My Lord Who Is Being Prudent! [EN]: Chapter 175

§ 175 – Growth (2)

A silence fell, and no one dared to speak.

Cyan stared blankly at the scene before him.

Alber was slumped on the ground, a scar behind him as if a giant beast had clawed at the earth.

Krrrrrr…!

The training grounds were collapsing and crumbling in real time.

It was a truly awe-inspiring display of power.

“Why is this…?”

Cyan couldn’t understand what was happening.

He hadn’t used the Asura Sky Severance [a powerful sword technique] just now.

He had simply imbued his sword with his magical power and swung it.

But what was this scene unfolding before him…?

Kwarrrr…!

It was as if he had unleashed the Asura Sky Severance.

The Royal Knights and Ruben’s soldiers, who had been sparring nearby, all stared in astonishment.

“…What is going on?”

Cyan was genuinely puzzled.

Of course, he had a guess.

It had to be the power residing within the elixir.

It seemed that his magical power had increased dramatically after absorbing that power.

‘Is it really this potent?’

But even so, this was too much.

The elixir’s power was immense, but he hadn’t fully absorbed it.

Yet, the power he had unleashed was this great…

‘Could it be because of the Soul Control Technique’s progress rate?’

That was the only explanation.

Along with consuming the elixir, the progress rate of the Soul Control Technique [a method of controlling magic and aura] had also increased significantly.

The Soul Control Technique was the fundamental method of handling magic and Kyle’s Aura cultivation technique.

It seemed that as the progress rate increased, the efficiency of handling magical power had also greatly improved.

In other words, the power that could be produced with the same amount of magical power had increased dramatically.

‘Even so…’

But there were limits to everything.

It shouldn’t show such a tremendous difference.

Such an Aura cultivation technique didn’t exist anywhere on the continent.

Was this truly the fundamental method of handling magic?

Was it the Aura cultivation technique of Kyle, the strongest Arnaise [a legendary figure]?

“Crazy…”

It possessed unbelievable, unimaginable performance.

In any case, he had absorbed the elixir’s magical power.

And the progress rate of the Soul Control Technique had increased.

“Y-Your Lordship… w-win…”

As a result, the Royal Knights were no match for him.

Even an Expert-level knight couldn’t withstand more than a few exchanges.

“Ah… um… ahem, that was a good… sparring session.”

Cyan cleared his throat and said to Alber, who was slumped on the ground.

Alber looked up at Cyan.

“…”

Alber couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

#

The sparring session was temporarily canceled due to the collapsed training grounds.

Cyan immediately made repairs using his smartphone, but it would take about a day to restore it.

Of course, he could use an instant completion ticket to finish it right away.

[Instant Repair Ticket] – 20,000G

It seemed a bit much to spend 20,000 gold just for a single day.

But he couldn’t just stop the sparring like this.

So, he decided to move the location to the Knight Training Center instead.

And so, they arrived at the Knight Training Center in Ruben.

Clang!

Clang—!

The sound of swords clashing against each other echoed continuously.

The Royal Knights and Ruben’s soldiers were engaged in sparring, wielding their weapons.

“Your posture becomes unstable when you swing your sword. Focus more on your lower body.”

“You possess considerable strength, but you are not controlling it well. Concentrate more.”

And as expected.

The Royal Knights were mainly teaching the soldiers and knights of Ruben.

This was a natural result, given the difference in skill levels.

The Royal Knights had an entry requirement of Sword Expert or higher.

On the other hand, the soldiers and knights of Ruben did not.

The soldiers were only at the quasi-knight level.

And only a few of the knights had reached the Expert level.

Of course, even that was an impressive level, but it was still lacking compared to the Royal Knights.

What allowed them to stand against the White Wolf Knights was Kendrick and Leia.

And the magical support from the Dark Elves.

And the cash shop items like S-rank equipment.

Simply comparing their skill levels, they were lacking.

Therefore, this sparring session was an immense source of nourishment for Ruben.

Of course, it was unrealistic to expect significant growth from just this one session.

It was only a one-time event.

The amount that could be learned from a single sparring session was limited.

But.

Clang—!

Clang!

“W-What is this…?”

“Are you the same person from just now?”

Ruben was… a slightly different story.

It was due to the growth buff placed on the Ruben territory.

The buff was amplified as all the facilities were upgraded to Lv.7.

And in addition to that.

[Enhancement Effect 1] (+6) – Soldier growth efficiency in the territory increases by +7,000%!

[Enhancement Effect 2] (+6) – Knight training efficiency in the territory increases by +7,000%!

.

.

By enhancing the Arnaise special, , a growth buff was added.

Due to the events in the north and Elan Dur’s relief efforts.

The accumulated Fame Points amounted to a whopping 130,000 points.

The special buff could be enhanced 13 times, and the points were worth a staggering 13 million gold.

He hadn’t been able to use them due to the maintenance, but now that the maintenance was over.

He could use the Fame Point Shop.

So, before the friendly sparring session, Cyan enhanced [Effect 1] and [Effect 2] five times each using Fame Points.

That was 100,000 points.

In other words, 10 million gold’s worth of karma had disappeared, but.

《Enhancement Complete!!》

The Mobile Lord didn’t particularly freak out.

It seemed that 10 million gold wasn’t enough to faze him anymore.

He had expected this, so he didn’t pay much attention to it.

However, he wondered if this would accumulate mileage, but…

Ding!

《If you want to accumulate mileage, try spending real money!》

Fame Points did not accumulate as mileage.

“…Damn it.”

He felt a pang of bitterness for no reason.

Well, anyway.

“H-Hey, didn’t I just teach you that?”

“You’re copying it in one go?”

The soldiers and knights, covered in various buffs, were growing at an explosive rate.

It wasn’t a joke; the speed of their growth was visible to the naked eye.

Perhaps that was why.

“What a waste…”

Cyan couldn’t shake off the feeling of wastefulness.

He wasn’t talking about the 100,000 Fame Points.

He was talking about this educational opportunity disguised as sparring.

It was a shame that this would end after just this one session.

To be honest, opportunities to learn from the Royal Knights were rare.

No, it was more accurate to say that they didn’t exist at all.

The Royal Knights were a knight order that guarded the Imperial Family.

Where else would one have the chance to learn from such knights?

If Conrad and Elena hadn’t come to Ruben, it would have been an impossible dream.

And Conrad and Elena would soon be leaving.

Accordingly, the Royal Knights would also be leaving.

So, he had to extract as much as he could while he had the chance.

He wanted to make them spar all night long, if he could.

To put it more bluntly, he wanted to turn them into practice dummies.

But the Royal Knights had the duty of escorting Conrad and Elena, so that was impossible.

Escorting the Imperial Family was the duty of the Royal Knights.

Even though they were in Ruben, they couldn’t neglect that duty.

The current sparring was taking place during the breaks between shifts.

They were using their rest time to do it.

Naturally, the number of knights participating was limited.

Including the Royal Knights who were learning from Kendrick…

In reality, not many Royal Knights were taking the time to spar.

Because of that, there were more soldiers and knights waiting than those actually sparring.

That’s why.

“What a waste… such a waste…”

The feeling of wastefulness wouldn’t leave Cyan’s mind.

If all the Royal Knights were engaged in sparring.

If he could turn all the Royal Knights into practice dummies for Ruben.

Ruben’s combat power would increase dramatically.

But unfortunately, that wasn’t possible.

So, he wondered if there was anything he could do, when suddenly.

“Ah!”

A thought flashed through his mind.

Come to think of it…

‘We’re not the only ones who feel it’s a waste.’

After finishing his thought, Cyan immediately went to find Philip.

Philip was, as expected, where Kendrick was.

And it seemed that he had just finished sparring with Kendrick, as Philip’s entire body was drenched in sweat.

“Sir Philip.”

“…Ah. Count Cyan. Have you arrived?”

Philip replied, slightly surprised, as Cyan approached.

It seemed that he hadn’t even noticed Cyan approaching.

“How was it?”

“It was truly… amazing.”

Philip replied in a voice filled with admiration.

It seemed that he had learned a lot from sparring with Kendrick.

Sparring with a Master-level knight.

Well, Cyan had also sparred with Kendrick.

So, he could understand how he felt to some extent.

If that’s how Cyan felt, then what about a mid-Master?

In the first place, opportunities for a mid-Master to learn from someone were rare.

No, it was more accurate to say that they didn’t exist at all.

And the ever-changing nature that only Death Knights could display.

That wasn’t something that could be experienced anywhere else.

“If I could… I would want to continue learning from him.”

Therefore, the regret that Philip felt was even more profound.

Seeing Philip’s expression, Cyan grinned.

That meant that Philip felt the same way as Cyan.

“That’s why.”

Cyan cautiously broached the subject with Philip.

#

“A sparring match between the Royal Knights and Ruben’s knights?”

‘Restaurant of Dreams Lv.7′ located in Ruben.

At Cyan’s words, Conrad put down the fork he was holding.

And Elena also widened her eyes and looked at Cyan.

Next to Conrad and Elena were stacks of plates.

It was impossible to tell how many dishes they had eaten.

-A sparring match?

Leia tilted her head and asked.

As if receiving Leia’s question, Conrad asked again.

“I know that you are already having friendly sparring sessions. What do you mean by a sparring match…?”

Cyan nodded once and replied.

“It’s a sparring session where you bet something. The content of the bet is the right to spar…? Should I say it that way? The winning side gives the losing side the right to request a sparring session at any time.”

“Hmm…”

At Cyan’s explanation, Conrad paused for a moment to think.

“So, you’re saying that the losing side becomes the other side’s practice tool?”

“Uh…”

Cyan was momentarily speechless at Conrad’s words.

To be honest, he wasn’t wrong.

No, that was exactly what he intended.

“At any time?”

“At any time. To be precise, it’s only while Your Highness and the Princess are staying in Ruben.”

“Hmm…”

Cyan’s Conrad paused once again to think.

And this time, his contemplation was quite lengthy.

“However, Your Highness. If that is the case, it will interfere with the escort of Your Highness and the Princess.”

At that moment, an unfamiliar voice was heard from one side.

He looked over there.

There was Yale, the current commander of the Royal Knights’ 2nd Division.

And as Yale said, if they became practice partners under the above conditions, all the Royal Knights would have to step forward.

Then, they would inevitably neglect their escort duties.

No, it was more accurate to say that they almost couldn’t do it.

But.

“Are you perhaps thinking of losing?”

That was only something that would happen under the assumption that they would lose.

Yale didn’t say anything at Conrad’s words.

Of course, it was true that Ruben’s combat power was unexpectedly outstanding.

Even if all the Royal Knights confronted Ruben, it was clear that they would be pushed back.

But that was only Ruben’s overall combat power.

When it came to individual combat power, it wasn’t the same.

Especially when limited to ‘knights’.

And sparring was a place to compare such individual combat power.

More than anything.

“Yale, are you not thinking?”

It wasn’t that Yale didn’t have any thoughts about the sparring session.

No, he was so interested that he had been thinking about it all along.

It was natural for a knight to dream of reaching a higher level.

But to be able to spar with Kendrick whenever he needed to?

“…”

To be honest, it was a difficult offer to refuse.

Yale unknowingly looked at Conrad with sparkling eyes.

Seeing Yale’s expression, Conrad chuckled without realizing it.

Yale had been a knight with him since Conrad was appointed as the Crown Prince.

A taciturn and cold knight, but one who was faithful to his assigned duties.

Such Yale was looking at Conrad with expectant eyes.

It was like a child looking at a wrapped gift.

Conrad chuckled once again.

Well… the reason for coming to Ruben was, after all, a vacation.

So, it wouldn’t be bad for the Royal Knights who followed him to enjoy something similar to a vacation.

More than anything.

“Good. Then let’s start right away.”

Conrad didn’t think that the Royal Knights would lose.

#

And so, the sparring match between Ruben and the Royal Knights was established.

“What? The knights of Ruben and the Royal Knights are having a friendly duel?”

“Right now?”

News related to this spread rapidly throughout Ruben.

“What are you doing! If you’re late, there won’t be any seats left!”

And the territory residents who heard the news rushed to the sparring grounds.

However, not all territory residents were like that.

“Hah, but I have work to do right now…”

“I have to finish my work now…”

These were the territory residents who had a backlog of work.

They couldn’t just abandon their work and run off.

As such, they had no choice but to lower their heads in disappointment.

Just then.

“Breaking news! The Lord has given special permission! It’s okay to rest today!”

“What? The Lord?”

“That’s right! So hurry up and run!”

In that way, all the territory residents of Ruben gathered in an instant.

The sparring grounds were truly packed with people.

“Here! Take the various foods made by Dana!”

“We also have special beer made by our dwarf friends!”

“If you can’t see well, try using the telescope we made! It’s amazing!”

The bustling scenery of Ruben.

An unexpected festival was being held in Ruben.

In such a noisy sparring ground.

Cyan waited for the sparring session to begin.

The method of the sparring match was simple.

Best of 5.

A method of selecting 5 representatives from each level and competing to determine the winner.

He also considered a tournament method to select the winner, but he quickly dismissed it.

It was obvious that Kendrick would win.

And it would take a long time.

So, they selected 5 people from each camp by level.

The side that won 3 matches first would be the winner.

So, for the first match of the sparring match.

“You have to do well, Jackson. Got it?”

“Leave it to me!!”

Cyan nodded at the sight of Jackson, a soldier from Ruben, answering energetically.

“Win, Jackson!”

“If you come back having lost, you’ll get nothing!”

Following that, cheers from the soldiers and territory residents of Ruben were heard.

Jackson went up to the sparring grounds, receiving all the support.

And Jackson’s opponent.

“Go and show the pride of the Royal Knights.”

“If you lose, I’ll show you what hell training is like.”

It was Jerim, a knight who was undergoing an apprenticeship under the Royal Knights.

He wasn’t yet skilled enough to join the Royal Knights.

But he was a knight with outstanding talent who was training as an apprentice.

Of course, even if he was an apprentice, he was still a knight.

Moreover, if he was an apprentice of the Royal Knights, he was no match for an ordinary soldier.

But Jackson wasn’t an ordinary soldier; he was a soldier of Ruben.

A soldier who had reached the level of a quasi-knight, not just an ordinary soldier.

And Jackson was the elite among those soldiers of Ruben.

A battle between the strongest apprentice knight and the strongest soldier.

It wasn’t an impossible match.

And if Jackson won, the victory would practically tilt towards Ruben.

That was because Kendrick would be participating in one of the 5 matches.

Of course, Kendrick’s opponent was the commander of the Royal Knights, but…

What did it matter?

In fact, it was as good as securing one win.

So, they only needed to win 2 out of the remaining 4 matches to win.

“Jackson! Do well!”

Cyan shouted towards Jackson, who was on the sparring grounds.

-Are you both ready?

Leia was the referee for the sparring session.

Originally, Leia also wanted to participate, but this was, after all, a sparring session between knights.

More than anything, it wouldn’t be balanced for Leia to participate while Kendrick was participating.

So, Leia became the referee, and at the same time as Leia’s words, the voices cheering for each camp filled the arena.

Amidst the rising heat.

-Start!

The first match of the sparring match began.

The result was…

“I-I’m sorry!”

Unfortunately, Jackson lost.