My Lord Who Is Being Prudent! [EN]: Chapter 63

§ 63. The Scoundrel Has Changed

‘Crazy.’

That was the first word that came to Nathan’s mind.

More precisely, it was a concept that dominated Nathan’s thoughts.

“Ugh…!”

Nathan cried out in agony from the shock that shook his insides.

Along with that, blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth.

However, it was fortunate that it ended at this level.

If he had been even a little late in drawing up his aura.

And if his response had been delayed even slightly.

The match would have been decided by that one blow just now.

And that also meant that the sparring was not over yet.

Sian’s attack was also not over yet.

‘Danger!’

Nathan hurriedly regained his senses at the warning of his deadly instinct.

A strike without even a sound rushed into his vision as he regained his senses.

Nathan hastily raised his sword to complete his defense.

However, he couldn’t block it completely.

Clang!

Nathan’s body was pushed far to the side.

Even in that moment, Sian’s sword struck again from the left.

Blows that didn’t allow any openings poured in.

All those blows were connected like a single flow.

“What is this…!”

Nathan immediately swung his sword.

A chilling aura intertwined with Nathan’s sword.

The surrounding scenery reflected in the aura distorted.

Watching Nathan’s sword coming with such distorted scenery, Sian swung the sword he was holding downwards.

Claaaaaang!

Colliding force against force.

A torrent of power swept around.

A momentary void where the forces were offset.

“N-No way…!”

“W-What on earth…!!”

The eyes of the knights watching the scene all widened.

They couldn’t believe it even though they were seeing it with their own eyes.

First of all, they couldn’t believe that Sian was using aura.

In the knights’ memories, Sian was literally the most foolish person in the world.

Despite inheriting the blood of Elan Dur, he was an incompetent who couldn’t even become a Beginner.

But Sian was using aura as if to show off.

No, beyond aura, he was using the power of the Aura Sword [a technique where aura is channeled through a weapon].

And he was fighting Nathan’s aura on equal terms.

Even the swordsmanship Sian was showing.

To be honest, they couldn’t understand it…

On the surface, it was nothing special.

It wasn’t just nothing special, but simply a variation of cutting and thrusting.

These were just two basic movements.

But they couldn’t understand it.

They couldn’t understand Sian’s sword.

It was as if they were looking at something far beyond.

Was that… was that even possible?

The knights gathered here were all skilled users or higher.

They were people who were recognized as ‘knights’ anywhere on the continent.

“Good heavens…!!”

The knights watched Sian and Nathan’s sparring with astonished eyes.

Swoosh!

Sian’s rushing sword pierced through the path of emptiness.

At the end of it was Nathan, his face distorted.

Nathan swung his sword.

Clang!

Again, colliding forces.

Nathan’s hand, unable to withstand the impact, almost dropped the sword for a moment.

The penalty of not using one hand.

Because he had his hand in his pocket, he couldn’t put proper strength into it, and as a result, his balance was broken.

Nathan gritted his teeth and gripped the sword.

He swung the gripped sword and created distance.

However, because he swung it in a hurry, his balance was broken once again.

‘Damn it!’

Nathan’s body staggered.

Sian’s posture lowered in an instant.

A strike that cut out the sound dug into Nathan’s gap.

He couldn’t avoid it.

A perfect strike that aimed for a gap at this distance.

This would be difficult to avoid not only for himself, but for anyone else who came.

Slash.

A small cutting sound was heard.

Along with that, red blood soaked the floor, drop by drop.

Looking at that spot.

Nathan’s right arm was slightly cut.

“…!!!”

“…!!!”

The expressions of the watching knights went beyond astonishment to shock.

Their mouths, wide open, couldn’t be easily closed.

Drop. Drop.

The flowing blood continued to soak the floor of the training ground.

And Nathan didn’t stop the flowing blood.

He couldn’t use one hand, and he didn’t have the mental capacity to do so.

Nathan’s widened eyes turned to Sian.

He couldn’t believe it…

He couldn’t believe it.

Originally, Sian should not have been able to withstand his aura-infused strike.

He should have been rolling on the floor.

By now, he should have put his foot on that face and shown the difference in level.

But…

But now.

Even though he was using aura, he was being pushed back.

He even allowed a strike like this.

“How… how…”

It was true that he was significantly restricted by not being able to use one hand.

He couldn’t even use proper swordsmanship.

However, the fact that he ‘felt restricted’ itself didn’t make sense.

He was different.

He was too different from Sian at the last banquet.

How much time had passed since then…?

More than anything, he felt it back then too, but there was something about Sian.

But he didn’t know what it was.

However, he could definitely tell that he couldn’t approach it.

‘Am I… going to lose again?’

For a moment, this thought flashed through Nathan’s mind.

That was something that couldn’t happen.

It was something that should never happen.

“How dare you…!!!”

Nathan’s reason snapped.

Swoooooosh!

A clear blue light swirled around Nathan’s sword.

Soon, the materialized aura emitted a blue light once again.

Aura Sword.

The true Aura Sword created by an Expert knight.

At the same time, a thick killing intent bloomed.

Nathan rushed towards Sian.

A reckless movement devoid of reason.

It contained a monstrous power.

“Stop it! Young Master Nathan!”

“You’ll die if you do that!”

The knights rushed in, flustered.

And.

Sian stood still in that spot.

It seemed like he had no intention of avoiding it.

No, it was right to say that he couldn’t avoid it.

With his eyes closed.

It was clear that Sian’s body had stiffened due to the looming fear.

That’s why they had to stop him.

Surely… the knights thought that they had to.

At that moment.

Flash.

Sian’s closed eyes flashed open.

With such eyes, a jet-black darkness flickered.

At the same time, an unknown sense of oppression burst out from Sian’s entire body.

The movements of the knights who were rushing to stop Nathan froze.

No, to be exact, it wasn’t about stopping Nathan.

Now, it seemed like they had to stop Sian.

Why?

They didn’t know.

They instinctively felt that they had to.

And.

“…!”.

Nathan also stopped his body without realizing it.

At the same time, his blurred reason returned.

In his restored vision.

The darkness swirling around Sian was reflected.

That’s why Nathan could also see it.

The martial art beyond the distant horizon.

It was a martial art that Nathan could not reach.

He couldn’t even harbor the thought of reaching it.

It was a martial art far beyond.

The darkness blooming around Sian loomed.

That darkness urged death upon Nathan.

Thus, he felt fear.

Right now, Nathan was clearly feeling the emotion of fear.

“Don’t be ridiculous!!”

Nathan gritted his teeth and rushed towards Sian.

Sian captured all those movements in his eyes and gripped his sword.

The gripped SS-grade sword vibrated.

And then.

A single movement.

Claaaaaaaaaaaaaang!

A chilling explosion erupted.

A cloud of dust obscured the vision due to the explosion that shook the entire training ground.

After a little time, the dust settled.

And what was seen at the end.

It was Sian and Nathan.

The sight of them aiming their swords at each other’s necks.

Was this the fleeting moment of 1/75th of a second?

A silence descended.

“I lost.”

Amidst the silence, Sian lowered his sword.

However, no one here thought so.

For now, it was difficult to favor anyone in the current match.

It was literally a fleeting battle.

If it had continued like this, no one would have been safe.

More than anything.

“Don’t forget to give me the 500,000 gold.”

“Wh-What did you say?”

Nathan frowned at Sian’s words.

However, he quickly shut his mouth at Sian’s gesture.

That was because his hand right now.

The one he had in his pocket had come out.

And it was being used on the sword he was aiming at Sian.

It was a hand that he had unknowingly taken out to use swordsmanship to defend against Sian’s attack.

Nathan wasn’t even aware that he had used both hands.

Therefore, he didn’t know if it was a life-or-death situation.

In a sparring match, it was clearly Nathan’s defeat.

“…”

Nathan had nothing to say.

At that moment.

“Young Master Sian. The Lord is looking for you.”

A voice calling for Sian was heard from one side of the training ground.

It was none other than the chief manager, Lerrit, who was looking for Sian.

And what Lerrit had just said.

“…!!!”

“…!!!”

All the knights of the Knights Order, including Nathan, widened their eyes.

That was because those here knew the meaning of the Lord looking for Sian.

Could it be that the reason Sian visited the mansion was…?

People’s gazes turned to Sian all at once.

“Well, I haven’t even seen the Knights Order yet.”

Well, if I’ve earned 500,000 gold…

Sian shrugged his shoulders and calmly moved his steps.

#

Sian followed Lerrit, who was walking ahead, through the mansion’s hallway.

And he carefully took out his smartphone from his chest.

[Demon Soul Asura Sword Beginner Progress Rate 43.2% (+5.7%)]

‘It’s really not going up.’

Sian shook his head and put his smartphone back into his chest.

Of course, compared to the day when it went up by 0.08%, 5.7% was a huge progress rate.

‘Still, I used Asura Heavenly Kill.’

However, it was a small progress rate considering that he had used Asura Heavenly Kill [a powerful technique from the Demon Soul Asura Sword style].

The last clash with Nathan.

Sian recalled his memories and used the 1st form of the Demon Soul Asura Sword.

Of course, there was a clear difference from what he had shown in the battle with Nurvia.

He didn’t even remember how he did it back then.

What Sian showed just now was at the level of imitation.

But even that imitation had tremendous power.

That’s why Sian honestly didn’t think Nathan would be able to block it.

‘Certainly, even if Nathan seems like a cheapskate…’

A skilled person who reached the intermediate level of Expert at that age.

A genius was a genius.

If Sian didn’t have an SS-grade sword.

And if Nathan had used both hands…

Perhaps Sian would have been the one who lost.

‘I still have a long way to go.’

Sian inwardly let out a deep sigh.

At that moment.

“This way.”

Lerrit, who was walking ahead, stopped his steps.

And he gestured to guide Sian to the front of a room.

A firmly closed door.

It was none other than the front of the office where Durak stayed when he was in the family.

“Then I will step down now.”

Lerrit said that and stepped away from his spot.

Sian looked at Lerrit, who was moving away, and slowly turned his gaze.

A sense of tension that he felt for no reason.

This was the first time he was facing Durak alone.

But Sian shook off the tension and knocked on the door.

Knock knock.

-Come in.

As soon as the knocking sound ended, a voice was heard from inside.

A familiar yet unfamiliar voice.

Sian slowly opened the door.

With a click, the scenery of Durak’s office was reflected through the gap in the door.

And a middle-aged man standing in the center of the office.

An atmosphere that was so sharp that it seemed like it would cut was emanating around him.

Even though he wasn’t emitting any aura.

Just looking at him was overwhelming.

A suffocating pressure was felt.

The Lord of the Elan Dur Marquis family.

And the undisputed number one sword in the Empire.

Durak Elan Dur.

If someone were to ask Sian.

Who is the strongest being you have ever met?

If asked like this.

Sian could say Kyle without hesitation.

But who is the strongest person you have ever met ‘directly’?

If asked like this, Sian couldn’t easily answer.

Even if he put aside the sloth demon, Nurvia.

He had to constantly judge between Leia and Durak.

And at the end of that judgment, Sian would probably have raised Leia’s hand.

But now.

Sian thought he might have to change that thought.

A huge wall standing in front of him.

A terrible power that couldn’t be compared to Nathan was felt.

Durak was known to be at the upper level of Master [a high rank in martial arts].

Perhaps… wasn’t he knocking on the door to a realm beyond that?

Sian suddenly had a thought.

The highest level of Master.

The realm of Grand Master [an even higher rank in martial arts].

The ultimate realm that humans can reach.

It wasn’t yet, but Durak seemed to be trying to step into that realm.

“I greet the Lord.”

Sian bowed to Durak.

“Sit down.”

At Durak’s words, Sian raised his head.

And he sat down in a suitable spot.

Durak didn’t say anything until then.

He was just staring at Sian.

Sian slightly lowered his gaze and waited for Durak’s words.

“I heard you sparred with Nathan once again.”

Durak asked.

It had really only happened a moment ago.

It seemed like the report had already been made.

And the words ‘once again’.

It seemed like Durak also knew about what had happened at the banquet.

Durak, who didn’t have any interest in anyone other than Kai?

Sian swallowed his doubts and answered quietly.

“My brother taught me a lesson.”

Durak didn’t say anything.

He probably knew the result as well.

For some reason, Durak didn’t say anything else.

Once again, a heavy silence descended.

And.

“Come back to the family.”

Durak said.

There was no other explanation.

Just that one word.

Sian quietly raised his gaze.

Durak was looking at Sian with an indifferent expression.

Sian slowly opened his mouth.

“May I ask what you mean by telling me to come back to the family?”

“I heard you are currently the Lord of Ruben.”

“That’s right.”

At Sian’s answer, Durak said once again.

“Come back to the family.”

Only then could Sian grasp the meaning of those words.

In short, it meant to quit being the Lord of Ruben.

And come back to the family.

Durak was still looking at Sian with an indifferent expression.

A silence descended.

“I refuse.”

Sian opened his mouth.

Twitch.

A change occurred in Durak’s expression, which had been indifferent all along.