Mr. Dice's casino was located in the middle of the downtown area and was crowded with people.
　A casino has the image of being a playground for the upper class, but this place has a fairly casual atmosphere, and there are quite a few people who appear to be adventurers and mercenaries.

　I took Iris with me and headed for the casino's entrance.

"Oh, I've never been to a casino before, but ...... clothing, this is okay, right?

　Iris was wearing a white dress on this day.
　It contrasted beautifully with her red hair.
　It wasn't too big or too small, and it nicely complemented Iris's well-proportioned proportions.

'It's okay, no problem. It looks good on you.''

　When I told her that, Iris smiled happily at me.
　Most of the customers who come and go from the casino are in their roughest clothes, so neither Iris nor I would be so lucky.
　Incidentally, I'm wearing a suit, of course.
　If I wore ...... armored-bear armor, I would definitely get kicked out at the door.

　I showed the invitation to the guard at the entrance of the casino and rushed into the back.
　I was ushered into the reception room, and after waiting for a while, an elderly gentleman wearing a silk hat came in.
　Mr. Dice Move.
　He is the owner of this casino.

''Oh, Mr. "Dragonslayer"!　You came right away!　Enjoy your day to the fullest!

　Without a moment's hesitation, we were ushered to the floor.


　* *


　Mr. Dice's casino was a bit special, the games were all run by magicians and they didn't have a dealer at all.
　It seems to have cut down on labor costs and is expanding to various locations while making a significant profit.

　The image is perhaps more akin to the medal section of an arcade than a pure casino.

　The casino game's magic tools seem to be the subject of [dexterity mastery] and have caused havoc [for the casinos].

　I was graciously given 10,000 comsa worth of casino coins by Mr. Dice, but as I was playing the slot machines, I was at 100,000 comsa. After that, I played craps (dice game) to turn into 1 million comsa, and then, when I swindled other customers with casino coins in a game like Monopoly, it grew to 5 million comsa.
　It's amazing to me that they went from zero to 5 million comsa in the black.
　Iris also rolled her eyes next to me.

''Ko, you're not only strong with swords, you're also a strong gambler: ......''
No, it's all about skill.

　Needless to say, there are skills in this world.
　Some skills are useful for gambling, and whether or not you have them is checked beforehand by the magic sensor at the casino entrance.
　If you are caught on the skill check, you will be limited in what you can play.

　However, 【Dexterity's Mastery】 slipped past the skill check.
　Probably, a rare skill like 【Dexterity's Mastery】 is not registered in the checklist of magic tools.

　However, as for me, I just want to have fun in the casino, not troll the gambling halls.
Is there any game that doesn't trigger the mastery of dexterity?

　I found it.
　It's roulette.
　The magic machine is playing the dealer, just like any other game, but since I'm only predicting the numbers, there shouldn't be any room for the 【Dexterity's Mastery】 to be activated.
　I have a lot of rotten coins anyway, so let's just have fun instead of winning.

　I was thinking ......, but the results were outrageous.

'Ko sounds like a gambler who could make a meal of it: ......

　Iris's voice was trembling.
　I was at a loss for words.
　A pile of casino coins was piled up in front of me.
　I should have been betting randomly with the intention of losing, but then I realized that the coins had ballooned with a series of wins.

　I called the clerk and asked him to count the amount, which was equivalent to 100 million comsa.
　I thought this was indeed too much of a win, so I asked Dice-san to consult with me about my skills as well.

...... I didn't know such a skill existed, but the world is still very wide open.
'Mr. Dice, I will return this medal to you. I'm sorry, as you can imagine, so you can go to .......
'No, no, no, no, that's not good enough!　In fact, thank you for being honest with me about your skills. As expected of the Dragonslayer, you are very noble.

　I don't think any truly honorable person would play in a casino, but that's the part I shouldn't be talking about.
　I dare to keep my mouth shut.
　It is the habit of working people to read the atmosphere.

　After that, we discussed a lot of things, but finally, the coin became mine as it was.
　It should be a huge loss for the casino, but according to Mr. Dice, not so much.

''I would like to use tonight's event to promote my casino. I'm sure that more customers than ever before will come to the casino to follow in the footsteps of the Dragonslayer.

　I see.
　So this is what is called "gain by losing", right?

　By the way, I did not exchange my coins for money, but kept them at the shop.
　I didn't have any trouble with money, and I thought it would be difficult for me to pay them 100 million comsa at once.

I'd like to thank you, Ko-dono, for your kindness. If you'd like to thank me, please accept this one.

　With that, Mr. Dice held out three things to me.

　The first was an advanced casino membership card.
　The first is an advanced membership card for the casino, which allows you to use the VIP room for free by presenting it at one of the affiliated shops.

　The second is a letter of introduction to the gamblers' guild, which will allow you to become a professional gambler.
　You can use all your skills as much as you want in the professional world, but of course, dealers have a variety of skills too, so it's not a simple world.
(Apparently, anyone caught in the skill check at the casino's entrance is supposed to be encouraged to register as a professional right away.

　The first is a large ruby on the casino floor.
It is called the "Eye of the Dragon" and is said to be the finest gem in the world.
　The ruby has a beautiful crimson hue and a clear glow radiating from within.

　It may be a bit much, but according to Mr. Dice, it's also a thank you for saving the town.
　I'm very grateful to him.

　By the way, this ruby looks just like Iris's eyes.

　Thinking that, I stored the ruby in the item box and the recipe for 【Creation】 popped up in my brain.
It seems that by combining it with the Black Dragon Scales, it will become an accessory called the 'dragon bracelet'.

　After making a spare ruby using 【Item Duplicate】, he activated 【Creations】.

【Armband of the Dragon.
　説明：「竜の瞳」をあしらった最高級の腕輪。
　　　　神話の時代、英雄は竜にこれを与えて親愛の証とした。
　　　　真紅の輝きは永遠に失われることなく、人と竜を繋ぐだろう。
　付与効果：《精神耐性Ｓ＋》《サイズ調整Ａ＋》《緊急召喚ＥＸ》』

《精神耐性Ｓ＋》は文字通りの効果だし、《サイズ調整Ａ＋》も分かるだろう。
　腕輪を付ける者にあわせて、「竜の腕輪」の大きさが変わる。

　ただ《緊急召喚ＥＸ》は説明が必要かもしれない。
　これは腕輪の送り主、つまりは俺が念じたときに発動する。
「竜の腕輪」の装着者を、俺のいるところへワープさせるのだ。

　俺はすこし考えて、「竜の腕輪」をアイリスに渡すことにした。
　アイリスとの付き合いはさほど長くないが、これから一緒に旅する仲間なわけだし、親愛の情もあることはある。
　それに《緊急召喚ＥＸ》はいろいろと役立ちそうだしな。
　たとえば危険地帯を通るとき、俺が《神速の加護Ｓ》で強行突破したあと、《緊急召喚ＥＸ》でアイリスを連れてくる、という方法が取れる。









　余談だが、「竜の腕輪」はアイテムボックスから出した直後、かなり大きなサイズになっていた。
　人間でいうなら首輪くらいの大きさだ。

　アイリスは、酒が回っていたのもあるのだろうが、何の疑問も持たないまま「竜の腕輪」を首につけてしまった。
　そのあとすぐに「腕につけたら腕のサイズになる」と教えたら、アイリスは顔を真っ赤にしていた。