How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 288

320. Search the Imperial Palace (3)

As I grumbled, I prepared to counterattack at any moment and checked on Elles’ condition.

I didn’t think that single blow would have completely finished her off.

She might be pretending to be defeated and planning a surprise attack.

I don’t think she’s the type, but they have a plan right in front of them.

They would be willing to sacrifice minor pride.

“Hey. Are you alive? ……Ah, it’s not appropriate to say that to an undead, is it? Then are you dead? Ah, that’s not it either……”

“Spare me the useless words. ……Just listening to you makes my blood boil.”

A rather annoyed voice.

As the dust settled, I could see the undead girl lying there, completely battered.

“Wow, that’s rough. Well, not that I should be saying that.”

“Don’t worry, I can’t even get up like this.”

“……Am I supposed to believe that willingly?”

She probably still has the strength to unleash a sword strike or two, right?

She doesn’t deny it either.

“What is your identity?”

“Just a passerby. A petty citizen who trembles when the likes of you run wild. I came to complain about the noise because you guys are causing a ruckus.”

“Lies……”

Is it, though? Well, I have no intention of arguing with such jokes.

I immediately turned my back.

“Anyway, it seems like you can’t move, so I guess it doesn’t matter. ……Where are the hostages?”

“What are you thinking?”

She asks, seemingly puzzled that I didn’t finish her off.

If I put in a little more effort, I could completely destroy her in her current state.

That would be the surest way.

But I don’t use that method.

“Forget it. I’m tired. I want to conserve as much strength as possible. Honestly, I don’t have a hobby of smashing people who can talk properly, even if they are undead.”

“Stop making excuses. Was this your intention from the start?”

“……Let me ask you the opposite. Who was it that subtly held back?”

“……”

She seemed speechless and closed her mouth.

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

My last strike probably didn’t hit perfectly.

I barely noticed that fact at the last moment. Even if I didn’t think I would lose, it wouldn’t be strange if I struggled more afterward.

But as a result, the last strike landed too cleanly.

“……Unless you deliberately took the hit.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Well, whatever. I wonder if there are hostages over there……”

I have no intention of babbling on pointlessly.

I’m not that free.

“Do you perhaps know about this girl’s sins?”

“Well…… I wonder.”

I neither deny nor affirm.

I do know.

But there’s no reason to talk about it.

However, I can say this much.

“I know that you’re using it as an excuse to release those who are not related to the price of your sins.”

“……”

“Anyway, what I’m going to do now is just take the hostages and leave. I won’t do anything else, at least for now.”

……Of course, ‘for now’.

I waved my hand dismissively, as if to say I had nothing more to say, and retreated.

Yoon Han, who had been watching the fight, seemed convinced that it was safe now and immediately followed me.

At that moment.

“……If you go all the way down that hallway, there’s a prison on the right side where the hostages are being held. There are no keys, so figure it out yourself.”

That’s all I heard.

Instead of answering, I just nodded slightly and hurried towards that place.

* * *

I’m really losing energy.

The Imperial Princess, Resilia, sighed as she looked up at the ceiling of the prison she was trapped in.

“Haa, this is not the time for this……”

It’s like a nightmare.

Strange people who suddenly destroyed the Imperial Palace.

The Imperial Capital was occupied in an instant.

Even now, she hadn’t grasped the full picture of what was happening.

What will happen to the Empire in the future?

No, more than that, what will happen to her?

Naturally, she couldn’t help but feel anxious.

Because on the first day she was trapped here, her pride wavered with anxiety, and she had to shed tears.

But……

Should I call it adaptation?

As time passed since she was trapped here, she somehow got used to it.

‘……I don’t know what they’re trying to do!’

She couldn’t shout it out loud because of her dignity, so she only complained in her heart.

After being trapped here.

Nothing happened.

The only thing she knew was that there were other hostages trapped in this prison besides herself.

However, it was impossible to talk to each other because of some kind of magic cast on the prison itself.

The frustrating feeling also fades with time.

The only thought in her head now is.

I’m bored!

‘No…… that’s not it! Really, that’s not it!’

It’s a serious situation.

She doesn’t even know what’s going on outside this prison.

Above all, is it appropriate for a member of the Imperial Family to be so bored?

Even if there are no eyes watching, that’s the case. What she should be worried about is the safety of the Empire and its people.

‘Still……’

Well, it’s the same as having nothing to do.

At first, she was even prepared.

To be honest, she was already prepared for death.

But……

‘They locked me up and did nothing.’

It doesn’t seem like they’re interrogating anything.

No one comes.

Of course, they seem to be providing food and water regularly and guaranteeing the minimum level of safety.

Other than that, the only uncomfortable thing is the feeling of being trapped in this place.

‘Honestly, they wouldn’t even treat a prisoner like this……’

I don’t know why.

They might make her feel at ease like this and then suddenly throw her into a terrible hell one day, but even that tension can’t last after several months.

“Hwaaaaaaaawn. I need to do something about it……”

In the end, the princess became lazy.

She lost her energy and collapsed on the floor.

It’s not like she didn’t try to escape at first.

She tried to knock on the walls and rack her brains, but there was no way.

Maybe the other hostages are the same.

What can I do?

There’s nothing I can do.

Just go to sleep.

‘No…… this is quite a problem too……’

If this pathetic state is known outside, it will be a disgrace that will remain in the history of the Imperial Family forever.

The hostage princess becomes lazy!

Will it be recorded like this in the chronicles?

What’s more serious is.

‘Wow…… I feel like my body is getting sluggish……’

As expected, it’s inevitable that her body will naturally stiffen from being trapped.

Above all, the Imperial Family is busy.

Originally, Resilia would not have had the leisure to relax except for the minimum rest to digest her schedule.

It’s inevitable that she would feel powerless because it was unintentionally stagnant.

‘Ah…… I need to move a little.’

Especially since it seems dangerous here and there recently.

Resilia looked around and pretended to loosen her body.

She moved around, rolled around, and tried to expend her energy in the small space.

And……

“I can’t believe you haven’t forgotten your slapstick spirit even here; I’m so moved I could cry.”

She noticed that Aileon, who had somehow torn down the prison wall, was looking at her with an absurd look……

“Kyaaaaaaaa!”

She had to tear her hair out in genuine embarrassment.

“……Um, I’m just saying this now, but I came to rescue you?”

“You should have said that first!”

Anyway, the time to escape has come.

But she couldn’t quite let go of the desire for him to have come a little more tactfully.

* * *

“So, the princess who got plump from prison life?”

“I didn’t get fat! More than that, how long are you going to keep harping on that!”

I’ll keep teasing you for the foreseeable future.

I came to rescue her, but the hostage was worried about her belly fat and stretching in a ridiculous way……

Wow, I envy your life!

“Don’t you have any sense of crisis?”

“If you’re locked up for several months with nothing to do and eating regularly, you’ll end up like this too. ……But I didn’t gain weight.”

No, you did.

Well, the princess’s weight is not the point of this incident, so let’s just move on for now.

Meanwhile, Yoon Han was shedding tears, feeling as if he had achieved a century-old wish.

“I’m glad you’re safe, Your Highness Resilia.”

“Yoon Han…… you escaped safely back then. And to think you would bring that person here as well, you’ve done well.”

“Yes. I’m really glad you’re safe. As expected of Your Highness Resilia. To think you would be so composed even in this narrow prison.”

“Are you making fun of me?”

“……No, I’m not.”

Let’s leave those two fools alone. There’s still a lot to do.

“There are still many hostages to be rescued, so I hope you two don’t cause any trouble and stay quiet.”

“I know. But Aileon? I’m curious about the situation outside?”

“I will explain it to you as immature as I am [meaning, I’ll explain it simply].”

First, let’s leave those two alone and turn my attention to the other prisons.

“Roughly…… there are about 100 people imprisoned……”

Most of them seem to be members of the Imperial Family or nobles.

“……Probably, after isolating them here at first, they didn’t touch them either.”

“Then everyone must have gained weight.”

“I told you I didn’t!”

But there are only about 100 people…… that’s fewer than I thought.

As expected, they must have already dealt with the rest of the humans.

‘……Maybe, they only took revenge on those who were involved in that incident……’

Judging from Elles’ attitude earlier, those who were isolated separately are the only ones who didn’t receive their resentment.

They couldn’t release the Empress or other figures, so they just locked them up separately.

Maybe they would have released them somewhere else if I hadn’t rescued them.

“As expected…… Kmel’s goal remains unchanged.”

“Aileon? What are you talking about?”

“No. It’s nothing. More than that, is it okay if I take out the remaining hostages?”

“Please do.”

Maybe the other hostages besides Resilia, who I’m familiar with, will be confused when they see me, but I can leave the explanation to her and Yoon Han.

I put my hand on the door of the next prison.

“As expected, it’s all the same barrier……”

It’s quite an elaborate magic barrier.

The strength to withstand impact is considerable, and the soundproofing and insulation effects are also considerable.

I want to put it on my house windows.

It’s not difficult to break this.

I activate Atom Metamorphosis and pour mana into the barrier’s formula to break it.

Pajijijijik!

A faint static electricity-like sound rang out in succession, and the barrier on the door broke, revealing what was beyond.
A blonde man similar to Resilia was sitting calmly behind the ordinary bars.

“……He’s different from some people. He’s so calm.”

“Ugh…… more than that, Brother?!”

Resilia hurriedly recognized him and called out to him.

I’m meeting him for the first time, but he’s probably a member of the Imperial Family.

He slowly looked back and forth between me and Resilia and calmly replied.

“Resilia…… then are you not a companion of those villains?”

“I’m a rescue worker who was commissioned to rescue you. You’ll be safe, so please rest assured.”

“……Um?”

“He’s like this, so please don’t ask now.”

What do you mean, ‘like this’?

I swear, there’s no point in helping people.

“Anyway, I won’t forget this favor. I will definitely repay it.”

“……I’ll keep it in mind.”

That repayment will only be possible when they properly regain their position.

Right now, it’s just a pretty picture that’s worse than nothing.

I released the other hostages in order.

The released hostages were all bewildered at first when they saw me, but soon they saw the armor worn by the princess, the prince, or Yoon Han, and they were convinced that we were allies and cheered.

“Ooooooh! They’ve come to rescue us!”

“The fate of the Empire is not over yet!”

“Long live the Emperor!”

No, it has nothing to do with the Empire, and why are you shouting ‘Long live’ to me rather than the Emperor?

I only kept the same words to myself.

There’s no point in stepping forward; it’ll only make me a target in the future.

Should I wrap it up appropriately, just in case?

“This entire rescue operation was carried out because Her Highness Princess Resilia subtly ordered it.”

In other words, let’s put the blame on someone else.

“……Yes?”

The princess makes a face as if to say, ‘When did I?’