Chapter 15 - Very Important Punishment
Tokyo has Kabukicho. Seoul has Yeongdeungpo. So our imperial capital has the 3rd District Entertainment Area.
Nothing strange about that.
No matter how much this world bills itself as a romance fantasy.
This is still a place where people live, right?
But calling it Yeongdeungpo or Kabukicho is just a metaphor to make it easier to grasp. Thinking of it in modern terms would be a huge mistake.
The entertainment district here is even bigger, if anything. And they do way more stuff.
Why? Because it's a romance fantasy, obviously. Sounds ridiculous, but it's true.
In the modern world, you could smash heads under the guise of the rule of law for dangerous crap like aphrodisiacs or prostitution.
But here, life's conveniences have ramped up, while society still clings to feudalism—head to the countryside, and you've got serf towns everywhere.
Not exactly enlightened.
So the iron fist of institutional law can't keep up with the freakish boom from rapid tech advances in the entertainment district. That's why it's gone completely off the rails.
Using a restaurant analogy: ingredients from the New and Old Worlds are overflowing, but the head chef only knows Joseon dimibang cookbooks and can't control shit.
Stuff vanishes from the fridge, but no one knows what, so they can't stop the thugs siphoning it off to open late-night joints.
...Screw it, damn it.
I don't even know if the analogy holds anymore.
Anyway, just get it with your heart. World-building like this leads to these problems. Blame it all on our Cousin Sister.
Come to think of it, it's been a while since I've been here.
Why do I know this place so well? Simple.
Back in the Hero Party days, I had plenty of chances to peek into the empire's underbelly. I'd drop by this street now and then.
Not to enjoy myself, mind you—I was a general under the Hero, after all.
My visits were purely to wreck spots where people gathered and squeeze out intel.
Still, seeing how the vibe hasn't changed much after all this time fills me with nostalgia.
"This street's still trash, huh."
As I strolled down the road with my hands clasped behind my back like a pro, Lurua, who'd been tagging along all prim and proper, piped up.
"—Professor, don't you need a disguise or something?"
"A disguise all of a sudden? Here?"
"Ah, well... Your identity could get exposed. You never know who's watching in a place like this."
"Disguising myself would be riskier. Just walking around makes you look like a regular entertainment district customer. If they don't recognize your face, they'll think you're suspicious and swarms of bugs will come buzzing."
"Then why not sneak around invisibly?"
"Invisibility, huh. Sounds like you're familiar with that sort of thing, student."
I'd just tossed out a casual jab, but Lurua suddenly looked all fidgety. Like I'd hit a nerve. Had I said something wrong?
"N-no, I'm not familiar! I don't know anything about that!"
...Come on, play it cool.
"Liar."
"Eek...!"
"Normal people get scared and clammed up in a place like this, but you jump straight to invisibility? Weird. Where'd a student pick up ideas like that?"
I narrowed my eyes at her, and she pushed up her glasses, averting her gaze.
The boldness from begging for credits earlier was gone. Her ears turned red like a teen caught with a secret folder, lips twitching.
What the hell is this girl's deal? Looks all prim on the surface, but she knows Valentina inside out. And throws out shady ideas...
I didn't know for sure, but she was intriguing.
A plain academy student worrying about her identity blowing up in the entertainment district, casually mentioning stealth tactics.
Don't tell me she's got some hidden backstory too?
Damn, these tantalizing hints. Constant déjà vu, but my shitty memory's no help.
"Whatever. I won't pry into your private life."
"Phew...."
She wouldn't spill anyway, and it wasn't the priority. I let it drop.
Right now, I needed to rein in one of my Four Heavenly Kings: Valentina.
The other crazies in class had trickled back, more or less.
But Valentina? No way she'd return on her own.
And if we're splitting hairs, she was one of the students whose life was heading straight to ruin.
Valentina Rothschild in the original story... total lost cause psycho bitch.
Right now, just a truant running a casino, yellow-bellied upstart.
...But her future I knew? Pitch black, not yellow.
Gambling? Fine, whatever. Being money-hungry ain't a crime.
Hell, I'd lost my mind over deposit money and chewed out Alun to face reality.
But hers went overboard. Left alone, she'd go full dark side.
Worse than Sion drawing her sword for daddy's revenge—Valentina would rampage purely for her own selfish thrills, flooding the streets with dopamine.
Like forcing mana out of broke debtors till they dropped dead as drained husks in withdrawal shows.
Or doping up defaulters and turning them into human horses for races...
And with freakishly good management skills, she'd slaughter rival crime syndicates trying to stop her, transforming the 3rd District into the insane "Rothschild Land".
Arrogant for a student, right? Not some mafia boss.
But true to our crazy Cousin Sister's mad novel, that's who she was from the start.
Then the fallout hits the academy, heroine steps in, plot rolls on.
.....But right now, she hasn't gone that far yet. Perfect time to drag her back.
Plus, she's my student. If she pulls that shit, my rice bowl's done.
What else? Straight to the scrap heap, sold off.
Yeah. I'd planned to handle Alun first, then her—but timing's ripe now.
Time to physically correct this insolent threat to my paycheck.
"This the place, Lurua?"
"Yes. Y-yes.... The flashiest building's the Golden Rose Casino. But be careful. Meeting her won't be that easy...."
"Don't chicken out. Just stick behind your teacher. If it goes south, handle it yourself."
With that resolve—rare for me—I pushed open the casino doors.
* * *
Screeech—.
The heavy iron door swung open, and two burly goons moved to block me.
But eyeing my suit, they smelled money and flashed salesman grins.
"VIP?"
Seemed promising.
VIP gets me to boss Valentina easy. Let's roll with it.
"Yeah, VIP."
"Then, today's password, please."
Oh shit. "Hwarang."
"......?"
Fuck. What casino even has a password...? Guards' faces soured visibly as I glanced around.
Threat detected.
But with a student here, no scene. I came clean, hoping they'd let it slide.
"Ah, forget what I just said. I just want to see the boss."
"...What business with the boss?"
Was this some unacceptable demand? Bad move—their faces hardened more.
"Got reasons. Private talk, just us."
"Watch yourself. Things could get ugly depending. Answer carefully."
Crunch....
Worse—they clenched fists, ready to swing. Scary as hell. Looked ready to devour us.
Lurua predictably freaked.
"...P-Professor! Should we run?"
"Running gonna fix anything?"
"But... the vibe. Something's gonna happen! Didn't you mess up?"
Pfft. Mess up? I came as her professor to half-threaten her back to class. Reveal that, they'll kick us out faster?
I tried channeling Hero Party vet vibes to defuse, but...
"Uh, w-wait."
"...Huh?"
"That is...."
.......Fuck it. Brain freeze.
Wham—!!!
No silver tongue here. Dropped one with a knee to the groin, then KO'd him.
"Guh...?! Who the—?!"
The other charged, eyes blazing. Reflex punch spun his jaw.
He twirled and crashed. Stay chill next time.
"P-Professor?! What was that...?!"
Lurua gawked as these giants—twice her head size—crumpled. Embarrassing, but necessary. Stick beats biting dog, right?
Regrettable, but I'd politely asked for the boss—they overreacted to eat us alive.
"If we'd stood still, we'd be in danger. Had to do it."
"My god, y-you really poked the bear. Valentina's terrifying."
"Is she? To me, she's just my student."
Saying that, I rifled the downed guard's pocket, pulling a card key labeled VIP.
Scary or not... so what? I came to drag her back to class today.
No veto power for her. Violate my teaching rights? Club time. Rome wasn't built in a day, but we'll get there.