How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 290

290. Let’s Search the Imperial Palace (5)

“Who is that?”

“Whoops! Don’t point your sword at me. I can’t help it. If I say more than that, I’ll die.”

He didn’t seem like he would talk, so I lowered my sword for now, and he started rambling.

“I heard that the number of people who haven’t died or fallen into despair because of your actions, Aileen, is estimated to be the size of a kingdom.”

“I haven’t saved that many people.”

“It’s a story of the future.”

The future…….

At that moment, I reflexively glanced up above my head.

No way…… it can’t be?

“They demanded of me to cause as much sacrifice as you, Aileen, have prevented. Well, in short, they want me to eliminate as much as you’ve saved, to make it zero.”

“So you caused this situation?”

“To cause casualties on the scale of two future kingdoms, this is the only way.”

“……Crazy.”

It sounds like they’re trying to compensate for their losses with something else.

Isn’t that just absurd nonsense?

“Who is it…… that uttered such words?”

“Can’t say. My goal is to survive, too. And even if I knew, it wouldn’t change anything.”

“…….”

“They’re always watching. If the chaos in the world ever stops, they’ll make a bold decision. Immediately…….”

Clap!

He clapped his hands loudly.

“They’ll crush it. Erase everything. And then create the board they want again.”

“……That…… could it be.”

“20,000 years ago. And before that. Before that again…… it’s a continuous flow. So you can never go against it.”

That’s what he’s saying.

The past destructions were the work of some group, and those guys are still involved now.

“Sorry, Aileen. No one can go against them. Well…… the guys from the previous era seem to have used their heads in their own way.”

His gaze turned to the sword I was holding, Killmuris.

“But it’s impossible. From the start, winning or losing isn’t even applicable to those guys. You’re mistaken.”

“So you’re just playing along as they tell you to?”

“It’s like extending the time I can live. Shouldn’t I dance to their tune?”

He said self-deprecatingly, chuckling like a madman.

As if he himself found it ridiculous.

“……Bullshit.”

But I’m not falling for it.

It might sound plausible if you only listen to him.

But something important is missing.

“Oh? Is there something you can’t accept?”

“Then what about me?”

If what he says is true, and the cause of this mess is such an absurd existence.

“If they’re such unbelievable guys, why are they letting me run around like this?”

“What do you think?”

“It’s obvious. They’re not that omnipotent.”

It’s not all lies, but it’s not all truth either.

If they really didn’t like what I was doing, I should have disappeared in the blink of an eye.

But they couldn’t do that.

“And one more thing. Maintain the world? Don’t make me laugh. I know you’re not that admirable.”

“……Well, I guess that’s not wrong either.”

The moment he gave a strange smile, I swung my sword without warning.

The sword energy I unleashed stretched out to cut his neck.

“Sorry, but it’s useless, Stranger.”

The sword energy was blocked by a tree branch-like object that emerged from the air.

“Stalling for time, huh.”

Was he trying to buy time to escape with information as bait?

I tried to unleash another attack, but I quickly sensed something and jumped back.

Numerous twigs that emerged from the air pierced the floor, intersecting where I had jumped.

“Tch…… is he interfering?”

By the time I tried to recapture him, he was already being dragged away somewhere, held by those twigs.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

I tried to chase him, but an object that flew in caught my eye.

It was Epheleoht who threw it.

I reflexively caught it.

“It’s a gift instead of letting you go. I got it out of curiosity, but it’s useless to me.”

“Who said I was letting you go?!”

What I caught was a metal ornament the size of my palm.

It was a bit big, but it looked like a pendant.

But why this?

At that moment, I had to doubt my eyes.

It’s what I was looking for.

This bastard?

I immediately fired Water Spears in succession, but unfortunately, he had already disappeared.

“Remember what I said, Aileen. I didn’t only tell lies. If you want to live even a little longer in this land, you should get rid of that Sylvester guy right away and commit mass murder. If you do that, they might be pleased and show mercy.”

I don’t need to listen to his words that I hear from afar.

Regardless of whether it’s true or not, there’s no need to compromise.

I don’t acknowledge anything he says.

‘I’ll just do what I have to do.’

There are no changes to my plan.

And the other guys who are fighting are probably the same.

It’s about time for a decision, so there’s no reason to hesitate now.

* * *

Fighting and mercenaries are inseparable.

They fight after receiving requests.

They fight monsters.

Sometimes they are mobilized for war.

They fight and fight, and anyway, they fight even when they are sick of it.

The only time they don’t fight is when they’re dead.

That’s how mercenaries make a living.

At least, that’s what mercenary Elraut Esselneus claims.

“Puhahahahahaha! What are you doing! Zelhart! Didn’t you want to pay me back!”

She burst into laughter with a cheerful tone and swung her sword.

Papapapapapapapat!

Sword marks that are so fast they can’t even be seen chase after Zelhart.

Of course, the moment he stops, he’ll become a fragmented pile of meat.

Zelhart distorts his mouth as if annoyed and avoids Elraut’s sword energy with a smooth movement that slides his feet.

“Block it more properly!”

Kwaang!

At the same time as Elraut strikes down with her sword, a commercial building splits in two and collapses.

“That monster-like fighting maniac…….”

Fighting in the city is complicated.

Buildings, people, and narrow roads.

The view is limited, and if it’s a slum, there are many existences that cause stench or interference.

But now, the difficulties of the city are not being applied at all.

She’s cutting down, kicking away, and smashing everything that gets in her way as she chases him.

At this rate, there’s no room to take a breather using buildings as shields.

“Isn’t a city without people nice? There’s no one to complain even if I smash it! Isn’t it nice?”

“……I’ll just say it in advance, but if you guys retake this place, remember that you’re responsible for the repairs, okay?”

“Who cares! It’s not like I’m the one fixing it!”

She ignored him with a cheerful tone.

“It’s your fault if it’s smashed! It’s your fault if it’s cut! Isn’t it great?”

“Great, my ass!”

Zelhart swung his spear as if he was fed up.

Even though it looks like he’s being chased, he’s only avoiding unnecessary brute force.

“Hmph.”

He takes a breath and swings his spear, and dozens of sparks and noises bounce off the air.

The traces of attacks swung with a skill that can’t even be seen with the human eye collide and bounce off.

And at the same time as those sparks explode, faint scratches appear on Elraut and Zelhart’s bodies.

So far, they’re just grazing each other.

“Let’s end the preliminary skirmish soon.”

Zelhart’s atmosphere changed.

The somewhat sloppy energy from before disappears, and he wraps sharply refined aura around the tip of his spear.

“Eat this.”

Straight ahead.

As he thrust his spear forward, the blade attached to the tip of his spear disappeared.

The chain embedded in the spear shaft unfolds and stretches out as it is.

Paah!

The sound of air rupturing rang out, and Elraut, who blocked the launched spear with her sword, gritted her teeth.

It was so fast that she couldn’t avoid it even though she knew it was coming straight on.

On top of that, the energy carried on the tip of the spear was quite heavy, and her toes were pushed back several steps.

“……Did you finally feel like doing it, you slick bastard.”

“You’ve been acting too recklessly.”

“Hmph.”

Elraut scoffed and knocked away the spear.

However, just by Zelhart shaking the spear shaft, the chain shook, and the spear blade that bounced off lunged again, wriggling like a snake.

“You always like troublesome things.”

While continuing to knock away the chasing spear blade, Elraut deliberately kicked the ground hard as if gouging it out.

The floor is partially scraped away, and the fragments fly towards Zelhart.

That level of stone throwing won’t work.

He lightly knocks it away by spinning the spear shaft.

But that gap is enough.

If he moves to defend, the operability of the spear blade will naturally decrease temporarily.

Even if it’s just a second, it’s enough.

“You. You got hit by me like this before, right?”

In an instant, Elraut’s figure disappears.

When she checked her figure again, she was right in front of Zelhart’s nose.

“Oh, dear.”

“Still haven’t fixed that habit?”

If the distance is far, it’s up to Zelhart, but conversely, if it’s narrowed, she’s at an advantage.

Elraut’s sword stretches out to pierce his torso.

Zelhart took out a dagger hidden in his sleeve as if ejecting it and grabbed it, blocking it.

“What is this, some kind of clown…… Well, whatever.”

That’s what she’s aiming for.

When Zelhart realized and widened his eyes, Elraut’s opposite arm moved.

A bare fist that doesn’t hold a sword.

But it’s a monstrous power that can even dent an iron gate in an instant.

On the other hand, Zelhart is busy holding the spear shaft, which hasn’t retracted the chain yet, and blocking her sword with his other hand.

“Oh, dear.”

At the same time as the exclamation, Paang! A sound like gunpowder exploding rang out on his torso.

There’s a sense that it worked.

I can feel something breaking.

“Keuk…….”

“……Are you enduring with your stubbornness?”

“What’s the point of getting hit and pushed back, you monster?”

Zelhart, who is spitting blood, is still talking well.

Only then did he notice that something was strange.

“Did you think it would be advantageous to get close? Then, now that it’s like this, I’ll make sure you don’t fall off.”

“……Huh?”

Elraut tried to move her body, but her feet were stuck to the ground and wouldn’t budge.

Wondering what happened, she lowered her gaze, and fragments of the dagger that Zelhart used for defense were stuck in her shadow.

And her shadow is sticking to her waist like a sticky trap.

“……Artifact?”

It must be a type of magic that binds the body through the medium of shadows.

“Well, isn’t it you who couldn’t fix that impulsive personality?”

Taking advantage of the moment her movement was blocked, the spear blade that was ejected as the chain he had retracted from behind flew towards Elraut.

“This side is one punch. Wouldn’t that be enough change for you?”

“…….”

She won’t say anything.

The fact that she usually talks loudly means that she has that much leeway.

If it’s the opposite, it means she’s cornered.

Zelhart guessed that.

But he realized that it was a misjudgment right after that.

“Hmm?”

Their eyes met for a moment.

Naturally, he thought it was a look of despair.

But.

“……All you can do is think.”

The emotion in her eyes is emptiness, as if she’s bored.

“I’m tired of it.”

She’s looking with a listless gaze, as if she’s bored.

“That kind of thing? Just one spear blade?”

Elraut scoffed and twisted her body.

She forcibly twists her unmoving body with only strength.

It’s impossible.

If she does that…….

Thud.

A sound of something tearing and blood splatters.

It’s a natural result because she forcibly moved her body.

But she doesn’t even flinch as if she doesn’t feel any pain.

Elraut, who twisted her body half a turn as it was, raised her arm and blocked the flying spear blade with her arm.

Even though she could have avoided it, she did it on purpose.

“Okay, I’ll take it. But do you think this will leave you with change?”

“You monster!”

Zelhart tried to attack.

Anyway, he inflicted an injury.

One arm is useless.

“That’s why you’re third-rate. Are you going to lose just because you got a little hurt while fighting?”

At the same time as her scoffing words.

Zelhart’s mind was shaken.

“Keuheok?!”

She jumped in as it was and kicked his chin with her toes.

“You’re misunderstanding something. An equal level? Don’t make me laugh, third-rate. At that time, it was a request to chase you away, so I let you off the hook.”

Before he could pull his forcibly tilted head back to its original position, additional attacks poured in immediately.

“And the reason why I’ve been avoiding fighting you until now is that if I aim for you, vampires or those annoying crystal dolls will definitely interfere.”

But now there’s no interference.

“It’s no use now.”

Her fist is planted in his torso several times.

The elbow she swung completely smashes his ribs.

He tried to avoid it, but she stepped on his instep as it was and crushed it.

He tried to counterattack, but he was hit and bounced away, breaking his arm bone.

One-sided beating continues.

“Shouldn’t a mercenary at least handle the shame of a mercenary? So…….”

When the beating stopped, what he saw when he barely opened his eyes while still barely breathing was.

Only her figure with her bloody arm raised and her sword raised.

“Don’t think there will be a next time, third-rate.”

As it is, the sword is drawn from top to bottom, and the decision is made with the last thing that doesn’t even make a sound.