Episode 163. Preparing for the Party is Hard (4)

“It’s delicious. So good. We made the right choice ordering from here.”

“I know, right? Liliana really is the goddess of chicken. Amazing.”

Honestly, it tasted like regular fried chicken, but Liliana was going wild about how delicious it was.

Normally, Scarlet would have clapped her hands and played along with Liliana, but since the Korean branch manager of the Iris Guild was supposedly coming, she said she had to leave and disappeared.

In the end, I had to step in and take Scarlet’s place.

While Liliana was marveling over the chicken, I quickly finished my meal and sat on the sofa.

I didn’t know when Kang Hyorin would arrive, so I figured I should wait.

“Hmm….”

I accessed EveryDay on my smartwatch.

There’s no better way to check public opinion, so I check it often.

I clicked on a post with a lot of recommendations that mentioned my name.

---

[Breaking News. The Saint is dating Lee Hoyeon, who’s 8 years younger, lol]

[Video]

Not a lie lol

It’s from a just-released interview.

The Saint has a boyfriend… I’m so sad.

Still, I’ll cheer her on, damn it. Lee Hoyeon, you son of a bitch.

---

[Wow, if pretty and handsome people only date each other, when will someone like me ever meet someone pretty?]

[N Yeah, imagine how lucky their kids will be. Born with those two as parents]

[What? It doesn’t say they’re dating though?]

[N Are you illiterate? If that’s not dating, what is?]

[N Haven’t we been fooled by news like this before lol? Gotta wait for the official announcement]

[One of the idols of men is gone… ]

[They hit it off right after arriving at the Academy, shit lololol]

[N Ah, that’s right… ]

[N What do you mean ‘that’s right’. They were already friends before coming to the Academy.]

[So they fell for each other and then came to the Academy lololol]

[Lee Hoyeon still has a lot of controversy surrounding him… Did they really have to announce it now?]

[Whoa, tons of counterarguments for Lee Hoyeon’s controversies started popping up yesterday, did they release this to preempt that?]

[Hey everyone, I’m in the same class as Lee Hoyeon, and I told you they aren’t dating.]

“This is really tiring.”

Things were certainly chaotic in many ways.

But after reading various posts, from Baek Ahyoung’s interview to the controversies about me, the assessment of public opinion wasn’t as bad as I expected.

Interviews from professors who were present started coming out yesterday, and Professor Im Sol and Min Yeji even stepped up to defend me vigorously.

It’s still strange that the Academy hasn’t released an official statement… but they’ll probably release one next week.

“I haven’t even made a move yet, but Student Hoyeon’s connections are handling this remarkably quickly.”

“I know, right? Professor Im Sol must be working hard… Huh?”

Someone spoke to me naturally from the seat next to the sofa, and I thought it was Scarlet, but the voice was completely different.

I looked next to me where the voice came from and saw Dr. Kang Hyorin sitting there with a smile.

Whoa!

“Oh… Wow. You surprised me.”

“That’s not the reaction of someone surprised? You were the least interesting person I’ve ever startled.”

It’s just that I didn’t show it outwardly; I was genuinely incredibly startled.

If I didn’t have [Clear Mental Fortitude], I would have screamed like a baby.

Kang Hyorin was holding a young girl in a princess carry.

“Nam Dahee….”

“Yes. I brought her back. I’m not too late, am I?”

She didn’t appear much in the original work, but I definitely knew her face.

She was a cute child, resembling her older sister.

“W-What! Who are you!”

Liliana, who had been eating chicken, widened her eyes and glared at Kang Hyorin, who had suddenly appeared.

“Who is that person? This is supposed to be the male dormitory.”

Kang Hyorin also tilted her head, looking at Liliana.

“There are circumstances. You won’t tell the Academy, will you?”

“I’m famous for protecting my clients’ privacy. For now, I’ll leave Dahee here. She should wake up in about 30 minutes.”

“Wouldn’t she be too flustered if she suddenly woke up and found herself with strangers?”

Nam Dahee doesn’t know she was being held captive.

If she woke up not in a hospital room but in a stranger’s dormitory, she’d be incredibly panicked.

“That might be true… but you’ll have to handle that yourself.”

“….”

Well, Dr. Kang Hyorin isn’t a babysitter, so I guess I’ll have to manage.

“Nam Daeun was somewhere inside the Buyer Guild headquarters… but there were absolutely no openings there. Still, there were no unusual circumstances. She just talked with the Guild Master and went back to her room.”

“That’s a relief. Thank you.”

Maybe I should learn some infiltration skills too?

They seem quite useful.

“I still have pending requests, so I’m off to investigate. Besides, quite a lot of evidence was gathered during the process of rescuing Dahee. The results should be out next week.”

“Understood. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Hey, hey! So who is that person?! And who’s this girl?”

“I’ll explain. Wait.”

Dr. Kang Hyorin melted into the sofa and disappeared.

Truly ghost-like abilities.

To approach me without being detected by my [Mana Sensitivity]… I’m still lacking so much.

“Who is she! Who! And who’s this girl? Is she a potential girlfriend candidate?”

“Shut up. You crazy succubus.”

I began explaining while calming Liliana down.

*

Thump, thump, thump.

A man walked into the mansion’s drawing-room.

Two men were already seated in the luxurious drawing-room.

“Everyone’s here.”

“… What is this about?”

“I’ll tell you, so wait.”

The man who summoned the two slowly took the seat of honor.

It was Shin Dongmin, the Vice President of the Student Council.

“You’ve heard too, right? That Lee Hoyeon will be attending the friendship party tomorrow.”

“Of course, we heard.”

“… Yes. I heard.”

Shin Dongmin looked at the faces of the men seated.

Kim Hyundo, the successor of a major wizard guild.

He heads the Magic Research Department at Victoria Academy.

He usually has a mutually beneficial relationship with Shin Dongmin.

And Do Jinhyeok from Class A.

While not on Shin Dongmin’s level, he’s the child of a rather large guild.

The commonality among the three present was that they were all children of good families and harbored ill feelings towards Lee Hoyeon.

“As you know… I really hate Lee Hoyeon. I’ll get revenge somehow and drag him down to hell. For that, I need your help. Since you’ll all be attending tomorrow’s friendship party.”

“What does tomorrow’s party have to do with Lee Hoyeon? Are you planning some political maneuvering at the party?”

Kim Hyundo voiced his question.

Not only in terms of power but also reputation, Lee Hoyeon has the advantage.

Their combined connections might surpass Lee Hoyeon’s, but would those connections really abandon Lee Hoyeon to side with them?

Considering Lee Hoyeon’s current momentum, it was hard to be certain that all connections would turn against him.

“No, the target isn’t Lee Hoyeon. It’s his partner.”

“His partner… You mean Baek Ahyoung?”

Do Jinhyeok, who had been listening, chimed in.

“Right. Lee Hoyeon can certainly protect himself. But Baek Ahyoung, as we know, has zero combat power. If Lee Hoyeon isn’t around, she can be dealt with in an instant.”

“… Attacking his lover, I can accept that. It would certainly be a blow. It could damage his image too. But how exactly? How are you going to attack Baek Ahyoung during the party tomorrow?”

Kim Hyundo found Shin Dongmin frustrating.

He was just spouting vague ideas, making Kim Hyundo wonder why he was even summoned here.

“I’ve obtained top-secret information.”

“Top-secret information?”

“There’s scheduled to be a terrorist attack by Pandemic at the party tomorrow.”

Hearing the word ‘Pandemic’, the two listening flinched.

“…!”

“Pandemic? How do you know that?”

“I have my sources. Don’t worry.”

“… This is wrong. I’m out. If it’s a Pandemic terrorist attack, not only Baek Ahyoung but others will be harmed too. We should report the attack and look for another opportunity…”

Kim Hyundo, aware of Pandemic’s danger, tried to back out of the plan, but Shin Dongmin’s bloodshot eyes staring at him were those of a madman.

“The moment you came here, you were already too late.”

Shin Dongmin continued, looking at Kim Hyundo.

“I have all the evidence regarding the privileges you received while running the Magic Research Department and the illegal pressure you exerted on other clubs.”

“… Are you blackmailing me? I’ve also identified all the corrupt dealings you’ve done in the Student Council.”

“Do you really want to die together? I’ve already hit rock bottom, but you still have a good image. Are you willing to throw that away?”

“….”

Kim Hyundo held a grudge against Lee Hoyeon, but it was purely personal, stemming from losing Professor Im Sol.

It wasn’t the same as the public humiliation Shin Dongmin suffered.

“Just stay quiet. I’m not asking you to kill anyone, just to pinpoint Baek Ahyoung’s location when the attack happens. Okay?”

Kim Hyundo turned his head away without answering.

But silence implies consent.

Shin Dongmin made eye contact with the next target, Do Jinhyeok.

“What do you think, junior? Are you going to refuse like Kim Hyundo?”

“No. I agree.”

Do Jinhyeok still dreamed of Lee Hoyeon every night.

The moments Lee Hoyeon humiliated him, or when others praised Lee Hoyeon while belittling him, replayed daily.

These feelings inevitably made him hate Lee Hoyeon.

“… Alright. Then I’ll explain the details starting now.”

Shin Dongmin began outlining tomorrow’s plan with his bloodshot eyes.

*

“When is she waking up?”

“Well…”

“She should wake up soon. Her movements are becoming more active.”

Liliana, Scarlet, who had reappeared unnoticed, and I were watching Nam Dahee lying on the living room bed.

We had already finished explaining that she was Nam Daeun’s younger sister, who had been held captive.

After explaining Nam Daeun’s pitiful condition and the Buyer Guild’s misdeeds, Liliana became quite emotional.

“What a pitiable child… To endure captivity at this age.”

Scarlet had also returned immediately after Kang Hyorin disappeared and listened to the explanation with us.

“But she doesn’t even realize she’s been held captive. So she’ll probably think she’s been kidnapped and panic.”

That’s the problem. Since Nam Dahee doesn’t know she’s been rescued, she might misunderstand us as villains.

“Don’t worry. When she wakes up, I’ll do my best to soothe her.”

Liliana puffed out her chest and grinned.

“You think you can handle that?”

“Yep. I played a ‘soothing a crying baby’ simulator before, and the viewers praised me for being incredibly good at it.”

With one sentence, she lowered my expectations to rock bottom.

What an amazing ability.

“I also have a knack for taking care of children. Student Hoyeon.”

Fortunately, we had Scarlet, who could do anything.

“Oh… Scarlet. I’m counting on you.”

“I’m telling you, I’m confident too?!”

“Ughh….”

Perhaps because it got too noisy, Nam Dahee started stirring.

“Hey, shh.”

It was too late.

Nam Dahee stretched and opened her eyes.

“Haa… Huh?”

She started to panic in the unfamiliar room.

Nam Dahee’s eyes met ours, and she looked around.

“Dahee-yang. You must be surprised, but please calm down and listen to us. We brought you here at the request of Daeun-yang.”

Scarlet smiled faintly, made eye contact with Nam Dahee, and initiated the conversation.

“Tinkle tinkle. Look over here~.”

Then Liliana, having procured some sort of baby rattle from goodness knows where, shook it to grab Nam Dahee’s attention.

Wait, did she play a ‘raising a newborn’ simulator?

What’s with the rattle for someone who looks like a middle schooler?

I was watching the situation from behind, trusting only Scarlet, when Nam Dahee’s gaze turned to me.

“Handsome oppa… You’re Unnie’s friend, right?”

“Huh?”

How does she know me?

“I heard a lot about you from Unnie. Stories about going to cafes, eating meals, watching movies, and sparring…”

I could understand Nam Daeun telling her sister about me… but except for the sparring part, this is all new to me?

What on earth has she been saying?

“… I overlooked something. With Hoyeon-nim’s face, girls are usually convinced in one go.”

“No, it’s not because of my face.”

“Tinkle tinkle… Why aren’t you looking?”

“Liliana. Wait a moment.”

Liliana threw down the rattle she was shaking and pouted sullenly.

For now, Nam Dahee is the priority.

“Uh… Dahee. That’s right. Daeun asked us to save you, so we got you out.”

“Why would you save me? I met with Unnie just a little while ago.”

“I’ll explain slowly.”

Nam Daeun was currently inside the Buyer Guild building.

We rescued Nam Dahee, but I have no way to contact her.

I’ll have to meet her at the party tomorrow and talk.

I slowly began explaining the situation to Nam Dahee.

The friendship party was only a few hours away.