My Lord Who Is Being Prudent! [EN]: Chapter 104

§ 104 – The Thousand-Year Mission (1)

Garret’s sword moved with blinding speed towards Laura, like a bolt of lightning.

Laura couldn’t react in time.

It was an attack beyond her ability to counter.

More precisely, her mind was too overwhelmed to react.

Madness had consumed her, painting her mind pitch black.

Laura’s divine power flickered and dimmed.

The seed of plague, now sprouted, spread rapidly through her body, engulfing her.

“Hukh…!”

An irresistible wave of madness washed over her.

Just then.

Whoosh!

A pure white divine barrier enveloped Laura completely.

Clang—!

A deafening sound erupted.

By a hair’s breadth, Garret’s sword struck the divine barrier.

“What…! What are you doing!”

Aria shouted, her voice filled with disbelief.

Aria stood with both hands extended, channeling pure white divine power.

“Trying to kill someone for no reason!”

Whoosh!

The light of divinity intensified, becoming almost blinding.

The intense light pushed back Garret’s sword with considerable force.

Garret stumbled backward.

Their eyes met.

Garret glared at Aria and spoke, his voice laced with anger.

“I should be the one asking that question. What are you doing? No…”

Garret’s voice dropped, becoming dangerously quiet.

“Do you even realize what you’ve done?”

A chilling murderous intent filled the air.

Garret, the commander of the Holy Knights.

Unlike regular knights, Holy Knights didn’t have a clearly defined ranking system.

However, Garret was exceptionally skilled, rivaling even Master-level knights [knights who have mastered their aura and swordsmanship].

He was often mentioned as one of the greatest swordsmen on the continent.

Garret’s murderous intent possessed an aura that would overwhelm ordinary people.

But Aria sensed something strange, an unsettling incongruity.

Garret’s energy felt…wrong.

A murderous intent capable of suppressing existence with sheer will.

This was not something a Holy Knight should possess.

Holy Knights were dedicated to divinity and its use.

They shouldn’t be able to emit such murderous intent.

Only Master-level knights, those who wielded Aura, could achieve this.

However, Garret was only *comparable* to a Master.

He wasn’t actually a Master-level knight.

Yet, this murderous intent pressed down on her skin, a tangible pressure.

It was something distinct from divinity.

Aria couldn’t shake off the unsettling feeling.

Nevertheless, she stood her ground and shouted.

“Laura is simply infected with the plague. How can you try to kill someone just because they’re sick? Cyan can cure her when he arrives!”

“It’s not a simple plague. Can’t you feel this malice? They are wicked heretics.”

Aria bit her lip, frustration evident.

“Laura has been a priestess with me my whole life. She is definitely not a heretic!”

“She may have been until now, but not anymore. Can’t you see?”

Garret raised his sword, pointing it accusingly at Laura.

Aria’s gaze followed the sword’s line to Laura.

The bumpy spots had spread across her entire body.

Her face was swollen and disfigured in places, with yellowish pus oozing out.

“Hehe…! Hehehehe…!”

Madness and malice radiated from Laura.

“She is a wicked heretic now. Step aside.”

Garret turned his head slightly.

Then, he spoke quietly to the Holy Knights lined up behind him.

“As of this moment, Gestac Village is designated a den of heretics. The Holy Knights will purify these heretics in the name of light.”

The Holy Knights bowed their heads in unison, their movements precise and disciplined.

They lowered their swords and began to advance slowly.

Seeing this, Garret also moved, approaching Laura.

The oppressive murderous intent intensified.

Aria bit her lip again.

She immediately moved to block Garret and the Holy Knights.

Garret and the Holy Knights halted at Aria’s action.

Garret glared at Aria, his voice hard.

“Are you… protecting these heretics?”

“They’re not heretics!”

Whoosh!

Divine power erupted from Aria’s body, a blinding display of light.

It surged outwards in all directions, forming a barrier against Garret and the Holy Knights.

A truly tremendous display of divine power.

Even Garret hesitated before this astonishing force.

Garret was a skilled individual comparable to a Master.

Aria was a saintess, revered as the reincarnation of Muriel [a legendary figure known for her immense divine power].

If she was truly determined to block them, they couldn’t easily break through.

Moreover, Aria held a solid position within the Holy Empire.

If Aria went this far, even the Holy Knights couldn’t act rashly.

But.

“If you do not step aside, we will consider you a heretic as well.”

Garret spoke without hesitation.

Despite Garret’s warning, Aria didn’t back down.

Aria knew it too.

She knew that madness and malice permeated the entire village.

However, the people of Gestac Village were not heretics.

And Laura wasn’t a heretic either.

That plague…

There was something more to it.

Not just a disease, but something wicked lurking within.

“It’s because of the disease! Cyan can solve everything when he comes!”

Aria pleaded.

But Garret ignored her.

He simply addressed the Holy Knights.

“The saintess has also been tainted by heretics. Purify the saintess along with Gestac Village.”

The Holy Knights raised their swords once more.

Seeing this, Aria felt that strange sense of incongruity again.

Something… was wrong.

The people of Gestac Village and Laura…

It was true that madness and malice emanated from them.

So, she could understand why Garret and the Holy Knights believed them to be heretics.

Chuk!

But this wasn’t right.

If Aria was willing to go this far, they should at least pretend to listen.

Yet, the Holy Knights were prepared to kill even Aria.

There was no reason to go to such extremes.

“Execute.”

At Garret’s command, the Holy Knights charged.

Clang—!

Clang—!

The divine barrier trembled violently.

“Kuh…!”

A piercing pain, as if being beaten all over, coursed through Aria’s body.

Garret and the Holy Knights…

The Holy Knights were comparable to the Empire’s Royal Knights and Elanur’s White Wolf Knights [two of the most elite knight orders in the land].

They were a knight order considered among the best on the continent.

If Garret’s level was comparable to a Master, the other Holy Knights were skilled individuals comparable to Experts [knights with advanced combat skills].

It was only natural that she would struggle to block their attacks.

The fact that she was managing to block them at all was astonishing.

But no matter how powerful Aria was, there was a limit.

Clang—!

Clang—!

Crack—!

A crack appeared in the divine barrier.

Blood trickled down from the corner of Aria’s mouth.

At the same time, the divine barrier shattered!

“Hukh…!”

Aria’s body staggered.

Garret seized the opportunity and surged forward.

Aria hurriedly extended her hand.

Whoosh!

Along with the erupting divine light, countless divine spears materialized around Aria.

Holy spears imbued with pure white light.

A spear that protected allies from enemies.

And a spear that crushed any enemy.

Swish!

The divine spears launched towards Garret and the Holy Knights.

Aria possessed the most powerful divine power in history.

Kai and Panat, hailed as the stars of the Charlotte Empire, paled in comparison.

Aria, chosen by the Zodiac Sword, surpassed them both.

Of course, in terms of raw physical strength, she was lacking.

But she wasn’t someone who could be easily defeated.

However.

Snap!

Crack!

Garret displayed astonishing agility, cutting down the holy spears with precise movements.

Aria’s latent talent was explosive, but not yet fully realized.

On the other hand, Garret was already a complete knight.

A complete knight hailed as the second greatest swordsman on the continent.

Clang—!

Aria couldn’t handle Garret at her current level.

Garret continued to cut down the holy spears and charged at Aria.

Aria continued to emit divine power, firing holy spears.

The holy spears rained down like a torrential downpour, filling the sky.

Garret’s movements faltered.

Even he couldn’t easily block this onslaught.

“Deploy the barrier!”

Garret shouted to the Holy Knights.

The knights quickly gathered together, raising their shields in formation.

Just then.

[Wait a moment.]

A strange voice echoed from an unknown source.

At the same time, swish—.

A deep darkness descended, enveloping them.

The light was swallowed by the darkness.

The divine spears fired by Aria vanished instantly.

“What…”

Aria’s expression turned blank with shock.

And again.

[Leave that bitch alone.]

The same voice as before echoed in her mind.

A voice? No, it wasn’t a voice.

It felt like an intention, a command hammered directly into her mind.

Then, a figure appeared in the corner of her vision.

“……!!”

Aria’s eyes widened in horror.

It was the figure of a woman.

More precisely, something *in the form* of a woman.

Yes, *something*.

That was the only way to describe it.

Rotten, festering skin and decaying flesh.

In the exposed areas, the bones beneath were clearly visible.

Only the long, hanging hair hinted that it had once been a woman.

The woman took a step forward.

With each step, pieces of flesh fell to the floor.

The fallen flesh seeped into the ground, poisoning the earth.

A terrible malice bloomed in its wake.

A malice beyond comprehension.

“Hehehe…!”

“Kihhi!!”

The madness of the villagers intensified, reaching a fever pitch.

Laura also stared at the woman with gleaming eyes, a disturbing fascination in her gaze.

Aria’s entire body trembled uncontrollably.

That… that is….

A being that could not be called human.

“A, a demon…!”

A demon.

Aria had never encountered a demon before.

How could she? Demons had vanished a thousand years ago.

Aria had only heard of them in myths and legends.

She only knew of them indirectly through the Mazoku [demon-kin], the remnants of demons.

But this energy…

It was the same energy she had felt back then.

When she was convinced that Rachel was a demon.

The terrible malice emanating from those fanatics.

The madness that seeped into her skin, threatening to overwhelm her mind.

The madness that seemed to drive her insane just by looking at it erupted.

[You have a pretty face.]

Clang!

At that moment, Garret pointed his sword at the demon.

Simultaneously, all the Holy Knights aimed their swords at the demon.

The demon looked at Garret and the Holy Knights, its gaze indifferent.

And spoke, its voice devoid of emotion.

[Cut the crap. Who’s going to know if you kill them all anyway?]

It was an incomprehensible statement.

But why?

Garret and the Holy Knights lowered their swords, which had been aimed at the demon.

“W, what is this…!!”

Aria couldn’t understand the situation.

[Oh my. Are you surprised, child?]

The demon grinned, a horrifying sight.

Swish—.

A hideous malice spread outwards, suffocating everything.

The madness squeezed out of every cell, overwhelming her senses.

It dyed the darkness a sickening, bright red.

In the complete darkness, where even the faintest light was extinguished, thoughts swirled like black paint over the rippling darkness.

Fear flickered in her mind, threatening to consume her.

Aria bit her lip, desperately unleashing all the divine power she possessed.

The absolute power to annihilate demons.

It was the same power she had used on Cyan in the past at the Vatican.

Whoosh!

The brilliant light erupted, pushing back the encroaching darkness.

However.

[Pathetic. No, it’s more than pathetic, it’s miserable.]

Clack!

With that sound, the encroaching darkness deepened, becoming even more oppressive.

Along with it, the divine power was swallowed by the darkness and vanished without a trace.

“H, how…!”

Aria couldn’t believe it.

The power she had unleashed was a force that no demon could resist.

It was a power that should have annihilated them.

But far from being annihilated, it had been swallowed whole.

[How are you going to deal with me with that insignificant divinity? Who do you think I am?]

The demon laughed, a chilling sound that echoed through the darkness.

Slowly, it took steps towards Aria.

Aria was paralyzed with fear, unable to resist.

Her body trembled like an aspen leaf in the wind.

The courage to confront it…

Simply didn’t exist.

Thud.

The demon grabbed Aria by the neck, its grip like iron.

Aria’s feet lifted off the ground, and her breath was cut off.

She stared at the mangled figure of the demon, its features a grotesque mockery of humanity.

The demon whispered, its voice a rasping caress.

[Compared to that bitch… you’re really infinitely pathetic. I went through all that trouble to take over that bitch… but it ended up like this. But it seems like I can use you as a vessel right now?]

“Kkaeuk…!”

Aria struggled to breathe, her hands clawing at the demon’s grip.

But she couldn’t escape.

[It seems like you don’t know what I’m talking about? Hmm… okay. I’ll tell you who I am.]

A terrible malice bloomed, a wave of pure evil that defied description.

Evil that couldn’t be expressed, no matter how much depravity the world offered.

The Seven Deadly Sins.

Pride, Greed, Envy, Wrath, Lust, Gluttony, Sloth.

The seven demons awakened from those sins.

[My name is Luxuria.]

The Seven Demon Lords.

The demon of lust, Luxuria.

Luxuria’s power was rooted in the sin of lust.

The more humans harbored feelings of lust, the more its power amplified.

Luxuria scanned Aria with sticky, possessive eyes.

Features that could be called perfect, a flawless masterpiece.

Flawless, jade-like skin, untouched by decay.

It was the complete opposite of Luxuria’s own body, which was now rotten and festering.

And not only that…

Look at Aria’s gracefully curved neck, the delicate line of her jaw.

The platinum blonde hair flowing down between them stimulated some kind of twisted desire within Luxuria.

Even Luxuria was feeling a boiling, primal urge.

A beauty that transcended humans, transcended existence itself.

That’s why Luxuria could feel it.

[Ah… I can already feel it. The ugly desires directed towards you.]

The ugly lusts directed at Aria, the unwanted attention.

The ugly lusts of the men who looked at Aria, their eyes filled with covetousness.

The demon of lust, Luxuria.

Luxuria’s power grew stronger as it absorbed such lust.

[How many people can I do it with in a day, 50? 60? 100?]

Luxuria wore an expression of perverse joy, its face contorted in anticipation.

[If I take over your body… I can fulfill the dream that so many men have been longing for. Dozens of times a day….]

The gaze looking at her, filled with lust and desire.

[So many men will grab my breasts… lick my lips, pry between my legs… and covet me?]

Luxuria’s words stretched out like sticky mucus, clinging to the air.

Even if you tried to shake it off, it wrapped around your eardrums and wouldn’t come off easily.

The ugliness that made you feel unclean just by listening to it.

If the demons of hell were evil, Luxuria, one of the Seven Demon Lords, was hideous.

However.

To those who harbored that hideous desire, it was no different from a god who granted vulgar wishes.

[How can someone like me be called a demon?]

Luxuria laughed hideously, a sound that scraped against the soul.

Aria, faced with that desire, was helpless.

She was suffocating, her mind fading.

She knew that if she lost her mind like this… it would be over.

The person named Aria would die.

She would be dominated by Luxuria, becoming a vessel to receive the lust of countless people.

That’s why she had to do something.

But Aria couldn’t do anything.

She couldn’t escape.

Only pitch-black despair filled her heart.

The reincarnation of Muriel.

Aria, who possessed the most powerful divine power in history.

However, Aria’s potential had not yet fully bloomed.

And the malice she felt far surpassed Aria’s level.

Before Luxuria, the demon of lust, Aria was just a human.

Her vision flickered, the edges blurring.

Aria’s mind was fading, slipping away.

Soon, Luxuria’s mind would devour Aria, consuming her completely.

Aria couldn’t resist at all.

The absolute evil that no one could oppose.

Her vision went dark, and her mind drifted away into the abyss.

And between that drifting mind, a faint voice echoed.

“Demon Soul Asura Sword.”

It was barely audible, a whisper lost in the darkness.