Episode 571. Third Encounter (2)

“I noticed it in just five days. France’s water really tastes different.”

“Is that so? You’re more sensitive than I thought.”

Nom.

Scarlet nodded as she put the beef steak and potato purée into her mouth.

Truthfully, she agreed that the water tasted different, but teasing Lee Hoyeon was amusing because of his reaction.

“…Or maybe not? You’d be the more sensitive one, not me. Hmm.”

Lee Hoyeon took a gulp of water with an embarrassed expression.

Slurp. It really is different.

“I wonder? By the way, the dishes are top-notch. They’re incredibly delicious.”

“These are places Irene-ssi recommended. If you have time, let’s go to some delicious places together before we head back to Korea.”

It felt like I’d promised Scarlet a delicious meal a few times already.

Eating like this is nice, but a restaurant with ambiance is best enjoyed when you find it yourself.

I should make time before I become a liar. Of course, that is, if my magic research goes well.

“Very well. I’ll treat you then.”

“Huh? No, I should pay.”

“Since you saved me last time, too. If I leave a debt unpaid, I don’t know what strange things you might demand.”

“What kind of person do you take me for, anyway??”

Heh heh.

Seeing Scarlet smile as if pleased while teasing me, I found it absurd.

My heart wanted to drag her to bed and establish our hierarchy clearly, but since playing with Scarlet was my only leisure time while in France, I decided to let it be.

“But we’ve already been here for five days.”

“Indeed.”

“Honestly, if I’d known it would take this long, I wouldn’t have even gotten lodging. Sigh.”

Lee Hoyeon sighed as he cut the thick steak.

I was supposed to finish in a day and return to Korea. How did I end up spending time like this?

‘Well, even if I were in Korea, I probably would have just been doing magic research anyway.’

Listening to Irene-ssi, the Pandemic was mostly dismantled, and fragmented cells were causing terrorist attacks in various countries.

The only thing I can do right now to keep the Pandemic in check is to deal with the black pillars.

They say the attacks are harder to stop because the Pandemic lacks a central command… If it’s hard to catch, then don’t catch it.

It’s better to prevent the black pillars or dungeon rampages that are clearly the Pandemic’s doing.

‘I need the Iris Guild’s cooperation anyway… Wait, where did Alice go? If I can’t investigate Lucifer, is she creating him herself?’

To proceed smoothly in the future, I need the Iris Guild’s cooperation.

Even though they can be a bit strange sometimes, the Iris Guild’s influence is undeniable. Especially since they can handle most of the troublesome tasks.

“Should I just go back to Korea? I miss the kids, and I need to see Professor Im Sol.”

For about three days, I was fine focusing on magic research, but I’m starting to miss the other heroines.

Even though they aren’t people who can take care of themselves, I still worry about them unnecessarily.

Of course, the biggest feeling is simply wanting to see their faces.

“And maybe it’s because the water tastes different, or maybe the research is just exhausting. I’m feeling quite tired. I want to sleep at home.”

“You certainly look gaunt from the research these past few days. Are you taking the medicine the Saintess gave you regularly?”

“Yeah. But I’m almost out. I’ll have to go back to Korea to get more.”

“I’m fine right now, but… if there’s no benefit to staying in France, perhaps we should consider returning.”

Nom.

Lee Hoyeon nodded as he put the steak in his mouth.

Still, the good thing is that I haven’t had any nightmares recently.

No matter how I think about it, the cause must be the medicine Baek Ahyoung gave me. The name ‘Saintess’ certainly isn’t wrong.

“Hasn’t Irene-ssi heard anything? Alice and the Guild Master are still out of contact, right?”

“Yes. The Iris Guild is apparently going to search for them directly, being in such a hurry… but honestly. I’ve never heard of the Guild Master being cornered by anyone, not even before I was active.”

“That much? I knew they were amazing, but they seem even more incredible than I thought.”

“If the Emperor of the Night were to be cornered, they wouldn’t deserve the title of Emperor.”

Considering Scarlet’s usual attitude and the conversations I have with the guild members, I can clearly see their respect for the Guild Master.

Is it similar to how Im Sol is treated among wizards?

Thinking about it that way, they suddenly seem quite impressive.

Truthfully, I don’t have much information about the Iris Guild Master either, so it can’t be helped.

The little I know is that they’re an incredibly formidable person and a doting father. I’ve benefited greatly thanks to the ‘doting father’ aspect.

“Speaking of which, how is your magic research going? You’ve been spending more time outside lately, haven’t you?”

“Magic is on hold for now. No, rather than on hold, I’m just a bit worn out. Honestly, no new ideas are coming, and it’s just repetitive experimentation now. It’s like banging my head against the wall until it works.”

“Naturally, new research becomes a series of repetitions once the core is understood.”

“Right. I understand the core, but it’s still not working.”

“Even the ‘Dreaming Genius Mage’ finds some magic difficult, huh?”

“…What nickname is that?”

I’ve heard ‘Genius Mage’ plenty of times, but I’ve never had a dream, let alone nightmares.

Did they somehow find out I have nightmares?

“There was a news article. It said, ‘[Lee Hoyeon. The Genius Mage Who Makes Dreams a Reality.]’ Ah, there wasn’t anything particularly new in the article. But perhaps the nickname stuck, as I’ve seen it used in recruitment notices.”

“It sounds cool, though. ‘Dreaming Genius Mage.'”

“Would you like to hear more? I wanted to write praises for his magic, but there wasn’t enough space, so I didn’t write… .”

“Stop, stop. You’re just going to enjoy making me cringe again. Have some dessert.”

Lee Hoyeon shoved an ice cream cone into Scarlet’s mouth to stop her rambling.

She looked disappointed that her words were cut off, but Scarlet didn’t refuse the ice cream.

‘Dreaming Mage’… Hearing that reminds me of the nightmares that tormented me every night.

In dreams, awkward or nonsensical things happen naturally. Moreover, things that couldn’t happen in reality come true as you wish.

If this research deadlock were a dream, I would have finished it instantly. What a shame.

‘…Hmm?’

Just then, something sparked in my mind.

Dream.

Magic.

Freely.

Omnipotence.

A collection of incomplete words and inspirations flashed before my eyes.

Disorganized, abstruse concepts complicated Lee Hoyeon’s mind.

The precursor to enlightenment, which I’d experienced several times before.

Lee Hoyeon immediately got up from his seat.

“Hoyeon-nim?”

“Just a moment.”

I didn’t have the concentration to spare for communication.

Lee Hoyeon went straight into the makeshift laboratory he had set up in the room.

I think I can do it.

With this realization right now.

If I can manifest the sensations I’m feeling into reality, I can do it.

“…Why is he acting like this in the middle of a meal?”

To suddenly run off while eating dessert, are all wizards like this?

Scarlet, still seated at the table, blinked as she watched the door close in an instant.

*

Lee Hoyeon slammed the laboratory door shut and immediately summoned his magic power.

“Rune Barrier.”

It isolates the laboratory from the outside.

In this place where no sound could be heard, Lee Hoyeon spread his magic power again.

“Sky-Reaching Palace Deployment.”

Feeling his magic power pressing down on the entire space, Lee Hoyeon reached out his hand into the air.

The target was the mug on the desk.

“Come closer.”

He reached out, but it was out of reach.

If Lee Hoyeon used magic, he could bring it instantly.

However, Lee Hoyeon did not use magic.

Instead, he focused on this space.

Moving the cup using magic power versus dominating this space itself with magic power.

The two seem similar, but they yield entirely different results.

Thump. Thump.

His heart pounded rapidly.

Sweat trickled down his cheeks, forming a bead on his chin, and he controlled even his breathing to avoid breaking his concentration.

Rune Barrier and Sky-Reaching Palace.

Both spells dominate space.

And Lee Hoyeon has mastered both of those spells.

Wobble.

Finally, the mug on the desk gave a slight wobble.

That cup was not affected by magic power.

It moved solely by the dominance over space.

“…Haaah.”

That’s right.

There’s no way I couldn’t do it, having reached the limits of Rune Barrier.

“Rune Barrier. Sky-Reaching Palace. And… Nightmare.”

The recurring nightmares brought trauma to Lee Hoyeon, but ironically, they also brought a desire for omnipotent dreams.

In dreams, anything that happens feels natural, and when you wake up, it disappears like melting snow.

The dreams that tormented Lee Hoyeon countless times.

If I could reproduce that sensation within the space I control…

*

A few days passed.

No, I don’t know exactly how much time has passed.

It feels like at least two days have passed, maybe three?

How many times did the sun set and rise outside?

Lost in thought, Lee Hoyeon staggered toward the window.

Fwip-!

He pulled back the curtain that blocked the outside light.

He expected the bright sunlight, but what greeted Lee Hoyeon were countless stars and a bright crescent moon.

He took in the refreshing night air, making do.

“It’s night… Ah, crap. I’m starving. How long have I starved myself?”

Im Sol collapsed after starving for a week, didn’t she?

Was it exactly this feeling?

No, if I’m like this after starving for just a few days, what kind of person is she?

“Still, I understand the urge to research before the realization fades.”

Now that I’ve tried it, I get it.

Realizations are like dreams.

Even a few hours after waking up, they disappear without a trace.

Fortunately, Lee Hoyeon didn’t miss that opportunity.

“At least I didn’t starve to death. Sol was hospitalized back then, wasn’t she?”

Still, after finding my footing, it became easier.

It was a very small realization, but it was enough to give wings to Lee Hoyeon’s talent.

“I was thinking wrong from the start. I’m not a god; how could I possibly control real space and time?”

Even if I had continued the experiments, I probably wouldn’t have gotten proper results.

How much time would I have wasted if I had continued the research like that?

Just thinking about it is terrifying.

“The name… Hmm. It hasn’t appeared like a status window yet.”

Spiral. Arc. Even Sky-Reaching Palace.

In this world, magic appears like a status window the moment you awaken to it.

I didn’t name them myself, but they all perfectly suited my taste.

It’s probably related to Lee Hoyeon’s subconscious.

“So, this magic… Would something like ‘[Realm of Nightmares]’ be okay?”

Since it was inspired by my nightmares, a name like that seems fitting.

Although it sounds a bit scary.

Swish-

Just then, the light outside the window intensified.

The clouds parted, and the soft moonlight squeezed through the window.

Watching the moonlight shine on the back of his hand, Lee Hoyeon muttered unconsciously.

“Hyunwol….”

Another name for the crescent moon I heard somewhere.

At that moment, a word flashed through Lee Hoyeon’s mind.

[Hall of Hyunwol]

“Not bad.”

It’s a name I like.

It doesn’t really have much connection to the magic… but since it’s magic completed on a crescent moon night.

I guess I can just conjure up a crescent moon. It sounds better than a negative name.

“But why isn’t the status window showing up yet?”

Is it not perfect yet?

That can’t be.

Theoretically, everything should have been perfect.

Lee Hoyeon raised his magic power.

“Hall of Hyunwol… Open.”

He unfolded a domain of magic power similar to, yet different from, Sky-Reaching Palace.

However, nothing happened.

“…No. This shouldn’t be happening?”

I’ve completed hundreds, no, thousands of proofs.

The proofs were so perfect that if the theory were wrong, I’d have to overhaul all of Lee Hoyeon’s magic concepts.

To be honest, my heart is still pounding.

Because something far more incredible than Sky-Reaching Palace has emerged.

I thought I had opened up a new world in just a week.

I look forward to seeing how excited Im Sol will be when I show her this magic.

She might even cry with a look I’ve never seen before and hug me.

…But why isn’t the magic circle moving?

Lee Hoyeon frowned and condensed his magic power.

Just as he was about to unfold the magic circle again.

[Intervened with the Laws of the World.]

“…What is this?”

It’s been a while since I’ve seen this notification.

I hadn’t seen it since conquering the heroines, so I thought the world had abandoned me, but why is the status window acting like this after all this time?

Flutter-

Simultaneously, a single sheet of paper appeared before Lee Hoyeon’s eyes.