Russian Roulette

"The man from the future?" Scarlett repeated the words in her mind.

There was something oddly familiar about that title, like a distant memory trying to resurface. It felt like something she had heard before… maybe back in her school days?

She frowned, trying to recall, but nothing came to her. The words were right on the tip of her tongue, yet refused to form.

"Whatever," she sighed in her heart. "School and I were never friends anyway. No wonder I don't remember."

Victoria's words echoed . "Is he from the future or what?"

The idea was ridiculous… wasn't it? But then again, this world was full of strange things—magic, demons, dragons. Why not something even more absurd?

Vladmir, however, dismissed the notion with a wave of his hand.

"No, no. We looked into it a long time ago. He's not someone who knows the future," he said casually. "But he is someone special. I've heard rumors about him—people say he's a genius, born once in a hundred thousand years!"

His voice carried a strange mix of admiration and amusement.

Scarlett noticed how everyone in the room narrowed their eyes slightly at that statement.

A genius? Or a coward?

No one could really say.

After all, the man had never shown himself.

Before she could dwell on it any longer, Leonidas suddenly stood up with a wide grin.

"Hehehe… Since he's not planning to come, we'll just start the meeting without him!" he said, rubbing his hands together like he was about to announce something grand.

Scarlett watched him with curiosity, but then he really got into it.

"As you all know, Miss Scarlett, the ruler of Dreadhaven and a half-dragon, half-human, is requesting recognition as an official kingdom," he began. His voice was clear and confident. "Her territory is located within the demon realm, yet she wishes to form a friendly alliance with us humans."

Scarlett remained silent, observing everyone's reactions.

"As a half-human, she has shown great kindness toward humans," Leonidas continued. "The biggest proof of this? She personally defended my kingdom from the demon king's lackeys! And not only that—her finance minister is a pure human woman who lives safely in Dreadhaven, completely free from discrimination!"

He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in, before pressing on.

"Now, I don't have to tell you how much we stand to gain from this alliance. If Dreadhaven becomes a recognized country, we will have unrestricted access to the demon realm! That means we can keep a close eye on the demon king and his forces, gather intelligence, and even establish trade routes!"

Leonidas didn't stop there. He kept going on and on about the benefits—diplomatic advantages, military cooperation, economic growth. He was listing every possible reason why this was a golden opportunity for the human kingdoms.

Scarlett sat there, listening to him ramble with a slightly stunned expression. She had prepared herself for resistance or skepticism, but instead…

"This guy is a bootlicking master," she sighed to herself. "No one can match him in flattery."

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Leonidas took a deep breath and sat back down.

"Alright then, I'm done," he said, looking around at the other rulers. "Now, the decision is up to you all!"

The room fell into silence for a moment.

Aoto was the first to raise his hand. "I approve!" he said without hesitation.

Leonidas followed right after, grinning. "Of course, I approve too!"

To Scarlett's surprise, the next one to raise his hand was Valen.

"I approve as well," he said firmly.

Scarlett glanced at him, her lips curling into a small smirk. "So, Aoto didn't lie."

She recalled their earlier conversation through telepathy. Aoto had assured her that Darwitz and Almeida had a strong alliance, and that Almeida's kingdom would likely support the decision.

"Now only two left," she thought, shifting her gaze toward Victoria and Vladmir.

Vladmir stretched his arms and yawned. "If everyone's agreeing, who am I to stop it? I agree too," he said lazily, raising his hand.

But then he smirked to himself, leaning back in his chair. "Either six kingdoms or seven... Soon, they'll all end up in my hands anyway."

Scarlett ignored his self-satisfied grin. Only one vote remained.

Her hopeful eyes—hidden beneath her blindfold—turned to Victoria.

"I disagree," the queen said, her voice smooth and unwavering.

Scarlett's lips twitched. "Argh… I knew it. This damn cat!"

Still, she forced a polite smile and asked, "May I kindly ask why?"

Victoria returned the smile, but hers was laced with amusement. Her tail swayed playfully behind her. "I don't think you're desperate enough. Show me how much you really want this."

Scarlett clenched her fist under the table. "I swear, I'm going to slap this catgirl one day."

But instead of acting on impulse, she took a deep breath. "How?" she asked, her voice calm.

Victoria smirked and stood up. With a smooth motion, she placed a pistol on the table.

The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly.

Scarlett's eyes narrowed beneath her blindfold. "A gun?"

"You already know what this is," Victoria said, her tone teasing. "It holds six mana bullets. But I'll only load five, spin the chamber, and fire at your head. If it misses, you win. If not… well, you get the idea. It's a one-in-five chance of survival."

She leaned in slightly, her feline eyes glimmering with excitement. "This will prove how desperate you really are."

Then she laughed—a beautiful, melodic laugh that somehow made the situation even more insane.

Victoria was a Prideful person and liked to crush other's image and pride, She expected Scarlett to feel anger. Maybe frustration. Maybe fear.

But instead—

"Russian roulette?!" she nearly shouted, her whole body jolting up from her seat. Her voice was filled with excitement.

Everyone in the room stared at her.

Scarlett quickly coughed, forcing herself to regain composure. "Ahem… I mean, I happen to be quite skilled at gambling. I accept your offer."

A smirk tugged at her lips as she locked eyes with Victoria.

For the first time since entering the meeting, Scarlett felt genuinely entertained.

Victoria was stunned for a moment, but she quickly scoffed. "Okay then, let's do this!"

The room remained silent. Five rulers sat around the table, watching the scene unfold like an intense drama. None of them said a word.

Victoria picked up five mana bullets and carefully loaded them into the pistol, one by one. Then, she pointed the gun at Scarlett.

On the outside, she looked calm and confident. But inside, a wicked grin spread across her mind.

"Hahaha… What an idiot! She actually believed everything I said. Sure, a normal pistol holds six bullets, but this one only holds five,"*l Victoria thought with excitement.

"That means there's no 'one-in-five chance' at all! No matter how much I spin the chamber, the bullet will fire! Of course, it won't be strong enough to kill her, but when she gets shot and loses her dignity, I'll just act merciful and say, 'Oh, I decided to have pity on you. I approve too.' Fufufu…"

She had already planned it all out. She had no choice but to approve anyway since Dreadhaven's alliance would bring great benefits. But just approving wasn't enough for her.

As a half-human herself, she wanted to feel superior to Scarlett, a half-human, half-dragon. She wanted to humiliate her in front of everyone.

But all these thoughts made her slow in reacting.

"What are you waiting for? Shoot!" Scarlett said eagerly, her voice filled with excitement.

She even leaned forward, pressing her forehead against the tip of the gun.

"Come on, don't hesitate! Show no mercy! Don't be afraid to kill someone. I really love these kinds of thrilling games!" Scarlett grinned, her body trembling slightly—not with fear, but with pure enthusiasm.

Victoria's lips curled into a smirk. "Very well then!"

She pulled the trigger.

Tck…

A soft, empty click echoed in the silent room.

Victoria's eyes widened in shock.

*"What?! How?!"* she thought in disbelief.

Her whole plan was based on the fact that the gun only had five chambers. There was no way the shot could miss.

Meanwhile, Scarlett suddenly jumped up from her seat, her face glowing with joy.

"Yay! I won!" she cheered, raising her arms in victory. "That means my Dreadhaven is officially recognized as a kingdom!"

The room remained silent for a few seconds before Aoto burst out laughing. Even Vladmir smirked in amusement.

Victoria, on the other hand, was frozen in place, still unable to process what had just happened.