Episode 306. To the Iris Guild (4)

“Tch. Are you afraid I’ll eat you or something? Why are you following me.”

Irene, who had dragged me to the reception room next to the lobby while pushing my back, sat down across from me.

Outside the glass-walled reception room, Sebastian and Scarlet, who had eventually followed us, were standing looking this way, and Irene glanced at them for a moment before smiling at me.

“You went through a lot receiving that weird welcome. It’s the Guild Master’s stubbornness… Ah, would you like a drink or something?”

“I’m fine. You have something you want to say, right?”

I looked into Irene’s eyes and attempted to converse.

This isn’t the time for drinks.

I have to hear what this fox-like woman has to say to me.

“Mmm. It’s nothing special, we’ll be seeing each other for at least a week because of the Centaur, so I thought I’d try to have a conversation.”

“Ah. If that’s the case, anytime.”

It was a surprisingly normal conversation.

That’s a relief.

“How did you get to know Alice?”

“At first, we met in the student council, and then we became close during the survival exam.”

“Aha…. Now, you’re doing massages too, right?”

“Yes. I’m confident in handling mana.”

The conversation with Irene seemed normal so far, but I absolutely did not let go of the thread of tension.

Because I didn’t know when she might throw in a strange question.

“Speaking of which, what about Alice? Do you have any intention of dating her? If it’s someone like Hoyeon, I approve too.”

Irene said to me with a smile.

‘Here it comes.’

This is a trap.

The moment I fall for it, Irene’s favorability towards me will be fixed at 0.

Of course, I had already thought of the perfect answer.

“We’re just friends.”

“When you give massages, you’ll have opportunities to touch bodies, right? Do you really have no feelings?”

“On my part, I’m doing it with a professional mindset. I get paid a lot, so I can’t do that.”

“To not get excited even after seeing such a beautiful body, you’re not normal. It’s a little unsettling.”

“…”

What am I supposed to do, you crazy bitch.

I can’t exactly say your sister is fucking hot.

‘Still, it’s better to be the unsettling one.’

If I said I liked Alice, I don’t know what kind of situation I’d end up in.

I don’t want to become a rival in love.

“Let’s stop the joking and get back to business. What is your purpose for wanting to see the Centaur?”

“It’s for personal research. I already mentioned it to the Guild Master too.”

Irene asked with a bright smile, and I calmly gave my prepared answer.

It’s a well-known fact that wizards do strange research.

“But, I can’t believe that.”

“… Huh?”

“The Guild Master told me to accept you, but my opinion is different. How can I trust you and accept you?”

“I already received permission from the Guild Master?”

“It’ll be a hassle, but I can stop it. Dad loves me and Alice.”

“…”

– What kind of woman is this! Lee Hoyeon! Kill her!

Liliana got angry, and Irene laughed playfully.

She’s truly not an easy woman.

I wondered where Alice learned to act so spoiled relying on her looks, but she must have learned it from her sister.

Even when she talks like that, she’s not very hateful.

No, to be precise, even though I hate it, because she’s pretty, my anger is lessened.

“Haa, what is it that you want?”

Anyway, she’s probably not curious about my objective.

The Iris Guild must have done a background check on me.

If there was a problem during that process, they would have cut ties from the beginning.

From the moment I arrived at Iris Guild, it means my background is already clean, but her acting like this means she wants something from me.

“Cooperate with me. It’s good for you too.”

I nodded and focused on Irene’s words.

“Alice will definitely take this opportunity to get some real combat experience. Since she came with you for the experience, she’ll definitely say so.”

“…”

“If that happens, Father will pretend to just let her tag along because of Alice. The Centaur tracking team is very dangerous.”

“… Yes.”

Is that so?

I pondered as I listened to Irene’s words.

Thinking about it, it seems to make sense.

However, there’s something Irene hasn’t considered.

Actually, my objective is simply to see the Centaur’s magic.

No matter how carelessly they track, they’ll probably show me the Centaur’s face.

From that moment on, Liliana and I alone can track it.

“So. Instead of putting you on the proper tracking team, there’s something you have to do for me.”

“Yes. Please tell me.”

However, I didn’t cut off the conversation.

I wanted to know what on earth Irene was trying to say by acting like this.

“Alice absolutely must be removed from the tracking team. You absolutely cannot take her. You need to persuade Alice.”

“Ah.”

I wondered why she was talking so earnestly, but now I understand.

That’s why she was doing this, to not put Alice in even the slightest danger.

What admirable sisterly love.

“Isn’t that too overprotective? Both the Guild Master and you, Irene-nim… Alice needs to gain experience too. Besides, the situations where Alice might be in danger won’t be that many, right?”

“Nuh-uh? No, that can’t happen. Alice will inherit the Guild later, so she can’t be put in any danger, even a little. I’ll handle all the practical work. I’ll make sure Alice just lives a happy life.”

“…”

– This woman’s eyes are scary. Lee Hoyeon. I want to run away quickly…

Liliana’s words are not an exaggeration. I was scared too.

It’s like a crazy nobleman in the Middle Ages who locks up the woman he loves in a castle and just watches her.

Meeting her in person, Irene was definitely strange.

“So what are you going to do? The Centaur. You want to see it, right?”

“I do, but…”

Liliana’s issue must be resolved as the top priority, so I have to see the Centaur.

The problem is that I loudly proclaimed I’d let Alice gain experience too, making a big show of it.

Of course, I could ignore Irene’s words and do as I was planning.

Alice would benefit from her first real combat, and I’d benefit from seeing the Centaur.

But if I did that, Irene wouldn’t see me in a good light.

The moment I heard this proposal, I would have to choose between siding with Irene or becoming her enemy.

‘I don’t want to make an enemy.’

Irene is incredibly strong, so it’s difficult for me right now to challenge her.

Besides, I really don’t want to confront Irene, who is an executive of the Iris Guild and Alice’s older sister.

Just as I was pondering how I should act.

“Unnie…!”

“Oh my, it’s been a while, Alice.”

The reception room door burst open, and Alice entered.

Was the call finally over?

Alice stood next to me and glared at Irene.

Alice, wearing an unpleasant expression, slowly opened her mouth.

“… How could you take my guest away.”

“What are you talking about, Alice. Hoyeon is a guest of the Iris Guild.”

“…”

“By the way, Hoyeon, you were really cool. I like you.”

“… So what about it.”

“Why the long face? It’s your sister you haven’t seen in a while. Anyway, see you next time, Hoyeon. Please show him around the rest of the Guild. Alice?”

Irene greeted me, patted Alice’s shoulder, and disappeared with the click-clack of her heels.

“… Haa.”

Looking outside through the glass, Sebastian and Scarlet had already disappeared.

Did they get scolded by Alice?

Watching Irene’s retreating back, Alice took a deep breath, furrowed her brow, and quickly turned her head to look at me.

“You, what did you talk about with Unnie?”

“We didn’t talk about anything. Just about the Centaur? She seemed very worried about you.”

“I told you. You must never fall for that appearance. Got it? Her smiling like that is all fox. Never. Absolutely not!”

“I won’t.”

“Liar. You’ve already got eyes for her. You’ve fallen for her.”

Alice looked at me with cold eyes.

This is so unfair.

“… It’s really not. Besides, I met your Unnie for the first time today, how could I fall for her?”

“Who likes women as pretty as you? No matter what, you shouldn’t mess with my Unnie.”

Alice must also have a hard time.

Usually, the proud Alice wasn’t like this. Her inferiority complex towards her sister was visible.

Still, she wasn’t intimidated, so I guess that’s fortunate.

I calmly calmed Alice down.

“It’s not like I go crazy just seeing pretty women. You’re pretty too, and you’re staying calm.”

“… Unnie is prettier than me. And her personality is better too.”

“So you know her personality is bad. Still, among the people I know, you’re the best looking. Even if I can’t say the same for your personality.”

“…”

Alice bit her lip at my words, hesitated, avoided my gaze, and turned away.

“… Follow me. The Guild Master can’t make it today. I’ll take you to your accommodation.”

– Her ears turned red. She must be embarrassed.

As expected, compliments always work well.

I followed behind Alice, whose ears were blushing red as she walked away.

*

The assigned accommodation was quite spacious.

It was about the same size as the Academy dormitory I used to live in.

In other words, it was an optimized location for Liliana to appear.

I cast a rune barrier, confirmed the surroundings were safe, and tapped my necklace.

Puh-woong-

Along with smoke, Liliana popped out and immediately face-planted on the floor.

“Haa, haa… It’s hot. Why couldn’t that woman find the accommodation right in front of her?”

“You went through a lot. Were you hot? You couldn’t even speak, so it must have been frustrating.”

“No. I was just saying. The necklace wouldn’t feel the temperature.”

Deol-keong-

Liliana, without even changing clothes, flopped down onto the bed.

She was wearing a casual outfit of a white t-shirt and short shorts, but if she was going to wear that, why not just wear sweatpants?

Of course, she was tired, so I understand.

I also sat down on the edge of the bed, caressing Liliana’s firm thighs as my hand slid down.

It’s happiness to have a woman I can touch whenever I want.

“Let’s go out later and grab something delicious to eat.”

“Huk. Okay. I want to eat bread.”

“Sure, sure. We’ll eat whatever you want.”

Also thinking about souvenirs for the kids, I should go sightseeing.

Since it’s my first time abroad, I’m excited too.

“Ah, now that I think about it, I don’t even know where we are. Let’s look it up before we go out.”

“I’ll look it up!”

Since we landed directly in the front yard using a private jet, I don’t know the surrounding area.

Liliana was tapping her smartwatch, humming about bakeries in Paris, but I wonder if this is even Paris.

Tok-tok-tok-

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

A familiar mana reaction.

This was Scarlet’s mana.

“Come in!”

As I expected, the one who opened the door and came in was Scarlet.

Scarlet was wearing the professional office girl outfit from earlier.

“Hoyeon-nim. Did you enjoy our welcome?”

“Yeah. Thanks to you, I had a good time. Is it the rule for Iris Guild to treat guests like this?”

“Well, I was chosen as the guide because I have the kind of looks Hoyeon-nim might like. It was my first time as a guide.”

“… Isaac-ssi chose you?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a good choice. Hey.”

That old man has a good eye.

Because he’s a playboy, he knows pretty women well.

“Anyway, welcome Scarlet. Do you want to come too for dinner? I was planning to go somewhere delicious with Liliana, so can you recommend a place?”

“Scout! I like bakeries. I want to eat baguettes!”

“I will treat you to a full French course.”

“Does France even have a full course?”

When a junior from school said he’d treat me to a full course when I visited his hometown, I took a three-hour train ride, only to hear, “So, what should we do now?” I hate hearing things like that, but if it’s Scarlet, I can trust her.

“A full course means entertainment! I’ll show you a succubus’s entertainment skills!”

“Shut up. Liliana. If you get caught, they’ll dissect you.”

“Entertainment is difficult, but I will properly treat you to a meal.”

“Great, great. You really need a local.”

Today, I think I can enjoy the full course.

“Ah, but I suddenly don’t feel like eating baguettes. Is there no chicken here? It’s France, after all, so shouldn’t there be something like baguette chicken?!”

“Liliana. Let’s just stick to baguettes. Please.”

After debating the menu for tens of minutes, Liliana and I finally headed to the restaurant Scarlet recommended.