Episode 469. Irene’s Grievance (2)

“What a hassle… It’s tough outside the house….”

“Liliana. That’s not good. You’ll gain weight if you just stay inside the house, won’t you?”

“That’s not the case for me since I’m a succubus. Ask Scout.”

“Umm….”

Nam Daeun continued her contemplation, watching Rebecca and Liliana chat away nonchalantly.

Before her eyes, she saw Irene, her body bound.

… Is this really okay?

Of course, solving Lee Hoyeon’s worries is the most important thing, but kidnapping is a crime.

Especially for Nam Daeun, who had her sibling kidnapped before, this kind of incident hit much harder.

‘Maybe I should say we should stop right now… No, but if it’s about Hoyeon’s issue, maybe it can’t be helped? Sigh, but this kind of thing….’

While Nam Daeun was lost in serious thought, Scarlet securely tied Irene’s limbs.

“Since we can’t keep staying on the street, shall we take her home for now?”

“Mmph. Mmmphhh!!!”

“Be still. Irene-nim.”

Scarlet headed home, tucking the struggling Irene under her arm.

Irene tried desperately to struggle, but the tightly bound magic ropes suppressed her magic.

‘Are they planning to torture me?’

Irene bit her lip as she watched Scarlet carrying her somewhere.

She never imagined she’d suffer such treatment by Lee Hoyeon’s lovers, but now that it’s happened, she had to be prepared.

She was the 1st Team Leader of the Iris Guild.

Preparations for torture or brainwashing were already complete.

If anything were to happen to her, Sebastian, the Korean Branch Manager, and Alice would surely notice.

What was puzzling was that Scarlet, who couldn’t possibly not know this, was the ringleader of the kidnapping, and despite using such coercive methods, she showed no hostility.

In any case, kidnapping her meant they were strongly determined to achieve their goal.

Irene steeled herself for what was to come.

…And she tilted her head in confusion, watching Scarlet go into the house right next door.

‘…… Why are they going in here?’

This place is Lee Hoyeon’s house.

Because they’re lovers, are they coming and going so freely into Lee Hoyeon’s house?

But she had never seen herself or Alice going to Lee Hoyeon’s house.

Moreover, judging by Irene’s keen eye, the way the women entering the house walked was incredibly familiar.

As if they had lived in this house for a long time.

‘Could it be that the presence I felt in the empty house was these women?’

While Lee Hoyeon was in America, there had been a presence in Lee Hoyeon’s house, which should have clearly been empty.

If those presences were these women…

‘That crazy bastard. Is he keeping four women around?’

Does this make any sense?

Even if he’s a playboy, four women in the house? Moreover, a relationship that everyone consents to?

…Indeed, for Alice’s sake, distancing herself from Lee Hoyeon might be the right thing to do.

‘But if Lee Hoyeon distances himself from Alice, won’t I also drift away? That would be a bit….’

“Mmph.”

Thump-

Irene forgot the situation and fell into thought for a moment, but soon felt her body lift off the ground.

Scarlet, who had entered the house, had thrown Irene into the living room.

“Don’t worry. Irene-nim. To be honest, I won’t do anything bad.”

“Mmph. Mmph….”

Sensing something strange, Irene stared intently at Scarlet’s face.

‘Something really is strange.’

Although Irene had considered torture, even after being brought into the house, she couldn’t feel any hostility from them.

Scarlet kept her expression hidden, and from the gazes of the three people standing behind Scarlet, curiosity and concern could be felt.

Was it just that their methods were extreme, and they simply needed information?

“Scout, so what are you going to do? Should I use seduction?”

“I’m quite skilled at torture, too. Before meeting the baby’s father, my past was quite colorful.”

“Rebecca-ssi, don’t do anything too extreme….”

“Hmm, is that so? Torture might not be good for prenatal education.”

Hearing the chilling conversation, Irene was about to retract her previous thought, but the following words made her feel suspicious.

“Don’t worry. Daeun-yang. We’ll just get cooperation and won’t do anything strange.”

“That’s right, isn’t it…?”

Nam Daeun felt a little relieved. As expected, Scarlet didn’t seem like she would do anything bad.

Liliana, who had been watching the situation, had a good idea and immediately voiced it.

“Or else you could use your tail like I did with Scout. This is incredibly effective.”

“Using your tail on Scarlet-yang? What does that mean?”

“Aha. Rebecca, you don’t really know, huh? That was the day I first met Scout…”

“Liliana-nim. … You shouldn’t say that.”

“Scout, are you perhaps jealous? I understand how you feel, but we need to get the information. We went to all the trouble of bringing her here.”

“It’s not that. If we mess with Irene-nim, Lee Hoyeon-nim might become sad.”

“Ah. This woman too was Lee Hoyeon’s girlfriend? Come to think of it, she looks like the woman I saw last time.”

“Yeah. She even did the Centaur Operation with me.”

Irene, listening quietly to the conversation, grasped the unfolding situation.

These women are Lee Hoyeon’s lovers, and they seem to know that she herself is close with Lee Hoyeon.

‘What on earth are their intentions?’

They need information, yet they seem to care about Lee Hoyeon, suggesting immense affection for him.

Then why did they drag her here?

Tap. Tap.

Just then, Scarlet, crouching down in front of Irene, poked Irene’s face repeatedly.

She put on a sad expression, looking down at Irene.

“Come to think of it, when you were in the Iris Guild, the 1st Team Leader was really scary. How much you scolded me, a rookie….”

“Mmphh! Mmmmmmphhh!”

‘What kind of bullshit is this!’

Scarlet had belonged to the Iris Guild since childhood; if she was a rookie back then, it was a past she couldn’t even remember.

Besides, back then, she herself was also a guild member, so there was no way she could have scolded Scarlet.

Irene struggled indignantly, but soon stopped resisting.

She was in an unfavorable situation.

They weren’t trying to force her mouth open, so she should listen to them for now.

Giving information could be considered later.

If their intentions were bad, she intended to hide it, no matter what it took.

“Mmph. Mmph.”

Scarlet, looking down at Irene, nodded with satisfaction.

By now, her rebellious attitude had disappeared.

She must have understood her situation.

As expected of the Iris Guild’s 1st Team Leader. She’s quick-witted.

Between professionals, instead of wasting time persuading one by one, doing this gets things done efficiently.

“It’s good that you grasp the situation quickly. Irene-nim.”

“Mmph. Mmph.”

“Well, actually, the intention to do anything that bad wasn’t there from the start.”

“Scout, then isn’t kidnapping okay too?”

“I knew from the start that it wouldn’t work out nicely, so a little coercion was necessary to convey the importance of the matter.”

“I-I see… That’s a relief. I was worried you might commit a crime, so….”

“Don’t worry. Daeun-yang. I have my own way of treating former colleagues.”

…

What kind of treatment was it, carrying out a kidnapping right in front of the house?

Irene had a lot of complaints, but she remained quiet for now.

She was curious about what they would say to her.

Just then, Irene felt the magic blocking her mouth disappear.

“Irene-nim. First of all, I apologize.”

“…These fucking bitches.”

As soon as the mana blocking her mouth disappeared, Irene spat out curses.

For her, the 1st Team Leader of the Iris Guild, this treatment was unprecedented.

“She has such a foul mouth. She really needs education.”

“I’ll try talking, so please bear with me. … Irene-nim. I’m truly sorry for bringing you here like this and saying this, but we need information.”

“Right. Seeing as you kidnapped me, you must be desperate. Surely not… you, who belonged to the Iris Guild, would make such a bad move. Did you perhaps get caught cheating?”

Irene did not lose confidence.

She felt sincerity from their conversation, and since she was close with Lee Hoyeon, she was confident they wouldn’t mess with her.

Even if they did mess with her, it didn’t matter.

She had the Iris Guild.

“That’s not it. We are seeking information for Hoyeon-nim’s sake.”

“Then why kidnap me?”

“To inform Irene-nim that my situation is urgent, that method was the best.”

…

Irene frowned, but she couldn’t deny Scarlet’s words.

Scarlet would know better than anyone that if something happened to her, the Iris Guild and the ‘Night Emperor’ would intervene.

Yet, carrying out this act indirectly indicated that she was in an urgent situation.

Scarlet untied the magic ropes binding Irene’s body and bowed her head deeply.

“Irene-nim. I will ask again. While investigating the black pillars and the strange phenomena in the dungeons, did you not feel anything strange about Hoyeon-nim? Even minor details are fine. This is an urgent matter that requires Irene-nim’s help.”

…

“Looking at your expression, it seems you are thinking about something.”

“Yes. What you’re saying is true. But there was no need to force it like this. If you had calmly explained your doubts and situation and asked for cooperation, I would have shared information too.”

“I apologize. Without knowing what information Irene-nim possessed, we couldn’t share our information. And by showing our sincerity like this, I thought Irene-nim would also speak sincerely. Time is of the essence, and we don’t have time to play games of revealing cards.”

Irene let out a deep sigh.

Scarlet understood her personality well.

Perhaps if she had explained the situation slowly, Irene would have compared the information Scarlet mentioned with what she knew, and negotiated for the best possible outcome.

Hiding one’s cards was an unavoidable habit for the daughter of an information guild.

“Haa…. It’s annoying that we’re from the same guild.”

If she didn’t have the information they needed, what was their plan?

Perhaps they were convinced something important was involved from a brief conversation and kidnapped her?

If so, she intended to applaud Scarlet’s abilities.

Irene pondered for a moment, then spoke.

“…You just seemed upset, was it that urgent?”

“It’s still just a sign. But we must always prepare for the worst.”

“Me being upset because of the kidnapping isn’t the worst?”

“Now is not the time to argue about that. And we haven’t harmed Irene-nim’s body.”

Right. If Scarlet went so far as to kidnap her, it must surely be an important matter.

If it were a trivial matter, it wouldn’t be too late to get angry then.

“I’ll talk. But after you hear what I say, you must share the information you know too.”

“Yes. I promise.”

Irene slowly continued.

The black pillars and the strange phenomena in the dungeons.

Lee Hoyeon was strangely obsessed with those two things.

He delved into research more deeply than any ordinary scholar, and whenever related papers were published, he demanded them from Irene.

Irene explained Lee Hoyeon’s strange interest, and Rebecca, after hearing the explanation, nodded.

“Black pillars and dungeon anomalies… I knew the baby’s father was interested in that.”

“Irene-nim, were there any other suspicious points?”

“There’s one more thing.”

Something else was bothering Irene’s mind.

This too was a major reason she suspected Lee Hoyeon.

“When the dungeon anomaly occurred at the Academy… he told me to announce it immediately.”

“…What does that mean? Announce it immediately?”

“To dispatch the investigation team faster than anyone, and announce the anomaly faster than anyone, that’s what he demanded.”

“Hmm… The baby’s father often says strange things anyway. I’m not sure about that.”

“No, it wasn’t like that. The atmosphere was different. If I had to put it into words… it felt like he was certain a dungeon anomaly would soon appear near the Academy. Right. When the black pillar appeared, Lee Hoyeon was the first to tell me. He said he found it while walking, but walking in a closed park is strange to anyone you ask.”

“Black pillars….”

Scarlet fell into thought after hearing Irene’s words.

Various circumstances indicated that Lee Hoyeon was planning something big.

However, the motive remained unknown.

Nam Daeun, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, organized her thoughts.

“He knew it would appear…? Then is Hoyeon planning some kind of terrorism?”

“Perhaps he’s trying to eliminate everyone else in the world except for his women?”

“Liliana-ssi. Hoyeon wouldn’t do something like that.”

“…You asked, ‘Is he planning some kind of terrorism?’ If you were my viewer, I would have banned you.”

Meanwhile, Liliana didn’t think too deeply about it.

Lee Hoyeon’s actions were originally incomprehensible.

Just looking at his lust, like he had incubus blood flowing through him, it was certain he wasn’t an ordinary human.

However, if he completely transcended humanity, they would have to stop him.

“The baby’s father isn’t a bad person. It probably won’t be like that. Still, there’s definitely something in the fake dungeon magic circle.”

“Yes. It seems like he’s planning something at the Academy… but I don’t know the reason. We’ll need to investigate further for details, though.”

“As Liliana said, did he really develop some kind of dissatisfaction?”

Scarlet and Rebecca spoke worriedly about Lee Hoyeon, and Irene reacted to the words she didn’t know.

Fake dungeons?

And something had been bothering her since earlier.

Since she had given information, it was now time to receive some.

“Wait a moment. I’d like you to explain now too. What is this ‘fake dungeon’? And just in case, is the ‘baby’s father’ Lee Hoyeon? Is that guy perhaps married?”

“Of course. Although, strictly speaking, it’s still just planned, we casually call him ‘baby’s father’.”

“Yes. Planned?”

“I will explain that. Irene-nim.”

Scarlet continued her explanation, looking at Irene’s wide eyes.