How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 87

96. Let’s Learn Magic (10)

“I’ll tell you only, Mr. Aileon.”

“Yes. Well, my lips are sealed.”

“The Kalluon Merchant Guild sold food to the Empire, they say.”

“Food? That makes even less sense. The Empire is overflowing with food right now, isn’t it?”

“That’s what’s reported in the port official’s records, and no objections have been raised.”

However, Lowell continued.

“That’s why we haven’t investigated. We understand the fear of knowing too much.”

“……There’s nothing good to find out.”

I understood.

The lord here is blatantly keeping his mouth shut.

It’s clear the report books are being falsified, but no one is touching it.

“The lord isn’t keeping quiet simply because he fears the Empire. In these cases, the pressure is applied from within.”

“……Who are the investors in the Kalluon Merchant Guild?”

“They’re ordinary. I hear it’s a man named ‘Elsto.’”

After hearing that, I could guess who was backing the Kalluon Merchant Guild.

‘It’s obviously Duke Rupel.’

A prominent noble of the Selvas Kingdom and an executive of the Secret Organization Unified Assembly.

Elsto is the alias Duke Rupel uses for his behind-the-scenes work.

Only I know that because I read the original work.

‘So, the territory war in Volume 4 involves not only the Forellos Empire’s imperial family but also Duke Rupel… that is, the secret organization that is the root of him?’

The possibility is high.

There’s enough motive to do so.

‘That old man. He’s instigating dungeons, kingdom coups, and even wars in other countries. He’s really busy.’

Shouldn’t we give them the award for diligence this year?

He works more than I do?

As expected, villains are diligent. I should learn from them.

Then what exactly did Rupel try to send to the Empire?

In the first place, there’s nothing the Selvas Kingdom could provide.

The Selvas Kingdom isn’t a weak country, but the Empire is many times stronger.

Oura Masters, called the Eight Swords, and the Imperial Magic Corps.

In addition, they have secret workshops that research all sorts of items and secret arts.

They possess various other powers as well.

Among those who are openly revealed in the early part of the original work, they are quite threatening.

‘Well, if the Unified Assembly, that secret organization, openly intervenes, it’s a bit different.’

They possess considerable technology, including black magic research workshops.

That means they provided something to Marquis Celond through that.

Provision.

‘……Ugh. Could it be? Is that it?’

Thinking that far, something clicked.

Come to think of it, there is something they could give.

“Mr. Aileon? You look uncomfortable, are you alright?”

Lowell seemed to find it strange that I suddenly made a face as if I had chewed something bad.

“It’s nothing. It certainly seems dangerous, so it’s best not to touch it.”

“I hope you won’t be disappointed.”

“Not at all. I fully understand your position.”

Rather, it’s wise not to touch it.

I know too. I know it well.

If you deliberately open a smelly lid, you’re a pervert.

I left Pileros Merchant Guild as it was.

“Hmm~ What should I do now.”

I roughly inferred.

I’ve grasped the general idea of what will happen to some extent.

Then there’s only one thing to do.

I turned around without hesitation.

The destination is where the Kalluon Merchant Guild’s warehouse is located.

Certainly, as Lowell said, rummaging through suspicious places is something only a pervert would do.

But…….

‘Sometimes there are things you have to check.’

Unfortunately, there’s such a pervert here.

That’s me! Me!

My gut is already half convinced.

It’s the smell of an incident.

* * *

There’s a suspicious place.

It’s obvious that the element is intertwined with the original work.

Then what should I do?

Avoid it?

Or confirm it?

‘I have to check it, even if it’s a bit dangerous…….’

If it were me before coming here, I would have considered it and chosen to avoid it.

Unless it was unavoidable, I would have pulled out as soon as I felt creeped out.

But now the situation is slightly different.

Until now, I had to hide my face as much as possible, so I wouldn’t step forward unless necessary.

‘But there’s a limit to that.’

As I started to get involved in business and gather money, the number of people who remember my face and name inevitably increased.

There are already quite a few who remember me.

It’s meaningless to back down now just because it’s suspicious.

‘Since I started trading with Pileros Merchant Guild, I would have been involved anyway. I’ve been prepared to be targeted by someone from the beginning.’

If I was afraid of that, I wouldn’t have come here, given up on business, and lived in the countryside.

Wanting to make money means there will be conflicts with someone with malice.

It’s not a welcome thing, but it can’t be helped.

There’s no way there’s only easy work.

I think about that very realistically.

‘The problem is what’s going on, how it’s going, and why we’re clashing.’

It’s certainly necessary to engrave it in my eyes.

At least I need to know who I’m going to beat, and why I’m getting hit.

In addition, I had business with the Kalluon Merchant Guild itself from before.

I had been planning to receive a reply for the previous rudeness someday.

To survive in this rough society, if the other party gives 1, this side must make them pay 100 in return.

In a world where being ignored can be more poisonous than a half-hearted grudge.

‘Ah~ I really hate it.’

Feeling a bit of pessimism about such honest world logic, I arrived at the Kalluon Merchant Guild’s warehouse as soon as the sun set that day.

‘They stored the ‘goods’ brought in from outside here once, right?’

I checked that the ship had departed last month, so it’s certain that it came in and out.

I sneaked into the Kalluon Merchant Guild’s warehouse as it was.

There are a few guys watching outside the warehouse, but.

‘Please, Sandman~ Give the bad guys a good night’s sleep~.’

It’s easy to put all the guards of a mere merchant guild to sleep.

I put them all to sleep as they were and entered the warehouse with ease.

‘Hmm…… There’s quite a lot more than I thought?’

There are quite a lot of things.

There are also some trade goods.

First, I rummaged through them one by one.

“Oh? Spices?”

There’s quite a lot of pepper that seems to have been brought in from another country.

I wonder if I can make money if I sell this.

Since I’m planning to receive compensation for the last rudeness anyway, let’s take it separately from finding out.

In this industry, alimony is self-service.

No one takes care of it for you.

Let’s take it as a bonus.

I opened the box as it was, checked the contents, and took the item out of the warehouse through space control.

Then I dug a hole and buried it appropriately.

If I hide it like this and move it little by little later, it’ll be easy.

It’s simple.

In that way, I only aimed for spices or ornaments that seemed valuable and that I could move, and took them out one by one.

‘I’m looking forward to the screams of the guys who will check the warehouse and turn it upside down.’

I took a lot of alimony.

‘But the really important thing is still not visible?’

I just wanted to know what they were carrying.

I thought it would definitely be there.

‘The passage is just filthy and narrow.’

Should I check somewhere else instead?

As I was thinking that, something squishy stepped on my foot and I almost slipped.

“Whoa?!”

I almost fell backward as it was.

“Ew. What is this? Poop?”

No, clean the warehouse properly! How can you step on poop here…….

Hmm?

I frowned at the sense of incongruity, as I was determined to wake up those guys I had put to sleep and shove their faces into this.

Logically, no one would have done their business here.

That means.

‘……Ah, there’s only that.’

I clicked my tongue and called a wisp to light up the surroundings.

I thought it was just a narrow passage, but in reality, huge boxes were stacked several layers high.

And when I kicked that box hard once.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Something rings inside.

That means something is inside.

“Bingo~.”

I carefully pierced one of the boxes where the sound was heard and made a hole about the size of my face.

It would be troublesome if what I expected jumped out if I opened it completely.

And when I peeked through the hole with the light of the wisp.

I met a pair of red eyes inside the box.

“……Um, hello?”

When I waved my hand lightly, the monster inside tried to jump out frantically.

However, it’s just a futile struggle because the inside of the box is lined with a separate iron cage, so it can’t escape.

I pressed my forehead and came to a conclusion.

There are monsters inside.

“Marquis Celond’s side imported monsters…….”

Not just one or two, but a quantity that would require several large merchant ships to transport.

There are hundreds of them just in this warehouse.

Monster exports.

Really, anything can make money.

“Ah…… It’s connected from there? Damn original work.”

From there, I recalled some of the outlines of the development in Volume 4.

The outline of Volume 4 of the original 《The Returned Great Hero》 begins with the protagonist Sylvester temporarily moving his activities to the Palzent Principality.

Sylvester had an artifact to obtain in the principality for future activities, and he set off for that.

And the person who had been managing the artifact that Sylvester wanted for generations was the ruler there, Grand Duke Nilpas Mel Palzentania.

The problem was that Marquis Celond of the Empire had declared war and the war with the principality had broken out, so it was a chaotic time and there was no time to negotiate about the artifact.

Above all, the principality was starting to be pushed into a disadvantageous situation.

By the troops newly introduced by Marquis Celond.

‘Because he used the method of using monsters in the military.’

In addition to Marquis Celond’s territorial army, he even formed a strike force using monsters.

The principality, which had to respond to that for the first time, had no choice but to fall into chaos.

In the end, our meddling Sylvester’s involvement in the war through a deal with Grand Duke Nilpas itself is the rough flow of Volume 4.

Then this monster is…….

“……Where.”

I let a spirit’s lightning flow towards the monster staring at me.

As the electrocuted monster’s breath was cut off with a flash.

“Tch, as expected.”

That means these are the monsters that will appear in that original work.

‘The monsters to be used in the war with the principality were imported from the Selvas Kingdom. And the Unified Assembly was supporting that?’

I didn’t even know this.

In the original work, Marquis Celond only said that he had brought these monsters from another country, but he never mentioned exactly where.

If I hadn’t checked, I would have passed by without knowing.

‘Then…… It can’t just end with this.’

This place was a more important trading partner than I expected.

‘I wondered if that’s why the Empire was trying to plunder the merchant ship carrying potions by mobilizing knights. I thought it was an excessively nervous reaction.’

I heard the story from Cruse and thought it was sensitive, but there’s a reason why they had no choice but to be nervous.

I sighed and thought of one more place I had to go.

It seems like tonight will be quite busy.

Annoyingly.

‘If this exists, an incident will definitely happen.’

I can bet on this.

Because I know the beautiful personality of those involved in this through the original work.

An incident will definitely happen.