episode_0006

“Are we still far away?! (Experience Acquisition: 1 person)”

“This prison is ridiculously secure!! Why is this remote castle like this?! (Experience Acquisition: 7 people)”

It seemed that some kind of magic had been bestowed on the gate in preparation for such a situation, and Lunia couldn’t hide her cold sweat.

While she was struggling in front of the lock, I didn’t stop banging my head.

The back of my head hurts. Although it’s not visible, I wonder if blood is flowing profusely from my head right now?

Needless to say, I never had any intention of committing suicide, and I wanted to stop this foolishness immediately.

However, seeing the bewildered face sweating profusely every time I hit my head, I couldn’t possibly stop.

It was painful. It felt like my head was on fire, but I could endure it as long as it was for that infatuated face.

Thud! Thud!

Was the sound of my accelerating head hitting theirs causing their anxiety?

Lars, who was staring at the lock with a mixture of deep confusion and unease, pointed to the window bars and shouted.

“Lunia!! We don’t have time!! Shoot magic through the window bars!! (Experience Acquisition: 17 people)”

“Y-Yes!! (Experience Acquisition: 7 people)”

At Lars’ command, Lunia immediately gave up on unlocking the gate and pointed at me with her index finger through the window bars.

Soon, a blue mist-like substance began to gather at the tip of her finger and turned into a projectile, piercing through my body.

“What’s this?”

“Huh, huh? (Experience Acquisition: 7 people)”

However, despite the magic clearly hitting, there was no visible change in my body.

Curious about what was happening, I looked at the person who cast the spell, but even she seemed unaware of what was going on.

“How is this supposed to work?”

“W-Well, you’re supposed to fall asleep. (Experience Acquisition: 7 people)”

“But I’m not sleepy.”

Although I felt a little dizzy from hitting the back of my head too many times, I wasn’t sleepy at all.

Rather, it hurt so much that it felt like flames were burning at the back of my head, and I could probably continue doing this all day now.

“Alright! Let’s go to heaven!”

“Ugh!! (Experience Acquisition: 17 people)”

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The sound of a head being split open resonated once again. As Las, who had been aiming at the window bars while listening to the regular dull sound, suddenly approached them.

And as he grabbed the window bars and pulled them sideways, they were easily torn apart like toothpicks, creating a new opening in this prison.

“Huh, so this is indeed the fantasy world?”

I muttered absentmindedly, forgetting to even protect my head from the tremendous force that didn’t seem human.

Las, who had torn apart the window bars and entered inside, wrapped his strong arms around me, preventing me from banging my head again.

“Hey! I can’t commit suicide like this!”

With a bit of exaggeration, the overwhelming strength pressed against my body, restraining me.

Even if I were in a normal state, it would have meant nothing in the face of this power.

When I was lying there, unable to even struggle, the warden seemed to read some emotion from my eyes and spoke in a poignant voice.

“I understand your feelings as a hero! But you must not throw away your own life so easily! Besides… haven’t you heard the saying that if you reverse suicide, you live? (Experience Acquisition: 4 people)”

Damn it. Acting like she’s trying to stop me because she’s afraid of divine punishment. If someone hears this, they might think a saint has descended here.

The warden’s voice overflowed with a compassion that seemed to genuinely want to prevent my suicide, but to me, it only felt hypocritical.

“If reversing suicide means living, what a heartwarming phrase. Yes, from now on, I’ll live diligently without thinking about suicide.”

However, the only time to lower the curtain on this absurd farce was now.

Even if I wanted to continue, my body was restrained like this, so there was no way.

Upon hearing my words that I would stop self-harming, the warden half-opened her mouth and responded with a confused voice.

“Yes, yes? (Experience Acquisition: 4 people)”

“What’s with the ‘yes, yes’ again? Keep your distance. I said I won’t commit suicide. So, quickly let go of me. It feels uncomfortable to have a guy clinging to me from behind.”

“… (Experience Acquisition: 17 people)”

As soon as those words were spoken, the strength that firmly held onto my body and refused to let go began to slip away from my arms.

The eyes of the four individuals suddenly started to change sharply. Penny, who stepped forward in place of the three speechless individuals with a sense of disappointment, spoke.

“Hey, did you think we were joking? (Experience Acquisition: 1 person)”

“Of course we’re not joking. Did you think I would commit suicide just because of some uncertain punishment?” Even if you think about it calmly for a moment, the idea of committing suicide over a punishment that may or may not be imposed is foolish, to say the least.

If they can’t even understand something as simple as that, then they are not innocent but rather foolish.

The girl who had just realized that she herself was a fool without any hesitation drew her sword from her waist and thrust it towards me.

“Penny!!! (Experience Acquisition: 17 people)”

With one hand, Lass deflected Penny, who was rushing towards me with a sword full of killing intent, and suppressed her.

“Let go!! I’ll kill that bastard with my own hands!! (Experience Acquisition: 1 person)”

“Penny, hold on!! There might really be a punishment――!! (Experience Acquisition: 17 people)”

“Hey! Stop it! I’m actually curious whether there really is a punishment.”

Lass turned his head abruptly while holding onto Penny and glared at me.

“Shut up!! Why do you keep saying things like that!! (Experience Acquisition: 17 people)”

“Well then, you fucking bastard, imagine waking up only to find yourself barely alive, locked up in a damn prison like a piece of shit, and expecting me to be kind to you?”

“That, that’s…!! (Experience Acquisition: 17 people)”

“Moreover, that damn daughter of a bitch who put me here even brought my friends and is badmouthing me. I’m not some zoo monkey.”

“… (Experience Acquisition: 1 person)”

Perhaps it was the small amount of conscience left in her heart. Penny, who had been glaring at me while being held by Lass, slowly lowered her sword and turned her gaze away from me.

“Don’t think that I’ll find it amusing or cheerful when I laugh and say things like that.”

“We have certainly made mistakes as well. But didn’t you also refrain from using such disrespectful language towards His Majesty? (Experience Acquisition: 4 individuals)”

“Because logic doesn’t work, are you resorting to authority? Am I a warrior? Is my life worth as little as a fly’s life in front of the king just because I said something he didn’t like?”

“Oh, no, it’s not like that… (Experience Acquisition: 4 individuals)”

If those guys were proper warriors as they expected, they would have held back regardless of what offensive remarks were made.

In other words, it’s not a matter of right or wrong, but a matter of authority, or rather, power.

“What kind of authority does a half-wit like me have over a warrior? Kill me or let me live, do whatever you want. You guys will take care of the rest. I don’t care.”

If those bastards don’t come sniffing around and stab me in the back tomorrow, I’ll still be alive.

If I die… well, either the rats or these guys will bring down divine punishment on them. If they don’t, there’s nothing I can do.

Struggling to move even a little, I barely managed to bend my arm and put my head on my arm, closing my eyes and falling asleep.

Originally, I prefer lying down flat instead of on my side, but with this bump on the back of my head, I had no choice but to compromise.

“Wake me up at lunchtime. I’m going to sleep.”

“Um, um…”

“…Yes?”

The unexpected person who responded to the question without expecting an answer was someone I hadn’t anticipated.

I turned my body and looked towards the window. Jarvis, who had left to call the knight, had returned and was tilting his head as if he didn’t understand English.

“W-What happened?!”

“That’s something you should ask the person who broke the window. I’m not going to ask someone who was peacefully inside the prison.”

“What?”

“The window? What are you talking about… Ah, no, the prison?!! (Experience Acquisition: 9 individuals)”

Jarvis, who had returned again, was unarmed, but he wasn’t alone. He was accompanied by two unknown knights.

The knight who had been observing the situation from behind looked at the broken window and screamed in horror.

Looking at my disheveled appearance, it seems that breaking the prison bars is not something anyone can do if they’re a knight.

“Sir Las… and even the princess, what brings you to such a humble place? And the prison…” (Experience Points: 9)

“I forced the princess to accompany me because I wanted to meet the hero. And as for the prison… I said so, report it to the higher-ups.” (Experience Points: 17)

Las, who seemed to hold a high position among the knights, could only nod his head in agreement when the knight who came with Jarvis couldn’t even utter a word in response.

“Yes, I will do so.” (Experience Points: 9)

“Thank you. But why did you come all the way here with Priest Jarvis? What’s your business?” (Experience Points: 17)

“Well… His Majesty asked me to bring that guy… No, the hero…” (Experience Points: 9)

I turned to Jarvis and asked.

“The king wanted to see me?”

“Yes, His Majesty kindly requested your presence. Dinner has also been prepared, so please come along.”

“Dinner?”

I can’t resist food. My stomach, which hasn’t had anything to eat for days, is still growling sadly.

“Hey, give me a hand.”

“Yes? Are you referring to me?” (Experience Points: 9)

When I suddenly pointed at myself and spoke, the knight raised an eyebrow as if asking what I meant.

“I’m still not strong enough to walk. So, you have to carry me. Is that clear?”

“Yes, understood.” (Experience Points: 9)

“You don’t look happy. Is there any complaint? Should I ask that person to carry me instead?”

As I slightly turned my hand to point at Las, the knight flinched and knelt down, offering his back to me.

“Oh, no!! I will carry you!” (Experience Points: 9)

Now I’m starting to understand how to handle these people. It’s not that different from Korea, surprisingly.

“Well then, see you later!! Thanks for playing with me!!”