How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 62

69. GO to Make Money! (2)

Furthermore, like me, most of the mercenaries who noticed the merchant’s scheme were passing by with bitter smiles.

Unless you’re a newbie, you’d know that five silver coins is a considerable rip-off.

More than anything, only a complete fool would fall for something like that.

“…Five silver coins?”

Come to think of it, she might be a bit naive in some ways.

I frowned, watching the blonde magician with sparkling eyes, observing the merchant’s actions with interest.

Kruse Elfamant.

Why is this lady here again…

I thought I would never encounter her again, at least not so soon.

Even in a small city, there are usually about 20,000 residents.

You usually wouldn’t imagine running into someone in the marketplace.

And isn’t that main character-level magician seriously listening to the nonsense of a street con artist right now?

Is this lady perhaps off duty?

“Oh! Miss, you have an eye for good stuff!”

Of course, he wouldn’t miss this sucker, no, customer.

The merchant blatantly praises Kruse’s discernment while recommending the item.

“How about buying it at a good price this one time?”

“Indeed… I was having trouble because my camping gear was broken, and I have to leave soon.”

“You won’t find it at this price anywhere else.”

Well, yeah, because it’s a rip-off. Who would buy it at that price?

I shook my head.

Usually, I would laugh along with the other mercenaries, watching a newbie get ripped off.

Because I got ripped off once when I first came here and hadn’t adapted!

I got completely ripped off!

Putting aside the pettiness of my personality.

‘Should I intervene?’

It’s not good to leave her alone since she’s not a stranger.

Let’s step in.

I cleared my throat lightly and approached the spot, sensing that she was seriously contemplating and about to take out her wallet.

“Oh? A tent, huh? It’s definitely a necessity.”

“…Spiritist? From where?”

“Just a moment, just a moment.”

I muttered vaguely and pretended to examine the leather cloth the merchant was holding.

The merchant’s expression is strangely subtle. He must have noticed.

“It’s certainly impressive that it doesn’t leak water. But…”

I smiled slyly and picked up the water bottle the merchant had used.

“M-Mister…”

“Oops, I wonder about this side.”

I grinned and forcibly poured water on the opposite side of the leather cloth he was holding.

Naturally, the leather could only absorb the moisture and become damp.

“…Huh?”

“Oil.”

I added briefly, so that Kruse, who was puzzled, could hear.

“Oil?”

“It’s simple. He applied good oil to make the water droplets roll off easily. The gloss too.”

Is this all?

Looking at the other items, he’s done some crude tricks on them.

Well, that’s enough of this.

Most of the guys selling goods on the street, not affiliated with reputable merchant guilds, pull these kinds of tricks.

“…Oil? Water… Ah?!”

Kruse, who had been tilting her head and repeating the words several times, finally widened her eyes.

Did you finally understand?

…I’ve been thinking since the black magician’s workshop exploration, but why does she sometimes act even more clueless than in the original?

Aren’t you supposed to be a more versatile magician according to what I read?

Perhaps it’s because the current Kruse is a rookie…

I glanced around and saw other merchants clicking their tongues and turning their heads.

If she had bought it here, she would have been ripped off repeatedly.

Indeed, the world is scary!

“M-Mister, what are you doing?”

Naturally, the merchant, who was about to lose a valuable customer, stammers and tries to protest to me.

I subtly narrowed the distance and gave him a little hint.

“…Even so, don’t you think it’s a bit much to accidentally pass off a faulty item to a magician affiliated with the White Tower [a prestigious magic organization]?”

“…Tower?”

“If you accidentally sell a faulty item, wouldn’t it be a disgrace? You know how sensitive they can be, right?”

The merchant swallowed hard upon hearing those words.

He must have thought about the aftermath, as his expression quickly changed.

“Oh dear! It seems the item is a bit damaged. What a shame.”

“Hmm, the rest of the cloths seem ordinary. These kinds of things would only cost two silver coins… What do you think?”

As a result of my subtle prompting, the merchant agreed to sell it at the original price.

How shameless. Well, you have to be like that to survive in this harsh world.

I have no intention of saying anything more than this.

I don’t care if some newbie gets caught later, and more than anything, that’s also an experience.

‘…Should I get out of here?’

I only intervened because she stood out; I have no plans to do anything more than that.

Thinking that way, I tried to slip away, pretending to look for other items.

But.

“…”

Even a dull person like me had vaguely realized that Kruse’s gaze had been directed towards me for a while now.

Oh? Did I perhaps offend her?

If so, let’s quickly hide in the crowd and run.

However, something wrapped around my wrist even faster, like a string of light.

I don’t remember the name, but it’s probably the lowest-level binding magic.

It’s clearly only at the level of a 1st-class magic, but it’s so strong that it feels like my space is fixed.

I can undo it, but it wouldn’t make sense to resist.

“Yes, yes. I won’t run away, I won’t. More than that, am I a monster?! Why are you catching me like this?”

I finally gave up halfway and turned around.

Fortunately, Kruse’s eyes didn’t seem to harbor any negative emotions.

As I waited quietly, Kruse’s lips finally moved.

“Spiritist, I have something to talk about.”

“…I understand, so please release the magic first, Ms. Kruse.”

I struggled with difficulty.

“The surrounding eyes are starting to sting.”

“…Ah.”

The surrounding gazes are currently focused on this side.

A boy bound by Bind [a type of magic] and a beautiful magician looking down at him intently.

Oh my, how scandalous.

What are they doing on the street~.

“I-I’ll release it soon! I’ll release it soon!”

Kruse, as if noticing the gazes only then, hurriedly began to chant the release spell.

* * *

Let’s ignore the trivial matter from earlier and move on.

We went into a nearby restaurant where we could eat and ordered a suitable menu before slowly starting the conversation.

“You haven’t left this place yet, Ms. Kruse?”

“Yes. The preparations aren’t finished yet. I’ve been quite busy for the past few days.”

“I heard from Soland. The lord was very pleased, right?”

“He even offered me the position of exclusive magician.”

“So, did you accept it?”

“I refused.”

Of course, a mere local noble wouldn’t be able to offer conditions that would tie down a 6th-circle magician [a very powerful mage].

And even if he could offer such conditions, Kruse wouldn’t accept them.

She has things to do.

“Haa… Unlike my expectations, he didn’t give me anything worthwhile. Tsk.”

Eh? Is that why you didn’t accept it?

I encouraged you to attend, but you really expected something.

“That’s… too bad. He’s a stingy person.”

I decided to subtly change the subject.

It’s not my fault. The lord is stingy.

So, please don’t look at me like that?

“More than that, didn’t you have something else to say?”

“I thought it was necessary to have a conversation with you anyway.”

“Yes? Why?”

“Well…”

Kruse blinks several times and moves her lips.

She must be organizing what she wants to say.

“First of all. It’s a bit noisy.”

Kruse lightly waves her finger and moves only her lips without making a sound.

Then, no other sounds are heard at all.

1st-circle magic, Silent… was it? That thing.

However, completely isolating the sounds from outside and our conversation so that they can’t be heard by each other is quite difficult; there was a description that it was quite difficult to apply it that way.

I admired it, recalling that fact.

“I think about it several times, but magic, that’s really enviable.”

“Oh my? Spiritism should be quite convenient too, right?”

“It doesn’t have as much variety as magic, does it?”

If magic is a skill, then spiritism is instinct.

If I want to do the same thing, I have to contract with a spirit related to sound.

Let’s put aside the difference between magic and spirits for now, as it would be a long discussion.

The reason for blocking out the surrounding sounds is that she wants to concentrate.

Also, it means that she doesn’t want to let others hear it.

I had guessed since she was waiting for me.

Kruse finally seems to have made up her mind and stares straight at me, asking.

“…What is your identity?”

“That’s… a vague question. Where do you want me to start explaining? My place of origin is…”

“No. I’m not asking about that. Spiritist… no, Ailen.”

It’s the first time Kruse has called my name.

She doesn’t easily call other people’s names.

It’s because of caution, and she probably has no interest.

Whatever.

There are two cases when she calls it.

A colleague, or.

“I saw you talking to that black magician’s corpse back then.”

An enemy to be dealt with.

“…”

I knew she was eavesdropping.

I thought there was enough possibility.

What that lich [an undead magic user] said was also somewhat meaningful.

After thinking about it, there was a possibility.

More than anything, she’s not someone who wouldn’t notice.

It’s okay, at least it’s not the worst.

And I considered that possibility from the beginning.

Rather than clumsily hiding it like this, I decided to admit it.

“Why didn’t you react back then?”

“At first, I tried to intervene. But… your actions seemed to have a reason.”

She probably guessed that the opponent was not ordinary, and if she overheard my conversation, it wouldn’t be difficult to think about the truth.

‘She doesn’t know the identity of that lich.’

If she knew, she wouldn’t be talking so calmly.

Because Kruse’s purpose in traveling is to see that lich, Kmelz.

It’s a journey to find Kmelz in the first place.

‘It’s better not to know now.’

This is related to her personal affairs, but let’s put it aside for now.

“So, is this seat to condemn me? Should I raise my hand in that corner and be punished? Or are you going to torture me?”

“I’m not an inquisitor of the Church, am I?”

“I know that the Magic Tower has plenty of people with similar skills. You know how to do it, right?”

“…I did receive basic education, but I don’t really feel like doing that.”

She doesn’t say she can’t do it.

But that won’t happen.

‘If she were going to condemn me, she would have done it on the spot.’

In the first place, the question isn’t why we had that conversation, but.

‘Who am I.’

Guiding the way smoothly, inciting well in crises, and leading the way.

A lower-level spiritist who calmly talks to a crazy lich.

‘Even I think this doesn’t make sense. Is he someone who doesn’t know the value of his life?’

But it seems that’s me. How strange.

She wouldn’t believe anything I say.

All I can do now is make excuses.

“I’m just very interested in the affairs of the world. I’ve read a lot of books. I also have personal connections.”

Lies come out smoothly.

“My wealth is information, so to speak.”

“…”

“I can’t help it if you don’t believe me.”

“…It’s okay. That’s not what I wanted to ask.”

Kruse gave up.

She probably didn’t expect to get a proper answer from me from the beginning.

“Actually, what I want to ask is something else. The location of the black magician’s workshop that you told him… is that true?”

“There’s no reason to lie. So, there won’t be any repercussions.”

Come to think of it, I told her, so that place will be destroyed within a few days.

Perhaps there’s a possibility that influence will occur because I incited it, but seeing that there’s nothing wrong so far, it may not have happened yet.

“…That’s not what I meant.”

What she wanted to ask was how much information I knew about black magicians.

“To add, it will be too late even if you go there.”

“I know. I don’t intend to press you about that in particular.”

“Then?”

She closed her mouth for a moment.

She must be hesitating whether to ask this question.

That’s why I deliberately noticed and preemptively said.

“You want to ask how much information I have about the workshop, is that it?”

“…Yes. That’s it.”

Then ask that from the beginning.

What she was worried about was whether I really had the information.