He passed his hand behind his back and pulled out a dagger in the same state of disrepair as its owner.

Ran, who had approached discreetly, immobilized the man from behind, pulling on his arm with one hand and pressing his head against the table with the other. His head hit the wood with a loud sound and Ran forced him to drop his weapon, which fell to the floor. He then grabbed his combat knife and stuck it hard a few inches from the man's face, impaling the wooden counter, which immediately put a stop to his struggling.

Ran moved his head closer and whispered in his ear:

"It's not very wise to make a scene here, even if you had killed that young lady you wouldn't have gotten out of here alive. Just a small piece of advice, disappear...now."

Ran pushed the now unarmed man towards the crowd, he staggered for a moment then when he regained his balance he looked at Ran then at the dealer with a hateful look. After a moment's hesitation he snarled and turned away, disappearing into the crowd.

As soon as he had left, the onlookers dispersed and the adjacent games resumed. Security was already on the way but the young woman waved them off before they could comprehend the situation.

Her face did not change an inch during the whole thing, but she had opened her eyes slightly and her smile seemed to become colderfor a moment.

"You saved me from that bully, I'm very grateful, who knows what would have happened if you hadn't been there?

"Think nothing of it, moreover... I am persuaded nothing would have happened to you, isn't it?"

She didn't answer but smiled even more.

" If you'll excuse me dear customer, I have to get back to work, have a nice evening."

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She bowed slightly and disappeared through a door reserved for staff while another dealer took her place at the roulette wheel.

From the witnesses' perspective, Ran had surely just saved a young employee from certain death, but the truth was quite different.

While the man had not yet drawn his weapon, Ran had seen a disturbing glint in the young woman's sleeve, she had done everything she could to rail up the drunkard, the one who had just escaped death was him.

Ran shuddered a bit at this discovery which only reinforced his desire to leave this place immediately.

He pushed open the double doors and found himself outside, escaping the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded room. He took in the cool night air with a sigh of relief and quickly headed back to his inn.

Ran had managed to win about a hundred gold coins in just one night of gambling, it would not be nearly enough to sustain and develop a village but that was enough to get started.

he walked at a fast pace, still on guard, nothing said that the casino would not try to take back this money, or that a group of thieves having heard of his good fortune would not try to steal it.

His fears seemed to be confirmed soon after.

"Show yourself... I know you're there."

Something moved at the corner of an alley, at the very edge of the northern district, a shadow slowly revealed itself and the mysterious croupier appeared once again. Smiling.

“Well, well, I must say I'm impressed, few people have managed to flush me out. But don't be so wary, I just came to talk.”

“ By going behind my back and hiding in dark places ? Are you so keen on retrieving that money?”

She approached without a sound, still wearing the same provocative smile.

“Of course not! Well, it's true that under normal circumstances cheaters don't go away quietly, but you made a strong impression just now, I've just come to give you some advice, or a warning, it's up to you…”

Her smile took a more professional turn.

“This establishment is owned by very influential people, we operate in the shadows but we are powerful and have many connections, so Mr. Ran, I suggest you don't try your luck in the casinos of this city again.”

“I don't remember giving you my name?”

She leaned over to Ran and gave him a penetrating look.

“I told you, didn't I? We have many connections.”

Then she walked quietly back to the casino.

“Oh, I forgot, if you ever need information, ask for Roxy at any bar in the North End, you can consider it a thank you for tonight. On that note, good night."

Ran didn't have time to reply as she disappeared into the darkness of the night. At least he knew now that the underbelly of this city would not try anything against him... For now. As he was about to go on his way, he saw a black puddle and heard a wet sound where the croupier had appeared.

As he approached the corner, the puddle grew larger and larger, and Ran saw the corpse of the old alcoholic he had met earlier, his inert body lying there, leaning against the wall, his throat open.

“Yep, fuck this”