Chapter 15
Translator - Zofu
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The energy that had been lying dormant in his heart quietly began to stir.
Slowly seeping out, it moved through every corner of his body under its master's guidance. After cycling through several times, the energy settled back into his heart. Yet traces of faint energy remained from head to toe.
Only after confirming that did Si-woo open his eyes.
"...So it really is mana."
"Wait, how did you... manage mana..."
Hildear looked at him with a mix of reluctance and disbelief.
But Si-woo had nothing to say for himself. He was just as bewildered.
He'd desperately hoped to awaken his mana, but never in his wildest dreams imagined it would happen this way. Honestly, it still didn't feel real.
He could only deduce that his experience handling mana countless times in the first round, combined with the energy that had entered his body, had been the trigger. Especially since he couldn't tell anyone about the former, it would seem even more absurd from others' perspectives.
"Well, whatever. It's a good thing, right?"
"G-good... It's good... Hmm, that is true, but..."
Hildear's feelings were complicated.
She couldn't feel purely happy about Si-woo awakening his mana. After all, it was a monstrous talent to awaken mana just two days after being summoned, and on top of that, his lower half was excellent too.
Though they were controlling the information as much as possible, rumors—more accurately, information—would likely spread within a week. Such was the reality of a weak nation, unable to easily conceal even what happened within the royal palace.
She had imagined Si-woo reaching heights no hero had ever achieved, but now that it was happening before her eyes, she felt anxious. Did she have the right to follow him? And the ability?
'I need... I need to get stronger.'
"Um, Sir Si-woo?"
"What?"
"I apologize for asking this, but... could you postpone my first experience a bit longer?"
"Huh?"
At those sudden words, Si-woo stared at Hildear with widened eyes.
The blue-haired female knight stood beside him, half-bowing.
At her serious expression, Si-woo shut his mouth. A determination flowed from her that made him hesitate to even ask for the reason. He didn't know what circumstances drove her, but he didn't want to coldly reject a woman's request just for the sake of lust.
"Alright. I don't know what you're planning, but I'll support you."
"...Thank you."
Hildear, who had hesitated slightly, was about to step back but opened her mouth again as she looked at Si-woo.
"Th-that is... I want to give you my virginity after I've grown stronger, Sir Si-woo."
"Suddenly?"
"A woman's virginity—the stronger the woman is when she loses it, the more energy she can transfer to the man."
"Hmm."
An unexpected fact. But thinking about it, since yin energy accumulates in the womb, it made sense that it would grow stronger as the woman did.
"And while it's not yet a confirmed theory, there's a hypothesis that the more yin energy a woman transfers, the higher her compatibility with that man becomes."
"S-so, if I do it with Hilde when you've reached a higher realm. The efficiency is better when I inject my semen... something like that?"
"Yes, exactly."
Si-woo thought he was pretty impressive for understanding this right away. It seemed he was getting quite accustomed to this confusing and dizzying reversed world.
"And if there's one more advantage..."
Hildear hesitated to continue.
He somehow knew what she was reluctant to say. Probably—no, definitely—related to the third value of virginity. He'd heard about this from Queen Sharperia last night as well.
"That the effect is even better."
"...Yes."
Letting out a deep sigh, Si-woo recalled last night's events.
After the sex that took the queen's virginity, he awakened his mana while receiving a blessing that restored his vitality. Both the queen and the person involved were flustered when Si-woo suddenly said he'd awakened, but verifying it immediately was difficult.
Even though he actually knew what mana was, that was a secret from his first round. If he said he knew, they'd just ask how, so he suggested confirming it later and enjoyed the rest of the night with her.
Though not until dawn broke, the two spent a passionate, heated night that left the blanket and bedsheets soaked until the early morning.
At some point, Si-woo was even confident the queen had definitely become pregnant.
Normally, going at it this much would have been impossible, but the queen's continuous vitality-restoration blessing and the increased stamina from awakening his mana made it possible.
In the end, they didn't get up until a little past noon.
'Before falling asleep, Sharperia gathered up the sheets.'
In a half-asleep state, Si-woo asked her why she was doing something the maids could handle.
"Did I tell you about the third one?"
"......?"
"A virgin's blood—or blood-stained sheets—make excellent reagents."
"......."
Materials for artifacts, and various other tools that can be made through thaumaturgy.
That was what Sharperia meant. A strong person's virginity held that much diverse value. The problem was that there were almost no men capable of taking such virginity, but if possible, it was greatly beneficial in many ways.
"Hilde."
"Yes?"
"Were you disappointed yesterday?"
"Disappointed...?"
Hildear tilted her head. At her attitude of "what would I be disappointed about?", Si-woo smiled bitterly.
"If you're fine, then it's okay."
"Sir Si-woo."
"Yeah."
"You will become our kingdom's—no, the continent's hope. Frankly, even if you went around ravishing every woman in the royal palace, we would still welcome it. And... if you become a higher-rank hero..."
"......."
She didn't finish her sentence. Si-woo understood perfectly well anyway.
An unidentified regression or movement to a parallel world. It had instantly reversed his position as a low-ranking hero who had spent over ten years scraping the bottom. Now that he had talent and power in his grasp, his future actions were also important.
'With great power comes great responsibility... well, not exactly. But still, I need to prepare for the future.'
He planned to live diligently, at least until he completely prevented the apocalypse.
"Hilde. Then tonight will be tough?"
"Yes, but if you wish, I can attend to you..."
"Then it's fine. You need to come with me tomorrow, so rest well."
"Understood."
Hildear glanced around and took a step closer to Si-woo.
"At that Hero Training Institute, there's something called a Party Formation Ceremony."
"Yeah. I know... ah, really?"
He had been about to say he knew, but belatedly pretended ignorance. He couldn't answer hastily when he hadn't heard it from anyone yet, and there might be something different about this world.
And his guess was right.
"There's a tradition there where the hero who leads the party injects his semen into the wombs of his party members."
"...That's... a tradition...?"
"Yes, an ancient tradition."
"Ah, I see...."
"Not everyone does it. Depending on how many heroes there are, usually only the top three are the limit. After all, there's not enough time to show everyone."
"Show everyone? What kind of talk is that? Show them?"
Si-woo had to question whether he'd heard correctly. They weren't just gathering for an orgy, but had to show someone. It was absurd to call that a tradition.
"The Party Formation Ceremony is a kind of graduation ceremony for the institute. It happens once every six months, and important guests from each continent attend. It's a huge event."
"...That's really amazing."
"Pardon?"
"It's nothing. So what you're saying is... at that time, you want me to take your virginity?"
Why had Hildear suddenly brought this up? It was obvious.
The timeframe was quite generous. Raising her realm within six months might be unreasonable, but Hildear was a talented female knight, and the Hero Training Institute surely had education for party members. So it was entirely possible.
"Hehe, th-that, is that okay?"
"It's not that you can't, but..."
Though not everyone, quite a few influential figures would attend, even with their busy schedules. And most would be women. To have sex in front of that many people...
'...Does it really matter?'
It might be annoying if men were watching, but since there would be more women, it seemed fine.
Si-woo nodded.
"Fine. But what exactly does injecting semen into the womb mean? Are you talking about sex, or just..."
"You don't need to set a romantic mood or anything. ...If, if Sir Si-woo wants... I don't mind, though."
At her bashful smile, Si-woo thought that might not be so bad either.
"Got it. Then let's do it that way."
"Yes!"
After that, Hildear left happily to train. Her diligence was admirable, but Si-woo, who had no plans afterward, felt a bit disappointed.
His schedule at the royal palace was utterly leisurely. Yesterday he'd spent the whole morning on physical training and meditation under the pretext of awakening his mana, but today there was no need for that.
He could train with Hildear, but his body was too exhausted. Even with a newly awakened mana body, having his semen sucked all night made it hard to be in perfect condition.
'In that regard, Sharperia, who carries out her official duties looking perfectly fine, is truly amazing.'
Si-woo decided to take a light stroll and headed to the royal gardens.
Normally, even high-ranking nobles couldn't enter freely, but under the queen's special decree, there was virtually nowhere he couldn't go. If he wanted, he could march straight into the queen's bedroom.
However, his garden stroll didn't last long.
"Ah...."
Because he spotted Guk-seo and the noble husbands having a tea party in the middle of the garden.
'Let's go back.'
In normal circumstances, mingling with them wouldn't be bad for building rapport, but he didn't feel like it. He might end up having relations with some of their wives depending on the situation—was there any need to get friendly?
"Not really..."
His footsteps almost stopped in that instant.
Because his eyes met the pot-bellied Guk-seo's, despite the considerable distance.
"......."
Guk-seo looked at him with a complicated, subtle gaze, then sharply turned his head away.
'So he doesn't exactly not love Sharperia.'
Si-woo thought that if that weren't the case, he would never have such an expression.
A hero candidate who appeared like a miracle, when he himself had no libido or stamina to satisfy his beloved wife. The king was in a position where he had to do anything to hold onto him, and he must have patriotism as well.
'So he knows his own incompetence and left the queen position to Sharperia.'
If he were a king who didn't know his own incompetence, that would be even more troublesome.
He felt sorry for the king, but that didn't change the facts.
'Sharperia is already mine. Hmm, he seems to care for his wife, but Sharperia... Ah. That's hot.'
He felt no guilt. It was all his own fault anyway.
Avoiding relations because he couldn't satisfy his wife, and gallivanting with other men under the pretext of letting her work comfortably and freely. It was just Si-woo's thought based on the first round, but it wasn't far from the truth.
"...I should tell Sharperia I'm coming again tonight."
Si-woo turned away without hesitation.
And that night too, the queen's bedroom lights didn't go out until dawn.
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