How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 274

274. The Stolen Center (5)

So, you do remember.

“Well… I’m glad you recognize me.”

Mercenary Elraut Eselneus.

Now that I think about it, since this is the capital, it’s only natural that her stomping ground would be here.

She’s here.

And from the looks of it, she came to find these kids.

So, she’s not an enemy?

No, let’s think about that later!

“Wait! Elraut! Don’t let your guard down! It’s not over yet!”

I warned her.

Aside from Zelhart, whom she kicked away, there are still some annoying things left.

The crystal dolls.

“…Ah, those things are annoying. They were kind of fresh at first, but I’m tired of dealing with them.”

Elraut, having experienced their characteristics thoroughly, sighed and flicked her sword.

Is she going to cut them again? Or….

“Hey, silver-haired kid. Lend a hand. Your friend is here.”

As soon as she said that, another swordsman burst in from another direction.

“Sylvester?”

Following Elraut, Sylvester appeared.

The boy, Sylvester, who appeared towards the recovering giant crystal doll, swung his sword several times, shattering it to pieces.

Then, as if to create an opening by being a decoy, he continued to attack the other dolls.

“Why is he popping out from there? No, wait! Hold on!”

Just as I was about to chase after him to help, another person popped out from the opposite side.

This time, it must be Luseil or Alnix.

Thinking that, I reflexively widened my eyes.

‘That’s?’

A girl with white hair, shimmering and fluttering, with a slightly faded pigment.

It was obvious at a glance that she was an elf.

“This way! You outsiders! Hurry up and come! Quickly!”

She shouted in a strange tone and gestured.

The group hesitated about what to do.

“It’s okay, just follow that girl!”

I shouted, and only then did they follow.

I also chased after them, looking at the back of the girl who was running ahead as if guiding us.

Of course, I recognized her identity at once.

…I’m starting to understand little by little now.

No wonder Kmelz is causing incidents earlier than in the original story….

‘That guy, is he already trying to realize his wish?’

If so, it starts now.

* * *

There are a lot of things I want to ask, but this isn’t a place where we can talk, as we might be attacked at any moment.

Fortunately, they didn’t seem to want to shake us off, and they seemed to be telling us to follow them.

In fact, they didn’t show any particular displeasure even when we followed them.

No, they were rather enjoying it.

Well, the only noisy one is that mercenary.

“Hahaha. I didn’t expect you, silver-haired kid, to be here, too. What a surprise. What, did you come for sightseeing?”

Mercenary Elraut Eselneus.

She didn’t hide her blatant interest, as if she found it very interesting that I had come.

She spoke to me lightly, or glanced at me, and shook her head as if she had guessed something.

It’s hard for me to fathom the inner thoughts of that battle maniac.

Let’s just respond to what she says appropriately.

I’m just glad she’s not an enemy.

“I came to see the famous capital. It’s quite a sight to remember for a long time.”

“Heh heh, that’s too bad. If you had come when this place was still intact, I would have told you about my favorite pub.”

“I would appreciate it if you could tell me about it now.”

“Ah~ it’s ruined. The whole store was smashed. It’ll be closed for a while. The owner was crying.”

“Oh… that’s too bad.”

“…What nonsense are you talking about?”

Kruse sighed as she listened to our conversation from behind.

“So? That mercenary… Elraut, was it?”

“Yeah. So?”

Elraut retorted with a subtle barb.

Well, the reason is that Kruse is giving her a wary look.

The reason is simple.

Because when I introduced her, I mentioned that I had fought her before.

‘That lady hit me!’

It’s natural to be wary.

Because it means she was an enemy.

“Surely there aren’t more people hiding here, are there?”

“That’s right.”

Elraut shrugged her shoulders, bursting into a hearty laugh as if she herself found it absurd.

“Some of the citizens in the capital haven’t been able to escape and are hiding~ including my subordinates. I received a request to protect them.”

It seems to be about 3,000 people.

“…That’s a lot.”

I muttered without realizing it.

I thought there would be people who couldn’t evacuate, but there are more than I thought.

“I don’t understand, mercenary. Why didn’t they escape?”

“Hey, mage girl? You don’t know anything. On the contrary, escaping is a death sentence in this situation.”

Elraut scoffed.

“If you go outside the capital, vampires or something are rampant at night. The Zelhart Mercenary Corps are blocking the road. Even if you avoid them, you’re likely to starve to death or become animal feed. No, it’s amazing if you even get there.”

Her tone is light, but subtly sarcastic.

“No matter how strong I am, there are things that are difficult for me to do, like escorting a large number of people. You shouldn’t try that easily.”

Maybe Elraut is right.

“Then what happened to those who escaped?”

“They got out, but I really don’t know what happened to them after that. Maybe they’re eating well and living well somewhere if they’re not destined to die.”

“…Aren’t you being too irresponsible?”

Kruse didn’t like that tone and seriously questioned her, but I quietly raised my hand to stop her.

There’s no point in arguing. It’s rather a loss.

Kruse understood that point, so she just made a dissatisfied expression.

“Ah~ and I just happened to have the same goal as that silver-haired kid, so we’re acting together.”

She subtly mentioned it, as if she noticed that I was curious about Sylvester.

“Unlike you, they seem to have been in the capital since before it became like this.”

“Well… I thought so.”

I deliberately refrained from saying more.

“More importantly, where were you hiding?”

That was my real question.

In this situation, it would be unsuitable to hide in any ordinary building.

Was there such a place?

I’m following you, but where is it?

“Ah~ there is a surprisingly good place. It’s a little smelly and dark, but…?”

“…Ah.”

Hearing that, I had some idea.

Soon, we arrived at the temporary shelter where the citizens of the capital were hiding.

Right….

“…It was the sewers after all.”

It was the entrance to the sewers, a facility that must be under such a big city.

* * *

It might be unpleasant, but the complex sewers could be a good terrain for a siege if used well.

…The problem is that it’s unpleasant.

The stench that stings my nose as soon as I enter, and the darkness.

‘I thought I’d never go into a place like this again.’

I remember when I was a rookie, I received a request to exterminate monsters in the sewers.

…I didn’t want to remember.

“Oh, and I’ll warn you in advance. Don’t use magic or spiritism.”

Kruse, who was about to use magic because of the stench, stopped.

“I’m not just being mean. A few imperial wizards who escaped from the palace were caught as an example and smashed [publicly executed].”

“…Indeed, they were detected by the flow of mana and attacked.”

Kruse sighed and put away her staff.

I also stopped trying to summon a wisp to light the way and awkwardly pretended to shake off my hand.

Oh, the smell.

Seeing the two of us relying too much on the convenience of magic and spiritism, Elraut smiled wryly and handed me a torch.

“You’ll be surprised how livable it is once you get used to it.”

“…I’m sure.”

First, I relied on the torch and followed Elraut diligently so as not to lose her.

How long have we walked? We finally arrived at the point where the citizens were evacuated.

I heard that the reason why they were able to navigate this complicated path was thanks to Elraut and a few mercenaries who luckily got their hands on a map of the underground passage in the early days of the incident.

‘In short, they were directing the safety of this place….’

Some questions remain, but I have some idea of their position.

‘First, let’s go find the central figure in this incident….’

Let’s listen to the situation first and then think about the plan.

With that in mind, I asked where Sylvester was.

More than anything, I was quite concerned about the girl he was with.

‘Ernil Alfrens.’

Because she shouldn’t be here at this point in the story.

It’s too early.

Originally, she shouldn’t appear until the later part of the original story.

* * *

I immediately found Sylvester and dragged him to a corner where we could talk.

He seemed to have a lot to say, too.

“…Ailan, why are you here?”

“I want to ask you the same thing, but that’s okay. Let me tell you first, I have some circumstances.”

There’s no need to hide it.

I told him that I had been asked for help by the knight Yoon Han.

If he suspects anything, he can ask him, and later ask Princess Resilia herself.

Sylvester didn’t seem to suspect anything.

“Let me ask you instead. Why are you here? You wouldn’t say you came for sightseeing, would you?”

“…I’m here for training.”

That’s what I understand.

While I was getting information about the current situation from Sylvester, I sensed someone approaching us.

One is Luseil Elbeid.

She is chasing after another person, looking embarrassed.

“Geez! I told you not to run, it’s dangerous! How many times do I have to tell you, Ernil!”

And another one is….

“Sylvester! I was worried! Well, I guess you wouldn’t get hurt. But still, you should have shown your face as soon as you came back, right?”

A girl who expresses blatant affection towards Sylvester and clings to him.

It’s the elf girl who guided us earlier.

“…She is.”

As I muttered unconsciously, Sylvester introduced the girl, mistaking my meaning.

“She is Ernil… um… her name is Ernil. We’ve been traveling together for a while.”

“Ernil….”

I looked again at the head of the introduced elf girl.

Yes, it seems to be that Ernil Alfrens.

She was there after all.

“……”

I focused on Ernil Alfrens’ name and role.

There’s nothing to be surprised about.

Because her role is correct.

She is also a person who will definitely have an impact on Sylvester.

…Is it twisted until the second half after all?

“…Why? Why have you been staring at me for a while now?”

Ernil looked at me suspiciously.

She seems to be wary.

“Don’t worry, Ernil. He’s okay.”

Sylvester said as if defending me, and she relaxed a little.

“Sylvester… if you say so….”

She doesn’t trust me completely, but she trusts Sylvester’s opinion more than that.

That’s right.

It didn’t deviate from the characteristics of Ernil Alfrens that I already knew.

But even if I act suspiciously now, nothing will change.

I cleared my throat and apologized for acting suspiciously a little while ago.

“I’m sorry for my attitude just now, Ernil. I was a little surprised. I thought you might be… an elf… no, maybe something more than that.”

“…Ugh.”

Ernil’s eyes narrowed, and Sylvester and Luseil also changed their expressions.

I know.

I threw it out on purpose.

“Is it that obvious?”

“I noticed it because it’s me, but usually people would think you’re just a normal elf. Well, even so, I apologize for staring at you.”

“…Hmm. It’s a suspicious gaze, but if it doesn’t mean anything else, it’s okay.”

Ernil nodded as if it was okay in a strangely stiff tone, and then accidentally glanced at my arm.