Honey Trap! ~The Honey Trap Encirclement to Ensnare the Summoned Hero~ - Chapter 41 & 42

Chapter 41: Troublemakers Dive into Quest Laundering (Part 1)

“Ugh, I hate admitting this, but… you’re D-rank starting today! Take it, you thieves!”

““““Hell yeah!””””

Kanpai! The four chugged ale.

A scene at the Adventurers’ Guild. Finally hitting D-rank, the Troublemakers were riding high.

The Guildmaster looked utterly disgusted, while the receptionist slumped over her desk, as if the world had ended.

“Whoa, seriously? The Troublemakers are D-rank…?”

“Man, let’s avoid D-rank quests for a while. Getting caught in their mess? No way.”

The Troublemakers, the guild’s most notorious problem-child party, had already carved out countless legends.

They took a kidnapping case on a whim, heard a noble was shady, and straight-up asked, “You the culprit?”

Started a brawl on the spot and hogtied the noble without mercy.

Unbelievable “heroic tales” spread like wildfire in the slums.

The rescued women eagerly shared stories so full of holes that people thought, “No way that party exists.”

But adventurers who knew them nodded, “Those guys? They’d do it. No, they definitely did.” Fame, for better or worse.

Even after, with short breaks, they kept taking quests.

Causing chaos every time but always solving the job, forcing the guild to promote them.

“Damn, you guys are… something…”

“Heh, I’m blushing!”

A familiar young adventurer, witnessing the promotion, twitched. Honestly, not a compliment.

Wherever they went, a storm followed. The underworld whispered, “Mess with that party, and you’re screwed.”

Thanks to them, his orphanage was saved, though.

“Now, what’s our next quest? These are D-rank, right?”

“Hm, mostly extermination jobs. Oh, an escort quest too.”

“Let’s go big! A major extermination to skyrocket our rank!”

“Big game hunting’s got that romance!”

Ale in hand, the four eyed the quest board. Their manners were awful, even by adventurer standards.

But one quest caught their eye unexpectedly.

“Hm? This ‘gather Solaria flowers’ quest… it’s nagging me. Solaria, Solaria… I’ve heard it somewhere.”

“What’s that? Never heard of such a flower.”

“First for me too.”

“Uh… Excuse me! What’s a Solaria flower?”

“Oh… that quest.”

The receptionist, looking troubled, explained.

“The client is the head of the Klein merchant family. Their only daughter, Lily, has been bedridden for a while.”

“Got it! The flower’s a cure, right? Alright, team, let’s take this one!”

“Sounds interesting. So, we head to the Klein house first?”

“…Sigh. Yes, but get the details from the head.”

“Gotcha!”

The four stormed out bata bata.

Watching them go, the receptionist sighed.

“Guildmaster, they left without hearing the details.”

“Yeah. That quest? It’s impossible.”

The Solaria flower.

A phantom flower, said to be extinct.

The quest’s true purpose was to bring adventurers to entertain the lonely daughter with tales. Knowing this, the guild duo thought the carefree Troublemakers were a bad fit.

“Well, even they need to grow up sometime.”

“Yeah…”

The Guildmaster muttered hard-boiled nonsense.

But the receptionist’s heart stirred with unease—and expectation.

They might actually pull it off…

*

“Welcome, adventurers! Your party name is…?”

“Troublemakers, yo!”

“…Quite a unique name… Hm, sounds familiar…”

The Klein estate, as expected, screamed wealth. Likely the grandest mansion in the merchant district.

An archetypal old butler led them to a dandy head of the house. For a top merchant, he was remarkably kind to this shady party.

“You’re here because… well…”

“Solaria flower, right? Leave it to us! We’re pros at solving quests!”

“Haha, such confidence… But first, could you meet my daughter?”

“Fine, but bringing this playboy feels iffy.”

“That’s slander!”

“Haha… Let’s head to her room.”

*

“Hey, I’m Lily. Uh, your names…?”

“We’re the Troublemakers! The hippest party in the capital!”

“…That’s… unique. I’m excited…”

The girl was in a wheelchair, about sixteen or seventeen. Long blonde hair, sickly pale skin. Clearly ill, but her eyes burned with resolve.

Her room was stacked with books, hinting at her insatiable curiosity.

Lily was fascinated by the four.

They were a colorful bunch: a cheeky young guy, a white-haired beauty, a chuuni poser, and a bassa bassa flying tiny dragon.

“Uh… could you introduce yourselves?”

Notebook ready, Lily prepped to take notes.

The four, as usual, went all out.

“I’m Yuri. Specialty: big magic! One-shotting any enemy!”

“I’m Eremia. I summon undead. Unlike this idiot, I’m a capable woman who can hold back.”

“I am Lucius. Dark arts are my domain…! Unlike those two, I’ve got common sense!”

“I’m Agamemnon. As you see, an ancient dragon. I’ve got the wisdom these three fools lack.”

What a crew.

Lily closed her eyes, then spoke.

“You’re all so unique… Hehe, I bet you’ve got great stories.

Could you share your adventures?”

“Sure thing! Let me regale you with my epic deeds!

It all started with a goblin extermination quest…”

“Oh, when your undead trashed the cave?”

“That was you breaking the supports! Not my fault!”

They bickered gyaa gyaa, shifting blame, spinning tales. Like how someone—maybe all of them—caused a cave collapse during a goblin hunt.

“That sounds like everyone’s fault, no?”

Lily’s sharp jab hit home. The four looked away, whistling pyuu pyuu terribly.

Next, they told of using undead for sewer cleaning, only to get scolded by a senior adventurer.

“That’s… creative undead use.”

“Right? Everyone’s biased against undead! Sure, they hate the living a bit and get aggressive, but under control, they’re fine!”

“Kukuku, your minions look ready to rebel tomorrow.”

“It’s fine. A fistfight solves everything.”

“…Question. Are necromancers secretly fighters?”

Surrounded by books, Lily was sharp but had never heard of “fist-talking” undead control. That’s pure fighter territory.

“Fun fact: Eremia’s stronger barehanded.”

“Interesting, Yuri. Wanna get smashed?”

“See, that’s what I mean!”

They bantered on, aa da kou da.

Lily clicked with them, her quips and jabs on point.

They kept talking, probably for two hours.

“Nn, goho goho… Sorry, my body’s weak.”

“Hey, you okay? Don’t push it—you’re not Yuri.”

“Not everyone’s a stamina freak. Rest up. Leave the Solaria flower to me and these three!”

“Oi, you’re gonna pay for that later!”

Lily’s coughing ended the session.

Buzzing from the chat, the four hit the hallway, already hyped to solve the quest.

“That was fun… Alright, let’s do this! Solaria flower, was it?

We’ll grab it quick!”

“Thank you all for today… But I must apologize. This quest… it’s impossible.”

The head looked distant, heavy with sorrow.

“What? Don’t underestimate us! With my dark powers, no quest is—”

“…The Solaria flower is extinct.”

Wait, what?

Lucius, mid-boast, froze with the others.

The head poured out his story.

“I was a bad father… Lily’s mother died young.

Raising her alone, I was too busy.

No playtime, just lessons, robbing her childhood. At fourteen, she fell ill…”

He pressed his eyes, voice trembling.

“When I asked what she wanted, she said she missed playing outside as a kid and wanted to know the world.

It hit me like a punch.

To atone, I sent quests for adventurers to share stories with her.”

The heavy tone paralyzed the four.

Even their evil god-slaying tour wasn’t this serious.

The story hit its climax, leaving them behind.

“…She knows she hasn’t long. That’s why she takes notes.

To leave a mark, crafting stories of the outside world from your adventures.”

The head sobbed, and the four froze solid.

But their simple minds rebooted fast.

“Hey, about the Solaria flower—extinct or not, we don’t know for sure. Agamemnon, you’ve heard of it, right?”

“Hm, I know I have… Where was it…?”

“Alright, we’ll wring this senile dragon’s memory and find that flower!

Trust the Troublemakers!”

With exaggerated bravado, they left.

Pure enthusiasm, that’s them.

The head, stunned, watched them go, as did the wide-eyed butler.

“…So those are the adventurers who stormed a noble’s mansion without hesitation—the Troublemakers…”

No wonder the name rang a bell. They were those troublemakers.

“Young spirit, eh? This old man can’t help but hope…

Maybe they’ll actually cure her illness.”

“Even if it’s just a dream, they’re worth inviting. Never giving up—that’s what makes an adventurer.”

*

But the four, hailed so grandly, spent their walk back grilling Agamemnon.

“Ugh, I’m this close to remembering…!”

“Start broad—when did you see it? Any trigger? A friend, a relative…?”

“Hm, even so… Wait, relative…?

Aha! I remember! I saw a Solaria flower!”

“Case closed!”

“It was on my cousin’s bald head! Yup, that’s it. Feels good!”

Problem solved!

Fists raised in the street, the four spooked passersby into backing off.

“Let’s go to your cousin’s place!”

“Uh, well… 200 years ago, he got swept away eating a kraken at sea.”

“Useless!”

All four faceplanted. The flower was extinct.

“Over before it started. Now what? I’m not cool with saying, ‘Oops, couldn’t do it.’”

“Heh heh. Time to use our heads.”

“Ugh, that smug face pisses me off. So, what’s the plan?”

“What’s the quest’s goal, Lucius?”

“To find the Solaria flower, obviously.”

“Nope, wrong.”

“Huh?”

To the skeptical trio, Yuri grinned confidently.

“The goal’s to cure Lily’s illness. The flower’s just a means.

So, forget the flower and find another way!”

“““Oh!”””

A gloriously shady declaration.

“Doesn’t matter how. We fake a cure with the flower, Lily gets better, we complete the quest. Win-win!”

“Nn, indeed…! Such a sly trick…!”

“If cheating’s fine, we’ve got options… Tch, a playboy with brains…”

Thus, the troublemakers launched their no-holds-barred cure hunt.

Never give up—except on methods…!

Chapter 42: Troublemakers Dive into Quest Laundering (Part 2)

With the Solaria flower forgotten, the strategy meeting kicked off.

The stage: a corner of the Dark Continent, their usual hangout.

“Worst case, turn her into an undead. Done. Wights, wraiths—plenty of options.”

“““Vetoed!”””

Eremia’s bold “dead but moving is fine” idea got shot down instantly.

“With proper spellwork, their will stays intact! It’s just a heart not beating, no biggie.”

“Even I, the spawn of darkness, wouldn’t call that a solution.”

Yuri, arms crossed, muttered in distress.

“Ugh, come to think of it, we’re all about firepower. Healing’s… not our thing.”

“Ugh.”

The world-saving hero party: four power-types. Defense? “Figure it out.” Strategy? “Kill before they kill you!” A hyper-aggressive crew.

“No fantasy cliché like an elixir? Y’know, cures all diseases!”

“There is one. Needs world tree sap, only harvestable once a decade.”

“Sap’s all we need, right? Chop a branch? Kick the trunk hard, maybe it’ll drip pota pota.”

“Not bad. Worth a shot.”

Straight-up evil boss vibes.

Agamemnon nodded, “Good idea,” but Yuri shook his head bun bun, grimacing.

“Let’s save that for last. We’ll definitely get chewed out.”

“Getting to the world tree’s a pain too. Hm… If a ready-made elixir works, I know a sage who makes them. Cranky old hag, but she might spare one.”

“Oh! Let’s go grab it!”

Meeting over, action time. This party’s known for moving fast.

Agamemnon reverted to his giant dragon form, and they hopped on, heading for a rugged mountain range on the frontier.

“So, what’s this sage like?”

“Hm. Name’s Luwi. Definitely older than me. Probably neck-and-neck with Eremia.”

“I’ll kill you.”

A very real murderous aura hit the Demon King. Even the Undead Queen doesn’t take kindly to age jabs.

“…Older than Agamemnon, got it.”

“So, a sage, huh? Must be super chill.”

“Nope. Insanely short-tempered. Specialty: attack spells.”

“Is that even a sage?”

Eremia tilted her head. Lucius, annoyed, answered.

“I’ve never won an argument with her…!”

“Just so you know, a sage isn’t just ‘smarter than that playboy over there.’”

“Hey, don’t casually pick a fight!”

The three started wrestling on the dragon’s massive back. Agamemnon looked very annoyed.

As their destination came into view, they braced themselves.

“…Alright, what’s our greeting?”

A towering structure stood atop a sheer cliff, screaming “great wizard’s lair.” Yuri, arms crossed, mulled over his opening line.

“She’s my acquaintance, so leave it to me.”

“Cool, go for it.”

Surely, even a prickly sage would talk smoothly with a friend’s greeting.

Or so the three thought, entrusting Lucius. He took a deep suu breath and—

“Hey! You still alive, you old hag?!”

His booming voice echoed through the mountains, and flames erupted from the tower.

“That infuriating voice—it’s Lucius, you brat! Today, I’ll blast you to hell!”

A furious shout, and a figure leapt from the tower.

A massive fire spell shot straight at Lucius, hitting boom.

“Guoh!? What’s that for, you hag?! Don’t you know basic manners!?”

“That’s my line, you snot-nosed punk!”

The Demon King leapt off Agamemnon’s back, seamlessly shifting to aerial combat.

The other three stared, dumbfounded.

“…Trusting that chuuni was my mistake.”

“I really wanna pretend we don’t know him.”

“No use. Gotta fight till she cools off.”

With a massive sigh, the three joined the aerial brawl.

*

“Ugh, she’s definitely prickly!”

“Hm, prickly’s one thing—this feels like murderous intent!”

“Maybe it’s sage humor? Whoops, close one!”

Fire magic carpet-bombed them.

They dodged, blasted it with dragon breath, or used undead as shields, each closing in their own way.

Lucius, taking the brunt, screamed.

Not quite evil god-tier, but she was strong. Yuri, weaving through attacks, neared the floating sage and froze at a shocking truth.

“…A loli hag!?”

Sage Luwi. Voluminous aqua hair, looking about twelve years old.

Purely “cute,” outside even Yuri’s strike zone. Yet she spoke in noja loli slang, unleashing massive spells. Peak fantasy.

Yuri, in this other world, felt deep awe for the umpteenth time.

“Whoa, a real loli hag! This world’s the best!”

“You little punk! I’ll land one on you!

Nobody calls me a hag and gets away with it!”

“Whoa, close!”

Luwi shifted her target from Lucius to Yuri. But Yuri, grinning, dodged her murderous attacks, closing the gap.

“Tch, this punk’s annoying but skilled!”

“Haha, six months here got me used to this…”

“Six months!? And what’s with ‘loli hag’? ‘Loli’ means what!?”

“Huh? Uh, a young, tiny girl.”

“…Nuh?”

Her magic stopped, and an odd silence fell.

“Hey, punk. Say that again.”

“Young, tiny girl.”

“One more time.”

“Young, tiny girl!”

“…Kufufu.”

Suddenly, Luwi clutched her cheeks, writhing kune kune in midair.

“Got it—I’m young and tiny, huh? Can’t be helped!

Don’t fall for me, kid. I’ve lived eons; our timelines don’t match…”

“Nah, you’re too young—it’d feel criminal…”

“Too young!? Ho ho!”

Luwi bounced gleefully in the air. Lucius stared like she was disgusting.

“That hag was already a history book figure when I was born.”

“Is that really a sage?”

“I’m starting to doubt it.”

Sage Luwi. A bit weak to flattery, age 12+(censored).