Inside the casino named Rabbit’s Foot, there was female laughter coming from one of the corners of the casino. Miko was there with a group of woman, who were fawning over him.

“Mr.Domine….”

“I told you already, call me Malus.”

Miko held the hand of a woman.

“I don’t usually like my name, but hearing the sweet soothing voice of a beautiful woman call it, makes it sound like the most sacred word in the world.”

The woman slowly withdrew her hand with a flushed face.

“You’re quite the lady killer.”

The woman said. All the other women agreed with her.

“I only speak the truth. I believe one should live life beautifully, that’s why I try my best to surround myself with beautiful people such as you ladies.”

Miko replied.

“Beautiful? We’re nothing compared to your wife and children.”

A woman said.

“True. My wife is the world’s most beautiful woman.”

The women were all a bit displeased by Miko’s honesty. After all, no one wanted to blatantly be declared inferior to another person, even if it was true. However, Miko followed up by saying-

“But don’t misunderstand, ladies. What makes my wife beautiful isn’t her flesh, it’s her regal aura that she gives off so casually.”

He looked at them.

“I like being around you because you too have the aura of a queen. In my eyes, your beauty far transcend the flesh. You’re all beautiful in your own ways, which is why enjoy being around you. After all, every diamond shines differently, but they’re still priceless in the end.”

“……..”

The women were speechless after hearing what he said. They couldn’t believe how easily he turned complimenting his wife into complimenting them. They couldn’t deny that he made their hearts skip.

“….Malus, are you sure you’re not a gigolo?”

A woman asked.

Miko laughed.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

He took off the mask and showed them a beautiful smile. Since it was the first time the women saw his face so close, they were frozen for a bit as they admired his face.

“Malus, if you don’t mind me asking, why do you cover such a handsome face?”

A woman asked. The other women nodded in agreement.

“It’s such a waste hiding a face so beautiful.”

“I wouldn’t mind waking up to see this face every morning, for the rest of my life.”

“My, have you’ve forgotten that you’re already married?”

The women all had positive reactions towards Miko’s face, which he expected.

The reason he approached them wearing the mask was to increase their anticipation of seeing his face close up, after he smooth-talked them. By making their heart flutter with his words and actions, he would use his face to seal the deal.

The women who were still affected by his natural charms, would see his face as several times more attractive than it already was. This was what Miko had planned from the beginning.

“Is that mask important to you, malus? Of course, you don’t need to answer if you don’t want to.”

A woman asked.

“Oh, this?”

Miko spun the mask on one of his fingers.

“It’s nothing special. It’s has more value figuratively than, physically.”

He showed a pitiful smile, which made others want to comfort him, without knowing the reason of his sadness.

“When I have it, I feel like I can become anyone I want.”

He looked at the women.

“I mean, don’t we all wish to be someone else every now and again?”

The women nodded.

“All the time.”

“I sometimes feel bored of this lifestyle. I feel more empty than fulfilled, despite my wealth.”

“Me too. I came here to have a fun time, but it’s only after talking to you that I’m truly beginning to enjoy myself, Malus.”

The women started opening up to Miko one by one.

“You’re different from our husbands, who chases every beauty they come across.”

“You’re more mature, and you make me feel younger just talking to you.”

“I know what you mean. I feel like a woman and not just a trophy to show off.”

They said.

“I’ll be honest with you though. I might not be better than your husbands, since I approached you all, while having a wife myself.”

Miko said with a wry smile.

“No, it’s different with you.”

The women started defending him.

“I don’t know why, but it feels like you didn’t come seeking an one night stand like the rest of the men.”

“That’s right. It feels like you approached us with intentions of getting to know us, but not for our connections. It’s kinda of refreshing.”

Miko laughed.

While it was true that he didn’t approach with the intention of having an one night stand or wanted their connections, he did have ulterior motives. However, he also wished to converse with the women for fun, even if they didn’t have the information he wanted.

There was no rush to find out more about the city, it’s not like he was at war or anything. He was currently at peace, and wanted to experience some new things like flirting with multiple women at once.

It was his way of enjoying himself in a peaceful way.

“So malus, where are you from?”

Miko put his finger on his lips.

“That’s a secret. If I reveal all my secrets, you girls will definitely lose all interest in me.”

The women laughed.

“Well, that might be true. After all, a man is more interesting when shrouded with shadows.”

Miko nodded.

“Then can you tell us how long you’ve been in Casino City?”

Miko was waiting to hear a question like this.

“We just moved in today.”

“Moved in?!”

The women were shocked to hear this.

“To be able to move in, you must be incredibly rich.”

“None of us can afford to live here, after all.”

“Then you might be a prince of a famous empire or something.”

‘Close, I’m the emperor himself.’

Miko thought to himself.

“Enough about me, I’m interested in you ladies.”

He changed the topic.

“Is this your first time coming to this city?”

They all shook their heads.

“We’ve came here a lot of times. That’s why we’re all acquainted, despite being from different parts of the world.”

“I see. Then I’m requesting guidance from my elders.”

Miko said with a gentleman’s bow.

“My, calling us elders is quite rude you know.”

One of the women jokingly said.

“Why? We all age, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. A bottle of wine tastes better with age.”

“Are you saying you prefer a seasoned woman over a greenhorn?”

Miko nodded.

“You would be surprised to hear how old my wife is.”

He said with a laugh.

“So can you spare this youngster some of your wisdom? I prefer to hear it from your mouths than a total stranger. Besides, it gives me an excuse to give my wife when she asks why I spent such a long time speaking with you.”

“My, you’re treating us like we’re your mistresses.”

“I can make you my official mistresses if you like. I think any man would be honored to have any of you by his side.”

The women giggled.

“Okay, since you have a way in with words, we’ll share our wisdom, youngster.”

“Thank you.”

He smiled.

“I appreciate it.”

A couple hours later, Miko and the girls were back inside their limousine.

“Ah, that pachinko game was fun. I won so many silver balls, and I was able to trade them in for a bracelet.”

Ravel showed her diamond encrusted bracelet. This was the grand prize that the casino offered. The fact that she was able to get it, showed how much she won.

Ishma who was beside her was strangely silent, and had a gloomy aura around her.

“How could I have lost so badly?”

She muttered.

“Even after I borrowed balls from Ravel, I still couldn’t win once.”

She was so depressed that it was far different from her energetic self.

“How did you do, Regis?”

Miko asked Regis who was also silent.

“I did okay.”

She took something out of her pocket.

“I won this.”

It was platinum necklace. This was the second grand prize of the casino.

“No way….so I’m the only one who lost.”

Ishma got even more depressed.

“I’m surprised though, Ishma. I’ve heard about fool’s luck, so I thought that you would be very lucky since you’re retarded.”

Regis said.

“I’ll kill you later.”

That’s all Ishma said in response.

‘Her bad luck must’ve been a real shock to her.’

Miko thought after seeing her lack of reaction.

“Hm? Now that I think about it, didn’t Ishma always have bad luck?”

Ishma flinched when she heard that.

“I mean she was trapped in a sword, forgotten for 10,000 years, turned into a girl against her own will, and will probably be stuck in the sword for a while. I think she would get use to it by now.”

Miko said out loud.

Every word was like a nail in her coffin, which finished her off. She laid there without moving for a while.

“So, Miko. You looked like you had fun flirting with those women.”

Tia chipped in beside him.

“Well, I admit that I hadn’t done it in a while, so it was pretty fun.”

Miko replied.

“So, did you find out anything?”

She asked.

Miko nodded.

“I learnt that the one who manages the city is a person known as Mozart. They took over control a few years ago and appear to be relatively young, since their body has grown and matured from a teen to an adult over the years.”

He explained.

“He took over? Did he kill the previous manager or was he assigned by someone?”

Tia asked.

“He was assigned. Apparently, the manager isn’t the owner of the city, and only manages it in the owners stead. The manager has changed numerous times over the years. None were killed though, they just left and was replaced shortly after.”

Miko said.

“Did they leave willing, or did they just disappeared?”

Depending on which, it could show how things worked behind the scenes of the city.

“I know what you’re thinking, I thought about it myself. But it seems that the manager had always announced their promotion before leaving the city after throwing a huge party. This shows that the position of manager is just another position in an organization, and the managers can receive a promotion and leave.”

“Which means that it’s not a single person behind the city, but rather an organization; and it seems to be a prominent one as well, considering how much revenue this city generates, and everyone’s unwillingness to attack it or cause trouble inside it.”

Regis added from the side.

Miko nodded.

“The current manager is known only as Mozart. Not many have seen his face outside of the employees, but he’s definitely young. He might even be in my age group.”

Miko said.

“What about his strength? If he’s the manager here, he must have considerable strength?”

Tia asked.

“The women didn’t know anything about how strong he was, but they did hear rumors that he was quite the monster for his age. Since that’s the case, it’s safe to say that he’s strong.”

Miko said.

“But I did hear that the manager would visit new residents after they move in to welcome them. If that’s the case, we might meet him pretty soon.”

He added.

“You seem eager to meet him.”

Tia said with a smile.

“Of course, I’m curious of what kind of person he is. Also if he’s strong, I will definitely ask him for a spar.”

Miko responded.

He smiled.

“We can even make a bet out of it. This is the city where you can bet anything, right? Then as our host, he surely wouldn’t turn down a friendly bet.”

He grinned.

“For example, who can destroy your opponent first is the winner.”