Chapter 71
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: The Necessity of Cleaning the Tiger's Den
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"What is happiness?"
"Pardon?"
A space that looked like a peaceful family home.
Two people were having a conversation there.
"I'm talking about the definition of happiness. I think everyone feels it differently, so what about you?"
"Uh... well, that is..."
"Just answer comfortably. No pressure."
The questioner and the answerer.
Of the two, the answerer was clearly intimidated by the questioner.
Even being told to relax felt difficult, and just being in this place was terrifying.
The questioner hadn't come here of their own volition.
'When I came to my senses...'
While handling cleanup at the academy to avoid leaving evidence, the space had suddenly shifted.
The answerer—no, the traitor of Hero Academy, Pendam—sensed that he might die here.
"If you don't answer soon, I might get a little angry."
"H-Happiness! I think it's just living a steady, unremarkable life."
Angry? He said.
Pendam hurriedly continued, and upon hearing the answer, the questioner smirked viciously and grabbed Pendam's throat.
"Exactly! Exactly! That's why things fell apart like this. The Lawless of the Wasteland shouldn't have died there like that."
The Lawless of the Wasteland.
A being that embodied the potential to transcend mere concepts and become a real monster.
Such a precious asset had died due to the idiotic mistake of failing to properly assess the enemy's strength.
According to the original plan, they should have massacred more than half of the first-year cadets before retreating.
Grind.
The questioner gnashed their teeth and slowly tightened their grip on Pendam's throat.
"Guhk... kuhk... ack... I, I... die... ugh..."
This bastard was so infuriating that even devouring him wouldn't satisfy, yet he still wore a nonchalant face, hoping for another chance.
Deep down, the questioner wanted to snap his neck and toss the rest to the monsters as feed.
But if he died here suddenly, it would raise suspicions and invite intense scrutiny.
Bam!
The questioner flung Pendam to the floor with a regretful glare.
"So, is it really true that wastrel son caught him?"
"Guhk... hngh... ack... Y-Yes... That's right. Though he doesn't seem like a wastrel son anymore..."
"If he shits and pisses himself at the sight of danger, then he's still a wastrel son."
Kim Geon-ho, was it?
A mere first-year who just up and killed the Lawless of the Wasteland.
No deep investigation was needed; Kim Geon-ho was clearly going to be a long-term obstacle to their plans.
"The only hitch is that he's with the Mountain Lords... but we'll have to deal with that."
It was better to openly clash with the Mountain Lords than the academy.
The Mountain Lords were tougher, but the academy had too many connections.
"S-Surely you're not thinking of killing Kim Geon-ho?"
"Isn't that obvious? The reason we targeted the first-years in the first place was to nip high-potential buds early."
The upperclassmen and those already active in the field could be analyzed and countered quickly.
But the budding sprouts? Who knew what they'd grow into, so they had to be killed.
The questioner tapped the fallen Pendam's cheek as they continued.
"No need to look so anxious; it's already over."
"Over?"
"I already sent it. Toward where Kim Geon-ho is."
"What?"
"As expected of a chaebol; quite generous."
Even renting out the entire amusement park.
It made him easy to target.
With that, the questioner covered Pendam's face with their palm.
Whoosh!
Just like when Pendam had first been transported.
He vanished back to the academy in an instant.
"..."
Maybe I've made an irreversible mistake and fallen into an inescapable pit.
Pendam was truly terrified.
Sexy lingerie!
That phrase stirred the hearts of men.
People often say online, 'Men don't care about underwear; it's the goods that matter. They wouldn't mind if it was mismatched.'
Absolute nonsense.
They just say it to act all cool and sweet.
Underwear was a crucial element in relationships.
If you're getting serious and things are heating up, only for army-issue brown briefs to pop out...
The mood would shatter, and you might not even get hard.
Underwear was that important, and 'sexy lingerie' was pure fantasy.
'Heila's wearing that?'
Who wore it mattered just as much.
Heila, praised not just for her aloof, noble image but as truly regal—her in that?
It went beyond simple reversal; he might pounce on sight.
'I hadn't planned to go that far originally.'
But if she took the initiative first, it changed everything.
He didn't like forcing it, but if they were on the same page, he could go all night.
'Wedding night is wedding night.'
But amusement park first night was its own thing.
"Are we really going straight to the hotel room like this?"
Heila, tucked snugly against my side, mumbled with her head down, embarrassed by the situation.
"Yeah, of course."
I answered and headed straight to the elevator without checking in.
Renting the entire amusement park meant the adjacent hotel was rented too.
So, no interruptions during that short trip to the room.
"S-Still, you'll give me time to shower, right...?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, obviously."
The moment we entered the suite, Heila poked my arm and glanced up at me.
She looked just like the rabbit doll tucked under my arm—adorably cute.
We hadn't done much skinship yet, but sharing this space meant a lot.
Emotionally, we were connecting deeply.
"Then put me down first."
"Oh, right."
The instant Heila slipped from my arms, she grabbed a bath towel and darted into the bathroom.
But there was one thing Heila hadn't anticipated.
"Kyaaah! Why, why is the glass semi-transparent?!"
The hotel suite's bathroom was completely open.
This was a top-tier VIP room for lovers, not families.
Under the premise that they'd seen it all, privacy wasn't guaranteed.
"Th-This way, my whole body is visible...!"
"If I'm gonna see the sexy lingerie anyway, doesn't the body come with it?"
"Th-That's different... I need to shower first... My nipples and... down there are showing!"
I never said I'd show everything after the lingerie!
I couldn't help but laugh at Heila's pouty retort.
'No, did she really plan to just show the lingerie?'
After boldly offering a handjob, why was she so careless here?
Her virgin scent teasing my nose was no joke.
'Maybe I'll take one step closer.'
If we showered together, she'd show nipples, pussy, everything.
Rubbing bodies while washing, then helping her into the lingerie afterward...
As I pictured that innocent scene and started undressing—
Bzzz, bzzzzz, bzzzzzz.
My phone vibrated.
'What the hell.'
The classic rom-com trope: just as man and woman are about to unite, the interrupter appears.
But this was reality, not fiction, so I tried to ignore it.
Hobong was calling, though. Couldn't ignore that.
'Of all people, Hobong.'
I'd told him to handle things himself unless it was a real emergency.
If he was calling, something big had happened.
Click.
-Young master! Are you safe!
Something was definitely up.
Hobong rushed on the moment I picked up.
-Monsters have appeared at the amusement park. We can't even figure out where they came from... They say it just dropped from the sky.
"What?"
What the hell was this?
Monsters appeared?
Hobong, grasping my reaction, kept feeding me info.
-I don't know what's going on. But the intent is obvious. First time for something like this, so we've contacted the academy.
"Any casualties?"
-None yet, but how to describe this...
"Never mind. I'll come check it out."
-Understood.
Click.
So much for a steamy night.
Regretfully, I finished dressing.
"What... happened?"
Heila emerged from the bathroom, face full of worry—she'd overheard the call.
Not fully undressed yet, so I caught a glimpse of that sexy lingerie.
Lace-trimmed like a dress.
Made our actual wedding night feel even more anticipated.
"Yeah, but it's nothing big. I'll handle it quick and come back. Just relax and shower here."
"I'll come too."
"No, this is mine to handle."
An unpredictable variable not in any encyclopedia.
Dragging Heila into it was too dangerous.
"But I could at least help...!"
"Think of it as Mountain Lords business for now."
Only after drawing a firm line did Heila reluctantly nod.
'Monsters appearing suddenly? Targeting me, then.'
My info was handled independently; pinpointing my location was hard.
The park rental was known as a Mountain Lords event, nothing more.
No outsider could've known I was here.
Which meant...
'A traitor in the Mountain Lords?'
How deep did they burrow?
I felt the need for a thorough cleaning of the tiger's den, and soon.