My Lord Who Is Being Prudent! [EN]: Chapter 100

§ 100 – Muriel’s Ruins (2)

Sian didn’t stop walking.

Aria seemed even more bewildered by Sian’s actions.

The Holy Knights, including Rachel, murmured among themselves.

Yet, Sian paid no attention.

Thud.

As he went inside, the first thing that greeted Sian was a thick green fog.

This fog, as if a poisonous mist had been sprayed, was sucked into Sian’s lungs with every breath.

The seeds of plague lay dormant within the fog.

They entered Sian’s lungs and began to germinate.

Bursting with joy in the new host environment, they quickly permeated his lungs.

Simultaneously, his blood became contaminated, spreading throughout his body.

And then.

Twitch.

Invariably, the mana inherent in Sian’s body reacted as well.

The reaction was, as always, one of ‘dare’ [a challenge or defiance].

Thus, it forced the invading plague seeds to submit.

And perhaps because of the greatly increased progress rate of the Mana Soul Control Technique.

The process was instantaneous.

The plague seeds lost their strength and succumbed.

The plague seeds, consumed by the source, couldn’t exert their power.

Instead, they were merely reduced to their essence.

And at that very moment.

Ding!

[Mana Soul Control Technique Progress Rate 47.8601% (+0.0001%)]

An alert sounded, indicating that the progress rate of the Mana Soul Control Technique had increased.

The increase was 0.0001%.

The amount Sian currently gained from treating one patient was 0.001%.

This was about one-tenth of that amount.

In reality, it was such a minuscule amount that it could be considered meaningless.

But this was merely subduing the plague seeds within the fog.

In other words, it was just a small part emanating from the source of the plague.

Moreover, Sian was still surrounded by a thick poisonous fog.

It continued to seep into his lungs with every breath he took.

Which meant.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

[Mana Soul Control Technique Progress Rate 47.8602% (+0.0001%)]

[Mana Soul Control Technique Progress Rate 47.8603% (+0.0001%)]

[Mana Soul Control Technique Progress Rate 47.8604% (+0.0001%)]

.

.

.

The progress rate of the Mana Soul Control Technique continued to rise!

“Ah…”

Sian involuntarily exclaimed.

To get stronger just by breathing.

What kind of absurd training method was this!

“Hoo…!”

Sian took a deep breath.

Immediately, he felt the energy of the plague filling his lungs.

At the same time, Ding! Ding! Ding!

The alerts started ringing like crazy!

“Haaa…!”

Sweet.

It was too sweet.

“Haaa…!!”

Sian repeatedly took and exhaled sweet breaths.

And those who were watching Sian.

“……”

“……”

“……”

What to say…

There was nothing to say.

“Haaa…!”

Looking at that sight, what words could possibly come out?

Sian’s surroundings were truly horrific.

The remnants scattered by the source of the plague.

Even the trees were diseased and grotesquely distorted.

The ground was contaminated and sticky.

There was a foul odor, and there was no place that wasn’t tainted by the remnants of the plague.

Anyone could tell that going there would lead to rotting away.

But look now.

“Haaa…!”

Sian was making a blissful expression!

And what…

Sian suddenly moved his feet.

And stopped at what looked like a puddle.

Was it once a pond?

But now, it was nothing more than a bubbling, impure substance where the plague was seething.

Sian boldly plunged his hand into it.

A sticky, strange substance smeared on Sian’s hand.

The shocking sight was fleeting.

Sian brought the substance on his hand to his nose.

Then, he sniffed and smelled it.

“Haaa…!!”

He let out the sweetest breath in the world!

Instead of the plague that rotted the insides.

It was as if he had discovered a heavenly honey, making the sweetest expression in the world.

Is that… is that possible?

Ah, is it possible for the Holy Child?

People’s gazes naturally turned to Aria.

But what do you know.

“……”

Aria’s expression was no different from theirs.

In other words… what the hell is wrong with that crazy bastard? That kind of expression.

That meant.

Aria couldn’t do it either.

Yes, she wouldn’t be able to.

No, she shouldn’t be able to.

“……”

“……”

“……”

Really…

There was nothing to say.

Whether he knew their feelings or not.

“From here on, I’ll go alone.”

Sian suddenly spoke.

Sian’s body was covered in the plague.

Honestly, there was nothing to argue about.

To be exact, they didn’t want to go with him!

The Holy Knights, including Rachel.

And even Aria didn’t say anything.

In fact, Sian was more comfortable alone.

Although Rachel wasn’t a demon.

There was a strange sense of unease.

It would be annoying to have her around.

More than anything, Sian had to eliminate the source of the plague and.

Uncover the secrets and truths hidden in Muriel’s Ruins.

He didn’t know what it was.

But if he was with Rachel, there would be restrictions.

Aria… was okay.

But it didn’t seem easy for Aria to approach this plague either.

Well, as a Saintess, there wouldn’t be any major problems.

However, this was still the beginning of the source of the plague.

Who knew what would happen as he got closer to the source of the plague.

So, it was better for Sian to go alone from here.

“Then, I’ll be back.”

Sian left the dazed people behind.

And took a step towards finding Muriel’s Ruins.

#

Immediately after Sian disappeared to find the source of the plague.

A silent stillness descended for a while.

No, could this be called stillness?

Everyone was just staring at the place where Sian had disappeared with dumbfounded faces.

How much time had passed?

“…Will he be okay?”

Garrett approached Rachel and said.

A low voice that couldn’t be heard by those around them.

Garrett opened his mouth again.

“It really seems like the plague doesn’t affect him. At this rate…”

“It’s okay.”

Rachel cut off Garrett’s words.

The gaze she cast.

“The plague isn’t the problem.”

Garrett nodded slightly at Rachel’s words.

That was because he knew.

What was inside there.

What the source of the plague held.

Because he had seen it with his own eyes and experienced it.

So.

“He can’t come back alive.”

Sian cannot come back alive from there.

He will die as surely as one can say.

That way, the Saint dies, and the source of the plague is not eliminated.

As a result, the plague will break out again in the South.

But, since there is no Saint to cure the plague now.

“Everything is according to God’s will.”

Garrett bowed his head sharply and said.

There was a slight change in the plan, but there were no other problems.

“I’ll go right away.”

Rachel slowly turned her body.

And Garrett’s words were heard.

“What should we do with the Saintess?”

Rachel paused for a moment.

Then, she turned her head slightly.

There, Aria was glaring at Rachel and Garrett.

The hostility that had been felt continuously while coming here.

To be exact, the hostility that had been going on for quite some time.

It had been quite annoying all along.

But what could she possibly do now?

Rachel’s mouth slowly opened.

“Do as Sir Garrett sees fit.”

At the same time, something other than divinity flashed in Garrett’s eyes.

#

The deeper he went into the source of the plague, the more severe the plague became.

The muddy ground was decaying like a swamp, making it difficult to move.

All sorts of plague-infected insects swarmed everywhere.

And monsters that had been consumed by the plague occasionally attacked.

It could be said to be a terrible space that ordinary people couldn’t endure even for a moment.

Nevertheless, Sian moved forward without hesitation.

All sorts of remnants of the plague tormented Sian.

But Sian’s latent mana subdued all of them.

The source of mana that Sian wielded.

In a word, it was the mother from which the plague originated.

Ding!

[Mana Soul Control Technique Progress Rate 48.0004% (+0.0001%)]

In the end, it would just reconcile with its essence.

“Aaa…!”

Sian trembled as the progress rate continued to rise.

It was literally as if the progress rate was increasing just by breathing.

As a result, the progress rate had already risen from the 47% range to the 48% range.

He had barely managed to raise 14% after all that hardship.

Here, he raised it to 48% in just a few days.

A thrill different from spending money.

“Aaa…!”

Sian couldn’t come to his senses for a while.

Perhaps because of that.

“Ah, right.”

Sian realized he had forgotten one thing.

“I should have asked for money.”

He didn’t receive gold in exchange for removing the source of the plague.

He should have squeezed at least 1 million gold from the cardinal to buy [supplies/equipment/etc.].

There was also a sudden side quest.

He was so blinded by the progress rate of the Mana Soul Control Technique that he came without thinking.

Especially since he saw so many people suffering from the plague.

He was only thinking about eliminating the source of the plague.

“I should have squeezed some gold out while I was at it…”

An uncharacteristic mistake.

“Should I ask for some now that it’s all over?”

He did a great job, so they wouldn’t ignore him.

“Or should I just milk it dry since it’s come to this?”

Or maybe it would be okay to slowly remove the source of the plague.

If he left it alone, he would get stronger just by breathing.

So, wouldn’t it be okay to achieve 100% progress rate of the Mana Soul Control Technique and then remove it?

“It would be fine as long as the plague doesn’t spread outside.”

Sian seriously pondered.

“First… let’s investigate the ruins.”

Sian continued to walk.

Sian didn’t know exactly where Muriel’s ruins were.

However, he could find the approximate location.

The story side quest said.

The source of the plague was in Muriel’s ruins.

So, if he followed the place where the plague’s energy was getting stronger.

Muriel’s ruins would surely be there.

“I think it’s around here…”

As expected, far away.

Sian could find what appeared to be the entrance to the ruins.

The entrance stood alone in the middle of the forest.

And as Sian had guessed.

The energy of the plague was clearly spreading around the entrance.

The trees were all withered and twisted.

The polluted land had lost its fertility and was blackened to death.

A desolate wasteland.

There was no sign of life around the entrance to the ruins.

So, he couldn’t believe that this was Muriel’s ruins.

Sian slowly moved towards the entrance of the ruins.

In an instant, the energy of the plague consumed Sian’s body.

An energy five or six times stronger than the previous plague.

But with a ding! sound, it only turned into the progress rate of the Mana Soul Control Technique.

Sian slowly approached the entrance of the ruins.

Since the ruins were located underground, he could see a path leading underground.

And the inside of the underground was painted with black darkness.

Pitch-black darkness with not a single ray of light leaking out.

It was as if something from the abyss was lurking.

“It’s too dark…”

If he were a mage, he could brighten his vision with simple magic.

However, Sian was a knight, not a mage.

He couldn’t use any magic at all.

Magic and aura could not be used at the same time.

Of course, he could use the light of aura to brighten his vision.

However, Sian’s aura light was not the usual blue.

It was pitch-black.

It was useless.

But.

“Would a smartphone work?”

Sian had a smartphone.

Sian immediately took out his smartphone and ran Mobile Lord [the name of the game].

He brought the light bursting from the screen forward.

“Hmm… it’s still dark.”

It was still dark.

The light coming from the smartphone screen was not very bright.

And the darkness that had fallen was too thick.

Right then.

Ding!

[System Notification]: If it’s too dark, try turning on the flashlight!

In an instant, a new notification window popped up on the screen.

“Flashlight?”

Sian tilted his head without realizing it.

“Is this it?”

Soon, he clicked the icon labeled ‘Flashlight’.

Flash!

Then, a bright group of light burst out from the back of the smartphone.

At the same time, the darkness receded at once, and his vision cleared.

“Oh!”

Sian exclaimed.

That’s because the intensity of the light was enormous.

It was much brighter than the light magic of most mages.

At this level, there was no problem with his vision at all.

However.

Ding!

[System Notification]: You are using the flashlight function!

[System Notification]: Battery consumption speed is rapidly increasing!

[System Notification]: Consumes 1G [energy unit] per minute!

.

.

There was a problem on the other side.

“······ Damn it.”

He should have squeezed money out of Rachel after all.

Well, it wasn’t like he had no money now.

There was no big problem exploring the ruins.

Ding!

[System Notification]: If it’s too dark, try spending money~!

“······ I’ll see you later [sarcastic remark to the system].”

Sian dispelled the darkness with the light of the flashlight.

Carefully, he moved his steps inside.

He could see that the downhill ended and the passage continued to the side.

Sian turned the corner and stepped forward.

And the appearance of the ruins that unfolded before Sian’s eyes.

“······?”

Sian’s head tilted without him realizing it.

“It’s familiar?”

The structure… was quite familiar.

Rather than familiar… should he say he had encountered it once?

A strange sense of déjà vu arose.

The Hall of Arnaiz in the basement of the Imperial Palace?

Sian shook his head.

It was different from that feeling.

It was much earlier than that.

“Ah, right.”

None other than the smartphone Sian was holding now.

The place where he first met Mobile Lord [the game].

And the ruins of that cave where he obtained Arnaiz’s artifact, the smartphone.

It wasn’t exactly the same.

However, he had a sense of déjà vu that it resembled the structure of that place.

And perhaps that guess was not wrong.

Before long, his vision cleared and he could see a large cavity.

An area similar to where the smartphone was placed.

And in the center of the cavity, there was something with a faint light flickering.

Sian slowly approached the light.

Perhaps… is there an artifact like a smartphone?

He also had such expectations.

However, as he got closer, Sian could tell it was not an artifact.

“······ A person?”

It was clearly the shape of a person.

Moreover, a knight wearing solid armor.

The faint light was leaking from the darkness inside the helmet.

At that moment.

Flash!

In an instant, a dark blue light flickered from inside the helmet.

Two eyes of light blazed in the deep darkness.

[Death Knight]: This is a region that cannot be easily approached….

And the voice that was heard.

No, rather than a voice, it felt like directly hammering the will into his mind.

At the same time, a terrible energy was felt.

So, Sian could sense the identity of the existence in front of him.

A Death Knight [an undead knight, typically evil].

A being of demon(魔) [supernatural/evil energy] born from the resentment of a knight who was outstanding in his lifetime.

Why is such an evil being in Muriel’s ruins…?

[Death Knight]: Are you a person from the Papal State….

The Death Knight’s deep eyes of dark light turned to Sian.

At the same time.

“Cough…!”

The overwhelming presence presses down on Sian.

A powerful suppressive force bound Sian’s entire body.

A terrible murderous intent that even made it difficult to breathe.

It was like….

Something similar to facing Durak [a powerful enemy].

Killing the existence by suppressing it with momentum alone.

So, Sian could realize it at once.

The Death Knight in front of him.

It’s not an ordinary Death Knight.

At least a Master [a high-ranking warrior].

Moreover, a powerful being above the intermediate level.

‘Kuh…!’

The suppressing force that was pressing down became stronger and stronger.

It didn’t end there.

Whirr! Whirr!

A dark blue light flickered around Sian.

At the same time, numerous Death Knights were visible.

The number was about 30.

30 pairs of dark blue eyes of light were directed solely at Sian.

“Cough…!”

Sian burst out in terrible pain.

A fatal instinct was constantly sounding warnings.

However, Sian had no time to think.

To be exact, he couldn’t believe this situation right now.

The energy felt from the Death Knights around him right now was also unusual.

It wasn’t just unusual.

It didn’t make sense.

That’s because the 30 Death Knights around Sian.

All of them.

Were at the level of Master [high-ranking warrior].

A chilling fear fell.

At the same time, the 30 Death Knights moved.

[Death Knight]: Kill the people of the Papal State.

[Death Knight]: Kill the people of the Papal State.

[Death Knight]: Kill the people of the Papal State.

[Death Knight]: Kill the people of the Papal State.

[Death Knight]: Kill the people of the Papal State.

A terrible murderous intent that cannot be survived bursts out.