21. Illegal Gambling Hall and Demons in the Redemption District (2)

Lucia spoke those words absentmindedly, then flinched.

It was a natural reaction. In the Holy Lamire Empire, mentioning the Mazoku was taboo. Depending on the content, the Inquisitors might come knocking.

“I misspoke. Please pretend you didn’t hear that, Count Yulian-nim.”

“It’s alright, Lucia May. What you said isn’t wrong.”

At those words, Lucia turned her head to the side and stared intently at me. Her pink eyes were waiting for my next words.

“Mazoku are just people, too. Sometimes good, sometimes evil. But that professor’s explanation is too narrow-minded.”

Lucia wore a slightly surprised expression at my words. An expression that said she had heard something completely unexpected.

However, she didn’t continue the conversation and remained silent. This topic was too dangerous to delve any further into.

I didn’t ask her any more questions either. From her reaction just now, I was certain that Lucia was definitely connected to the Mazoku.

‘Lucia just said that the professor doesn’t know anything about the Mazoku.’

Conversely, that meant she knew the true appearance of the Mazoku, not the evil image that was known to the world. Of course, not all Mazoku were purely good.

Their leader, the Demon King, was an existence who had made contracts with high-ranking demon nobles under the command of the Demon God. However, if Lucia had a favorable view of the Mazoku, then it would definitely make my future tasks easier.

‘And… what was that sensation just now?’

When the professor made remarks that insulted the Mazoku, I felt a surge of murderous intent without realizing it. It felt like hearing someone severely insult my parents.

If the influence of Mazoku transformation was this great, I needed to prepare to some extent. I couldn’t let my emotions interfere with the things I needed to do. An idea immediately came to mind.

‘Wait. I have the Rosario. If it’s something from my mother… Agnes, perhaps?’

According to what I knew through the Demon King Slayer, Agnes knew that Riel’s true identity was the Demon King Lucifer. Also, Saint Agnes had abilities close to future prediction. There was a good chance she had made arrangements in advance with the Rosario.

I lightly touched Agnes’s cross, the Rosario, and felt the lingering anger disappear like residual heat. It was indeed a unique item.

‘Fortunately, it was as I thought.’

With this, I should be able to control my emotions regarding the Mazoku for the time being. So, I was able to listen to the professor’s remaining lecture more calmly.

“…Maricius, a cardinal and saint of the past. Everyone knows about the Holy Obelisk created by that great Saint Maricius. By installing that Holy Obelisk throughout the Empire, our Holy Empire has simultaneously prevented the invasion of both evil magical beasts and the Mazoku…”

This time, the explanation was about the Holy Obelisk. The Mahon power, a type of magical energy emitted by magical beasts. The Holy Obelisk was a structure that prevented that Mahon power from concentrating in one place.

However, the professor’s explanation was also incorrect. It was true that the Holy Obelisk played a major role in preventing high-ranking magical beasts from entering the Imperial Capital.

But unlike the professor’s explanation, it had no effect on the Mazoku. In the first place, magical beasts and Mazoku were completely separate existences. As I mentioned, Mazoku were much closer to humans than magical beasts.

Also, the Holy Obelisk was something that could only exist with the Mazoku. As expected, Lucia’s expression wasn’t good, knowing that fact.

‘I heard that some major Holy Obelisks definitely had Mazoku ground into them. According to the truth I know.’

Literally, they really ground Mazoku into those obelisks and offered them as sacrifices. Dragon’s hearts, or the seeds of the World Tree planted in the hearts of elves.

Those powerful sources of magical energy became very useful power sources for the giant Holy Obelisks.

It was called the Holy Empire, but it had done things more heinous than most demons.

‘Anyway, the fact that Lucia knows that much means she must have contacted those two.’

The human sacrifice of the Holy Obelisk was a taboo that should never be revealed to the world. There were two important Mazoku figures who had secretly infiltrated the Imperial Capital because of those large Holy Obelisks.

If I could meet those two, I could continue the Mazoku transformation quest. I had to contact those two people as well.

The lecture was over. Lucia gave me a light nod and left the lecture hall. She seemed to want to talk more about me and the Mazoku.

Unfortunately, there were too many people watching in this lecture hall.

‘Well, I’ll see her again soon.’

I also left the lecture hall. There were no more lectures in the afternoon, so I went straight back to the mansion.

---

A few days later. I was preparing to go out late in the evening.

“Young Master. Are you going out again tonight?”

“That’s right, Aylin. Even if I’m late, don’t wait for me and go to sleep quickly. That’s an order.”

Aylin wore a worried expression. She must have thought that the good-for-nothing Young Master had changed a lot. But considering the places I had been going to in recent days, she couldn’t help but become anxious again.

The place I was heading to now was the Imperial Capital’s red-light district.

I had asked the coachman, Hans, to keep my visits there a secret from Aylin.

‘Aylin has been quite emotional lately. There’s no need to add unnecessary worries.’

Even if the smart Aylin probably guessed where I was going. I headed straight to the red-light district.

The Daern River ran through the Imperial Capital. To the south were the affluent neighborhoods where the Imperial Palace and nobles resided. And the main facilities of the Imperial Capital, like the Pantheon, were concentrated there.

Conversely, the area where the commoners of the Imperial Capital mainly lived was north of the Daern River. The red-light district was also located on the riverside to the north.

When I arrived there, it was brightly lit even at night, like another world. Orange lights twinkled between the densely packed buildings and entertainment facilities. It was Friday night, so it was crowded with people.

I got out of the carriage and entered this place alone. Uriel had tried to follow me here, but I told her it was okay.

I had already succeeded in hunting three types of magical beasts. Plus, I had immunity to all poisons, so I had already reached the point where I didn’t need a bodyguard. Uriel was now sufficient as my swordsmanship teacher.

I walked through the red-light district alone. Fabian had given me a map of the building where the gambling den was located. So, it wasn’t difficult to find the illegal gambling den.

I stood in front of a very ordinary two-story building. To someone who didn’t know, it looked like an ordinary store building that didn’t fit in with the red-light district at all.

But when I stood at the entrance of the building, a security guard stopped me.

“What business do you have here?”

Instead of speaking, I handed over my access pass. The guard nodded and called over a separate guide.

“Please follow me. And please wear this.”

The guide handed me a mask that only covered the eyes. As it was an illegal gambling den, it seemed they were secretly hiding the identities of the people entering. At the same time, a system notification window popped up.

——-

「A new title has been unlocked.」

* Resident of the Underworld of Imperial Capital, Teria

: You will come to know the hidden side of Imperial Capital, Teria. You also have a chance to get involved with dangerous subversive elements.

* Acquisition Reward

+ 50GP / 150MP

——-

Perhaps because it wasn’t an ordinary gambling den, a slightly unique title was created. It was a decent reward since my GP was running low.

‘Fabian is fearless, entering places like this so often.’

It wasn’t common for an illegal gambling den like this to exist in the religiously strong Holy Empire’s Imperial Capital.

But unlike the religious faithfulness that Cardinal Grius, the de facto ruler of the Empire, emphasized every time, the Imperial Capital, Teria, had an active underworld like this.

The gangster forces backing it. And even the corrupt forces of the Imperial Capital Guard. Even Cardinal Grius was receiving a considerable amount of kickbacks flowing from here, so the scale was beyond imagination.

‘The conflicts between those forces will also hinder the dungeon raid later. I’ve done quests related to that before.’

Because titles quests like the one above would appear. It meant that for the future, I had to kill the ones who deserved to die and save the ones who deserved to live.

Anyway, if a student of the Pantheon was caught entering a place like this, it would be at least a suspension. It seemed that the golden boy, Fabian, didn’t have that sense of danger.

I walked down to the second basement floor. When the guide opened the thick door installed there, an underground space completely different from the external building unfolded before my eyes.

The place was filled with loud noises from all directions. It was like a medieval version of a Las Vegas casino.

People wearing masks were desperately engrossed in gambling amidst the thick cigarette smoke. Having become familiar with this place after visiting for the past few days, I naturally sat down at a gambling table.

I wasn’t particularly interested in gambling. So, I chose the Bakara table that I had tried with Chloe during the last mission.

“You seem young, but you’re quite something. This isn’t a place you can enter with just a few pennies.”

The middle-aged man next to me looked at me and said in surprise.

As the middle-aged man said, to enter this place, you had to have not only a membership but also a minimum amount of money. The money I brought today was 1500 gold. Roughly, compared to Korean currency, it was worth 15 million won.

‘If you’re not careful, that money will be gone in less than 30 minutes.’

Of course, the wealth of the Reinhardt family was by no means small. But some of this money was earned by selling the Mahon stones I obtained from the last mission to the Pantheon.

‘They valued it higher than the three types of magical beasts, so I earned a decent amount of money.’

I added a bit of my own personal funds to it. Anyway, it was all my money, so there was no need to waste money on unnecessary gambling.

The odds of Bakara were almost 50/50. So, I bet the minimum amount of money to minimize wasting money. I just spent my time moderately.

A little later.

Although it was underground, the gambling den was quite spacious. Security guards responsible for handling troubles in the gambling den were walking around everywhere.

‘It’s about time the quest popped up.’

Among those security guards, I finally found a familiar pink-haired figure. It was definitely Lucia.

The reason I had been visiting this place for the past few days. It was to meet Lucia in this gambling den. When I looked at her, as expected, a system notification popped up.

——-

「Resident of the Underworld of Imperial Capital, Teria」

* A relationship where danger and pleasure coexist.

: Meet an acquaintance in the heart of the underworld.

: Be sure to rescue any companions in danger.

——-

She was wearing a half-mask that covered her eyes like me. But I could tell it was Lucia at a glance.

‘So, she was working as a security guard here.’

When playing as Lucia, unlike Yulian, she was always short on money. So, if she didn’t do something, she would quickly head towards a bad ending.

Her adoptive father, Baron Joshua, took care of her tuition and allowance at the Pantheon. But Lucia, who was involved in a suspicious organization, had a lot of money going out here and there.

‘She’s probably spending quite a bit of money for the two Mazoku as well.’

One of the places she earned that money was as a security guard in this illegal gambling den. If Lucia was working as a security guard here today.

It definitely meant that something was going to happen here today because of the D-rank danger she currently possessed.

At that moment, Lucia and I made eye contact. Her expression, which had been puzzled, was replaced with surprise. It seemed she had recognized me as well.

A little later. The expected commotion broke out. At the table where I was sitting. Another middle-aged man with a nasty feeling started causing a disturbance.

“This gambling den is a scam!! Shit!! How can this kind of dogshit happen!”

While I was breaking even, that man had lost 3000 gold. Losing nearly 30 million won in an instant was enough to make him lose his mind. The security guards paid attention to that man.

A security guard other than Lucia approached and tried to calm him down.

“You can’t cause a disturbance here. Please calm down and follow us.”

He spoke calmly. Perhaps because it was a secret membership gambling den, the security guards were gentle even though it was illegal. At least, they didn’t directly lay hands on customers who caused such disturbances inside this gambling den.

From what I had observed for the past few days, there were many people who were worse than this man. Each time, the security guards would quietly take the unruly customers outside.

But unexpectedly, the sparks flew towards me.

“While I lost 3000 gold, this bastard didn’t lose a single penny. Huh? Isn’t this bastard a shill too? Suspicious!”

That middle-aged man grabbed my collar. It seemed he had lost too much money and lost his mind.

‘But why is he yelling at me?’

Just as I was about to take action. With a peok sound, someone’s fist flew and landed on the middle-aged man’s face.

“Where do you think you’re putting your hands, you crazy bastard!”

And in front of me, long pink hair swayed. Unexpectedly, Lucia had rushed over and knocked down the middle-aged man who was picking a fight with me.

I heard her quietly whispering to herself in excitement.

“Does he even know who the Count-nim is and dare to… Laying hands on his precious body… You pig-like bastard…”

It seemed Lucia had gone crazy because of me.