Chapter 8: No One Could Solve it

“Really…I can’t let my guard down.”

In a bedroom of the castle, Galeon, who had barely escaped with his life thanks to the hero fainting before fully manifesting his Holy Artifact, sat in a chair, recalling the light from earlier.

The light, even before fully manifesting like the Holy Purity, Uni-, conveyed its purpose and threat through its form, and it was undoubtedly directed at him.

There was no need to dwell on what would have happened if the hero had a little more stamina left.

‘…Does he possess two Holy Artifacts?’

Or perhaps two in one? Either way, a hero possessing such artifacts was unprecedented.

For better or worse, he possessed a uniqueness that previous heroes lacked.

“Your Majesty. The princess and her companions have arrived.”

While lost in thought, replaying the earlier scene in his mind, Galeon rose from his seat at the voice from outside the door.

After a brief pause, he let out a deep sigh and grasped the doorknob.

Waiting in the hallway with stiff expressions were, of course, Penny and her companions.

Las, the knight captain, Lunia, the court mage, and Luina, the priestess of the God of Valor, knelt on one knee upon seeing the king.

“I heard. You went to the prison?”

“……”

Galeon, standing before Penny, spoke.

“I doubt you went to nurse your future husband. What was your reason?”

“Your Majesty, I…”

As always, Las, standing beside Penny, stepped forward to speak for her, but Galeon frowned and interrupted.

“I asked my daughter. Since when did you become my daughter?”

“…My apologies.”

“Las, it’s alright.”

Penny, closing her eyes briefly, spoke.

“I took everyone down there. I was…curious about how he was doing…”

“…Huh.”

Galeon was momentarily speechless at her childish, or perhaps even less than childish, behavior.

If she had proudly declared she went to kill him because she didn’t want to marry such a man, he might have appreciated her spirit, regardless of whether her actions were right or wrong.

Well, even if he appreciated it, her purpose wouldn’t have changed.

“What did you do there? Don’t tell me you were caught gossiping?”

“……”

Penny responded with silence, confirming the second worst possibility he could imagine.

Galeon suppressed the urge to raise his hand and let his empty fist fall.

What difference would it make if her already rock-bottom approval rating plummeted even further?

He calmed his anger by repeating to himself, as if in a trance, that a few gossips no longer mattered.

“Penny. Penelope. Listen carefully. Even if he seems insignificant, he is a warrior sent by God. Although we misjudged his worth and acted foolishly, that’s no reason to give up on improving our relationship with him. Do you understand?”

“…Yes, Father.”

“Good…Then, as a woman of royal blood, you know what to do?”

“…I understand. I’ll try my best.”

It wasn’t a satisfactory answer, but he had learned over the past half of his life that pressing her wouldn’t change anything.

“Alright, you may leave.”

He dismissed Penny and her companions. However, Las, the knight captain, remained in the hallway.

“Are you planning to vent your resentment for having your lover stolen? I’ll forgive you this once. I’m not that petty.”

“I intend to separate public and private matters. However, I remained here to inquire about Your Majesty’s thoughts, as it seems our approach has changed.”

“And not because you weren’t particularly interested from the beginning?”

“Indeed. What does it matter now? Your ambition is what I value most in you, so don’t worry.”

“…I’m flattered. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Our approach hasn’t changed, so you may leave. I’m feeling a bit weary after that ordeal.”

Las, pushing himself up with one hand, bowed deeply to Galeon and then headed in the direction Penny had left.

Galeon watched his retreating figure for a moment, wondering what he was thinking, then sighed and turned his head.

“Should I instruct them to prepare the bedchamber?”

“No, I’ll observe him a little longer, as we don’t know when he’ll wake up. Guard the door.”

Returning to the room, the source of his recent troubles was waiting, frowning as if sensing his concern.

Was he having a terrible nightmare? Concerned by his deeply furrowed brow, Galeon approached him and noticed blood staining the pillow.

‘Did he injure the back of his head?’

He turned the hero onto his side, and the hero’s expression relaxed slightly.

Making a mental note to call a priest for healing later, Galeon sat down again.

And he thought. Perhaps he could achieve the long-cherished dream of defeating the Demon King, the desire passed down through generations.

The first champion of the Goddess of Purity since the first generation, possessing two Holy Artifacts, something unheard of in history.

Since everything was unprecedented, Galeon had high expectations for him.

However, to achieve that, improving their relationship was paramount.

Although the hero claimed otherwise, Galeon believed his obsession with virginity was just a nuisance that time would resolve.

Penny was beautiful. This wasn’t just a father’s biased opinion, but a fact any man with normal desires would acknowledge.

The hero, despite his title, was just a boy who didn’t know the pleasures of a woman.

He might be caught up in outdated notions of chastity due to his title as the Hero of Purity, but Galeon believed he wouldn’t be able to resist when the time came.

‘When that time comes, this time for sure…?’

“Ugh…!!”

The hero, who had been motionless except for subtle changes in his expression, suddenly began to thrash.

Rushing to his side, Galeon heard the hero murmuring in a low voice, as if sleep-talking.

“G-Gun…!!”

“Gun?”

“Gunlance…you…sl*t…I’ll tear your daughter’s…!!!”

“……”

He couldn’t understand what the hero was saying. But it was clearly not good.

When I regained consciousness, I was back at the intersection I had seen before coming to this world.

In the center of the crosswalk, in a space that seemed deliberately empty, stood an elegant tea table that hadn’t been there before.

Except for the table, the street was unchanged, but unlike before, I had no control over my body.

I was moving towards the table, but not of my own volition.

As if controlled by invisible strings, my body was drawn towards the table.

Reaching the table, I pulled out a chair and sat down.

Across from me sat a girl who looked like what Penny might have looked like in her early teens – perhaps the younger version of her.

While I was still trying to process the sudden change, the girl spoke in a gentle voice.

“Calm your heart.”

A beautiful voice, so beautiful that I couldn’t think of any other word to describe it, spoke to me.

“You are not in danger. Calm yourself and retrace your memories. What were you doing before you came here?”

I was…

I was punishing the wicked king who married a virgin himself but offered me his non-virgin daughter.

I lunged forward to take his head, but a sudden wave of exhaustion drained all my energy, and I fainted.

When I reached that point in my memories, the girl spoke.

“That power was too much for you to handle, so I suppressed it for a moment. My hero. Beloved guardian of purity, you must not lose sight of the bigger picture while focusing on the evil before you. You have a more important mission.”

Mission?

Was she referring to defeating the Demon King? At the most likely possibility that came to mind, she shook her head.

“The Demon King, who threatens humanity’s survival, must be eliminated. However, that is a problem for the people of this world to solve. While I would be grateful if you handled it, your mission is different.”

As if it was difficult to say, she paused for a moment.

As anxiety grew within me about the mission even a god hesitated to speak of, the girl finally spoke.

“It is…my mistake, so to speak. A history intertwined with the disregard for purity deeply rooted in this land, a difficult problem that even my brother…the God of Wisdom, couldn’t solve.”

The duality of purity and the chain of non-virgins that has continued since time immemorial.

“When you face this unsolved problem and find an answer, the people of this world will remember what it means to uphold purity. Hero from another world, I believe in you. Please…”

The goddess’s form began to flicker.

Her voice, and the forest of familiar buildings around me, began to shake and crumble, a wave of debris rushing towards me.

“…Please save my world.”

As the wave of debris engulfed her, my mind began to separate from what I could only call my physical body, just like when I first arrived.

My consciousness faded, then sharpened. The last thing I heard was the goddess’s voice, sounding slightly playful.

[And I’ll take care of the daily quests and attendance checks for the mobile games you were playing on Earth. I’ve deleted all your internet history and manipulated your hard drive so it can’t be recovered, so don’t worry.]

My eyes opened naturally. The first thing I saw was a disagreeable face that made me nauseous.

“You’re awake. It’s been three days this time. Are you feeling better? (Experience Count: 79)”

“…You’re awake. (Experience Count: 1)”

Beside me was Penny, wearing a revealing, slutty outfit, as if she had finally understood her place.

Behind her, her companions looked down at me with worried expressions.

“Non…”

“Non? (Experience Count: 79)”

My mouth opened involuntarily. The king tilted his head, straining to hear my weak, raspy voice.

I whispered into his ear,

“Non-virgin…go away…”

You smell of c*m.