My Lord Who Is Being Prudent! [EN]: Chapter 53

§ 53 – The Mountain Race, Dwarves (3)

A hush fell.

No one dared to speak rashly.

More precisely, their jaws hung open, refusing to close.

How long had passed like that?

“W-Well, you… How could you do that?”

The first to speak was none other than Kmaru.

But he only managed to utter those words.

Kmaru’s expression was still one of astonishment.

Cyan’s sword had danced through the trolls.

Even the trolls’ regeneration seemed weakened.

A sight too unbelievable to witness.

“Kmaru, is that… is that the human friend you brought?”

“Y-Yes, that’s right.”

Kmaru answered Nakar’s question absentmindedly.

The other dwarves listened intently to their conversation.

The dwarves’ gazes turned back to Cyan.

Meanwhile.

Cyan was checking his smartphone.

He was monitoring the progress rate of the Demon Soul Asura Sword and the Demon Soul Art.

‘It’s really not going up much.’

Through the Demon Soul Art, Cyan could fully control demonic energy.

Thanks to that, he was able to suppress the regeneration of the berserk trolls.

He could also materialize that power and infuse it into his sword.

The power of an S-rank sword, combined with the aura of the Demon Soul Art, created an explosive force.

That’s why Cyan was able to deal with the trolls relatively easily.

Trolls deprived of their regeneration were no different from orcs.

And while wielding the Demon Soul Art, Cyan had finally entered the realm of Beginner.

Something he had to give up on due to his perceived lack of talent.

He had entered the ranks of a proper knight, but Cyan wasn’t particularly moved.

Because.

[Demon Soul Asura Sword Beginner Progress Rate 0.08% (+0.08%)]

The road ahead was still long and arduous.

‘Still, isn’t 0.08% too little?’

He thought he had demonstrated it perfectly.

Not even 0.1%, but 0.08%.

‘Is it fortunate that it went up even by 0.08%?’

Come to think of it, it seemed that way.

Cyan shrugged.

Just then.

“What an amazing friend!!!”

A huge shout suddenly erupted around him.

A deafening roar that felt like it would tear his eardrums.

Wondering what was going on, he looked around and saw countless dwarves cheering for Cyan.

“Kuhahaha! Human friend! Thank you so much! If it weren’t for you, we would have been in big trouble!”

“He looks pale and weak, but this guy is tougher than anyone!”

“Do you like alcohol? I brewed some special beer recently! Come anytime! Let’s have a hearty drink together! Kuhahahaha!”

Cyan reflexively covered his ears.

Because it really felt like his eardrums were about to burst!

Whether they knew Cyan’s feelings or not.

“Kuhahahaha!”

“What an amazing human friend!!!”

The dwarves showed no sign of stopping their cheers.

At that moment, another dwarf appeared from one side.

An old dwarf holding a hammer that looked extraordinary at first glance.

None other than the chief of the Hammer Anvil Tribe.

The descendant of Arnaise Morcru, Semir.

“······?”

Semir wondered what was going on.

He had rushed over, hearing that a horde of trolls had attacked.

But now, there were no trolls in sight.

Instead, they were gathered together, cheering.

And the one receiving the cheers.

“Human…?”

It was the human he had driven out earlier.

“What is going on…?”

Semir wondered about the situation.

#

The situation was quickly resolved after Semir arrived.

Well, not exactly quickly.

There was still the aftermath to deal with, such as repairing the collapsed barricade.

Handling the scattered troll corpses.

And taking care of the injured.

But Cyan didn’t need to be involved in that process.

So, from Cyan’s point of view, it was as good as quick.

Cyan headed back to where Lucas and Grayson were.

Ah, of course.

“I can take the troll corpses, right?”

He didn’t forget to claim ownership of the troll corpses.

How could he just leave all that money behind?

No way.

He arrived at the brown-roofed house.

He heard it was Kmaru’s house.

Cyan gently opened the door.

Clack.

As he opened the door, he could see the cozy interior of the house.

A livable brick house, the kind you might pay for with real money in Mobile Lord [a reference to the game the character plays].

The scenery was in no way inferior to that.

The village scenery and the current state of the house.

It was clear that the saying that dwarves were born architects wasn’t just a saying.

However, Cyan had to bend over a little because it was tailored to the height of the dwarves.

As he went further inside, he found Lucas and Grayson lying on the bed.

“Lord.”

“You’ve arrived.”

Lucas and Grayson, who saw Cyan, tried to get up.

“Ah, it’s okay. Just lie down.”

Cyan waved his hand and stopped them.

Because they still looked seriously injured.

At Cyan’s gesture, Lucas and Grayson awkwardly lay back down.

Cyan sat between them and asked.

“Are you guys okay?”

“There’s nothing seriously wrong.”

“Thanks to the dwarves’ good treatment…”

Fortunately, they seemed to be fine.

“What exactly happened?”

Then Lucas and Grayson took turns answering.

“While you were away from Ruben, Lord, monsters suddenly began attacking Ruben explosively.”

“Even though the territory is constantly being pushed back due to the powerful monsters located inside, this was too much. So, Lucas and I thought there must be another reason and set out to investigate.”

“I heard about that.”

Cyan nodded.

Because that was what Hans had told him as soon as he returned from the Founding Day event.

Soon, Lucas opened his mouth again.

“While investigating deep inside the forest… we were attacked by a monster.”

“Attacked by a monster?”

At Cyan’s question, Lucas nodded.

And at Lucas’s answer, Cyan couldn’t hide his puzzled feelings.

Because Lucas was a knight of the Expert rank.

A skilled person not easily found even in the Empire.

And Grayson was a veteran hunter who had lived in the Forest of Darkness for decades.

Even if it was the Forest of Darkness, those two were skilled enough to take care of themselves.

Those two were attacked by a monster?

Of course, it was possible.

This Forest of Darkness was teeming with terrible monsters.

But that was the story when they fought the monsters.

These two didn’t go to subjugate the monsters, but only to investigate.

That meant.

These two encountered a monster that they couldn’t escape from.

Perhaps understanding Cyan’s question.

Lucas continued to speak.

“The powerful monster located deep inside the forest… We encountered *that* one.”

“If it weren’t for Sir Lucas, I probably would have…”

And Grayson continued.

But Lucas shook his head.

“It wasn’t me. I couldn’t escape from it either.”

“What do you mean? Lucas, if it wasn’t you, then how did you two get here…?”

“*It* saved us.”

Grayson’s expression was surprised.

It seemed like Grayson was hearing this for the first time.

Lucas continued with a stiff face.

“That thing definitely saved us. And…”

His gaze turned to Cyan.

“It wasn’t a monster.”

“What?”

Cyan asked without realizing it.

Not a monster.

Then what on earth was it?

“Human.”

Soon, Lucas slowly opened his mouth.

“It was definitely a human.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

Cyan wondered what Lucas was talking about.

The powerful monster located deep inside the forest was actually a human.

Was that even a plausible story?

“Lucas, are you mistaken? Or was it not a powerful monster?”

“It must be the powerful monster we were chasing. The traces were clear.”

That was Grayson’s answer.

Grayson continued to speak.

“And that monster started to move in earnest. That’s why the monsters were fleeing as if running away and flocked to Ruben.”

Soon, Lucas lowered his gaze slightly and opened his mouth again.

“I’m also very confused. But she was really… terrible.”

“She? The monster was a woman?”

Lucas nodded and said.

“It was an unprecedented existence that I had never encountered before. I couldn’t dare… I couldn’t dare to do anything. If she heads to Ruben…”

Lucas shuddered slightly, as if remembering what had happened then.

Lucas’s appearance conveyed deep fear.

“We must prepare, Lord.”

“What’s going on…”

Cyan also felt confused by Lucas’s appearance.

The powerful monster located deep inside the forest was actually a human.

And the fact that such an existence had begun to move in earnest.

It was the kind of thing that was hard to believe.

But seeing Lucas and Grayson say that, it must not be a simple problem.

Just then.

Knock knock!

“Human friend! Are you inside! I have something to talk about!”

Kmaru’s voice was heard from outside.

He wondered why he was knocking on the door when it was his own house.

“Okay, I understand.”

Cyan slowly got up.

#

The house of Semir, the chief of the Hammer Anvil Tribe.

“The cycle of monsters rushing in has become shorter.”

“We’ve managed to block them well so far, but…”

“Honestly, we’re at our limit now.”

The dwarves of the Hammer Anvil Tribe were gathered there, holding a meeting.

Semir, the chief of the Hammer Anvil Tribe.

Semir quietly watched the scene and slowly opened his mouth.

“The barricade?”

“The repairs are almost finished. But I wonder if it will be meaningful.”

The dwarf who answered shook his head.

Because he knew that even if they repaired the barricade.

They knew that they couldn’t stop the next monster attack.

And the other dwarves knew that fact as well.

“Chief, how about asking for help?”

“Looking at the human friend Kmaru brought earlier, he was really amazing.”

“I even heard that he developed a barren land into a proper territory.”

“Is that true? In this terrible Forest of Darkness?”

The dwarves all began to whisper about Cyan.

But.

“Dwarves have their own way. Humans… can’t be trusted.”

Semir’s will was firm.

Normally, the dwarves would have followed Semir’s opinion.

But the current situation was not like that.

“Chief, whether we get backstabbed or betrayed, shouldn’t we try to live for now?”

“At this rate, we’ll all die.”

“Think about it again.”

The dwarves persuaded Semir.

And Semir hesitated to answer their persuasion.

Because he knew.

That if things continued this way, the tribe would be annihilated.

But that didn’t mean he could rashly trust humans.

Humans were a race without integrity.

Trusting humans rashly could be like trying to avoid a troll only to end up summoning an ogre.

Just then.

“Could it be that you still haven’t forgotten?”

A dwarf muttered quietly towards Semir.

He looked over.

There stood a dwarf named Nakar.

Semir didn’t answer.

Nakar sighed softly and said.

“It’s already been 100 years. Enough time for all the humans who dominated an era to have died. Humans change too, Chief. I understand how you feel, but shouldn’t you let it go now?”

“It’s not because of that.”

“Is that really true? You still haven’t forgotten her? Is that why you can’t trust humans?”

“······”

Semir didn’t answer.

Nakar stared silently at Semir.

Silence descended.

Nakar blurted out.

“Chief, do you remember? 110 years ago, when we were abandoned by our respective tribes and were waiting to die in this Forest of Darkness?”

“······”

“Back then, Chief took us in. He risked his life to protect us from countless monsters, and he took care of us, sacrificing his sleep. He could have lived comfortably alone if he had just abandoned us. What were we even worth?”

Nakar shook his head once.

“I don’t know about the Chief, but we vowed back then that we would be with the Chief until the end, no matter what. That’s why we stayed in this Forest of Darkness and have been together until now.”

Soon, all the dwarves nodded.

Nakar opened his mouth again.

“If the Chief won’t trust humans, then we won’t trust them either. Even if we die here, we will be with the Chief until the end, because that’s what we vowed back then.”

However.

“Please, think about the children at least.”

The dwarf children.

Unlike the dwarves who were abandoned by their tribes and taken in by Semir.

They had lived in this Forest of Darkness since they were born.

A place where survival is the only value.

The children thought that the Forest of Darkness was the whole world.

Therefore, they believed that only survival was the only thing in life.

The children didn’t know the happiness that a being living life should naturally enjoy.

And that was always.

One of the responsibilities that weighed heavily on Semir’s heart as the chief.

“······”

That’s why Semir couldn’t answer.

A distant age.

The forest was inhabited by the forest people.

The mountains were inhabited by the mountain people.

But again, after a long time.

The dwarves lost their dwarven ways,

And eventually, the dwarves became human.

Semir hated the dwarves changing like that.

So he came to this Forest of Darkness.

To this place, the hometown of the great ancestor, Morcru.

Then he took in the abandoned ones, the current tribe members.

And again, after a long time.

Living with the dwarves who followed him like this.

He now seemed to understand vaguely.

Maybe the dwarves hadn’t lost their dwarven colors.

Maybe the dwarves hadn’t become human.

Maybe the dwarves.

“Just like the Chief did for us, shouldn’t we leave a future for the children?”

Had followed the natural destiny that a race should have.

The flowing years.

The dwarves had only changed to fit the changing state of the continent.

They might have been finding a way to survive.

In their own dwarven way.

So maybe the one who hadn’t lived like a dwarf.

The one who had been stagnant for so long.

“It’s time to let go of your stubbornness, Chief.”

It might have been Semir himself.

100 years ago.

Semir’s time had stopped on that day.

Semir slowly opened his mouth.

“Kmaru, you said you went to the human territory.”

“Yes. It was a very good place to live. So much so that you wouldn’t believe it was a territory in the Forest of Darkness.”

Semir still doesn’t trust humans.

He won’t trust them in the future either.

The dwarves still have their own way.

But.

The last remaining dwarf.

No, the dwarf who stopped without changing.

“······ I want to see it with my own eyes, whether they are humans our tribe can pledge allegiance to.”

One person is enough.

#

The Forest of Darkness near Ruben.

Cyan was heading to Ruben with Lucas and Grayson.

And several dwarves.

Semir said he wanted to see Ruben directly.

Kmaru had hinted that.

The Hammerfell tribe seemed to want to be incorporated into Ruben.

It seemed they wanted to check what kind of territory Ruben was before that.

Then he very carefully asked Cyan for his opinion.

Even if they wanted to be incorporated into Ruben.

It would be all for naught if Cyan, the lord of Ruben, refused.

But Cyan readily agreed.

To be honest, it was a proposal he had been hoping for.

The territory quest offered ‘alliance’ as a reward, but it was much better to receive them as territory residents than an alliance.

They were already short on manpower.

And if those territory residents were dwarves, he would really welcome them.

Honestly, it’s hard to say this as a human being.

But dwarves were much more trustworthy than humans.

And there were many benefits to bringing dwarves in as territory residents.

Ruben was constantly developing.

But honestly, there was no plan for the indiscriminate cash spending.

It was just spending money when needed.

And if he spent more money in the future, more facilities would spring up like mushrooms.

Then he would have to start dividing the territory into districts.

And he also had to think about the roads connecting those districts.

But connecting the transportation network required considerable professional knowledge.

So Cyan was honestly wondering how to do this.

However, with the help of the dwarves, it was a problem that could be solved easily.

And above all, there were dwarven weapons.

The soldiers’ level would definitely jump one step, no, two or three steps.

Especially Semir, the descendant of Morcru.

The equipment he makes would be worthy of being called a treasure.

It was a proposal that Cyan had no reason to refuse.

“We’re almost there.”

Cyan was able to arrive at Ruben’s territory soon.

“Oh… How can a territory of this level exist?”

“Is this really made by humans?”

The dwarves couldn’t help but admire the scenery of Ruben.

Not only the solid ramparts and moats.

But also the sight of children playing happily and the territory residents living their daily lives inside.

“It’s a bit chaotic…”

But still, warmth was felt.

A warmth that could never be felt in this Forest of Darkness.

The dwarves couldn’t take their eyes off the scenery of Ruben.

In an instant, the dwarves’ gazes turned to Semir all at once.

And Semir, who received such gazes.

“Is this… really what it’s like for those who live outside the Forest of Darkness?”

Semir also couldn’t help but admire it.

Cyan slowly guided the dwarves into Ruben.

Cyan and the dwarves went further inside.

Just then.

“Huh?”

Cyan tilted his head without realizing it.

That’s because people were gathered in one place, buzzing.

To be exact, they were surrounding something.

Cyan wondered what it was and quickly moved his steps.

And Cyan opened his mouth at the sight of Hans.

“Why is everyone out here?”

“Ah, young master, you’re back.”

Hans seemed a little surprised at Cyan’s question.

Soon, he found Lucas and Grayson behind Cyan and raised his eyes.

“Both of you… are safe. I’m so glad. So glad.”

Hans was greatly relieved.

Lucas and Grayson bowed their heads slightly.

Soon, Hans found a dwarf next to him and asked Cyan again.

“They were real… dwarves.”

“I brought them because they wanted to see Ruben. More than that, why is everyone out here?”

Only then did Hans answer Cyan’s question.

“The soldiers said they found a person inside the forest.”

“A person?”

“There.”

Hans pointed to one side with his finger.

“They said they found her while patrolling around Ruben. It was suspicious, but her condition was so critical that they brought her to the territory for now.”

Cyan’s gaze followed the direction Hans’s finger was pointing.

There, soldiers were surrounding a woman.

And the appearance of the woman.

She was definitely covered in blood and didn’t look good.

“I think we’ll have to ask what happened after she’s treated. Ellie is coming over there.”

Hans said, looking at Ellie running from afar.

Ellie was running over in a hurry after seeing the woman’s condition.

And.

Thud!

Cyan rushed towards Ellie.

Then he grabbed Ellie, who was running, and pulled her.

“Kyaak!”

Ellie screamed for a moment at Cyan’s sudden touch.

“Lo, Lord…?”

Ellie looked at Cyan in embarrassment.

But Cyan didn’t even look at Ellie and shouted at the people.

“Everyone, get away from that woman!!”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Cyan at Cyan’s sudden shout.

“Young master…?”

“Why are you suddenly doing this…?”

People including Hans seemed very embarrassed.

But Cyan didn’t give any other explanation.

He just took out his S-grade sword and pointed it at the bloody woman.

“Who are you?”

The woman didn’t answer.

To be exact, she couldn’t answer.

The woman was covered in blood and had lost consciousness.

“Lord, why are you suddenly doing this?”

“Right now, that woman is…”

The people seemed very embarrassed by Cyan’s actions.

But Cyan didn’t lower the sword he was pointing.

It seemed that other people hadn’t noticed at all.

Not even Hans and Lucas.

Even Rhea, who was somewhere in Ruben.

But Cyan could tell.

“She’s not human.”

The woman who was covered in blood and had lost consciousness.

The terrible magical energy filled inside that woman.

That couldn’t be called magical energy.

The madness that had completely lost the essence of magical energy.

No, could that even be called madness?

The final germinated form of evil.

Evil itself.

Instinct strongly warns.

The magical energy inherent in Cyan’s body cries out.

If you go near, you will die!

Cyan glared at the woman with his sword raised.

At that moment.

Smirk.

The woman’s mouth twisted grotesquely.

Shining eyes.

At the same time.

【How did you know?】

A terrible malice

Blooms.