Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: The Illegal Gambling Den of the Pleasure District and the Demon Race (1)
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The lecture hall was quite spacious. Pantheon was the direct priest training ground for the Empire's six religious orders.
The power wielded by the six orders across the Empire was beyond imagination, and Pantheon's scale matched that grandeur. No higher education facility in the Empire could compare.
Even in that vast hall, I drew attention the moment I stepped in. All eyes turned to me instantly.
A bit burdensome.
But I was a high noble now. I no longer needed traits to maintain that upright posture—it had become second nature. When everyone stared, I just had to stand even taller.
Sure enough, a single haughty glance down at them sent everyone hurriedly averting their gazes. The female cadets' reactions were as over-the-top as those from the Magic Order.
"Count Julian... He's insanely handsome..."
"Right? He doesn't even look human... That gaze is hypnotic."
I was used to reactions like that by now. In fact, if they didn't react that way, it'd be more of a problem. Because I really wasn't human.
The son of Demon King Lucifer, after all. Dragon and elf blood surely flows in my veins.
I was in the middle of the demonization quest right now. Once it completed, my body would shift closer to one of those two races than to human.
In the Demon King's Son Surviving in the Holy Empire worldview, dragon-elf hybrids didn't produce mixed offspring. Meaning, children born from their union were always purely one or the other.
It wasn't decided at birth, though—it manifested after adulthood, aligning with their innate disposition. A unique trait of hybrids.
Both races were stunningly beautiful in appearance, so the cadets' reactions weren't strange. For reference, my father, Demon King Lucifer, had chosen elf upon reaching adulthood.
That's why the bard Riel was famous for his beauty too.
I scanned the lecture hall again. Pantheon mixed nobles and commoners evenly, so the seating was subtly divided between the two groups.
That's when one cadet who recognized me hurried over from the noble-heavy section. Fabian of the Southern Golden Sun.
"Border Count Julian! What an honor to see you again!"
"It's Count, not Border Count."
"My apologies for the slip! But you'll be a Border Count soon enough. The word 'Count' is far too small a vessel for Your Excellency's nobility and greatness. Ha ha."
He laid on the flattery effortlessly. What made it impressive was the pure, genuine praise—no malice or ulterior motive. Truly Julian's loyal retainer.
"You've come for the lecture too, Count Julian. Makes sense—fail to complete all second-year mandatory courses, and your grades won't even register. Wise choice."
As Fabian said. Subjects like Island history, social culture studies, demon race theory—these were essential theory courses required across all six orders.
And I had to attend for the quest too.
The title 'Official Cadet of the Holy Academy Pantheon.' As the system described, it was the biggest reason I had to engage in academy activities: rewards.
Hidden items, fortuitous encounters, and intel unavailable anywhere else in the Empire—all obtainable through this title quest at Pantheon.
I can't rely on the Imperial Sword forever.
Some quests here required maintaining a certain grade average. Skipping lectures was fine to a point, but I needed to attend enough.
Fabian paused mid-conversation about today's lecture.
"Count Julian, speaking of which, that's a splendid outfit. May I ask where in the capital you had it tailored? Pantheon's highborn ladies are picky about every detail."
My current attire was the noble uniform Otto and his son had custom-made before I left the Reinhardt estate. True to Essenmont's northern style, it favored clean lines over excess flair.
Yet it was utterly comfortable. And as befitting their craftsmanship, it boosted my hidden Charm stat.
Not bad eye for a Golden Sun.
I replied,
"Regrettably, it was tailored right in Essenmont."
"Truly? Northern Essenmont outshines the capital in sophistication! As expected of Count Julian's homeland!"
Otto and son deserved the credit, not Essenmont. Still, Fabian's words reconfirmed the outfit's quality.
To make contact with demons as planned... yeah, wearing Otto's work is the way to go.
As Fabian grew chattier, verging on annoying, he suddenly looked apologetic, as if remembering something.
"Oh, right, Count Julian. About that debauched party I mentioned last time..."
The debauched party. The new semester bash Fabian had pitched at the opening ceremony in the Colosseum. But as I knew, holding it anytime soon would be tough.
In the preliminary squad mission, Golden Sun Fabian—whose mind was solely on bedding female cadets—had botched it badly. Unlike me, who'd aced it instantly, he got slapped with extra missions and remedial training.
"So... regrettably, a debauched party anytime soon is impossible. My apologies, Count Julian."
As expected; no real anger. But no need to let Fabian off easy either.
A little reaction play would net me an item tied to the demonization quest. And I had to.
I put on a stern face.
"Two-faced words from one mouth. Do southern noble youths treat promises and honor between nobles so lightly, Fabian?"
Fabian panicked at his revered count's hardened expression.
"I... I'm sorry, Count Julian. My foolishness..."
He hurriedly pulled something from his pocket and offered it.
"Instead... accept this in place of the debauched party for now."
Fabian handed over two luxurious cards, one black and one red. I checked them via system right away.
Just what I wanted.
VIP, huh. He must frequent the place a lot.
I snatched the cards from his hand as if it were my due.
"I'll take them. But don't think this quells my anger."
"Of course! I'll prepare an even more debauched party later."
Fabian was useful indeed. Business done, I moved to leave.
"Count Julian! Nobles mostly sit over here! That side's for commoners!"
"Just the petty custom of lesser folk. I do as I please. None of your concern."
"A... as expected of Count Julian's boldness! Indeed! As lord of the county, you acquaint yourself with commoners' lives in advance!"
Even that earned awe from Fabian. Misinterpret all you want. I left him behind and headed to the commoner section.
Because Lucia May was there.
Lucia had arrived early and taken her seat for the lecture.
She was the illegitimate daughter of a southern duke but currently the adopted daughter of Baron Joshua May from the south. Before that adoption, she'd endured a harsh childhood in the slums.
No wonder her resentment toward high nobles runs deep.
Thus, she preferred mingling with commoners over nobles.
Plus, she was a natural self-destructive bad-end generator. Her disposition meant every playthrough as Lucia led to entanglement with shady organizations operating in the capital.
Yet Lucia was vital: the main dealer for my party in conquering Autumn's Nest. Her traits and protagonist perks made her an invaluable intel source on the underworld—info only accessible as Julian.
Time to start paying attention to her.
Conveniently, she ties into the demonization quest too.
I stood before her desk. Long pink hair in a pretty shade, matching pink eyes, and delicate, demure features.
Lucia, whose beauty rivaled any woman I'd been with, looked up at me.
"Mind if I sit here, Lucia May?"
More politely than with Fabian earlier. Part of why I'd worn Otto's outfit—its Charm boost.
It'd surely help overcome her high-noble aversion.
"Count Julian? I... don't mind. Please, sit."
"Thanks. Then, if you'll excuse me."
I sat beside her. No rich, luxurious perfume like Chloe's—just a light body lotion scent. Fitting for a Combat Order priestess.
I offered a handshake.
"We might sit together often. Skipped theory last year, so I'm unfamiliar. Be good to me."
Lucia hesitated, dithering before finally taking my hand.
Won't shake from a mere handshake. Good.
Too standoffish would complicate things ahead. And the contact triggered a notification.
I flinched at the notification.
D-rank?
The Demon King's heir instinctively seeks women of strong fate. Lucia was no exception. As another protagonist surpassing ordinary noble ladies, her fate couldn't be mundane.
Thus, D wasn't just lower than Eirin's or Lillia's A+—it meant something else.
D for Danger, surely.
It signaled Lucia headed for a self-destructive arc soon. Which would distance her from me forever. No way I'd let my top main dealer slip away.
The gambling den pass from Fabian would lower that danger rank.
And per my Demon King's Son playthroughs, this tragic noble lady was secretly working at that illegal den right now.
I gently released her hand. Post-handshake, Lucia ignored me, flipping open her textbook and staring intently—perhaps pre-studying.
Diligent one.
Right on cue, the professor entered. Today's theory: 'Ecology and Habits of Wicked Demons.' He lectured on those who'd thrown the Empire into chaos twenty years ago.
As it tied to my roots, I listened closely.
"...Lewd demons indulge in orgies at every turn, gang-raping human women... with their vile horns and grotesque forms..."
Standard Imperial propaganda on demons. They weren't especially lustful. With lifespans several times humans', they lacked reproductive zeal.
And no constant heat cycles like humans.
After the God of Darkness was demoted to demon lord, demons rapidly lost ground to humans. Dragons and elves outclassed humans in raw power.
But humans, blessed by Jedin—God of Light and Fertility—overwhelmed in numbers.
Once humans mastered mana too and turned hostile, demons couldn't compete. The Chaotic Gate opening in their eastern homeland was the final blow.
"That demon's former leader, the wicked Demon King Lucifer, ignited a horrific great war out of ambition to conquer the Empire..."
The truth differed from the narrative. Twenty years ago, the great war was demons fighting for survival amid the Empire and Inquisition's massacres.
The lecture soured my stomach. I was to lead demons after Lucifer.
I wanted to decapitate that professor on the spot. Demonization intensified the urge—blood boiling at the insult to my kin.
I barely suppressed it. I'd clocked 1,000 hours in trash like Demon King's Son; my patience was top-tier.
Instead, I bit my lip and muttered low,
"Spouting nonsense."
Lucia, overhearing my soliloquy, whispered beside me.
"I agree. That professor knows nothing about demons."