My Lord Who Is Being Prudent! [EN]: Chapter 99

§ 99. Muriel’s Ruins (1)

The sudden notification sound from my smartphone.

“Just a moment.”

Cyan turned his back to Aria for a moment.

He took out his smartphone from his pocket and checked it.

He could see the quest floating on the screen.

『[Story Sudden Quest] – ‘The Truth Hidden Within the Truth’』

‘A story sudden quest?’

It was a completely different type from the quests he had seen so far.

Cyan touched the screen to check the details.

Click.

『[Story Sudden Quest] – ‘The Truth Hidden Within the Truth’

▶You, who have come to Muriel’s Ruins in search of the truth Kyle faced!

There were countless hardships and adversities.

But you finally caught the thread!

Now, excavate Muriel’s Ruins.

And uncover the secrets within and obtain the spoils…

Oh?

The situation is flowing a bit strangely…?

Just as you’re wondering what’s going on!

Oh my goodness!!

It is said that a plague is rampant in Muriel’s Ruins!!

Moreover, the source of the plague is located right in Muriel’s Ruins?!

What is going on!!!

A thousand years ago, Kyle faced some kind of truth and left without a trace.

But not long after.

Kyle visits Muriel.

After a long conversation with Muriel, Kyle left again.

Muriel hid something related to that secret in the ruins.

And to prevent that secret from being revealed to the world.

When her death approached, Muriel.

Returned to the ruins and buried her death along with it.

What on earth did Muriel have to hide?

What does that have to do with the plague that is rampant in the South now, after a thousand years?

And what on earth did Kyle say to Muriel?

The truth hidden within the truth.

Check it out now at Muriel’s Ruins!』

.

.

‘A plague broke out in Muriel’s Ruins?’

Cyan shouted inwardly.

Muriel was a saintess a thousand years ago.

An Arnaise [a title or affiliation] who saved the world from demons.

Although Aria is now called the reincarnation of Muriel.

In fact, there was a vast difference that could not even be compared.

Not only the divine power she possessed.

Even the ability to utilize that divine power.

No matter what you bring, you couldn’t even come close to Muriel.

If you gather all the saintesses of all time, you might be able to compare.

She was an existence who reached the realm of Exceed [a level of power or ability].

And Muriel’s Ruins seemed to be Muriel’s tomb.

Muriel returned to the ruins and ended her life when her lifespan was about to end.

But, a plague broke out in such a place…?

It didn’t make sense.

In the first place, the plague itself should not have been able to approach.

Even now, the plague cannot approach Aria.

What more can be said about Muriel?

It was impossible even after a thousand years.

‘But what….’

Cyan couldn’t understand what was going on at all.

Cyan was lost in thought for a moment.

After a little time passed.

Cyan put his smartphone back in his pocket.

Then, he strode forward.

“Where are you going all of a sudden?”

Aria asked from behind.

Cyan turned his head slightly and said.

Apparently.

“To Cardinal Rachel.”

It seemed like he had to go to Muriel’s Ruins right away.

#

Cyan went straight to Rachel.

Rachel was very happy and immediately prepared.

Gestak Village, located in the center of the South, where they arrived.

Perhaps because there is a source of plague nearby.

The atmosphere and the state of the village were more miserable than any other village.

There were even quite a few patients dying from the plague.

Before finding Muriel’s Ruins and the source of the plague.

Cyan healed all the people of Gestak Village.

“Really… was it really true?”

“It seems that the word ‘saint’ didn’t come out for no reason.”

Rachel and the Holy Knights all opened their eyes in surprise at the sight.

Usually, rumors tend to be exaggerated.

“Next! Next! Next!”

Now, it seems to be rather underestimated.

Cyan really drove out the plague in Gestak Village in an instant.

Cyan calmly scanned the surroundings.

“Oh, Mom… !”

“Ahhh…! God! Thank you so much… !”

All the villagers who were healed became a sea of tears.

It was a natural reaction since they had been waiting for the day they would die and came back to life.

He had seen it a lot, but still, it was a touching scene.

Cyan turned his gaze away for no reason.

“Anyway….”

Then he said to Aria, who was standing blankly next to him.

“Why did you bother to follow me?”

When Cyan said he would go to Muriel’s Ruins with Rachel.

Aria followed Cyan here too.

Most of the plagues in the South had been caught.

And since there was also Cardinal Rachel.

There was no need for Aria to follow.

“I have to see with my own eyes what kind of scheme you have.”

Nevertheless, Aria stubbornly insisted.

So Cyan didn’t bother to stop her.

Because Cyan was also a little suspicious.

Cyan shrugged his shoulders once and said.

“But… why is there a village in a place like this?”

To be honest, it was true.

This Gestak Village was not a place for people to live at all.

The surrounding forest and desolate area.

I heard that monsters occasionally appear.

To exaggerate a little, it was no different from the old Ruben [likely a reference to a dangerous or undesirable location].

So why is there a village in a place like this?

“They are not subjects.”

The people of Gestal Village are not subjects.

Cyan was able to understand the situation at once at that word.

He had seen many similar situations while wandering around the South.

In a word, shifting cultivators [people who live outside the established system].

It must be the poor and powerless who live in hiding.

“Just because I didn’t pay some measly sacred fund, I’m not a subject. This is all a doctrine set by the Twilight Sect.”

Aria gritted her teeth and expressed her anger.

Cyan suddenly became curious at the sight of Aria.

“I’ve been wondering for a while. What kind of person is the Pope?”

If you think about it, isn’t that right?

The factions of the Order are divided and the two forces are in conflict.

But the Pope, who is called the leader of the Order, doesn’t seem to be doing anything.

In a way, it is the same position as the Emperor of the Charlotte Empire.

Even now, the Twilight Sects are setting doctrines as they please.

It didn’t seem like the Pope had stepped in.

Even this support for the South was the same.

“His Holiness is not very interested in the affairs of the Order….”

Not very interested in the affairs of the Order?

The Pope?

“What do you mean?”

“Well, this is… if you see the Order’s meeting, you’ll understand at once. His Holiness does not express his opinion. He just silently listens to the opinions that come out.”

So Aria and the Dawn Priests take the lead in expressing their opinions instead.

The opposite is also the same.

The Pope just listens quietly.

So only high-ranking priests, including the cardinals and archbishops.

They only have a debate.

At the end, the Pope approves the final opinion that has been coordinated.

“I wish he would make a decisive decision like your emperor.”

The Emperor of the Charlotte Empire and the Pope of the Holy Empire.

The positions they have are similar, but there is a fundamental difference.

The emperor is the one who reigns over all.

The Pope is the one who serves God most closely.

“If he expresses his opinion, he thinks it will be considered God’s will or something.”

“Hmm….”

In a way, it can be seen as an arrogant statement.

But in reality, the Pope’s thoughts were not incomprehensible.

If you look back at the history of the Holy Empire, there was no such thing as a papal dictatorship in this way.

And if you think about it, the Pope only doesn’t express his opinion.

In the end, it was an opinion decided by the debate between the two forces.

So it can be said to be the result of everyone’s compromise.

However, this is what it means to say it nicely.

To put it bluntly.

“He’s not interested in the affairs of the Order?”

“Honestly, I’m so frustrated that I’m about to burst. Sometimes I want to hit him.”

“Are you allowed to say that?”

“What’s right is right.”

Aria then sighed deeply.

Right then.

“Shall we start now…? What do you think?”

Another voice was heard from one side.

Rachel was standing there looking at the place.

Aria’s eyes sharpened in an instant.

She revealed her hostility without filtering it.

‘Sheesh….’

Cyan shook his head.

“Let’s go right away.”

Cyan immediately moved his steps.

#

The densely packed forest revealed its appearance with an open view.

The trees that stretched out to the sky without knowing it blocked the sky.

Even the sun was blocked, so even though it was broad daylight, the inside of the forest was no different from the scenery of early evening.

Also, the low trees and unknown grasses were so lush.

There was no place where the bushes were empty anywhere in the field of vision.

It was like facing a sea made of trees.

If only I felt the magic, wouldn’t it be the Forest of Darkness…? It was even an illusion.

It wasn’t just the scenery.

“Keheukreuk…?!”

“Kwereureuk!”

Monsters were living inside the forest.

The forest ecosystem was an area that conceived many lives.

A place where green plants and animals grow and play.

Naturally, predators who covet them gather.

And predators who covet them gather to form a huge ecosystem.

So it was not so strange that there were monsters in the forest area.

But… the appearance was extremely bizarre.

I can tell that it’s a goblin by its shape.

But the face was grotesquely distorted as if it had been soaked in water.

And there were round spots all over the body.

The sight alone made me frown.

“Jjeutneukbahk…!”

“Kwekjjutrakwek!”

Perhaps because of that, they couldn’t even make a proper sound.

Bizarre screams that were difficult to pronounce continued.

The monsters must also be infected with the plague.

According to Rachel, there is a source of plague inside this forest.

According to Aria, Muriel’s Ruins are inside this forest.

And according to Mobile Lord [likely a game mechanic or character providing information], the source of the plague is in Muriel’s Ruins.

So the monsters living in this forest were also infected with the plague.

However, unlike humans, they did not groan.

Rather, only that ferocious instinct was amplified even more.

The sight was like.

‘Over Drive…?’

Wasn’t it the same appearance as a demonic beast living in the Forest of Darkness?

Although the level was not comparable to the Forest of Darkness.

It was definitely a similar type to berserk.

“Prepare the front lines!”

“Form a line!”

In the meantime, the procession of the Holy Knights continued.

The light of divine power that burst out shattered on the pure white armor and sparkled.

With the sound of footsteps, the Holy Knights orderly straightened their ranks.

“Shields forward!”

A Holy Knight raised his hand.

At the same time, the Holy Knights holding shields moved forward as one body.

Hwaaaaaak─!

The light of divinity filled around the shield.

It created a huge shield of light.

Kaang─!

Toong─!

The goblins’ attacks could not penetrate the shield.

“Fix bayonets!”

With the following shout, the following Holy Knights raised their swords.

The light of divinity dwells.

Kwajak─!

Peoseoseok─!

The goblin hordes were swept away at once.

Although they were goblins, it was a battle that allowed them to guess their level.

And right then.

Thump, thump.

The ground vibrated greatly.

Thump, thump, thump.

The vibration with a certain cycle was that of a living creature.

Something huge was approaching.

Soon, with a cracking sound, a tree in one corner fell.

And something huge that revealed its appearance.

“Oh, it’s an ogre!”

Someone shouted.

It is the existence that lives at the top of the monster food chain.

Arguably the strongest predator on earth, the Ogre.

And the appearance of the ogre was also bizarre.

However, the size was so huge that everything that was visible was huge.

It looked like I was seeing a demon that should not exist in the world.

Kwehehehehehehe─!!

A distorted scream burst out.

The ogre grabbed the surrounding goblins and put them in its mouth, crunching and chewing.

But perhaps the goblins were not enough.

Kwe─!!!

The raging instinct turns this way.

The ogre’s huge body comes running.

It was truly a chilling sight.

Soon, the huge ogre’s fist collided with the shield of light.

Kkwang─!

A burst of explosion.

“Keueuk…!”

“Heup…!”

The Holy Knights let out painful groans.

The shield of light was not broken, but the impact seemed to be quite strong.

On the other hand, the ogre was fine.

Rather, it only burst out with deep anger at the sight of the human figure that was not crushed.

The ogre raises its fist again.

An even more ferocious force than before was felt in the fist.

“Don’t break the line!”

In the meantime, a Holy Knight grabbed his sword and jumped up.

The brilliant light of divinity burst out from between the swords.

The knight grabbed the ogre’s back like lightning and cut off its log-like calf.

Kwajak─!

Blood and pus splattered between the severed ankles.

Kweeeeeee─!!!

The ogre burst out a scream full of pain.

But that didn’t last long either.

Seogeok─!

With a sound, the ogre’s scream stopped abruptly.

Soon, the ground shook twice, koong! koong!

The ogre’s lower body and upper body, which were cut in half in one blow, collapsed separately.

The ogre was literally dealt with in an instant.

“How is it?”

“Amazing.”

Cyan nodded obediently at Rachel’s words from the side.

The ogre was a monster called the strongest predator on earth.

Even if only one appeared, about one or two villages would be turned into ruins.

It was truly no different from a natural disaster.

The ogre, which was consumed by berserk in the Forest of Darkness, even resisted and ran away from Leia’s thoughts.

What more can I say about its strength?

But he cut such an ogre in half in one blow.

Even the ogre that had been berserked by the plague.

There was no doubt about his skill.

Cyan’s gaze turned to the Holy Knight who had cut the ogre in half.

Then Rachel’s words were heard again.

“Sir Garrett is one of the top Holy Knights in our Twilight Sect.”

“Are you saying that that person is Sir Garrett?”

Garrett, the leader of the Holy Knights belonging to the Cardinal.

Cyan had also heard about the name.

There was no other reason.

When discussing who is the second sword on the continent.

He was always one of the people who was not left out.

And now that I’m facing the level directly.

I could see why those words were coming out.

“I heard that there is a knight called Master in the Charlotte Empire. I think Sir Garrett is comparable to that level.”

Rachel gave a small smile.

The Holy Knights do not discuss the realm of ordinary knights.

The power they wielded was divinity, not aura [a type of energy or power].

So it was difficult to compare between realms.

However, Garrett’s level could be said to be comparable to a master.

“Maybe it’s even above the master level.”

But Cyan’s thoughts were very different.

Divinity and Aura.

These two were clearly different concepts.

To be exact, it was like water and oil.

To be a little more precise, it could be said to be a relationship of rejection.

Those who were given divinity could not awaken aura.

In fact, knights who wield aura are people who cannot exist or should not exist in this world.

Wizards who understand phenomena and deal with laws.

They couldn’t understand the knights who wielded aura at all.

That’s because they bring things that deviate from the phenomenon.

It was as if they were descending into reality as if they were the laws of the world.

In the process, they completely ignored the strict laws of the world.

That was Aura.

Many wizards studied aura.

This was a power that should not exist.

And the knights’ logic was always like this.

It just worked?

To the wizards, they were literally crazy people.

I really had no choice but to go crazy.

So there could be no magic swordsman.

Magic and aura.

These two could not be paralleled.

The reason was simple.

Aura is what knights do.

A power that completely ignores the laws of the world and phenomena.

It was literally an absurd power.

But the wizards had already understood.

The strict laws of phenomena cannot be twisted.

That it was originally impossible.

I had already understood it with my excellent head.

So I can’t use aura.

The same goes for divine power.

I have seen the holy power since I was born.

That would soon prove that ‘God’ exists.

The power of the miracle he performs is borrowed from God.

Since it exists in front of my eyes, the belief is also firm.

However, aura is twisting the laws of phenomena.

Only a miracle performed by humans.

However, since the God who performs miracles already exists.

How can a human being wield the power of that miracle?

Those born with divine power had no choice but to deny the phenomenon of aura.

So priests and Holy Knights could not wield the power of aura.

‘······ Elodie said that.’

Arnaise, the great wizard Elodie, a thousand years ago.

It was just a matter of recalling memories.

Cyan already felt a headache.

So they were just knowledge in my head.

And I didn’t bother to understand it in detail.

In the first place, knights were such people.

And it wasn’t that important now.

It was literally just knowledge that made my head hurt.

Nevertheless, the reason why Cyan recalled this knowledge now was simple.

‘It’s not divinity?’

Because it wasn’t divinity.

Garrett, the leader of the Holy Knights.

The power Garrett used was not divinity.

It looked like divinity.

It was very similar to the power of aura.

Of course, not all members of all orders used divine power.

Since divine power is innate, not all members could use divine power.

Therefore, there were many knights who used aura even among the paladins.

But the Holy Knights were different.

The Holy Knights were a knight order representing the Order.

Everyone was wielding divine power.

But now the power Garrett used was aura.

That means.

Garrett doesn’t believe in God.

“Let’s go.”

At that moment, Rachel spoke to me.

Before I knew it, the Holy Knights had cleared out all the monsters.

Cyan nodded and slowly moved his steps.

Then, in the field of vision that was suddenly reflected, I saw the ogre’s corpse lying sprawled.

The ogre’s corpse was neatly cut in half.

Cyan thought for a moment, should I dismantle it…? But.

Even so, it didn’t seem like that lump of pus would sell.

#

Cyan was protected by the Holy Knights and moved forward.

How far did I go like that?

“Stop.”

The Holy Knights in front stopped abruptly.

At the same time, the entire procession stopped moving.

Cyan raised his head and looked straight ahead.

And the scenery that was seen.

It was a scene where the forest was polluted.

Even the densely packed trees were severely distorted, perhaps because they were infected with the plague.

Even the air was filled with the energy of the plague.

A thick green energy was rising.

It was literally the source of the plague.

I could understand at once why Rachel couldn’t approach.

The reason why the Holy Knight stopped was because he could no longer approach.

“This is….”

Aria next to me also opened her eyes in surprise.

She showed quite a bit of embarrassment at the scenery in front of her.

It seemed that Aria couldn’t easily guarantee it either.

And if Aria couldn’t guarantee it.

It was right to say that no one on this continent could.

But.

Tuk.

Cyan moved his steps into the scenery without hesitation.

“Th, there…?”

“Ah, no….”

“Wh, what is that….”

Rachel, as well as the Holy Knights, were greatly embarrassed by Cyan’s sudden actions.

“Hey!!”

Aria’s shout of embarrassment was heard from behind.

That’s because of the scenery right now.

A terrible plague that can be seen with the eyes is spreading.

No one in the world would be able to come back alive from that place.

But.

‘Progress rate is great!’

In Cyan’s eyes, it just looked like a honey pot.