Episode 575. The Night Emperor Isaac (3)

“This is more uncomfortable to sit in than I expected. The ones I wore at the Wizard Association were more comfortable than this. Is it because it’s not custom-made? Ugh. So uncomfortable.”

Lee Hoyeon adjusted his clothes, pulling at the collar of his suit.

They say good medicine tastes bitter. Nice clothes are uncomfortable.

Someone like me should just wear sportswear. Tsk.

Slurp.

Lee Hoyeon sat in the reception room, sipping the coffee Irene had served.

Hearing that Alice and the Guild Master had returned, I put on a suit and rushed over, but the one who greeted me was Irene with dead eyes.

‘… Irene-ssi. Are you okay? You look unwell.’

‘Don’t worry about it. … I have something to talk about with the Guild Master, so I’m going to go. Alice will come if you wait.’

Irene’s figure as she stumbled out of the reception room is still vivid.

She definitely looked upset… Was it because the Guild Master came back after a long time?

“Well, yeah. It’s understandable to be angry if someone disappears for over a week without contact. That guy is really a strange person.”

If he’s the doting dad type, he could have at least sent his daughter a message.

Thanks to that, Lee Hoyeon also had to stay in France for a week.

The only fortunate thing is that the academy’s closure doesn’t seem like it will end anytime soon.

Although there were no fatalities, people might have recovered quickly, but it seems the buildings and facilities suffered a lot of damage.

‘It was fine when I made it.’

I don’t really know if the problem occurred during Lucifer’s process of stealing the magic circle, or after that.

What’s certain is that the problem occurred because of Lucifer.

“Come to think of it, is the Orb of Memory working out okay?”

When I saw Chiron last time, he seemed to be having a really hard time.

As expected, it seems to be more difficult than I thought.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

Inside the quiet reception room, only the ticking sound of the wall clock echoed.

When Alice comes, I have so much to tell her. She’s later than I thought.

‘First, I should talk about the black pillar.’

The story about Lucifer comes after that.

After stating my requests first, providing the information the Iris Guild needs would make it easier for them to accept.

Knock, knock.

[May I come in?]

“Yes. Come in, Alice.”

Just then, from outside the door, a familiar voice was heard.

“Sorry. I heard you waited a long time for me.”

Her flowing blonde hair and snow-white skin.

Alice, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, somehow looked more mature than before.

However, the problem was that her eyes were almost half-closed.

“It’s okay. I had some things to take care of here.”

“Yeah. I heard the gist. You said you had something to say to me and the Guild Master.”

As soon as I entered the reception room, Alice, sitting opposite me, looked visibly tired.

It looked like she used cleansing magic, but seeing the slight dampness, she must have just showered.

“You look tired, are you okay? I can see you tomorrow. I have plenty of time.”

“Forget it. It’s better to deal with it now and have peace of mind. … Huh?”

Although she said that, Alice was extremely tired.

Ever since infiltrating Beijing with Isaac, she hadn’t been able to sleep properly.

As a result, even after entering the reception room, she hadn’t properly taken in Lee Hoyeon’s appearance.

‘… A suit? I’ve never seen him wear something like this before.’

It suits him quite well.

Even that fits my taste perfectly, making me sometimes suspect if he knows my tastes completely.

“Alice. Alice?”

“Ah, no. No. Yes. Sorry. You must be tired.”

Alice stared blankly at Lee Hoyeon, then belatedly snapped back to reality.

And she realized the fatigue that had been bothering her had completely vanished.

Right. I need to look presentable in front of Lee Hoyeon. Since Lee Hoyeon seems to have dressed up to see me too.

“Hoo… I skimmed through the materials roughly, but I think it would be better to hear it directly from you. Can you tell me again?”

“Of course.”

Lee Hoyeon was inwardly surprised by Alice’s tone.

Her attitude has softened a bit.

She said she was receiving successor training, has she really become an adult? Or is she treating me from a professional standpoint right now?

In any case, since I came here for help, Lee Hoyeon cautiously began to speak.

*

Although Alice was confident in her appearance, seeing Lee Hoyeon in a suit today made her confidence waver slightly.

His cadet uniform suited him well, but seeing him in a suit, I feel like I might fall for him a little more.

‘I’m tired, so all sorts of thoughts are running through my head.’

Alice covered her mouth with her hand and yawned.

In front of her, Lee Hoyeon was looking at her with a nervous expression.

“Sorry. I got lost in thought for a moment because I’m tired. So, there’s this thing called ‘Hell’s Mana’ that people don’t perceive, and it’s related to the black pillars, right? To investigate those black pillars, you need the Iris Guild’s help, so you came to me.”

“That’s right. It might be sudden, but you were the only one I could think of right now.”

“‘How do you prove ‘Hell’s Mana’? You said the black pillars were related to Pandemic. Is the evidence solid? As you know, the connection between Pandemic and the black pillars has already been investigated and concluded by the Iris Guild.”

As Alice said, the investigation into Pandemic and the black pillars was already over.

At first, the prevailing theory was that Pandemic installed them, but as the investigation continued, it became clear there was no connection. It was also around the time Pandemic was falling apart.

The black pillars were ‘Unidentified structures that should not be approached’.

Like dungeons or mana, they were determined to be one of the anomalies present in this world.

However, Lee Hoyeon had created evidence.

“The Hell’s Mana can be confirmed by examining Lucifer’s corpse, which was handed over to the Iris Guild. Lucifer, who came from Hell, and the black pillars emit the same mana.”

Before handing over Lucifer’s corpse, Lee Hoyeon infused it heavily with Hell’s Mana.

Rather than proving Hell’s Mana by running around himself, the fact that it came from Lucifer’s corpse would be more convincing and less suspicious.

“Hmm… If what you’re saying is true, then it makes sense.”

“Yeah. Can you help me?”

Pandemic and the black pillars.

Although they both share the commonality of ‘Hell’s Mana’, it couldn’t be considered definitive proof.

Pandemic’s Lucifer and the suspicious black pillars. Both use the unfamiliar ‘Hell’s Mana’.

The possibility of them being connected is very high, but without direct physical evidence, it’s not 100%.

Because Pandemic’s minions weren’t seen planting the black pillars.

In other words, if they wanted to, the Iris Guild could find a reason to refuse.

“I’ll have to investigate this directly with the Guild Master. The final decision will be made by the Guild Master.”

“I’m sorry for asking this so suddenly. Uh… but still, any rights or profits gained from it I’ll hand over entirely to the Iris Guild. I guarantee it will yield good results. And if you need compensation, I’ll make sure you get the most I can.”

Of course, most of it came from the money received while giving Alice massages, but Lee Hoyeon had also accumulated a significant amount of money personally.

By helping Nam Daeun get her revenge, I also thoroughly cleaned out the Buyer Guild, and I steadily increased my funds using information from the original work.

“Money is fine. More importantly, there’s something I want to ask, is that okay?”

“Of course. I’ll answer everything you’re curious about to the best of my ability.”

“Why are you so concerned about Pandemic?”

“Huh?”

“I know you’re a strange man. I know you’re a genius called a once-in-a-millennium mage, yet also a pervert, and although your personality doesn’t seem bad, you’re strangely obsessed with women.”

“…”

Why are you suddenly like this?

We haven’t even brought up Lucifer yet.

“This might be awkward to say… but I did quite thorough background checks on you before.”

“I already know that much. You even told me yourself.”

I naturally knew that much.

From the moment I became Alice’s masseuse. No, from the moment I first met her, I expected as much.

Being the daughter of the Iris Guild, she could easily conduct background checks on me. That’s probably why she dispatched Scarlet too.

“Yes. But I investigated more carefully and meticulously than you might think.”

“…”

“I was curious about why you were so fixated on Pandemic. Since you wouldn’t tell me even when I asked directly, I had no choice but to investigate myself.”

Lee Hoyeon, even when asked by Alice, always evaded the question and didn’t answer.

I had some idea that it was due to the ‘curse’, but I couldn’t just stand by.

“You might have accidentally gotten caught up in Pandemic’s terrorist attacks a few times… but you don’t seem like the type to hold a grudge over that. And certainly not someone driven by a strong sense of justice.”

“You could be driven by a strong sense of justice. I always pursue justice.”

“You? Tch. You might as well say the Iris Guild’s investigation was wrong.”

What’s with that smile? Alice.

Are you trying to antagonize the genius mage Lee Hoyeon?

Before Lee Hoyeon could even show a hint of displeasure, Alice continued speaking.

“At first, I suspected your origins. Perhaps Pandemic was… the enemy of your parents. But that wasn’t the case.”

In this world, Lee Hoyeon was an orphan with no memory of his parents.

He had no reason to seek revenge against Pandemic.

“Actually, that’s not the important part. Even if you weren’t particularly righteous, you would stop a terrorist attack happening right in front of you, and naturally, you’d hate Pandemic. … But.”

Alice’s voice unintentionally grew louder.

I don’t know why, but I suddenly felt angry.

“…But it’s too strange. You knew information that Pandemic was summoning the Demon King of Hell, right? Information that even the Iris Guild didn’t know.”

It wasn’t just about harboring hostility.

Lee Hoyeon. He knew far too much information that she herself didn’t know.

“…”

“Even though you knew more information than I did, you always tried to gather information about Pandemic. Furthermore, Lucifer, who appeared recently, had you as his target from the beginning.”

What Alice had expected was simply that Lee Hoyeon had a special ‘curse’ placed on him, and that the key to breaking it lay with Pandemic.

However, the information obtained while working with Isaac was a bit more complicated.

Pandemic’s boss, Maestro.

He apparently called Lee Hoyeon by the name ‘Fated Adversary’.

He said Lee Hoyeon was the only one who could stop Pandemic from bringing hell down upon Earth.

Just as Lee Hoyeon was wary of Pandemic, Pandemic was also wary of Lee Hoyeon.

Therefore, Lee Hoyeon must also be hiding something.

Alice concluded.

“Lee Hoyeon. What exactly your relationship with Pandemic is, I need to hear it from you now.”

Even though I like the man in front of me, could it be because I missed such an important fact?

Lee Hoyeon, who always wore a faint smile, could it be because I never knew his true feelings?

Or perhaps simply because Pandemic threatening Lee Hoyeon is annoying?

Alice suppressed the irritation filling her chest.

Honestly, I don’t want to say this.

Hoo.

Alice, taking another deep breath, met Lee Hoyeon’s eyes.

“…What exactly are you going through? Tell me.”

And, she gazed into Lee Hoyeon’s trembling eyes.