Chapter 67: Apollo: "You actually saw through my Authority this easily?!"
Shirou followed the casino manager deeper inside.
After passing through a splendidly decorated golden door, they arrived at what appeared to be a reception room.
Unlike the noisy main hall, this room was remarkably quiet. The brightness of the magic stone lamps used for illumination was deliberately lowered, giving the room a somewhat dim atmosphere.
Though not particularly spacious, the room was filled with every kind of gambling equipment imaginable.
The space was used to perfection, rich in design and style.
After Shirou took his seat in the reception room, a beautiful woman in an elegant gown approached from afar and poured him a drink. Even more beautiful women stood nearby, forming a dazzling, overwhelming display.
Both the number and quality of these beauties showed just how massive the casino's underground operations were.
Clearly, there was no way all these girls were working here of their own will—they must have been forced into the casino for various reasons.
Roughly ten minutes later, the god Apollo finally arrived, fashionably late.
He had golden hair that shimmered like sunlight, wore a laurel wreath adorned with green leaves, and had a dazzling smile at the corners of his mouth.
Though his face wasn't exceptionally handsome, the aura he gave off was captivating, easily drawing all attention toward him.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, dear guest." Apollo didn't show the slightest hostility at first glance. In fact, to Shirou, the god's demeanor leaned more toward friendliness than animosity.
However, that so-called goodwill was clearly not pure.
Judging by Apollo's intense, invasive gaze—on par with Freya's—it definitely wasn't what you'd call benevolent.
Shirou had heard before that Apollo was an unabashed bisexual who loved collecting beautiful men and women. But meeting him in person made Shirou realize just how predatory he truly was.
If not for Shirou's extraordinary composure, he might have instinctively revealed a look of disgust.
"Hello, Lord Apollo," Shirou said without the slightest change in expression, despite Apollo's invasive gaze. "I heard you wanted to speak with me. Do you have business to discuss?"
He feigned ignorance, waiting for Apollo to make the first move.
Apollo didn't seem bothered by this. Smiling, he replied: "Rather than calling it business, I just wanted to meet you in person. I've heard of you for a long time, but haven't had the opportunity to see you until now, Emiya Shirou."
Shirou wasn't surprised that Apollo had his eyes on him. After all, Bell had been injured by a member of the Apollo Familia—clearly no accident. The Apollo Familia had targeted the Hestia Familia from the beginning.
Seeing Shirou's serious expression, Apollo clapped his hands, and a maid brought out a bottle of wine with two delicate glasses.
"Do you drink?" Apollo asked with a smile. "Oh wait—since you've tasted Soma's wine, I'm sure a regular human vintage like this is nothing for you."
"So you even know about that..." Shirou frowned slightly at Apollo's extensive intelligence network.
Still, he didn't flinch. Calmly, he accepted the glass and drank from it.
"Such courage," Apollo said with genuine surprise. "Aren't you afraid I poisoned it?"
"You wouldn't dare," Shirou smiled. "In fact, I wish you would. That would give me the perfect excuse to crush the Apollo Familia."
Since Apollo already knew so much about him, Shirou dropped the act.
To Shirou, the one thing he lacked was a justification to strike at Apollo's group.
If Apollo dared poison him, Shirou could immediately bring the evidence to Loki and Freya. With their power, the Apollo Familia would be kicked out of Orario by the next day.
So, Shirou wasn't afraid of Apollo doing something—he was more concerned if Apollo didn't.
Apollo seemed to grasp that point too. He took a drink himself and, with a complex expression, said: "To think that a mortal like you actually exists. The day you defeated Soma's divine wine, I was unfortunately preoccupied with other matters. Otherwise, I would have dropped everything to get you right then and there."
"You care about Soma's wine that much?"
"The Soma Familia was a part of Orario's darker side. Those crazed addicts, manipulated by divine liquor, would do anything for money. They were convenient pawns," Apollo admitted freely.
"Their disappearance was a moderate loss for us—like losing a useful set of black gloves. Of course we'd pay attention to that."
"Then you should hate me for destroying them."
"That's how others see it," Apollo said with a smile. "But to me, the fall of the Soma Familia is irrelevant. The casino business isn't affected.
In fact, I admire you, human. I can feel a passion in you that other humans can't match. Though it still pales next to the true radiance of me, the sun god, you could be described as a brilliant full moon."
Shirou was speechless at Apollo calling himself the sun—though technically not wrong, given his divine title.
"I'm no moon," Shirou replied.
"Heh, setting aside Soma for a moment, the fact that you can sit here drinking with me so calmly—that alone makes you unique in Orario," Apollo said.
"There are others in Loki or Freya's Familias who could do that," Shirou countered.
"Yes, but their confidence is propped up by brute strength. Yours is different."
Apollo pretended not to know Shirou's real strength—but Shirou wasn't sure if that was an act. He tried to hide it as best he could, but leaks were always a risk.
On the surface, Shirou kept his calm: "I'm just reckless by nature."
"That's what makes you so interesting, Emiya Shirou," Apollo chuckled. "Even with Loki and Freya's backing, no one else would just stroll into my territory and sit at my table like this."
"So you did find out," Shirou noted.
Though they'd tried to keep it secret, it was nearly impossible to hide the involvement of two such high-profile gods. But Shirou had been prepared from the start to be completely exposed.
"Since you already know, let's get to the point," Shirou said. "With Loki and Freya's support, I've come here to shut down this casino and its illegal operations."
Apollo laughed loudly—not mockingly, but as if deeply entertained.
His composure showed his confidence. Even with Orario's two strongest gods opposing him, he showed no fear.
"You really are fascinating, Shirou. But don't you think you're being too hasty? Even Loki and Freya would need to gather evidence and bring it to the divine council.
Sure, they'd still fail, but it's better than confronting me head-on."
"You're pushing the Takemikazuchi Familia too far."
"Takemikazuchi? Oh, that poor god's Familia." Apollo took a moment to recall. "So you came for them. But if it's just about that, paying ten million valis would settle it. There's no need to provoke me."
"It's not just about them," Shirou said. "Coming here made me realize just how deep Orario's darkness runs. Even the Guild President is here enjoying himself. Who knows how many other Familias like Takemikazuchi's have been devoured by this place."
He glanced at the beautiful girls in the room, suspecting many were in similar situations—sold to the casino, forced to serve.
"Well said," Apollo nodded. "But as you said, even Royman, the Guild President, is deeply connected to this place. What makes you think you can defeat us? Sheer will and support from two gods isn't enough."
"Yet here you are, meeting me," Shirou said, eyeing Apollo. "If I keep gambling, you can't stop me. Eventually, I'll expose your cheating methods."
For the first time, Apollo frowned.
That was precisely why he had come to meet Shirou.
The casino had studied his tactics endlessly and still couldn't figure out how Shirou was winning every round. If this continued, it would not only cause massive losses, but also irreparably damage the casino's reputation.
Apollo had come to preserve his casino.
"You're quite confident in Loki and Freya's protection," Apollo said, his smile gone. "I may not be able to kill you openly, but ruining you behind the scenes is easy."
"Try it," Shirou said with a grin.
He wanted Apollo to try. He needed a valid excuse to strike.
Apollo didn't respond right away. He seemed to weigh the risks and finally muttered after a deep breath: "You win. The Apollo Familia is busy with other matters and can't afford to mess with you in secret."
"Is that so?"
"But I can't just let you keep winning in my casino either," Apollo added, glancing at Shirou. "I don't know how you're cheating—but how about we play a few games, just for fun?"
"What do you mean?"
"No chips involved. Just a casual match. I'll show you why the Apollo Familia controls all the casinos in Orario."
Shirou narrowed his eyes, sensing a trap. But with no stakes, he accepted.
Apollo brought Shirou to a card table.
"You were playing blackjack before, right? Let's try that."
"Sure."
Shirou didn't care which game it was. With no chips involved, he wouldn't even need to cheat.
And indeed, Shirou didn't cheat. They simply played a few rounds.
But something felt off.
No matter how Shirou played, Apollo's cards were always just slightly better. If Shirou got 21, Apollo did too—resulting in a tie.
At first, Shirou suspected cheating, but he couldn't find any signs of it.
"Let's try another game," Apollo said cheerfully.
He took Shirou through every game at the casino—from dice to roulette, and even ones favored by other races.
The result was always the same: Shirou never beat Apollo. At best, they tied.
By this point, Shirou realized it wasn't a trick. If it was cheating, it was on a supernatural level.
"Looks like you're starting to understand," Apollo said. "For our last game, let's flip a coin. The simplest, hardest-to-cheat game." He took out a gold coin. "If you can guess my ability, I might even give you some useful intel."
"No need to guess," Shirou said.
"Giving up already?"
"No. I already know what your Authority is." Shirou stared straight at Apollo. "Gods can't use divine power in the lower world, but they can use Authorities. The reason you kept winning wasn't cheating—it was because of your Authority."
"Oh?" Apollo smiled, intrigued. "And what do you think my Authority is?"
Shirou answered without hesitation: "It's Super Luck."
Apollo's expression turned serious at once.
Shirou continued: "Winning every gamble without any tricks—only one thing can do that: unseen, untouchable luck.
You possess the Authority of Super Luck, allowing you to win any bet no matter what. That must be the Authority of the Sun God, Apollo!"
Apollo now stared intently at Shirou's face—shocked that his Authority had been seen through so easily.