I Became a Hero With a Lot of Experience

38 – 038: The Path North (1)

The knights watching Rass in the training grounds didn’t harbor any enmity toward him, yet their gazes didn’t carry any overtly favorable sentiments either.

Once a superior, that was a matter of the past.

While he wasn’t without favor among them, that favor had vanished cleanly in the past few weeks.

It wasn’t because he lost to the hero.

The hero, one could say, was the proxy of a deity.

“The defeat in a battle against the human marked by the gods was not a matter of shame at all, for the strength of the warrior had been tasted firsthand by everyone present.

However, what happened afterward was beyond any words of justification.

After the defeat, he fled.

It might sound like a strategic retreat, but it was turning away from the reality that confronted him and escaping into the woods.

This was an unprecedented event where a high-ranking member of the demon army hid in close proximity to the royal capital.

Of course, even if Lars hadn’t been trapped in the forest but had been in the capital, nothing would have changed.

Even if he had chased after the warrior alongside the king, he couldn’t have stormed into the mansion with the king by his side.

The knights understood this fact well enough, but understanding and accepting are two different things.

No matter what the reason was.

Even if nothing had changed.

Who would view favorably the human who abandoned his duty and fled into the woods, stealing valuable time from the impending departure of the warrior?

Deep down, they secretly hoped for Lars to be severely defeated while eagerly awaiting the entrance of the warrior.

The messengers had been sent, so it was time for the warrior to arrive, but still, there was no sign of him.

“Maybe… he doesn’t intend to accept?”

To Uriah (Experience Points: 4), Lars nodded, saying it could be possible.

The warrior had neither the reason nor the temporal luxury to participate in this comical drama.

Even if he left Lars and his companions here and departed alone, it wouldn’t be strange at all.

“Let’s wait a bit more… But if he doesn’t show up, we’ll have to give up.”

Thus, following Lars’s wish, they continued to wait hopelessly for the warrior.

On a sunny day, where the spring breeze carried the fragrance of flowers and tickled their cheeks, Lars and the knights stared blankly not at the sky filled with flowers or blue, but towards the direction of the stable.

“Even with this good weather, I’m craving chicken and beer…”

“Spicy potato fries too…”

“Have you guys ever tried sweet and sour pork?”

The knights who had spent weeks with the warrior imitated his speech as they grumbled.

Meanwhile, unlike the relaxed knights, Lars’ heart, waiting for the warrior, grew heavier.

As the time spent waiting, akin to a child anxiously watching younger ones getting punished ahead of them, lengthened, the fears he had deliberately ignored began to surface.

With the passing of time, the fear that had been suppressed swelled, transforming from the gentle spring breeze into the biting cold of winter.

Finally, from afar, accompanied by an unnatural sound of hoofbeats, the warrior appeared.

“I think I’m starting to sense something.”

“Yes, you’re doing well.”

Those awaiting, oblivious to their anticipation, were greeted by a warrior who appeared casually, as if attending a leisurely riding lesson, with an unperturbed expression.

Behind the warrior mounted on a horse that seemed meager at first glance, a small cart trailed effortlessly, capable of carrying one or two people.

For some reason, perhaps in the pursuit of that cart, time had been consumed.

As the warrior dismounted the horse, a shield and lance on his back, he ascended to the training ground and spoke, “I find waiting for things to awaken tiresome, so I simply brought a cart along.”

While the lovers of Rass were angered by his attitude that doubted victory, the knights discreetly smiled, lowering their heads.

With the appearance of the warrior, the trembling in hands intensified.

Suppressing the incessant tremors with sheer force, Rass drew his sword, aiming it at the warrior.

In response, the warrior brandished his lance, attempting to counter him, creating a scene reminiscent of that day.

The location, the audience, it felt as if Rass was reliving the day he was defeated by the warrior.

Although not consciously aware of it, Rass, standing at a precarious distance just like that day, waited for the moment when the warrior would reveal a vulnerability within the lance’s reach.

Even though he lost that day, it was not due to a flawed strategy. It was Rass’s complacency and fragile heart fixated on the royal key.

This time, vowing not to be complacent regardless of what was thrown at him, Rass gradually advanced.

Intending to provoke the warrior’s attack, the passive attitude of Rass seemed to have already bored the warrior.

“Sigh…”

The warrior’s lance, accompanied by a deep sigh, gradually lowered.

On the face of the warrior, who seemed ready to yawn at any moment, there was no hint of tension as he aimed the lance downward.

‘Is this a trick to deceive and lull me into complacency?’

Even if it were a trick, it was a gamble worth trying. If the muscles were relaxed like that, it wouldn’t be easy for him to wield the lance with full force in one go.

With determination to break through any trap head-on, Rass rushed towards the warrior with his momentum and battle cry.

“aaargh!”

The thunderous roar echoed as Rass’s sword, like an arrow, surged towards the warrior, raising a cloud of dust.

Only then did the warrior shake off his lethargy, aiming the lance at Rass, but everything seemed too late.

As he came closer, there wasn’t enough distance to gather strength for either parrying or thrusting with the lance.

Amidst the increasingly triumphant voice, the warrior’s lance began to shine.

– Clang!

When that light transformed into a peculiar form never seen before, Rass’s body was soaring through the sky with a roar.

Without a moment to comprehend the situation, an unfamiliar pain, neither experienced nor anticipated, engulfed his body.

It hurts.

A pitiful groan, born of despair that couldn’t be stopped by pride or honor, escaped from Rass’s throat.

“aaargh!!”

As Rass plummeted to the ground, expelling agonizing groans, the knight sternly spoke.

“Shut up!!!”

*****

Faced with the old commander’s devastating defeat, the knights collectively shouted in celebration, proclaiming him a hero.

While joyful for the victory, there was an uneasy feeling in celebrating so fervently.

“Why are these guys so happy?”

Was Rass really that unpopular?

Or perhaps, due to the recent displays of incompetence over the past few weeks, the little regard for him had completely vanished.

Even the knight who had asked on the first day if defending Rass was necessary now merely clicked his tongue at the sight of him.

“…When you asked for the cart on the first day, I wondered if it was necessary to go to such lengths. (Experience Points: 2)”

“Did I misjudge the strength?”

He had intended to cleanly knock him out, but instead, he needlessly inflicted pain.

Collapsed on the ground, Rass seemed unlikely to rise for at least a few hours.

Even if he had protected his body with mana, taking a direct hit from Gens Lance’s bombardment was not an easy feat.

Pulling out teeth and nails would turn a lion or bear into a cute puppy?

No. Even without teeth and nails, they remained dangerous predators.

Regardless of how much he adjusted the power, Gens Lance remained a formidable weapon.

“Now what, is it over?”

“Well, um… (Experience Points: 2)”

While looking at Rass who still couldn’t control his body, the knight nodded.

“We’ve taken care of your belongings. We’ve prepared spare clothes, so go check them out. (Experience Points: 2)”

“Thanks. Well, let’s carry this guy first…”

As we turned our heads to carry Rass, we were soon speechless at the scene before us.

Rass, who had clearly fainted, was cautiously getting up with a sword in hand.

“R-Rass-nim!! It’s too much!! (Experience Points: 4)”

His cronies beside him tried to dissuade him, but only for a moment. As he gestured, they immediately descended to the training ground with expressions that seemed like they would cry at any moment.

“…You could have shot harder. (Experience Points: 2)”

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The knights’ expressions darkened as they observed the lecherous scoundrels clinging to Lars.

It was more an emotion akin to jealousy than pity, and frankly, it wasn’t very relatable.

What’s so great about being supported by a bunch of rags with a combined experience count of 11, neither virgins nor anything special?

“It’s hard to understand the lack of empathy in their mindset.”

“Hey, Sir… I can still, um, stand. Come on, one more time!! (Experience count: 17)”

– Bang!

Along with a slightly smaller gunshot than before, a bullet imbued with divine power grazed Lars’s head.

In my heart, I wanted to blow his head off, but my conscience was too soft to kill someone just because they were persistent.

As Lars fell, blood trickling down his forehead, I addressed the knights standing in front of the training ground, achieving growth.

“It’s over now! Disperse, disperse.”

The knights started dispersing with disappointed faces.

As we approached the fallen Lars to put him on the carriage without further delay, his scoundrels blocked our way.

“…We will take Lord Lars with us. (Experience count: 4)”

“Do as you please.”

Truth be told, I didn’t want to touch him myself, so if they were willing to move him, I was grateful.

As we rode towards the main gate on Bardell’s back, surprisingly, Penny, whom I thought would still be lazing around, had arrived first and was waiting for us.

“…. (Experience count: 1)”

Turning toward us, Penny’s gaze stopped at the fallen Lars, and she asked me in a low voice.

“Why is Lars unconscious? (Experience count: 1)”

“Ah, I knocked him out.”

“…I see. (Experience count: 1)”

With a cold voice devoid of any emotion, Penny turned her head and mounted her horse, perplexing everyone with an indelible sense of humiliation.

Amidst the confusion, the castle gate began to open.