Episode 569. Iris Guild (8)

After finishing my conversation with Irene.

After handing over Lucifer’s corpse, I left Team Leader 1’s office.

Although I got scolded for recklessly taking things like that out on the floor, the overall situation went smoothly.

‘Since I applied magic power well to Lucifer’s corpse… it should work out on its own.’

I infused Lucifer with plenty of Underworld magic power.

To make them aware of the unfamiliarity and danger of Underworld magic power, my own magic power was needed.

It would have been fine if I told them myself, but it would be better for the narrative flow if it was contained within Lucifer’s corpse.

“I wonder where Scarlet is.”

The conversation with Irene was quite long, and Scarlet didn’t come until the end.

Is she wandering around the guild, handing out rice cakes to each department?

Srrrk-

Just as I was about to try sending a message via my smartwatch.

Scarlet’s blonde hair appeared from one side of the wall.

“If you’re looking for me, I’m right here.”

“Ah, damn it, you startled me.”

Lee Hoyeon frowned as he looked at Scarlet, who had suddenly popped out.

Why were you hiding here?

“As you can see. I was in stealth. I feel good that I wasn’t caught by you, Hoyeon-nim.”

“I know, right. You have improved.”

Although I was relaxed, seeing that she went beyond my senses proved that Scarlet definitely possesses decent talent.

The problem is that the surroundings are just too monstrous.

Lee Hoyeon stretched and approached Scarlet.

“Seeing you hiding so peacefully, you seem to have a lot of free time? I heard there were a huge number of guild members, so I thought you were going around greeting them.”

“I wasn’t free. I finished handling everything and came back, but it seemed like you two were having an important conversation, so I waited outside.”

“You could have come in. Well, never mind. I did get a promise for cooperation, at least. Let’s go. Lead the way.”

“Where to?”

“To Korea. Just handling business and coming back? Bullshit. Thinking about it, it didn’t make sense from the start.”

It had long since become dark outside.

It wasn’t early when I departed from Korea either, so everyone’s probably sleeping.

Maybe it would be better to sleep here for a night and come back early in the morning.

“When the Guild Master-nim and Alice arrive, I have a few things I need to say personally, so I should just greet them and come back.”

“I heard the Guild Master-nim is currently on a business trip and Miss Alice is on vacation.”

“That’s the story on the surface, but it’s like some kind of successor training. Anyway, please ask Mr. Victor to come again just once.”

“Didn’t Victor say not to call him on holidays?”

Right. He did.

“…Maybe I could just give him a signature?”

“It would be easier to just ask the Iris Guild. If you turn around right now and open the door, the Iris Guild’s Team Leader 1 is right there. And she’s someone Hoyeon-nim can persuade as you please.”

“…”

Setting aside Scarlet’s tone, Lee Hoyeon recalled Irene’s final look, which he saw just before leaving Team Leader 1’s office.

As Scarlet said, asking Irene would be the easiest method, but Irene currently has far too much to do.

Lee Hoyeon, who had visited suddenly, revealed that the attack by Lucifer, which shook the entire world, was his doing, and requested a re-investigation into the Underworld magic power and the black pillars. Moreover, he had foisted Lucifer’s corpse onto her and asked her to summon the Guild Master, who was collecting information from all over the world.

Not only that, but there were also personal requests, so Irene had to start various behind-the-scenes operations.

Her hands looked extremely busy even before I left.

‘…I don’t want to bother her any further.’

It would only take a single word, but Lee Hoyeon had a conscience.

It felt wrong to put more burden on Irene, who was helping him.

“Then let’s rest a bit at the lodging and go tomorrow. It looks like Irene-ssi is extremely busy right now.”

“Do you really have to return to Korea? We don’t know when the Guild Master-nim and Miss Alice will return, do we? If the black pillars are that important to Hoyeon-nim, it seems better to wait.”

“But I couldn’t greet them properly before leaving. I’m worried.”

“Liliana-nim and Daeun-yang are not children. Ms. Rebecca isn’t either. They are definitely not the type of people to curse someone out for not coming home for a day because of work.”

“…That’s true.”

Am I overreacting too much?

No, perhaps it was himself who couldn’t trust the heroines. If it were the opposite situation, Lee Hoyeon would readily allow it, so they would probably be the same.

Lee Hoyeon licked his lips and picked up his smartwatch.

“Alright. As you said, Scarlet, I’ll just send a message.”

“That’s a good idea. It’s said that men inherently prioritize work over family. Rebecca-nim said so.”

“Who says that?”

“…”

Ignoring Scarlet’s words, Lee Hoyeon left a message on his smartwatch.

It was a message saying he would be a little late due to work.

“Scarlet. Let’s go to the lodging. Guide me. They said it was VIP Room 301.”

“Understood. By any chance, are you using the same room as me?”

“No, you’re in 302.”

“Tch.”

Why is she disappointed after nagging me until just now?

I don’t know what tune to dance to.

“I will guide you to the lodging.”

“Yeah. Lead the way. If I meet any guild members on the way, should I greet them too?”

“They’ve already gone off to do their respective tasks, so you don’t need to worry.”

“Tsk. What a shame.”

How amusing would Scarlet’s reaction be if I greeted them saying, ‘Please take good care of Scarlet.’

I’m genuinely disappointed.

Lee Hoyeon slowly walked, following Scarlet.

*

“As expected, you really need to have a lot of money.”

This is the Iris Guild, as expected.

It lives up to its name as a VIP room.

After washing up in the spacious bathtub, which seemed large enough for the heroines and Lee Hoyeon to indulge in debauchery together, lying on the bed felt like heaven.

“Shall I check Everyday after so long?”

Everyday, the community of Victoria Academy.

I used to check it often in the past, but maybe because my life has been so worn out lately, I haven’t been able to properly.

Still, this place is faster than the news for grasping issues.

Especially, the cadets of Victoria Academy tend to be sensitive to information.

• Victoria Academy Overcomes Lucifer’s Attack. What About After?

• Student Council President Moon Surin. What She Did for 24 Hours.

• ‘Saved the Academy Once Again?’ The Fatal Man Lee Hoyeon Stands in the Middle of a Dungeon.

• The Reason There Are No Fatalities Despite an Unprecedented Incident. Chairman Moon Jae-cheol’s Leadership Lecture.

“This place is still the same.”

There wasn’t really anything to see in the News tab.

There were only articles compiling information heard somewhere at least once, so they couldn’t be helpful.

Especially, just looking at the fact that the posts about Moon Surin in casual attire and the homme fatale Lee Hoyeon, etc., have the highest view counts shows that the credibility here is low.

---

[Does anyone know when the Academy will normalize…?]

To be honest, I don’t have a single scratch, and the people around me only have minor abrasions… It’s so difficult because all the facilities aren’t operating.

Upvotes: 120 Downvotes: 80

[I admit this lol What are they doing blocking off the training rooms too]

[Seems like a very selfish thought. My acquaintance is still hospitalized due to trauma]

[Nah, that’s just because your friend is weak as hell lol]

[Nah, why are you talking like that? Is this guy a crazy bastard?]

“The Academy has a lot of problems too.”

Lee Hoyeon, who had been watching the cadets of Victoria Academy, who will lead Korea’s future, fight each other using profanity, closed Everyday.

It’s natural that the Academy’s functions would be halted.

Although there were no fatalities, just because they didn’t die doesn’t mean everything can be returned to normal overnight.

Tsk.

Lee Hoyeon clicked his tongue, turned off his smartwatch, and closed his eyes.

Perhaps everyone was sleeping because it was late; there was no reply to the message.

“…”

But sleep wouldn’t come.

It was well past the time they should have fallen asleep, so it couldn’t be the time difference.

Did I just miss the time to sleep?

Lee Hoyeon got out of bed, his eyes wide awake.

“I don’t know how long it will take until Alice arrives… I have plenty of time, though.”

Honestly, I don’t know why the return trip is taking so long.

Where on earth are they collecting information?

‘Are they just not answering calls?’

To focus on collecting information?

Or perhaps to avoid leaving any traces?

I can’t figure it out.

I guess I’ll just ask Alice later.

“I do want to have some personal time.”

The problems surrounding Lee Hoyeon are not just one or two, but among them, the most crucial is ultimately magic.

Now that Lucifer is dead, only the Demon King remains.

The only weapon to catch that bastard is magic.

The peculiar sensation I felt during sparring with Im Sol.

Lee Hoyeon recalled that sensation again.

‘Of course, it’s worth researching… but this alone isn’t enough.’

Stronger magic is needed.

But it can’t just be strong.

New, unimaginable, revolutionary.

That kind of magic was needed.

Because Lee Hoyeon’s opponent was a god.

“I guess I should sit down diligently and do some research.”

I know the habit of researching all night and sleeping during the day isn’t good… but today, sleep especially wouldn’t come.

Maybe it’s because the sleeping place isn’t familiar, and also because I’m sleeping alone.

‘Maybe I should bring Scarlet here to sleep?’

Even just hugging her would probably help me sleep well.

“I’ll drink a glass of water… and if sleep still doesn’t come, maybe I’ll dabble in magic a little.”

Creeeak-

Lee Hoyeon came out to the living room to get some water.

And.

He discovered Scarlet, her head hanging downwards, approaching while stuck to the ceiling like a spider.

“Aaaaaahhhh!”

“…Kyaak!”

Thump-!

Lee Hoyeon screamed the moment he saw Scarlet, and Scarlet landed lightly on the floor as soon as their eyes met.

Then, she narrowed her eyes and placed her hands on her hips.

“What on earth? Why did you suddenly scream and startle me? Why? For what reason?”

“You too! Why were you crawling on the ceiling? You startled me!”

“This is the most efficient stealth posture. It utilizes the blind spot in vision while also reducing air friction, making it my most confident infiltration stance.”

Seeing that posture and hearing the explanation reminded me of the past.

When I first met Scarlet. I caught her approaching while stuck to the ceiling like a spider.

I was so surprised, thinking she was some kind of spider-person.

…Come to think of it, I must have clearly told her not to do that posture.

“Didn’t I tell you not to do that? That posture doesn’t suit your appearance at all. My heart pounds every time I see it.”

“I appreciate the compliment, but you clearly told me not to do it only at home.”

“…Is that so?”

Retracing my memory, it seems like that was the case.

Sigh.

Lee Hoyeon licked his lips and plumped down onto the chair, watching Scarlet adjust her clothes.

My heart seemed to calm down a bit now. You might wonder what’s so surprising about this, but you have to see a beautiful woman crawling on the ceiling in a spider posture to truly understand the terror.

“Haaah. So why did you infiltrate my room?”

“I thought Hoyeon-nim seemed unable to sleep, so I intended to attend to you tonight.”

“…Your way of speaking is gradually starting to resemble Liliana’s. And if you were going to attend to me tonight, you could have just come, why infiltrate?”

“No, if you just walked over after infiltrating the room… Haaah, forget it.”

Whether the news of sharing a room spreads to the Iris Guild or not is none of my business, and I’m curious why she’s maintaining that spider posture even in the living room, but let’s stop.

Seeing her deliberately doing that must mean she’s really confident in that bizarre posture.

“Still, seeing you doing that after so long reminds me of when I first saw you.”

“It’s not a good memory.”

“Why? You loved it when Liliana caught you.”

“…I don’t remember.”

Scarlet avoided Lee Hoyeon’s eyes and poured water into a glass.

Then, she quietly offered the glass.

“How did you know I was thirsty?”

“I know just by looking.”

“Thanks. Come to think of it, back then you had a slightly dumb… no, cute image. I wonder why you’ve become like this now.”

Gulp.

He drank the water with one hand and lifted the other to lightly pinch Scarlet’s cheek.

Her eyes immediately furrowed.

It was certainly a different appearance from our first meeting, when she was whimpering while stuck in Liliana’s tail.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Don’t you remember? It was incredibly fun living under the control of Liliana and me. Ah, of course, I think the current Scarlet is cool too.”

Back then, she wasn’t this sharp and decisive.

She gradually came to her senses, and at some point, changed like this.

“I said I don’t remember.”

“Why are you like that? It wasn’t a bad memory. Rather, it was a pleasant memory.”

“Even a beast wouldn’t talk about scamming someone with a ridiculous contract while smiling. It’s an act no beast would commit.”

“Even though you liked it too.”

Right. Seeing the water cup reminded me of the medicine Baek Ahyoung had prepared.

Lee Hoyeon took out the medicine pouch he had stored in his spatial storage and poured one dose into his mouth.

Gulp. Gulp.

Scarlet, who had been listening to Lee Hoyeon’s teasing, seized the moment and changed the subject.

“…What is that? Are you taking some kind of stamina enhancer?”

“It’s not a stamina enhancer, and I don’t know what it is either. Ahyoung-ssi gave it to me, seems like it’s some kind of multivitamin. It improves my condition when I take it.”

“I don’t think a Saintess would prescribe multivitamins…”

The Saintess Baek Ahyoung wouldn’t have the time for that.

Still, she probably wouldn’t give him anything harmful to his body.

Scarlet naturally brought up another topic.

“Come to think of it, Liliana-nim has also been paying a lot of attention to her health lately. She’s drinking 3 bottles of Vitamin 300 a day.”

“Liliana? No, you shouldn’t drink that much. She’d be surprised by the color every time she uses the bathroom.”

“She’s not someone who would listen if I told her.”

“Why hasn’t she matured? Isn’t she just becoming an adolescent with only increased strength? I’m worried.”

It was natural. I just needed to casually keep her company until I fell asleep.

Scarlet, secretly pleased that the topic of conversation had changed, continued speaking.