Are You Sure Our Empire's Knight Order Captain is a Yandere? - Chapter 13

I’m officially on the dole.
Yup, I’m unemployed.
Mr. He, the reigning champion—three years straight, mind you—of the Saint Vasil Empire Bartender Satisfaction Rankings, is now utterly and completely jobless.
“Mr. He, look, sorry about this.” The pub owner, who I just call the Old Man, pushed up his shiny, half-moon specs.
“Some of the family have decided they fancy moving to the sticks for a bit,”
“So, I’m shutting the pub down for a while.”
“If I come back and find that…”
“Find what, exactly…?” I gulped.
“Find that Mr. He has done a runner to another watering hole, I’ll pop round for a chat with the young lady who came in with you last time.”
The young lady who came in with me last time…? Hold on a sec…
No flipping way.
“That’s right, she’s quite a fascinating little thing!”
The Old Man fumbled inside his coat and produced a piece of paper. “This here is the Contract of Indenture the young lady signed over to me.”
A contract of indenture… a contract of indenture… a contract of indenture…
When did I become property?! I didn’t even get a notification!
And seriously, why the heck did she give it to this old chap?!
No… wait… the real issue is, why is there even a contract of indenture in the first place, right?
“Right then, Mr. He, that’s the gist of it.” Picking up the brown leather case at his feet, the Old Man winked. “Cheerio. See you in three months.”
Just like that, I was out of work. Even worse, I was now chattel.
Thankfully, good fortune eventually shines on the desperate. I quickly figured out a permanent solution to all my woes.
I counted my cash: 1,325 gold coins. Enough for an average bloke to coast for three or four years. Perfect. I’ll just make this nest egg multiply a thousand-fold.
Then I won’t have to lift a finger for the rest of my life!
Contract of Indenture?
I’m just going to pretend I never heard of it!
I strolled confidently into the Empire’s government-run casino.
Heh heh heh. Time to get filthy rich.
“The moment we’ve all been waiting for! The First Imperial Gambling King Championship is commencing! All registered contestants and anyone wishing to enter, please report to the main desk. We repeat…”
1,325… 2,650… 3,895… 4,625… 6,750…
Scooping up the ever-growing mountains of gold on the table, I sauntered over to the finals arena—the huge circular table right in the casino’s core.
Easy peasy. The kind of people who enter these vanity contests are just rich kids with more money than sense. Even if I draw a rubbish hand, all it takes is a little bit of confidence and they’ll fold faster than a cheap deck chair.
Ha ha ha, the top spot and the massive prize money are practically mine!
“What are you doing here?”
Her black, waist-length hair fell behind the chair. Her small, pale face looked strangely innocent under the gaudy casino lights, and the most eye-catching thing was definitely those heterochromatic eyes, the color of a clear blue sky.
Right, enough waffling. I’m not writing a romance novel. So, the person in front of me is…
…A gorgeous young woman. Long, straight black hair. If I had to add a detail, it would be… she has a very modest figure.
Basically, everything about her is great, apart from her figure!
Ignoring my question completely, the demon lord-level contract weapon smiled thinly. “I’m delighted to see Lan Lan here, too!”
Seriously, we’re having two completely different conversations, aren’t we?
“Players, please verify your hands.” The dealer fanned the cards across the table. Honestly, I was distracted by something other than the cards.
Mmm, it really is quite big… especially when you have a direct comparison right opposite…
“The final of the First Imperial Gambling King Championship is finally underway! In the blue corner, we have the legendary name in the Empire’s liquor scene, the magician of the bar, Mr. He! In the red corner, we have the elder sister of Commander Shen Gong Ye of the Imperial Knights, Lady Shen Gong Yue! Who will be crowned the Empire’s First Gambling King? Stay tuned!”
Oi! Who is Shen Gong Yue? I’ve literally never heard that the demon lord consciousness, which split from the bloodline, actually has a name!
Admittedly, my data set is small…
I smirked after I discreetly checked the corner of my hole card.
“The game has reached a tense deadlock! Both the blue and red players have run out of chips for further betting! Is the result already a foregone conclusion?”
I’m ninety-nine percent sure what Shen Gong Yue is holding. On the table, she’s showing a pair of Aces and a pair of Twos. Her hole card…? I’m calling a Two. A subtle-but-audacious betting style like hers wouldn’t be wasted on a certain-win Ace.
So, Shen Gong Yue has Three Twos.
“Hmm, Lan Lan, how about a little side bet?”
“A bet on what?”
“Let’s bet that… the loser has to obey three commands from the winner. Sounds fun?”
“You’re on!”
You don’t say no to a sure thing, do you?
“Players, please show your cards.”
“My hole card is a King—Three Kings! Ha ha ha, let’s see who the real clown is now…”
My triumphant smile froze the moment I saw Shen Gong Yue’s hole card.
“How is that even possible?”
“Why wouldn’t it be possible?”
The card that Shen Gong Yue’s delicate fingers turned over wasn’t a Two—it was an Ace!
…No, no, no… no, no, no…
…With that pathetic betting style, how did you get Three Aces?!
A tragic, earth-shattering sound effect went off in my head. I stumbled to my feet, then flopped back into the chair. Shen Gong Yue’s lips curled into that faint, knowing smile, as if she could read my entire chaotic mind.
“Lan Lan, don’t forget our little deal!”
“Three Kings versus Three Aces! The red player wins! The victor is Lady Shen Gong Yue!”
“Congratulations to Lady Shen Gong Yue, the Saint Vasil Empire’s first ever Gambling King!”