Episode 567. Iris Guild (6)

A private room in the corner of the training facility.

It was meant for personal training, but today it was used as a place for secret talk.

“My friend, what is it? There are still many humans left who need to receive my teachings.”

“Hmph. Ordering me around, you mere human.”

“Here, we can talk secretly from the guild members.”

“Thank you, Irene-ssi.”

I have a lot to say to those Underworld dwellers, but first, there’s something I need to clear up.

It’s been bothering me since earlier.

“Albedo. You remember me, right?”

“… Yes.”

Lee Hoyeon made eye contact with Albedo. The way he subtly avoided my gaze suggested he knew his place.

Albedo, an Incubus.

The reason I kept him alive was because Irene had demanded Albedo as a reward for the investigation.

It was bothersome in many ways, so I dumped him at the Iris Guild and hadn’t contacted him for quite a while… How did he turn out like this in the meantime?

“Were you always this ill-mannered? You were a good kid when I last saw you.”

“…… S-Sorry.”

“Snap out of it, you punk. It’s okay with the guild members, but always use polite language with Alice or Irene-ssi. Got it?”

“Yes ….”

“Strange Nightmare. I was curious before too, why are you sucking up to that human like that?”

“Shut up, Chiron.”

Lee Hoyeon watched Albedo, who glared at Chiron.

Since he couldn’t dare get angry at me, he seemed to be picking on Chiron, the easy target.

He was leaking magic power profusely, showing how angry he was.

‘Even though he’s scattering magic power like that, no one noticed.’

It’s clearly the Underworld’s magic power… but is it somehow different?

Lee Hoyeon glanced at Irene.

First, I need to inform her about the dangers of the Underworld’s magic power.

“Chiron. You too, show some magic power like Albedo.”

“Like this?”

“Good job, Irene-ssi. How is it? Do you feel any similarities compared to the magic power you saw in the black pillar?”

“The color is similar, indeed. But it seems different from the records investigated from the black pillar?”

Although Irene had participated to some extent in the black pillar investigation as the leader of Team 1, she hadn’t felt any threat from the black pillar.

‘What’s different?’

Lee Hoyeon continued to ponder, looking at the Underworld’s magic power brought out by Chiron and Albedo.

Visually, there’s no difference.

If I can’t distinguish it, it means others can’t either, so why aren’t they noticing the anomaly if it’s the same Underworld’s magic power?

“Albedo.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Do you feel any difference between using magic power in the Underworld and using it here?”

“I don’t quite understand what you’re saying… It’s difficult to use magic power, but there’s no difference.”

“What about you, Chiron?”

“The environment is different, indeed. The Underworld is full of the Underworld’s magic power, whereas this place is full of Earth’s magic power. But my magic power itself isn’t different.”

The Iris Guild members, who had directly seen the Underworld’s magic power, did not feel the anomaly.

If Chiron’s words were correct, it meant Lee Hoyeon’s thoughts were also slightly off.

“… Then what about this?”

Sssshh-

Pitch-black darkness bloomed on Lee Hoyeon’s palm.

Even Rebecca and Im Sol only noticed the anomaly after seeing my magic power.

Right.

Isn’t the premise itself wrong in the first place?

What if the perception of ‘Underworld’s magic power’ changed?

“Ooh, ooh…! I feel a chill run down my spine.”

“Hmm?! Is this the scent of the Underworld? I can feel the fragrance of the Underworld.”

“How can you wield such perfect magic power….”

“Human, no, Lee Hoyeon. What is that?”

It felt strange somehow.

If I put it nicely, it was as expected. If I put it badly, it was an annoying reaction.

Lee Hoyeon sighed and said to Chiron and Albedo.

“When I asked about the Underworld’s magic power before, you didn’t mention anything about the environment or whatnot. If the magic power was strange, you should have told me back then.”

“Was that so? I don’t remember trivial matters.”

…Are these bastards kidding me?

It would have been better if you had told me earlier.

Then understanding the situation would have been easier.

“Now I finally understand why my power weakened! Strange Nightmare! It’s time for you to regain your strength too!”

“Yeah. It wasn’t just a matter of adaptation. The environment was quite a big problem.”

I was going to curse them out, but thinking about it, it might not be Chiron and Albedo’s fault.

‘These guys might have had their perceptions changed too.’

I thought Chiron and Albedo would be fine because they were from the Underworld, but we need to look at it from a god’s perspective.

In a god’s eyes, humans and Chiron are probably the same lowly creatures.

It wasn’t just human perception that changed; the perception of all beings has changed.

‘Even after the battle with Lucifer, only Im Sol noticed something strange.’

If contact with the Underworld’s magic power was the trigger, then all the personnel who participated in the battle with Lucifer should have felt something strange.

‘Is the reason only I am fine because of the God of Betting?’

Lee Hoyeon is an Irregular.

Because I was invited by the God of Betting, I don’t originally belong to this world.

Perhaps the gods of this world couldn’t affect me, or maybe the God of Betting intervened.

“It’s definitely similar. Lucifer’s attack, the black pillar, the dungeon rampages. They are all orchestrated by Pandemic.”

“You said it was Underworld’s magic power, right? What’s the connection between Pandemic and Underworld’s magic power? Its scale is quite large for a mere terrorist group, but… it seemed to have slowed down a bit recently due to their efforts and organizational collapse.”

“They aren’t just a simple terrorist group. They are the ones trying to summon the Underworld into this world.”

“The Underworld?”

“The Underworld is another world where Chiron and Albedo were born. They are trying to merge that world with Earth using the black pillar.”

Listening to the conversation between Chiron and Lee Hoyeon, Irene couldn’t help but be flustered by the terms she heard for the first time.

Was Chiron not just a simple monster?

Of course, he had babbled about the Underworld and whatnot several times… but I naturally thought it was just nonsense.

“Sorry, but the pace is too fast, I can’t understand. What on earth is Pandemic’s purpose?”

“I don’t know the purpose either. What’s certain is that we can’t just leave those lunatics be.”

Irene was inwardly surprised seeing Lee Hoyeon frown.

I thought he only cared about women, but his hatred for Pandemic seemed genuine.

Irene asked with a serious expression.

“Is this reliable information? Pandemic’s purpose is something I’m hearing for the first time too.”

“Yes. It will naturally be revealed as you continue investigating the black pillar.”

“I’m curious how you know that information, but… re-investigating the black pillar. Okay. I understand. I’ll report it to the Guild Master as soon as the current investigation ends. If Alice and I vouch for it, pouring the full power of the Iris Guild won’t be difficult.”

“Ah.”

The investigation the Guild Master is currently conducting is about Lucifer.

And Lee Hoyeon knows most of the information he’s looking for.

Lee Hoyeon cleared his throat and continued speaking.

“…About that investigation into Lucifer too. I have some information. After asking Chiron a few things, I’ll come to Irene-ssi’s room.”

“More information? Do you really have some informant I don’t know about? Is it Scarlet, perhaps?”

“It’s nothing like that. I’ll finish up quickly and be back.”

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“No. You can rest.”

After Irene left.

Lee Hoyeon sat down, looking at Chiron and Albedo.

I hadn’t considered that their perceptions had changed too.

“What are you curious about, Lee Hoyeon? There’s no new information I can tell you.”

“I, I don’t have anything either.”

“Albedo, you’re dismissed. Chiron, you know that thing you did last time. Extracting Liliana’s memories like marbles.”

The reason I came all this way to meet these guys wasn’t just about the Underworld’s magic power.

It was precisely because of a special technique Chiron used.

“Are you talking about the Memory Marbles? That is a secret technique of my clan.”

“Yeah. I tried to imitate it somehow, but it was difficult. You can use it on others too, right?”

“What do you take me for? If the target permits it, it’s possible.”

“Good. Do it.”

Ttak-

Lee Hoyeon snapped his fingers and opened this space in the air.

This was the space Surin noona had given me to store Lucifer’s corpse.

Koong-!

As he moved magic power briefly, Lucifer’s massive body fell into the training room.

It looked like he could get up and roar even now, but I had confirmed several times that his life was extinguished.

“This is… really Lucifer. Were the words that he was dead true?”

“Would it be a lie when there’s a corpse right in front of us? And why is Lucifer called Lucifer? It’s weird. Doesn’t he have a strange name like ‘Wild Gladiator’?”

“What are you talking about? Just like ‘Killer Queen’ is ‘Killer Queen’, Lucifer is Lucifer.”

“That’s right. What’s wrong with the name Lucifer?”

“… Both of you, shut up and talk. Chiron. Can you extract the Memory Marbles?”

Lee Hoyeon stopped the pointless conversation.

Pointing out the hellspawn must be my own fault.

The Memory Marbles Chiron showed were quite a fascinating technique.

Turning scenes I’m seeing now into fragments of memory is something Lee Hoyeon can do, but visualizing and extracting past memories is slightly different.

Moreover, extracting the memories of the deceased, not one’s own, would have a much higher difficulty.

Of course, I might succeed if I spent time, but entrusting it to Chiron is much easier than researching it myself.

“What’s your purpose in wanting to see Lucifer’s memories?”

“Obviously, it’s to catch Maestro. There might be evidence in Lucifer’s memories. Don’t feel too pressured, just try it.”

“That human, you mean. Hmm. Alright.”

There might not be much to gain, but it’s a bonus.

If it’s possible, it would be good to do it.

Surin noona worked hard and handed over the corpse to me, but honestly, there’s nothing much I can do with Lucifer’s corpse.

If Chiron said no, I planned to hand it over to the Iris Guild as is.

‘Would I feel a bit sorry towards Surin noona if I did that?’

Well, I can just extract that much from the Iris Guild.

Lee Hoyeon spoke to Chiron, who was channeling magic power here and there while looking at Lucifer’s corpse.

“So, can you extract the Memory Marbles?”

“It’s impossible.”

“Why can’t you?”

“I’m the one who should be asking. Why did you think it would work? Bringing a dead body and asking to extract memories.”

“Tch. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. Go train. I’ll come back if I think of something else to ask later.”

Actually, Lee Hoyeon didn’t have high expectations either.

It would be good if it worked, and if not, so be it.

That was about the extent of my expectations.

“However… if it’s Lucifer, it might be possible.”

“What?”

“He was such a powerful demon that his will remains even after death.”

“This was the reason I didn’t believe it when I first heard Lucifer was dead. His presence remained in this world. So this is its identity. I won’t know until I try, but if it’s a memory deeply ingrained in his will, I might be able to extract it.”

“A deeply ingrained memory? What memory exactly?”

“Literally, something that was a huge shock to Lucifer or a sight ingrained in his memory that he could never forget. We won’t know until we extract the Memory Marbles.”

“… It’s better than nothing.”

A deeply ingrained memory.

Somehow, I felt like there might be an important scene.

“I might get to see Lucifer’s first experience. It’s a rare sight. I’m a little excited.”

“Isn’t this bastard crazy.”

“Aack….”

Lee Hoyeon crouched next to Chiron and smacked Albedo on the back of the head for spouting nonsense.

Maybe because he’s an Incubus, he says things like that even though his lust is gone.

It’s unpleasant.

“I won’t be able to train for a while. I will concentrate on creating the Memory Marbles.”

“Will it take long? You made it quickly last time, didn’t you?”

“My own memories and others’ memories are distinctly different. It will take a lot of time.”

“Hmm. Alright. I’ll hand over Lucifer’s corpse to the Iris Guild. I’ll let them know in advance, so you can request it from Irene-ssi.”

“As for Lucifer’s memories, I too am quite looking forward to it. Helping humans train is good, but this sounds fun too.”

It’s a shame it takes time, but I can go home and come back after the results are out.

If I let Irene know, I’ll be able to come more easily next time.

“Albedo. Don’t forget what I said. Don’t act cheeky towards Irene-ssi and Alice.”

“Ah, yes, understood….”

After securing Lucifer’s corpse.

Seeing Albedo bow 90 degrees, Lee Hoyeon exited the private room.

I have to go back to the Team 1 leader’s office.