I Became a Hero With a Lot of Experience

47 – 047: Scholar (2)

“It definitely looks like the place.”

Although there was no signboard with “Research Building” written on it, there was no disagreement that this place was where scholars gathered.

Instead of an easily recognizable signboard, the remains of magical creatures, maintaining a circular shape, were scattered around like an evening meal.

Perhaps covered with a thin cloth, like plastic, to prevent crows and insects from interfering, the cloth was so thin that the form underneath could be discerned.

However, there was no smell.

Perhaps it was not an ordinary thin cloth, but some special magic preventing odor and decay.

“It’s quite distinctive….”

Usually, a person’s personality is revealed in their room or private space, but even so, this was a bit extreme.

In between, there were entities whose status, whether they were still alive or not, was unclear, wriggling.

Even if they were demons, the thought that there might be someone among them who was still alive sent shivers down the spine.

If they hadn’t heard that this was a gathering place for scholars beforehand, they would have undoubtedly thought it was the dwelling of a madman.

“Thinking positively, are we getting information from scholars who are so passionate about research….”

“It would be more comfortable for us to think that way… (Experience Acquisition: 17 individuals)”

It seemed that Rass also had some thoughts when he looked at this pile of remains, and he furrowed his brows.

As much as he pitied the bastards who pitied demons, he should also show some pity.

If he pitied the demons only as much as he pitied them, there would have been at least five virgins.

Well, it’s unlikely that the women who spread their legs easily for that guy would remain virgins anyway.

“Why are you like this? (Experience Count: 17)”

“…No.”

Turning away from the disturbing sight, he stepped inside.

Inside, there were several vials that looked somewhat different from those on Earth, filled with what appeared to be demon blood.

“So, that’s how it happened. (Experience Count: 3)”

A man sprinkled the blood on flesh before murmuring while observing the flesh changing in real-time.

The flesh, once doused with blood, briefly swelled before quickly melting away.

It was intriguing but not particularly captivating.

I wasn’t patient enough to wait for his research to conclude, even if it meant disrupting his work.

Approaching him, I spoke up.

“Hey.”

“Oh, oh…! (Experience Count: 3)”

Was that a response? Or just an exclamation?

Given his lack of turning around, it was undoubtedly the latter.

“Warrior, I’ll leave for today and return next time…!! (Experience Count: 17)”

“What about later?”

As soon as I finished speaking, lightly tapping the back of his head, the scholar deeply entrenched in some mysterious experiment snapped back to reality in an instant.

“Y-You…? (Experience Count: 3)”

“Warrior.”

No further words were necessary.

As soon as he realized my identity, he politely nodded, perhaps not truly assuming the role of a scholar.

Ras wiped his face with a sigh of relief; this seemed to be resolved easily.

“To put it bluntly, I’ve come to learn about the demons.”

More precisely, it was information about the unknown commander and significant officers on this front line.

While having information about the nature of demons might not be a loss, I wasn’t sure when such specialized information might come in handy.

“…We have plenty of time, so let’s start with introductions. I am a knight, Ras. (Experience Count: 17)”

“I-I am a scholar, Hans. (Experience Count: 3)”

Saying so, as he extended his hand, we each shook hands with him once and then took our seats.

“Forgive me for guessing, but is the information you’re curious about related to the commander…? (Experience Count: 3)”

As Hans cautiously spoke, we both nodded in agreement.

Honestly, most officers are no longer my adversaries.

If they possess special abilities, the story might be different, but honestly, I don’t feel the need to worry for now.

“Hmm… Then let me first explain what a Demon Lord Commander is. (Experience Points: 3)”

Compared to the sudden appearance of a Demon Lord in this world, the Demon Army is surprisingly organized.

So, except for very unusual cases, one cannot become a Demon Lord Commander just because they were born with strong abilities.

“Not all demons are like that, but the majority of those who become Demon Lord Commanders have experienced at least one past life. (Experience Points: 3)”

“A past life?”

If familiar, then familiar; if unfamiliar, then the head tilted at the unfamiliar word.

“Yes, demons are beings who gain physical forms over a hundred years through the negative emotions of humans caused by death. So, what happens when a demon falls? (Experience Points: 3)”

The story I’m about to tell is merely a hypothesis and has not been perfectly proven.

Even if a demon loses its physical form through death, it doesn’t completely disappear. Data that can be called consciousness is stored somewhere, and they obtain a new body during the next Demon Lord’s advent.

However, not all Demon Lord Commanders resurrect in this way, and whether they can be reborn in the next world is something even they don’t know, according to Hans.

“That’s why demons use the number of past lives as a measure of strength. For example, Shabri, the Demon Lord Commander of the confirmed kingdom, has experienced a whopping seven past lives. (Experience Points: 3)”

“Seven times?”

“Yes, and there’s even an experience of being summoned in the first place during the era of the Dragon Knight. Haken, another Demon Lord Commander, has adventured five times, and it’s said that he too had an adventuring experience during the summoning era. (Experience Points: 3)”

“Huh…”

At least in terms of experience, it seems they’re way ahead of me.

The expressions of me and Lars began to crumple at Hans’s words.

Now I think I understand why the king gave me a year. Probably thought I couldn’t defeat a Demon Lord Commander who had reincarnated seven times in a year.

“If you’ve experienced seven past lives, your abilities should be well-known. Don’t you know anything about their abilities?”

“Unfortunately, recording information about Demon Lord Commanders is strictly prohibited. (Experience Points: 3)”

As far as I could tell, it was a very plausible excuse.

Knowing that the Demon Lord would return in a hundred years, the people of that time recorded information about the Demon Lord Commanders and prepared to fight them.

However, the abilities of the Demon Lord Commander who returned a hundred years later had become even more powerful.

“Demons gain stronger power and physical form with each death, especially if the death is tragic. (Experience Points: 3)”

In short, due to the nature of gaining stronger power with accumulated deaths, it is uncertain whether the information recorded in the past will apply to the future.

Some cases involve demons who manipulated fire in their previous lives but developed the ability to control ice in their reincarnated forms.

Therefore, to prevent confusion in information, recording the abilities of demons is prohibited.

“And this is still just a hypothesis, but there is an opinion that they become stronger the more they are feared. (Experience Points: 3)”

This is merely a hypothesis, as it stands.

However, disregarding demons based on the premise that they are rooted in human negativity was not a good idea.

“So, I have to fight someone who’s clashed with the hero of the era seven times. And this time, they’re even stronger than before.”

“…Indeed. (Experience points: 3)”

“Should I just throw everything away and commit suicide?”

The situation was so dire that such thoughts momentarily seemed serious.

Marriage to a virgin vs. suicide.

Hmm… No matter how I think about it, choosing the latter seems right even from a virgin’s perspective.

As I contemplated immediately executing it, Lance spoke up.

“…Please don’t say such things. Isn’t the hero not fighting alone? (Experience points: 17)”

“……”

Damn, that’s the real issue.

Virgin priest.

Virgin mage.

Virgin mascot.

Sympathetic inspector.

Is this what a hero’s party looks like?

What about balance….

*****

Time relentlessly marched on, and it had already been a month since arriving at this front line.

“Shall we call it a day?”

“…Yes, let’s. (Experience points: 17)”

During this month, besides honing my divine power and Lance’s combat skills, I spent a significant amount of time training Lance.

It might help, but having one more person with strength is better.

Although it’s not pleasant to admit, in terms of sheer power, this guy was slightly better than the riffraff around here.

At least in terms of strength on this front line, there probably wasn’t anyone in the kingdom who could defeat Lance other than me.

The commander could probably entrust lesser officers to him, ones without prior experience or with minimal experience in such battles.

“Are you heading to Hans the scholar again today? (Experience points: 17)”

“Yeah, there’s nothing else to do, and cooking here is difficult.”

There were naturally no quality ingredients on the front line, and the use of fire for cooking was restricted to avoid exposing our position to the enemy.

In this place, the only leisure activities were training and studying magic with Hans.

After nearly a month passed, one might wonder if there was anything else to learn, but there was nothing specific to do, and it seemed like even Hans was welcoming our boredom.

It was at that moment, as Las and I were about to visit Hans’ tent, that noises of commotion erupted from a distance.

A mix of both ominous and hopeful feelings passed through my mind in a flash.

“An epidemic, maybe…?”