My Lord Who Is Being Prudent! [EN]: Chapter 11

§ 11 – Lord Ruben (1)

“W-Why are you…?”

Grayson couldn’t understand what was happening.

He couldn’t comprehend Xian’s actions.

Grayson was currently surrounded by hundreds of goblins, deep within enemy territory.

The glinting weapons and murderous intent surrounding him seemed poised to tear him apart at any moment.

A snicker cut through the air.

Turning towards the sound, he saw the hobgoblin’s twisted grin.

It seemed to find the situation amusing, practically bursting with glee at the sight of fresh prey.

Hehehe.

Keuheuheuk.

The goblins’ answering cries echoed, starting as a single voice, growing into a chorus that filled the entire battlefield.

The very heart of hell.

The place more than deserved the name.

But now, Xian’s figure stood between Grayson and the horde, blocking their path.

Xian had deliberately walked into the heart of that hell.

“W-Why… why?”

Confusion clouded Grayson’s mind.

“Young Master!!!”

A weathered shout rang out from atop the palisade [a defensive wall made of large pointed stakes].

Hans stood there, shouting with a look of utter astonishment.

He hastily began to move.

He threw himself down from the palisade, towards the hellish scene where Xian and Grayson were.

However.

“Don’t come!!”

Suddenly, Xian’s shout froze Hans in his tracks.

“Hans, if you come, the defense line will collapse! Stay there and hold your position!!”

Xian’s shout echoed like thunder.

But Hans wouldn’t listen.

“I can’t! What will happen to you, Young Master…!”

“Listen to me!! Protect the people, not me!!”

Xian roared.

Hans’s eyes, previously frozen, snapped back to Xian.

Was it the lingering effects of the previous clash?

Or was his body trembling from fear?

Xian’s hand, gripping the sword, was shaking.

Seeing this, Hans made a decision.

He had to save Xian.

To hell with the defense line, to hell with the people in the territory.

Even if it meant sacrificing everyone, he had to save Xian.

It was a cruel choice, but that was reality.

Miracles didn’t exist in the real world.

That was the wisdom the wrinkled old man had gleaned over the years.

Hans steeled his resolve.

Surely… surely.

“……”

That’s what he wanted to do.

But Hans’s body remained immobile.

He simply couldn’t move.

Xian’s eyes, which he had paused to look at, held an unknown, unwavering will.

Crunch!

A sound like something breaking echoed from within Hans’s mouth.

And that jolted Grayson’s dazed mind awake.

“Why…? Why…?”

Grayson repeated the word ‘why’.

Because he couldn’t understand.

Because he didn’t understand.

Xian, who had risked his life to save him.

Grayson couldn’t understand or comprehend his actions at all.

“Why… why…?”

Grayson repeated the same question over and over like a madman.

“If you can move, hurry and climb onto the palisade [a defensive wall made of pointed stakes]. The people will lower a ladder. In the meantime… I’ll buy you some time.”

Xian’s voice was heard.

His voice, trying to sound calm but trembling, was clearly laced with fear.

That’s why Grayson couldn’t help but repeat the same question.

“What’s the reason… what’s the reason…?”

This place, the heart of hell.

There was no reason for Xian to be here at all.

The Xian that Grayson knew was an incompetent good-for-nothing.

He had inherited the blood of ElanDhur, but he was an incompetent with no talent.

Xian was no match for those hobgoblins.

He had no ability to escape from this hell.

That’s why Xian’s actions now were so foolish.

He could have just used Grayson as bait to deal with the hobgoblins.

Or he could have just run away.

He could have thrown the people to the wolves and ensured his own safety first.

The ElanDhurs that Grayson knew.

The nobles that Grayson had experienced.

They were all such bastards.

But…

But why?

Why on earth—.

“I told you.”

Xian’s voice echoed softly.

It cut through the noise of the battlefield and reached Grayson’s ears clearly.

“I am the lord of Ruben.”

The gaze looking over.

“What reason do I need for a lord to protect his people?”

“……!!!”

Grayson’s eyes widened.

Protect.

Not sacrifice.

No, no thoughts came to mind.

His mind went blank as if he had been hit in the head with a large hammer.

At that moment.

Kroooooooo!

The hobgoblin’s roar erupted.

Has it lost interest now?

The hobgoblin began to charge like an angry bull.

“What are you doing! Hurry up and go!”

Xian shouts.

At the same time, Xian threw himself at the charging hobgoblin.

As if he was going to buy time.

As if he was going to make a sacrifice.

Grayson shook his head, looking at Xian’s back.

That guy is an ElanDhur.

The hateful ElanDhur who abandoned us.

So don’t trust him.

His actions now must be for some other reason.

That is the ElanDhur that Grayson has seen.

It must be.

There had to be some other reason.

Surely… surely…

It had to be like that…

Crack.

Something hot surged from within Grayson’s chest.

But Grayson didn’t know what it was.

Or why it was happening.

I don’t know.

“You absolutely must…”

Grayson.

“You absolutely must come back alive.”

He couldn’t understand the emotions he was feeling right now.

#

The hair on his entire body stood on end as a chilling cold swept over him.

A terrifying murderous intent enveloped Xian.

At the same time, a certain hesitation gripped Xian’s ankles.

But Xian didn’t stop.

He gripped his sword and lowered his stance as much as possible.

Kroooooooar!!

The hobgoblin’s roar erupted directly in front of him.

It seemed to contain a mocking tone.

As if to say, what can mere prey do?

Frankly speaking, Xian couldn’t defeat the hobgoblin.

A mutated species of hobgoblin.

It possessed a strength that couldn’t be called merely a ‘goblin’.

Not to mention this hobgoblin residing in the dark forest.

Therefore, Xian’s actions now were akin to suicide.

However.

‘I can do it.’

Xian didn’t just think so.

He had S-rank equipment. [S-rank is the highest equipment tier].

This equipment, purchased from the beginner growth package, showcased amazing performance.

A tremendous performance that couldn’t be valued at a mere 3,000 gold.

With this S-rank equipment, there was a possibility of defeating the hobgoblin.

Of course, no matter how good the S-rank equipment was, it was useless against superior numbers.

If surrounded by hundreds of goblins, even S-rank equipment couldn’t prevent death.

But 1:1 was a different story.

So, he could do it.

No, he had to do it.

Right then.

“Kieeeeeek!”

Suddenly, a strange scream came from beside Xian.

Looking there, goblins were rushing towards Xian.

“Damn it!”

Xian shouted roughly.

He had momentarily forgotten in the urgent situation, but this place where Xian was, was the heart of the enemy camp.

A situation where he was surrounded by goblin hordes on all sides.

The 1:1 with the hobgoblin was just Xian’s wishful thinking.

Smirk.

The hobgoblin’s lips twisted.

Clearly, the realm of reason had been cut away due to the berserk state.

The hobgoblin was smiling like a hunter who had set a trap.

At this rate, it was only a matter of time before Xian was surrounded by goblins.

‘But there’s a way…!’

Just then.

Thwoom!

The sound of a crossbow rang out like thunder from somewhere.

Thung!

Thutung!

And, as if echoing the first shot, crossbow bolts began to fire in rapid succession.

Arrows flew, piercing the goblins rushing towards Xian, felling them instantly.

“Kueh?”

The hobgoblin momentarily paused, confused by the sudden barrage.

“Fire! Suppress them! Don’t let them reach the Lord!”

A booming shout echoed from atop the wooden fence.

Xian saw Grayson, crossbow in hand, aiming at the goblin horde. Grayson’s face was contorted in pain, likely from the injuries inflicted by the hobgoblin.

Despite the pain, Grayson didn’t lower his weapon.

Thoom!

Kieeeeek!

Thanks to Grayson’s cover fire, the goblins couldn’t get close to Xian.

Xian gripped his sword tighter.

Then, he gestured defiantly towards the hobgoblin.

“What are you waiting for?”

Kuaaaaaah!

The hobgoblin’s face twisted into a grotesque mask of rage, as if Xian’s taunt had struck a nerve.

Thump, thump! It stomped the ground, charging towards Xian.

Facing the monstrous onslaught, Xian abruptly held his breath. It felt as if time itself had stopped.

But time hadn’t stopped. The hobgoblin’s charge hadn’t slowed in the slightest.

Swordsmanship Family, Ellandur.

The swordsmanship he had briefly learned there…

However, Xian hadn’t truly mastered the art. He was considered a bastard and a dullard, unable to even awaken his aura [a form of internal energy or life force commonly found in fantasy settings].

‘If I had known this would happen, I should have begged them to teach me more.’

Xian chuckled humorlessly to himself.

But he quickly shook off the regret. It was a meaningless thought now.

He needed to focus on the battle at hand. Holding his breath, Xian swung his sword.

And in that instant…

Swoosh!

Crack!

The sounds of cutting flesh and tearing hide erupted simultaneously.

“Cough!”

Agonizing pain ripped through Xian. The shock of his insides twisting sent his body flying through the air.

Kuaaaaaah!

The hobgoblin’s scream of pain pierced the air. It couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.

Its left shoulder was deeply slashed. Sticky blood poured from the wound.

Its tough hide, so resistant to ordinary weapons, had been breached. It had always been enough to block most human attacks.

Occasionally, there were those called knights, but aside from the strange power called aura they wielded, no human had ever posed a threat.

And the prey before him didn’t possess such power. No, it was more accurate to say he *couldn’t* use it.

That’s why it had been dismissed as mere ‘prey.’

But why, then…?

Thud!

Xian’s body crashed roughly onto the ground some distance away.

“Cough… !”

A mouthful of blood gushed from his mouth. His mind swam in dizziness.

Xian quickly regained his footing.

‘If it weren’t for the S-rank armor…’

He would have been dead just now.

No, he would be dead for sure.

Fortunately, the S-rank armor had blocked the hobgoblin’s attack.

“Kugh… !”

However, it couldn’t completely negate the shock that reverberated through his insides.

Xian wiped the blood from his mouth and focused ahead.

Kuaaaaaah!

The hobgoblin screamed in agony.

But only for a moment.

Swish.

The hobgoblin’s severed left shoulder began to regenerate, little by little.

Over Drive.

It was the act of pushing instincts to the absolute limit, dramatically increasing the magical beast’s physical abilities. [Over Drive: A state where a magical beast pushes its physical abilities to the limit.]

And the amplified physical abilities included accelerated regenerative power.

The hobgoblin, having almost instantly regenerated its wound, rampaged once more.

Seeing this, Xian made a swift decision.

‘I can’t drag this out any longer.’

Initially, he had planned to inflict cumulative damage with small, precise wounds.

But as things stood, he had to abandon that strategy.

Xian stared intently at the rampaging hobgoblin.

Xian didn’t possess the skill to cut down the hobgoblin in a single, decisive blow.

The S-rank sword could slice through the hobgoblin’s tough hide even without the enhancement of aura [Aura: A type of energy or power used by knights and skilled warriors.].

However, Xian lacked the necessary skill to even land a blow on that hide.

But…

He could read the raw emotion in its eyes.

The hobgoblin was panicking.

At first glance, it seemed to be expressing pure rage, but beneath the surface, there was a palpable feeling of ‘panic.’

It had initially dismissed him as mere prey.

But now, it was experiencing the instinctive fear that it might actually die.

Tap!

Xian didn’t hesitate; he seized the opportunity.

Xian charged directly at the hobgoblin without a moment’s hesitation.

The hobgoblin roared in response and rushed headlong towards Xian.

The expression on the charging hobgoblin’s face no longer held any trace of mockery.

The distance between them rapidly closed.

Xian swung his sword in a wide arc.

At the same instant, the hobgoblin vanished from Xian’s immediate sight.

Evasion.

The hobgoblin was clearly wary of Xian’s sword.

Whoosh!

Xian’s sword, slicing through the air, created a sharp, tearing sound.

Simultaneously, a massive opening appeared in Xian’s defenses.

Smirk.

The corners of the hobgoblin’s lips twitched upwards for a fleeting moment.

It was true that it had been momentarily flustered.

The struggles of a mere insect it considered prey were proving to be far more troublesome than expected.

But that was only a momentary lapse.

It didn’t matter how powerful that weapon was if it couldn’t actually hit its target.

The result of that miscalculation was the gaping opening it now saw before it.

It was over.

Smirk.

The hobgoblin’s rough, calloused hand shot out and grabbed Xian.

Thwack!

A tremendous force slammed into Xian’s entire body.

Xian desperately struggled to break free from the hobgoblin’s grasp, but he couldn’t overcome its raw, brute strength.

Crack!

A grotesque, crushing force began to compress Xian’s entire body.

“Kkeuaaaaaaak!”

Xian screamed in agony.

Watching Xian’s plight, the hobgoblin smirked once more.

A bug in its hand.

The sensation of it being on the verge of bursting wasn’t unpleasant.

The hobgoblin squeezed the hand holding Xian with all its might, intending to crush him.

But then…

Crack…!

“Kewo?”

Something was off.

To be precise, it felt a strange sensation in its hand. It had put strength into its hand, intending to burst Xian…

Crack…!

But for some reason, it wouldn’t crush. As if blocked by something. No matter how much strength it applied, it couldn’t crush Xian.

Right then.

“This… is an S-rank armor…!”

Xian managed to open his mouth with difficulty. His face, contorted in pain, looked as if he would faint at any moment.

S-rank armor…?

The hobgoblin naturally didn’t understand Xian’s words. It didn’t possess the intelligence to understand, but it could sense that Xian was trying to do something.

The hobgoblin gripped Xian even tighter.

However, that grotesque strength ultimately failed to crush the S-rank armor.

“Keu, keuwo…?”

The hobgoblin was flustered.

Just then.

Drip.

Xian’s breathing hitched.

And again.

Slice!

A chilling slicing sound was heard as the hobgoblin’s fingers were severed. That created a slight gap in its grip on Xian.

And within that gap, a pure white sword gleamed.

Xian squeezed through the gap. Simultaneously, he mustered all his strength and swung his sword.

“Uwaaaaaaaa!!!!”

Xian’s sword surged forward.

And…

Kwaaa–jik!

A gruesome tearing sound echoed.

Looking up to where the sound came from, Xian’s sword was piercing through the hobgoblin’s eye.

And what that meant was one thing.

“H, how, how could this…?”

“N, no way…”

A silence that wasn’t silence descended.

The people watching that scene, the goblin horde, all of them, without exception, stared blankly at the scene before them.

A silence filled with astonishment.

.

.

Koo-oong!

The hobgoblin’s massive body collapsed to the floor.