How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 155

172. Heading Towards a Suspicious Place (3)

“…The disguise is undone.”

“…Is this the work of humans?”

“…It’s certain. Who is it?”

“…Confirmed. It’s that silver-haired human.”

In the darkness, they whispered.

Their voices, which had often mocked humans while carrying out the ‘plan,’ now held a sense of bewilderment.

“…The timing is bad.”

“…This is inconvenient.”

“…The ritual site isn’t fully prepared yet.”

“…In this state, transference is impossible.”

They were just a little away from completing the foundation of their goal.

Once stabilized, they intended to move it to a place where no one could find them.

But of all times, that silver-haired human had to reappear.

Moreover, those he brought with him seemed to be no ordinary individuals.

Especially the most dangerous one, the human standing at the very back.

He possessed the power to see through the very space they had disguised and forcibly strip it away.

Clearly, the worst variable was that human.

That much was agreed upon without needing to be explicitly stated.

To make matters worse, another human was present at this very moment.

“It seems a problem has arisen that exceeds your expectations?”

That human spoke quietly.

A human, but one whose nature could no longer be called human.

They paused in silence.

Of all times, uninvited guests had to barge in while that one was present.

“Denizens of the Demon Realm, has something happened that you cannot handle? If so, I would be willing to lend a helping hand.”

“…Unnecessary. One who is human but has deviated from humanity.”

One of the demons retorted coldly.

“…Undoubtedly, we have received much assistance from you. But that is all.”

For the sake of their goal, they had joined hands and received cooperation, but they had no intention of incurring further debt.

It wasn’t a matter of pride.

Simply.

“…This is not your place to interfere.”

The moment that one stepped in, it was clear they would lose control of their cherished wish.

So, they had no intention of letting him meddle.

“…This is our ritual site.”

“…Therefore, even if problems arise, we will resolve them with our own hands.”

The demons drew a firm line and turned their backs.

The collaborator retreated without further comment.

Perhaps he meant to respect their wishes.

However, a faint but unmistakable sound of mockery leaked out like a gust of wind.

“If that is your will, then by all means. I shall never interfere.”

The demons were not unaware of his intentions, but they deliberately ignored them.

Confronting that one was a matter for later.

First, they would stop the intruders.

* * *

“This is an extension of the story from earlier. I mentioned demons and whatnot, right?”

“…Yes, you did.”

“Come to think of it, didn’t you say that this guy missed a demon last time?”

“…”

That guy, Sylvester’s eyes twitched slightly.

‘He’s definitely bothered by it.’

“Well, I think we can both agree on this. You could search the entire world and only find demons stupid enough to build something like that. Or maybe some perverts.”

However, perverts couldn’t do something this elaborate.

So, it must be demons.

I said, uttering words that would make every pervert in the world send a letter of protest, and looked up at the castle again.

“More than anything, that castle wasn’t built just to flaunt bad taste.”

“…Indeed, the castle itself seems to be generating demonic energy.”

Sylvester quietly agreed, going along with my words.

“If you want to be specific, is it a type of ritual site?”

As expected, he understands quickly, which is good.

Moreover, this explanation is also for Alnix, who came along with us.

At least, we need to inform him of the situation so he can cooperate.

“From what I can see, the castle itself seems to be a magical device to alter some of the environment…”

As Sylvester said, the castle made of bones is not simply a product to indulge in bad taste.

A magical design to change the natural environment and generate demonic energy.

It’s a complex magical structure that even most black mages wouldn’t dare to attempt.

“In the end, the point is that the demons are up to something suspicious, right?”

“It’s okay if Mr. Alnix only understands that much. Right?”

When I asked as if to agree, Sylvester was silent for a moment before quietly nodding.

“Anyway, let’s go inside.”

“Wait. Shouldn’t we inform the outside world before that? Wouldn’t it be better to inform them and destroy it?”

Alnix gave a perfectly reasonable opinion.

Actually, I want to do that too.

But.

“The truth is, we don’t have time.”

“No time?”

These are demons who can use this level of space concealment.

There’s no guarantee they won’t be able to pull off other tricks.

Moreover, considering that in the original story, the place where that castle is discovered is completely different.

‘It’s obvious that once they’re done here, they’ll move the castle.’

It probably has a transfer function as well.

In other words, it’s a limited opportunity.

If we miss this chance, the next time this place is discovered will be according to the original story.

I explained that part, embellishing it appropriately.

If we don’t destroy it now, the demons will run away somewhere.

And it will be almost impossible to find them.

“That’s a difficult thing to say.”

“If you’re both scared, you can back out here. Then I’ll go in alone.”

“…Aileen.”

“…Are you serious?”

When I went this far, they both seemed to have developed some kind of stubbornness, and soon they stepped forward as if they had made up their minds.

“Hmph! Even that merchant friend is saying this, so I can’t be whining.”

“I wasn’t planning on leaving it alone anyway.”

I’m glad they seem motivated.

So, we confidently entered from the front.

Let’s go in confidently since we have nothing to lose!

Justice is always on the protagonist’s side.

So, I slipped in naturally behind them.

* * *

“I can definitely understand what you mean by this being the work of demons.”

Less than a minute after entering, Alnix looked around and barely suppressed his disgust as he expressed his impressions.

“I never imagined that a completely different world would unfold as soon as we entered.”

From the outside, it’s just a simple castle, but what we saw when we actually entered was…

A vast and barren land.

The cracked earth, as if it had suffered a long drought, was filled with purple mist, and unidentified plants were in full bloom around it.

When I tentatively cut a crimson flower, the sap that flowed out of it fell to the ground.

Chiiiiik!

The ground is melting.

“Ugh!”

Alnix covered his mouth as if disgusted.

This young man is surprisingly weak-stomached for his size.

“…Honestly, I feel like I’m going to throw up.”

“That’s probably not just a feeling. It’s a sensation that any human would feel.”

The bizarre environment itself is generating dense demonic energy, and as a result, even plants that would never bloom on the ground are growing.

In other words…

“…A recreation of the Demon Realm.”

Sylvester muttered unpleasantly.

No wonder they instinctively feel repulsion.

In addition, I am no exception.

I’m just skillfully holding it in.

Both of them have become less talkative, probably because their vigilance has increased due to tension.

I am also silent.

However, the reason I am staying still is different from those two.

Rather than fear, I felt like I was going to die because my body was itching with desire.

Instead, my eyes were darting back and forth.

‘…I want to take it. Ugh, I want to open my bag and sweep it all in right now…’

It’s not that I don’t find this environment unpleasant.

But more than that, my greed is burning.

Thanks to the demons decorating the ritual site with an environment similar to the Demon Realm, materials that cannot normally grow are thriving here.

For those who recognize its value, there is no treasure trove like this.

It’s truly a dream mine.

‘I can’t even imagine how much money I could make if I swept this place clean.’

But I held back for now.

Anyway, once we solve this place, I’ll have enough time to sweep it all away to my heart’s content.

And considering what we have to do here, it’s better to keep my body light.

“It’s coming…”

As I muttered lowly, the two of them simultaneously entered combat stance.

A sense of incongruity rang out as if the space was opening, and a pure white mass fell from above.

A giant monster with a height of about 12 meters when I looked at it with my eyes.

The monster that blocked our path boasted a rather unpleasant appearance.

“What a nasty taste.”

First of all, the whole body is made of bones.

A monster made by weaving countless bones tightly together.

Every time the monster took a step, the bones that made up its body seemed to be screaming.

“…Do demons raise monsters like that? Are those pets popular?”

Alnix muttered, somewhat dumbfounded.

“Well… I don’t know about that either.”

I don’t know that far either. Neither does Sylvester.

It was probably a monster created by the demons to protect this place.

In the original story, it is commonly referred to as a Bone Warrior.

A monster made by weaving together countless bones and grudges as they appear.

“Putting aside everything else, it’s clear that they sent it out to drive us away.”

The Bone Warrior’s eyes seemed to contain a fierce purple light, and as soon as it captured us, it raised its huge club and struck us.

It’s so nice to know the intention easily.

“Step back! I’ll take it!”

Alnix shouted and jumped in first.

Neither I nor Sylvester stopped his actions.

As if by agreement, Sylvester drew his sword and followed behind him, and I immediately took out the Fairy Staff and drew out spirit energy.

Alnix crossed his arms and blocked the club that was being swung down with the momentum to push away the surrounding air.

Kooong!

A dull impact sound rang out as if rocks were colliding.

“Kueeehk! This is definitely a bit tough!”

However, contrary to his words, there was still room for composure on Alnix’s face.

After all, the impact was only enough to push his heels back slightly as they dragged across the floor.

He almost perfectly blocked that weight with his bare body.

‘As expected, his physical abilities are no joke.’

I nodded, recalling Alnix’s settings.

Alnix’s family is one of the most prestigious knight families in the Selvas Kingdom.

However, Alnix’s position was that he had to go through a growth process full of sorrow even though he was born into such a prestigious family.

He was born into a knight family and aspired to be a knight, but he had to give up that goal at one point.

Because he was born with an unusually high mana circulation efficiency, he was always overflowing with power and could not find a way to make use of that power.

Alnix had no choice but to be frustrated by that ironic dilemma.

It was Sylvester who helped him, and thanks to him, he gained enough power to fight.

Just like now.

More solid stamina and a stronger body than knights of similar skill, and strength.

He was able to unilaterally suppress the enemy with his unusually strong power.

In a word, he is ridiculously strong.

“Heueeeeuuuuup!”

He grabbed the club as if hugging it with both arms and lifted it up with force.

Kugugugugung!

An unusual sound rang out, and the Bone Warrior’s giant body gradually rose upward.

He lifted it up with just the strength enhanced by Aura [a technique to amplify physical abilities].

Eventually, the Bone Warrior, unable to withstand it, dropped the club from its hand, lost its balance, and fell backward, landing on its butt.

“Next!”

Sylvester jumped in as if he had been waiting and unleashed sword energy.

A storm of sharp sword energy, overlapping several layers, struck the front.

However, it only slightly cracked the body.

“…It’s quite solid.”

However, it’s not because Sylvester’s sword energy is clumsy.

Although the material is bones, it has been strengthened hundreds of times by the demons’ demonic energy.

It cannot be compared to ordinary steel.

Sylvester also nodded slightly, probably having confirmed the texture by cutting it just now.

And now it’s my turn.

“Step back, Sylvester!”

At the same time as Sylvester quickly leaped into the air and changed direction, I unleashed spirit magic.

It’s an opportunity to use the power amplified by the newly acquired staff to my heart’s content.

“First, shall I use Undine [a water spirit]?”

To check it, I summon Undine and draw out the power to shoot out a high-pressure water cannon.

A huge water droplet formed in front, and a stream of water half my height spurted out and aimed at the spot where Sylvester had just poured out sword energy.

Pajik!

“…Huh?”

Whether the power was stronger than I thought, or whether Sylvester’s sword energy had a delayed effect…

Pajik!

With a crushing sound, the Bone Warrior’s chest shattered as it was, and a large hole was pierced through it.