on me, he curled his lips into a vile smile.

“The problem is that a guy who freaks out over a mere one billion got in here. Or you could’ve lived quietly like the janitors here. If you’re broke, why did you go and smash a perfectly fine statue?”

“Kid, if you’d just come and gone like you didn’t exist, we wouldn’t have said anything.”

“And the way you came charging into the casino to pay it back—seriously. All you know how to do is cut corners! You don’t even think about earning it honestly and paying it back. That’s not it, Badger. This time you were lucky, but there’s no guarantee you’ll be lucky next time. The fact you won 1.5 billion just now—that was purely luck. Luck!”

“There’s almost nothing on this island that you can afford, you know?”

The woman dragged out the end of her sentence, resting her head on the man’s shoulder.

They were thoroughly enjoying everyone’s attention inside the casino.

From the way they poured out words, it seemed I’d hit their complexes just right. I watched the stalker couple strike a pose like some lethal movie couple, right in the middle of everyone’s gaze.

“Why don’t you open your eyes to reality now?”

Clap, clap, clap.

The sound of applause cut through the conversation.

Heads turned toward the sound.

Even Samuel, who’d been standing behind me muttering, “What a show,” turned with a “What is it?”

The couple, their spotlight stolen, searched for the owner of the clapping with undisguised irritation.

Someone who’d been behind a wall of people was walking toward the table.

Only I lowered my head and let out a sigh.

So that’s why he’d been so quiet.

“Ah, that was so entertaining.”

Erich Erhart stepped out through the crowd parting in a rush.

“Truly entertaining. The best vacation.”

“It’s been a while.”

Now that I could no longer pretend I didn’t know him, I greeted him with another sigh.

“Have you been well?”

Erich Erhart.

While Colton and Yekaterina were busy fighting each other, the world’s third-highest in the power hierarchy had come on vacation.

Even coming on vacation in a situation like this felt like something he would do, and I stared blankly at the platinum-blond man.

Color drained from the faces of a few people who noticed him. They must have known who Erich Erhart really was.

People whose expressions stiffened as they looked back and forth between me and Erhart.

Of course, most of them hadn’t recognized his true identity.

The foundation owner looked like he couldn’t understand why this guy had suddenly popped out and started talking nonsense.

But Erhart wasn’t the kind of person who cared about that.

“Oh, yes. I’ve been enjoying myself very much. You even moved me.”

“Moved you?”

Why?

Because my leaf veins were damaged?

“You didn’t try to sell the painting I gave you.”

Ah.

“Just selling that would have made one billion—no, even ten billion—look like a joke.”

Erhart put on an exaggerated expression and tapped beneath his eyes twice with his fingers.

“To keep it carefully, and then show me such an entertaining sight....”

I let out a hollow laugh.

Then I answered simply, “Of course.” I’m aware I tend to treat them as somewhat contemptible, but I wasn’t tactless enough to sell a gift personally given by an Elder.

Even if he wasn’t as textbook as Colton or Yekaterina, Erich Erhart was still an Elder.

If you ignored even small courtesies, life could become difficult.

When I told him the painting was safely placed in the cabin, Erhart’s smile lengthened.

“It looks like that last hand solved everything. Will you play more?”

“I’m getting up.”

“What a shame! You were good. If you ever feel like playing more, tell me anytime. I’ll sponsor as much as you want.”

As I nodded indifferently, a few people swallowed hard.

Some were already slipping out of the casino. They probably didn’t want it discovered that they’d been mocking me. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

But the couple didn’t seem to even know who Erhart was.

The man leaned his upper body toward Erhart.

“And who the hell are you. You can’t read the room?”

Erhart kept his long smile, only rolling his eyes toward the couple.

“It’s because people like you mindlessly throw sponsorship around that trash like this gets in here without knowing their place.”

Wow.

Cold contempt settled into the Elder’s ever-smiling eyes.

It was the first time I’d seen him show a negative emotion toward someone—something beyond indifference.

Good thing I didn’t sell the painting.

“It would be good for you to learn what humility is.”

Erhart smiled warmly as he shoved a hand into his pocket.

The couple’s faces crumpled.

The man shoved his chair back with a screech and stood, a glass of liquor with round ice clutched in one hand.

Shashinsky, who’d been buried in the wall of people, stepped forward as quietly as air.

Looks like the blond one didn’t come.

Into my ears—ears that could gauge an Elder’s true power—slid a cool voice.

“Fortunately, an opportunity will come soon.”

It was a strange thing to say.

“Apologies for interrupting your game. Continue. I hope you have an enjoyable game.”

No one dragged the couple out. No one threw them out of the casino.

Instead, we were the ones who left. With the couple’s smug laughter behind us, we slipped out of the building.

They hadn’t been frightened by the Elder, nor had they been stopped by anyone—so it didn’t seem like they’d have any chance to learn humility.

But I could feel it in my skin that Erhart’s words weren’t empty.

What did he mean?

I learned the answer not long after, in an unwelcome form.

***

Just as we were preparing to go find the legendary doctor—

Core 15’s Core device stopped operating.

“That’s karma.”

The translucent barrier vanished, and the sky opened.

A dazzling blue vault.

Spitfire smiled refreshingly beneath an endless blue sky.

“They insisted they wouldn’t allow the inspectors in, so inspections haven’t been carried out for a long time.”

Even though he’d known this would happen, he hadn’t taken a single measure.

If anything, the Elder may have hastened this very situation, and his eyes curved in delight.

There was no fear in those clear gray irises.

“There are only two Badgers here, ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) so I can’t help everyone.”

The man’s eyes narrowed.

“It’s unfortunate, but it can’t be helped. Save only the ones you want, Prometheus.”