Chapter 9
Translator - Zofu
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"The training ground?"
Queen Sharperia asked in response to the head maid's incomprehensible words.
"Yes, he is currently meditating at the training ground."
"Meditation... Surely not to awaken his mana?"
"Given that he began meditating after about an hour of physical training, that seems to be the case."
"...How can he be so incredibly impressive."
Sharperia smiled pleasantly and set down the pen she was holding.
She was already swamped with stressful matters, so this was the first satisfying news she'd heard about a hero in ages. No, not just satisfying—if things went well, a single hero could make the entire nation prosperous. That was what male heroes were in this world.
If an SS-rank hero were to emerge, even the Empire wouldn't be able to ignore their nation. It was a slightly absurd thought, but Sharperia was even considering that possibility.
Though there were only four SS-rank heroes in the entire world, and none of them were male, somehow it felt possible with him. The second male SS-rank hero in history.
"In a way, we should be grateful to Sir Hildear. Don't you think?"
"That does seem to be the case, though it was likely coincidental..."
"Coincidence is also a skill. Yes. But did you say they spent the night together?"
"That is not entirely certain. It is true that Sir Hildear slept in Si-woo hero candidate's room, but it is presumed he simply slept alone, so to speak."
The queen nodded at those words.
It couldn't be helped. Hildear was a talented and skilled knight who had joined the Royal Guard at a young age. And though the Kingdom of Palania was a small nation, the Royal Guard's standards were no different from those of other countries.
Senior Expert.
No matter how impressive a man from another dimension might be, without mana, he couldn't break through the maiden barrier of a female knight aiming for the rank of Master in the future. That much was clear from how diligently he was already working to awaken his mana.
"Si-woo candidate seems quite fond of women, doesn't he?"
"Yes, that is typical of heroes. If I may add my personal opinion, he seems to... like them much more than most others."
"Someone of Si-woo candidate's caliber can afford to. Who could dislike a capable man?"
"That is very true."
And it wasn't just about capability. He was fairly handsome as well.
Though there were plenty of men more handsome than Si-woo, most women would refuse a man who couldn't break through the maiden barrier of the one they loved. At least, that was how women were in this world.
"Come to think of it, Jung-kyung candidate was also quite eager, how is he?"
"Regarding Kim Jung-kyung hero candidate..."
"What about him?"
"...He doesn't seem usable even as a semen donor."
"Aah, I see."
Sharperia let out a deep sigh.
Currently, there were very few heroes belonging to the Kingdom of Palania. The highest rank was only B-rank. As a result, information about heroes was relatively scarce.
Thus, after hearing Geum Tae-yang Kim Jung-kyung's words and investigating belatedly, it turned out that some heroes also suffered from similar issues. Their genitals would shrink, or there would be abnormalities with their semen.
Normally, such conditions appeared only after several years post-summoning, but Kim Jung-kyung seemed exceptionally unlucky.
"Somehow it makes me angry. So in the end, there's nothing salvageable except for Si-woo candidate."
"I am sorry to say this, but..."
"I know. It means Si-woo candidate isn't completely on our side yet either. Ha."
It was endlessly frustrating.
Whenever heroes were involved, stress just kept piling up and irritation grew.
Probably until they had a proper hero force, until Si-woo was completely secured, this pattern would continue. It was the intuition of a queen and ability holder.
"Right... By the way, how is the new semen donor?"
"This one is providing a decent amount of semen. In fact, he seems much better than Kim Jung-kyung hero candidate. However, he is quite stubborn... so he will likely struggle with the hero exam."
"I see. What a shame. Even low-rank heroes are better when you have more of them."
"Indeed. Judging by his personality, even if he became a hero, he likely wouldn't have left our kingdom."
"Well, he's already a missed opportunity, so there's no use in regretting it."
Though her furrowed brow seemed to say otherwise, the head maid held her tongue. A maid's duty was not to upset her mistress. Mentioning unchangeable circumstances would make her a foolish maid.
A brief silence fell, and Sharperia lowered her gaze to the document she had been signing. It was a gate approval form that needed to be completed to send the two hero candidates to the hero training facility in two days.
"Two days... just two days."
The queen's expression, which had been somewhat lighthearted, turned infinitely grave.
"Count Persha."
"Yes, Your Majesty Queen Sharperia."
"How can we perfectly secure Si-woo candidate?"
"In my view, while no method can guarantee perfect success, if we look at the most promising approach, it would be women."
"...To that extent?"
"Yes."
"Wow..."
Admiration spilled from her open mouth.
She never imagined it was to that degree. She had met him just this morning for breakfast, and again at lunch. But she hadn't gotten the impression that Si-woo liked women that much.
Perhaps it was thanks to his refined and sophisticated manners, the origins of which were unknown. His cultured speech and eloquence, which could rival most nobles, must have also played a part.
Nevertheless, if it was the head maid Count Persha speaking, it was trustworthy. She was so competent that there was a saying that all information in the palace flowed through her. Her skill in becoming head maid while only in her forties was no small feat.
"There may be even more. We still have limitations in gathering information. But his libido certainly seems abundant. According to a knight who trained with him at the training ground, his genitals rarely subsided while they were together."
"That is truly remarkable."
"And according to Sir Hildear..."
The head maid hesitated. Since she hadn't seen it herself, she couldn't easily speak of it. Not that she thought Hildear was lying, but it was so unbelievable she was unsure whether to tell the queen.
"Speak. It's fine."
"Twenty... centimeters..."
"...Huh? Twenty centimeters? Surely not his height, and not his foot size either... then...?"
"...Yes. The length of his genitals is twenty centimeters, he says."
"Ha... That's insane. He looked quite large even from the outside, but twenty centimeters?"
The queen's head spun.
This was no ordinary serious matter. If this information got out, every nation would want him. The problem was that it couldn't be hidden. No nation lacked an informant at the hero training facility. It would obviously be discovered within a week.
"Th-the length alone is beyond shocking..."
"According to Sir Hildear, all factors seem guaranteed to be at least S-rank..."
"All factors, at least S-rank. Ha. Haha. Right... I severely underestimated Si-woo..."
A hollow laugh escaped her lips.
A monstrous twenty-centimeter cock. Just hearing about it made her mouth water and her lower abdomen throb.
The libido she had suppressed for so long was bubbling up. When was the last time she had been with her husband? She couldn't even remember.
He couldn't even perform his marital duties properly and kept trying to avoid her, which annoyed her so much she stopped visiting him for a while, and that had already been over ten years.
Yet she couldn't bring herself to go to him first—it would hurt her pride. Others told her that as a woman, she should be patient and submit to a precious man, but she didn't want to do that.
"What is he doing?"
"...His Majesty the King is currently enjoying tea time with noble husbands."
"Tea time? At this important time?"
"Th-that is..."
"Has he invited the hero candidates?"
"Ah, he has not..."
"That damn bastard husband."
The queen's face darkened.
She was already angry that she had married an aged royal male because he was born with a strong blessing, and now she had been burdened with the queenship as well. Thanks to that, she was swamped with work while he was busy playing around with men.
'Shouldn't he at least invite the candidates? They're both men, and he's a man too. Can't he even do that much?'
Grinding her teeth as she suppressed her anger, Sharperia was flustered as the head maid tried to soothe her.
"Th-they probably both refused. They refused even when His Highness the Prince invited them to other gatherings. Both of them."
"...Ha. Right, they did say they don't particularly like being crowded with men from other dimensions."
"They said their personalities didn't match well, but it amounts to the same thing."
"Right. I see..."
The queen bowed her head and began pondering something deeply.
Her anger seemed to have subsided, so it didn't appear to be about the king; it seemed to be about the two hero candidates they had been discussing. Then it must be about how to secure Si-woo hero candidate, and the head maid began contemplating the same thing.
After spending ten precious minutes, Sharperia finally spoke.
"...Count Persha."
"Yes, Your Majesty Queen Sharperia."
"Si-woo candidate... what would be the acceptable range?"
"...Pardon?"
At that sudden question, the head maid felt cold sweat run down her back.
Usually, the best way to secure a hero was to give him what he desired most, and if that was women, marriage to royalty was the norm. As it happened, the princess was three years younger than Si-woo.
But discussing an acceptable range implied a significant age gap. There was no need to bring in a distant royal relative with an age difference when there was a suitable-aged princess. It was obvious who the queen was hinting at.
"Y-you don't mean... Your Majesty?"
"What. Why."
"......."
"Surely you don't think I'm doing this to satisfy personal desires?"
"Th-that would be unthinkable."
"Right, correct. It couldn't be personal."
"B-but since there is a princess, why..."
"Count Persha."
The head maid saw the woman's eyes looking infinitely serious. It didn't seem personal, but she couldn't be certain. Queen Sharperia was someone who could easily hide her true feelings.
"We must secure Si-woo by any means necessary. Right?"
"Th-that is true, but..."
"Right. By any means necessary."
"...Ah, y-you don't mean... Your Majesty?"
"If you think about it in reverse, it's simple. Mother and daughter. Isn't that a truly wonderful combination? If you don't know which one he'll prefer, you just prepare both."
Watching Queen Sharperia smile brightly, the head maid couldn't say a word.
It wasn't because it was absurd. There was no need to think in reverse. As the palace's foremost information broker, she knew that in other dimensions, this was called mother-daughter bowl, and most male heroes loved it.
She didn't know if it was truly without personal desire, but to her, this seemed possible. Truly.
Because the queen was....
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