Episode 564. Iris Guild (3)

Lightly, lightly.

A sound not suited for walking through a forest.

Scarlet took quiet steps.

Back when she was an Iris Guild member. She had walked this path so often that she still vividly remembered the location for entering the password.

A giant pine tree standing where the magic was strongest.

Scarlet placed her hand on the tree and channeled her magic.

Beep-boop-beep. Beep- Beep- Beep-

‘What kind of password is that?’

Lee Hoyeon sensed Scarlet’s magic with his keen senses.

Looking at the simple pattern, was it Morse code?

If it was Morse code, it was included in the Academy’s curriculum, so he remembered memorizing it.

It’s a method hardly used anymore, but knowing it is essential.

Lee Hoyeon frowned as he analyzed Scarlet’s magic.

‘S, C, A, R, L, E, T L, I, G, H, T?’

…It’s just her name.

Lee Hoyeon looked at Scarlet’s retreating back with slight disappointment.

In a world with magic, Morse code, not advanced technology, is the password?

Is this really okay?

Is the security level of the world’s best guild really this low?

I’m a little disappointed.

“‘Why isn’t there a reaction? That’s strange.'”

Meanwhile, Scarlet, removing her hand from the pine tree, turned her head to look at Lee Hoyeon.

“‘I don’t think an attack is imminent yet. But is that really the way to input the password?'”

“‘Yes. Don’t worry. It’s a time-honored method of transmitting codes.'”

“‘Of course, it’s time-honored. It’s so time-honored that nobody uses it anymore.'”

“‘Actually, I think so too. Perhaps it’s the Guild Master’s preference.'”

“…”

If you put it that way, I can’t argue.

I haven’t met the Emperor of the Night often, but it’s clear he’s an unusual person.

Vmmmm-

‘Huh?’

Before his curiosity about Morse code could be satisfied, the floor where Lee Hoyeon stood began to shake.

A phenomenon created by magic, not a natural occurrence.

Lee Hoyeon maintained the rune barrier while spreading his magic in all directions.

However, Scarlet reacted nonchalantly.

“‘It seems to have worked, thankfully.'”

“‘What do you mean? Scarlet?'”

“‘You can relax now. Thankfully, my password still seems to work.'”

Swoosh-

Soon, the ground before them began to rise.

It looked like an elevator ascending.

Since it was different from what Scarlet had told him, Lee Hoyeon tilted his head.

“‘…Didn’t you say something about a warp gate?'”

“‘Who knows. Maybe the system changed while I was gone. Still, I don’t think it’s an attack. The guard on duty might just be overly cautious.'”

“‘Guard on duty?'”

“‘One of the Iris Guild members will be waiting inside. Since there are so many members, it takes quite a while for your turn to come up, but I’ve done it a few times myself.'”

“‘Hmm…'”

Well, if Scarlet says it’s okay, then it’s okay.

Lee Hoyeon gathered his magic and fixed his gaze straight ahead.

“‘Scarlet!'”

The ground, resembling an elevator, opened, and out stepped a blonde woman similar to Scarlet.

She approached Scarlet with a welcoming face.

“‘Jena? It’s been a while.'”

“‘Do you know how surprised I was when your password suddenly registered? Scarlet, why did you come without saying anything?'”

Scarlet approached Jena and greeted her.

Judging by their distance, they seemed to know each other.

“‘I apologize for that. Hoyeon-nim. This is Jena Kale. She’s my close friend. We’re lucky that Jena is on duty today.'”

If Scarlet calls her a close friend, she must be really close.

Lee Hoyeon gave a slight bow and stood beside Scarlet.

“‘It’s nice to meet you.'”

“‘Lee Hoyeon the mage. A once-in-a-century talent who received the award from the Wizard Association at such a young age. However, there was intel that his greatest talent was his face, which seduces both men and women… it seems that was true…'”

“‘… Pardon?'”

“‘Ah, it’s nothing. It’s just my habit to mutter about the person I’m dealing with.'”

What kind of habit is that? Why are you working for an information guild?

Lee Hoyeon narrowed his eyes and shook hands with Jena.

Unfortunately, she didn’t seem like someone who would be particularly helpful to date.

“‘You came to use the warp gate, right?'”

“‘I wanted to visit the guild for the first time in a while. I have some business.'”

“‘It’s fortunate I’m on duty then. If it were the difficult Team Leader 3, you would have had to go through the proper procedures.'”

“‘That was certainly a gamble. But everyone knows Team Leader 3 always works the shift before the weekend.'”

“‘Aha~ Scarlet, you’re as smart as ever. Speaking of which, I wish we could have had a proper farewell party~. I still regret it.'”

Perhaps because they hadn’t seen each other in a while, the two women started chatting, leaving Lee Hoyeon out.

It’s probably best to just listen quietly for now.

“‘By the way, I was genuinely shocked when I heard you left the guild for love. To think you were involved with Mage Lee Hoyeon like that. I’m so envious.'”

“‘Kkeuhk! Cough, cough!'”

The words made Lee Hoyeon’s ears perk up from behind.

As soon as Scarlet heard the terrible words coming from Jena’s mouth, she started coughing as if she had choked.

“‘Are you okay?'”

“‘Jena. Who on earth spread such rumors?'”

“‘Scarlet, you said it yourself.'”

“‘I have no memory of saying that when I left the guild.'”

“‘Huh? What are you talking about? You said it to the Guild Master. After you left the guild, the Guild Master gathered the members and recounted the details of your departure during a meeting. He even shed tears of emotion, cheering you on as you pursued your dreams.'”

“‘Haaa…'”

That crazy bastard.

Hearing Scarlet’s quiet muttering, Lee Hoyeon closed the mouth he had opened to tease her.

The atmosphere is scary, so I should stay quiet.

An awkward silence continued until they reached the warp gate.

Fortunately, it was a passage used by guild members, so the distance wasn’t far.

“‘I haven’t seen this in a while either.'”

“‘The settings are done, so all we have to do is go in… Huh? Wait a second.'”

Jena, who was touching the warp gate, tilted her head as if she remembered something.

“‘Come to think of it, Scarlet. How do you remember the password?'”

“‘Huh? What kind of nonsense is that? Have you been drinking while on duty?'”

Scarlet frowned and examined Jena’s face closely.

Even if she’s on duty alone, her discipline is this lax.

Is this really all the Iris Guild amounts to without me?

“‘No. Scarlet, you shouldn’t have any memories from the Iris Guild. Don’t you know about that contract? The one where they erase your memories when you leave the Iris Guild.'”

“‘…Ah.'”

She made a face as if asking, ‘Why would something like that exist?’

You shouldn’t act like that, Scarlet.

“‘Uh, um. Err.'”

“‘Scarlet?'”

Scarlet’s mind raced.

It was a mistake. Trying so hard not to recall the Guild Master, she had forgotten something important.

Unfortunately, there was no time for regret. The deed was done.

What would be the most perfect way to handle this situation?

“‘Tell the truth?'”

The most straightforward approach was immediately dismissed.

What the Guild Master did for Scarlet was out of consideration.

The working environment at Iris Guild was so good that no one had ever left; perhaps she, as the first to leave, had received special treatment.

Maybe it was thanks to her pretty looks, which he favored.

However, not everyone was satisfied with the working environment.

Even the best treatment in the world can be unsatisfactory to someone. The contract to erase memories was to keep such people bound to the guild.

Just possessing information about Iris Guild was an incredible asset.

In fact, she heard that some guild members stayed because of that contract, so if she carelessly spoke out of turn, a new departure might occur.

If someone were to leave, problems would arise from there.

If their memories were erased, the special treatment Scarlet received would be an issue; if not, the information the departing member possessed would be the problem.

Although she had left, she didn’t want to cause trouble for the Iris Guild, which held many good memories for her.

“‘…You are Scarlet, right?'”

While Scarlet pondered, suspicion began to grow in Jena’s eyes.

She had to make a decision now.

Scarlet cleared her throat and said seriously.

“‘Ahem. I’ve been found out.'”

“‘…Found out?'”

“‘I am actually on a top-secret mission.'”

“‘A top-secret mission!?'”

“‘Yes. It’s something most people don’t know, except for the highest-ranking executives, so it’s natural you wouldn’t know, Jena. Since I’ve been discovered, there’s no choice, but please don’t tell anyone else.'”

“‘I see…! Okay. I’ll keep it in mind.'”

Jena nodded, finally showing a smile.

It made sense that Scarlet, one of Iris Guild’s aces, would be assigned such a mission.

Scarlet returned her smile, gave a slight nod, and then pulled Lee Hoyeon by the wrist into the warp gate.

Swish-

After a brief bout of dizziness.

Lee Hoyeon carefully opened his eyes.

What appeared before him was the main building of Iris Guild.

The neat yet sophisticated five-story building made him recall Alice’s words that the real place was underground.

“‘Scarlet. But weren’t you fired from Iris Guild?'”

Lee Hoyeon asked Scarlet, who was standing next to him.

“‘I wasn’t fired; I quit.'”

“‘Then what about the top-secret mission?'”

“‘That was obviously a lie.'”

“‘Is it okay to do that?'”

“‘Well, maybe it’ll work out somehow. We got past the hurdle for now. Given Jena’s personality, she won’t tell anyone.'”

Scarlet nodded lightly and approached the building.

I don’t know why Scarlet seems so untrustworthy today.

Speaking of which, seeing this building reminds me of a past visit.

Thanks to Alice, I came here quite comfortably back then.

“‘Scarlet. Now that I think about it, couldn’t we have just followed the official procedure? Then we could have asked Mr. Victor to drop us off on Iris Guild’s grounds.'”

“‘That would have been the proper procedure.'”

Lee Hoyeon doubted his own ears upon hearing Scarlet’s reply.

Then why did we go through all this trouble?

“‘But why did you do it this way?'”

“‘Following the procedure would be easier for me too, but it takes a long time. Even contacting someone through my connections directly would take at least a few hours, maybe a whole day. But coming in like this, without authorization, saves time. You seemed quite rushed, Hoyeon-nim, so I chose this method… It was definitely a mistake.'”

“…”

Come to think of it, she has a point.

Even if the execution wasn’t perfect, she did it for me.

I appreciate it.

“‘Still, thank you, Scarlet. I’ll accept the thought behind it.'”

“‘It’s nothing.'”

“‘You gave up the guild for me, and you say it’s nothing.'”

“‘If you bring that up again, I’m leaving.'”

“‘Sorry.'”

Lee Hoyeon stayed close beside Scarlet, clasping her hand as if to hold it.

Come to think of it, he couldn’t recall ever holding her hand outside.

“‘Hoyeon-nim. What does this mean?'”

“‘Believe it or not, I’m quite successful. I should show off a little to the Iris Guild folks I haven’t seen in a while.'”

“‘…That’s a childish thought.'”

Scarlet muttered her complaint but didn’t pull her hand away. Lee Hoyeon, gripping her hand tightly, entered the building.

Passing the guards and entering the first-floor lobby, more and more people began recognizing Scarlet and Lee Hoyeon.

“‘Scarlet! It’s been a while.'”

“‘Is it true you pretended to have left the guild until now because you were on a top-secret mission?'”

“‘That makes sense. You wouldn’t have left without a farewell party.'”

“‘Honestly, I thought Scarlet might have just left without a word, given her personality, but I was wrong. Sorry.'”

“‘But Mage Lee Hoyeon, standing next to you…'”

And the people surrounding them shouted ‘top-secret mission!’ as if they had rehearsed it.

Lee Hoyeon pulled Scarlet’s hand and whispered in her ear.

“‘Hey. Didn’t you say not to worry?'”

“‘Jena, that bitch betrayed me. I didn’t see that coming.'”

Could it be that Jena was the one she trusted?

“‘…This isn’t something that can be resolved like that. You should have just told the truth. How are you going to explain this?'”

“‘Don’t worry. I have a plan.'”

“‘Scarlet. I received a report from the guard on duty. You’re carrying out a top-secret mission known only to the highest executives? It’s a mission even I, Team Leader 3, haven’t heard of. What is it?'”

As soon as Scarlet nodded, assuring him not to worry.

The person identified as Team Leader 3, who looked difficult just by his face, pushed through the guild members.

Scarlet released Lee Hoyeon’s hand and gave a slight bow.

“‘Team Leader 3. It’s been a while. As I said, it’s a top-secret mission. It’s normal not to know unless you’re close to the Guild Master.'”

“‘Close to the Guild Master?'”

Scarlet opened her mouth, regretting it inwardly.

If I had known the situation would get this complicated, I should have just told the truth from the beginning.

The Guild Master would take responsibility anyway, so why did she choose the harder path?

Trying to solve it easily only made things more complicated.

However, she had Lee Hoyeon. His very presence was a solid insurance policy for her.

Scarlet continued with a smile.

“‘Please summon the Guild Master. If he’s unavailable, Team Leader 1… or Miss Alice should know.'”

She confidently called for Irene and Alice.