I Became a Hero With a Lot of Experience

14 – 014: The Royal Road (1)

At first, I honestly didn’t think much about it.

Perhaps it was extreme excitement due to the outrage of being so forgiving toward even a virgin to the extent of earning the nickname “Virgin Lover.”

Or maybe it was because I didn’t feel any great anger upon being assaulted, ultimately returning unharmed, without a scratch.

However, upon seeing the faces of those three leisurely changing clothes and coming out of the cart, the anger that I hadn’t even recognized surged belatedly.

It might have been an uneventful victory when looking at the outcome, but had I made a mistake in managing my strength or if there had been a few more hidden enemies, it would have been my side that ended up dead.

The chilling sensation, as if a blade were pressed against my throat, swept through my body the moment I belatedly realized that fact.

And simultaneously, I was furious.

It was utterly intolerable that the human responsible for this escort, nothing other than a casual dawdler in the cart, engaging in leisurely activities, let such a situation occur.

“As I watched those damn girls leisurely coming out, not even bothering about their attire, too many thoughts crossed my mind. Where were these guys when I faced off against that gorilla-like woman, questioning whether I was an officer or a ‘giraffe’? Same thing.”

“I really have nothing to say. It’s all… my responsibility. I apologize… (Experience gained: 17 members)”

“Does an apology end military service?”

“Yes, yes? (Experience gained: 17 members)”

“Does an apology end it? Do you think you can just get by roughly with that one word? If I had the energy left, I would’ve… dealt with your and those ragged girls’ heads…”

I was just about to lose control and move forward with clenched fists.

It was at that moment, when suddenly someone placed a hand on my shoulder, that I reflexively turned around.

“Hero, this isn’t your affair. (Experience gained: 7 members)”

The one who audaciously dared to grab my shoulders was none other than a forgettable knight whose face I couldn’t recall.

Do these bastards still think I’m a pushover?

Before I could retort with a word, the knight spoke like a seasoned player.

“Punishing the lord is not the duty of a warrior, but that of His Majesty. (Experience Points: 7)”

Saying so, he turned his back and gazed at the king’s carriage. Just then, as if on cue, the king was stepping out of the carriage.

It was amusing to see him crawl out with dirt on his splendid body. I couldn’t help but chuckle involuntarily.

With the knight’s assistance, the king, who had come out of the carriage, approached us, limping on one leg as if injured.

Without uttering a single word, we could feel his anger in the silent way he walked.

“Old man, are you alive?”

“…Considering the current mood in my chest, warrior, be cautious with your words. Otherwise, the wrath within my chest might turn toward you. (Experience Points: 79)”

“That knight belongs to the owner over there. We went through hardships to bring him, some officer or something.”

For a moment, the king’s eyes widened, and a hint of surprise peeked through the eyes that had been filled with anger a while ago.

It wasn’t just the king; even the knights who had secretly looked down on me couldn’t hide their surprise, their expressions contorting.

“…Defeated an officer? (Experience Points: 79)”

“He said it himself. That… Shabu Shabu? He’s a subordinate officer of the demon army.”

Saying so, I pointed at the unrecognizable corpse of an officer, so mangled that I couldn’t even make out his features.

I had promised to tear him into 19 pieces, but in that state, I couldn’t even tell how many pieces there were.

“A horn filled with magic… Unlike the warrior candidates, you, as a warrior, have achieved remarkable feats. Now, it seems I have duties to fulfill as well. (Experience Points: 79)”

The king stepped forward. His body could barely stand without support, but an intimidating aura emanated from him, making it difficult to speak ill of him.

“Commander Las Ví Agrevaín. (Experience Points: 79)”

“…Yes, Your Majesty. (Experience Points: 17)”

“Shall we hear your excuse? (Experience Points: 79)”

“I have none to offer… Everything stems from my incompetence. I never thought there would be a vanguard of the demon army so close to the capital. (Experience Points: 17)”

“It seems… I may have overestimated you. When you return to the capital, there will be a fitting punishment for you. It won’t be a light one. (Experience Points: 79)”

“…Yes. (Experience Points: 17)”

I didn’t know the laws of this country, but judging by his expression and the reactions of the knights, I could easily guess how severe that punishment would be.

Some looked at Las with sympathetic eyes, while others wore expressions of satisfaction.

Not issuing an immediate judgment here was probably to allow some leeway.

Handing down a punishment like execution right away might provoke a final act, and who knows what someone capable of defeating an officer might do.

“Understanding human affairs is an unpredictable thing.”

Before he came here to welcome the hero, he couldn’t have imagined such a thing.

It is unknown what made him like this, but it’s a story unrelated to me.

Laughing disdainfully at the kneeling Rass on the ground, he turned towards the carriage to pick up his sleeping bag.

Since there won’t be another attack, he will sleep here as planned today and depart tomorrow.

“…Tired.”

Although he wasn’t on the verge of collapsing as when he first manifested Yunie, the fatigue was considerable, perhaps due to the long period of growth.

To get some rest for tomorrow, he returned to the carriage and coincidentally locked eyes with Penny, covered in dirt, emerging from the carriage.

“…Those guys really can’t do anything right.”

Muttering about not being able to kill even one person, Penny shouted, her face turning red.

“What did you say?! (Experience gained: 1)”

“Hearing it and asking again? How can’t you kill one person? Even the officers are at that level. There’s no difference with the subordinates.”

“Officers? What are you talking about now… (Experience gained: 1)”

Perhaps she hadn’t heard the situation yet; Penny seemed to have completely misunderstood this incident.

“You don’t need to know. Rather than that, why don’t you go to your friend? You must be feeling like dying right now.”

“…W-What happened to Rass? (Experience gained: 1)”

“It seems like your dad will reprimand him for this incident. I heard something about beheading…”

“Be-beheading?! (Experience gained: 1)”

“I didn’t say it would happen, but I hope it does. I almost died, so I feel really sh*tty.”

“This damn…!! (Experience gained: 1)”

If the circumstances were different, would she have switched to another man as she had intended, leaving behind some lingering affection for her ex-boyfriend?

Penny, who quickly suppressed her anger, looked for Rass by turning her head, but she couldn’t find him.

In preparation for a possible second attack, there was only minimal light outside, making it impossible to distinguish anything without adapting to the darkness.

With no other choice, I pointed in the direction of Rass and the mop with my fingers.

“Over there.”

“Huh? (Experience gained: 1)”

“There. I don’t know if he’s still there, but he was there when I last saw him.”

“… (Experience gained: 1)”

She stared blankly at the direction I pointed for a moment, then quickly moved towards it.

And just before throwing herself into the darkness beyond her line of sight, she turned slightly, showing her back, and said.

“…Thanks. (Experience gained: 1)”

“Thankfulness? For what? Hurry and go!! Come on, quickly!!”

Gesturing for her to go, Penny nodded and moved toward Lars.

I stood in the darkness for a while, watching until the sound of her footsteps disappeared into other sounds, then chuckled and said, “…Crazy woman.”

Now, if the king tries to involve me with that woman again, she still has lingering feelings for Lars, so she’ll use this as an excuse to refuse.

Even though I saw her running worried about her ex-lover in front of me, no matter how shameless the king is, he won’t be able to refuse this time.

‘But that person is pitiful too.’

Having a daughter as stubborn as that and being a knight captain at the same time, he must be just twiddling his thumbs, unable to do anything until the situation is resolved while just idly chatting.

For a moment, I felt sympathy for him, but as soon as I remembered that he tried to attach such a rag to me, the sympathy quickly faded away.

He can endure more. It seems like he injured his leg this time, but even if both legs were amputated, it wouldn’t be enough.

“Forget it. Forget it.”

Let’s get some sleep. By tomorrow, this mess should be sorted out.

*****

The next morning.

Surprisingly, despite the considerable attack, the carriage was not damaged at all, so we could leave without delay.

Lars didn’t look good because of last night’s incident, and it seemed that Penny couldn’t properly ease his anxiety.

I heard the knights gossiping, but since they all kept quiet when I approached, I couldn’t find out what had happened.

Anyway, we left the forest and, after a long journey through the wide plains, finally arrived at the royal capital.

At the end of a ten-day journey, we finally reached what could be considered the heart of this country, but my interest was not in the appearance of the city or the typical castle walls seen in movies.

The impending punishment for Lars.

That was my greatest concern.