Episode 623. The Culprit Was Lee Hoyeon.

Swoosh-

Lee Hoyeon, channeling his magic, grabbed Arthur’s wrist as if a doctor were taking his pulse.

Arthur blinked, watching Lee Hoyeon channel magic while holding his wrist, but he didn’t try to stop him.

After all, the young man before him wasn’t the type to harbor ill intentions.

However, he decided to ask what Lee Hoyeon’s purpose was.

“What are you doing right now?”

“Please wait just a moment, Chairman-nim.”

“Don’t tell me you’re trying to use Sol to…”

“If you finish that sentence, I’ll flip the Wizard Association upside down.”

“… Hmph.”

Young people these days just don’t get jokes.

He recalled the memory of their first meeting, when he’d sparred with Lee Hoyeon under the guise of teaching him magic, only to be knocked out cold.

Arthur quietly shut his mouth.

‘There doesn’t seem to be a problem.’

Lee Hoyeon held Arthur’s wrist and felt his magic.

Just as Rebecca had escaped Maestro’s brainwashing with a rune barrier, Lee Hoyeon could mimic it using magic.

Determining there was no issue, Lee Hoyeon released his wrist.

Feeling vaguely uncomfortable, he even used a cleansing magic spell on his hand.

“I apologize. I had to check if you were brainwashed.”

“Brainwashed?”

“Pandemic’s brainwashing. Haven’t you heard of it?”

Lee Hoyeon explained about Pandemic and Maestro’s brainwashing.

When relaying information like this, one could just leverage the name of the Iris Guild.

Currently, many high-ranking officials were under Maestro’s brainwashing, and their goal was to guard the Gates of the Underworld and the Black Pillars.

“I am breaking the Black Pillars to fight against them…” was the explanation.

“… Huh. So that’s what happened.”

Arthur nodded, finally understanding after hearing Lee Hoyeon’s explanation.

Although he hadn’t shown it while meeting him, Arthur had known about the widespread negative opinions regarding Lee Hoyeon even before hearing this story.

It had reached even him, who was unaware of the details due to recently tracking the [Infinite Entropy], so the bad reputation surrounding Lee Hoyeon was immense.

‘He mentioned Black Pillars.’

There was no guarantee that Lee Hoyeon’s words were absolutely true… but Arthur trusted only what he had seen.

The Lee Hoyeon he had seen was the boyfriend of the genius mage Im Sol, and a decent young man.

The powerful figures and Lee Hoyeon.

If he had to choose between the two, he would naturally pick this young man.

“So, you came to see me because of the brainwashing?”

“No. I have something I’d like to ask of you, Chairman. Checking for brainwashing was for that request.”

Lee Hoyeon took out the magic tool blueprints he had brought.

It was a magic tool that would allow even ordinary people to access the magic of the Underworld.

“What is this?”

“It’s the blueprint for a magic tool. It’s impossible for me to mass-produce it alone, so I’d like the help of the Wizard Association.”

Arthur meticulously examined the blueprints.

He tilted his head in confusion at one point and frowned at another.

Finally, he put the blueprints down and spoke.

“You were thinking along similar lines as me.”

“What?”

“I may not grasp all the information like you do, but I too have sensed the dangers of the Underworld’s magic. I was actually planning to ask Sol about it… May I ask you instead?”

Seeing Arthur’s serious expression, Lee Hoyeon quietly waited for him to continue.

Arthur took a breath, sipping a cup of coffee, and began explaining his plan.

“I intended to create a device to counteract the Underworld’s magic, to prevent the emergence of Underworld magic addicts and to stop the monster attacks.”

“So you were preparing for the Gates of the Underworld?”

“Yes. I planned to install a protective barrier encompassing the entire Pacific Ocean… but the most crucial part was missing.”

“The crucial part…?”

“It’s an artifact called [Infinite Entropy].”

“… Hmm.”

“Designing a magic circle large enough to cover the Pacific wasn’t difficult. However, executing that magic circle required an immense amount of energy. There’s only one artifact capable of wielding such power.”

“….”

“If only I had the Infinite Entropy… I could have supplied magic worldwide…!”

Tsk.

Seeing Arthur sigh, Lee Hoyeon swallowed hard.

If the Infinite Entropy was that important, he should have mentioned it earlier.

…Then he might have saved some magic.

Rustle, rustle.

Lee Hoyeon opened the spatial pouch he had carefully brought.

As the Holy Grail popped out from within, Arthur’s eyes widened.

“W-Wait… why do you have the Infinite Entropy? And what’s with these geometric patterns?”

“… I will explain.”

*

Arthur had made a big mistake.

Just for a moment.

He thought Lee Hoyeon had found the [Infinite Entropy] for him.

But that thought was completely wrong.

He had slyly pocketed the [Infinite Entropy] while dealing with Aiden.

“I raised my disciple poorly. That’s why my disciple’s disciple turned out like this…”

“I apologize…”

“Sol always used to sneak her share too. Why did you learn such things…”

Lee Hoyeon bowed his head low, and Arthur hugged the Infinite Entropy with a displeased expression.

He had worked so hard to find this one Holy Grail… He never expected the thief to be so close.

“No wonder I received a message from Sol.”

“A message?”

“She said she’d kill me if I bothered my disciple. I wondered what she meant… Hmph.”

Arthur recalled the message from his disciple, whom he hadn’t contacted in ages.

Im Sol, who never usually contacted him, sent a message the moment she heard Lee Hoyeon was coming to America.

• Sol : Hey old man. If you mess with my disciple, I’ll kill you. Remember what we did for you.

Arthur sighed.

Im Sol wasn’t wrong.

He had wanted to become Chairman and reform the corrupt Wizard Association.

He believed that talented young mages, not the entrenched elders within the Association, should be respected.

But in reality, even after becoming Chairman of the Wizard Association, he couldn’t change anything.

Unlike with magic, he lacked talent in political battles.

It was thanks to Im Sol and Lee Hoyeon that Arthur was able to firmly grasp control of the Wizard Association.

By eliminating his rival Aiden, he silenced the elders, and the magic of the genius mages Im Sol and Lee Hoyeon garnered the support of the younger mages.

Since Im Sol and Lee Hoyeon supported Arthur, many mages followed suit.

“If I had my way, I’d smash this Holy Grail over your head… but I suppose I can’t.”

“Well… even so, if I wait, the magic will recharge eventually. And I can remove this magic circle too.”

“We don’t have time to wait. Didn’t you say the monster attacks are imminent? My plan is ruined because of you.”

“Chairman-nim. Please reconsider. Ultimately, we both want the same thing, don’t we? My method will be better.”

“… Your magic tool isn’t a foolproof method, is it? Relying on individuals is a low-probability gamble.”

“I’m sorry to say, but they aren’t the kind you can stop with mere barriers.”

Lee Hoyeon shook his head.

The Demon King and the devils of the Underworld were not beings that could be stopped by simple barriers.

“Chairman-nim, just trust me and help me with this.”

Lee Hoyeon continued, trying to persuade Arthur.

*

An abandoned factory district.

Lee Hoyeon frowned upon arriving at the derelict factory on the outskirts, once the heart of industry.

The tall chimneys were cracked or collapsed, and the windows were shattered.

Lee Hoyeon flowed magic through himself, seeing the rusted rebar everywhere.

The pungent stench that assaulted his nostrils was overwhelming.

‘It must be around here somewhere.’

Lee Hoyeon walked around the abandoned factory area, surveying his surroundings.

With every step, the dust rising from the ground made the air hazy.

After convincing Chairman Arthur, Lee Hoyeon had come to a place like this because he obtained information from the Iris Guild.

There was Chiron’s word that Lucifer’s last trace had been felt in this area.

He wasn’t expecting much, but he came here partly to destroy the Black Pillars located here.

‘Still, the Chairman is quite kind.’

He let it slide even after confessing to stealing the Infinite Entropy.

Was it thanks to Sol sending that message?

Hmph-

As he walked, lost in thought, something brushed past Lee Hoyeon’s head.

“….”

A disturbing magic that pricked his skin made Lee Hoyeon suppress his presence.

As he slowly approached and pressed himself against the wall, he heard faint voices.

[Hey. Is the cleanup around here finished? Let’s do it right the first time. We don’t want our heads cracked for losing the executives’ belongings.]

[It’s all done. I’ve checked multiple times, so don’t worry.]

[If you’ve confirmed, hurry up and pack. We need to receive the next hideout location, don’t we?]

[I know. It feels creepy around the Gates of the Underworld, so let’s take our time.]

Lee Hoyeon listened intently to the conversation between the two fiends.

They looked human on the outside, but the magic emanating from them was that of fiends.

From what he heard, the Pandemic executives were already gone, and these fiends cleaning up didn’t seem to be of very high rank within Pandemic.

‘There’s probably no need to hide.’

Although the fiends’ aura was quite strong, it couldn’t compare to Lee Hoyeon’s.

Just as he considered stepping out and killing them all.

The fiends continued speaking.

[Speaking of which, what happened to the guy who messed up and got his head blown off by Guild Master Angela a few days ago? I missed it because I was busy then.]

[It was nothing. VIPs always treat fiends like dogs.]

[And?]

[That’s it. He died just because she didn’t like his look. It’s hilarious that such a bitch acts so nice in human society.]

[Whatever, she’s crazy. VIPs are even worse. Right. Speaking of which, the VIP ledger here… ]

Screeech-

There was no need to listen any further.

Lee Hoyeon moved the rebar aside and revealed himself.

“Who’s there!”

“Damn it. An intruder…!”

The fiend who heard the shout turned his head instantly, glaring at Lee Hoyeon.

As soon as they saw the intruder, they activated their emergency communication device.

Click-

However, Lee Hoyeon’s fingers were faster than activating the emergency communication device.

Blue lightning surged in an instant, piercing the hearts of the two fiends.

Thump-

Without even realizing they were dead.

The bodies of the two collapsed.

Confirming there were no other fiends nearby, Lee Hoyeon slowly walked forward.

“I didn’t expect much… but is there really nothing here?”

Lee Hoyeon burned the bodies of the two fiends and surveyed the area.

He wouldn’t have come alone if he thought it was truly dangerous, but it felt a bit disappointing to kill fiends and find nothing.

“What’s this?”

A notebook, tightly wrapped as if precious.

Rummaging through the luggage the fiends had packed, Lee Hoyeon pulled out a ledger.