Episode 630. Press Conference (3)

“Association President-nim. Would you please repeat exactly what I said?”

“….”

The president of the Korean Hunter Association looked at the young man before him and thought.

The genius mage, Lee Hoyeon.

He had heard the evaluations of Lee Hoyeon constantly, whether he wanted to or not.

While magic was a field determined purely by talent, Lee Hoyeon was an extreme case.

– Suppressed countless terrorist incidents.

– Recognized for research achievements at the Wizard Association at a young age.

– Combat power surpassed that of active hunters.

And so on…

There were even rumors that he was comparable to most S-rank hunters.

When he heard that, the Association President couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh out of disbelief.

The Association President rarely had the chance to face Lee Hoyeon, unlike active hunters, so he thought it was absurd.

‘Even if he’s a genius mage, does that even make sense?’

But now, having felt Lee Hoyeon’s magic firsthand.

The Association President realized that even that assessment was an understatement.

The man before him was a monster, a term far too inadequate for ‘genius mage’.

Confidence that he could subdue anyone who dared to challenge him shone in his eyes.

The magic filling the convention center was a show of force, or perhaps a provocation.

Many people of positions Lee Hoyeon couldn’t ignore were gathered in this place.

He could feel the surprise not only from himself but also from the high-ranking officials around him.

That’s why the impact was so strong.

Having caused such a commotion, Lee Hoyeon’s words carried weight.

‘Why isn’t this guy saying anything?’

However, contrary to the Association President’s thoughts, Lee Hoyeon had no intention of fighting anyone.

Although the people present were dignitaries from various countries, they were still divided by rank.

The head of France’s Iris Guild.

And America’s Angela Guild leader.

Among those capable of fighting, these two held the most influence.

Since those two were on his side, there was no one to stop him even with his show of force.

It was also more convenient because he didn’t direct any magic towards those who were friendly to him or those who understood his ‘true intentions’.

“Association President-nim. It’s ‘Tua Arma Maestro’.”

“….”

The president of the Korean Association looked at Lee Hoyeon, his lips trembling.

He wondered why Lee Hoyeon had approached him specifically.

He couldn’t comprehend what meaning that phrase held to warrant such an event.

However, he knew he was innocent.

He occasionally accepted bribes or investigated people, but he had never, ever colluded with the terrorist group Pandemic.

He certainly had no memory of actively antagonizing Lee Hoyeon or controlling the media.

“… Tua Arma Maestro. Is that enough?”

The Association President uttered the brainwashing phrase, glancing nervously at his surroundings.

Even the surrounding officials waited with bated breath, but nothing changed.

Only then did the Association President relax and open his mouth.

Simultaneously, black magic began to seep from the Association President’s mouth.

“Mage Lee Hoyeon. So what does this mean… K, Kkeuup. cough…?!”

“Step back.”

Lee Hoyeon didn’t bother containing the Maestro’s magic.

Using his own magic might lead to unnecessary speculation.

“Gulp… Th, Thkkeup…. Kkeo, Kkeogeok….”

The Association President vomited whatever was inside him while face down on the floor, and Lee Hoyeon took a step back.

Seeing the magic suddenly erupt from the Association President’s body, the surrounding officials couldn’t hide their shock.

‘As expected, the brainwashing must have been strong for someone of the Association President’s level.’

Even with strong brainwashing, if Lee Hoyeon had directly removed it, he could have absorbed the magic cleanly. But releasing it through the brainwashing phrase resulted in such an unsightly scene.

Strong brainwashing surely comes with severe after-effects.

“Keueuk….”

Everyone looked at Lee Hoyeon, awaiting his next words, but Lee Hoyeon waited for the Association President to regain his senses.

After about a minute, the Association President coughed and lifted his head.

“Keuhp, hoo…. Huh? What the? Why am I here… Ah, the press conference! The press conference…. Huh, eung? What is this? Where am I?”

The Association President got up as if nothing had happened and looked around.

He was utterly bewildered by the situation, with dignitaries and reporters from all over the world staring at him.

“Are you feeling better, Association President-nim.”

“Hmm? L-Lee Hoyeon Mage-nim. What exactly is going on right now?”

“I’ve removed the brainwashing that was placed on you, Association President-nim. Your memory might be hazy, but try to recall it slowly.”

“Ah, ah…?”

At Lee Hoyeon’s words, the Association President squinted and scrunched up his face.

However, the brainwashing had been so strong that he couldn’t immediately recall.

Lee Hoyeon handed the Association President over to his aide standing nearby, then turned towards the reporters.

“This is the brainwashing of Pandemic. However, I understand you naturally wouldn’t believe it based on just one Association President-nim.”

Lee Hoyeon also had no intention of stopping with just one Association President.

‘About 23 people?’

He could definitely pinpoint the foul magic emanating from within Machaenggung.

Considering Maestro’s brainwashing was only applied to high-ranking officials, the number was surprisingly high.

This was thanks to the direct involvement of the Iris Guild, the Wizard Association, and the American Hunter Association.

Lee Hoyeon slowly released the brainwashing one by one, just as he had done with the Association President.

Seeing dignitaries from various countries expel black magic in the same way, even those who had doubted Lee Hoyeon or were skeptical had no choice but to change their minds.

“Keo, Keueup… Hheut?! Wh, Where am I…?”

After releasing the brainwashing from the last person, Lee Hoyeon looked around again.

The high-ranking officials and reporters were contemplating how to interpret this situation.

It was more accurate to say they were shocked by the sudden turn of events, rather than doubting Lee Hoyeon.

‘This should be enough.’

Lee Hoyeon retracted the magic that had permeated the area and walked up to the podium.

Everyone was waiting for him to speak.

“Simultaneously with this press conference, the Iris Guild will announce a list of individuals susceptible to brainwashing to the media outlets of each country. I will share my research results only with nations that present these individuals publicly and have them speak the brainwashing phrase.”

The high-ranking officials who had voiced negative opinions when Lee Hoyeon destroyed the black pillar.

He had asked the Iris Guild to investigate those individuals for this press conference.

“For the survival and future of humanity, I intend to share my research results without any compensation. However, I will absolutely not cooperate with nations that harbor dangerous elements. I am not asking them to risk their lives. They simply need to appear publicly and say one sentence. If they cannot even do that, then I cannot trust that nation either. … That is all.”

Lee Hoyeon turned around and stepped down from the podium.

The dignitaries watching the press conference hurriedly contacted their respective countries, and reporters relayed the breaking news to the media.

Some requested a Q&A session, but Lee Hoyeon had already left the podium.

[Ah, ah. This concludes the press conference…. ]

*

After the press conference ended.

Lee Hoyeon headed to the waiting room at the convention center.

As he entered the waiting room, Irene, who was sitting on the sofa, threw a water bottle.

“You worked hard. Here, have some water.”

“Thank you, Irene-ssi. I was so nervous I thought I was going to die. Hoo….”

Lee Hoyeon relaxed his tense shoulders, gulped down the cold water, and slumped onto the sofa.

As soon as he deactivated the ‘Clear Mental Fortitude’ trait, his heart started pounding.

As expected, the life of an ordinary citizen isn’t easy. I should probably take the medicine Daeun-ssi gave me later.

“Just five minutes ago, your eyes were full of fire. How can a person change so drastically?”

“I endured it with sheer willpower.”

“Hah.”

Irene, sitting opposite Lee Hoyeon, crossed her legs and chuckled wryly.

Seeing the man who, just moments ago, had confidently declared ‘Bring it on, world! I am Lee Hoyeon!’, acting like this, she knew he was playing a trick on her again.

“Irene-ssi. Thank you. The press conference went much smoother thanks to the Iris Guild.”

“… Of course. We went through hell preparing for it.”

Irene felt like punching Lee Hoyeon’s annoyingly smug face.

It was because the Iris Guild had worked their butts off preparing for this press conference.

“But listen here. What do you think the Iris Guild is? Huh? We’re not some helpers you call whenever you need something. Right after announcing the press conference, you ask us to ‘Investigate all the high-ranking officials worldwide who criticized me without reason’? Do you think that’s reasonable?”

“Just a sec, Irene-ssi. Ow, ouch.”

Poke. Poke.

Irene poked Lee Hoyeon’s chest with her index finger.

Since she couldn’t punch him, she had to do something to vent her frustration.

“Unnie, don’t be too angry. But I agree with you.”

Alice, who was monitoring the situation outside on her smartwatch, nodded.

It was fortunate the press conference ended successfully, otherwise Irene’s anger would be understandable.

Of course, if it’s an urgent matter, telling her a day in advance is fine.

Lee Hoyeon was a VIP of the Iris Guild, and most requests could be handled within the Iris Guild’s information network.

However, a topic like ‘high-ranking officials worldwide who criticized Lee Hoyeon without reason’ was far too broad.

“I asked because I thought it was possible. And Alice. I told you that you didn’t have to finish the investigation by today. Announcing the list a few days later wouldn’t be too late.”

“You say that, but your eyes were practically begging us to finish it today, weren’t they?”

“… Well. It would be better if it were done today.”

Lee Hoyeon shrugged and turned his gaze away from Alice towards the holographic monitor installed in the waiting room.

– Discussions are ongoing regarding the list announced by the Iris Guild. While some are making a fuss, claiming it’s baseless, others argue that politicians unable to say even such a thing cannot be trusted….

“It’s causing quite a stir, isn’t it, Irene-ssi.”

“Stop changing the subject. We’ve helped you for free until now, but consider today’s work as a debt to be settled. You’ll have to figure it out.”

Lee Hoyeon subtly glanced at Irene to check her expression.

She had her arms crossed and her legs crossed.

It seemed she was upset that he had suddenly asked for a favor yesterday without even asking how she was doing.

“Irene-ssi. Could you help us just a little more? This isn’t for my personal gain. It’s for the world. Once this is resolved, I’ll do anything I can.”

“… Anything?”

“Of course. Irene-ssi. This is for the world.”

“U, Uhm…. For the world.”

Irene uncrossed her legs, sat demurely, and a smile crept onto her lips.

Alice, watching this unfold, muttered with disbelief, “No way…”

“Unnie. Don’t fall for that kind of talk.”

“N-No way, Alice. Hmm…. Still, the Iris Guild stands to gain quite a lot from this. Our influence worldwide has increased significantly… and the amount we receive through lobbying can’t be ignored, so maybe I don’t need to be that angry.”

“… Unnie?”

Alice sighed, looking at Irene, who avoided her gaze.

She wasn’t this foolish before…. How did she end up like this?

‘It must be because of that guy.’

Alice looked at the man sitting opposite her.

Lee Hoyeon smirked wickedly as he watched Irene blush.

She decided she had to keep her wits about her and not be swayed by him, unlike her Unnie.

Checking the data Lee Hoyeon had requested, Alice thought seriously.