How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 176

195. Until We Return (5)

It would be ideal if those who cooperate do well, but I’m not a mother, so I can’t interfere with everything.

Lowell also didn’t dismiss my advice and started to seriously contemplate it, rolling his eyes diligently.

“…What’s the basis for that?”

“Think about what I’ve always done.”

Aileen is involved, and there’s usually an accident. So, I’m probably right.

Uh? Something feels strange.

“I see.”

The fact that it worked so well is probably due to my past actions.

This is why people should behave well.

“Come to think of it, there was a strange rumor… I ignored it, thinking it couldn’t be…”

“Rumor? What are you talking about?”

“Aileen? Wasn’t that what you meant?”

Of course not.

I shook my head.

At least it’s not among the rumors I’ve heard.

In other words, it’s information circulating only within the Selbas Kingdom.

I can’t help but be interested.

“Please tell me. What’s the story?”

“…Are you aware of the former lord here, Aileen?”

“No. …Wait? Former lord?”

The title Lowell is using is strange.

Why is he calling him the former lord?

“Could it be…”

“It happened a month ago. The former lord was executed.”

I was so surprised by the unexpected information that I couldn’t speak.

The former lord, he must be referring to the guy who kept his mouth shut for some reason during the last attack on Felpuk.

He’s dead?

“…The reason?”

“They say it was embezzlement. It’s known that he deceived the kingdom with taxes.”

He said that even if you go out to the marketplace now, there would be a public notice on the bulletin board about the lord’s embezzlement.

“One more thing. Who denounced him?”

“It’s Duke Rupel. He’s quite a prestigious noble even within the Selbas Kingdom. Have you heard of him?”

“…I’ve heard of him. They say he’s the duke with the greatest power in the kingdom.”

Pretending not to know well, I listened to Lowell’s explanation.

It’s not just the lord here.

It seems that nobles in the Selbas Kingdom who have been exposed for corruption are being sent to the guillotine one after another.

Of course, the person contributing to this trend is Duke Rupel.

‘Ah, that’s it!’

I clapped my hands in my heart.

Originally, when Duke Rupel started to take action in earnest, what he did to incite the people was…

‘Excessively radical and blatant eradication of corruption…’

It’s easy to understand.

Especially since, in any country, people tend not to trust their rulers, whether it’s a big or small issue.

That’s why Duke Rupel used it in reverse.

‘Deliberately letting them rot or supporting them to become corrupt, and then exposing and executing them without a second thought…’

If that happens, the nobles who were used will have their heads cut off amidst the stoning, and Duke Rupel will be trusted as a hero who eradicated them.

“The voices praising Duke Rupel must be quite loud.”

“…In places far from the capital… it seems they trust him more than the royal family. It’s not something to say out loud, though.”

Lowell lowered his voice slightly because it would be a big deal if he spoke carelessly.

Well, I have no intention of speaking cheaply either.

‘Whether Duke Rupel points a knife or a fork at the royal family, it’s none of my business at this stage…’

Besides, I know that the duke himself is just a pawn being used in the end, so I’m not interested.

Thanks to that, I can be sure.

Chaos is coming soon.

Yes! More chaos needs to come. What I want is one timing that will arise at the end of it!

“Anyway, as Mr. Lowell said, since the world is so turbulent, wouldn’t it be better to have insurance?”

“…Indeed. I’ll keep that in mind for now.”

Lowell answered seriously, and then we mainly talked about profits and the next products to sell.

Even while consulting with him, the timing of the incident was being set in my head.

‘I need to hurry.’

I’d better get the magic tome soon.

196. Searching for the Magic Tome (1)

First of all, let’s talk about magic tomes again.

A magic tome is different from simple textbooks or materials that record magical theories.

‘It is said that it is magic itself, right?’

A textbook is just a book that records magical theories.

A magic tome is a book itself completed as a magic.

Magicians who felt uneasy about recording knowledge left it as a magic itself.

For example, even a non-magician can use the magic recorded in it if they obtain a magic tome.

To put it in perspective, it’s an automatic magic acquisition device.

‘Usually, they go crazy or die because they can’t handle it.’

Therefore, it is said that sometimes, just obtaining it can lead to a further step forward as a magician.

You can learn complex magic that cannot be learned through theory or increase your power.

That’s why the value of a magic tome is immeasurable, and even a magic tome with very weak magic recorded in it is worth more than buying several mansions.

However, it is just as difficult to obtain.

The most likely place to find it is in a dungeon or ruins left by unknown magicians.

In other words, it means that it is a rare item that, once it appears, you are usually not even allowed to watch with your fingers in your mouth [meaning you won’t even get a chance to try and obtain it].

‘…Crusade didn’t say it would be easy to get at the time.’

Perhaps the place with the most magic tomes is the Magic Tower.

Next is probably the crazy lich, Kmels Alfrens.

‘Well, that lich is not even worth considering. Because it’s dangerous.’

In the end, it’s the Magic Tower.

However, to view the magic tomes there, you must be a person who is trusted that much.

I wonder how many years that will take.

That’s why I was putting off the magic tome for now.

And I thought of a possible method.

‘If my prediction is correct, maybe… there might still be a magic tome without an owner left.’

If I aim well, I might be able to get a magic tome without affecting the development of the original work.

The problem is the timing.

‘If I’m late, I won’t be able to get the magic tome…’

I was considering the probability to be only about 30% at best.

That’s why I didn’t move rashly and instead tried to check the information first.

And…

Fortunately, I was able to capture information related to the magic tome.

“…Is it a territory on the outskirts of the Selbas Kingdom?”

It was obtained by cross-verifying information obtained from information brokers.

“It’s here.”

Anyway, if there is a possibility, I have no choice but to go.

Or else?

Let’s just go sightseeing.

* * *

A small territory on the western outskirts of the Selbas Kingdom.

Ilanat Territory.

This place, managed by a weak noble called Count Ilanat, is said to be not known by many.

‘Well, it’s just a rural area…’

A small territory that is slightly better than the village I came from.

A rural area where most of the territory’s residents make a living by farming and have no distinct characteristics, the King of Rural Areas [a sarcastic title for a place with nothing special].

‘There’s a magic tome in a place like this?’

It’s still just information based on rumors.

It’s closer to circumstantial evidence than an official rumor.

The reason I thought it was quite possible is because of this damn original work.

That’s because a magic tome without an owner appears in the original work, Volume 11.

Original work, Volume 11.

There was an incident where a disaster occurred due to a magic tome of unknown origin, and the protagonist and several supporting and minor characters struggled to deal with it.

‘But no one got it. Not even the protagonist.’

The magic tome was damaged in the process of resolving the incident, so no one could obtain it.

The hint was that it flowed in from somewhere in the Selbas Kingdom and was only speculated to be a fairly remote area.

‘If it’s here at this time and related to it…’

If no one can get it, I wanted to secure it.

If it’s a mediocre magic tome, I can just use it in other ways.

At least there’s no loss in getting it.

After entering the city ruled by the lord here, I first went to the branch of the mercenary guild there.

At least if the lord has joined the guild’s main branch, there is a branch of the mercenary guild in any territory.

However, since it is such a quiet rural area, even the city has only a small building.

‘The requests you can get in a place like this are probably monster subjugation requests at best.’

Usually, mercenaries don’t come to such rural areas.

At best, rookie mercenaries who are pushed out of the competition in large territories will wander around here to make a living.

However, that place…

“…Oh… the smell of sweat.”

As soon as I entered, I was met with mercenaries who had flowed in from all over the place, so much so that I reflexively wanted to go back out.

‘Most of them are B-rank… and there are some talents who seem to be roughly A-rank.’

Normally, they wouldn’t come to such a rural area.

The fact that they are here is simple.

It means there’s a smell of money.

‘As expected, they openly put up a request as the rumors said…’

Relieved that the information the information brokers brought was not false, I approached the staff of this branch to check it myself.

“I’d like to check on a request.”

“Are you talking about the ruins exploration request?”

“Yes. That’s it!”

Without even asking, they immediately showed me the request form.

Looking at the contents roughly.

A type of request to explore the ruins found here and bring back the treasures enshrined inside.

In other words, it’s an exploration request.

‘I usually have no reason to be caught up in this kind of request, but…’

The problem is that the reward for the request is surprisingly low.

A request to search unknown ruins is dangerous.

What’s more, if there are monsters or traps, and even monsters, the request fee will increase quite a bit.

Assuming success, they should give 10 gold coins, but the reward for this request is 5 gold coins.

It’s not a small amount, but it’s not worth it compared to risking your life and suffering.

‘Well, I don’t care about money, but…’

Am I in a position to be attracted to just a few gold coins right now?

No.

I’m confident that I can succeed even if I turn it into a merchant like Lowell said.

But they are different.

Nevertheless, the reason why the mercenaries were so caught up in it is because of the special reward for this request.

“Did you hear? That ruins tower was built a long time ago by a famous magician, right?”

“I heard that rumor too.”

The mercenaries are having a heated conversation with each other on the topic.

“They say there might be a magic tome there.”

“…They said that whoever finds the magic tome can take it, right?”

“Is that the special reward for exploring the ruins tower?”

“Amazing.”

They generously offered the magic tome, which is likely to be there, as a special reward.

Of course, the truth is not certain.

After all, the claim that there is a magic tome is only the claim of the lord and some scholars.

However, I am predicting that the possibility is high through the basis of the original work.

Instead, the special reward is only the magic tome, and the private ownership of other spoils or treasure data is prohibited.

In addition, they will attach knights and soldiers from the lord’s side to guide and monitor the actions.

It’s really thorough.

‘Well, that’s none of my business.’

I don’t care about anything other than the magic tome, which is my goal.

‘Or I can just secretly take a commission.’

Even if there is surveillance, I can secretly take my share.

Thinking so, I accepted the request.

However, there were some annoying points.

I wanted to move alone, but the guild did not allow it and strictly specified that I must act as a group.

After dividing the mercenaries who accepted the request into several groups, they plan to proceed with the search in order.

If you disobey, you cannot give a request.

It was quite firm, so I can’t insist.

‘Well… if they don’t have some control, they’ll go and turn it upside down to take it first. There’s also the worry of tomb raiding.’

For now, I agreed and met with the mercenaries organized by the guild.

Now that it’s come to this, let’s say hello lightly.

“I’m Aileen.”

First, I lightly introduce my name and tell them my current rank and what I can do.

I didn’t reveal everything.

At best, I only said that I use a few spirit arts.

However, even with that alone, the mercenaries were delighted, shining their eyes as if they had obtained a great opportunity.

“Oh? Spirit art. We’re lucky!”

“If there’s a spirit artist, we can explore faster!”

“Welcome! Aileen!”

To put it in perspective, it can be said that it is the feeling of waiting for a match in a game.

The world is just a luck-based game.

It’s also like winning the lottery if you get a spirit artist or a magician.

There’s already a guy who’s subtly trying to put a spoon on me [meaning trying to freeload or take advantage], saying, ‘Why don’t we just make a fortune among ourselves?’

I’m being welcomed, so there’s nothing to feel bad about.