My Lord Who Is Being Prudent! [EN]: Chapter 237

237. The Beginning of War (3)

The silence pressed in on me, a palpable thing.

“…What is this?”

Sian stopped walking, almost without realizing it.

Was it a mistake?

The thought flickered through his mind, but the possibility felt remote.

Now that he had achieved complete mastery of the Demon Blood Martial Art.

Sian could tap into the magic of the origin and possessed considerable energy sensitivity, though not quite as refined as Kyle’s.

That was why he could perceive the subtle distortions in the fabric of this world a moment ago.

Even the most potent illusion magic, such as that cast by a dragon, could not escape Sian’s heightened senses.

“It’s not a mistake.”

So, it wasn’t some kind of error or delusion.

That meant there really was no one here.

“Let’s check it out.”

Sian quickened his pace, heading towards what was supposed to be the Beastmen’s village.

To be precise, it was a place presumed to be the village of the Beastmen.

The village he entered was eerily quiet.

Sian opened each house door one by one, visually confirming what his senses told him.

And.

“…They’re not here.”

Sian could see with his own eyes that his senses were not deceiving him.

“There’s no trace of people living here.”

Not only was there no sign of current life, but there was also no indication that people had lived here recently.

There were remnants, though.

Faint echoes of a time when people had indeed inhabited this village.

“It seems quite a bit of time has passed.”

But the traces were too ephemeral.

Houses that were not only dilapidated but also seemed on the verge of collapse.

Even a pervasive sense of decay hung in the air.

He couldn’t quite discern it from afar, but the village seen up close was undeniably ancient.

It looked like a village that had been abandoned for a long time.

Only vestiges remained, as if it had been deserted for hundreds of years.

“Could it be… did they relocate their kingdom?”

Sian couldn’t help but consider this possibility.

The reason Sian could find this place was based on the records written by Charlotte’s son.

In other words, this was where the Beastmen’s kingdom was located a thousand years ago.

Of course, it was a record written by his son, not Charlotte herself.

So, to be exact, it wasn’t precisely a thousand years.

“But it’s pretty much the same.”

However, it was essentially a record from almost a thousand years ago.

And a thousand years was truly a vast expanse of time.

During that immense period, countless nations had risen and fallen on the continent.

Only two nations had endured for a thousand years on the continent.

The Charlotte Empire and the Holy Empire were the exceptions.

Anyway, it was ample time for a nation to flourish and then vanish.

“Did they really move somewhere else?”

It was a period long enough that even the location of a kingdom could have shifted without raising suspicion.

“I definitely don’t feel anything anymore…”

Still, one could never be certain.

“Let’s look around a bit more.”

Sian moved swiftly, employing the Demon Soul Shadow Step.

#

Sian’s search extended for almost three days.

It was a world transformed and distorted by magic, but ultimately a world rooted in reality.

Since it was a space based on the Forest of Darkness, its size was also considerable.

Even utilizing the Demon Soul Shadow Step to its fullest extent took as much as 3 days.

[Demon Soul Shadow Step (魔魂無影步) Progress Rate 91.7% (+6.8%)]

Thanks to this extensive search, he significantly improved the progress rate of the Demon Soul Shadow Step.

“I’ll achieve 100% mastery of the Demon Soul Shadow Step soon.”

Well, anyway.

“It’s not here…”

Ultimately, his search proved fruitless.

There was no sign of the Beastmen’s kingdom, nor any place resembling a village.

The only trace he could find was the village he had encountered initially.

“I don’t think it’s here.”

It seemed that the Beastmen’s kingdom was no longer in this location.

To be exact, it seemed that it *had* been the Beastmen’s kingdom a thousand years ago.

But it wasn’t anymore.

It seemed they had relocated their kingdom elsewhere.

The reason for this remained unknown.

Whether there was an unavoidable reason.

Or whether it was simply a matter of circumstance.

He didn’t know which one it was, but no amount of worrying or searching here would reveal the answer.

“Should I head back for now?”

In many ways, there was nothing more Sian could do at this moment.

He could have searched a little more thoroughly… but he chose not to.

He hadn’t intended to conduct such an exhaustive investigation from the outset.

Now was the time to concentrate on the impending war with Elandur.

Coming here was merely for a simple confirmation.

Whether the Last Dragon was truly on his last legs.

Where exactly the Beastmen’s kingdom was situated.

He was only going to verify those points and return.

“It’s unexpected that the kingdom’s location has changed…”

But he couldn’t afford to dedicate any more time to this endeavor.

“It’s a shame, but let’s go back.”

Sian finally turned and began his return journey.

#

Sian was able to return to Ruben quickly.

Perhaps because he traveled at a much faster speed than when he left Ruben, it took almost less than a day.

The reason he could do that was, of course, the influence of the Demon Soul Shadow Step’s progress rate, which exceeded 90%.

The faster and more familiar the Demon Soul Shadow Step became as the progress rate increased.

Perhaps because it had already exceeded 90%, the speed of the Demon Soul Shadow Step was faster than he thought.

Sian returned to Ruben in less than a day.

[Demon Soul Shadow Step (魔魂無影步) Progress Rate 93.1% (+1.4%)]

At the same time, he was able to raise the progress rate by an additional 1.4%.

“Somehow, the speed at which the progress rate increases seems to be accelerating.”

Before, it was difficult to raise 1% even over a month.

Now, 1.4% had risen in less than a day.

“Well, considering how much money I’ve invested in it…”

Not only were there growth buffs applied liberally, but there were also the effects of various items such as Megingjörð [a belt that doubles the wearer’s strength] and Elixir [a potion that enhances abilities].

Especially the transcendent-grade equipment, Annihilation (滅殺) and Immortality (不滅), which had become Sian’s signature moves this time.

“Somehow, my movements have become more fluid.”

It seemed that it wasn’t just the performance of the equipment.

Was transcendent equipment truly transcendent equipment?

At this rate, it seemed that he would achieve 100% mastery of the Demon Soul Shadow Step before long.

Well, anyway.

The returned Ruben was shrouded in deep darkness.

It didn’t take a day to get to Ruben, but he had to spend almost most of the day.

It was dawn when everyone was asleep.

“Lord? Have you returned already?”

Only a few soldiers on night watch were awake.

The soldiers in the guard tower discovered Sian and quickly opened the gates of Ruben.

“I’ll call the captain right now.”

“No, it’s okay.”

Sian stopped the soldier, waving his hand.

It seemed like he was trying to wake Lucas up, but there was no need to do that.

Of course, he was curious whether the war preparations were all finished.

But there was no need to wake him up now to check.

“I can check tomorrow morning, so let him sleep now.”

“Understood.”

The soldier nodded and headed back to his post in the guard tower.

They didn’t miss Sian coming and discovered him, and it seemed that the military discipline was very strict because it was right before the war.

Sian nodded in satisfaction and headed straight to the Lord’s Castle.

The Lord’s Castle, too, was filled with silence due to the darkness that had fallen.

“Is Aria doing well?”

Surely, she’s not still being educated by Leia, is she?

That’s what he was thinking when.

“Young Master?”

A familiar voice was heard from one corner of the hallway.

When he turned his head to look, Hans was standing far away at the end of the hallway.

Hans, who had discovered Sian, strode across the hallway.

“Have you returned now?”

“Yeah. I just got back. More than that, Hans, you’re still awake at this hour?”

“Someone threw their work away and left in a hurry. I haven’t had time to sleep at all.”

Hans didn’t say who that someone was.

However, Hans’s hollow eyes were somehow directed at Sian.

“Haha… I had something I needed to check urgently.”

Sian could only offer an awkward smile.

Hans shook his head and opened his mouth.

“Have you finished what you left to do?”

“Sort of. I didn’t finish it completely. I came to check. More than that, how are the war preparations going? Is everything finished?”

“We finished all the preparations as of today. Now that it’s come to this, would you like to hear the report right away?”

“Now? I’m okay with it… but won’t you be tired?”

Sian stared at Hans’s face.

Wrinkles and a weary expression.

Dark circles were deeply etched under Hans’s eyes, as if he hadn’t slept for several days and nights.

He probably hadn’t slept since Sian left.

Hans, the administrator of Ruben and the one who takes Sian’s role when Sian is away.

He was almost like a vice-lord.

‘Come to think of it… shouldn’t I give Hans the title of Baron?’

The Count had the authority to have subordinate nobles.

And according to imperial law, the definition of a Baron was an aide to the Count.

Hans was qualified enough.

Whether he knew Sian’s thoughts or not.

“I’ve forgotten how to sleep, and if I sleep now, I feel like I’ll never wake up.”

Hans said in an indifferent tone.

But unlike his expression, the content was very grim.

“Ahem.”

Sian coughed for no reason and avoided Hans’s eyes.

“Then let’s finish it now.”

Sian headed to the office with Hans.

Sian’s office, which he arrived at.

“The prepared forces of Ruben are as follows.”

Hans started reporting as soon as Sian took his seat.

“2,000 soldiers led by Lucas. 200 knights led by Kendrick. And 500 magic corps including Sera. A total of 2,700 troops.”

Of course, there were more than that if you counted all the people of Ruben.

But it was impossible to include all the people of Ruben in the forces.

First of all, manpower was needed to produce supplies.

As well as supply personnel to supply those supplies.

In addition, there were people to treat the soldiers when they were injured.

Those who repaired and transported weapons.

And even children and the elderly who could not fight.

“2,700…”

2,700 meant pure combat power excluding all those people.

Honestly, it wasn’t a large scale.

Far from being large, it was a considerably small number of troops for the size of a County.

If the target of the attack was Elandur, it was too small.

It was like hitting a rock with tofu, let alone an egg [a metaphor for a futile effort].

Truly crazy.

But if you looked inside, it wasn’t just that.

You shouldn’t see Ruben as just 2,700 troops.

“To summarize Lucas’s report, all of Ruben’s soldiers are currently Upper-level Aura Users or higher.”

First of all, due to the effect of , Ruben’s 2,000 soldiers were not just 2,000.

The fraudulent effect of becoming a Middle-level Aura upon completion of the training camp.

With the addition of growth buffs, the soldiers were able to rise to the level of Upper-level Aura Users while Sian was at the Imperial Palace.

This was no different from a knight of an average territory.

No, it wasn’t just like a knight, it should just be defined as a knight.

Upper-level Aura Users were treated as respectable knights wherever they went in the Empire.

In other words, Ruben’s 2,000 soldiers were no different from 2,000 knights.

“Kendrick says that all of Ruben’s knights have surpassed Expert.”

There was nothing to say about Ruben’s Knights.

A knight order made up entirely of Expert knights.

This meant that they had risen to the ranks competing for the Empire’s No. 1 knight order.

“Also, Sera’s magic corps has all reached the 4th Circle.”

There was also the effect of , which Sian had spent money on.

This also started with the effect of the 3rd Circle, and the magic corps had progressed one step further than that.

And this was the Rothschild’s Arcanic Magic Corps.

Their level, which was considered the strongest on the continent, was not much different.

They might be pushed back in terms of numbers.

But if you only looked at the level, they were not pushed back at all.

If you looked at the quality of the forces, you could never see them as 2,700.

And that wasn’t all.

“The training of the Five Dragon Chariots has also been completed.”

The Five Dragon Chariots (五龍車) that Sian bought from the advertisement.

The advertisement said that one chariot could easily stand against 10,000 troops.

But that was when five dragons were attached to the genuine Five Dragon Chariots.

What Sian bought was a fake, and of course, there were no dragons.

But even if it was a fake, its performance was certain.

And even if there were no dragons, there were magical beasts raised in Ruben.

Magical beasts that had become ferocious due to Overdrive [a technique that enhances magical beasts’ abilities].

Currently, five of those ferocious magical beasts were tamed and attached to the Five Dragon Chariots.

Even if it wasn’t 10,000 troops, it could easily stand against 1,000 troops.

With the addition of Singijeon [Korean rocket artillery], the number of troops was virtually meaningless.

Of course, 200 arrows were consumed each time Singijeon was fired.

In addition, it required top-grade magic stones as a power source.

In other words, it was a war weapon that required a lot of supplies.

But that wasn’t a big concern either.

“The arrows and supplies produced by the dwarves are full in the warehouse.”

The dwarves, called the race of artisans, were citizens of the territory.

In addition, there were Ruben’s facilities with tremendous productivity through spending money.

And even the effect of , which was running a 1+1 special event.

There was no need to worry about the production of supplies at all.

“However, production has been suspended due to the lack of iron ore…”

But there were things that Ruben could not self-sufficiently produce.

There was no problem with food and mana stones.

But materials such as iron ore, which were used to make arrows and weapons, could not be obtained in Ruben.

In other words, they had to be imported from other territories.

But Sian had 100 million gold in war funds.

“Currently, Amelia is distributing supplies here and there.”

The supply was virtually completely secured.

It was a situation where preparations were perfectly completed.

There was nothing to criticize.

Perhaps many talented people were trained while building the Academy.

“You proceeded well even without me?”

Even without Sian’s special instructions, they proceeded on their own.

At this point, it was no different from waiting for Sian’s order to go to war.

“By the way, where’s Aria?”

“The Saintess…”

Hans didn’t answer right away, as if he was at a loss for words for a moment.

It seemed that something had happened.

“There was nothing to worry about, as you said.”

But it didn’t seem to be a problem.

“Leia was in charge of the Saintess, so I don’t know the details… but she often roamed the streets of Ruben with the Saintess. I thought Leia was showing her around Ruben.”

“Is that so?”

As expected, it seemed that Muriel was on her mind a lot, even though she said that.

He wondered what would happen to Aria when the war started.

It seemed that he could entrust Aria to Leia on this occasion.

Anyway, Leia was unable to leave Ruben.

With this, there was nothing blocking Sian.

There was no need to waste time.

It was a little disappointing that he couldn’t find the dragon.

“We’ll go to war tomorrow.”

Sian was able to make a decision right away.

#

The Marquisate of Elandur, located in the eastern part of the Empire.

And Isabel’s office, located in such a mansion.

“This is a report that Ruben’s troops went to war yesterday afternoon.”

Isabel was sitting at her desk in the office, listening to the report from the chief manager, Lerrit.

She gently held the teacup.

Isabel lightly brought the teacup to her lips.

“According to the scout’s report, the scale is less than 3,000.”

Pause.

Isabel’s movement of lifting the teacup stopped.

The report that Lerrit had just told her.

To be exact, the report that the scale of Ruben’s troops was less than 3,000.

They started a war with a scale of less than 3,000?

Even against Elandur?

“It’s not certain whether it’s just an advance party… but considering the scale of Ruben, I think it’s probably the main force.”

Isabel really couldn’t help but laugh.

Of course, Isabel didn’t look down on Ruben.

She also thought that Ruben had hidden power.

You could tell just by looking at how the territory war with Crowd was.

Total annihilation. Crowd was no match for Ruben.

But if you think about it, there was no need to be so afraid.

If you looked at the other side of the territory war with Crowd, there was room to think differently.

First of all, Crowd’s forces were halved before they even fought.

His forces were halved due to the magical beasts living in the Forest of Darkness.

He fought Ruben in that state.

Also, Crowd was only in the position of siege.

Defense and siege are clearly different.

Generally, the one who defends with a 3-fold difference in forces takes the advantage.

And Ruben at the time was in the position of defense.

But this time, they are in the position of siege.

In other words, Elandur was taking the advantage of a 3-fold difference in forces.

So, Ruben had to be 3 times ahead of Elandur’s forces.

“Baron Branco, Baron Bonder, Baron Flamingo, and Baron Laperfils have joined forces and set out with a total of 30,000 troops.”

But the situation was not like that.

Rather, Elandur’s forces were overwhelmingly larger.

Ruben’s forces were less than 3,000.

The forces of Elandur’s vassals amounted to 30,000.

Ruben was in siege.

Elandur was in defense.

“There was no need to dispatch the White Wolf Knights.”

Anyone who wasn’t an idiot knew what the result would be.

Isabel gave a bitter smile.

She was worried for nothing.

So, she was worried about finding the kingdom of the Beastmen for nothing.

She was quite worried about taking her eyes off the war.

Isabel sipped her teacup with a light heart.

No, it was just then that she was about to sip it.

“Marquis’s wife!! Marquis’s wiiiiife!!!!”

Suddenly, a loud shout was heard from outside Isabel’s office.

The frivolous and exaggerated shout contained a vulgarity that made her frown.

And as expected.

Bang!

Isabel’s office was opened without a knock.

And what she saw was a soldier from the Elandur mansion, panting.

It seemed that something very urgent had happened.

But no matter how urgent it was, she had to keep her manners.

This was even more so in the Elandur mansion.

“What kind of rude behavior is this?”

The chief manager, Lerrit, rebuked with a cold gaze.

But the soldier was not at all intimidated.

Rather, he just continued to say what he had to say with a desperate expression.

“The forces of the vassals who set out to stop Ruben’s troops…!”

The soldier paused for a moment to catch his breath.

And the soldier’s words continued again.

“A, are said to have been annihilated!!!”

Lerrit’s body suddenly stiffened.

And Isabel was not much different from such Lerrit.

The teacup stopped at her lips.

Only her eyes were wide open over Isabel’s face, which was covered by the teacup.

“What…?”

Annihilated? Ruben?

That was the right thing to say with common sense.

Ruben’s forces were annihilated.

This was the news that should have been heard.

But no matter how much she retraced and repeated it, the subject the soldier was talking about was Elandur’s vassals.

In other words, it meant that Elandur’s forces were annihilated.

30,000 troops were annihilated by less than 3,000 troops?

In this short time?

Even though they were in the position of defense?

Isabel couldn’t understand at all.

Far from understanding, she believed and suspected that the soldier was lying.

“T, this is a disaster!!!”

But another desperate shout was heard from outside the open door.

“W, what is this…”

Isabel couldn’t understand what was going on.