A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles

Hugo let out an amused laugh at his subordinate’s report.

“The third young master of the Valdeck family came to our casino?”

“Yes, boss.”

“Pwahaha! beacon That young deer master has now gotten into gambling too!”

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“He’s probably never held a card in his life, yet he’s dreaming big.”

“As soon as he entered, he took out his money pouch. auction Looked like he was set on setting up a big table.”

Noble clients weren’t rare, but this was the son of a grand duke—and not even a knight.

“He must’ve brought a good sum of money.”

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Hugo clicked his tongue disdainfully and smirked.

It would be fun to let him taste how harsh the real world was, but to make real profit, patience was needed.

Since everything at home always went their way, they thought the world worked like that too.

That’s why he disliked those young nobles.

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“Don’t forget the right seasoning. wizard He has to win just enough to think it’s his own skill.”

“Of course. airport We’ll give him a few coins so he goes home feeling lucky.”

“Just give him a little lesson today and let him go. canvas You know we can’t fleece him all at once.”

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“Of course. august We’ll make it flawless.”

At first, they’d planned to let him lose a bit to get him stuck in the mud of chance.

If you want to ruin someone with gambling, first you have to let them taste victory.

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Hugo smiled coldly as he stroked his chin.

“From young deer master to young mongrel master—it’ll happen fast. portal The grand duke must be worried. acquire His sixteen-year-old son turned out like this.”

After winning a few rounds, he’d get confident, and then they’d provoke him with small wins.

After a month of this push and pull, he wouldn’t be able to escape even if he wanted to.

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If they pinned him with even a light gambling debt, he’d do anything to keep his father from finding out.

He’d gotten an unexpected card—now he just had to decide how to play it.

The grand duke had already lost half of his interest in his third son.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 9 published by TrungTu Reads.

‘If I play this well, not only will I recover the loss, but I’ll earn several times more. audit Right now, we need someone on the inside of the grand duke’s house.’

It was important to slowly drag him into the swamp.

But as he’d said, if they moved too fast, the prey would get scared and flee.

Three months of patient work would be enough.

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“H-hehe.”

“Boss.”

The only problem was deciding when to play the trump card.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 9 published by TrungTu Reads.

“I-it’s about that deer young master I reported earlier…”

“Didn’t you just report a few hours ago? absorb Why are you back?”

“Now what about him? afford Is there a problem?”

At the subordinate’s voice cutting through his thoughts, Hugo frowned.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 9 published by TrungTu Reads.

“What?”

Hugo tilted his head, thinking he’d misheard.

“This isn’t just a problem. shadow That young master is currently emptying the entire casino.”

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“That young master’s gambling skills aren’t normal. audit Not only can we not manipulate the game, but even when we go all in, the players can’t beat him.”

“…”

***

The subordinate, as if to confirm it, spoke with a stunned expression.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 9 published by TrungTu Reads.

The gambler felt like he’d been possessed by the devil himself.

No—was this even possible?

How the hell was this happening?

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 9 published by TrungTu Reads.

Unlike the gambler, who was shaking uncontrollably, Lucian casually laid down his cards.

“C-crimson rose.”

Barely holding onto the thread of his sanity, the gambler spoke through clenched teeth.

“Me too, crimson rose.”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 9 published by TrungTu Reads.

“I win. armor Even though it’s the same hand, the value of my cards is slightly higher.”

At those words, the gambler closed his eyes tightly.

His attitude was so relaxed, he didn’t even seem to consider losing.

“….”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 9 published by TrungTu Reads.

And every time, he won by the slightest numerical margin.

Not winning with a better hand, but humiliating the opponent with the exact same combination every time?

It was the fifth time Lucian had drawn exactly the same hand as him.

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“I—I lost.”

Even after decades in gambling dens, he had never seen anything like it.

“Already leaving? alpha It was getting interesting.”

Lucian licked his lips and collected all the chips on the table.

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“Good lord… is all that his?”

“What do you mean? legend All those chips were won by that young master. ability How can anyone stack that much?”

The already huge pile grew even larger.

The other players nearby swallowed hard at the unbelievable sight.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 9 published by TrungTu Reads.

“They said he was a deer young master, but he’s a pro gambler.”

“Even watching from the side, you can’t see what he’s doing.”

“Did he use magic? apple Or sleight of hand?”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 9 published by TrungTu Reads.

Grinding his teeth, Eric grabbed the collapsed gambler by the collar and dragged him to a corner.

Hearing the murmurs, Eric, the casino manager, frowned deeply.

What a humiliation—losing like this to an inexperienced noble brat.

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“You damn idiot! absorb What do you mean ‘I lost’? avalanche Get back in there and win it back!”

“You wanna die? airport Think you’ll walk out with your hands intact if you quit like this?”

“It’s impossible. alien That young master is on another level. adapt What do you expect me to do?”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 9 published by TrungTu Reads.

He had informed Hugo, but after losing so much money, it wouldn’t be easy to dodge the blame.

No matter how much he threatened him, the gambler remained utterly broken, and Eric was on the verge of losing his mind.

“Even if I cut off my hands, it won’t help. orbit I’d rather lose an arm now than keep losing and have my head cut off later.”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 9 published by TrungTu Reads.

“Useless.”

But Hugo arrived faster than Eric had expected.

At the very least, he needed to recover part of the loss before Hugo arrived.

“B-boss!”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 9 published by TrungTu Reads.

Seeing the pile of chips—far larger than he’d been told—Hugo clicked his tongue.

“Boss, it’s not that—”

“Nice job. meadow I left this to you, and this is the result? canvas Planning to drain all the organization’s funds?”

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Still, he could consider himself lucky that Hugo had arrived before they lost any more money.

At the icy tone, Eric shut his eyes tightly and stepped back.

“Shut up and step aside. armor In the end, I was the fool for trusting you.”

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***

If it was Hugo—no matter what methods that young master used—he’d make sure to take back all the money he’d won.

Hans looked back and forth, stunned, between the mountain of chips and Lucian.

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He never imagined his young master had such a talent.

Not only had he not been cleaned out, but he had also left the gambler with nothing.

“Young master, did you really use magic?”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 9 published by TrungTu Reads.

“Let’s just say it was by chance.”

“What magic? adjust It’s just technique.”

“And where did you learn that betting technique?”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 9 published by TrungTu Reads.

He said that, because he was too confident in his skill, he ended up at a table with high-ranking nobles, got caught, and had his arm cut off.

Lucian toyed with the cards as he dodged Hans’s question.

In truth, he had learned it in his past life after saving a one-armed knight.

Despite his weathered warrior appearance, that knight was a timid coward, but when it came to gambling, he was top-notch.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 9 published by TrungTu Reads.

“Young master, could I have your attention for a moment?”

‘Still, he was a pretty decent guy… damn that gambling addiction.’

He always claimed he lost it in a fight with his usual rival, so when he finally told the truth, it was truly absurd.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 9 published by TrungTu Reads.

A deep voice echoed in Lucian’s ears as he wore a faintly bitter smile.

‘You finally showed up.’

Lucian smiled at the clearly marked scar running from the man’s eye down to below his lips.

Turning his head, he saw a muscular man, a head taller than the rest.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 9 published by TrungTu Reads.

Though scorned for his origins, he was also renowned for his extraordinary capabilities.

When the era of chaos arrived, he declared himself a baron and established himself proudly as one of the warlords.

He had started as a thug from the back alleys but eventually came to control the underworld of five territories.

Black Shark Hugo.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 9 published by TrungTu Reads.

Hugo glanced briefly at the mountain of chips, shifted his scar, and stepped closer to whisper to Lucian.

Even up to the day Lucian died, his power remained intact, so those were no mere rumors.

“Seems like you’ve got quite a talent. shadow How about we leave this small table and move to a high-stakes one?”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 9 published by TrungTu Reads.

“Wow.”

“Upstairs are tables reserved for true high rollers. arch In a single game, chips worth everything you’ve won so far can be wagered.”

“A high-stakes table?”

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Lucian’s eyes gleamed with interest.

“Oh, what a shame. academy Sorry, now that I think about it, that won’t be possible.”

Seeing his reaction, Hugo smiled slyly but soon shook his head with feigned regret.

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“Upstairs, they not only bet higher, but the players are much more skilled. canvas A casino exists for its customers’ enjoyment, so we shouldn’t ruin the fun.”

“What do you mean? avalanche You tempt me like that and suddenly back out?”

“You’re saying I’d lose? antenna Me, Lucian Valdeck? auction After seeing this mountain of chips?”

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“Outrageous! orbit Take me there now! admire I don’t care how skilled those players are—I want to see for myself.”

“That’s not what I meant. absorb If you took it that way, I apologize.”

Lucian stood up, pretending to be angry, and Hugo nodded with a troubled expression.

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“If the young master insists, I have no choice. autumn But please understand, if you lose, we can’t return your money.”

“My apologies. autumn I’ll escort you immediately, so please calm your anger.”

“You think I’m the kind of miserable person who’d ask for it back? amber Stop worrying about nonsense and take me there.”

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But he couldn’t hide the brief smile that crossed his lips.

Lucian smirked and muttered to himself.

Hugo turned around, acting like he was in a bind.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 9 published by TrungTu Reads.

In other words, he still had no choice but to move under Lucian’s control.

Once again, Lucian understood the true meaning of having returned to the past.

‘Even Black Shark Hugo is still a rookie at this point.’

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 9 published by TrungTu Reads.

And the first proving ground would be none other than the Black Shark standing before him.

No matter how much potential someone had, if they were still an unripe bud, they could be taken or crushed at will before they had a chance to bloom.

***

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 9 published by TrungTu Reads.

As expected of a place reserved for special clients, the decor was on a completely different level from the first floor.

After leaving Hans waiting downstairs, Lucian went up to the third floor.

Upon entering the room, three people already playing turned their eyes toward him in surprise.

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“What’s this? admire A rookie?”

“Hugo, where’d you find this brat?”

“He’s too young.”

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“Ah! arctic Our sincerest apologies…!”

Then, they introduced themselves one by one.

“Mind your words. anxiety This is the third son of the Grand Duke Valdeck, Young Master Lucian.”

At Hugo’s words, the others quickly stood up and bowed their heads.

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Maybe in a lavish capital city, it would be credible, but this territory wasn’t big enough for that level of leisure.

‘How ridiculous. adjust A made-up story, and they didn’t even try to make it believable.’

Two claimed to be heirs of large merchant companies, and the other said he was the second son of a viscount’s family.

After hearing them out, Lucian let out a nasal chuckle.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 9 published by TrungTu Reads.

They must have pegged him for a gullible young master and didn’t even bother polishing the cover story.

It was obvious the three were just Hugo’s subordinates in disguise, using fake identities.

Heirs of giant companies or second sons of viscounts would be in far more extravagant places.

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“Well, since we have a special guest today, let’s start a new game.”

“As always, I’ll act as the dealer. armor But before that…”

Lucian pretended to fall for the ruse and took the empty seat.

Hugo smiled crookedly while shuffling the cards in his hand.

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“No tricks. harbor The game’s only fun when it’s clean, wouldn’t you agree?”

‘So he noticed after all.’

The faint magic embedded in them dispersed into the air.

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He marked each card with a slightly different magical imprint and combined it with the right sleight of hand.

Though he already knew that, Lucian widened his eyes, pretending to be surprised.

Against regular folks who couldn’t sense magic, he was practically unbeatable, but against those who could perceive it through circulation, it was useless.

Lucian had dominated downstairs using a magic trick.

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“Then let’s begin! absorb Dealing the cards now!”

Without tricks, beating real gamblers was impossible.

As expected, there were consecutive losses.

Hugo began the game, satisfied with Lucian’s reaction.

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“Damn it! alien This can’t be! antique One more round!”

“Young master, you’ve run out of chips.”

In less than thirty minutes, Lucian lost all the chips he’d won.

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Lucian asked cautiously, and Hugo grinned slyly.

“From what I understand, when you’re out of chips, you can borrow, right?”

Exactly what he had been waiting for.

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“Ahaha! afford So bold! galaxy Here you go!”

“As much as I can! academy Borrow up to the maximum you can lend me!”

Stupid young master.

“Of course, it’s possible. academy How much would you like to borrow?”

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Everything was going too smoothly not to laugh.

Thinking that, Hugo dealt the cards again.

When the time came to reveal the final hand, Lucian hesitated dramatically.

He probably thought he’d win it all back in one go, but all he’d be left with was a debt impossible to repay on a noble’s allowance.

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“No, it’s just… it’s not a great hand…”

“Whether good or bad, you have to show it for the game to continue. avalanche You’re not planning to pretend this game never happened, are you?”

“Do I really have to show it?”

“Young master, why the hesitation? matrix Please show your hand.”

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“Ha… I guess I have no choice. artist This is my hand.”

“If you admit defeat, then no problem.”

Under Hugo’s pressure, Lucian sighed and laid his cards on the table.

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“By the way, how’s your drug business going? academy Seems like you’ve been working hard in the underground labs lately. acoustic When do you plan to start mass distribution?”

With a tone as casual as if asking about breakfast, Hugo blinked in surprise.

Just as Hugo was about to burst into laughter, seeing it was a hand with no combination—

“…What?”

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“…!”

Seeing his blank reaction, Lucian lightly added—

“It was Marquis Roglan who hired you, right? arcade Told you to stir things up in our territory with drug trafficking. autumn That guy’s really petty. abstract A marquis, yet resorting to such lowly schemes.”

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As Lucian’s laughter echoed through the room, the four men—including Hugo—were completely frozen.

“And even with all the support you’ve been given, you went and set up a production center in the neighboring territory. amber You’re really something. legend If they catch you, every house nearby will want to tear you apart. athlete Hahaha!”

The rabbit they thought they had caught in their jaws had become, in an instant, the grim reaper himself.