My Lord Who Is Being Prudent! [EN]: Chapter 193

193. Overture and Finale (2)

The contemplation regarding logging in the Dark Forest continued for a long time.

However, Cian ultimately shook his head.

That was because logging in the Dark Forest was not something that could be done easily.

Frankly, it was less about logging and more about pointless suffering.

It required the power of the Elixir, of course, and the extreme – Asura Heavenly Slaughter [a powerful, self-destructive technique].

And he had to draw the power of Megingjörð [his magical belt that enhances strength] to its maximum.

Doing so would inevitably rupture all the muscles in his body.

Just like when he blew away the ogres the other day.

Well, he had trained since then, so it wouldn’t be as bad as that time.

Still, he couldn’t withstand the maximum output.

Then he would have to spend several days in the treatment center again.

But with the Crowd forces marching now.

No matter what, he couldn’t just lie down and receive treatment.

Moreover, some logging had already been done due to the previous incident.

So, the path to Ruben was roughly cleared.

Therefore, this was nothing more than pointless suffering.

Still, he couldn’t just stand idly by.

“I should just tell the soldiers to clean up the monsters around here.”

He decided to be satisfied with this much.

Surely the soldiers of the Count’s territory wouldn’t be taken out by monsters.

That couldn’t be.

It was better to give Count Crowd a reason he couldn’t give up.

“Hmm… I should give Remington some food.”

Cian strode away.

#

Time flew by quickly, and before they knew it, 3 days had passed.

“Time really… passed in an instant.”

“Indeed.”

The time for Conrad and Elena to leave was fast approaching.

The Royal Knights were lined up around Conrad.

They were each returning to their respective duties, forming a formation.

And although they pretended not to be, they were all unable to hide their feelings of regret.

Ruben and the Royal Knights.

They had unknowingly fostered friendship through countless sparring sessions.

They had also unknowingly fostered camaraderie while facing monsters together.

There were times when they blushed at each other.

But now, it was just a memory to reminisce about, saying, ‘Those were the days.’

Ruben, overflowing with warmth.

They had grown fond of their life in Ruben.

But they couldn’t stay forever.

They had to leave someday, so the Royal Knights were reorganizing their formation, suppressing their disappointment.

After they had finished preparing to leave to some extent.

“Please be careful on your way, Your Highness, and Princess.”

Cian approached where Conrad and Elena were.

Behind Cian, countless people were lined up.

The soldiers and knights of Ruben who had sparred countless times with the Royal Knights.

Dana and the people from the restaurant who always served delicious meals.

The residents of Ruben, including dwarves and dark elves.

And even Kendrick and Leah.

Everyone in Ruben had come out to see them off.

Looking at that sight, he felt even less like leaving.

However, Conrad suppressed that feeling and nodded lightly.

“Thank you for your hospitality.”

“It’s nothing. I am the one who is grateful for your help, Your Highness.”

Cian slowly lowered his head and responded to Conrad.

Then, he raised his head again and looked at Elena.

“······”

For some reason, Elena didn’t say anything special.

She simply lowered her gaze slightly with a dark expression.

“If we leave now… when will we be able to see each other again?”

Elena’s words came after a moment.

Cian didn’t know what to say.

As Elena said, he didn’t know when they would meet again.

Unless there was something special.

It was right to assume that they would hardly ever see each other like this again.

Elena was a princess, and Cian was just a lord of Ruben.

Therefore, this farewell was a considerable disappointment for Elena.

And Conrad watched Elena.

Conrad smiled and whispered to Elena.

“Can’t we see each other again at the investiture ceremony?”

Then Elena raised her eyes slightly.

“As soon as we return to the Imperial Palace, we will prepare for the investiture ceremony, so don’t be so sad, Elena.”

And when the formal investiture ceremony was held, Ruben would become an independent force.

Also, Cian, the lord of Ruben, would be no different from the head of a family.

By then, he had to decide on a crest to symbolize the family and a new surname to use.

Well, Cian would take care of it.

Elena’s dark expression brightened at Conrad’s whisper.

Conrad couldn’t help but smile at Elena’s appearance.

His sister, who had never been cute before.

Recently, she had been showing quite a cute side.

Even though it was because of Cian, not himself.

Conrad didn’t think the change was so bad.

Of course, he felt a little… resentful.

Because Cian was eating the dumplings that Elena made every day.

Was that why?

‘When Cian comes to the Imperial Palace for the investiture ceremony, I should have a three-way meeting with His Majesty.’

Conrad was planning to have a three-way meeting with Cian and the Emperor.

Elena was partly the reason, but…

There was another main reason.

‘150 million gold to recover the swordsmanship of Charlotte the Great…’

The swordsmanship of Charlotte the Great, the Zodiac Sword.

The 150 million gold needed to restore it.

Of course, Conrad would report to the Emperor as soon as he returned to the Imperial Palace.

But in terms of persuasion…

Frankly, Conrad wasn’t confident.

That’s because it was 150 million gold!

Even Conrad couldn’t easily persuade him.

He had to bring in a lot of the imperial family’s wealth and imperial assets.

Even then, would it be possible…? It was an enormous scale.

But he couldn’t just pass it over because this swordsmanship was the real deal.

Therefore, it was something he had to protect.

So Conrad was not going to give up.

So Conrad was going to subtly pass it on to Cian.

So he was going to get Cian’s help in persuading the Emperor.

The problem was that the Emperor might try to tear Cian limb from limb.

He didn’t tell Cian about this.

But well…

It’s not like my limbs are being torn apart anyway.

It wasn’t because he felt a little resentful as Elena’s brother.

It was definitely not because of revenge for being kicked out like this.

All of this was to recover the swordsmanship of Charlotte the Great.

Anyway.

Whether he knew Conrad’s thoughts or not.

“What are you thinking about, Your Highness?”

Cian asked, tilting his head.

“Hmm? Oh, it’s nothing.”

Conrad hurriedly shook his head to shake off his thoughts.

“Then we’ll leave right away. The longer we stay, the more regret we’ll have.”

Conrad cast his gaze behind Cian.

Then, he looked at Leah floating in the sky and slowly lowered his head.

“We’ll be on our way! Goodbye, Leah!”

-Okay! Goodbye!

Then Leah waved her hand greatly and responded.

With Leah’s greeting, Conrad slowly turned around.

Elena followed Conrad.

Then Yale and Philip followed Elena again.

Other Royal Knights followed.

“Be careful on your way!”

“Come visit again!!”

“You’ll have to be prepared when you come next time, Knights!”

The people of Ruben waved their hands at them as they left.

And it continued until the last Royal Knight disappeared into the darkness of the Dark Forest.

After all of them disappeared from sight, Cian slowly turned around.

Conrad and Elena’s visit had many incidents and accidents.

But the incidents and accidents in Ruben were not over yet.

The time left until the Crowd forces arrived was 2 days.

“Hey guys! Let’s clean up the monsters wandering around here while we’re out.”

It was not the time to rest leisurely.

#

The Charlotte Empire was divided into five districts, based on the Empire’s capital.

The East, bordering other kingdoms, including the Dark Forest.

The West, adjacent to the coast and a hub of commerce.

The barren North, confronting barbarians.

The South, with the continent’s largest granary.

Finally, the Center, where the Empire’s capital was located.

In fact, the Center had no special characteristics unlike other regions.

To be precise, it could be said that it had only one characteristic.

And that one characteristic overwhelmed everything.

It was none other than the core of the political world.

It was the region where the Imperial Palace, where the Emperor resided, was located.

It was the center from which the Empire could spread throughout the Empire.

Therefore, it was no exaggeration to say that the Empire’s political world flowed around the Center.

One of the two pillars supporting the Empire, the Rothschild family, was not in the Center for no reason.

However, Elandur was uniquely located in the East.

Therefore, it had a geographical vulnerability that inevitably distanced it from the political world.

But despite such a fatal flaw, Elandur was called one of the two pillars supporting the Empire.

It was a passage that allowed one to realize once again how great the power of Elandur was.

But that was just because Elandur was unique.

The dream of all nobles was to advance into the central political world, the core of the political world.

The place where power gathered and strength concentrated.

And now.

The central political world was buzzing with one story.

“I heard Count Crowd has drawn his sword?”

“I heard he’s already set up camp in front of Ruben…”

It was none other than the territorial war between Ruben and Crowd.

“I heard Crowd’s army is over 10,000 strong.”

“What? 10,000? Oh my…”

“It seems Count Crowd is very angry.”

“And I heard Elandur is not intervening.”

Various parties, banquets, and gatherings.

Wherever two or more nobles gathered, the story of the territorial war never stopped.

And the flow of the story eventually converged into one.

“Then this will be an obvious fight.”

“I guess… the title of Count was too hasty.”

“It’s a bit surprising that Elandur is not intervening, but…”

The defeat of Ruben.

All the nobles were thinking about the defeat of Ruben.

It couldn’t be helped.

Crowd was a prestigious family with the Empire’s largest granary.

On the other hand, Ruben was a remote territory located in the Dark Forest.

The forbidden land that even the Empire had to give up.

The level of the territory located in such a place was obvious.

If it wasn’t for this time, it was a territory they would never have heard of in their lives.

No one expected Ruben to win.

“He was a talent who was just about to spread his wings…”

“What a pity…”

With just a feeling of regret.

“I knew it from the beginning when he acted without knowing his place.”

“What new star of the Empire. Just a mere rascal.”

There were opinions that it served him right at the same time.

While the central and the entire Empire were buzzing like that.

The mercenary city of Jeirn, located in the central region.

“Damn it! To be drinking and sleeping here at this time.”

“This is really too much!”

The mercenaries in the taverns of Jeirn were complaining.

Mercenaries were third parties unrelated to disputes, and those who participated in military conflicts for profit.

They were people who carried out various requests if only they were given money.

Of course, the requests that mercenaries took on included territorial wars.

And territorial wars were like an opportunity for mercenaries.

The special situation of war meant that the rewards were higher than ordinary requests.

Thus, the territorial war between Ruben and Crowd now.

“I heard the reward that Crowd offered this time was three times higher?”

In fact, the reward that Crowd offered was three times higher.

And another double upon victory.

As a mercenary, they couldn’t help but be tempted.

And frankly speaking, victory was a sure thing.

There was no way Ruben could win against Crowd.

So, this was a situation where money would roll in like vines just by participating.

Truly a golden opportunity.

A perfect chance to make a killing.

“Damn it!!!”

But the reality was that they were just drinking and sleeping here.

“Well, what can we do? The Mercenary King stepped in and rejected the request.”

It was none other than the Mercenary King who intervened.

“So, why did the Mercenary King, who had been quiet all this time, suddenly get involved!”

“I heard he has a friend living in Ruben.”

He couldn’t bring himself to point his sword at a friend.

However, this was not a reason that mercenaries could understand at all.

No, in the first place, there was no reason that mercenaries could find acceptable.

Mercenaries had no political understanding or interest whatsoever.

The only thing mercenaries did was fight with swords if they were given money.

For them, the only interest was money.

Nothing else was even considered.

And above all.

“Why is he forcing his loyalty on us!”

Why was the Mercenary King forcing his loyalty on other mercenaries?

Because of that, the mercenaries’ dissatisfaction was soaring.

But there was nothing they could do.

If they displeased the Mercenary King, their mercenary life would be over.

Of course, there were those who couldn’t overcome their dissatisfaction and gathered to oppose the Mercenary King.

But the result was always the same.

“I really want to, but!!”

All they could do was talk behind his back like this.

Thus, the tavern was bustling with various complaints from the mercenaries.

And just then.

Creak.

A door of the tavern opened, and an old man appeared.

Wrinkles lined his face, and his body looked frail.

There was no particular aura felt.

In short, he was just an ordinary old man.

The old man slowly walked towards the employee standing at the bar in the tavern.

“Is this the tavern that mercenaries frequent in Jeirn?”

“That’s right, but… are you a mercenary, old man?”

The tavern employee asked the old man.

Then, the old man paused for a moment.

“Not anymore…”

And the old man’s words that he wasn’t anymore implied that he used to be a mercenary.

“Why did a retired old man come here? To have a drink?”

“I came to find someone.”

“Someone? Hey, old man. This is a tavern. Go to the mercenary office next door for requests.”

The employee shook his head slightly and said.

And perhaps the employee’s words were overheard.

“Did you go senile from old age, old man?”

“Isn’t his claim of being a mercenary a lie?”

“Puhahahahahaha!!”

The surrounding mercenaries mocked and laughed at the old man.

But the old man didn’t pay much attention and continued speaking.

“A friend told me to come here.”

“Hmm? A friend? Who is your friend, old man?”

“A mercenary named Wigo.”

“……?”

Then, the employee tilted his head.

At the same time, the laughter that had been erupting around him quickly subsided.

“W-what did you say?”

“What did that old geezer just say?”

And they added one word at a time with absurd expressions.

Then, the employee frowned slightly and said.

“Hey. Do you even know who Wigo is before you say that?”

That’s because the name Wigo was not a name that could be easily heard without consequence.

It wasn’t that the name Wigo was uncommon.

But in the mercenary world, there was only one.

Wigo, the Mercenary King.

“I heard he’s called the Mercenary King. Or am I wrong?”

But the old man was confidently calling that name.

Even as a friend.

“What is this…”

Just then.

“Why is it so noisy? Are you talking about me again?”

A thick voice was heard from above the tavern.

And a man appeared.

No, the burly muscles and huge physique were definitely not those of an old man.

If it weren’t for the gray hair that had turned white, one could never think of him as an old man.

“W-Wigo-nim…” [Nim is a Korean honorific suffix, similar to ‘sir’ or ‘madam’.]

Wigo, the Mercenary King.

“I told you guys to stop talking about me.”

Wigo frowned and slowly descended the stairs.

And perhaps he noticed the atmosphere that was different from usual.

Soon, Wigo’s gaze swept around the tavern.

And finally, his gaze stopped at the old man who was the center of the commotion.

The old man’s gaze was also directed at Wigo.

Gazing at each other.

“You…?”

Wigo’s eyes widened.

The surrounding mercenaries were greatly surprised by Wigo’s reaction.

That’s because Wigo’s reaction was clearly that of seeing an acquaintance.

As expected, Wigo slowly looked around.

“Ha! Now I know what’s going on. These bastards were acting up without knowing their place.”

Flinch!

The mercenaries trembled greatly at Wigo’s words.

They knew what Wigo would do after saying those words.

But Wigo only chuckled.

He didn’t show any other actions.

Wigo turned his gaze back to the old man.

“But this is quite unexpected. I thought there would be a fight.”

“Can I cause a commotion as a guest?”

“Hahahahahahaha!”

Wigo’s laughter echoed loudly throughout the tavern.

“I’ve lived long enough to see this. Hans, I didn’t know you could say such things?”

And Wigo continued.

“W-what? Hans…?”

“H, Hans…? Is that old man Hans?”

At the same time, the entire tavern was greatly agitated.

“Hans?”

“Who is Hans?”

Of course, not everyone knew Hans’s name.

But those who were well-known in the mercenary world.

Those who had been in the mercenary business for a long time.

All the mercenaries called veterans widened their eyes.

In the past, the Storm Mercenary Corps, which had no requests it couldn’t handle.

The leader who led that mercenary corps was Hans.

And Wigo, who is now called the Mercenary King.

He was also a member of that legendary mercenary corps.

That’s why it was still talked about as a legend to this day.

But at some point, Hans, the leader, suddenly disappeared, and the mercenary corps was disbanded.

So, some people used to say this.

If Hans had remained a mercenary, the current Mercenary King would not be Wigo, but Hans.

But now, the old man in front of them is Hans?

It was hard to believe, but Wigo’s reaction proved that it was true.

“W-what is this…”

“No way…”

The mercenaries in the tavern stared at Hans with wide eyes.

On the other hand, Hans and Wigo didn’t pay much attention to the reactions of those people.

“Even the great Hans can’t beat time.”

“Where can anyone beat time? It’s been a long time since I put down my sword, so I can’t beat the young ones these days.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

Wigo chuckled and said.

That’s because it was really ridiculous.

Well, Hans was indeed old.

The aura he felt was also much weaker, perhaps because he hadn’t been training.

But Hans was not one to be subdued by the small fries gathered here.

Wigo strode towards Hans.

Gazing at each other.

A smiling grin.

“It’s been a while, Captain.”

“You haven’t changed at all, Wigo.”

The two’s hands clasped.

#

Hans and Wigo’s meeting.

Because of that, an unexpected commotion arose in the tavern, but it wasn’t something to worry about.

Hans went upstairs in the tavern with Wigo.

The two faced each other in a quiet place.

“I can’t believe it’s been this long. 20 years? 30 years?”

“I think it’s been more than 30 years.”

At Hans’s answer, Wigo smiled brightly with joy.

But only for a moment.

“But Hans. Is it okay for you to be here right now?”

Wigo was worried on the one hand.

It was none other than the event that was making the empire noisy right now.

Ruben and Crowd were in the middle of a territory war.

And Wigo knew.

Why Hans left the mercenary world.

What kind of life he had been living since then.

Wigo and the members of the Storm Mercenary Corps knew.

Of course, they didn’t know the details.

They didn’t know how he was living because they had lost contact since then.

But there was no way they wouldn’t know about the incident that was making the empire noisy right now.

That’s why Hans shouldn’t be here.

He had to be a force for Ruben, even if only a little.

Although he didn’t show his past self, Hans was still Hans.

He was sure to be an important force in Ruben.

“Ah. The young master had a separate request.”

“Young master… Ciel Elandur? Ah, not anymore. So, you’re talking about the lord of Ruben?”

Hans nodded lightly.

At that sight, Wigo could immediately understand why Hans had come here.

It was none other than the lord of Ruben who had a separate request.

That was probably… to get Wigo’s help.

And Wigo’s help was simple.

It was the help of the mercenaries.

Currently, Ruben was in a territory war with Crowd.

He heard that the troops Crowd had gathered numbered over 10,000.

To counter such Crowd, Ruben had to borrow the power of the mercenaries.

Of course, Wigo had declared that he would not participate in their territory war.

So, he rejected the request sent by the Crowd family.

But if it was Hans’s words, the story was different.

Wasn’t the reason he rejected the Crowd family’s opinion because of this in the first place?

“How much do you need?”

Wigo cut to the chase and went straight to the point.

But.

“What are you talking about?”

Hans didn’t seem to understand Wigo’s thoughts.

“Didn’t you come to me because you needed my help?”

“That’s right, but.”

“Then feel free to speak comfortably. I rejected Crowd’s request, but if it’s Ruben with you, Hans, it’s different. Well, there will be complaints, but would I be called the Mercenary King for nothing?”

Wigo grinned.

But why was that?

“So, what are you talking about?”

Hans still didn’t understand Wigo’s words.

At this point, Wigo could sense that something was wrong.

“…Didn’t you come to hire mercenaries?”

“Hmm? No. I didn’t come to you for that matter.”

Wigo tilted his head.

What other reason would Hans have to come to him besides that?

“Isn’t Ruben in the middle of a territory war right now?”

According to rumors, Crowd’s troops had just arrived.

And the distance from here in the center to the Ruben territory was quite far.

So, he had to move as soon as possible to make it in time.

“…?”

Hans was just tilting his head.

He was wondering what it was for a moment.

Hans nodded as if he finally understood.

And Hans slowly continued.

“It seems the news hasn’t reached the center yet.”

“The news hasn’t reached?”

Hans nodded lightly once again.

And Hans slowly continued.

“The territory war is already over.”

Wigo wondered what the hell he was talking about.