I Became a Hero With a Lot of Experience

33 – 033: Dying is a better world (1)

When the three tribes saw the light rising from the underground instead of the sky, the impression they felt was that of the sun.

As if to illuminate the vastness and warmth of ruling over the sky by penetrating this estate and shining brightly.

The warm and cozy light burned everything in its path, filling the mansion and moving forward.

Any material touched by the light vanished without leaving any evidence of its existence in this world.

To be precise, it would be more accurate to say that it vaporized, but such a small difference would not hold much meaning in the face of death.

The light not only stayed in the material world but also extended its influence to their imaginary world. The three tribes unconsciously reached out their hands toward the light.

Whether they gave up because they knew resistance was meaningless or whether they believed that the light, which accepted everything equally, would accept them as well, there is no way to know now.

There will be no one who wants to find out.

Since those who want to know the feelings of the resurrected tribes no longer exist in this world.

The spectacle of the hero’s light evaporating the bodies of the three tribes and bringing down the mansion could also be witnessed in the capital not far from the royal road.

Although thick city walls surrounded the capital, the light was not something that could be stopped by the walls.

People went into a frenzy when they saw the compassionate yet cruel light.

Some fell to the ground in awe, calling it the coming of the gods.

Someone trembled in anxiety, calling it the beginning of the end.

And the one who was watching this scene, which could also be considered a scene from the myth, up-close among the residents of Wangdo, closed his eyes while thinking about the past.

“If that guy hadn’t lost consciousness then…”

Realizing that the light was directed towards him, Galleon let out a relieved sigh.

He had somehow managed to form a harmonious relationship with the hero before he fully awakened.

This was the first time he felt so grateful for this fact.

“Father… This is beyond my expectations.”

A red-haired courtier with the same color as Princess Penelope cautiously handed it to Galleon.

His name was Arthur B. Ariondo.

He couldn’t help but laugh when he saw the soaring light that would succeed Galleon.

If the hero had awakened, Las, who would have become a rival contesting for the throne, would have fallen miserably.

He would have been able to eliminate the rebellion’s roots without any loss.

Above all, the fact that the hero, who he had always thought was a failure, had completed his transformation in such an excellent manner, made him feel so grateful.

He laughed as if the goddess of luck had given him a kiss on the cheek in this situation.

But that was only for a moment, as he realized that the hero would not become entirely the royal family’s possession, he withdrew his smile.

That’s right.

It was the foolishness of his younger sister, who dared to have ambitions for the throne using her body as a woman.

While seriously considering the foolish thought of having a child starting from now, Galleon spoke.

“I was only planning to catch a fly, but I got a unexpected harvest. However, do not show too much liking for it.”

The basis of negotiation is to confuse the value that the other person places on what is being negotiated.

Of course, it was not known how well this method would work against the hero, but it was worth a try.

“Yes, but how did Abamama know that the hero would leave Wangdo?”

“I bestowed him with a tracking magic on his clothes.”

It was a measure to prevent the hero from being persuaded by powerful nobles in the provinces.

Knowing that the hero had left Wangdo through the tracking magic, Galleon immediately followed him with knights and priests.

Of course, he had no intention of harming the hero, and if he did, he would not have mobilized such a large army.

It was enough if he could scare the nobles who came to persuade the hero.

As Galleon and his party followed the hero from a distance without being noticed, they arrived at a mansion.

Galleon was about to enter immediately, but the priest stopped him as soon as they reached the front of the mansion.

“…There are probably several executives of the Demon Army inside.”

[end of excerpt]

Galleon immediately gave up on entering at the mention of “several,” not just one.

It was a job that couldn’t be undone once done. Judging it as an escape, it might be an attack from behind.

In a situation where there was no way this or that could be done, the only hope was the knight, and Galleon and the forces he led bet everything on the knight.

And he responded to that expectation.

In a form that far exceeded expectations.

“Well, shall we go now?”

After the situation was resolved, Galleon confidently headed towards the mansion like an improved general.

It was not difficult to find the knight among the debris of the mansion.

Contrary to the expectation that he would have fainted after showing such power, he was standing confidently among the wreckage of the mansion.

However, his energy seemed to be running out.

An imminent danger of collapsing surrounded him.

“Oh… you’re here. You came faster than I thought. Were you stepping on my heels?”

Speaking as if he had expected it.

Well, it was natural to send someone because such an extraordinary light shot up into the sky.

“Would you believe if I said I happened to find you during a walk?”

“Ridiculous… I knew someone or something, be it a person or magic, would be attached to me.”

The knight said so and stepped out of the debris, trembling.

In the appearance that seemed not angry, everyone relaxed, and then the knight, who suddenly looked at his lance, muttered.

“Experience acquisition, two people… and one creature.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s done now.”

As if the lance had personality, the knight grabbed the lance’s handle with a force that could not be understood by common sense.

Then, with a strength that could not be understood by common sense, he instantly broke the lance, and the broken lance instantly turned into a small, ball-like shape.

When everyone was confused by the knight’s sudden action, the knight threw the broken lance into the debris and said.

“You’ve caused trouble for a long time, Lance. You don’t need to exist as a virgin. Rest comfortably.”

However, the mystery was not unraveled by that action. Instead, it deepened even more.

“Oh… ahem…! So, what happened inside? To fix it, I need to know the situation a bit.”

“Uh… what was it? The Viscount Makini killed the daughter. There’s no body, but since there was a subordinate of the Demon King’s army, let’s see how we can connect it with that side.”

“… It’s a bigger fish than I thought. But it’s fortunate that it was involved with the Demon King’s army.”

The Demon King’s army was not something anyone should touch.

Even if the opponent were a Count dominating most of the southern territories, aligning with the Demon King’s army would not win him any allies.

While the absence of corpses poses a minor issue, if the priest, a servant of the gods, vouches for it, there should be no problem.

“..So, did the knight know that the Count had joined forces with the Demon King’s army when he defeated him?”

“Huh? No… I had intentions to kill him, but I didn’t know he had joined hands with the Demon King’s army.”

“Then why…”

“….”

Even now, the knight, recalling that moment, trembles as if his teeth are chattering, unable to easily open his mouth.

His fist clenched tightly.

Lowering the fist that seemed ready to strike someone at any moment, the knight spoke.

“These bastards tried to pass off a woman they’d messed around with 21 guys as a virgin and tried to pin it on me! Just because she happened to be there, they thought she was a virgin!”

“….”

“….”

For a moment, the thought crossed the minds of some gathered here that if there was a fool in their midst, maybe she wasn’t a virgin after all. However, no one dared to utter such words.

Facing the soaring light in the sky, no one could dare to speak such words.

“I understand that feeling well. It must have been difficult to endure.”

“Yes, I think so too. The Count truly was a son of a b*tch.”

“Do you let those gentlemen who think so let their daughters be treated so shamelessly?”

At that moment, the two tried an obviously rehearsed flattery, but unfortunately, it didn’t work on the knight.

*****

The news of defeating three officers of the Demon King’s army spread throughout the kingdom on the wings of the wind.

For the people who had been mentally exhausted due to the prolonged stalemate on the northern front, there was no happier news than this.

A warm enthusiasm, long absent, began to spread like a contagion between people, swiftly engulfing the entire city.

Although they couldn’t hold a festival due to financial issues, the hearts of the people were already in celebration.

Everyone, regardless of age, was ecstatic.

The rumor reached even the slums, spreading with voices praising the knight’s name.

The ones most delighted were the residents of the slums.

Their eyes were shining like never before.

The hope of being able to return to their homeland, worn down and almost forgotten after the long journey of exile, was slowly being restored.

However, there was one person.

Despite sharing a similar past with the residents of the slums, there was someone who couldn’t genuinely rejoice at this fact.

Clutching her pink hair, which exuded the freshness of spring, the troubled girl’s name was Yuna.

In this area, the girl closest to the hero couldn’t find a moment of peace, thanks to a rumor that had spread along with the news of the demon army’s suppression.

[The hero harbors an intense aversion to non-virgins, and the recent execution of the count was because he intended to offer his non-virgin daughter to the hero.]

The rumor, flowing through the mouths of the knights present, was something that those who knew the hero even a little could never ignore.

While Yuna thought it impossible, she couldn’t dismiss one possibility that came to mind.

In front of my eyes, Yuna, who had lost her family twice, feared that the most dreaded thing was about to happen again.

Even if it was just a slight possibility, Yuna couldn’t ignore it.

“…!”

She was about to tell Melina to move the building immediately when a familiar voice echoed from the sky.

“Hey there! It’s been a while!”