Psychopaths rarely admit they're insane—because they know that saying so won't convince anyone otherwise. The more deranged a person is, the more normal they tend to appear.
But clowns are the opposite.
Clowns often deny their identity as clowns, only to spend the rest of their performance proving it.
"I'm not a clown!"
The mutated dwarf suddenly flipped the gambling table before him into the air.
"Aaaah!"
"Cervantes-sama, don't come any closer… don't come any closer!"
The overturned table crashed down, pinning the gamblers who had been sitting around it moments ago. Those who hadn't been knocked unconscious screamed in agony, pleading for mercy.
"Power... the power to prove I'm not a clown!"
One of the dwarf's eyes began to drift off-center. His massive body started to boil, bubbles swelling beneath his flesh like grotesque tumors.
"Grrr~~~"
His stomach growled in hunger, drool dripping uncontrollably from his mouth. The mutated dwarf fixed his gaze on the gamblers writhing on the ground.
"Give everything to me... you belong to me... you're mine... all mine!"
"Nooooo!!!"
Seeing the operator's distorted expression and his body swelling unnaturally, the ordinary gamblers were terrified out of their minds. Their bodies shook violently.
In such a desperate situation, they completely lost the ability to move—their legs gave out from sheer terror.
'Reason has completely evaporated… only that overwhelming obsession remains.'
That obsession itself had been planted through suggestion—otherwise, how could an ordinary, unimpressive dwarf possibly endure the erosion of such desire?
Shrouded in black mist, the dwarf's body continued to mutate at an accelerating pace. His frame swelled rapidly, his suit splitting apart under the pressure. Within seconds, his height exceeded two meters, his body ballooning grotesquely.
"Grrraaaa~~~"
But the more his body transformed, the stronger his hunger grew.
'So his expanding desire is causing his body's energy consumption to rise too?'
Though this mutation was triggered by Bell's manipulation, even he hadn't expected it to escalate this fast.
"Aaaah!!!"
The gamblers watched in horror as the operator stumbled toward them, his body growing monstrously large. Even if they didn't understand the meaning behind his words or actions, they weren't stupid enough to miss the danger now.
Their screams turned to frantic cries as they began to flee. Their bodies wouldn't move? In the face of death, they had no choice but to move!
This was survival!
The instinct to live overpowered their fear, forcing their stiff limbs into motion. Even with legs trembling from terror, they had to run!
But it was no use.
The dwarf, already over two meters tall and still expanding, was far faster than the terrified humans stumbling to escape. He caught one.
The one seized was the shortest among the gamblers. Judging by his white robe and turban, he seemed to be a desert Pallum noble.
Unfortunately, nobility meant nothing now—there was no escaping this.
"No... nooooo!!!"
The Pallum stared at the operator's mouth, grotesquely swollen and monstrous. He knew his fate, yet still writhed desperately, struggling to break free from that grasp.
All in vain.
"You're mine!"
Crunch!
The mutated dwarf tossed the Pallum into his mouth, biting down so hard that the small body was nearly torn in two with a single chomp.
Blood sprayed everywhere—spattering not only from the dwarf's mouth but across the entire floor.
For a brief moment, the entire room fell silent. Only the sounds of wailing and chewing echoed in the heavy air.
The girls in the room understood what had happened. But under Ryuu's command, they had already retreated to a safe place. Anticipating what would follow, Ryuu had ordered them to turn away, sparing them from further psychological trauma.
Still, several of the girls couldn't help but gag when they heard the horrific noises behind them.
Ryuu understood that feeling all too well. She herself felt an overwhelming urge to vomit.
'Must the scene really be made this disgusting?'
She had killed before—killed many times without hesitation. But she had never deliberately controlled someone, forcing them to eat another human being. That was the Evilus's way of doing things.
"...."
Wait—was he trying to frame Evilus?
Suddenly, Ryuu realized why he was steering things toward such cruel and revolting extremes. It was obvious now—he was setting this up intentionally.
She had immediately thought it resembled Evilus's methods. Wouldn't others think the same?
'But why would he do this?'
"To get Ganesha to take over this Grand Casino, this kid sure is putting in the effort."
Such a brutal scene meant nothing to the two goddesses, who understood all too well why Bell was creating this display.
Loki hadn't expected that merely mentioning it would prompt Bell to act so swiftly—and with such precision.
"The Grand Casino itself is a product of several nations outside Orario. In essence, it's a venue for exchanging interests. It was managed properly in the past only because major scandals never erupted."
Freya nearly added, "The previous operators were quite clever."
"Indeed they were."
Loki grinned.
"I've never heard of any past operators pulling off something this extravagant. And those before were far smarter and more restrained than this current fool."
Grand Casino operators could be greedy, even lustful—but they couldn't let their desires spiral out of control, nor could they forget their place.
Past operators had ambitions too, ran gray industries even—but they lasted until retirement for one simple reason: they knew their limits.
This one, however, clearly had none.
Did he truly think that running a casino, wielding wealth and power to claim women, made him the King of Orario?
"Such self-important fools are never in short supply, no matter the era."
Loki couldn't help but sneer.
"Indeed. Those who can't grasp their place always think others are ignorant."
Freya's lips curved into a faint smile.
Then both goddesses turned their gaze toward Bell.
Some in this world fail to understand their place—while others know it all too well.