Episode 577. The Night Emperor Isaac (5)

Flames are rising throughout the city. Perhaps because of the blackened sky, the atmosphere was gloomy too.

A normal sight in a hellish city.

Hideously deformed hellish beasts walked around naturally, and humanoid monsters and demons were also visible.

In hell, those things are probably no different from humans.

“The Demon King’s Castle is probably still the same, right?”

“…Yes. The Demon King’s Castle gates are locked shut, and no one’s entry is permitted.”

“That’s impressive. As expected, I shouldn’t have trusted the Demon King. What is he thinking?”

Lucifer was glaring at the Demon King’s Castle as if he had an old grudge.

The sudden closure of the Demon King’s Castle under the guise of a ‘break’ towards the Demon King who had shut it down was palpable.

‘From Lucifer’s perspective, it must be ridiculous.’

Viewing the memories from Lucifer’s perspective, Lee Hoyeon nodded.

Even though he played the original game, Lee Hoyeon doesn’t necessarily know the details of hell.

In the original game, even the existence of hell wasn’t mentioned.

However, Lee Hoyeon knew who was inside that Demon King’s Castle.

‘The god of this world must be in there.’

The reason the Demon King’s Castle was closed after agreeing to hand over the throne.

And the reason Lucifer suddenly came to Earth.

That bastard must have taken over the Demon King’s body.

Lee Hoyeon, who had become abnormally strong, couldn’t just watch him win the bet.

In his haste to descend into the Demon King’s body, it must seem ridiculous to the residents of hell.

If you think you’re going to lose, you can just descend directly to the boss. What a damn unfair world.

‘…Even so, if I just kill that bastard, it’s over.’

The story is heading towards its conclusion.

The final scenario, the Demon King’s Attack.

Since the god of this world is attacking directly, it will be even harder, but if I win just one battle, it’s the original game’s ending.

『Main Quest: Conquer all the heroines and survive until the game’s ending. If you can. Failure Penalty: Death』

This damn Main Quest will end.

‘Then, I can protect everything.’

This world. The heroines. And Lee Hoyeon himself.

Blink-

When I briefly closed and opened my eyes, the world had changed.

This place is one of Pandemic’s hideouts.

Naturally, Lee Hoyeon had never seen it before.

However, now that I was seeing Lucifer’s memories, this place felt familiar, as if I were dreaming.

“So, what’s the reason for the revelation targeting the human named Lee Hoyeon?”

“Because he is the only human who can stop my fate.”

“Human. I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“When the Demon King descends, you will understand without needing an explanation.”

It seemed like a memory from shortly after Lucifer descended to Earth.

On the surface, it was a normal conversation, but Lee Hoyeon could vividly feel Lucifer’s emotions.

‘…They’re both looking for an opportunity to stab each other in the back.’

Maestro and Lucifer.

The two of them were eyeing each other warily.

Lucifer seemed suspicious of Maestro, whose intentions were unclear.

But why is Maestro trying to stab him in the back after summoning him?

These guys are seriously scary.

Lee Hoyeon scanned his surroundings to gather as much information as possible.

‘That must be the Black Chalice that Alice mentioned.’

The Black Chalice held by the statue in front of Maestro.

The sinister magic filling it felt unsettling even to Lee Hoyeon.

When it fills up, does the Demon King descend?

Fortunately, judging by its appearance, the chalice still seemed to have room.

Since the Demon King mentioned a one-year break, it might be related.

“Alright. Let’s leave immediately. There’s something interesting in Korea.”

Lucifer, who had been staring intently at Maestro, turned his body.

Swish-

At the same time, the scene before my eyes crumbled like a sandcastle.

When I briefly closed and opened my eyes, a bright light greeted Lee Hoyeon.

But soon, something enormous blocked the bright light.

“Ooh, you’re awake! How is it!”

“…Get your face out of my way.”

Lee Hoyeon pushed away Chiron’s face, which was right in front of him, and got up from the floor.

Although it wasn’t the first time I’d seen a Memory Orb, compared to when I saw Liliana’s memories, the headache seemed worse.

“Using magic on a corpse was a first for me. I haven’t properly seen it myself yet, so I was curious about the results.”

“It wasn’t anything special. I just realized the enemy was fucking strong. Still, thank you. Chiron.”

I didn’t have high expectations in the first place.

Just knowing that the information I had roughly matched reality was a big gain.

“Lee Hoyeon. I, Wild Gladiator, have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“There’s a possibility Lucifer is alive.”

“…What kind of bullshit is that? You saw the corpse too.”

Lucifer’s life ending was confirmed.

We even carried the corpse around, and even infused it with hellish magic to use as evidence.

“It’s just a possibility. To be precise, it’s more like the thread of life is still connected. I believe that’s also why I was able to create the Memory Orb.”

“If it was such important information, you should have told me before I saw the Memory Orb.”

“I wasn’t sure, but while you were checking the Memory Orb, my senses sharpened.”

“…”

Conversations with Chiron always miss the point.

He seems a bit worse than Liliana. Did his long mercenary life drive him crazy?

Lee Hoyeon looked at the Incubus watching from the side.

“Albedo. Do you know anything?”

“I-I don’t really know. However, Chiron’s sharp senses have been famous since the Underworld.”

“Hmm.”

Hearing that, it makes me uneasy.

Come to think of it, Chiron was the first one to warn me when Lucifer appeared.

“I’ll keep it in mind for now. If your senses react, let me know anytime.”

“Understood. Recently, Killer Queen’s aura has also grown stronger, do you know the reason?”

“Ah, Liliana? Hmm, maybe it’s just because she’s been training hard lately. I’ll get going for now. Let’s talk later.”

(It’s actually because the seal was slightly loosened, but…) Telling Chiron and Albedo about Liliana isn’t a good idea.

They have painful memories of being severely beaten by Liliana in the past.

If they were to run away, it would become very troublesome.

After giving a casual greeting to the guild members nearby, Lee Hoyeon, who left the training room, stretched and started walking.

Maybe it’s because I saw the state of hell, I’m thirsty.

“Those hell dwellers are really useless. They just keep spouting ominous nonsense. Scarlet. Get me some water.”

“Here you go. Hoyeon-nim.”

“Thanks.”

It’s already been four days since I’ve been staying at the Iris Guild.

Although it’s a week-long stay, I haven’t had any inconveniences.

Alice handled the tasks I asked her to reliably, and only visited at night.

“Scarlet. Any unusual news?”

“No. It’s certain that everyone is keeping a low profile, though.”

Lee Hoyeon checked his smartwatch as he walked down the wide corridor.

• Iris Guild. Requesting global investigation into the black pillars.

• Led by Victoria Academy, Korea’s unprecedented support?!

• The American Hunter Association remains silent…

• About the truth behind the Iris Guild’s claim of protecting the weak.

“Even on the fourth day, there’s nothing substantial coming out.”

Even excluding useless articles and rumors, the investigation into the black pillars isn’t being conducted properly.

Lee Hoyeon was also personally continuing the investigation, but there was something frustrating.

It felt like I couldn’t figure out something incredibly simple.

This frustrating feeling had been bothering me for days.

“Scarlet. For now, please continue helping gather information at the Iris Guild.”

“Understood. If there’s any important information, I’ll come find you.”

Ssssk-

Scarlet stuck to the ceiling and disappeared.

During the hours Alice didn’t visit, Lee Hoyeon used to research the black pillars alone.

But today, perhaps because I saw the Memory Orb, I lacked the concentration for research.

“Should I go see Irene-ssi? She should be in the Team Leader 1’s office right about now.”

*

The Iris Guild’s Guild Leader’s office.

Inside the barrier-covered room, a blonde beauty was banging on her desk.

“You couldn’t return to your Guild Leader duties for four days. You must have been very tired. Father.”

“Irene, my eldest daughter. You know Dad usually doesn’t answer calls during work, right? So, about that matter…”

“Still! I was with Alice!”

Irene pounded the desk and glared at her father.

You said you were gathering information on Lucifer, and then suddenly you hid in Pandemic’s hideout.

What if Alice had gotten hurt!

“I-I didn’t want to take Alice to a place like that either. But as a successor, Alice needs to…”

“I can handle the dangerous tasks! You definitely agreed to that! What do I do if you change your mind now!”

“Gasp. Irene. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

“Haa, hoo…”

Irene, who had been shaking Isaac’s shoulders, slowly calmed her anger.

Getting angry like this wouldn’t change anything.

She knew that Alice needed to have this kind of experience.

This was just her venting her frustration at her father, who hadn’t contacted her at such a crucial time.

“I hope this doesn’t happen again. If it’s just you, Guild Leader, it’s fine if you don’t contact us for a year, but if Alice is involved, you must contact us periodically. Understood?”

“Understood. Team Leader 1…”

Irene left the slumped-shouldered Emperor of the Night behind and walked out of the Guild Leader’s office.

[Darling… are you okay? I’ll talk to Irene privately.]

[Honey, my daughter is just very worried. Don’t worry.]

The voices of the overly affectionate couple behind her were forcibly erased from her mind.

Irene, returning to the empty Team Leader 1’s office, slumped into her chair.

“…Why is it so quiet?”

Actually, the Team Leader 1’s office was usually quiet.

It’s because the operational staff are always out gathering information.

But lately, this quietness felt awkward.

The cause was those crazy women staying at Lee Hoyeon’s house.

Before Lucifer’s attack, now that they weren’t constantly visiting and chattering at home, this silence felt even more pronounced.

They were annoying when they were around, but now that they’re gone, feeling this quietness makes me realize humans must be selfish creatures.

“No. It’s still better that they’re gone.”

I didn’t actually dislike those people.

Of course, the previous kidnapping was quite shocking, but after fighting together during Lucifer’s attack, a sense of connection had formed in my heart.

The problem is Lee Hoyeon.

That man.

Staying at the Iris Guild for a whole week, monopolizing Alice every night, the scoundrel.

“Since Alice got the accommodation voucher, it makes sense that she gets the whole week. I can understand that. But… if he had any conscience, shouldn’t he have visited me at least once?”

Irene still remembered the nights she spent with Lee Hoyeon.

The passionate memories he engraved on her lower stomach couldn’t be forgotten, no matter how hard she tried.

And yet, only with Alice…

“Sigh. Everything has become strange because of Lee Hoyeon.”

Why should I be spending my time thinking about a man?

I barely have enough time to think about myself, the most beautiful in the world, and my sister.

“He’s such a bad guy… I know he’s researching the black pillars, but still, I’ve helped him so much.”

Lee Hoyeon receives the Iris Guild’s support thanks to Alice and me.

I’m not even asking him to spend nights with me like he does with Alice.

If he could just spare the time to visit me once, that would have been nice.

He doesn’t even acknowledge that favor…!

[Irene-ssi. Are you inside? I just came by for a quick visit.]

“Gasp.”

Speak of the devil…

He’s really here.

Irene naturally picked up the stack of documents beside her.

“Yes. Come in.”

Hearing Lee Hoyeon’s voice, which had just arrived, without realizing her lips had curled up.

Irene pretended to focus on work, crossed her legs, and welcomed Lee Hoyeon.