The legend of the Crimson Demon clan started from Suqing.

Chapter 423 Gambling
Perhaps Prince Levi's thoughts are a little confused and he hasn't realized what's going on yet, so I'll repeat it again out of concern.

First of all, this kingdom does not want to pay. They want to reach a win-win cooperation relationship with the Demon King's army, and this means that this kingdom - Elrod has abandoned the human camp.

That's right.

There is no such thing as neutrality in this situation.

Once a precedent is set, the entire human alliance will collapse, so neither the previous neighboring countries nor other kingdoms have ever expressed it.

"Then Prince Levi, I have to confirm here, are you really going to refuse to pay?"

Zun Zun's eyes flashed red.

Prince Levi shuddered, but he still stretched his neck and shouted, "Even if you threaten me, it's useless. I won't go out——"

"Prince Levi, be careful with your words!"

Before he could finish his words his mouth was blocked.

The person who made the move was the prime minister of this kingdom. Although Prince Levi was just a child, he could only stammer while making constant noises. It seemed that this thin-looking man was not as simple as he seemed.

"Prince, the distinguished guests are right. We must think carefully about this matter, so...hiss——"

The Prime Minister's cheek suddenly twitched because Prince Levi bit his palm. After breaking free, Prince Levi rolled his eyes and said unhappily:

"One percent."

"……what?"

"I'll only give you 10%. It's a problem that the defense funding that we've been supporting you with has suddenly stopped. So I'll continue to support you with 10%!"

He said this with a cocky look on his face.

It's like sending away a beggar.

...No, in the eyes of the other party, those who ask for money are no different from beggars.

"How, how could this be! If it's only 10%, there's really nothing I can do..."

“This is already a great favor.”

Prince Levi would never give in.

It must be said that he is not as stubborn as he seems, and he has actually thought about it carefully. First of all, he can remove the suspicion of becoming the Demon Lord's territory for Issei, and at the same time, he can use the financial difficulties to send Alice and others away, and even prevent the Demon King's army from being stressed.

Three birds with one stone.

The prime minister, who was grimacing after being bitten, nodded slightly, indicating that Prince Levi was right.

Things were at a standstill here for a while.

but--

"It's not enough." Zun Zun pinched his chin and said, "There's only one layer. It's like sending away beggars. It's a bit unpleasant."

"But our country's finances..."

“Hey, Kazuma, it’s your turn.”

"I've been waiting for a long time!"

When the prime minister was about to say something, Zun Zun called over the eager Sato Kazuma and asked him to speak on his behalf.

To be honest, in terms of status, Sato Kazuma is now much more noble than himself, because he can exercise the rights of the two noble families. But it is not impossible to interfere. Zun Zun can control Sato Kazuma remotely like he is now, and let him finish everything after everything is prepared.

"You are……"

"I am Alice's brother."

"oh!?"

Prince Levi and the Prime Minister looked at each other, feeling that he seemed a little different from the rumored Jedis. In the end, it was the Prime Minister who saw that his black hair and black eyes were somewhat similar to the legendary hero, but he didn't say anything.

“So, I wonder what your opinion is.”

"Let's have a competition."

"Compete...in..."

"This is a country with a lot of casinos. It's only natural that the winner can take away the loser's property. In that case, why not use gambling to increase the budget? Or -"

After saying this, Sato Kazuma curled his lips into an evil smile.

"You want to compete with us in martial arts?"

There was a snap.

With a snap of his fingers, the Immortal Dragon appeared in the venue. The scorching air and terrifying high temperature made Prince Levi and the Prime Minister lose their composure.

"Just bet on it, just bet on it!"

"very good."

Then the fairy dragon disappeared, and everyone in the venue breathed a sigh of relief. It must be said that the fairy spirit of the master gave people a strong sense of oppression. The innate power of the fairy spirit combined with the dragon's might was really unbearable for ordinary people.

"Well, since this is our first time, let's just relax a bit."

Sato Kazuma took out a coin.

According to the intelligence collected, Prince Levi has no resistance to games and gambling. It should be said that Elrod was founded on casinos, and it is natural that the descendants of the founder like gambling.

As expected, Prince Levi was quickly attracted.

"You want to compete with me in a game? Do you mean that if you win, you want me to increase your support funds?"

"That's it. After you win, there will be a chance to double your money, so you won't miss it no matter what, right? Of course, we will also bet 10% of our budget. Is that ok, Alice?"

"Yes, I'll follow my brother's arrangements."

"……fair enough."

Alice and Prince Levi both nodded.

If it were in any other kingdom, increasing or reducing the kingdom's budget in this way would be child's play. But this is Elrod, a kingdom based on gambling, and the rules are the same as in a certain game of life, so it is convincing.

"Then please look here, this coin is in my hand. Please listen carefully, as long as Prince Levi guesses 'where the coin is', he will win. Otherwise, we will win, okay?" "...Okay."

A 50-50 probability is fair to both parties.

But Prince Levi was confident. You know, he was the prince of Elrod, a member of the royal family of a casino power. Naturally, he was stronger in gambling, and he couldn't help but get angry in the end.

"You're an idiot for using pure gambling to decide the outcome? It's too late to cancel now!"

Being stared at with pity and disdain, Sato Kazuma did not react at all. Instead, he turned his wrist with a calm expression and hid the coin in his hand.

Alice was shocked and cried out.

"So, Brother, your luck is unparalleled! I see. So, in this case...!"

"What!?"

Hearing these words, a bead of sweat dripped from the prince's cheek. He stared at Sato Kazuma's expression, trying to detect anything unusual, but was startled by Sato Kazuma's sudden smirk.

However, at this point, there was no way he could say no to gambling in front of so many nobles, he could only force himself.

"No, it's just a bluff, I won't be fooled! This way! ... No, this way! I decided to guess this way!"

He stared at his clenched fist and finally chose -

"Unfortunately, I guessed wrong!"

"hateful------"

Fist without coins.

As Sato Kazuma opened his right hand, he found it empty, telling Prince Levi that he had just guessed the wrong option and paid a 10% support fee for it.

Of course, it can't be said to be a serious injury. It is better to say that the money that Alice and others came to ask for this time is a drop in the bucket for the Kingdom of Elrod.

But for the royal family, making a fool of themselves in public is a serious matter.

As a member of the royal family, he lost to others.

This made Prince Levi's already bad reputation even worse.

"Great!"

"You did it, Alice!"

"Thank you, brother!"

"----Wait a moment."

When Alice and everyone were cheering, Prince Levi stopped them, bringing the joyous situation to a halt.

"It's weird no matter how you think about it."

"...I say, you are not going to default on your debt, are you? As a member of the royal family, doing this will make people look down on you! Listen carefully, if you don't want to make a fool of yourself, just pay the money obediently!"

Every time this happens, Aqua would look crazy, as if it was her credit even though she hadn't done anything just now.

Naturally, he gained the hatred of Prince Levi.

"Of course, as a member of the royal family, I won't default on my debt. I will give you 20% of the support money. But——"

"but?"

As we all know, if there is a but at the end of a sentence, you don’t have to listen to what came before it.

“But the rules need to be changed.”

"……What's the meaning?"

"Hey, hey, hey, don't say that 20% of the support money is enough. Obviously you want more, right? Or are you ready to walk away with just 20%? Of course, I am happy to see this."

As expected of a descendant of the founder of a huge casino nation, Prince Levi became quite shrewd and insightful once he came into contact with anything related to gambling.

Obviously Alice and the others will not give up.

Seeing their expressions, Prince Levi said with satisfaction: "Then let's change the rules. From now on, you will report every day, but no matter how high the amount you want to get becomes, it will be reset to zero as long as you lose once. Listen carefully, it's not a reduction, but a reset to zero, and you are not allowed to mention the support money again."

"Wait a minute, this is too—"

"Not meeting the conditions for the bet? But this is normal."

If you want to get something, you have to pay the corresponding price.

This is the most basic condition.

"Now, let's get it straight. This is just a negotiation in name only. In reality, you are just being willful. I have been merciful enough to play along with you. You should give in to this extent."

Indeed, Alice is the weaker party now, and they have no right to negotiate with the other party.

"Of course, that's what we planned from the beginning."

"Zun Zun!?"

Alice was somewhat touched to see the person standing in front of her, but Prince Levi seemed somewhat exasperated.

"Also, you can only increase the budget by 10% each time you win, and the content of each competition is determined by me! ... You can stay if you toss a coin."

Perhaps because of his unyielding character, he asked to compete with Sato Kazuma again.

Moreover, this is probably a competition that gives him an advantage. After all, not only is there a 50% chance of guessing correctly, but once he guesses correctly, the full amount will be refunded. How could he not keep it?
...If he thought so, he would fall into the trap of Zun Zun and Sato Kazuma.

They both smiled evilly at the same time.

"——I understand. I agree."

Alice took the initiative to step forward.

"Okay, then the contract is established." Prince Levi waved his hand to drive them away, saying, "Then you can go. In addition, tomorrow, apart from you and your brother, no one from the Crimson Demon Clan, the Axis Cult, or the daughter of the Dustinis family is allowed to come here... Wait a minute, this person can come too."

“…Ah, me?”

The person Prince Levi was referring to was Zun Zun.

(End of this chapter)