Honey Trap! ~The Honey Trap Encirclement to Ensnare the Summoned Hero~ - Chapter 67 & 68

Chapter 67: Turmoil in the Royal Capital (3)

“L-Lily-san! Where are we running!?”

“Hmm, let’s see. We could go to my house, but we’d probably be found out right away… It’s embarrassing to say myself, but I’m reasonably well-known, you see.”

“That’s your own fault, Lily. If you hit on people that much, you’d get famous whether you liked it or not… Sonia, is there anyone reliable we can turn to?”

“W-Well… perhaps the Guildmaster. Or… um, I really, really don’t want to rely on them, but…”

“The Troublemakers!”

Sonia nodded as if resigning herself to her fate. This was a deal with the devil. An act akin to lighting the fuse of a bomb herself. In a way, the Attra Kura had achieved their goal. But in this world, just achieving a goal doesn’t mean it’s a good thing.

“Hmph. So we are going to see the bōzu… As a capable woman, I must make a good impression.”

“Ah. I have a bad feeling about this.”

“I’m going on ahead. I’m going to procure a souvenir.”

In that instant, Luwi’s form vanished. Ah, geez, Lily thought with an exasperated look, continuing to run as if nothing had happened.

“Eh, Luwi-san just disappeared!”

“That was teleportation. She doesn’t usually use it… Good grief, what on earth did she go to find?”

※

In a back alley some distance away, the assassins had gathered to discuss their next move.

“Contact all units. It’s unfortunate, but we will reset. We have investigated the target’s home; if we wait, she will show her tail. Time is on our side.”

“Hahaha, unfortunately, you are wrong. Time is not always an ally, you know? ‘A soldier values celerity’—that is the fundamental rule of warfare. I have seen time and time again when a large army is defeated by the sudden strike of a small.”

“Wha…”

The man leading the assassination squad was, this time, truly speechless. After they had ‘given up’ the chase and were discussing their next steps, the girl had just appeared.

It was the same girl from before, the one who had flown backwards, firing magic wildly. Her aqua-blue hair was in twintails, her face that of a twelve-year-old girl—but her laugh was deeper, more unfathomable than that of an ancient witch.

No matter how they looked at her, she was not normal. They were forced to realize she could not possibly be what she appeared.

“What’s more, you lot are just a bunch of rookies. See, just like that—”

“Kill her! Kill this girl, right now!”

“You all attack at once? It’s so obvious, and for a magic caster, it’s the worst possible move. A failing grade.”

Without even an incantation, Luwi unleashed a lightning spell. It rippled out from Luwi, striking down every assassin who had charged her, leaving them unconscious on the ground. In truth, the assassins had not been empty-handed. They wore talismans to deflect magical attacks and resistant chainmail, but none of it had been of any use.

“Good grief. You won’t survive in the Dark Continent like that, you know? Over there, the place is crawling with chimimōryō.”

“Th-The Dark Continent…!? Who are you…!”

“The Sage Luwi. I am the Sage of the Dark Continent. Though no one believes me! What is wrong with this capital? Everyone just looks at me with those lukewarm, indulgent eyes!”

“H-Haa…”

The executive didn’t know how to respond to this sudden complaint. The unfathomable magic user had seamlessly job-changed into a mundane whiner.

“It’s better than being treated like a mad dog, but this isn’t right either! I wish they’d fawn over me more, like, ‘Luwi-chan is a sage and she’s rori-rori! So cute and amazing!’”

“…I think you are quite sufficiently a mad dog.”

“I just like attack magic a little, how rude! In any case, you lot will be my souvenir. The Guild folks will surely see me in a new light after this! And I’ll brag to that Yuri-bōzu and… just maybe… gufufu… I’ll finally climb the stairs to adulthood…”

He had no idea how to reply. The Attra Kura executive, still frozen, was ‘taken home’ to the Adventurer’s Guild.

※

Meanwhile, at the Adventurer’s Guild, Lily and Sonia burst in on The Troublemakers, who were still in the middle of their drinking party.

“”””We Apologize.””””

“Now is not the time for that!”

The group of four, having executed a god-speed dogeza, changed their tune upon seeing Sonia’s expression. This was, they realized, a serious situation.

“Nn, what happened?”

“Hello, my love. We were just attacked by assassins over there. I don’t know why, but it seems they’re after Sonia.”

“…Hmph. Is that so.”

Sonia was a little surprised to see Yuri’s face at that moment. The boy who was always goofing off like a punk now wore a serious expression for the first time. And Eremia made an “ah, crap” face.

“Well then, we’ll have to give them something in return.”

Brimming with motivation, Yuri tried to leave the Guild without even saying where he was going. In his mind, he was already picturing the sight of him beating the as-yet-unseen assassins to a pulp. However, that vision was realized in an anticlimactic way.

“How about that! I’ve performed a great service!”

Outside the Guild, a mountain of unconscious assassins was piled up, and in front of it, Luwi was flashing a V-sign.

“O-Ou…”

Yuri, who had been surging with motivation, nearly tripped, seeing the problem had already been solved. The rest of The Troublemakers, arriving behind him, could only manage a wry smile at this extreme development.

“…Well, it is Lily and Luwi. I suppose this is how it would turn out.”

Eremia sighed, her arms crossed, a bitter smile on her face. Lucius and Agamemnon, following behind her, looked relieved.

“Whew. That idiot Hero is a pain when he gets serious. Good job, old hag!”

“Indeed, good job..”

“Snot-nosed bōzu, I will annihilate you later. Now, Y-Yuri-bōzu, what did you think? I did my best you know?”

“Ah, u-un, that’s amazing, Luwi. Super-fast work…”

“Right? Fufu, don’t fall for such a capable woman, okay? B-But, if you really want to win my heart, I might give you a one-in-a-million chance to confess…”

Luwi, fidgeting shyly, looked objectively cute. But behind her was a pile of pseudo-corpses. She really needed to pick a better time and place for her cutesy act!

“Guuuh… To think… that I would be treated this way… But remember this, Sage of the Dark Continent, Luwi! We are not your only enemy! You will regret making an enemy of us…!”

“Ah. This one is still awake. Tougher than I thought.”

The man, though groaning, raised his head, his face full of fighting spirit. He was saying something very flag-like, but Luwi, paying him no mind, began to crackle with electricity, preparing to hit him with another spell. Even mixing her cute appearance with cute gestures couldn’t quite hide her savagery.

“Nunu, to think there is a hero brave enough to stand up to that Old hag… What foolhardy courage. I shall personally carve ‘Here lies the hero who defied the Old Hag’ on his tombstone.”

“I’ll murder you, bōzu.”

“Nuooh, I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die!”

Lucius scrambled to dodge the lightning bolt that came flying his way. Lily, watching this with a sigh, made a very sensible point.

“Haa… honestly. Everyone, the problem isn’t solved yet. We still don’t even know why they were targeting Sonia.”

Ah. That’s true.

Yuuri, leading the pack, froze as if turned to stone. The others followed suit. ‘An acquaintance was attacked!’ → ‘Let’s beat up the enemy!’ That was the logic of a wild animal. Since they had only been fighting Evil God Apostles and monsters until now, they had never once thought about the enemy’s intentions.

“Of course, Luwi, you made sure to get information, right?”

“…O-O-O-Of course! I am the Sage of the Dark Continent! I thought of that long ago! See, this tough one here looks like the leader!”

“Weren’t you just about to knock him out without a second thought?”

“Th-Th-That was just a figure of speech…! I-I was just about to use… inhumane methods to extract the information…!”

The Sage of the Dork Continent, Luwi. Her feminine wiles were exceptionally low.

Chapter 68: Turmoil in the Royal Capital (4)

Leaving a pile of assassins in front of the Guild was, no matter how you sliced it, terrible for their reputation.

And so, the group was bound with ropes, hauled into the training hall, and everyone settled in for a meeting.

Taking center stage was the Guildmaster, who had been called down.

“Nuo! What’s this? Oi, oi, which noble did you pick a fight with this time? Or is it… did you go to war with the city’s underbelly?”

“Argos of the Adventurer’s Guild! Were you the one pulling the strings!?”

“Hah? What’s this guy talking about? Hey, just tell me what happened. Even I can’t do a damn thing if I don’t know the circumstances.”

“Guildmaster… I was attacked by these people. I don’t know if it was a kidnapping or an assassination attempt. Lily-san and Luwi-san were the ones who saved me.”

The room instantly fell silent. It was because the Guildmaster, Argos—a man who was the very picture of magnanimity—had crossed his arms and gone completely quiet. He looked like a volcano about to erupt, and even the members of The Troublemakers couldn’t say a word.

“…Alright. Lily and Luwi, you’re promoted. You did well.”

“Ah, un, thank you?”

“Well, of course!”

“And as for you…”

Dosun. The sound of a greatsword being drawn and slammed point-down into the ground. Then, with a truly menacing look on his face, he glared at the leader.

“This is a personal grudge. Sonia is my best friend’s daughter, his memento. Anyone who lays a hand on her, I’ll chase to the ends of the earth and beat to a pulp. I don’t give a damn if it’s abuse of authority or what. I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but don’t you dare think you can pick a fight with the Adventurer’s Guild and walk away clean.”

“…What? You’re angry about that? That the girl named Sonia was targeted?”

“Damn right. What the hell else is there to be angry about?”

As far as Argos was concerned, he had no idea what the man was talking about. But the leader, in turn, gasped in shock.

“Don’t tell me, the Adventurer’s Guild doesn’t know either! Very well, at this point there’s no meaning in hiding it. Our goal is to lure out the adventurer party, The Troublemakers. That girl is just a means. If you don’t know, I’ll tell you: their true identity is, almost without a doubt, secret agents dispatched by the Royal Family. I don’t know what they’re scheming, but they are a great obstacle to us.”

Before the executive, who declared this with an incredible doya-gao, the serious mood completely evaporated. The Guildmaster’s intensity from moments ago vanished, leaving him with a stupid look on his face, his mouth hanging open. “Hah?”

As for the very people who were named…

“Royal Family’s” “Secret?” “Agents…?”

The three, aside from Yuri, focused their gazes on the number one suspect: His Excellency the Marquis. Of course, Yuri, having no idea what this was about, just tilted his head.

“(Hey, they’re misunderstanding this in a completely wild direction. Do you have any idea what they’re talking about?)”

“(Ehh. Well, I am doing it without telling Prime Minister-san, so in a way it’s a secret…)” 

“(Umu. By that logic, I haven’t told my ministers, so am I a secret agent?)” 

“(And I… no dragons know I’m playing adventurer. A secret agent…!)”

The four buzzed with excitement, but of course, that wasn’t what the man meant at all. Furthermore, the Prime Minister was already onto them.

“Alright. After a solemn discussion, we’ve decided we’ll be secret agents…” 

“There’s no way flashy problem children like you could be ‘secret’. Get out and try again.” 

“…Guess not. Tsk.”

Secret agents. It sounded so chuunibyou and super cool. The four’s wills became one, but to declare “We are secret agents!” yourself was, to put it mildly, idiotic.

And so, the conclusion reached by the brilliant minds of the Attra Kura, a conclusion that had almost grazed the truth, was unceremoniously shot down. Clutching his head over the aggravating misunderstanding, the Guildmaster considered their next move.

“You were probably marked because of the Baron Yoram incident. So, what’s the plan? These guys still have backers. Should I ‘persuade’ them a little and make them talk?”

“Then I’ll join in! I have dozens of spells I want to test and I’ve been itching to try!”

First things first: information gathering. Thinking this was a time for men to talk with their fists, Argos cracked his knuckles. He really looked the part of a villain. When you paired him with a magic caster whose desire to ‘use humans as target practice’ was written all over her face, it was hard to tell which one was the evil organization.

“Kuh! We are professional assassins! Don’t think you can make us talk with such half-assed torture!”

“Hmph. Then we’ll try another method. I have an acquaintance in the Dark Continent, a peculiar tribe of orcs. They’re not into women, but love men’s asses, the Homōku faction. I’ll toss you into their village and pick you up in about a month, so do your best to cultivate your love.”

“We understand. We will spill everything.”

As if a dam had burst, the assassins began to talk, scrambling over one another to be the first. What a terrifying woman… they shuddered, spilling everything to save their own skins. Watching this, Luwi laughed “hmph-hmph” and spun around. To the completely repulsed Yuri, she smiled brightly and said:

“See, I’m a capable woman, right? You’ve fallen for me all over again, hmm?”

“Ah, um… that’s some pretty amazing ‘persuasion’… Lucius, pass.”

“Old Hag, do you have no human heart!?”

“I, for one, would love to see this Homōku faction. I bet there are all sorts of forbidden romances with handsome male knights, aren’t there?”

“Is the conflict of the human race really this terrifying… Uun, I’m glad I’m a dragon. The dragon race is much more peaceful.”

And thus, from this utterly ridiculous incident, the Attra Kura’s secrets began to spill out.