"That condition is nothing more than a game."
Felix knew the demon was eccentric, but this crossed the line into absurdity. It was one thing to have a bizarre fixation on gambling; it was another entirely to hire people solely based on their proficiency at games.
The sheer ridiculousness of the strategy made him seriously question the legitimacy and stability of the entire operation.
"Didn't I mention I've never gambled before? This doesn't seem fair."
"Things aren't always fair," the Boss replied with a sly grin. "You want to join, don't you?"
Felix kept his mouth shut, but he threw a silent curse in the Boss's direction. Without much of a choice, he conceded.
"Yea."
The Boss snapped his fingers. Following the cue, the cat-demoness speed-walked out of the room, returning moments later to place a few items on the table.
Two cups and ten dice rested on the table. The Boss's hands set to work moving them.
For once, his voice shifted into something recognizable. Letting out a long, slow breath followed by a manic giggle, he dragged his gaze down the cat-lady's frame.
"Cleo, can you kick things off with the rules?"
"Nya~, you got it Boss! The game you both will be playing is Liar's Dice."
The Boss placed a cup in front of Felix and another in front of himself. He did the same with the dice, sliding five over to Felix and keeping five for himself.
"To start, everyone rolls five dice at once. You keep your own dice hidden under your cup, but you need to guess what the entire table is holding. Once a bet is placed, the turn moves clockwise. The next player has two choices: challenge the claim or raise it—"
"—if you challenge, you're calling them a liar and saying there aren't actually that many of that number on the table. If you successfully beat them in a challenge, you take one of their dice. If you decide to raise instead, you can increase the quantity of dice, bump up the face value, or increase both. Oh, and ones are wild. They always count toward whatever number is currently being bid."
'In short, a bet is just a quantity and a face value,' Felix realized. 'If someone bids four sixes, they're betting that if everyone lifts their cups right now, there will be at least four sixes, including any ones on the table.'
Felix stared at the five dice resting in his palm, then back up at Cleo. Based on its rules and objective, the game clearly relied on skill rather than luck. That was all it took for Felix to understand that if he could understand the motions of the game better, he could definitely win.
"And you win by taking all of their dice, right?"
"Yup! You keep playing round after round until one of you completely runs out of dice. If you lose a die, you start the next round with only four. Then three. Then two. It's like you said, nya~"
"And one more thing! If the Boss bids, say, 'four five's,' and you think he has hit the mark exactly, you can yell 'Exacto!' instead of calling him a liar. If you're right, you get a lost die back. But if you're wrong, you lose another one."
The longer Felix listened, the more the actual game faded from his mind. Maybe due to how unorthodox the situation was, his gut told him that there was a much bigger play happening beneath the surface.
"You were wonderful, Cleo. Thank you for the briefing. As for you. . let's up the ante. Beat me, and my position as boss is yours."
Those words unexpectedly sent a shiver through Felix, pulling at him like an invisible tug. For a brief second, his thoughtful mind slipped—his eyes widened, and a strange sting prickle followed.
"Huh? Seriously?"
"Seriously. Provided, of course, that you win."
Felix looked for any hint of the Boss's true intent, growing increasingly irritated by how little the man gave away. Yet, ironically, it was that very blankness that convinced Felix the deal might actually be legitimate.
He lifted his cup, swept the five dice inside, rattled them shakily, and slammed the cup face-down on the table. The Boss did the same, with even less effort.
Seeing the Boss check his cup with indifference, Felix followed suit.
Holding his breath, Felix subtly tilted his own cup toward his chest, shielding it from the Boss's line of sight as he peeked at his roll. A two, a three, a four, and two sixes.
Whether a novice or a seasoned player, that roll was a bad one. Failing to land a single one left the remaining numbers scattered randomly across the board, making it one of the worst possible outcomes for a beginner.
Lowering his leather cup back to the table, Felix fought to maintain an indifferent expression, but a soft chuckle drew his eyes to the person sitting across from him.
The demon maintained a bright expression, but his stare betrayed something superficial and calculating.
'Why's he laughing? Does this mean he noticed? But how?'
Having already scanned the room, he was confident no surveillance devices were hidden inside. And given the distance between him and the escorting demons, they were unlikely to have caused the reaction.
"What's so funny?"
"Oh, where's the fun in answering that? Perhaps I can tell you when this game is over." Before Felix could fully digest the words, he pointed out, "Are you ready to bid?"
Sending a nervous glare across the table, Felix swallowed the saliva gathering in his mouth. After a minute of thought, he made his decision.