How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 262

292. Spirit Magic (5)

“But… Mr. Aileon. It’s not as simple as you say… that thing.”

Jillon seemed to be trying to persuade me, earnestly stating his reasons for reluctance.

“It’s no joke. More than anything, we only know a few things. No matter how I think about it, isn’t it impossible?!”

“You might think so if you only consider that.”

Which is why I hadn’t considered it either.

What changed my mind was a certain idea that came to me.

“What if there are recipes besides what you know?”

“…Pardon?”

“If we can bring in food and specialties from other regions, all of them?”

Not just within the scope of the Selvas Kingdom.

The entire continent!

The world is wide, and there’s a lot to eat.

At least, if human civilization has taken root to a certain extent, there’s bound to be a lot of food.

How can I be so sure of that?

‘Well, Sylvester ate so much of it in the original story!’

Sylvester traveled to many regions, and of course, he ate a lot of things.

After all, he’s human, so he has to eat.

And surprisingly, he likes to eat, though he doesn’t show it.

I know this from reading his personal descriptions.

He just doesn’t show it in front of others because he’s trying to look cool.

That’s why, in the original story, there are several instances where Sylvester praises ingredients or local dishes as delicious.

‘That means he has a verified palate.’

Basically, in the original story, when Sylvester said a dish was good, others would also exclaim in admiration.

There’s no way the protagonist’s taste wouldn’t be understood by anyone!

‘Then I should use that.’

Don’t know what kind of food will sell?

Then aim for what Sylvester thought was good.

The original story isn’t just information to reference for his strengthening journey.

‘In a way, it’s also his gourmet tour log.’

Depending on how you use it, there’s information that can be used in such a variant way.

So let’s use it.

‘Procuring ingredients… well, with my abilities, it’ll work out somehow.’

There’s nothing I can’t get if I really want to.

And if I ask Lowell of the Pileros Merchant Guild, he’ll figure it out somehow.

“…But, Mr. Aileon, why are you so obsessed with restaurants?”

Jillon looked puzzled, even though he seemed convinced.

“Honestly, isn’t business doing well now?”

“Ah~ that’s true. But you know, Mr. Jillon?”

I grabbed his shoulders and told him one truth.

“You have to keep earning when you can.”

Money-making is like a car without brakes; once you step on the gas, you can’t stop.

Think of it as a creature that dies if it stops.

‘Well… that’s not the only reason.’

Putting aside the superficial excuses.

There’s actually one reason why I’m so obsessed with restaurants.

‘I want to eat too!’

Why is it that only the protagonist gets to eat delicious things? Is his mouth the only mouth?

In short, I just want to eat and enjoy various things too.

To do that, the best way is to create an environment that’s closest to me, within my reach!

In the end, it’s because of my greed.

If I can satisfy my greed and make money, isn’t that killing two birds with one stone? Hahahahahat!

“So, let’s do it! Mr. Jillon! We’re doing it! No, it’s already as good as started!”

“Ugh… I’ve never seen Mr. Aileon so motivated.”

Of course.

If it goes well, my stomach will be happy.

As for the financial issues, the store I’ve already started is doing well, so there’s nothing to worry about.

Then I can decide on future investments according to my desires.

“Now, will you cooperate?”

“Alright! Just stop it, you’re scaring me! Mr. Aileon!”

Jillon pushed me away and barely expressed his agreement.

Good, you made a good decision.

And there’s another reason why I’m preparing things so hastily.

‘…I might be going on a trip again soon for a while.’

It’s always good to be prepared.

So I’m thinking of doing various things while I don’t have anything to do right now.

I know very well how dangerous this world is.

It won’t be long.

* * *

The business I started is still doing well.

Orders are piling up every day, so I won’t have to worry about work for the next few years.

‘Most of all, I’m free even when I’m busy! That’s good!’

Most of the work is being done by the other races, so I just have to show my face occasionally and nod solemnly.

And my job is to think about the new business I proposed to Jillon.

While I was racking my brain for a bright future.

“…What?”

It’s kind of noisy. Specifically, outside the store.

The store should be in full swing right now?

Well, except for days off to bring in goods or maintain the store, it’s always a thriving store, so it’s not strange for it to be noisy.

But it feels like something bad is going on.

‘Is someone acting up…?’

I’ve left that response to our employees, so it’s not my business to worry about…

Didn’t the riffraff from the Spirit Master Guild come a while ago?

I should probably check it out.

I went down directly to the source of the commotion, pushing through the crowd.

“What’s going on?”

I asked the nearest non-human employee to explain the situation.

“If it’s a drunk, feed them some water and kick them out. If it’s a villain, feed them a lot of water and kick them out.”

Uh? What’s the difference? The amount of water you feed them.

If it’s a drunk, it’ll be one regular cup, and if it’s a villain, that cup will be the size of a bathtub.

Our store aims for peace, so we mainly use water as a solution to avoid bloodshed as much as possible.

Water knows the answer.

“…It seems someone has collapsed in front of the store.”

The non-human employee seemed embarrassed and said that after struggling to explain.

The questionable point is that they said “person” instead of “customer.”

“Wait a minute. I’ll take a look myself.”

It’s better to check.

I immediately pushed through the crowd and went into the gap to see with my own eyes.

“…Oh? That guy.”

As the non-human employee explained, a person in armor was collapsed, and another employee was talking to him or offering him water.

The problem is his name.

And the armor he’s wearing.

Even if I don’t remember his name, I remembered him thanks to his armor.

‘This person… Princess Resilia’s…’

Wasn’t he one of the knights who carried her away to retrieve Resilia when the dungeon fell?

I don’t remember his name because I was out of my mind, but I’m sure I’m not wrong.

‘What is it? The princess should have returned to the Empire?’

And I’ll never see her again.

Above all, after hearing the rumor that she had returned, I even sprinkled salt there [a superstitious act to ward off bad luck or ensure someone doesn’t return].

As a rule, it’s good to stay away from powerful people.

‘Could it be… that body gag princess, is she still slacking off?’

Considering my foolish thoughts or the princess’s actions I’ve seen, there’s a good chance.

But it didn’t seem like the worst case scenario.

What could it be…

‘If she was just coming to visit or had business, she wouldn’t be rolling around in that state.’

Judging from his appearance, he looks exhausted after coming a long way.

He also seems to have mild dehydration.

Could it be that he didn’t eat properly?

He doesn’t look like an imperial knight.

‘I can’t ignore it…’

Then I can’t just leave him alone.

Above all, I feel uncomfortable leaving a person who has collapsed from exhaustion.

“Move him inside.”

“But…”

“It’s okay, move him. He’s probably a guest with business on my side.”

I told them to move him, saying that I would take care of anything that happened, and I also told them to give him potions, water, and food separately.

And I don’t forget to close the store early today and pay attention in case of emergency.

‘…What kind of problem did he bring?’

I sighed and decided to listen and then judge.

A premonition of an incident.

Thump, thump.

* * *

As soon as I received a report that the knight had regained consciousness, I immediately wanted to talk to him.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Yoon Han, the princess’s guard knight, looked like he was ready to tell me everything as soon as he saw me.

“You must be Mr. Aileon.”

“You recognize me.”

“I’ve never spoken to you, but I remembered your impression to some extent.”

It was quite unexpected.

I thought he would be arrogant like the other guys because he was an imperial knight, but surprisingly, he was humble from the beginning.

Whether it’s his nature or because he’s in a position where he can’t help but be sorry.

“So, can I assume that you knew I was here and came to find me?”

“…Yes.”

He hesitated and nodded.

First, he introduced himself. As expected, he said that he was one of the lowest-ranking guard knights of Princess Resilia.

“Then where is Princess Resilia?”

“She is in the Empire.”

That’s right.

Then the story becomes even more troublesome.

The princess is in the Empire.

But the fact that this friend came to me in such a hurry means that something happened.

“What’s going on?”

“…I know it’s rude, but I thought Mr. Aileon would be able to cooperate without being swayed by the affairs of other countries.”

“Hmm, that’s a misunderstanding.”

But I answered coldly.

The knight’s eyes trembled.

“Whatever story you’re about to tell, let me make one thing clear. I only move for personal gain.”

“…”

“My safety comes first, and whether I get involved or not will be decided later depending on the negotiation.”

“…I understand.”

I thought he would refuse to speak unless I confirmed it, but he’s surprisingly obedient.

But that attitude is not desirable.

‘Is he really in a desperate situation?’

I was expecting him to be stubborn…

“Why were you collapsed in front of the store?”

“I ran out of the Empire’s border without resting properly… I’m ashamed to say that I collapsed when I arrived here…”

“Hmm.”

Which one should I be surprised at?

That he ran almost non-stop from the Empire to here?

Well, if he’s a knight above the Aura Practitioner level [a skilled martial artist who can manipulate their life force], it’s possible.

If you use the aura operation pace well, a super long-distance marathon is nothing.

“…Actually, it happened not long after Her Highness the Princess returned to the Empire…”

He began to tell the story obediently.

As expected, it’s a very troublesome story.

Putting aside other explanations, let me just say the conclusion.

“Currently, the capital of the Empire… has been taken over by unidentified villains.”

It seems that the center of the Empire was taken over by some villains and is in great danger.

“…Why did that happen?”

I muttered unconsciously.

* * *

Yoon Han tried his best to convey his long explanation in a concise manner, but even while listening, I couldn’t help but have questions.

“What… what do you have to do to have the capital taken over as it is?”

I can’t help but be embarrassed even while listening.

The meaning of having the capital of a country taken over is not something to be taken lightly, even as a joke.

“I… I don’t know all the details. It was already too late when we noticed.”

He couldn’t even lift his head properly, as if he was ashamed, and began to explain.

“Suddenly, the sky seemed to darken, and red crystals began to cover the buildings of the capital.”

“Cry…stals?”

“In addition, swarms of black bats filled the sky. Skeletons and undead appeared on the streets, isolating the citizens as they were.”

“…Bats and skeletons.”

“In addition, notorious mercenary groups that mainly operated in other countries joined in… We were attacked from both inside and outside, and when we came to our senses, the entire capital had already turned into a sea of fire.”

“Ugh…”

It’s making my head hurt to hear it.