Seongguk – Ian

body {
font-family: Georgia, serif;
line-height: 1.6;
max-width: 800px;
margin: 0 auto;
padding: 20px;
}
h1 {
color: #333;
border-bottom: 2px solid #ddd;
padding-bottom: 10px;
}
p {
margin-bottom: 1em;
text-align: justify;
}

Following the Magic Tower Lord’s request, Ian quickly arrived at the Holy Kingdom using Warp Magic.

Although he was forced to come to the Holy Kingdom, Ian initially tried to approach this task with a positive attitude.

‘Since it’s my teacher’s request, I can’t help it. It wouldn’t be bad to understand what kind of person the Hero is.’

However, despite his resolve, his days in the Holy Kingdom were a series of tests of Ian’s patience.

Ian had to attend a banquet from his very first day in the Holy Kingdom.

Fortunately, thanks to some magical adjustments, almost no one recognized him and approached him.

Of course, it was ‘almost.’

As Ian was eating in a corner, someone approached him, pulled out a chair, and sat across from him.

-Screech.

“Hehe, isn’t this Ian? I didn’t expect to see you here. Do you remember me? Lionard, a diplomat from the Rica Kingdom.”

“…You recognized me well.”

Lionard was someone Ian remembered.

‘To meet him even here.’

After Ian graduated from the Academy and was about to leave for the Magic Tower, Lionard was the one who tried countless times to persuade him.

From Ian’s perspective, he was sick of even seeing Lionard’s face now.

“That prickly tone is still the same. At first, I was doubtful, but… seeing your face up close, I became certain. Isn’t this what you call experience? Anyway, I have a request for Ian. Again—”No.””

Ian cut Lionard off mid-sentence.

It was a very rude action, but Lionard didn’t seem offended at all.

Rather, he stubbornly continued to say what he wanted to say.

“At least hear me out. The Rica Kingdom is willing to provide everything Ian needs. If you come back, you will never regret that choice.”

“Are you done with your nonsense?”

“Aren’t your family members in the Rica Kingdom? Oh, right. There’s also new news about Ian’s family. Don’t you want to hear it? It’s quite interesting.”

“…”

-Tap. Tap.

Instead of answering, Ian quietly glared at Lionard and tapped the table with his fingers.

“Hmm… If you were offended by my mentioning your family, I apologize. I’ll go somewhere else, so Ian can continue to enjoy the banquet. Instead, how about considering it until you leave the Holy Kingdom? The Rica Kingdom will always welcome Ian.”

-Screech.

Ian watched Lionard leave his seat.

‘He’s quick-witted. He wouldn’t be a diplomat for nothing.’

Lionard never crossed the line when dealing with Ian.

Ian was briefly tempted by the news about his family…

But if he had said he would listen, Lionard would have bothered him much longer in return.

‘Well, it’s been a while since I saw my parents. Once I finish the thesis I’m preparing, I should visit the territory.’

If he wanted to see his family, he could meet them anytime anyway.

At that moment, Ian felt several gazes directed at him.

“Do you happen to know that person?”

“Hmm. I don’t know exactly, but his face seems familiar….”

As Ian and the diplomat Lionard talked, other people in the banquet hall seemed to become interested in him.

‘This is going to be annoying.’

To avoid the same thing happening again, Ian had no choice but to leave the banquet hall.

Once outside, Ian planned to take a break in the garden.

‘Taking a walk for a while wouldn’t be bad.’

But even Ian didn’t dream that he would experience something even worse there.

While walking in the garden, Ian accidentally heard a strange sound.

-Slurp… Ugh… Slu…

‘What is this sound?’

Too suspicious and lewd to just ignore.

Eventually, Ian headed towards the sound and witnessed a shocking sight.

“Ugh, Lena….”

“I’ll do it with my chest this time.”

By a twist of fate, he had discovered the Hero and his companion engaging in lewd acts outside.

Ian already had a headache because of that alone, but the absurd events didn’t end there.

When Ian said a few words to them about the ridiculous situation, the Hero even drew his sword and charged at him.

‘I did lightly trample on him… but it’s still absurd to think about it.’

Ian shook his head, recalling his meeting with the Hero.

The Hero was already obsessed with women and had poor skills compared to his power.

Did his teacher send Ian to the Holy Kingdom to see this sight?

He said the Hero might be to his liking.

Now, the Hero was not only to Ian’s liking but had become an object of extreme disgust.

“Is my teacher already senile? He should at least be normal until I break through the wall.”

Ian muttered his resentment towards his teacher.

‘Should I go in for now?’

It would be best to finish his work quickly and leave the Holy Kingdom instead of lamenting.

-Slam.

As Ian slowly entered the Papal Chamber, the Pope, who was sitting in front, greeted him warmly.

“Welcome. I have been waiting for you to come.”

“Greetings. I am Ian from the Magic Tower.”

“I am well aware of Ian’s reputation. I never dreamed that the Magic Tower Lord’s disciple would come to my invitation.”

‘…The news travels fast.’

Ian was quite famous within the Magic Tower, but it hadn’t been long since he became the Magic Tower Lord’s disciple.

He wasn’t the leader of the Holy Kingdom for nothing.

Ian mentally adjusted his evaluation of the Pope upwards.

“Thank you for the welcome. I came because of the Magic Tower Lord’s will. Andㅡ

At that moment, a change suddenly began to occur in Ian’s face.

-Rustle.

His brown hair turned into a burning red color, and his black eyes instantly turned red as well.

‘…Is this a Barrier that dispels magic?’

Quite an unpleasant sensation.

The Divine Power overflowing in the room disintegrated the magic surrounding Ian.

‘The Holy Kingdom’s Barrier….’

Interesting. How long can I endure?

Intrigued, Ian decided to test this interesting toy.

Whooshㅡ Crack.

A phenomenon of blue energy scattering and gathering repeatedly occurred in Ian’s hand.

But Ian didn’t give up there and gradually increased the output.

-Clatter, Clatter.

The surrounding objects began to shake from the aftermath.

-Bang!

“Stop there! Are you planning to destroy this place?”

At the angry voice, Ian stopped the test and shook his hand.

-Tap, Tap, Tap.

“Not bad. It will break through almost all magic.”

At this level, even I would find it difficult to use magic here.

After finishing his evaluation, Ian turned his head to check the corner of the Papal Chamber, where a man holding a spear was glaring at him.

“What kind of rude behavior is this in front of His Holiness the Pope?”

“Hmm… Judging by the weapon, is that Cardinal Daniel, the Pope’s Spear? I would rather ask you. I didn’t hear that there was something like this in the Papal Chamber. I was just responding to the concern that it might be a trap.”

“This Barrier is the minimum measure to protect the Pope. You also know about what happened to the Pope a few days ago.”

“A member of the Hero party colluded with a Demon to assassinate His Holiness the Pope….”

Ian was, of course, aware of it.

The Vatican had been turned upside down on the day the incident occurred.

‘Judging by the way things are progressing, there’s a dirty smell, but… it’s not something I should get involved in.’

The Pope mediated between the two, who were in a tense atmosphere.

“Haha, everyone, calm down. Cardinal Daniel, you should put down your weapon as well.”

“…Understood.”

Daniel had an uneasy expression but obediently put down his spear.

“I failed to mention the Barrier. It’s my mistake. By the way, you were hiding your appearance.”

“Ah. My hair color is too noticeable.”

His unique hair color was a big headache for Ian, who wanted to avoid unnecessary attention.

His bright red hair and eyes of the same color were noticeable everywhere.

“I would like to get to the main point soon. I came to see His Holiness the Pope not only because of the invitation. There are things that need to be discussed between the Magic Tower and the Holy Kingdom.”

“I wondered why you wanted to meet me directly… It’s about the Potion business.”

“Since you know, I’ll be direct. Stop controlling the distribution of Potions and taking excessive profits.”

‘If possible, I hope things go well….’

Ian had some expectations.

If the Pope accepted the proposal here, Ian’s work in the Holy Kingdom would be over.

Then Ian could return to the Magic Tower.

But the Pope’s answer betrayed Ian’s expectations.

“I’m afraid that will be difficult.”

“Can I hear the reason?”

As expected.

Ian roughly expected that the Pope would not easily accept the request.

In the first place, if the Pope had cooperated, he wouldn’t have had to come all the way here.

“First of all, the expression ‘excessive profits’ seems to be an exaggeration. We have only raised the price slightly because there have been problems with Potion production in the Holy Kingdom recently.”

“Hmm… It’s hard for me to understand that there are problems with Potion production in the Holy Kingdom, which has numerous priests and Holy Knights.”

“The Holy Kingdom has its circumstances. In the current situation, we will raise the price of Potions even more, but we have no intention of lowering it.”

“I’m really curious about those circumstances. Are the circumstances so dire that the Holy Kingdom, which should spread the Goddess’s mercy widely, has to make such a choice?”

‘Are they trying to control the supply of Potions with ridiculous excuses and make huge profits?’

It’s easier because I can see through their intentions.

Ian frowned at the greed he felt from the Pope’s answer.

Nevertheless, the Pope continued to maintain his shameless attitude.

“I hope you will also consider my position that I cannot say it.”

“Potions are products created through the collaboration of the Magic Tower and the Holy Kingdom. The Magic Tower can no longer tolerate the arbitrary adjustment of Potion prices. If you do not cooperate… the Magic Tower will make a decision.”

“Haha, I think that if the supply of Potions stops, more people will seek out the priests of the Holy Kingdom. I don’t think this result is good for everyone.”

The Pope shrugged with a smile.

“…Ha.”

So, he’s going to use his position to monopolize Divine Power and come out like this.

‘This isn’t a Pope, it’s a sly old fox.’

To think that someone in the Pope’s position has such dark intentions.

Ian’s head already ached at the judgment that this problem would not be easy to solve.

Having mostly grasped the Pope’s intentions, Ian didn’t need to argue any further here.

“…Well, that’s fine. I’ll stop here for today and go back. It was an honor to see His Holiness the Pope.”

“Haha, it was also good for me to meet Ian. You are welcome to visit me anytime. I hope that we can find a consensus on the Potion issue soon.”

-Thump.

“Hoo….”

Ian sighed as he came out of the Papal Chamber.

‘Anyway, I’ll have to spend another week in the Holy Kingdom.’

Ian planned to contact and consult with the Magic Tower Lord first and then decide on his next move.

At that moment.

-Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap!

A woman with red hair flying in the wind ran towards Ian at an incredible speed.

The woman arrived in front of Ian in an instant and panted heavily, as if exhausted.

“Huff, huff…. You were here. I was looking for you.”

“You….”

Ian, who was briefly flustered, immediately recognized the woman in front of him.

“Annie? Why are you here….”

“Oh, long time no see.”

Annie scratched her cheek as if she was embarrassed. And she said the nickname she always called Ian.

“Oppa.”