After goofing around for a while, Argo lazily leaned against the soft sofa, stretched her arms, and smiled.
"Heh, judging by how things are going now, we probably won't need to ambush the Fallen Elves anymore."
She raised a finger and gave it a light wiggle, then squinted and said, "Since that old geezer Bardun has already made a deal with the Fallen Elves, there must be some method of communication between them. If we can figure out what it is, we should be able to locate the Fallen Elves' camp directly."
"Hmm... I think Argo's right," Kizmel said after thinking for a moment.
"The Fallen Elves definitely have magical tools that can transmit information over long distances."
Akimi raised his eyebrows.
"So basically, if we can find that tool and steal it from Bardun, half of our problem is solved. Am I wrong?"
"Uh... steal it?" Kirito asked, somewhat stunned.
"Well, what else do you suggest? You gonna walk up to Bardun and say—"
Akimi shot Kirito a glare and then said in a mocking tone, "Ahem, Bardun, I'm very interested in that magical tool you have that lets you contact the Fallen Elves. Name your price. I'd like to buy it."
That left Kirito speechless.
But honestly, it was obvious—there's no way Bardun would admit he's in contact with the Fallen Elves, much less sell that item.
"But... it won't be easy," Kio said seriously.
"Bardun's room is Room 7—right across from us."
As she spoke, Kio pulled a rolled-up piece of parchment from a storage box under the coffee table.
She spread it out on the table and pointed at it.
"This is the floor plan of this level. The kitchen, bathhouse, and storage rooms are all located around the central hall. The bedrooms are all in the southern corridor."
"The only shared areas between the two families are the bathhouse and the kitchen. The kitchen is divided into two separate sections, while the bathhouse has strictly scheduled usage times."
"The bathhouse is reserved for the Korloy family from 9 PM to 12 AM, for the Nactoy family from 12 PM to 3 PM, and for the casino guests from 3 PM to 9 PM. From midnight to noon, the water is changed."
After listening to Kio's explanation, Argo rubbed her chin and said, "So that means our window for action would be from 9 PM to 12 AM, while Bardun's bathing?"
"No."
Kio immediately refuted Argo without hesitation.
She said in a firm voice, "While Bardun is bathing, his two personal guards are stationed—one at the bathhouse entrance and one at his room door. We won't be able to get in."
"Th-then what do we do? Bardun probably doesn't leave his room outside of bath time, right?" Kirito asked in confusion.
Kio pointed to a corner on the parchment and slowly said, "No, if something happens in the casino, he'll go check it out, and his two personal guards will follow him."
The place she pointed to was labeled "Stairs."
"In other words, if we create enough of a disturbance in the casino, Bardun will leave his room—and that disturbance can be anything from a fight breaking out between guests over cheating, to a lucky guest winning a huge amount of chips, or someone placing a rare, massive bet in the arena. As long as it might affect his profits, he'll definitely go see it himself."
Akimi narrowed his eyes and murmured, "A big bet, huh…"
Then he suddenly patted Kirito on the shoulder and asked, "Hey, Kirito, how much Col do you have on you right now?"
"Eh… Col?" Kirito was stunned for a second, but quickly gathered his thoughts and gave a rough estimate.
"Including the cash I have on hand, plus the materials and items I've collected… around 100,000 Col, I think."
"100,000? That should do."
After saying that, Akimi hooked his arm around Kirito's neck and grinned.
"Ahem, Kirito, haven't you always been interested in that Volupta sword? Well then, I—your good buddy, your big bro—have decided…"
Kirito rolled his eyes. "Decided what?"
"Decided to sponsor your dream. How's that sound? I'll put up 200,000 Col, and you take that to the arena and place the bets. If you win, it's yours. If you lose, I'll take the hit."
Hearing Akimi's offer, Kirito froze again, then gave him a skeptical look—This guy being that generous? I don't buy it.
Seeing the obvious distrust on Kirito's face, Akimi clicked his tongue and said, "Hey, hey, what's with that expression? I'm not trying to screw you over. When have I ever done that?"
"…"
Kirito's skepticism slowly faded, replaced by a look of disdain.
He stared at Akimi in silence, but the meaning was clear—Anyone could say that… except you, Tomioka Akimi.
Even someone as thick-skinned as Akimi couldn't quite endure Kirito's glare.
He gave a few awkward coughs to ease the tension, then continued:
"Uh… just think about it, okay? We'll bet exactly according to the Sure-Win manual guide. You double your money each time, and in five rounds you'll have over 100,000 in chips. Add in the Kibaou and Lind, that's three people with 100,000 each— Bardun will come to see it. So? So? Sooo?"
"…Fine."
"Wha—You agreed?" Akimi was just about to start bargaining harder when Kirito suddenly accepted.
"Mhm." Kirito crossed his arms and said calmly, "Just to be clear—if I win, it's mine; if I lose, it's on you."
"Ahem, of course."
Standing nearby, Argo listened to their exchange and teased, "My, my, who would've thought quiet little Aki-bou was hiding a fortune of 200,000 Cor…"
Then she squinted and fanned the flames by nudging Asuna: "Hey, Asuna, did you know Aki-bou had thaaaat much private money?"
As she spoke, she made a big circle with her hands to show just how much money Akimi had.
But this time, Asuna simply gave Argo a side-eye and didn't say anything.
She pursed her lips and looked at Akimi, thinking: Sooner or later, I'll be the one managing all that… Wait, no, no—what does his money have to do with me?!
Akimi shot Argo a glare and then continued, "Alright, so Kirito and I will go place bets at the monster arena; Argo, Asuna, Kizmel—you three are faster, so I'll leave infiltrating Bardun's room to you. Hmm… and Kio, you'll stay close to protect Nirrnir. We can't let Bardun pull any dirty tricks."
"Got it."
"No problem."
"Same here."
Everyone agreed.
After a brief round of preparation, Akimi and Kirito headed to the monster arena—ready to begin their final gamble against Bardun.
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