My Lord Who Is Being Prudent! [EN]: Chapter 212

212. Shackles of the Past (2)

A massive impact shattered the entire space.

“Kuhuk…!”

“Kululk…!”

Rosewell and Nathan coughed up blood, which splattered onto the floor, forming small puddles.

A terrible pain coursed through their entire bodies.

Along with the mind-numbing agony, their eyes struggled to focus.

It took them quite a while to regain their bearings.

Finally, they could see the scene before them.

Could it even be called a scene?

The impact of the force reached everywhere.

From one end of their vision to the other, the landscape was utterly devastated.

The surrounding mountains were torn to shreds.

It was truly a scene where one could say the space itself had collapsed.

“…!!!”

“…!!!”

Rosewell and Nathan’s eyes widened simultaneously.

“What is this…”

“I-Impossible…”

Their eyes bulged, and their mouths gaped open.

Their faces contorted in shock, and no further words escaped their lips.

In the silence that descended, filled with astonishment.

“Huff… Huff…!”

Rough breathing could be heard from one side.

Rosewell and Nathan turned their gazes toward the sound.

Cyan was bent over, gasping for air.

Was his body overloaded?

Cyan’s entire frame was trembling.

Suddenly, Cyan’s body swayed to the side.

He quickly steadied himself by planting the sword he was holding into the ground.

“Kuek…!”

Even that small impact caused a groan of pain to escape Cyan’s lips.

Something surged up from deep within his throat.

“Kululk…!”

The blood that erupted from Cyan’s mouth finally spilled onto the floor.

The sensations in his body flickered intermittently.

His throbbing body screamed in agony.

His mind grew faint, and his vision flickered.

But Cyan gritted his teeth, clinging to his fading consciousness.

Supporting himself with the sword planted in the ground, he forced himself to stand.

He stubbornly lifted his gaze and looked straight ahead.

And there, in his sight.

Rosewell and Nathan were staring at him with their mouths agape.

Rosewell and Nathan’s condition wasn’t much better either.

Their dust-covered bodies were battered and bruised.

Clotted blood clung to them in clumps.

The word “fine” was definitely not applicable.

The shock they were experiencing seemed to be the dominant factor.

It wasn’t that they felt no pain or agony.

But they were standing on their own two feet.

And though battered, they were gripping their swords with trembling hands.

They appeared to be in far better shape than Cyan.

“Keuheok…!”

Red blood spurted from Cyan’s mouth.

The blood that spilled onto the floor formed a large puddle.

Rosewell and Nathan, who had been watching Cyan with wide eyes.

Rosewell momentarily wore a bitter smile.

It was an astonishing sight, a shocking event.

The scene before them—no, this spectacle that defied the very concept of a scene—was awe-inspiring.

It was a power that Rosewell, even with Nathan’s help, couldn’t achieve.

Perhaps only Kai and Durak combined could possibly manage it.

It was a terrifying power that even made him entertain such absurd thoughts.

So, to be honest, Rosewell couldn’t understand.

He honestly couldn’t understand how Cyan had survived that unbelievable power.

So, to be a little more honest…

Cyan was ahead of them.

He really hated to admit it.

He absolutely loathed admitting it.

But Cyan’s current level was beyond theirs.

Therefore, they should be the ones to be defeated.

“Kkeuaeuk…!”

They should be the ones bursting with pain.

They should be the ones trembling.

But the situation that unfolded was not like that.

He didn’t know why.

He didn’t particularly want to know.

The only thing he could guess was that Cyan had hesitated at the last moment.

More precisely, he had shown a hint of doubt.

That single doubt had created the current outcome.

Now it was over.

Nothing had changed.

Whether in the past or now, they would ultimately face the same result.

“I’ll handle this. You rest, Sister.”

At that moment, Nathan stepped forward, blocking Rosewell.

Nathan’s face was contorted with rage.

His body was battered, and blood was streaming from somewhere, but his eyes gleamed with murderous intent.

He seemed to be thinking the same thing as Rosewell.

The difference in level between him and Cyan that he had felt in the previous clash.

But unlike Rosewell, Nathan was furious.

“You bastard…”

A hint of irrationality.

It was as if he was expressing his anger that Cyan, of all people, could have surpassed him.

Rosewell paused to think.

To be honest, Nathan’s condition wasn’t great.

And Rosewell’s condition wasn’t great either.

They could stand on their own two feet, but they couldn’t be called fine.

But looking at Cyan’s current state.

“Kululk…!”

Cyan was in a truly terrible state.

He was in a state where he could collapse at any moment.

It was questionable how he was even holding on.

So.

“Do as you please.”

There was no need to step in.

Nathan would take care of it.

There was no need to waste energy when he wasn’t in good shape.

Nathan staggered forward, slowly approaching Cyan.

#

“Kuek…!”

Cyan struggled to steady his swaying body.

He used the sword planted in the ground as a support, forcing himself to stand.

And the sight he saw.

Nathan was slowly approaching.

“I’ll kill you…”

A chilling murderous intent was directed solely at Cyan.

Of course, Nathan’s condition wasn’t good either.

Not as bad as Cyan, but it seemed like something was seriously wrong.

But it was, literally, not as bad as Cyan.

Surging mana and convulsing muscles throughout his body.

The overload from Megingjörð [Norse mythology: a belt that doubles the wearer’s strength] caused muscle ruptures, sending excruciating pain throughout his body.

No, it was accurate to say that he could endure this much because he had trained his strength.

If he hadn’t trained, he would have fainted and collapsed long ago.

Therefore, Nathan’s current state.

Was none other than ‘relatively’ fine.

That came as a considerable shock to Cyan.

To be honest…

He thought he could do it.

He had absorbed the power of the elixir.

And he was receiving the amplification of Megingjörð.

Even though it was an asymmetrical 2:1 fight.

Even though the opponents were Rosewell and Nathan.

He thought he could overcome them, even if it was a difficult fight.

Nathan, at the highest level of Expert [a rank in martial arts or magic].

Rosewell, beyond the highest level of Expert, looking toward Master [a higher rank than Expert].

Cyan was almost at the level of Master.

Of course, only his raw power was at the Master level, not his actual mastery.

Although Rosewell and Nathan were using Elan Dur’s secret technique.

It was actually Charlotte’s martial art from the past.

Charlotte’s martial art, the leader of Arnaise [a powerful organization or family].

Its power was not to be underestimated.

Far from underestimating it, it was no exaggeration to call it the strongest on the continent.

But it was no match for Kyle.

It couldn’t reach the strongest Arnaise.

Therefore, if one were to consider only the level of martial arts, Cyan had the advantage.

Moreover, he had absorbed the power of the elixir.

And he was receiving the amplification of Megingjörð.

It was a fight he couldn’t lose.

He should have overwhelmed them with an overwhelming difference in power, not just a tough fight.

“Kululk…!”

But he couldn’t do that.

He couldn’t do that.

And Cyan finally understood the reason why.

The thought that came before the thought that he could do it.

He thought he had escaped.

He thought he had overcome it.

Numerous hardships that were called impossible.

The trials he had faced while confronting the seven demon lords.

He had overcome those countless adversities and thought he had overcome this as well.

But it seemed that wasn’t the case.

It was a delusion that he had thought so.

It hadn’t changed even after so many years.

No matter how much he struggled, it didn’t change.

No matter how much training he repeated, it didn’t change.

It was true in the past.

And it was an unchanging fact at this moment.

“A pathetic bastard who used to get beaten by us dares to…”

Cyan couldn’t surpass Rosewell and Nathan.

Cyan looked at Nathan approaching.

After that, he looked at Rosewell, who was smirking.

“Keuhahaha…!”

And Cyan, powerless to do anything, looked at himself.

In an instant, Cyan’s vision blurred.

At the same time, the figures of Rosewell and Nathan also faded.

The surrounding scenery blurred and scattered.

‘Tsk, you pathetic bastard,’ Nathan’s voice echoed through the haze.

Nathan’s voice…?

Cyan tilted his head, confused. The voice he heard was definitely Nathan’s, but… it wasn’t quite Nathan’s voice as he knew it.

It was somehow younger, more youthful.

Cyan slowly raised his gaze.

He saw Nathan slowly approaching him.

But this wasn’t the Nathan of the present.

‘To think I share the same blood as this kind of guy.’

It was Nathan from his childhood. The young Nathan from Cyan’s past, when he still lived with the family.

Behind that young Nathan, Rosewell smirked.

As expected, Rosewell was also a child, a figure from his past.

The scenery wasn’t a dark forest, nor a mountain shattered by battle.

It was the training ground in the Elan Dur mansion.

Looking down, he saw a small hand – the hand of Cyan from his childhood, from those distant memories.

A scene like a hallucination.

This scene was from a long time ago.

It was when Cyan was still in the Elan Dur mansion.

And it was a memory engraved in his mind like a tattoo.

A traumatic memory he could never forget, no matter how hard he tried.

Before he knew it, young Nathan stood before young Cyan.

His eyes, twisted with a sneer of contempt, were fixed on the younger boy.

‘How can’t you even do this? If you have this much talent, doesn’t that mean there’s a significant problem on your mom’s side?’ Young Nathan said, feigning confusion.

‘Oh? Now that I think about it, that’s right. There’s something wrong with your mom’s kid. Isn’t that right, Sister?’

‘Well, the only thing that’s different in blood is that, so it’s a reasonable thing to say,’ young Rosewell shrugged.

Young Nathan grinned and continued, ‘Of course, of course. There’s no way our youngest wouldn’t be able to do even this much, right? This isn’t our youngest’s fault. It’s all that woman Cecil’s fault.’

So.

‘The one who should be punished is your mom’s kid, right?’

At young Nathan’s words, young Cyan flinched.

‘Why? You don’t like that?’ young Nathan asked sarcastically.

Young Rosewell chuckled, watching the scene unfold from behind.

‘Then there’s no choice. You have no choice but to be punished.’

With those words, young Nathan slowly approached young Cyan.

Young Nathan drawing closer.

In an instant, the hallucination blurred.

Through the haze, the figure of the current Nathan overlapped with his younger self.

Past and present.

Both Nathans were slowly walking towards Cyan.

The same situation as back then.

‘If you avoid it, you know what will happen, right? Then your mom’s kid will have to take the hit instead.’

The result would be no different from before.

In his memory, young Nathan swung a wooden sword at young Cyan.

Young Cyan looked at the approaching wooden sword, but he was paralyzed.

There was nothing he could do.

‘You’re really a moron.’

He truly couldn’t do anything.

Swaeeeeeeek!

The swung wooden sword of young Nathan filled his vision.

He had to resist somehow.

He even had to avoid it.

‘Ah, ah… Augh…’

Young Cyan was helpless.

He really couldn’t do anything, anything at all.

He could only clench his eyes shut.

*I hope it ends quickly today.*

*I hope it hurts a little less today.*

*I hope Nathan is in a good mood today.*

That was all he could do, just endlessly hope inside.

In the memories of the past, young Cyan tightly closed his eyes.

A darkened vision.

The sound of the wooden sword, swaeeek, echoed faintly in his ears.

It would hit his face soon.

Young Cyan trembled with fear.

The memory of young Cyan in the past.

This memory, repeated for decades, remained vivid in Cyan’s mind.

That memory, like a trauma, was etched into his very being.

Therefore, the situation remained unchanged.

This situation from decades ago.

This situation from decades later.

In the end, it was destined to end the same way.

Young Cyan lowered his head.

Right then.

Thump.

A hand grabbed young Cyan’s shoulder.

A rough yet firm hand.

Soon, that hand pulled young Cyan back.

Young Cyan stumbled.

What… is it?

Young Cyan’s eyes opened slightly.

The first thing he noticed was that time seemed to be flowing slowly.

Time is flowing slowly.

*Maybe he’s dreaming.*

*Maybe I’ve already been hit by the wooden sword and fainted.*

Young Cyan suddenly had that thought.

The wooden sword of young Nathan, rushing in slow motion, was visible.

Behind it, the face of young Rosewell, laughing and chuckling, was visible.

All those scenes stretched out and flowed slowly.

And next to him, the hand that had pulled his shoulder.

Someone was rushing forward, blurring past his vision.

It was someone he had never seen before.

A body that was battered and bruised.

The bloodstains smeared around his mouth.

*Where did he come from after fighting…?*

*He looked like he was in bad shape….*

He had those questions, but it was a face he didn’t recognize.

Young Cyan couldn’t know who that man running past him was.

But why?

Young Cyan had a strange thought.

In the long, drawn-out moment.

That man who grabbed his shoulder and ran forward.

For some reason, that man’s face looked exactly like his.

What should I say… he looked like himself in the distant future.

*If I were to age, wouldn’t I look like that?*

Young Cyan had that thought as he looked at the unidentified man.

At that moment, the man’s gaze turned towards him.

In front of the man, young Nathan’s wooden sword was being swung slowly.

But the man’s gaze was directed at young Cyan, ignoring the impending blow.

He didn’t know why.

The man’s eyes, when he looked at him, looked exactly like young Cyan’s.

And the man’s eyes seemed to say this to young Cyan:

*I’m sorry.*

What was he sorry for?

*I’m seeing you for the first time.*

*Because I couldn’t do anything at this time.*

What couldn’t he do anything about?

*The one who can’t do anything is me right now.*

*I won’t do that anymore.*

*I won’t be bound by it anymore.*

Unspoken words were exchanged.

The man wasn’t saying anything, but he understood.

Young Cyan instinctively knew what that man was saying.

In a time that seemed frozen.

That he would no longer come to find him.

That he would no longer be swayed by him.

*I promise.*

With those words, the man turned his gaze back forward.

As if he would never, ever look back this way again.

The man’s eyes, which had been directed at young Cyan, now looked coldly forward.

*He’s heartless.*

Young Cyan suddenly had that thought.

That man would probably never look back this way again.

Young Cyan could sense it intuitively.

But why?

He didn’t feel bad. He wasn’t sad either.

The man would probably never look back this way again.

He would never see that face again.

But it was okay.

He didn’t feel regretful or sorry.

*I guess we won’t see each other again.*

Young Cyan responded to the man with a gentle smile.

He had to, it felt like.

Before he knew it, the wooden sword was right in front of him.

In the past, young Cyan couldn’t stop that wooden sword.

He couldn’t do anything, and he didn’t even think about doing anything.

He just thought he had to get hit.

He thought that was right, and young Cyan had no choice but to do so.

He had no strength, no will.

In a way, he was just a mere fool.

But now.

The man who looked exactly like him.

That man who grabbed young Cyan’s shoulder and ran forward.

That man who promised that he would never come again.

Cyan of the distant future.

And the current Cyan.

In the memories of the past, towards the swung wooden sword.

He was confidently wielding his sword.

Kakang──!!

The hallucination shatters.

The vision reflected through the scattering hallucination.

Cyan was blocking Nathan’s swung sword with his battered body.