How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 93

93. Greed and Schemes Move in the Night (5)

Late at night, inside the Pilleroth Merchant Guild branch manager’s office.

“Things are progressing smoothly.”

Lowell organized the sales figures for the new products to date and diligently calculated using the abacus in his head.

‘Thanks to Aileen’s cooperation, I’m definitely seeing profits.’

When Aileen first proposed doing business with his ideas, Lowell was dumbfounded by what this kid was spouting.

From the start, he had only been interested in Aileen’s potions.

He considered it a one-time deal, so he didn’t pay much attention to Aileen.

However, he was wrong.

Lowell readily admitted it.

The boy consistently brought new proposals, one after another, as if he had planned it all along.

Each one presented an interesting trading opportunity.

‘He probably intended this from the beginning…….’

He knew that much.

He was well aware of Aileen’s intentions.

Aileen had the ability but lacked the foundation to do business.

But Lowell had that foundation.

Therefore, it was easy for their interests to align.

‘The problem is what comes next…….’

He thought it would be beneficial to bring Aileen completely over to their side.

However, Aileen didn’t seem to have that in mind.

As evidence, Lowell subtly suggested Aileen join the guild, but Aileen politely declined.

He probably wanted to continue trading as an outsider.

‘It would be better to bring him in if possible.’

If they not only shared the same goals but also were in the same organization, Aileen would cooperate more actively.

What could he offer to achieve that?

What kind of bait could he use?

As Lowell pondered, he noticed something.

“……It’s noisy.”

He noticed the abnormality in the surrounding atmosphere and tensed his relaxed nerves.

He was the branch manager in charge of the Felphuk branch.

The position of managing the manpower and money given to him was never comfortable.

There were those who coveted it, those who were dissatisfied.

There were also those who, out of jealousy, plotted harsh measures.

Especially, although he didn’t tell Aileen, he had to deal with disgruntled letters from other branch managers within the same guild due to the increased income he was generating.

‘Even so, I didn’t expect them to come out so openly like this.’

Lowell naturally assumed that one of them had orchestrated this attack.

He quickly grabbed his self-defense dagger and held his breath to quietly assess the situation.

Just then, his subordinate Mallo hurriedly called him from outside the room.

“Mr. Lowell, it’s an attack!”

“I figured that much. Who is it? What kind of people are doing this?”

“That, you might not believe it, but…”

Mallo’s voice sounded flustered.

Would he lose his composure over a simple night raid?

“It’s not just simple attackers.”

“……What do you mean?”

He wanted to ask, but screams and noises continued.

They were getting closer.

“They’re unbelievably strong. Something’s not right……. Anyway, you have to escape.”

“……Understood.”

There was no reason to joke, and the noises he heard were enough to prove Mallo’s words.

Even Lowell, who was used to this kind of thing, lost color in his face.

“Hurry and escape!”

“……What about you guys?”

“We’ll try to hold on somehow! Please, Mr. Lowell, get out of here in the meantime!”

“…….”

“Hurry!”

Time was of the essence.

As if there was no time to urge him further, Mallo ran off somewhere.

He was probably trying to stop the enemies along with the other merchants.

Even if they were merchants, they weren’t entirely helpless.

Some used to be mercenaries, and the slaves here were bought for this very moment, so they were putting up a decent fight.

But how long would they last?

“……Tch.”

Lowell gritted his teeth and made a decision.

He didn’t know what was happening, but in the end, they were after his safety.

He had to escape as Mallo advised.

Lowell gritted his teeth and opened the window.

It was three floors down, and honestly, he wasn’t confident he could jump down safely.

Mallo would laugh and jump down, but Lowell didn’t have the guts or experience to do that.

‘It’s okay.’

After all, they always piled up straw bales below for the horses to eat.

Lowell muttered to himself as if trying to convince himself, then threw himself out the window.

The dry straw felt like it was piercing his whole body.

It was a good thing he closed his eyes; otherwise, his eyeballs would have been pierced.

It also didn’t completely cushion the impact.

He felt an unusual heat and pain in his left arm, as if it had been hit hard.

It didn’t seem broken, but in this situation, it was as good as broken.

“Ugh…… Hurry.”

Next time, he would spread expensive wool.

Lowell muttered words he didn’t mean to endure the pain and got up.

Sadly, even if it wasn’t for this kind of situation, merchants often got chased.

Everyone became greedy and cruel when it came to money.

Naturally, he always had a place to run to in case this kind of situation arose.

‘The mercenary guild is probably where our guys went…… The smithy would be similar. Then…….’

Lowell made a decision and turned towards that place.

However, the enemy discovered him faster than Lowell could move.

“……I won’t let you get away.”

A man with his body covered in a black coat, as if falling from the sky, landed in front of Lowell’s escape route.

“Are you Lowell, the branch manager of the Pilleroth Merchant Guild?”

“…….”

“I don’t need an answer. As long as you’re related to that place, I can’t let you go.”

Of course.

Lowell gritted his teeth and tried to move to escape, but the man easily stopped him with a kick.

“Kugh!”

He fell to the ground, and the enemy mercilessly stomped on his shoulder.

The fact that he didn’t swing his sword first probably wasn’t just to torment him.

It was obvious since he recognized him as the branch manager.

“I’ll ask you. Where is the man named Aileen? He doesn’t seem to be inside.”

Upon hearing that question, Lowell’s eyes widened.

The fact that this attack was planned, and somehow information was leaking from this place, and that they weren’t ordinary thugs…

The problem was that all those facts were just desperate information.

“I’ll ask you. Where is the man named Aileen?”

“…….”

“I’ll ask you.”

The attacker seemed to put his weight on his foot and applied more force.

Lowell screamed in pain but didn’t say anything.

It wasn’t about loyalty or anything like that.

A person whose life depended on trust couldn’t easily open his mouth.

It was already firmly engraved at an instinctive level.

Even if he survived, if he opened his mouth, it would be the same as being ruined.

“……It doesn’t matter if you don’t answer. Then I’ll just kill all the merchants in this city and find him.”

Even so, he didn’t open his mouth.

Eventually, the attacker gave up the interrogation and drew his sword.

Lowell sighed.

However, it wasn’t a sigh of resignation.

Why was he silent?

30% was fear, 30% was pride as a merchant.

And the rest was…….

“Me? I’m here. You goddamn tin can!”

Aileen, who had appeared without a sound as if from thin air, was watching from behind the attacker.

He had his finger to his lips as if telling him not to speak.

Pretending not to notice it was actually more of an ordeal.

“……This!”

The man in black belatedly realized and tried to act, but it was too late.

As Aileen reached out, hundreds of water spears poured down from the sky.

“Wa…… Wait! Mr. Aileen!”

Lowell reflexively widened his eyes.

Was he dropping them knowing he was being stepped on?

Just in time, someone grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him away.

A stone hand that appeared from the ground pulled him away as if scooping him up.

The attacker continued to fend off the falling water spears.

He swung his sword to fend off the first few dozen, but the number of water spears gradually increased, and the speed of their fall increased, and he was eventually overwhelmed by the sheer volume.

As the shattered water droplets splashed and reflected in the light of the lamp, they gradually turned red.

Aileen, as if to confirm, finished off the enemy who had been pierced hundreds of times by the water spears and completely shattered, then reached out to Lowell, who was staring blankly.

“You’ve been through a lot too. Geez, this is no way to do business.”

“I don’t usually go through this much trouble.”

That was what came out before anything else.

“If it’s always like this, I wouldn’t be able to be a merchant.”

“Ahaha. I guess.”

Aileen laughed in agreement.

* * *

As I feared, the Pilleroth Merchant Guild was a complete mess, currently under attack.

When I arrived with all my might, it was in the middle of a chaotic scene.

I didn’t delay either.

I flew here, repeating teleportation without rest.

‘I need to hurry…….’

First, I prioritized eliminating the knights who had invaded the guild.

After annihilating them, I heard from Mallo that Lowell had left this place separately.

Well, Lowell and I were probably on the list of targets to be dealt with first.

I quickly followed the path Lowell had taken to escape, and fortunately, I was able to find him just as he was being attacked.

‘Don’t touch the person who brings me money, you son of a bitch!’

I deliberately took advantage of the enemy’s rear and attacked when I saw an opening, putting an end to him.

Only then did Lowell grab my hand and get up, as if relieved.

“……Honestly, I survived thanks to Mr. Aileen.”

“You managed to keep your life.”

“If I hadn’t met Mr. Aileen, I wouldn’t have heard those words now. I was lucky.”

I wonder if this friend is lucky or unlucky.

Well, if he was lucky, he wouldn’t be going through this kind of hardship.

He looked back at the guild with a stiff face.

He seemed concerned.

“It’s okay. I already helped over there first. ……There are some casualties, though.”

“Thank you, Mr. Aileen.”

Lowell readily expressed his gratitude to me for helping.

I listened to it awkwardly and couldn’t say anything.

However, I don’t think I need to feel guilty.

It’s not my fault they were attacked.

This is an event that would have happened anyway, an event that wouldn’t have been revealed.

But hearing the words of gratitude makes me feel a little awkward.

Well, it’s not the time to be embarrassed.

“First, I’ll ask, do you guys have a place to run to like this?”

“We have a shelter for emergencies, but…”

“Then don’t look back and go there.”

“Yes? What about Mr. Aileen?”

“Don’t worry about me and go. And no matter what, don’t send anyone to this side. Got it?”

“……Yes.”

At first, he was puzzled, but Lowell soon realized my intention and didn’t say anything more, hurrying down the alley and disappearing.

There’s nothing they can do even if they stay.

And I don’t have a reason to go there and help either.

They have to take care of their own bodies, and more than anything, if I go with them, they’ll be in more danger.

Because.

“Ugh.”

I turned in that direction at the sudden, inexplicable chill.

‘……There it is.’

I can vaguely see a heat source over there.

It roughly has the shape of a person.

‘Unlike the other guys, he doesn’t intend to hide at all?’

His behavior is different from the other knights.

‘Commander level?’

If so, is he the one who caused this situation?