episode_0005

How long had it been since Jarvis, who came to take care of me, went out to call someone?

It felt like only a few minutes had passed, and at the same time, it felt like several hours had gone by.

In the underground prison where there was nothing but a faint light at the opposite end of the corridor, time perception was so distorted that I couldn’t tell its form.

I have no idea how long I’ve been stuck in this fucking prison, but it felt like at least a year had passed from my subjective experience.

The prison was not a comfortable place even in words. The endless, suffocating darkness filled my vision, and the sound of rats crying from various places heightened my anxiety.

I am currently not in a state where I can properly defend myself. If those little bastards gather together and start scratching and eating my body, I won’t be able to endure it at all.

“…If you’re going to kill me, just do it quickly.”

It was when I was lamenting how my situation had come to this and burning with hatred towards the tyrant.

Along with the distinctive clacking sound of high-heeled shoes, a single light gradually approached this prison.

What could that light be? At least, judging from the footsteps, it wasn’t Jarvis’.

There’s no way a knight or a castle worker would wear such high-heeled shoes, so by process of elimination, there was only one person left.

“This guy is a hero. (Experience Acquisition: 1 person)”

Although it was a voice I heard for the first time, the face illuminated by the faint light remained vivid in my memory.

The owner of the face, which would probably be remembered as a trauma for at least ten years, was one of the reasons why I ended up in this prison.

Princess Penny, holding a lantern, pointed at me with one hand.

As I gently opened my eyes and looked through the bars, behind her were three people following her.

A young man with red hair whose physique could easily be imagined despite wearing armor, a blonde woman who appeared to be a priestess based on her attire but had an unkempt body, and a black-haired magician who, despite being a woman, seemed tall but appeared shorter due to bending forward excessively.

Even a country that does not discriminate against non-virgins was amazed by the extraordinary charisma of a total of 28 people in experience acquisition, combining three individuals.

Even if it’s understandable for that man and the magician, isn’t it a bit too much for even the high priest who worships the gods to be involved in experience acquisition?

Wait, how is it possible that with three women gathered, there isn’t a single virgin among them?

I was never a pathetic man obsessed with virgins, but seeing even the high priest being a non-virgin made me strongly feel the necessity of the virgin allocation system.

“You look weak just by looking at you? (Experience Acquisition: 1 person)”

Thinking I had fainted, the arrogant princess sneered at me.

As a human being, the princess of a certain country may have an empty head, but her lower body was not empty, which left me speechless.

It was entertaining to surprise them with a few words thrown here, but it wasn’t the right time yet.

I held my breath and listened to their words until a better timing came.

“…Penny, even if you’re imprisoned, you shouldn’t speak disrespectfully to the hero. (Experience Acquisition: 17 people)”

“Lord Ross’s words are correct. Your Highness, please maintain your composure… (Experience Acquisition: 4 people)”

“I don’t consider this guy a hero. (Experience Acquisition: 1 person)”

When the young man and the high priest didn’t agree with their words, Penny turned her face abruptly and ended the conversation.

I realized that woman had a childish side despite not being a virgin, ever since she acted like a bully in the temple.

Well, with a father like that, how could his daughter be any different? Raised without proper education under a foolish father, it’s no wonder she turned out like that.

“I, I don’t mean that I can’t understand the princess’s feelings… (Experience Acquisition: 7 people)”

There were some individuals who sympathized with Penny’s childish words. A gloomy woman wearing a long-brimmed hat, reminiscent of a witch from a fairy tale, nodded in agreement with Penny.

“If only this person wasn’t here, maybe Ross would… (Experience Acquisition: 7 people)”

The gloomy virgin, breaking the timeless law, like Snow White, glared at me with resentful eyes as a promiscuous non-virgin who had accepted seven men before marriage.

“Stop it. It’s all in the past now. (Experience count: 17)”

Although he said so, Las sighed and bowed his head as if claiming injustice.

The woman, who looked pitiful to me and resembled a priestess, raised her hand to her broad back and closed her eyes.

Seeing the disheartened Las, Penny gazed at me with even more piercing eyes, as if she were about to break the window… or rather, glare at me.

At first, I thought she just disliked me because I was an unreliable warrior, but could there be something else that I don’t know?

Penny, deeply empathizing with whatever situation it was, lifted her leg as if she were about to kick the window in frustration.

Now is the time to speak up. Instinctively realizing this, I opened my eyes wide and shouted loudly towards Penny.

“Ah!!!!”

“Kyaaah!! (Experience count: 1)”

Startled by my spirited army-like voice, Penny stumbled backward without lifting her leg and hit her head against the wall.

Thud!!! With a sound that made me wonder if it was the wall or her head that cracked, the lantern Penny was holding fell to the ground, and the corridor was once again engulfed in darkness.

“Hahahaha!!!”

“Aaaaah!!! (Experience count: 1)”

Amidst the cheerful laughter and agonizing groans, the light suddenly returned with the sound of a flicking finger.

A bluish artificial light, different from the gas lamp, similar to the color that surrounded the knights’ swords that attacked me, illuminated the corridor.

“You, you were awake?! (Experience count: 7)”

“Yeah, I was awake. Did you come to bring food or could you turn off the lights again?”

Perhaps because they had been in the darkness for a while, the gloomy light created by the sorcerer’s magic was harsh on the eyes.

Although the three of them were silent, feeling guilty about being caught gossiping, Penny was different.

“Ah, it hurts!!! What the hell are you doing, you crazy bastard!! (Experience Acquisition: 1 person)”

“No matter how much it hurts to be crushed against the wall, do you think only my wounded heart will suffer? Endure that much. I’m not a damn brat either.”

“What?! This rude bastard…!! (Experience Acquisition: 1 person)”

“Yeah, I can be a bit rude. But I don’t gossip behind someone who’s passed out. No, I did it in front of them, so is it still gossip?”

“…I apologize for that. It was dishonorable of me as a knight. (Experience Acquisition: 17 people)”

“Apologies should be made by the one at fault.”

Saying that, Penny remained silent, turning her gaze away with a stern expression.

“Never mind. Forced apologies mean nothing. Then I’ll just sleep more.”

“Tch, you’re calm. Considering what happened in that room… even if you were executed, it wouldn’t be surprising. (Experience Acquisition: 7 people)”

“If you’re annoyed, then kill me.”

If asked whether I fear death, the answer is no. I still yearn for life.

But if it’s a story that has already slipped from my grasp, a story that can’t be changed no matter how much I rebel, then perhaps it’s a good story now.

Flattering here won’t change anything, and if I’m going to die no matter what I do, isn’t it less unjust to just do as I please until I die?

“But purely out of curiosity, what happens if I die? Does someone else become the hero or something?”

“If that were the case, it would have happened already!! (Experience Acquisition: 1 person)”

“Your Highness…. (Experience Acquisition: 4 people)”

Calming down the stubborn Penny, a woman resembling a priestess sighed and spoke instead.

“Even if the hero were to die, no one else becomes the hero. There have been several heroes who fell in defeat without accomplishing the task of subduing the Demon King, but there has never been a selection of a new hero. (Experience Acquisition: 4 people)”

“Hmm, I see. But by any chance, are there heroes who died at the hands of humans? Or maybe someone like me who was executed.”

“No, there haven’t been such people until now. But why all of a sudden… (Experience Acquisition: 4 individuals)”

“Well, if a hero dies at the hands of a human, what kind of punishment would befall the one who killed them?”

“Pardon? (Experience Acquisition: 4 individuals)”

“It’s not ‘pardon,’ but rather, I am a human sent by God, so to speak, like a representative of God. Shouldn’t there be some sort of divine retribution if someone like me is killed?”

Up until now, they had looked at each other with expressions that couldn’t articulate their thoughts.

It was reasonable to think that it wasn’t an impossible occurrence, despite there being no precedent.

Divine retribution. On Earth, that phrase, which was dismissed as nonsense uttered by the defeated, transformed into a bomb whose explosion I didn’t know when would happen to me.

It was just something I blurted out, but could it really be that I would face divine retribution if I die?

“Come to think of it, just sitting and waiting for execution is too boring.”

“What? (Experience Acquisition: 1 individual)”

Leaning forward and creating space, I forcefully threw my body backward, hitting the back of my head against the wall.

Thud!! It wasn’t as loud as when Penny hit her head, but it reverberated through the silent prison with enough force.

“What, what are you doing?!! (Experience Acquisition: 1 individual)”

“If there is such a thing as divine retribution, does it matter whether it’s suicide or execution? What’s important is that you’re involved. Isn’t that right?”

Thud!! Once again, the resounding thud made the four individuals panic and pound on the bars.

“You crazy bastard!! Stop!! Stop it!! (Experience Acquisition: 1 individual)”

“Key!! No, Lunia!! Use magic to open the prison door!! Quickly!!! (Experience Acquisition: 17 individuals)”

“Uh, okay!!! (Experience Acquisition: 7 individuals)”

“…Is this the kind of person who’s a hero? (Experience Acquisition: 4 individuals)”

Hehe, my first suicide.