How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 201

223. Ashilla Krelbelt (6)

“…….”

“What exactly do you see? The means to unlock the magic tome’s seal? The means to acquire such diverse abilities? There must be some secret, right?”

“Well? I can only answer that it’s the result of a combination of relentless effort and luck.”

I evaded the question.

It was a question that infringed on my privacy.

But what was strange was that she asked as if she was sure I was seeing something others couldn’t see.

‘Did she notice?’

While I was conflicted about whether to answer honestly or not, Ashilla sighed as if it didn’t matter.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to answer then. That roughly tells me what your situation is.”

“……It wouldn’t matter if I told you, but.”

“It’s okay. Actually, there’s not enough time to talk about other things.”

As she said that, she held out her hand as if to show off.

Her left hand had already disappeared and was nowhere to be seen.

“See? Right?”

“……That means you don’t have much time left.”

“Of course. I’m transferring the knowledge about the spell formulas imbued in the magic tome to you now. As soon as that task is finished, the residue of me as a mere human will disappear.”

“……In that case.”

“Ah, I’m warning you in advance, don’t do anything unnecessary.”

She stretched out her hand to stop me as if she had guessed what I was about to say.

“I’m already a dead person anyway. And I told you, I’m not her. I’m just the personality information of the remaining Ashilla. If I had to put it simply, it’s lingering attachment and obsession. There’s no point in leaving such things behind.”

In other words, her tone implied that it was natural for her to disappear once she resolved her lingering attachments.

“……In that case, I won’t say anything more.”

“Good. Therefore, I’ll just say what I have to say. Whether you take it to heart or ignore it, it’s all up to you.”

That was truly a despicable thing to say.

She must know that there’s no way I wouldn’t listen after she declared that.

……She aimed for it. She knows my personality well.

“The only reason I hid the magic tome in this way is because I wanted someone to take it in the distant future. Because the future descendants will definitely need it.”

“Need it? For what reason?”

“Listen carefully, Aileen.”

She smiled mischievously, as if making a deliberate joke.

“The era you live in now will be destroyed.”

“……Ah. I suppose so.”

Wow~ how surprising.

“I’m not kidding?”

“I know. Actually, I’m thinking the same thing.”

Of course.

There’s no way I wouldn’t be aware of it, of all people.

‘Of course, there will be a crisis in the world.’

Considering what kind of world this is, it was a warning that almost made me laugh.

All sorts of dangerous elements will emerge and threaten the world.

The immediate event will be the boss of the Continental Integration Conference causing a rebellion.

Even after that, all sorts of people will cause incidents for their own purposes and threaten the world… or someone’s personal well-being.

A certain lich will throw himself into forbidden practices, using any means necessary to fulfill his wishes.

A witch isolated at the end of the world will despair of her world, break her restraints, and step outside her fence.

A tyrant dreaming of dominating the era will drive not only himself but also those around him to ruin.

Besides that, countless villains will appear and disappear.

“But eventually, someone will set the world right, won’t they?”

At least it won’t be me.

According to the original story, the protagonist will eventually resolve all crises.

And until the last crisis.

‘If what she’s saying refers to that at the end of the original story, I understand why she’s warning me.’

But that can be resolved someday.

‘If Sylvester’s growth is properly achieved, it’s possible to bring about the result.’

After that, there will be infinite peace… or at least nothing major will happen until I die of old age, right?

‘……Hmm? Wait a minute?’

I suddenly felt a sense of incongruity there.

Infinite peace?

“Aileen, I don’t know what you’re thinking. But I’ll tell you this much for sure.”

While I was trembling with doubt, she warned me.

“Maybe the end you’re thinking of and what I want to say are completely different. Because…….”

What she said next.

After hearing that, I was finally convinced that I was misunderstanding something.

“Actually, the era I lived in had to be destroyed by that.”

“Could it be…….”

That can’t be.

If what she’s saying is true, it means there’s a threat other than the one in the original story.

Above all, the original story never mentioned the past era even once.

Not even after the ending.

‘Certainly, the setting is that the era she lived in was destroyed. I know that too.’

But there was no other description of that fall.

It’s just that the era collapsed and 20,000 years have passed to the present.

But that’s just the background.

The protagonist has hardly ever encountered elements related to that 20,000-year-old era.

Similarly, even if he encountered or confronted surviving returnees, there was never anything more than that.

“I’ll show you what will happen from now on, Aileen. Make sure to watch it with your own eyes.”

There’s a reason why she showed me the scenery of 20,000 years ago here.

I understood the meaning after seeing the change that occurred next.

“……No way.”

The first thing I did was utter words that couldn’t believe what I saw.

It disappeared.

It was just a moment.

First, humans disappear from the city.

Then the animals.

And then the buildings disappeared.

Soon, the entire city disappeared, and what remained was the forest.

Isn’t that the scenery of the forest around this ruin tower today?

Even if the details are different, the overall scenery was somewhat consistent.

That’s why I couldn’t believe it.

“……May I ask you something? This, by any chance…….”

“It’s as you think. This phenomenon happened in an instant. And it’s something that happened in the past of the era you live in now.”

She answered my question slowly and clearly.

“As you can see, everything disappears. People, and civilization too. Most of them disappear, except for some exceptions.”

Everything except for dungeons or relics protected by strong mana, or humans who have taken specific measures.

“……What is this phenomenon? Who is the culprit?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry, but I don’t know that far.”

“……Come on.”

“I’m not kidding, it’s real.”

She had a subtle expression on her face.

She seemed to be sorry, and she also seemed to be angry.

“I have a question. Wasn’t the destruction of civilization for a different reason when Ashilla was alive?”

In the original story, all sorts of speculations were rampant about the destruction of the era in which the protagonist Sylvester lived.

It is known for ordinary reasons such as war or disaster.

And the truth was not revealed even in the original story.

“War or disaster… I would have accepted it willingly if that was the reason. Ah. It’s over with that, I can’t help it, I would have said.”

However, she clenched her fist tightly.

Unlike her leisurely words, the back of her hand was trembling.

“But there’s no reason. Just in an instant. Everything disappeared without any signs.”

Except for some relics or dungeon-like traces with exceptionally strong mana, or humans who took special measures, but that’s all.

“Then, could it be… your purpose…….”

“Originally, someone I knew tried to prevent it by warning about it… um… it didn’t work out in many ways. But after that, the same thing happens again? So, after much deliberation, I left it behind on my own.”

“Leave it behind…….”

“So that the next humans don’t make the same mistake.”

The meaning of her words is that the same evaporation-like phenomenon I just saw will happen in this era I am in now.

That happens several times?

“Aileen, what is your purpose? To gain this power, gain other powers, keep gaining, and what do you want to do in the end?”

“……It’s ordinary. I just want to live comfortably.”

“Huh? Is that ordinary?”

“It’s ordinary!”

To gain abilities and wealth, and to live leisurely and comfortably based on that someday is my life design goal.

That’s my desire.

And now I’m running towards it.

But.

“Um~ well, I have nothing to say about other people’s dreams. But then, remember this, Aileen.”

She warned solemnly.

“If it stays like this, you won’t be able to achieve that goal.”

“……I suppose so.”

If the world is destroyed, there is no dream or anything.

There is a threat that I do not know.

It’s not that I can’t guess at all.

The unidentified being I encountered at the demonic ritual site last time.

The human like a tree root.

That’s an existence I don’t know either.

What if that is related to the threat she mentioned?

But even if I want to ask more, unfortunately, there is no time.

Already half of Ashilla’s body has disappeared.

And the speed of disappearance is gradually increasing.

As if to announce that fact, a message also appeared.

Normally, I would have raised both hands and shouted cheers.

But I’m not in the mood for that now.

There is important information in front of me.

But there’s no time to get it.

“Is there any other information? A coping method or a clue, even if it’s trivial!”

“It’s just a guess, but there will be someone who has prepared something like me. Try to find that.”

Like the magic tome she hid.

‘……A hidden element outside of the original story.’

Does the hidden element mentioned in this message mean that?

But I couldn’t ask any more.

There is no time.

“Well, don’t be too impatient.”

She sighed for the last time and came closer to me.

Then, she lightly tapped my chest with her right hand as it was.

Tung!

“I’ve done what I can to warn you. It won’t be that there’s no time. Then, unlike our era, it won’t be too late. So…….”

Do well.

I’ll give you some extra gifts appropriately.

Such words echoed, and soon her figure disappeared.

That means.

I stared at the message and didn’t say anything else.