ALL NOVEL chapter 7
7 – 007: Dealer
“…Huh. (Experience Points: 79)”
As we arrived in a room where a meal with steam rising was prepared, the king sitting across from me looked at me and burst into a dry laugh.
“Are you being carried because you can’t walk, or are you just being carried for the sake of convenience? (Experience Points: 79)”
“Both.”
At my joking remark, the knight’s back began to tremble. I wanted to tease him a bit more since he reacted so well, but now it’s time to say goodbye.
Supported by him, I sat in the chair, and the king gestured for him to step back.
After a respectful salute, the knight left, leaving only me and the maid standing next to the king.
＜Experience Points: 15＞
The maid’s duties seem to include more than just serving meals, considering the experience points have reached two digits.
Seeing how close she is to the king, it seems she has already made her move. Probably because I look like a vulgar old man.
“…Let’s start with the meal. It must be more than just words after two days of unconsciousness. (Experience Points: 79)”
“Yes, in fact, my current condition is no joke. As you know, I’ve been fasting for two days and stuck in a miserable prison, so it’s no exaggeration.”
“…… (Experience Points: 79)”
“I’m not mocking you; I’m genuinely curious. If you were going to call me the moment I woke up, why lock me up in the underground prison? I really don’t understand.”
“…Dignity. (Experience Points: 79)”
“Yes?”
“There were watchful eyes, so I had no choice but to do it for the sake of dignity. I thought a few days in prison might make you behave a bit more quietly. (Experience Points: 79)”
“…Did you never consider this? What if this guy becomes as strong as the other warriors? I might get beaten badly in the future. That’s what I think.”
“Are you such a narrow-minded person? (Experience Points: 79)”
“Yes, as narrow as a virgin’s… dignity.”
“You speak as if you’ve experienced it. Well, it depends on the constitution; there are virgins who are loose as well. (Experience Points: 79)”
“….”
As he spoke as if he were certain of my sympathy, I barely managed to swallow the torrent of curses that rose up to my throat.
Here, you shouldn’t get angry. If you get angry, it becomes a sign of admitting sympathy.
Having calmed the anger in my heart and regained composure, I bowed my head secretly, making a resolution.
For now, it’s a stretch, but someday I will definitely break this guy’s head.
“…You’re going off on a tangent. (Experience Points: 79)”
Sensing the atmosphere turning cold, the king gestured to eat quickly and deliberately shifted the topic.
To cultivate the strength to beat this guy, I picked up the chopsticks to finish the meal.
Perhaps due to not eating properly for two days and being left in an underground prison, my hand shook just by holding a spoon.
The spoon felt heavy. I couldn’t believe I could feel the weight of cutlery at this age. While pondering this absurdity, a maid approached, perhaps to lift the spoon.
“I don’t need you to come close.”
“But… (Experience Points: 15)”
“Sorry, but if someone is next to me right now, it feels like the food won’t go down my throat.”
I am definitely not a person who discriminates between virgins and non-virgins, but no matter what, I didn’t want to eat a meal given by double-digit experience points.
With difficulty, I picked up the spoon and took a bite. Honestly, the taste of the stew wasn’t that bad.
Maybe because expectations were so low, it was at a level where I could eat it without any problems.
“…Is this a carrot?”
Surprisingly, the taste in the chunks was similar to that of a carrot in this world.
Although I haven’t experienced a taste or texture quite as rough, could it be an unimproved carrot?
Looking at the shape on the spoon, the color and appearance of the chunks were different from carrots, but the taste and texture were similar.
“Is this a carrot?”
“…Yes, but is there a problem? (Experience Points: 79)”
“No, there isn’t.”
Other than the taste, there was nothing that resembled a carrot, but the king asserted that this was indeed a carrot.
In a new twist, I had never encountered a situation where words didn’t match up during a conversation.
The reason might be that, for instance, if I were to mention a carrot, it might be translated appropriately as the name of a plant equivalent to a carrot in this world.
“Hey, could you say ‘Pringkle’ once?”
“What? (Experience Points: 79)”
“It’s for academic curiosity, so just say it once. It’s not difficult, right?”
The king, unable to understand English, furrowed his brow but obediently uttered the word.
“…Pringkle. What does that mean? (Experience Points: 79)”
“It means nothing.”
When the king spoke, his pronunciation clearly indicated “Purinkle.” Judging by the fact that he didn’t understand the meaning of the words, it seemed my hypothesis was probably correct.
After finishing the stew placed in front of him and setting down his spoon, the king spoke with a solemn expression.
“Well, it seems the meal is roughly finished. Now, let’s get to the point. Would it be acceptable to consider the proposal still valid before a small unfortunate incident occurred between us? (Experience Points: 79)”
“Is the unfortunate incident you’re referring to the one where you tried to assassinate me, failed, and ended up throwing me into prison?”
“Yes, that’s right. The incident where I tried to kill you and ended up putting you in the underground prison. (Experience Points: 79)”
Seeing him shamelessly uttering such words, I chuckled and replied, “You’re quite audacious, old man.”
“You don’t have many choices. If you don’t like it, you can go back to the underground prison. The knight who will escort you to the prison is waiting outside the door. (Experience Points: 79)”
“You’re like a shameless old raccoon. I could accept everything except marrying that princess.”
“That’s the most crucial part, but… (Experience Points: 79)”
“The part I can’t compromise on is there.”
I wasn’t saying this because she wasn’t a virgin, but simply because I didn’t like that woman.
I could understand her disliking me from our first meeting. She probably had her own life plan, and my sudden appearance likely ruined it.
But I couldn’t stand her loose behavior, lack of discernment, and the fact that she, despite being a member of the royal family, was a rude woman without basic manners.
“So, let’s compromise a bit. Do you happen to have a hidden illegitimate child or something?”
“What?!! (Experience Points: 79)”
“Honestly, don’t you have at least one hidden somewhere?”
If a person with 79 experience points doesn’t have at least one illegitimate child, life is truly a disappointment.
In response to my reasonably suspicious question, the king replied angrily.
“Bang!! How dare you mock me so openly!! I have sworn to love only one woman in the heavens!! (Experience Points: 79)”
“…Love? Love?!! Lo-o-o-ve?!!!”
Forget the father scolding his non-virgin daughter; in an era where purity became a vulgar joke, a man was blabbering about love.
Does this guy have no conscience? Or in this world, does having experience points in the double digits mean that as long as there is true love, one is considered pure?
“Where is this guy selling potions? Have you forgotten what kind of hero I am?”
“What?! You can’t be serious――. (Experience Points: 79)”
The king’s face turned increasingly pale. Before he could realize the meaning behind the words “purity of the hero,” I intervened and said.
“Let’s simplify our conversation without making it complicated. Do you have it? Yes or no?”
“…Excuse me, but I’ll step aside for a moment. (Experience Points: 79)”
The maid, who had been subtly lifting the corners of her mouth while talking about love, bowed her head and vacated her seat.
After the maid left the room, the sound of knights’ footsteps gradually faded away, as if they, too, had vacated their positions.
“No illegitimate children. (Experience Points: 79)”
“Really?”
“Yeah, we managed it thoroughly due to the inheritance issue, so I can assert that there are none. But can you really understand what that means? (Experience Points: 79)”
“I may not fully grasp what you mean, but I can understand a bit.”
Though it may be an ability considered more of a curse than a blessing, it proved helpful. However, if, by some miracle, he were to return to Earth, would he witness the accumulated experiences of his mother and grandmother?
“No, really….”
It was not an impossible scenario, and the thought sent shivers down his spine. At that point, he might seriously consider gouging out his own eyes.
“Then… refusing Penny, is it also because of that ability? (Experience Points: 79)”
“No, I’m not some pathetic man fixated on virgins… Wait, did you know? That girl isn’t a virgin?”
“Yeah, it’s been a while since I was with the commander, Ras. But why is that a problem? What’s wrong with not being a virgin in this day and age…!! (Experience Points: 79)”
“You bastard!!!”
Suddenly, despite being unable to move a step just moments ago, he found himself advancing towards the king when he regained consciousness.
Unforgivable. To marry off his non-virgin daughter while proudly claiming it’s not a flaw.
“You damn son of a b*tch! Can you even be called human after doing that!!!”
This rage, different from the one when Uni was vividly enraged, started to envelop him with a familiar tingling sensation just before taking a tangible form.
Ah, for real….