My Lord Who Is Being Prudent! [EN]: Chapter 4

§ 4. There Is No Paradise Where You Flee and Arrive (2)

Small stature and short limbs.

A rough-hewn face.

Kieeeeeek!!

The monster shrieking before Cyan was none other than a goblin.

A goblin, the lowest of the low among the lesser monsters.

Even if Cyan was talentless,

it wasn’t to the point where he couldn’t handle a goblin.

Frankly, goblins were so weak that a healthy adult male could deal with them if armed with a decent weapon.

The very definition of a monster.

That was the goblin.

Therefore, it wasn’t exactly a dire situation.

Even if he dismissed it as a mere startle, it wouldn’t be a major problem.

That is, if this were a normal occurrence.

Or rather, if this place were ordinary.

The place Cyan was in now was none other than the Forest of Darkness.

The monsters dwelling in the Forest of Darkness were on a different level from ordinary monsters.

OverDrive.

For some reason, the monsters dwelling in the Forest of Darkness possessed even greater strength.

There were even records of goblin hordes in the Forest of Darkness hunting ogres.

Of course, it was an old, sick ogre nearing its end, but still, an ogre was an ogre.

A monster that goblins could never normally dare to confront.

Thus, the monsters dwelling in the Forest of Darkness were different from ordinary monsters.

Therefore, to distinguish them, the monsters in the Forest of Darkness are called Magical Beasts.

Not much was known about Overdrive.

Numerous mages had conducted continuous research throughout the empire’s history, but no one had been able to uncover its secrets.

They had only determined that the magical energy (魔氣) [magical energy or ‘qi’ in this context] permeating the Forest of Darkness was the cause.

Kieeeeeeeeeeeek!!!

A deeper madness than before began to erupt.

Black hatred, as if tangible, began to engulf Cyan.

A chilling coldness that felt like his consciousness was slipping away.

Why on earth are there goblins in this territory…?

“Young Master!!”

At that moment, Hans’s shout was like a thunderclap.

Only then did Cyan snap out of it.

And right then.

Kiek!!

Kieeeeeeeek!!

A scream that sounded like the scraping of thousands of evil spirits violently assaulted his eardrums.

His mind went blank again, and their bestial screams echoed all around.

Soon, red glows began to appear one by one from among the broken debris.

Having discovered Cyan, the monsters stopped and began to roar at the sky.

The pitch-black night where even the moonlight was obscured.

As if painting red over the darkness, it was covered with a bright red glow.

“Run away quickly!!”

Hans shouted, screaming.

Turning his head, Cyan saw Hans gripping his sword, preparing to fight.

Hans was a fairly skilled mercenary.

Moreover, a mercenary who wielded Aura [a manifestation of inner energy used for combat].

He was now acting as Cyan’s servant,

but in his youth, he was a skilled fighter comparable to most of Elantur’s knights.

Even if they were Overdriven goblins, Hans would be able to hold them off.

A mercenary comparable to the knights of Elantur.

That wasn’t a claim anyone could make lightly.

However.

“I’ll take care of this! So please, run away!!”

Hans is too old now.

The mercenary comparable to Elantur’s knights no longer exists.

Above all, there were too many goblins.

Roughly estimated, there were dozens.

Even at this moment, screams were heard from unseen places.

“Young Master!!!”

Kieeeeeeeeeeeek!!

At the same time as Hans’s shout, a chilling scream erupted.

The goblin that had first discovered Cyan rushed at him in his hastily turned vision.

Cyan hurriedly threw himself down.

The goblin’s strike narrowly missed him.

It was a situation where he would have been fatally injured if it hadn’t been for Hans’s warning.

Cyan hurriedly got up.

Should he fight back?

No. He can’t.

Cyan immediately shook his head.

Elantur, a family renowned for its swordsmanship.

Cyan inherited that blood, but he had no talent whatsoever.

He can’t handle it.

So he has to run away.

Cyan immediately turned his back.

But, stop.

His body froze.

“Please, run away!”

Hans shouted at Cyan’s back.

But Cyan couldn’t bring himself to take a step.

If he ran away now, Cyan would live.

Hans would be able to buy some time.

If he ran away using Hans as bait, Cyan could live.

But.

“Go!”

Hans will die.

Still, maybe Hans could…?

No.

Such hope is a luxury.

Hans will surely die.

Is this…

Is this really right?

Cyan couldn’t bring himself to take a step.

It was a life of always running away.

A life of only being mindful of others, even when faced with injustice.

A life of enduring and enduring.

It was a shitty reality, but he tenaciously endured.

Believing that if he kept enduring.

If he just waited patiently.

Someday, a good day would come.

However.

Such a thing did not exist.

A good day?

The result of a life of enduring is the current fucked up situation.

The destination of a life of only being mindful of others.

A life of only enduring.

A life of just waiting.

‘Cyan, you will go to the Ruben territory from tomorrow.’

It was the entrance to another hell, not paradise.

Where you flee and arrive.

There was no paradise.

It was too late when he realized this fact.

Clench!

Cyan roughly clenched his fist.

Some hesitation clung to Cyan.

But he didn’t want to run away anymore.

Even if it was too late, he wanted to face it with his own will now.

Even if that was…

“You goblin bastards!!”

To the path leading to death.

Kereuk?!

Kereureuk?

At Cyan’s sudden shout, the goblins turned their attention to him.

The majority of the goblins confronting Hans also looked at Cyan.

In that moment of concentrated attention, Cyan picked up debris from the ground.

Then, he threw it at the nearest goblin.

Thud.

The forcefully thrown debris hit the goblin’s body and shattered.

Of course, the goblin that was hit didn’t even suffer any damage.

Kieeeeeeeeeeeek!!!

It only served to provoke them.

At the same time, dozens of goblin hordes screamed at Cyan.

“Young Master!!!”

Hans screamed in horror.

He realized Cyan’s intention.

On the surface, it was a meaningless stone throwing.

But as a result, the majority of the goblins were focused on Cyan.

“What the hell are you? You’re uglier than ordinary goblins! You’re only as tall as a toddler, so surely other places are just as small!”

Lure.

Cyan was trying to become bait himself.

Of course, it was an obvious move.

It was a strategy that no one would fall for unless they were stupid.

But fortunately, the goblins were stupid enough to fall for it.

To be precise, they lacked the capacity to judge the situation.

The Magical Beasts that had undergone Overdrive had their reason severed.

Beyond the tenacity of predation, only obsession remained.

Only madness-filled instincts remained.

Normally, that became a ferocious weapon for them, but at this moment, it became their greatest weakness.

Cyan had accurately seen through that fact.

Kereureureureuk!

Kieeek!

But it was only a strategy that worked.

Luring those dozens of goblin hordes.

It didn’t mean the risk to his life disappeared.

It was no different from entering the gates of hell himself.

“Just run away! I can handle this here!”

Hans shouted.

Cyan can’t hold out.

Cyan was already lacking in talent.

Cyan would not be able to cope with the large number of goblins, let alone run away.

No.

It’s not just difficult, he’s bound to die.

So…!

“There’s no time to argue!”

“No! Then Young Master will…!”

“Just listen to me!!!”

But Cyan did not give up his intention.

Even though his legs were trembling with fear.

Cyan was volunteering to be the bait himself.

“……”

That’s why Hans couldn’t bring himself to say anything else.

Honestly…

This was the only way for both of them to survive.

Cyan lures the goblin hordes,

Hans knocks them down one by one.

But…!

Crunch.

Hans bit his lip.

Like Cyan said, this is not the time to argue.

There’s no time for that.

Above all, the look in Cyan’s eyes right now.

It was a look that gave him a strange belief even though he knew there was nothing there.

Hans clenched his sword tightly.

“You must… you must stay alive.”

“I’ll die later than you, old man, so don’t worry.”

Cyan shouted again at the goblins.

“You trash mobs who can’t even be considered monsters! You’re only as tall as a toddler, so surely other places are just as small!”

Kieeeeeeeeeeeek!!!

Kyareureureugeureuk!

At Cyan’s continued taunts, the goblins began to go berserk as if a trigger had been pulled.

They were not only filled with anger but also stained with madness.

The glittering glow seemed to be shouting, ‘How dare you…!!!’

“Uh…”

Was what I just said a bit too much?

“Oh well.”

Cyan immediately took off running.

#

The view changes rapidly.

The scenery of the forest rushing by, swish, swish.

The breath rising to the tip of his chin felt like he would pass out any moment.

His will became infinitely weak due to physical pain.

Isn’t this enough?

Cyan slowly turned around.

Then he saw the monsters chasing fiercely.

The monsters’ bright red eyes shining like neon lights in the dark night!

Keheureureureuk!!

Kyahuek!

Like beasts consumed by madness, the goblins were running at a rapid pace.

“Damn it!!”

Cyan gritted his teeth and put strength back into his legs.

Stepping on broken trees.

Stepping on protruding rocks.

Cyan continued to run, run, run.

He can’t stop.

Even now, the monsters’ screams are getting closer and closer.

Cyan continued to run.

But.

“Haa…! Haa…!”

Cyan could tell that he wouldn’t be able to hold out for long.

The plan was successful.

As Cyan intended, the majority of the goblins were chasing him.

As a result, Hans was able to find some breathing room.

But only one thing.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”

Too many goblins were chasing him than he thought!

And the monsters were slowly tightening the noose as if they were hunting Cyan.

Beyond the tenacity of predation, only obsession remained.

It had severed the realm of reason, but it had amplified the ferocity of instinct.

Cyan was desperately running away like hunted prey.

“Haa…! Haa…!”

Cyan ran and ran.

Maybe by now…

Hans had taken care of all the remaining goblins and was chasing after Cyan.

So he just had to hold out until Hans came.

But…

Kieeeeeeeeeeeek!!!

Will he be able to hold out until then?

Cyan couldn’t be sure.

He can’t hold out.

Even now, the word ‘limit’ was constantly appearing and disappearing in his mind.

‘Is this how I die?’

Cyan could feel death approaching little by little.

If there was a place to hide…

At least if there was a hiding place where he could avoid the goblins’ gaze even for a moment…

But there was no way there would be such a place in the Forest of Darkness.

‘Huh?’

Wait a minute.

A place to hide?

A hiding place?

At that moment, an idea flashed through Cyan’s mind like a thunderbolt.

‘The cave the coachman mentioned!’

The cave the coachman mentioned.

The coachman said that monsters didn’t approach the cave.

As if they were afraid of something.

Honestly, it was hard to believe.

To be exact, he couldn’t believe it.

But isn’t he in a situation where he has to grasp at straws right now?

Cyan recalled the location of the cave that the coachman had explained to him.

Soon, he changed direction.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”

He ran desperately towards the cave!

Keheureureureuk!!

The goblin hordes also desperately chased after Cyan.

How long had he been running?

Just when his stamina was running out and even his mind was dizzy.

‘T, there it is!’

Cyan was able to find the cave the coachman had mentioned in the distance.

But Cyan couldn’t easily enter the cave.

Is it right to go in there?

That’s because it’s an area where Magical Beasts are supposedly afraid.

Even if there really was such a place,

Why hasn’t it been revealed until now?

What if the coachman’s words were a lie?

What if it was based on a simple misunderstanding?

Cyan was like a rat trapped in a corner.

That’s why Cyan was—

“Kieeeeeeeek!”

At that moment, a scream was heard from right behind him.

Swish!

Before Cyan could turn around, he felt a chilling pain in his back.

Red blood visible in his dizzying vision.

His mind is begging to be let go right now.

“Keueuk…!”

Cyan gritted his teeth and forcibly grabbed the mind that was trying to escape.

This is not the time to hesitate.

Cyan desperately ran towards the cave in front of him.

When Cyan entered the cave like that.

Keheureureureureuk!

Cyan could see the goblins following him.

‘Ah…’

As expected.

It was a lie.

From the beginning, there was no way there would be a place that Magical Beasts feared.

Cyan slumped down.

Perhaps the goblin hordes thought that Cyan’s appearance was like a prey they had caught.

The goblins slowly approached Cyan.

Death approaching.

From the beginning, Cyan no longer had the strength to get up.

And right then

《Warning! Unauthorized presence detected.》

A strange voice was heard from somewhere.

Before he could even wonder what it was.

Flash!

In an instant, a ray of light rushed in.

And in an instant.

Crack!

Shatter!

Along with a gruesome sound of flesh tearing, the goblin hordes that were approaching Cyan exploded all at once.

“Ke, Kereuk…!”

“Ki, Kieeek…!”

Then the surviving goblin hordes began to tremble with fear.

To be precise, the goblins that had not yet entered the cave.

The goblins standing at the entrance were frightened and began to back away.

“…… Wh, what.”

Cyan couldn’t understand the situation at all.

There was no time to be embarrassed.

Some eerie energy swept through Cyan’s entire body.

《Confirmed presence belonging to causality.》

《Checking qualifications.》

.

.

.

《Disqualified》

The strange voice hesitated for a moment.

《Checking the entry path of the unqualified person.》

.

.

《Concealment function not working.》

《Reason: Magic depletion due to long-term neglect.》

《Maintenance required.》

Concealment function not working?

The voice continued to repeat incomprehensible words.

《Calling Arnaise.》

.

.

《Error: No Arnaise available to respond.》

《Searching for a new administrator based on causality.》

The feeling of scanning Cyan continued.

《Judging whether the administrator is qualified.》

At that very moment.

Cyan could feel something unknown.

It was like being thoroughly dissected in a naked state.

And for a moment.

.

.

.

《…… Su…itable….》

For some reason, a voice that seemed to be quite hesitant was heard.

Again at that time.

Kugugugugung!

The entire cave began to shake as if an earthquake had occurred.

Soon, the cave that Cyan was standing on began to collapse.

‘What is this again…’

Cyan fell to the floor without even having time to react.