Chapter 7: Dealer

“…Huh.” (Experience Count: 79)

Arriving at the room where a steaming meal had been prepared, carried on the knight’s back, the king across from me chuckled.

“Are you being carried because you can’t walk, or are you just doing it to mess with me? (Experience Count: 79)”

“Both.”

At my flippant response, the knight’s back began to tremble. I wanted to tease him a bit more, but it was time to part ways.

With his assistance, I sat down on a chair, and the king gestured for him to leave.

After a sharp salute, the knight departed, leaving only myself, the king, and the maid standing beside him.

<Experience Count: 15>

The maid’s duties seemed to extend beyond serving meals, as her experience count was in double digits.

Judging by her proximity to the king, he must have already laid his hands on her. What a lecherous old man.

“…Let’s eat first. You must be starving after being unconscious for two days. (Experience Count: 79)”

“Yes, I’m not in good shape. As you know, I’ve been starving for two days, stuck in a filthy prison.”

“……” (Experience Count: 79)

“I’m not trying to be sarcastic, I’m genuinely curious, if you were going to call for me as soon as I woke up, why did you throw me in the dungeon? I really don’t understand.”

“…Appearances. (Experience Count: 79)”

“Huh?”

“There were eyes watching, so I had to maintain appearances. I also thought you might calm down after a few days in prison. (Experience Count: 79)”

“…Did it ever occur to you that I might beat the cr*p out of you later if I become as strong as the other heroes?”

“Are you that petty? (Experience Count: 79)”

“Yes, as petty as a virgin’s…you know.”

“You talk as if you’ve experienced it firsthand. That sort of thing varies depending on body type. Even virgins can be…loose. (Experience Count: 79)”

“……”

At his words, which seemed to assume I was a virgin, I barely swallowed the curse that rose to my throat.

I couldn’t get angry here. Getting angry would be admitting I was a virgin.

Suppressing my anger and regaining my composure, I bowed my head and made a silent vow:

It’s impossible now, but someday, I’ll definitely crack this bastard’s skull.

“…We’ve digressed. (Experience Count: 79)”

Sensing the chilling atmosphere, the king gestured for me to eat, blatantly changing the subject.

To gain the strength to beat this guy, I picked up my spoon and started eating.

Perhaps because I hadn’t eaten properly for two days and had been left in the dungeon, my hand trembled as I held the spoon.

The spoon felt heavy. To feel the weight of a spoon at my age… Just as I was scoffing at the absurdity, the maid approached, presumably to assist me.

“I don’t need help, so don’t come any closer.”

“But… (Experience Count: 15)”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can swallow my food with someone next to me right now.”

I’m definitely not someone who discriminates between virgins and non-virgins, but I didn’t want to be fed by someone with a double-digit experience count.

I managed to lift the spoon and took a bite. Honestly, the stew didn’t taste bad.

Perhaps because my expectations were so low, but it was decent enough.

‘…Is this a carrot?’

The ingredients tasted similar to carrots, suggesting the ecosystem wasn’t that different from Earth’s.

The taste and texture were a bit rough, like an unimproved variety of carrot.

I examined the piece on my spoon. The color and shape were different from a carrot, but the taste and texture were similar.

“Is this a carrot?”

“…It is. Is there a problem? (Experience Count: 79)”

“No, there isn’t.”

There was nothing about it that resembled a carrot besides the taste, yet the king insisted it was.

It occurred to me that we hadn’t had any communication issues due to mismatched words.

Perhaps when I said “carrot,” it was automatically translated to the equivalent in this world?

“Excuse me, could you say ‘Bburinkle’ once?”

“What? (Experience Count: 79)”

“It’s for academic curiosity, so please just say it once. It’s not difficult, is it?”

The king frowned in confusion, but obediently said the word.

“…Bburinkle. What does it mean? (Experience Count: 79)”

“Nothing.”

The king’s pronunciation was clearly “Bburinkle.” Since he didn’t know the meaning, it seemed my hypothesis was correct.

After I finished the stew, the king put down his spoon and spoke with a solemn expression.

“Now that we’ve finished our meal, let’s get down to business. Do you consider my offer before that little unpleasant incident still valid? (Experience Count: 79)”

“By ‘unpleasant incident,’ do you mean the incident where you tried to kill me and then threw me in prison?”

“Yes, the incident where I tried to…lower your spirits by putting you in the dungeon. (Experience Count: 79)”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at his blatant lie.

“You old man, you don’t keep your word.”

“I know you don’t have many options. If you don’t like it, you can go back to the dungeon. The knights are waiting outside to escort you. (Experience Count: 79)”

“You sly old raccoon. I’ll accept it if you exclude marrying your daughter.”

“That’s the most important part… (Experience Count: 79)”

“That’s the part I can’t compromise on.”

It’s not because she’s not a virgin; I just dislike her.

I could understand her disliking me at first. She must have had her own life plans, and I ruined them by suddenly appearing.

But her short temper, lack of judgment, and disrespectful speech, coupled with her…loose morals despite being royalty, were unbearable.

“So, let’s compromise. Do you have any hidden illegitimate children?”

“What?!! (Experience Count: 79)”

“You must have at least one, right?”

A man with an experience count of 79 not having any illegitimate children would have lived a wasted life.

To my reasonable suspicion, the king responded with rage.

Bang!! His fist slammed against the table, splitting it in two with a terrifying crash, sending dishes flying.

“How dare you insult me!! I swear to heaven, I’ve only ever loved one woman!! (Experience Count: 79)”

“…Love? Love?!! Looooove?!!!”

Forgetting his anger at being called a non-virgin, in an era where purity has become a vulgar joke, a man is spouting nonsense.

Does this bastard have no conscience? Or does a double-digit experience count not matter in this world if you have true love?

“What kind of drugs are you on? Have you forgotten what kind of hero I am?”

“…What?! You… (Experience Count: 79)”

The king’s face paled. Before he could react to the meaning of “Hero of Purity,” I spoke first.

“Let’s be honest. Is there one or not?”

“…Naro, leave us. (Experience Count: 79)”

The maid, who had been subtly smirking since the “love” talk, bowed her head and left.

Immediately after, the receding footsteps of the knights suggested they had also left.

“There are no illegitimate children. (Experience Count: 79)”

“Really?”

“Yes, I can assure you there are none. I’ve managed them thoroughly due to succession issues. But how could you possibly know such a thing? (Experience Count: 79)”

“I don’t know what ‘such a thing’ refers to, but I can tell…somewhat.”

It was helpful, so I couldn’t call it a useless ability, but it was closer to a curse than a blessing.

But if, by some miracle, I returned to Earth, would I see my mother’s and grandmother’s experience counts?

‘Oh, no…’

It wasn’t impossible, sending a shiver down my spine. I might have to consider gouging my eyes out then.

“So…are you rejecting Penny because of that ability? (Experience Count: 79)”

“No, I’m not a pathetic man obsessed with… Wait, you knew? That she wasn’t a virgin?”

“Yes, she and Las, the knight captain, have been together for a long time. But why does that matter? These days, not being a virgin isn’t a flaw…!! (Experience Count: 79)”

“You bastard!!!”

Despite being unable to move a moment ago, I suddenly found myself lunging towards the king.

I couldn’t forgive his hypocrisy – marrying a virgin himself, while trying to foist his non-virgin daughter on me, claiming it wasn’t even a flaw.

“You f*cking… Are you even human?!!!”

My rage, emitting a sharp light different from when Uni- manifested, began to take form, but the familiar exhaustion washed over me once more.

Oh, f*ck…