episode_0710

“Sigh, what a foolish… ”

Ellis sighed and looked straight ahead.

Beside her stood Lee Hoyeon, who was chuckling softly.

“Ellis, relax.”

“…Keep it down since the reporters are watching.”

Ellis bit her lip, reproaching herself from ten minutes ago.

Thanks to her stupid surprise at Hoyeon’s face, his momentum was through the roof.

“Ellis, but still, Unni likes you the most.”

“Yeah, Unni. Got it, so look ahead and talk.”

Even Irene, who said that, was staring blankly at Hoyeon earlier.

The two sisters of the Iris Guild were honest about their emotions.

“Just because he has a handsome face for nothing…”

Ellis swallowed the bitter taste and faced the reporters.

Fortunately, thanks to Hoyeon infusing magic right away, they didn’t expose an embarrassing sight to others.

“Ellis, can I stay quiet during the interview?”

“Yeah, I’ll do all the talking, so just sit next to me and smile.”

“Comfortable and nice.”

Hoyeon promptly sat comfortably in his seat.

The interview time was approaching.

The reporters who had been around Hoyeon before the Iris Guild arrived now surrounded Ellis and Irene.

They must have asked Hoyeon everything there was to ask.

They were truly professional-minded people.

“Now get ready since the interview is starting.”

A moment later, the interview began.

“There seems to be dissatisfaction with the Iris Guild’s aggressive business expansion…”

“I’d like to ask Mage Lee Hoyeon a question. There are rumors of you recently dropping out of Victoria Academy…”

“That’s just a baseless rumor.”

Although they were told to stay quiet, reporters occasionally threw questions at Hoyeon.

Hoyeon answered only what he needed to, carefully handling the reporters.

Among the reporters, some suspicious faces could be seen, especially the persistent questionings from EK Guild members.

“Hmm, what’s this…?”

As the interview was in full swing,

An odd sensation brushed Hoyeon’s mind.

And the next moment,

The light vanished from the party hall.

“What, what’s happening!”

“Terror! It’s a terror attack!”

All the lights in the party hall went out, and all magical devices malfunctioned.

Chaos spread rapidly throughout the party hall.

“Management team! Do something! Turn on the lights immediately!”

“Darn it, the devices aren’t responding!”

“We can’t move our magic! It feels like something hit us!”

Hoyeon raised his hand to summon magic.

The blue magic blossoming on his hand was evidently weaker than usual.

“This is… a pandemic magic suppression barrier?”

To think that this was still lingering from the pandemic.

It even seemed more effective than before when measured.

“This is getting annoying.”

Hoyeon raised his magic.

Such barriers wouldn’t work on him now.

“Martial Palace Deployment.”

Crack-

He forcibly supplied magic inside the party hall.

Even the stationary magical devices lit up as Hoyeon’s magic reached them.

“Hoyeon, how did you do that? Magic isn’t working…”

“This is what makes me the prodigy mage Lee Hoyeon. Ellis, are you okay?”

“I can move magic, but… the power is weakened.”

Hoyeon surveyed his surroundings.

While the party hall looked chaotic overall, strong hunters seemed able to use some magic.

“My magic weakened the barriers slightly.”

Fortunately, most Iris Guild members could still use magic, but they couldn’t avoid the overall weakening of their powers.

“Everyone, calm down! The barriers surrounding the party hall are intact!”

“Don’t worry, Lee Hoyeon the Mage is here!”

Humans fear the darkness.

If the darkness inside the party hall had persisted, the confusion would have escalated, but thanks to Hoyeon restoring all the magical devices with a gesture, the chaos gradually subsided.

Thud-! Rumble-!

However, people’s relief was short-lived.

Sounds of commotion erupted from outside.

It was the sound of the Iris Guild’s protective barriers being attacked.

“Guild Master, can you use scrying magic?”

“Yes, I will check right away.”

In response to Elise’s question, the second-in-command of the Aeryllis Guild confirmed the scrying magic connected to the outside.

As the magic circle unfolded, they could observe the situation outside.

“Th-those… are mines?”

“No way. There are over a thousand mines…?”

Even Lee Hoyeon furrowed his brows at the sight outside.

The mines attacking the barrier were at least several thousand in number. When combined with the humans visible behind them, there were at least ten thousand troops.

It was hard to believe that there were still so many mines left under Pandemic’s control.

It felt like all the hidden mines had been summoned out at once.

“This is unbelievable. To think Pandemic still has this much force remaining…!”

“Guild Master! We’re not sure how long the barrier will hold!”

The second-in-command approached Isaac, lost in thought.

If even the Aeryllis Guild was unaware of this information, it seemed they hadn’t been active externally at all.

“While our hunters may have weakened internally, we can still muster enough strength. Even if the barrier falls, we can hold out within the party for half a day. By then, the rescue team will definitely arrive.”

Isaac licked his lips as he surveyed the situation outside.

The scale of the terror attack was much larger than anticipated.

“Where on earth did they hide this many mines?”

Avoiding the gaze of the Aeryllis Guild was nearly impossible at this point.

But there was no time to dwell on anything beyond that.

“It was the Aeryllis Guild that ensured the safety of this party, wasn’t it?”

The Guild Master of the EK Guild, Pretzel, began to voice his dissatisfaction.

“Now that the terror attack has occurred, those of us who participated in the party have the right to be protected by the Aeryllis Guild.”

“Don’t worry, Guild Master. The barrier protecting the party is very strong. Moreover, the rescue team will be organized soon…”

“What are you talking about! We don’t know what might happen to us while we’re in the party! The enemy forces are much stronger than expected! We need to escape right now!”

Pretzel’s words sparked murmurs among the others.

Considering the strength of the enemy, avoiding a direct confrontation and opting to escape made sense. In a way, it wasn’t an entirely wrong suggestion.

“It didn’t seem like we were going to fight head-on… Was it supposed to be like this?”

Even if the EK Guild, which led the terror from behind, couldn’t openly threaten the guests at the party.

At that moment, they would become enemies of the world and lose their power.

Hence, instead of directly engaging, they were pushing for an escape, knowing it would make it difficult to regain power.

“Escape? We don’t know what might happen if we go outside the barrier!”

“What? Are you just going to trust the barrier and wait until the guests die? Will you take responsibility if something happens to them! Do you even know who these people are!”

Some people tried to argue against Pretzel’s words, but he only raised his voice further.

Thud! Crash!

The sound of the barrier being hit grew louder, and the interior of the party became increasingly chaotic.

Not everyone at the party were powerful hunters. Many were unable to use magic, like corporate CEOs or journalists.

They were swayed by Pretzel’s words.

“Aeryllis Guild. Please make a decision!”

“Isaac! It’s up to you to decide!”

“….”

Isaac looked around the noisy party and smirked bitterly.

Ultimately, there were two choices.

To hold out or to escape.

“If we hold out in the party until the rescue team arrives, can we stop them?”

They had stationed many reserve troops and guilds around the party area, but even if they joined forces, it would be impossible to defeat those mines.

If they gathered strength from other guilds and the Hunter Association to form a rescue team… even if it took a while, half a day would be enough.

With the Aeryllis Guild’s barrier, there was a high chance they could hold out for half a day.

However, barricading themselves in the party could be a risky strategy if the opponents had prepared something.

It might give the enemy time to prepare.

“Even if we attempt an escape, there will undoubtedly be enemy traps. However… even if we don’t escape, there’s a high possibility that they are preparing something.”

Ultimately, no matter what choice is made, battle is inevitable.

Furthermore, if any guests die, the Iris Guild must take full responsibility.

If the escape is successful, it will benefit the EK Guild, which strongly advocated for the escape. But if there are casualties after the siege, the blame will fall on the EK Guild.

Even if the escape fails, the EK Guild is not directly at fault. The Iris Guild, responsible for the party’s security, is likely to face criticism.

In the end, succeeding in the siege is the only viable option.

However, the enemy is likely aware of this as well.

Without knowing what they have prepared, it might even be the siege that the enemy is targeting.

“Guild Master.”

“Ah, Wizard Lee Ho-yeon.”

At that moment when Isaac was contemplating, Lee Ho-yeon approached.

Seeing his face, Isaac could breathe a little easier.

That’s right. Lee Ho-yeon is here.

A genius wizard who can use magic normally even in an unidentified barrier that blocks magic usage.

Perhaps there could be a solution with him around.

“Do you have any thoughts on this?”

“Yes. We should siege within the barrier.”

“Are you sure about that? It could be what the other side is aiming for.”

“I will take responsibility.”

Lee Ho-yeon said nonchalantly.

Isaac didn’t distrust him, but out of caution, he added, “There might be preparations on their side as well. Even though communication with the outside has been cut off, the rescue team will likely be organized soon…”

“Don’t worry. It will be back to normal in 30 minutes.”

“What does that mean?”

“We encountered a magic-blocking barrier during the pandemic before. I’ve devised a release spell. I’ve already informed the Mage Association, so it should be lifted soon.”

As Isaac turned his head, he saw wizards gathering around Arthur, the head of the association.

“Darn! Darn…! You expect us to lift this in 30 minutes?!”

“Lee Ho-yeon, isn’t this too much?!”

“Everyone, focus! Wizard Lee Ho-yeon has positively considered becoming the next head of the Mage Society!”

Among them, Arthur, the head of the association, had a fiery look in his eyes as he eyed the release spell given by Lee Ho-yeon.

Watching this scene, Isaac suddenly became curious.

“Wizard Lee Ho-yeon. If you help, can’t we resolve this quickly?”

“I have other matters to attend to. I’ll leave all internal defenses to the Iris Guild.”

“What?”

“Since we don’t know what the enemies might do, I will handle it.”

Thump-

Magic surged through Lee Ho-yeon’s body.

Not because the enemies were strong.

The anticipation of sincerely unleashing magic ignited a fire in Lee Ho-yeon’s chest.

“Lee Ho-yeon, are you sure about this? The enemy’s strength is beyond imagination. Do you really need to delay time…?”

“Don’t worry, Irene.”

Approaching, Lee Ho-yeon held Irene’s hand, reassuring her.

“I will apprehend everyone according to the law without missing a single person.”

Zzing-

As Lee Ho-yeon gestured into the air, a portal appeared.

It was a magic that passed through the gap in the pre-installed barrier, connecting to the outside.

“Just a moment! Lee Ho-yeon, are you crazy? Why are you suddenly going out alone?”

“Oh, right. Elise, take this.”

“Why all of a sudden… What’s this?”

“A safety device. Just infuse it with magic in case the EK Guild goes wild.”

Elise, who was worried about Lee Ho-yeon, raised an eyebrow upon seeing the button-shaped magical device he handed her.

And then, Lee Ho-yeon immediately threw himself into the portal.

“Wait, hold on!”

Elise reached out to the portal belatedly, but it swallowed Lee Ho-yeon and disappeared.

Watching Lee Ho-yeon vanish, Irene blinked and asked, “…Apprehending everyone according to the law? Wasn’t that our concern?”

“Sister, is he really okay?”

Alice looked at the disappeared Lee Ho-yeon and spoke as if feeling frustrated.

“He may be strong, but is there a reason for him to go fight alone?”

“Even so, it’s Lee Ho-yeon. He won’t die, right…?”

Alice and Irene looked at the situation outside with worried expressions.