I Became a Hero With a Lot of Experience

23 – 023: Decisive Moment

He felt it.

The impact penetrating beyond the protective gear, reaching into his very core. The sensation he had experienced countless times in sparring matches coursed through his hand and body.

No one had risen after taking a perfectly landed thrust in the sparring arena, and it seemed to be the same in this fantasy world.

Having pierced through the protective layers and flown across the arena, Las trembled on the ground as if seized by convulsions.

“Ghurk!! (Experience acquired: 17)”

Collapsed on the ground, Las retched a mixture of blood and bile, uttering agonizing moans.

Did I exert more force than necessary because of his pitiful state?

Amidst such thoughts, a sudden realization struck that the arena seemed unnaturally quiet.

Even if the fallen knights might explain some silence, the stands were eerily hushed. Turning toward the spectators, they all sat, mouths covered, lost in a daze.

“…… (Experience acquired: 5)”

Usually, winning through such trickery would draw jeers or questions, but the stands were strangely quiet.

Perhaps the outcome of the match had ended in a way entirely different from what they had anticipated.

It’s no wonder they’re dumbfounded by such an unexpected sight.

I was also bewildered, but my surprise stemmed from a different reason than theirs.

“I didn’t expect it to work this well….”

Truth be told, when I tossed the royal key, I didn’t hold such high expectations.

If I could distract them for a moment, that would have sufficed; never did I expect him to abandon his sword and charge towards the key.

“…Is he insane?”

In a way, Las betrayed my expectations and displayed an act too embarrassing to even articulate.

I hesitated momentarily, suspecting it might not be a trap but an act, too pitiful to attack.

Yet, that momentary hesitation held no significance.

Stabbing an unarmed belly, blinded by the royal key, was easier than biting an infant’s arm.

It went as planned, but I keep wondering if this was a good thing.

The solemn figure seen just before ascending the arena.

Seeing Ras, who exuded an air of indomitable spirit, I couldn’t help but feel anticipation.

Perhaps that debauched and reckless individual would show a slightly different side, such an expectation.

Those seated in the noble stands must have harbored similar expectations.

At least, no one could have predicted such a spectacle unless they were a prophet.

“Ugh, ugh…!! (Experience Points Gained: 17)”

It seemed Ras had not yet fully recovered, despite having won the position of the leader of the knights through rock-paper-scissors.

Ras, who had given up on standing, approached while grounded.

Was it just a coincidence that the key to the Royal Armory lay in his path?

Initially, I thought he was approaching belatedly to bring me down, but the moment I saw the gleaming key on the ground, I was left speechless.

“Are you looking for this?”

As he held up the key to the Royal Armory, his eyes began to shine.

“So slow. Not even picking it up properly.”

“Why do you have that… (Experience Points Gained: 17)”

“Why does it matter if it’s in my hand? Is that important?”

At this point, I was completely fed up with his attention to the key to the Royal Armory.

I stood in front of him, lifting one foot. It was intended to kick away that annoying head, but the intention was never realized.

“S-Stop!! (Experience Points Gained: 4)”

“Haah…! Haah…!! (Experience Points Gained: 7)”

“What are you doing right now?!! (Experience Points Gained: 1)”

A sharp voice came from behind.

Far away, Guellez was running towards us, screaming with a voice that seemed to run out of breath.

While the voices of the three were irritating to the ears, the reason for hesitating to kick them was not because of them.

Simply put, getting involved with such a guy was too ridiculous and pathetic to tolerate.

“Hero.. What you hold in your hand…!! (Experience Points Gained: 4)”

Perhaps because it was shiny, the eyes were drawn to the gleaming object despite being a rag.

During the time I hesitated, unable to kick Ras, and fumbled around, that… undoubtedly… Yu――.

Damn it, I can’t remember her name.

Recognizing the key to the Royal Armory held by the 4 people with experience points, she expressed surprise.

“Could it be that what you threw a while ago was that? To defeat Ras…!! (Experience Points Gained: 4)”

“Ah, is that so? I’m not sure if I believe it, but I never expected things to turn out like this.”

Unless someone could foresee this situation, they’d have to be either a prophet or insane.

I’m neither, and I didn’t foresee any of this.

“Committing such despicable acts during a duel…!! (Experience Points: 4)”

“Despicable…”

Although it was a vile remark that didn’t warrant any rebuttal, my temperament wouldn’t allow me to just let it slide.

“Not entirely wrong, though. It would have been better if you hadn’t fallen for it from the start. Does it make sense for a knight to throw away his sword and run for a key just because his lust blinded him?”

I’m not entirely blameless, but if I hadn’t been swayed by lust during the duel, none of this would have happened.

If he had stuck to his principles, such a ridiculous ending wouldn’t have provoked this scornful laughter.

“The problem was your approach to the duel. Even if a virgin had flown down from the sky, you should have ignored it and fought. Am I wrong?”

“W-well, that’s true, but… (Experience Points: 4)”

When discussing their approach to the duel, the priestess of bravery couldn’t say anything further and sealed her lips.

The other two seemed like they wanted to say something, but there wasn’t time for another foolish argument twice in a day.

“Hey.”

Before leaving to retrieve my shield, I said one last thing to him.

“Don’t act like an indecent fool in the future. It’s disgusting. You filthy wretch.”

“…… (Experience Points: 17)”

There was no comeback. Naturally, a person wouldn’t have one.

*****

“Don’t act like an indecent fool.”

The words of the hero remained etched vividly in his mind like scars, asserting their presence.

Why he had thrown the sword and dashed toward the key back then, there wouldn’t be any need to ask anyone else.

The answer to that mystery was known to Las himself better than anyone else.

In terms of time, barely a day had passed, yet within that day, Las’s patience had hit rock bottom.

Whenever his thighs touched the metal of the key, the chilling sensation peculiar to metal tickled his thighs.

Every time he went to urinate or sat like a woman to attend to matters, Las felt an overwhelming sense of shame.

The thought of cutting it off seemed a serious consideration, so embarrassing was the key.

As a result of forcibly suppressing his desires, the impulse to hold a woman and go mad until this cursed thing broke continuously nodded its head.

However, the key did not permit such base desires.

Every time Las felt such emotions, they were forcibly suppressed by sheer physical strength.

So when the key, thought to have disappeared forever, was seen again, it wasn’t unreasonable to abandon everything and run.

If anyone knew this pain, Lars believed they would all act the same without a doubt.

Though that’s what he was thinking in his head.

But why did it feel so humiliating, despite thinking it was unavoidable?

It was probably because of the dagger the warrior had plunged into Lars’s chest moments ago.

No matter what excuses he offered, he couldn’t escape that dagger. Knowing this, Lars couldn’t get his head straight.

It was an issue before the fight. He had been defeated by the warrior not in combat or sparring, but by an ordinary man who had been a cook just a few days ago.

More than defeat, the endless urge for self-destruction brought by humiliation dyed Lars’s mind white, like a desire he hadn’t been able to purge for days.

“Wow… That was quite something.”

“Yeah, it was. But what was that you threw earlier?”

“I don’t know, really. It looked metallic because it was shining.”

As the warrior departed, those who had finally recovered from the shock each threw a few words.

But none of those words reached Lars’s ears.

“L-Lars… Are you okay?”

Penny, seeing Lars slump like a broken doll with severed strings, trembled with anxiety as she tried to interpret his state.

Since the day of the Demon Army’s attack, Lars had been avoiding Penny.

Penny suspected inwardly where that uncomfortable attitude towards herself originated.

The rumor circulating recently, that Penny rolled her body like a worm, was undoubtedly the cause.

While there was no certainty about the source of the rumor, it wasn’t the time to dwell on it.

“Lars… Can we talk for a moment?”

Placing a hand on Lars’s shoulder to clear any misunderstandings by looking at his face.

“…”

As if rejecting that touch, Lars didn’t utter a word and stood up from the ground, walking with lifeless eyes.

“L-Lars…”

Penny couldn’t grasp onto his pitiful figure, distancing itself further from her.

Afraid of being rejected again if she forcibly stopped him, she could only watch without calling out or holding his hand.

Two women followed behind Lars like that.

They glanced at Penny briefly before tightly shutting their eyes and leaving the arena following behind him.

Meanwhile, the nobles watching from the grandstand, witnessing the fallen knight and pitiful figure of Lars leaving the arena, began gossiping and tapping their fingers in judgment.

“When a hero arrives, the nobles get busy.

The reason wasn’t solely to confront the demon armies emerging from various regions.

It was the history of countless births of heroes.

Sensing the time for a change in dynasties, they smiled faintly.