episode_0718

“… Ah.”

His whole body felt hot, and his joints were uncomfortable.

Lee Ho-yeon opened his heavy eyelids and turned his head.

Alice was hanging on his left arm like a sloth.

“My arm hurts too much.”

He tried to exert a little force, but Alice clung so strongly that he couldn’t remove her.

Feeling discomfort in his legs as well, he lowered his head and saw Irene.

Their legs were intertwined like cobras.

He couldn’t move this way either.

“Why did they fall asleep like this?”

Their last memory was of passionately engaging in intimacy.

They must have fallen asleep like this until now…

Snap-

Afraid his joints might break if he stayed like this, he summoned magic.

Alice and Irene’s bodies slowly floated up and flew to the corner of the bed.

“Ugh….”

“Huuaah….”

Alice and Irene finally opened their eyes.

They yawned, got up, and met Ho-yeon’s gaze.

“Good morning.”

“….”

Despite offering a cheerful morning greeting, the response was quite cold.

After exchanging glances with Ho-yeon, Alice and Irene looked at each other.

Alice was the first to move.

“… Aaah.”

Alice widened her eyes, made a strange noise, then fled outside the room.

Her face flushed red, clearly embarrassed.

Creak-

However, after about five seconds passed.

The closed door cautiously opened, and Alice, covering her chest with one hand, came in and picked up her clothes from the corner of the bed.

She growled at Ho-yeon like a cat.

“Don’t look.”

“What can I do when it’s visible?”

“You’re such a crazy pervert.”

“….”

Thud-

Ho-yeon blinked as he looked at the closed door.

What did he do wrong to deserve insults from the morning?

“I guess being shy is one of Alice’s cute traits.”

Irene said, putting on her clothes with a satisfied smile.

It seemed like she had completely woken up, even using clean magic.

“But… Irene, when did you prepare all this?”

“You should get up soon too. You’re going to Iris Guild today, right? You have something to discuss with the guild leader.”

“Oh, okay.”

The person who was whimpering under Ho-yeon just yesterday suddenly changed her attitude.

Is this what a professional demeanor looks like?

“… And yesterday was nice. Let’s push it further with Alice next time.”

“Pardon?”

“I can’t say it first. Alice will listen if you say it. Okay?”

… It seems like things are back to normal on the surface.

But deep down, Irene remained true to herself.

“Got it. I’ll do my best.”

“Great. See you later then.”

Ho-yeon smiled as he watched Irene hastily leave the room.

He needed to start getting ready to leave.

*

“Hero Lee Ho-yeon, the mage who prevented the terror. Now standing at the center of the world.”

“A magic that subdues thousands with a single gesture. Analyzed by the Mage Guild.”

“The strong bond between Iris Guild and Mage Lee Ho-yeon.”

“Mage Association Chairman Arthur insists that the next Mage Association Chairman will be Lee Ho-yeon….”

“What is this man talking about? I never said I would do it.”

Ho-yeon frowned as he looked at his smartwatch.

Though he threw a challenge token to encourage him to work hard at the terror scene, dealing with the chairman and all was just annoying.

“I didn’t do it properly anyway.”

Breaking the magical barrier inside took longer than cleaning up outside.

With that level of difference, even if he became the Mage Association Chairman, he would spend the whole day answering questions.

“Now I’m used to appearing in the news too.”

Such articles no longer made him nervous; he had seen too many of them.

Even during his promising academy days, such articles appeared, and now it was just too bothersome to care.

They’ll make a fuss for a few days and then quiet down.

Ho-yeon entered the Iris Guild building while looking at his smartwatch.

Inside the guild, it was bustling as usual today, and for some reason, my name seemed to be frequently mentioned.

“Here you are?”

“Miss Irene?”

“You came at a good time. It’s time to go see the guild master. Let’s go together.”

In the midst of the busy Iris Guild, Irene approached me.

She stood beside me with a pleasant smile.

Her skin looked better than yesterday.

“Everyone seems busy.”

“Because the terror ended yesterday. And half of it is your fault. Everyone trying to contact you is reaching out to the Iris Guild.”

“Me? Oh, come to think of it, there were many news articles.”

“Yeah. Since the whole world must be talking about you. It’s much more chaotic than during the war.”

“… Is it that serious?”

“Of course. Lee Hoyeon. Do you not realize how remarkable what you did was?”

Irene looked at Lee Hoyeon with an incredulous expression.

This man sometimes says things that are hard to understand.

“It’s impressive, yes. But… The demons we captured this time were much stronger than the demons we faced before, right?”

To be honest, even if tens of thousands of demons gathered, they couldn’t kill a demon lord.

The level of combat and tension was much higher back then.

This time, the overwhelming difference in firepower allowed us to subdue them all with a single spell.

After all, the demon lord was a being from another world, a being in the realm of gods. They couldn’t be compared to mere demons.

Lee Hoyeon, keenly aware of this fact, found it hard to understand why things were more chaotic this time than before.

“That may be true, but… civilians know well how terrifying demons can be.”

During the peak of the pandemic.

There was a time when a single demon appearing in the city would kill dozens or hundreds of people on a daily basis.

Even hellish monsters attacked the world, causing significant damage, but demons consistently tormented humanity for a long time.

“Well, a cockroach in front of you is scarier than a dinosaur you can’t meet.”

“It’s a bit of a different story… Anyway, as long as you understand.”

In fact, Irene was surprised by people’s reactions to Lee Hoyeon.

Due to the worldwide frenzy, there was no need for the Iris Guild to take on tasks.

‘Is being handsome really the best…’

As a psychologist once said.

The most significant factor in persuading people is said to be appearance.

Both Elise and Irene had benefited greatly from their looks, but Lee Hoyeon seemed to win everyone’s favor with just his face.

The fact that the world’s most powerful wizard was also the most handsome person—wasn’t this an irrationality?

‘… If I threaten to expose his relationships, would he not be loyal to the Iris Guild?’

Irene chuckled at the sudden thought.

Since she was practically one with the Iris Guild, there was no need to do such foolish things.

‘And if something happens, it’s a loss for both the Iris Guild and me…’

It would be a painful loss for the Iris Guild and a heartbreaking loss for Irene personally.

There was no way she would engage in actions that were detrimental both publicly and privately.

Tick-tock, tick-tock—

At that moment, a blonde beauty approached from the front.

It was Elise, dressed neatly in her uniform.

Approaching with a look that indicated nothing had happened last night, she alternated her gaze between Irene and Lee Hoyeon.

“Why are you two walking here together? Did you keep hanging out together?”

“No. We met at the Iris Guild building.”

“… Is that so?”

Elise nodded and stood next to Lee Hoyeon.

For some reason, she seemed satisfied.

“Let’s go to the guild master’s office since Dad is waiting.”

Watching her walk away, Lee Hoyeon raised the corners of his mouth and reached out his hand.

“Yeah. Elise, would you like to hold hands?”

“Don’t say weird things.”

“Elise. If Lee Hoyeon doesn’t want to, should I hold hands with unnie?”

“Please, both of you, be quiet.”

Enduring the teasing on both sides, Elise walked towards the guild master’s office.

***

The guild master of the Iris Guild, Emperor of the Night, Isaac.

He sighed as he looked at the piled-up schedule for the day.

The details of the party terror were featured prominently in all media outlets within a day.

The entire world went crazy over the party that invited people from all around the globe.

Through the video magic capturing the scene outside the barrier, Lee Hoyeon’s magic struck the world once again.

His decision to reach out to the Iris Guild for all communications proved to be a significant help.

Thanks to this, the Iris Guild’s position became so strong that it was beyond approach.

In terms of the economic effects that would follow, earning astronomical amounts of money with Lee Hoyeon’s magic was now a reality.

“Cough….”

“Darling, what’s wrong?”

“Why does my heart ache like this…!”

But what is this feeling of losing something more precious than money….

Isaac narrowed his eyes while being embraced in the arms of his beloved guild leader, Sophia.

The Night Emperor believed his senses were not mistaken.

Knock-knock-

Someone was coming.

The scoundrel who had taken away his precious possession….

“Hello, Guild Leader.”

Lee Hoyeon led the way, with Elise and Irene on either side.

Although their strangely pleasant expressions bothered him greatly, there was no evidence to support his suspicions.

Isaac greeted Lee Hoyeon with a bitter feeling.

“… Yes. Lee Hoyeon, the magician. Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes. Thanks to you. I have some work to do, so I’m planning to leave for Korea soon.”

“I see. Thanks to you, I’ve also been much more comfortable. … Ugh!”

“Darling, calm down.”

“….”

Lee Hoyeon looked at Isaac, who was nodding his head in the arms of the guild leader, with a serious expression.

‘Why is he acting like that?’

Once again, he began to engage in mysterious actions in front of others.

It was a peculiar trait of the Iris Guild.