I Became a Hero With a Lot of Experience

6 – 006: I’m Released

“Is it still far away?! (Experience gained: 1 person)”

“T-this prison is unusually secure!! Why is a remote castle like this…!! (Experience gained: 7 people)”

It seemed that some kind of magic had been applied to the door to prepare for such a situation, and Runia couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat.

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

It hurts at the back of my head. Although I couldn’t see, wasn’t blood flowing from my head right now?

It goes without saying, but I never had any intention of committing suicide, and I wanted to stop this stupid act right away.

However, seeing the panicked face sweating with each headbang, I couldn’t stop.

It was enjoyable. The pain of supporting my head like it was on fire was agonizing, but I could endure it for that stupid face.

Thud!! Thud!!

Was the sound of the accelerating head hitting enough to stir their anxiety?

Mixing deep confusion and anxiety in their eyes, Las, who was glaring at the lock, pointed to the bars and shouted.

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

“Uh, okay!! (Experience gained: 7 people)”

Upon Las’s command, Lunea immediately gave up on unlocking the lock and inserted her hand into the lattice, pointing at me with her index finger.

Soon, something resembling a blue mist began to gather at her fingertips and turned into a projectile that pierced through my body.

“What is this?”

“Uh, uh? (Experience gained: 7)”

However, despite the apparent accuracy of the magic, there was no visible change in my body.

Perplexed, I looked at the caster, but even she seemed unsure of what was happening.

“How is this supposed to work normally?”

“…Well, you should be asleep. (Experience gained: 7)”

“I’m not sleepy, though?”

Perhaps due to too many blows to the back of my head, I felt a bit dizzy, but I wasn’t sleepy.

Instead, it felt as if flames were burning at the back of my head, and I could probably continue this nonsense all day.

“Come on! Let’s go to heaven!”

“…Ugh!! (Experience gained: 17)”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The sound of cracking heads resumed. While listening to the regular thudding sound, Las, who had been eyeing the lattice, suddenly approached it.

Grabbing the lattice and pulling it to the side, the lattice was torn away effortlessly, creating a new opening in this prison.

“Well, is this really a fantasy world?”

I muttered absentmindedly, forgetting to bang my head against something that didn’t feel humanly possible.

Having torn the lattice and entered, Las embraced me with his strong arms, preventing me from banging my head any further.

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

Exaggerating a bit, I struggled against the seemingly unyielding force that restrained me.

Even if I were in normal condition, it would have been meaningless against this strength.

When I couldn’t even struggle and was lying there defeated, the priest read some emotion in my eyes and spoke with a plaintive voice.

“I understand the hero’s feelings completely! But you can’t throw away your life so easily! There’s a saying, you know… if you reverse suicide, you live! (Experience gained: 4)”

Damn. Trying to block it because you’re afraid of divine punishment, and anyone who hears it might think a saint has descended here.

The priest’s voice overflowed with a seemingly compassionate sincerity to prevent my suicide, but to me, it felt nothing but hypocritical.

“Reverse suicide to live, huh? Truly heartwarming words. Fine, from now on, I won’t think about suicide and will live diligently.”

However, regardless of such sentiments, the curtain of this absurd farce could only fall at this moment.

Even if I wanted to continue, my body was constrained, so there was no way around it.

Upon my declaration to stop self-harm, the priest half-opened her mouth and mumbled with a faded voice.

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

“Why do you keep saying ‘yes, yes’? It’s irritating. I’m not going to commit suicide. So, let go of me quickly. It feels disgusting to be hugged from behind by a guy.”

“… (Experience Acquisition: 17 individuals)”

As those words resolutely held my body and refused to let go, the strength began to gradually release from the two arms that were holding on tightly.

The eyes of the four people suddenly started to change fiercely. Penny, who stepped forward in place of the three who were speechless with disappointment, spoke.

“Hey, are you messing with us right now? (Experience Acquisition: 1 individual)”

“Of course, I’m messing with you. Did you think I would commit suicide because of some uncertain punishment from you guys?”

Thinking of suicide for a punishment that may not even be certain with just a little rationality is not just foolish but beyond being described as such.

If she doesn’t realize even that simple fact, then she’s not innocent but rather foolish.

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

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

With a sword filled with murderous intent, Las barely managed to deflect her attack with one hand and restrained Penny, who was rushing towards me.

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

“Penny, endure it!! It might really be possible for divine punishment to descend—!! (Experience Acquisition: 17 individuals)”

“Hey! Stop it, both of you! I’m actually curious if divine punishment would really come down.”

While holding onto Penny, Las turned his head sharply and glared at me.

“Shut up!! Why do you keep saying such things!! (Experience Acquisition: 17 individuals)”

“Then, you bastard, barely surviving and waking up only to find yourself stuck in a damn prison, did I expect you to be kind to us?”

“Well, that’s…!! (Experience Acquisition: 17 individuals)”

“Moreover, the daughter of the bastard who stuck me here has brought even my friends and insulted me. I’m not some zoo monkey.”

“… (Experience Acquisition: 1 individual)”

Was it a small amount of conscience that remained in her heart? Penny, who was held by Las and glared at me, slowly lowered her sword and turned her gaze away from me.

“Don’t think that I’ll feel cheerful just because I joke while smiling.”

“…We also definitely made mistakes. But didn’t you, Sir Knight, also speak disrespectfully to His Majesty? (Experience Acquisition: 4 individuals)”

“If it doesn’t work with logic, do you just suppress it with authority? Am I a knight? Is a knight’s life so trivial that I’d be killed for saying something disrespectful in front of the king?”

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

If those guys were proper knights as they expected, they would have endured any insult, no matter how severe.

In other words, it’s not a matter of right or wrong, but an issue of authority, that is, power.

“Well, what kind of authority does a half-assed knight like me have? Whether you kill or spare me in your fit of rage, handle the consequences yourselves. I don’t care.”

If the little rats don’t sniff out the scent of blood and come looking for me to devour my back tomorrow, I’ll probably still be alive.

“If I die… well, then let these rats face their divine punishment. If it doesn’t come, then there’s nothing to be done.

I managed to move my body, which screamed in agony at the slightest motion, and I reluctantly lifted my head onto my arm, closing my eyes to sleep.

I usually prefer lying on my stomach rather than on my side, but with the back of my head in this condition, there was no choice but to compromise.

“Wake me up when it’s lunchtime. I’m sleeping.”

“Uh, um…”

“…Yes?”

The unexpected response came to a question thrown without expecting an answer.

Turning my body to face the window, Jarvis, who had left to call the knight, was back, smirking as if unsure about something.

“W-what happened?!”

“You should ask the one who broke the window. It’s not the guy who was quietly sitting in prison.”

“What?”

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

Jarvis, back again, was unarmed, but he didn’t return alone. He was accompanied by two knights whose names I didn’t know.

The knight who had been watching from behind, upon seeing the broken window, shouted in horror.

Judging from that clumsy appearance, breaking prison windows wasn’t something any knight could do.

“Lord Ross… and even the princess, why have you come to such a humble place? And the prison… (Experience Points: 9)”

“I wanted to meet the hero, so I brought the princess with me for a short visit. And as for the prison… since I did it, report it to the higher-ups accordingly. (Experience Points: 17)”

Ross seemed to hold a high position among the knights. The knight who came with Jarvis couldn’t say a word and could only nod his head.

“…Yes, of course. (Experience Points: 9)”

“Thanks. By the way, what brings you, Jarvis, and the priest here? (Experience Points: 17)”

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

Turning away from the knight, I asked Jarvis.

“The king wants to see me?”

“Yes, His Majesty politely requested your presence. Meals are also prepared, so let’s go together.”

“Meals?”

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

“Hey, lift me up.”

“…Me? Are you talking to me? (Experience Points: 9)”

When I suddenly pointed at myself, the knight chuckled as if asking what I meant.

“My strength hasn’t returned, so I can’t walk. So, you have to carry me. Okay, got it?”

“…Yes, that’s correct. (Experience Points: 9)”

“Why the sour expression? Is there something you’re dissatisfied with? If you don’t want to do it, should I ask that person over there to take care of it for you?”

As I pointed to Las, the knight jumped in surprise, kneeling down on one knee and presenting his back to me.

“Oh, no!! I will handle it!! (Experience Points: 9)”

Now I feel like I understand a bit about how to handle these people. Surprisingly, it’s not that different from dealing with people in Korea.

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