Side Story 44. The Story After (44)

“Haaa, what a fool….”

Alice sighed and looked straight ahead.

Beside her stood Lee Hoyeon, grinning.

“Alice. Relax.”

“…Be quiet, the reporters are watching.”

Alice bit her lip, cursing herself from 10 minutes ago. Thanks to the stupid move of being surprised when she saw Lee Hoyeon’s face, his momentum was sky-high.

“Alice. Still, Unnie likes you the most.”

“Yeah, Unnie. I get it, just look ahead and talk.”

Irene, who said that, had also been staring blankly at Lee Hoyeon earlier. The two sisters of the Iris Guild were quite open with their feelings.

‘He’s unnecessarily handsome, at least his face….’

Alice swallowed the bitter aftertaste and faced the reporters. Fortunately, thanks to Lee Hoyeon immediately injecting his magic, they weren’t caught in an embarrassing display.

“Alice. Do I just need to stay quiet during the interview?”

“Yeah. I’ll say everything, so just sit next to me and smile.”

“That’s comfortable and nice.”

Lee Hoyeon immediately sat down comfortably. It was almost time for the interview.

Before the Iris Guild entered, the reporters who had been sticking to Lee Hoyeon all flocked to Alice and Irene. They must have squeezed everything they could out of Lee Hoyeon. They really have a great sense of professionalism.

“The interview is starting now, so get ready.”

A moment later, the interview began.

“Regarding the Iris Guild’s aggressive business expansion, are there any complaints….”

“I want to ask Mage Lee Hoyeon-nim a question. There are rumors that you recently dropped out of Victoria Academy….”

“That’s nonsense.”

Although he had clearly said she just needed to stay quiet, the reporters often asked Lee Hoyeon questions too. Lee Hoyeon answered only what was necessary, observing the reporters. Among the reporters, suspicious faces could be seen; the lackeys of the EK Guild invariably asked tricky questions.

‘Hmm, what’s this…?’

While the interview was in full swing.

A strange sensation flashed through Lee Hoyeon’s mind.

And the next moment.

The lights in the party hall vanished.

“Wh-what the heck!”

“It’s an attack! An attack!”

All the lights in the party hall went out, and all the magic tools malfunctioned. Chaos spread through the party hall in an instant.

“Management team! What are you doing! Turn on the lights immediately!”

“Damn it, the devices aren’t responding!”

“My mana isn’t moving! It seems we’ve been hit by something!”

Lee Hoyeon raised his hand and summoned mana. The blue mana blooming on his palm was clearly weaker than usual.

‘This is… the Pandemic’s mana-blocking barrier?’

Who knew Pandemic still had this thing around. Moreover, it had been improved since last time, making it even more effective.

‘This has become troublesome.’

Lee Hoyeon boosted his mana. Barriers like this were now ineffective against Lee Hoyeon.

“Deploy Sky-Piercing Palace.”

Ttak-

He forcibly supplied mana inside the party hall. Even the inactive magic tools were forcibly turned on when Lee Hoyeon’s mana reached them.

“Lee Hoyeon. How did you do that? My mana isn’t moving….”

“This is what makes you the genius mage Lee Hoyeon. Alice. Are you okay?”

“Moving mana itself is possible, but… its potency has weakened.”

Lee Hoyeon surveyed the surroundings. The party hall looked chaotic overall, but the strong hunters seemed able to use mana to some extent.

‘The barrier weakened slightly due to my mana.’

Fortunately, most Iris Guild members could still use mana, but they couldn’t avoid a weakening of their strength.

“Everyone calm down! The barrier surrounding the party hall is intact!”

“Don’t worry, Mage Lee Hoyeon is here!”

Humans fear the darkness. If the darkness inside the party hall had continued, the chaos would have accelerated even more, but thanks to Lee Hoyeon, who restored all the magic tools inside with just a gesture, the chaos gradually subsided.

Kung-! Kuwoong-!

But the people’s relief was short-lived. Loud booms erupted from outside. It was the sound of the barrier set up by the Iris Guild being attacked.

“Captain 2-nim. Is vision magic possible?”

“Yes, I’ll check right away.”

In response to Alice’s words, the Iris Guild’s Captain 2 checked the vision magic connected to the outside. A magic circle unfolded, allowing them to see the situation outside.

“Th-that is… demons?”

“No way. Over a thousand demons…?”

Lee Hoyeon also frowned, seeing the scene outside. The demons attacking the barrier numbered at least several thousand. Including the humans visible behind them, it was a force of at least 10,000. Although it was a terror attack led by Pandemic, who knew so many demons remained. It felt like all the hiding demons had been summoned out.

“This is impossible. That Pandemic still had that much power left…!”

“Guild Master-nim! It’s uncertain how long the barrier will hold!”

Captain 2 approached Isaac, his face pale. If even the Iris Guild hadn’t grasped this information, it seemed they had been completely inactive outside.

“The hunters inside have weakened, but they can still exert enough strength. Even if the barrier breaks, if we defend inside the party hall, we can hold them off for half a day. Rescue teams will definitely come by then.”

Isaac clicked his tongue and surveyed the situation outside. The scale of the terror attack was much larger than expected.

‘Just where did they hide that many demons?’

Currently, avoiding the Iris Guild’s surveillance is nearly impossible. But there was no time to ponder that strangeness.

“Surely, the Iris Guild guaranteed the safety of this party, right?”

Pretzel, the Guild Master of the EK Guild, began to complain.

“Since a terror attack has actually occurred, we who participated in the party have the right to have our safety guaranteed by the Iris Guild.”

“Don’t worry, Guild Master-nim. The barrier protecting the party hall is very sturdy. Besides, rescue teams will be organized soon…”

“What nonsense is that! We don’t know what might happen to us by staying in the party hall! The enemy’s force is much greater than expected! We must escape right now!”

At Pretzel’s words, the other people started murmuring. ‘Let’s avoid a direct fight since the enemy’s strength is high and escape.’ In a way, it wasn’t entirely wrong.

‘I didn’t think they would fight openly… was this their plan?’

Even the EK Guild, which led the terror attack from behind the scenes, couldn’t openly threaten the party’s VIPs. At that moment, they would become enemies of the whole world and never be able to regain power. That’s why they seem to be making unreasonable demands to escape instead of attacking directly.

“Escape! Once we go outside the barrier, we don’t know what we’ll be subjected to!”

“What?! If a VIP happens to die because we just trusted the barrier, will you take responsibility! Do you even know who these people are!”

Some people argued against Pretzel’s words, but the more they did, the louder Pretzel raised his voice.

Kung-! Kwa-ang-!

The sound of hitting the barrier grew louder, and the inside of the party hall became increasingly chaotic. This party doesn’t only have strong hunters. There were also many people like CEOs of major corporations and reporters who couldn’t use mana. They were being swayed by Pretzel’s words.

“Iris Guild. Iris Guild, please decide!”

“Isaac! You decide!”

“…”

Isaac gave a wry smile, looking at the party hall that had suddenly become noisy. Ultimately, there were two choices. To hold out? Or to escape?

‘If we hold out in the party hall until the rescue teams arrive, can we hold them off?’

Although many reserve forces and guilds were deployed around the party hall, defeating those demons would be impossible even if they joined forces. If other guilds and the Hunter Association pooled their strength to form a rescue team… half a day would be enough time, even if it took a while. As long as the Iris Guild’s barrier existed, it was highly likely they could hold them off for about half a day. But if they had a trick up their sleeve, holding out in the party hall would be a dangerous method. It could be a choice that gives the enemy time to prepare.

‘Even if we attempt to escape, the enemy’s trap will surely exist. But… even without escaping, there’s a high possibility they’re preparing something.’

In the end, battle cannot be avoided regardless of the choice. Moreover, if a VIP were to die, the Iris Guild would have to take full responsibility. If they succeeded in escaping, it would be the EK Guild’s credit for strongly advocating it, and if they held out and casualties occurred, the EK Guild would have ammunition. Even if they tried to escape and failed, it wouldn’t be the EK Guild’s direct fault; the Iris Guild, responsible for the party’s security, would likely be blamed. In the end, succeeding by holding out was the only option. But the enemy would know that much too. Not knowing what they might have prepared, holding out might even be what the enemy was aiming for.

“Guild Master-nim.”

“Ah, Mage Lee Hoyeon.”

Just as Isaac was contemplating.

Lee Hoyeon approached. Seeing his face, Isaac could feel at least a little relieved. Right. Lee Hoyeon is here. Genius Mage Lee Hoyeon, who could use mana normally even within a mysterious barrier that blocked magic power. He might have a solution.

“Perhaps you have an idea?”

“Yes. We must hold out inside the barrier.”

“Are you sure that’s okay? That might be what the opponent is aiming for.”

“I will take responsibility.”

Lee Hoyeon continued speaking nonchalantly. Although Isaac didn’t doubt him, he added just in case.

“Surely, they must have something prepared too. Since contact with the outside is cut off, rescue teams will be organized soon, but…”

“Don’t worry. It will be resolved in 30 minutes.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’ve seen Pandemic’s mana-blocking barrier before. I’ve already devised the deactivation spell. I’ve passed it on to the Wizard Association, so it will be lifted soon.”

As Isaac turned his head, he saw mages gathered around Chairman Arthur.

“Damn it! Damn it…! You want us to release this within 30 minutes?!”

“Lee Hoyeon. Isn’t that guy asking too much?!”

“Everyone, shut up and concentrate! Mage Lee Hoyeon said he would positively consider becoming the next president of the Wizard Association!”

Among them, Chairman Arthur was staring intently at the deactivation spell Lee Hoyeon had given him, his eyes blazing. Seeing that, Isaac suddenly became curious.

“Mage Lee Hoyeon. Isn’t this something that could be solved quickly if you helped?”

“I have something else to do. I will entrust all the internal defense to the Iris Guild.”

“What?”

“As Guild Master-nim said, we don’t know what the enemies might have done. I will stop them.”

Dugeun-

Mana surged within Lee Hoyeon’s body. A pounding he hadn’t felt in a long time. It wasn’t because the enemies were strong. The anticipation of truly unleashing magic made Lee Hoyeon’s heart burn.

“L-Lee Hoyeon. Will you be okay? The enemy’s strength is beyond imagination. You don’t necessarily need to buy time….”

“Don’t worry, Irene-ssi.”

Lee Hoyeon reassured her by approaching and holding the hand of the worried Irene.

“I’ll capture every single one alive and deal with them legally.”

Ji-iing-

As Lee Hoyeon waved his hand in the air, a portal appeared. It was magic passing through a pre-installed gap in the barrier, leading outside.

“Wait! Lee Hoyeon, are you crazy? Why are you suddenly going out alone?”

“Ah, right. Alice, take this.”

“Why all of a sudden… What is this?”

“It’s a failsafe. If the EK Guild acts up, just inject mana into it.”

Alice, worried about Lee Hoyeon, tilted her head looking at the button-shaped magic tool he gave her. And Lee Hoyeon immediately threw himself into the portal.

“No, wait a moment!”

Alice belatedly reached for the portal, but as soon as it swallowed Lee Hoyeon, it disappeared. Seeing the disappeared Lee Hoyeon, Irene blinked and said.

“…What’s this ‘legally’? That’s not what I was worried about.”

“Unnie. Is he really okay?”

Alice said exasperatedly, looking at the vanished Lee Hoyeon. “I know he’s strong, but why does he have to go fight alone?”

“Even so, it’s Lee Hoyeon… he won’t die, right…?”

Alice and Irene looked at the situation outside displayed by Captain 2 with worried eyes.