I Became a Hero With a Lot of Experience

27 – 027: Seon-Soon Uni (1)

That children love candy is an immutable truth that would not change even if the world did.

The power of caramel was great. The children who had called me a devil and feared me just before were now scrambling forward like cats seeing fish cakes.

‘How lovely.’

When I was on Earth, honestly, I didn’t really welcome children all that much.

But unlike when I was on Earth, now that I could see what I shouldn’t be able to see, it was different.

In a world where all adults had numbers floating above their heads, children with nothing floating above them might as well have been angels.

As I watched the children noisily eating caramel like squirrels, a pink-haired girl caught my eye.

She was eagerly sucking on the caramel. Finding her cute, I spoke to her without thinking.

“Is the caramel tasty?”

“…It’s tasty.”

Although she flushed red as if annoyed, the pink-haired girl bowed her head to express her thanks.

Thanks to Melina’s education, her manners were better than the damned brats I saw at the orphanage.

“Oppa started a fire and came here? I heard everything from Teacher! Aren’t you embarrassed starting fires at your age?!”

“What? It wasn’t arson, I accidentally started it while trying to catch a panda bear with a flamethrower! That makes me more stupid!”

“You must not even know pandas are a natural monument~ An adult with no brains~”

“You probably ran away looking pathetic~ I wanted to see Oppa’s pathetic escape…. Huh? You won? That’s scary….”

Even now when I think back on it, it irritates me. To dismiss a man’s noble battle as poaching…!

“Sir Hero…? (Experienced 6)”

“Hm?”

“You look unhappy, I hope I haven’t… offended you…? (Experienced 6)”

“No, just some bad memories coming back. Anyway, want another caramel?”

“Yes, yes? (Experienced 6)”

“It looked like you kept glancing at my pocket.”

Realizing she had unconsciously done so, Melina flushed and lowered her head.

Since I had prepared plenty of caramels, I took some from the other kids and gave them to her.

“These stick to your teeth easily so you gotta brush well.”

“Y…Yes, I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you, Sir Hero. (Experienced 6)”

“…… (Experience gained: 1 person)”

“Why so serious, Miss Virgin? Would you like one too?”

As Penny kept giving me strange looks, I offered her some caramel.

But as always, she just turned her head away with an insolent expression, sticking out her tongue.

“Hey, hero!”

One of the kids, maybe feeling less guarded after I shared the caramels, grabbed onto my sleeve.

“How did you do that? Eating the sword!”

“Oh, that?”

Normally, magicians don’t reveal their tricks, but as I twinkled my eyes upward, I couldn’t help but spill the beans.

“It’s nothing special, just really eating it.”

“Really eating it?”

“Yeah, just straighten your throat, make it a line, then put the sword in.”

Though it was a genuine magic trick, the kid seemed incredulous.

“If you don’t believe, I can show you again up close?”

“I wanna see!! I wanna see!!”

Seemingly less resistant to sword-swallowing magic, all the kids, except the girl with the pink hair, demanded a demonstration.

Feeling bolstered by the kids’ enthusiasm, I knelt down again and swallowed the sword.

“Wowww!!”

Applause and cries of “Encore!” echoed around me.

That day, I swallowed the sword a total of 34 times, realizing just how taxing it was.

“It’s getting late.”

The joyful time with the kids flew by like a rapid stream.

If possible, I’d have stayed longer, but sadly, this orphanage wasn’t equipped to accommodate more adults.

It’s time to leave.

I returned to the carriage one last time, placing the provisions from the castle in the kitchen.

From the moment I saw the kitchen, I knew the food situation here was dire.

Seeing the provisions brought from the castle, Melina teared up.

“Hero, thank you so much for today. Taking care of the kids and providing food like this… I don’t know how to repay this kindness…. (Experience gained: 6 people)”

“It’s not bought with my money, so don’t worry about it. Well then, I’m off.”

As I stepped outside to board the carriage, the kids who followed me out waved, thanking me.

“Goodbye!! Sir Knight!!”

“Next time, show me swallowing a spear!!”

“Thank you, Caramel!!”

Among them, there was a particularly tall girl with pink hair. The slightly blushing girl shyly raised her hand and waved.

“I’ll come again next time.”

In this desolate world, having barely found an oasis for the heart, how could one not return?

As I boarded the carriage, sadly, the orphanage quickly faded away, and I couldn’t hold back a sigh emanating from the depths of my heart.

From Noble mtl dot com

Seeing that sight, Penny, with a furrowed brow, asked,

“So, any accomplishments? (Experience Points: 1)”

“What accomplishments?”

“You came here to learn how to generate divine power!! (Experience Points: 1)”

“Oh.”

I had been so overjoyed that I had forgotten that fact.

But being this close to a maiden for the first time, there surely must have been some achievement.

“Well, somehow it’ll work out. Whatever it is, I can ask the Goddess next time she contacts me.”

“You blabber such nonsense… (Experience Points: 1)”

“Because I’m a knight.”

Unlike the enjoyable time spent at the orphanage, time with Penny passed slowly.

It’s filled with an unmaidenly scent. Unable to bear it any longer, I swung the door wide open.

*****

After an eternity that seemed never-ending, we finally arrived at the prosperous city.

“We’re free!!!”

As the carriage passed through the castle gates, I threw myself out as if I had done so once before.

Perhaps because I had learned to handle divine power, I didn’t even get scratched this time.

“Mommy!! (Experience Points: 7)”

The knights guarding the castle, not having seen my leap, jumped back in surprise, but it wasn’t Penny.

Now accustomed to this, she calmly got off the carriage with an indifferent expression.

It’s a relief. I’ll have to gradually get used to this happening every time I get off the carriage, won’t I?

“Sir Knight! Are you okay? (Experience Points: 7)”

“I’m fine, go on inside.”

When he gestured for me to come, he returned to his place with a somber expression.

As I brushed off the dust from my body and stood up, the moon, unusually bright today, shone upon me.

Artemis, renowned on Earth as the goddess of purity, is also known as the goddess of the moon. Could our goddess also have a connection to the moon?

Pondering such thoughts, I suddenly received a call on my smartphone while walking around.

It was the first time, and I was startled by the sudden ringing, but after the second time, I couldn’t help but get used to it.

“Hello?”

“It’s a good night, my warrior. Did you enjoy your time with the pure children?”

“Yes, it was enjoyable. By any chance, were you watching?”

“Yes, it was easy to peek into my sister’s house. Both you and my sister couldn’t help but be amazed at the scene where you swallowed the sword.”

If we meet again next time, she insisted that I must show it to her as well, smiling joyfully.

“Even goddesses have families.”

“Everyone has a family. We are no exception.”

Eldest son Valor.

Second son Wisdom.

Eldest daughter Patience.

Second daughter Love.

And the goddess of purity is said to be the youngest among the gods.

“Well, it seems the second daughter and the youngest don’t get along. Originally, the second daughter doesn’t get along with the youngest.”

“Oh, how did you know? For some reason, Love doesn’t seem to like me at all. I just gave her advice, but…”

“If it’s advice…”

“It’s nothing special. I just warned her to be careful because the new god she befriended has a lot of experience. But strangely, she got angry and seemed to dislike it.”

Ignoring her advice and whining all the time, the goddess sighed.

“Love’s experienced gods now number more than five…. I don’t show it in front of my siblings, but every time I go next to her, there’s a strong scent of a non-virgin…”

“…Goddess, you’ve been through a lot.”

Five figures…

I lost my words at the number that I couldn’t even imagine.

If there was someone like that by my side, I would have stabbed them to death immediately. Indeed, gods are different from humans.

“But, goddess… I have something I want to ask about divine power. How can I become stronger?”

I hesitated to consult with the goddess about this issue, fearing that my statement might be misconstrued as promoting virginity hatred.

“In this world, there are no virgins. But it’s not a job to take children to that dangerous battlefield just for that.”

“My knight. What is a virgin?”

“Yes?”

“I’m asking what a virgin is. If there’s a hymen, does that make someone a virgin? If there’s no hymen, does that mean a person is no longer a virgin?”

“Are you talking about bicycles? Because of the saddle…”

“No!!!”

I was startled by her uncharacteristically loud voice, and for a moment, my heart raced.

“My knight, listen carefully. A virgin’s hymen does not tear because of a bicycle saddle. That is nothing more than a misguided statement created by non-virgins to defend themselves. Understand? A virgin’s hymen does not, under any circumstances, tear because of a saddle! Do you understand?!”

“Yes…”

Under the pressure of her words that I couldn’t articulate a response to, I could only nod my head.

Regaining her composure, or perhaps belatedly regaining her sanity, she continued speaking.

“Anyway, what I want to talk about is the expansiveness of virginity. It’s about expanding the concept of virginity to include things that can be considered as such.”

“…”

Did I really regain my sanity?

Honestly, I didn’t understand at all, but feeling that the story might not end if I continued this way, I reluctantly pretended to understand and responded appropriately.

“Find things that can be considered as virgin and expand that concept. That act will become your strength. And…”

“…Is there more to it?”

“If you want to become stronger, engage in growth and dialogue. Growth is not just a simple weapon; it is a mirror that reflects oneself. Through dialogue with growth, you will resolve the contradictions within yourself and become even stronger.”

– Thud.

With that, the connection ended.

I had received an answer from the goddess, but the riddle only deepened.