How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 120

132. Just Business (4)

‘Of course, it should be.’

I suppressed my joy at the expected reaction and tapped my foot lightly.

I simply activated the power of the Gnome.

Then, the ground beneath the soldiers rose up, pushing them all off.

This was just a lighthearted prank using elemental magic.

The height they fell from wasn’t significant, and they wouldn’t be seriously injured.

“The rock suddenly shot up?”

“Could it be elemental magic?!”

The soldiers shuddered and stepped back.

Only then did they realize I wasn’t just a simple merchant.

“Y-you… you dare attack me?”

“Not at all. What just happened was merely a defense to protect our personnel and cargo. And the justification for this action is clearly stated in the contract.”

I had deliberately mentioned it to the Princess during the contract negotiations.

‘What if someone tried to interfere with the cargo?’ I’d asked.

As if understanding my intentions, she immediately replied without hesitation.

‘Fine. Anyone who interferes, except for me or my grandfather, can be dealt with at your discretion. Anyone at all. Just don’t kill them, and I’ll cover for you to some extent.’

Such a sensible young lady.

I especially liked how she only mentioned herself and the Grand Duke.

In other words, even though Nelvis is a noble, he has no right to interfere with this matter according to the contract.

“The Princess has granted me the right to defend the cargo within reasonable bounds.”

Since the contract was already signed, this cargo is the Princess’s property.

Furthermore, it could also be interpreted as the Grand Duke’s property.

Even if I defend it, I am essentially protecting their belongings.

And even though Nelvis is a noble, his position in the Grand Duke’s family is the lowest.

At least in terms of justification, he can’t criticize my actions.

“What will you do, Lord Nelvis? Perhaps you should calm down first and check things carefully?”

“……Ugh! Kkeueueueueueuk!”

Nelvis could only stomp his feet, unable to give a coherent answer. He seemed to have been relying on the soldiers, but I had shown them that I could easily subdue them.

“Lord Nelvis?”

“Ah, I understand. I… I will check with Elenia.”

“……”

I slowly approached him.

And slowly moved my arm.

His face paled instantly.

“You… what are you doing…?”

“Excuse me? What do you mean? That contract is mine. So, I would appreciate it if you returned it.”

I tilted my head nonchalantly and asked for the contract he was holding.

You should return that before you leave.

Only then did he look at the paper he was holding, tremble, and hand it back.

I politely accepted it and smiled gently.

“Well then. I sincerely hope the misunderstanding is resolved.”

I didn’t do anything to him and just bowed as politely as possible.

That’s enough.

“I… I hope so too…”

That alone made him stagger back.

With this, he can no longer touch me.

…At least not outwardly.

‘The important thing isn’t some fool like him, but the consequences of my actions now.’

The results will come gradually.

So, let’s wait patiently.

* * *

The prepared goods were loaded onto the Duchy’s carriages without any omissions or discrepancies.

As expected, there were no repercussions for provoking Nelvis.

Perhaps the Princess intervened later to keep him in check.

Everything is going smoothly.

Now, under strict management, those goods will be quickly sent to each fortress at the front.

‘I’m already looking forward to the results.’

Watching the departing convoy of numerous carriages from afar, I was already fidgeting with anticipation.

‘Hurry! Hurry up and show me the results!’

I looked up at the empty space above my head, where the results had yet to be announced, and urged inwardly.

* * *

Falgent Duchy’s rearmost stronghold.

Hans, a soldier who had been serving in this fortress for ten years, sighed deeply as he looked at the pathetic meal that no longer held any promise.

“Potatoes, huh.”

Tonight’s dinner was one potato.

This was the source of the gloomy atmosphere.

“……Hey, is this even food?”

“Hans, you should be grateful you’re getting even this much.”

“If you’re not going to eat it, give it to me!”

“Are you crazy?! Who said I’d give it to you?!”

Amidst the other soldiers’ uproar, Hans quickly stuffed his potato into his mouth.

“Uuuuuuuuup! Eheheheheoooouuuup!”

Who said I wouldn’t eat it?

I want to eat more!

What is the only advantage of serving as a soldier?

It’s that at least you get regular meals.

You can’t fight on an empty stomach.

That’s a universal logic, and unless it’s an extremely cruel place, at least the army provides food.

However, that advantage is only maintained when conditions allow.

When potatoes first appeared, they didn’t think much of it.

“Potatoes? Is tonight’s dinner potatoes?”

“Come to think of it, they said they were busy transporting weapons to the front lines, so maybe that’s why.”

“Well, it can’t be helped. What can we do? We’re at war.”

“Damn Empire bastards, why did they attack us….”

“Forget it, let’s just eat.”

At first, the soldiers had to force themselves to eat the potatoes.

And the next day, potatoes again.

And the day after that, potatoes.

Potatoes. Potatoes. Potatoes.

Anyway, potatoes!

Only then did the soldiers begin to realize the severity of the situation.

They wouldn’t complain if only potatoes were served.

But the amount was also decreasing.

In addition, news began to spread.

The supply depot had been burned down by the enemy’s scheme.

In other words, these potatoes were a sign that they would starve.

And now, they were only receiving one potato per meal.

Naturally, dissatisfaction arose among the soldiers.

“……Are the guys at the front lines any better off?”

They have to fight, but it’s better to eat and fight.

Such jokes were made, but they didn’t know.

The soldiers on the Second Defense Line, where battles were currently taking place, were also running out of supplies and were about to eat only two potatoes.

“Isn’t this too much, even for war! How are we supposed to defend the Duchy like this!”

Hans grumbled, and the other soldiers didn’t deny it, even though they were wary.

“Let’s wait and see. The Grand Duke will do something about it.”

As far as they knew, the Grand Duke was not the kind of person to ignore their plight.

They had hope that he would do something.

Even so, the resentment that builds up in people’s hearts is not easily resolved.

It wouldn’t be strange if their patience broke at any moment.

The commanders were also worried about this and tried to maintain military discipline by strictly punishing possible offenses and tightening the ranks.

But they felt that it was becoming increasingly difficult.

They would rather fall in battle against the enemy and think they had done their duty as soldiers.

But what face would they show if they collapsed from starvation or were overthrown by a rebellion?

As the atmosphere grew increasingly ominous.

The welcome news they had been waiting for arrived.

“Supplies! Supplies are coming!”

The commander-in-chief shouted as soon as he read the message, and his voice was heard throughout the barracks.

“Food is coming!”

No one blamed the soldier who shouted those words.

It wasn’t just the soldiers who were starving.

The commanders were also getting tired.

Even just potatoes would be fine. Bring anything.

That day, they cheered and eagerly awaited the arrival of the supplies.

And finally, the long-awaited supplies arrived.

When enough supplies arrived to feed not only the front lines but also the rear, the soldiers resisted the urge to shout for joy.

As soon as the supply carriages arrived, the soldiers rushed to help unload the cargo.

At this time, everyone took on tasks without hesitation, and the work was completed twice as fast as usual.

“……Did you see? It looks like all of that is food.”

“Ah…… It’s like a dream.”

Right now, the boxes in those carriages looked like chests full of gold.

“God…… Thank you so much.”

There were even soldiers who were praying.

More sacred than the church’s relics.

Some might think it’s a fuss over just food, but for those who were actually impoverished, it was a desperate problem.

“Ah…… I heard it’s all thanks to the Princess.”

“I heard that too. They say the Princess boldly pushed for buying this much food?”

“Is that all? We should also thank the merchant who sold the food to her.”

“A merchant? Come to think of it, there was such a rumor.”

They don’t know Aileon’s identity.

In addition, the rumors were gradually distorted, so they couldn’t know the truth.

But what does it matter if his identity is a merchant or a gangster?

If they can bring food to eat at this time, they would want to bow down to anyone.

“Anyway, let’s offer a prayer of thanks to the Princess and the merchant!”

“Yes! That’s right!”

Everyone without exception offered a prayer of thanks.

And such a reaction was not unique to this place.

In other fortresses and at the front lines, soldiers were also offering prayers of thanks.

* * *

Perhaps ten days had passed since the deal was made and all the food was sent.

I was thinking that the food sent through the deal would be arriving at the fortresses soon.

“Oh!”

The message notifying me of the results was confirmed.

‘It arrived safely!’

I was secretly anxious that someone might interfere or that an accident might happen.

From the moment I handed it over, it was their responsibility, so I would only be affected financially, but if they made a mistake, I wouldn’t get any other benefits.

But thankfully, it arrived.

“It’s here! It’s here! It’s here!”

As expected, the impact is happening right away.

After all, selling goods is clearly my activity!

Now~ how much did I gather~.

I opened the window to check the results with a joyful feeling.

“……Huh?”

And for a moment, my mind went blank.

Oh my? The number of digits in the points seems a bit strange?

Is this a computer error?

But there’s no place to inquire, and I don’t intend to.

What happened is what happened.

This is also clearly the result I achieved.

‘……Just how hungry were they all?!’

All I did was sell some food that seemed to be in demand.

I just sent a food truck [a large vehicle equipped to cook and serve food].

But the result is like this…….

‘Was the problem actually more serious than in the original work?’

Anyway, the soldiers must be doing a dance of joy right now.

The intense reaction is a fact.

Anyway, it’s a satisfactory result.

To think I would acquire points in the four digits.

On top of that, I not only gained a lot of influence, but there was also another change.