Side Story 41. The Story After (41)

• The Iris Guild is the best guild in the world!

A sentence that had become so natural now, it didn’t even evoke resistance.

Lee Hoyeon had also heard it countless times from those around him, so he understood it intellectually.

‘Right. The Iris Guild is the best in the world?’

But inwardly, he might have underestimated just how much the world’s best guild truly was.

Scarlet, Alice, Irene, Dr. Kang Hyorin… Since they were all people Lee Hoyeon was close with, he hadn’t really paid attention to how amazing the Iris Guild actually was.

“…What is all this?”

Lee Hoyeon gaped, looking at the gigantic factories stretching out before him.

It wasn’t his first time seeing a factory district, but it was astonishing that this entire area belonged to the Iris Guild.

“It’s a magitech factory. They produce spatial pockets here. Iris Guild’s products are sturdy, so they have a good reputation.”

Standing beside Lee Hoyeon was Alice, wearing sunglasses.

It didn’t seem like an illusion that she looked particularly cool today.

“This entire land belongs to the Iris Guild? Even the factories?”

“Of course. We’re just looking around this area briefly, so hurry up and follow me.”

“Are there other places?”

“We can’t look around at more business sites. There are dozens of places like this all over the world. Let’s head somewhere else now.”

“Dozens…?”

The manufacturing process for magitech items is much simpler compared to electronics or engineered goods.

But if there are dozens of factories like that… just how much money are they raking in?

‘I really need to treat my father-in-law well.’

Next time I see him, I should take him to a cheese soft tofu place.

Scarlet disliked it, but the Guild Leader-nim is a man, so he’ll definitely like it.

Lee Hoyeon nodded as he followed Alice.

“Alice. You met the Administrator-nim, right?”

Irene, also wearing sunglasses like Alice, operated her smartwatch while coordinating the schedule.

“Yeah. Unnie. Let’s head to the research institute next.”

It was the first time seeing Irene and Alice working.

The two of them, dressed in uniforms, looked even prettier today; they were the very image of the office ladies men admired.

“Irene-ssi. Does the Iris Guild have its own research institute too?”

“Yeah. It’s probably known that we visited the factory, so there will likely be many reporters around. Be careful.”

“Okay. Irene-ssi.”

After leaving the factory district.

Only then did Lee Hoyeon realize the reason Irene and Alice had been wearing sunglasses.

“Cadet Lee Hoyeon! I’m a fan!”

“You’re so handsome!”

“Thank you. Thank you.”

The area around the Iris Guild’s research institute was already packed with people.

It wasn’t just reporters; ordinary people had also gathered in huge numbers, and the majority of that popularity was directed at Alice and Irene.

“Alice unnie! Look over here!”

“Irene-nim! I love you!”

Alice and Irene waved their hands as if accustomed to the attention, while Lee Hoyeon glared at the man who shouted ‘I love you’ and moved his feet.

‘Alice and Irene are practically idols in France.’

Actually, it wasn’t strange.

Lee Hoyeon would probably get this kind of reaction if he wandered the streets of Korea too.

Usually, he didn’t need to show off, so he’d cast perception-hindering magic, but he did reveal his face when he had schedules.

“Is it true that Mage Lee Hoyeon is also participating in the party hosted by Three Star!?”

“Please give us just one comment about the collaboration between Mage Lee Hoyeon-nim and the Iris Guild!”

He had no idea how they found out, but reporters were lined up in front of the research institute.

Alice stepped forward as if accustomed to it and responded to the interview.

“Today, we are seeking Mage Lee Hoyeon’s advice on magitech research. We’ll discuss important matters at the upcoming party.”

After exchanging brief greetings, we entered the research institute.

As soon as the reporters’ gazes disappeared, Lee Hoyeon clung tightly to Alice.

“Alice. Is there anything I can advise the researchers on? I don’t know much about magitech.”

“I was just saying that, so don’t worry about it. Still, you need to show your face to the researchers. It’ll be quite effective if they spread word about it.”

“But they’re researchers, not reporters?”

“Nowadays, with the development of communities and SNS, anyone can access and share information, right? The fact that reporters and ordinary people came all the way here is proof of that. Just spreading rumors among acquaintances that Mage Lee Hoyeon is close with the Iris Guild can have a positive effect.”

It was Irene who answered Lee Hoyeon’s question.

She spoke while scrolling through a hologram monitor with one hand.

Lee Hoyeon looked at Irene, inwardly surprised.

“…Irene-ssi. You look quite cool today. Like a professional.”

“I don’t know what you usually think of me, but… I am indeed a professional. I’m the captain of Iris Guild’s First Unit.”

Although it had become obvious that Alice would be the next Guild Leader of Iris Guild, before that, Irene was the top ace of the Iris Guild.

Of course, Lee Hoyeon didn’t know that.

“I just thought you were a doting sibling.”

“So you were watching properly? But it’s Alice’s fault for being cute. Earlier, the way she gave that cold smile to the reporters… it was cool, and also cute…”

“I think I know what you mean. It’s a bit different from her usual smile… Ack!”

…Alice blushed and started stomping on Lee Hoyeon’s foot repeatedly.

She couldn’t bring herself to hit her own sister, so she hit Lee Hoyeon instead.

Inside the research institute, researchers were working busily.

Alice and Irene went to meet the administrator, leaving Lee Hoyeon standing awkwardly alone as he exchanged greetings with the researchers.

“Nice to meet you. I am Akkasi, Chief Researcher at the Iris Guild.”

“Hello, Akkasi-ssi. I’m Mage Lee Hoyeon. I’m here in an advisory capacity… but I only plan to look around, so please don’t mind me.”

Lee Hoyeon shook hands with Akkasi and then looked around.

Magitech items, magic circles, healing potions, and so on…

They probably don’t research all of these in the same place.

It seems they gathered prototype products because Alice and Irene were visiting.

Lee Hoyeon narrowed his eyes and picked up a nearby magitech item.

“This is defensive magic. Is it a self-defense item?”

“Yes. It’s a self-defense magitech item that anyone can use. It’s scheduled for release soon.”

In reality, self-defense items and Lee Hoyeon were worlds apart, but it wasn’t difficult to view it from a civilian’s perspective.

Lee Hoyeon himself had spent more time unable to use magic.

“If you just press it, the mana embedded in the magitech item completes the magic circle. The contained magic is superheated air… Since it was made for civilian use, it couldn’t hold much mana, so the power is a bit disappointing.”

“Wh-what? Have you already deciphered the magic circle? As expected of Mage Lee Hoyeon-nim…!”

Akkasi couldn’t hide his surprised expression.

He thought there would definitely be something to learn if he received advice from Mage Lee Hoyeon.

“It’s not bad. But isn’t superheated air a bit weak for a self-defense spell?”

“Ah, because it’s a product for civilians who can’t use magic, it’s difficult to insert high-tier spells. If we were determined, we could add better magic, but if it becomes too expensive, it loses its purpose, so there’s also the cost issue.”

“No. I think it just needs a few tweaks here.”

Sreuk-

Mana emanating from Lee Hoyeon’s fingertips began to stir the prototype magitech item.

The magic circle inside the magitech item was quite decent even by Lee Hoyeon’s standards, but it seemed like refining it just a little could yield better results.

“Ah, touching it carelessly could be dangerous… Uh. Uh…?”

Akkasi, startled by Lee Hoyeon’s mana, found his eyes widening gradually.

He himself had been recognized as a commercial mage and joined the Iris Guild, but the magic the mage before him was performing was on a completely different level.

Sreuk- Jiik-

The mana, which had been haphazardly connected and then torn apart, gradually began to take shape, and soon Akkasi could understand the magitech item.

“It’s a magic circle that fires superheated air like a compressed projectile. It can operate with the same amount of mana, and the magic circle’s size is the same too.”

“This is unbelievable…”

He had heard many stories about Mage Lee Hoyeon, but seeing his ability in person was even more astonishing.

However, Akkasi shook his head with a disappointed expression.

“Mage Lee Hoyeon-nim. Thank you for the truly wonderful magic. However, if the performance is this good, there’s a possibility it could be misused for crime, and the risk of accidents is also high…”

“Don’t worry. There are safety devices to prevent it from being life-threatening. Also, the moment the magitech item is used, mana will link between the user and the item. If we investigate that trace, we’ll be able to find them quickly, even if it’s used for crime.”

“…”

He finished all the processing in such a short time…

Akkasi packed up the prototype while looking at Lee Hoyeon.

“We’ll try to release it as quickly as possible. By any chance, would it be alright to promote it by saying it received advice from Mage Lee Hoyeon?”

“Well… there’s no reason why not.”

“Thank you! I’ll pass it on to the marketing team.”

“Yes. Please do.”

Akkasi gave a quick bow and disappeared towards the other side of the lab.

Just as they were parting, Alice came in, tilting her head as she approached Lee Hoyeon.

“What’s going on? I’ve never seen Akkasi get so excited before.”

“I helped him revise a magic circle, and he wanted to promote it saying I advised him, so I told him it was fine.”

“That’s great. I’ll send over a contract later, so please check it.”

“What do we need a contract for, between us?”

“That’s exactly why. The closer we are, the clearer our financial dealings should be.”

Alice turned on her smartwatch and sent a message instructing the contract to be delivered to Lee Hoyeon.

Then she turned again and grabbed Lee Hoyeon’s arm, who was wearing a blank expression.

“The consultation is finished, right? Let’s get going soon.”

“Where are we going this time?”

“The work is finished. Now I have to go spend time with Unnie. You have to come too, so follow me.”

“Alice! Lee Hoyeon! So you were here!”

Lee Hoyeon smiled faintly as he watched Irene running towards them from the distance.

It felt like he was going to be dragged around all day today.