My Lord Who Is Being Prudent! [EN]: Chapter 194

194. Self-Inflicted Wound (1)

Wigo’s eyes glazed over for a moment.

The coldness in his expression as he looked at Hans vanished.

No, that couldn’t be possible.

The expression ‘that’s absurd’ was perfect for this situation.

Of course, there was some distance between Ruben and Jairen for the news to travel.

Ruben, located at the eastern edge, and Jairen, located in the center.

It could be considered quite far, rather than just a little.

Therefore, the news could be slow.

No matter how fast word of mouth travels, there was still an absolute time required for rumors to spread.

And the news had just arrived.

The news that Crowd’s forces had arrived in front of Ruben and set up camp.

To be precise, the news was that they had set up camp near the Dark Forest area.

“I’m coming straight from the territory war.”

Even so, this couldn’t be!

His words were absurd, and Wigo felt like his mind was ascending to another dimension. Wigo was stunned for a while.

Wigo doubted his ears for a moment, but they were working normally.

So, he had heard correctly.

But if he heard correctly, how could this be?

For this to make sense, there was only one possibility.

The territory war ended as soon as it started.

That is, immediately after the messenger with the news that Crowd’s forces had set up camp departed.

At the same time, the territory war ended.

Then it made some sense.

The messenger to deliver the news that the territory war had ended had already left.

But that couldn’t be.

The territory war was, literally, a war.

Even the shortest ones lasted a few weeks.

The long ones lasted from a few months to several years.

Of course, according to Imperial law, it lasted for 90 days.

It never ended in an instant.

But what is this…

“Ah.”

At that moment, a thought flashed through Wigo’s mind.

“Could it be… that Ruben was defeated?”

It was none other than Ruben who had been defeated.

This made some sense.

From the beginning, the difference in power was overwhelming.

The outcome of the battle was obvious.

And Hans had come to Wigo for that very reason.

Probably… Cyan had been captured as a prisoner.

Therefore, Hans had come to Wigo to work as a mercenary to earn Cyan’s ransom.

This made some sense.

So…

“Hmm? No. The territory war ended with Ruben’s victory.”

This was a more plausible story than the one Hans was telling.

“……”

Wigo was truly speechless.

Also, he couldn’t understand Hans’ words.

“Is he senile or something?”

That’s the only way he could think.

“It’s true. The territory war ended with Ruben’s victory.”

But Hans was firm.

From the beginning, Hans was not one to lie.

More than anything, Hans’ eyes didn’t look like those of a liar.

His body was old and frail, but his eyes were the same as before.

The same eyes he had when he led the Gale Mercenary Corps decades ago.

No, they were even brighter than before.

Then all those words were true.

“How on earth…?”

But how on earth?

Perhaps understanding Wigo’s question.

“So…”

Hans slowly opened his mouth.

#

The Dark Forest, located in the eastern part of the Empire.

“Count, all preparations for the advance are complete.”

At the report of the knight, Count Crowd calmly looked around.

The boundary where the Dark Forest area began.

There, countless people were lined up.

A well-organized formation and a splendidly armored army.

All were the army of the Crowd family.

The soldiers were glaring with sharp momentum.

Such soldiers were lined up from the end of the field of vision to the end.

Infantry and archers, 6,000 and 3,000 respectively.

Heavy armored soldiers, 2,000.

With 1,000 cavalry and 500 knights.

In addition, 1,000 infantry and archers were gathered.

Thus, a total of 15,000.

A tremendous scale of the army was lined up in this place.

The best elite soldiers armed with powerful capital.

Ruben would not be able to do anything in front of this army.

Not only Ruben.

It was a force that would not be pushed back even if it faced any family or territory.

“Advance!!”

Booooooo─!!

With Count Crowd’s loud shout, the sound of the horn echoed.

At the same time, the troops began to advance in a precise, knife-like formation.

A restrained sound echoing from the heavy armor.

Every time the soldiers took a step, the ground of the forest vibrated slightly.

Thus, Crowd’s army stepped into the Dark Forest area.

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

But the Dark Forest they faced was not as dangerous as they thought.

There was nothing particularly gloomy, and no special energy was felt.

More than anything, he wondered if this was really a forest.

That’s because forests usually have dense trees.

But the sight in front of him now did not have many trees.

They were growing here and there, but they were not dense enough to be defined as a forest.

He wondered what it was, but Count Crowd soon knew the reason.

It was none other than the artificially trimmed appearance of the trees.

“It seems that someone has logged the trees.”

It seemed that someone had cut down all the trees.

And he could know who that someone was without asking.

It must be the people of Ruben.

He thought that they had cut down the trees to use them as firewood.

“Foolish.”

Count Crowd gave a bitter smile.

That’s because they had eliminated the natural barrier themselves.

It must have been an inevitable choice to withstand the cold.

Thanks to that, the road to Ruben was easier than ever.

He was really stupid.

“Continue to advance!”

Booooooo─!

With the sound of a large horn, Crowd’s troops continued to advance.

And as expected, the speed of the advance was unstoppable.

So, as he was once again admiring Cyan’s stupidity.

Kiek─! Kieeek!

Kireureureuk─!!

A chilling scream was heard from one side.

He looked at that place.

There were some beings gathered there.

Small height and short limbs.

Ferociously looking face.

Goblins.

There were hundreds of goblins.

Kieeeeeeeek!!

The goblins screamed and approached the Crowd soldiers.

It was a sudden goblin attack, but it was also expected.

Crowd’s army of 15,000.

It was virtually impossible to hide their presence.

The ground vibrated slightly every time they took a step.

Because of that, the goblins were threatening the Crowd soldiers who had invaded their territory.

Kieeeeeeeeeeeek!!!

A thicker scream than before erupted.

But no one was afraid of that scream.

That’s because they were goblins.

Goblins, the lowest of the low-level monsters.

To put it bluntly, goblins were so weak that a healthy adult male could deal with them if he had the right weapon.

The borderline of the level that can be called a monster.

That was the goblin.

So, it wasn’t a problem.

“Take care of them.”

Count Crowd ordered with a chin gesture.

Soon, some of the soldiers moved, and Count Crowd turned his attention away.

And.

“Kuaaaaak!”

The soldiers’ screams were heard.

Not the goblins’ screams.

The soldiers’ screams were heard.

“What…?”

Count Crowd turned his head again.

And he could see.

Kiek─! Kieeek!

Kireureureuk─!!

Goblins were slaughtering Crowd’s soldiers!

A blood-red glow as if dyed with blood.

Kieeeeeeeeeeeek─!!!

A thicker madness began to erupt.

As if black hatred was stretching, it was engulfing all directions.

“……!!”

Count Crowd’s eyes widened.

“That, that’s a goblin…?”

That was not the level that a goblin could show.

If that was a goblin, the definition of a monster had to be redefined!

But what he saw was a clear reality.

“Prepare for battle!!”

“They are not ordinary goblins! Don’t let your guard down!”

Only then did the knights come forward and begin to reorganize the soldiers’ ranks.

But.

“Wh, what!”

“Why are they so…!”

Contrary to expectations, the goblin hordes did not fall easily.

Goblins living in the Dark Forest were different from ordinary goblins.

They were demonized goblins and magical beasts with a record of hunting ogres.

Of course, it was an old, sick, and nearly dead ogre, but still, an ogre was an ogre.

The monsters living in the Dark Forest were different from ordinary monsters.

Fortunately, the goblins were still goblins.

“Heo… Heo…!”

“What is this…!”

The goblins had no choice but to fall in front of the army of 15,000.

“Reorganize the ranks again!”

“Don’t be shaken by this!”

The knights comforted the soldiers and repeatedly reorganized them.

There were damages, but the soldiers were not greatly shaken.

The army was still intact.

The goblins had eventually fallen in front of this overwhelming army.

Thus, the Crowd soldiers reorganized their ranks.

And just as they were about to advance again.

Hwiik─! Hwiik!

Hwiiiiiiik─!!

A bizarre snorting sound was heard from somewhere.

And there were not many beings that could make such a snorting sound.

As expected, they soon revealed themselves.

A monster with bulging muscles and a hideous pig’s face, an orc.

But it was different from ordinary orcs.

Unlike the 1m-sized orcs, the orcs they were seeing now were over 2m tall.

Hwiiiiiiiiiik─!!

The snorting sound erupting from the huge body was truly fitting to be called ferocious.

And as expected.

Hwiiiiiiiiiik─!!

Hwiik─! Hwiik!

The orcs rushed headlong towards the Crowd soldiers who had invaded their territory.

“Everyone, prepare for battle!!”

“Don’t leave the ranks!!”

And.

“Kuaaaaak!”

“Keuheok…!”

The orcs were on a different level from the goblins from before.

No, was that really an orc?

He could believe it even if it was an ogre?

“C, Count! It’s dangerous!”

“Damn it! What the hell is this place!!!”

Count Crowd had no choice but to scream and take refuge in a safe place.

And after a fierce battle, they were able to annihilate the orcs.

No matter how demonic the orcs were, an army of 15,000 was not easy to deal with.

Of course.

“Wh, what’s the damage?”

“That’s… 2,000 troops have been lost.”

It was no longer 15,000.

At the continued report, Count Crowd’s face turned red.

That’s because they had only faced goblins and orcs.

The full-scale territory war had not even started yet.

But 2,000 of the troops were lost?

Did that make sense?

But Count Crowd quickly came to his senses.

It was an absurd loss, but there were still many troops left.

That alone was enough to push Ruben away.

Surely…

Kireureureureuk─!

That’s what he thought.

A bizarre scream was heard from somewhere.

Count Crowd’s head turned to where the scream came from.

And a huge monster was clearly visible.

“Troll…?”

Count Crowd’s mind was fading.

#

Meanwhile.

“Why isn’t he coming?”

Cyan couldn’t hide his bewildered feelings.

That’s because it had been a long time since he had received the news.

He should have arrived a long time ago, but he couldn’t see him.

“Could it be… that he ran away on the way?”

Cyan felt his heart drop for a moment.

That would be really… troublesome.

Then the war reparations would be gone!

Should he use Reminton as an excuse to draw aggro [draw attention/antagonize] now?

…Just as he was thinking that.

“Lord! It’s Crowd’s soldiers!”

Cyan’s mind was awakened by the soldier’s cry.

And the field of vision he looked at.

There, armors with crow patterns were approaching Ruben’s territory.

But why?

“Why are they like that?”

Somehow… they were in a terrible state.

The armor was covered in blood.

The weapons they were holding were chipped in places.

Also, the faces of the soldiers that could be seen were shattered.

In a word, they were battered.

He couldn’t tell if they were an army or beggars.

“It seems that they were attacked by magical beasts on the way.”

At Lucas’s words, Cyan tilted his head without realizing it.

“I cleared that up yesterday.”

“It seems that some remnants remained. And the magical beasts of the Dark Forest never stop.”

“Well, that’s…”

“More than anything, they were moving in army units, so they must have attracted a lot of attention.”

As Lucas said, it seemed that they had fought with magical beasts.

“But they became like that without being able to handle one?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Cyan and Lucas looked at Crowd’s army with incomprehensible expressions.

Well, anyway.

“Whatever the situation. They came to Ruben, so the territory war has started, right?”

“That’s right according to the territory war rules. The invader is on that side, so they have the duty to declare war.”

“Good.”

Cyan clenched his fist.

With this, the justification was secured.

“How should we dispatch the soldiers right away?”

“No. It’s okay.”

At Lucas’s words, Cyan shook his head firmly.

There was no need to dispatch Ruben’s soldiers.

No, from the beginning, Cyan had no intention of having a proper territory war.

That’s because he knew the real purpose of this territory war.

He had already guessed Elan Dur’s hidden intentions.

In the meantime, Ruben’s power was not known externally.

Because of that, Elan Dur didn’t know either.

As a result, Kai and the White Wolf Knights were defeated.

It was quite shocking for Elan Dur.

So, Elan Dur seemed to have judged that it was necessary to explore Ruben before starting a full-scale war.

That trick was right now.

It was the territory war with Crowd.

They thoroughly hid their power and used others to achieve their goals.

Probably, when the territory war was over, the related matters would be reported to Durak.

‘They’re going to kill two birds with one stone [achieve two goals with one action].’

So, there was no need to go along with that trick.

The real enemy hadn’t even revealed their cards yet.

Why would this side have to reveal their cards?

“Then how…?”

At Lucas’s question, Cyan paused for a moment.

The original plan was to drag out the time by trusting Ruben’s walls.

The defense of ‘You Can’t Pass! Titanium Wall Lv.7’ surrounding Ruben was the strongest wall that could not be penetrated.

So, the plan was to lock the castle gates and play defense.

With that, the plan was to wipe out the Crowd soldiers at once when they were exhausted.

A plan to win without revealing this side’s cards and hiding their power.

Of course, the time would inevitably be dragged out.

He thought that it couldn’t be helped to hide his power.

But looking at Crowd’s beggar-like appearance now…

A pretty good idea came to mind.

A way to end the territory war at once without revealing this side’s cards.

“Even though they are enemies, they are the same count. It’s not right for them to be like that. Semir!”

Cyan called Semir, who was far away.

#

“This armor… Cyan sent it?”

“Y, yes.”

Count Crowd looked at the armor and helmet in front of him.

Armor and helmet shining with golden light.

It was an extraordinary kind at first glance.

Even if it was an armor made by the best craftsman, it would not be able to match this.

In a word, a rare treasure that would never be again.

“Why on earth…?”

That’s why Count Crowd couldn’t help but be suspicious.

Why would he send such precious armor to himself, who was an enemy?

“Th, that is…”

The knight paused for a moment and said.

“Ruben’s envoy said that he looked like he was in bad condition from afar. How can a noble count be in such a state? As the same count, he is heartbroken. Although he is an enemy, he wants to show respect as a count… he said.”

“Heo…”

Count Crowd exclaimed.

And later, the nobles of the Empire who heard this news were not much different.

Everyone couldn’t help but be greatly impressed by Cyan’s great generosity.

The dignity to respect the enemy general even in war.

The image of Cyan, who was known as a thug, no longer existed.

A true nobleman who knew how to maintain dignity and class.

It was a generosity and tolerance that completely transformed the image of Cyan in aristocratic society.

But.

Those who knew knew.

To be exact, the people of Ruben next to Cyan knew.

“You see that shiny golden armor over there? That’s Count Crowd. Concentrate the firepower of the Singijeon [a type of Korean rocket artillery] around that area.”

That it was all a trick!

Kiiiiiiiiing…!

At the same time as Cyan’s words, a tremendous magical power wave erupted from the Singijeon.

Pshushushushuk!!

And flames erupted from the Singijeon, sending all the loaded arrows into the sky.

A shower of arrows covering the sky.

It was concentrated towards the place where the shiny golden armor was far away.

“I asked Semir to make the light reflect well. Semir is Semir after all.”

The concentrated fire was directed at where Count Crowd was!

Kwakwakwakwakwang!!!!

Kwaaaaaang!!!

The entire forest trembled with the tremendous explosion.

A thick cloud of dust that obscured the view.

The cloud of dust that bloomed in that way did not dissipate for a long time.

And Cyan’s voice was heard.

“He’s wearing S-grade armor, so he won’t die, right?”

He shouldn’t die.

Then there’s no one to extort reparations from.

Cyan muttered something and anxiously watched the cloud of dust dissipate.

And the people of Ruben were watching such Cyan.

“……”

“……”

“……”

Could Cyan actually be one of the 8 demon lords…?”

They could only think for a moment.