The Time-Stop Breeding Uncle Want’s to Retire

Hans practically fled the palace, returning on the back of a wyvern.

He felt that staying any longer would only lead to further trouble. While pride in one’s affiliation was commendable, excessive zeal could complicate matters.

He was fortunate that the King had smoothed things over; otherwise, the expedition plans could have been jeopardized.

This expedition was particularly crucial.

Beyond the resources and manpower involved, its success would determine whether they could maintain their momentum.

There’s a saying, “It’s better to do nothing than to do something wrong.” Hans knew this well. But conversely, doing nothing meant achieving nothing.

He already knew the outcome of the original story.

After recovering, the demons who had annihilated the Royal Knights would launch a full-scale assault, shattering the barrier and advancing relentlessly.

The continent would be pushed back, clinging to their remaining territories.

The protagonist would eventually turn the tide, but that was due to their overpowered abilities.

The developers had revealed on social media that the continent was originally meant to fall completely to the demons.

In other words, there was no hope if they remained passive.

‘Waiting for the protagonist to appear is an option, but…’

The protagonist’s arrival was still years away, and there was no guarantee the demons wouldn’t recover and attack before then.

‘Could I even stop them?’

He honestly wasn’t confident.

While the Royal Knights were all elite, brute force alone wouldn’t be enough.

So, Hans made a bold decision.

They would seize this opportunity while the demons were weakened. The first victory was always the hardest, but once achieved, it would create a chain reaction. ᚱ

The other races wouldn’t pass up the chance for gains. If expeditions became more frequent, they could significantly weaken the demons.

That was Hans’s vision.

Moreover, the King had mentioned planning an expedition of his own, providing valuable intel.

Hans returned with this information and immediately convened a meeting.

The Roundtable of Equality.

A symbol of the Royal Knights, created to facilitate open communication and unity among all races.

Everyone was present.

Hans inwardly marveled at the sight. He had started with the single-minded goal of restoring the Royal Knights.

‘Could I really rebuild an order of heroes who defended the continent?’

He hadn’t known the answer. He had simply done what he could.

His sincerity had resonated with them. His selfless actions had inspired them. He treated all races equally, showing genuine care and concern.

That was why these elite individuals trusted and followed him.

Of course, Hans, coming from modern society, was simply free of prejudice, but they didn’t know that.

‘Everyone’s here. Let’s begin.’n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The very act of gathering everyone and sharing information equally was novel to them.

Discriminatory distribution of information based on race was surprisingly common.

Even during the Royal Knights’ prime, different races had tended to stick together, maintaining relationships that benefited them and cutting off those that didn’t.

While it hadn’t started that way, it had become the norm. And their fate hadn’t been pleasant.

“I’ve obtained intel from the Human King. We will be deployed to Ares’ Bridge.”

“What about the personnel?”

“Everyone will participate. Failure is not an option.”

If this expedition failed, it would be the end.

Opposition to further expeditions would grow, and the already hesitant races would become even more reluctant.

There was a chance Lionheart Fortress could be attacked by monsters, but they could request reinforcements from the Beastmen or Dwarves.

There were ways to defend it.

It was better to go all-in than to hold back and risk irreversible failure.

Hans intended to commit their full strength.

Yuren raised her hand hesitantly.

“What if we fail?”

“It’s our job to ensure that doesn’t happen.”

“That’s true, but…”

Yuren, unusually, seemed to lack confidence.

She was forced to confront her past failure. Back then, they had had greater numbers and abundant resources.

Yet, the expedition had failed spectacularly, leading to the collapse of the Royal Knights.

Even now, after being rebuilt, they hadn’t regained their former influence.

And Yuren, as their leader, bore some responsibility.

Hans, observing her, folded his arms and spoke.

“I know what you’re worried about. And I understand how you feel.”

“…”

“But that’s why this is our chance. A chance to overcome our past failure and move forward. What do you think?”

“…I apologize. I allowed my doubts to get the better of me.”

Yuren’s eyes, once filled with uncertainty, now held a steely resolve.

Hans nodded.

Now, all that remained was to determine their objective.

“Our goal is to capture Ares’ Bridge.”

“That won’t be easy, will it?”

“No. The Bloodkin guarding it is the problem.”

“Ares’ Bridge… I’ve heard of it.”

Yuren and Cluna had seen Ares’ Bridge firsthand, but the other members had no recollection of it.

This meant they had taken different routes during the previous expedition.

Hans nodded.

“Do you know anything about Ares’ Bridge?”

“It’s a fortress built by the Human Kingdom. I believe it was so well-constructed that it rivaled Dwarven craftsmanship, making them wary.”

“So, we have to breach a fortress of that caliber.”

“And if it’s guarded by a Blood Demon, we can’t afford to be careless.”

While Blood Demons were weaker than True Demons, True Demons were rare and difficult to encounter.

The Blood Demon’s posed the greatest threat to the Multi-Racial Alliance.

Unlike lesser demons and monsters, Blood Demon’s possessed dangerous powers.

Comprachico who had controlled Yuren was a Blood Demon.

“Fortunately, we have the intel from the Human Kingdom. We can plan our siege accordingly.”

“They went through quite a bit of trouble.”

“Hmph, of course. How else would they secure our cooperation?”

Perhaps due to their past annihilation, the Royal Knights seemed to take this level of preparation for granted.

Hans was slightly concerned but decided to focus on the task at hand.

“The Blood Demon guarding Ares’ Bridge is known as the Mud Guardian.”

“Mud Guardian? I’ve never heard of it.”

“I never thought I’d hear that name again.”

“Mom? You know that name?”

“Yes, I’ve even fought it before.”

🚨 Important Notice 🚨

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Cluna had even fought the Mud Guardian.

Hans inwardly celebrated.

‘As expected of someone who’s lived for hundreds of years…!’

When it came to experience, there was no one more reliable.

“Mud Guardian is more of a metaphor. It earned the name because it drags its opponents into a quagmire, like a crocodile.”

“A quagmire… what does that entail?”

“Nothing particularly special, but it has seven hearts. It’s said that it cannot be killed unless all seven hearts are pierced.”

“We have to destroy all seven hearts at once? That won’t be easy.”

A Blood Demon of that level was bound to be powerful. And they had to destroy all seven of its hearts simultaneously to prevent it from regenerating.

Hans clicked his tongue.

“Yuren’s breath attack is the first thing that comes to mind.”

“True, but I doubt a Blood Demon of that level would simply stand there and take it.”

“I see.”

Hans searched for alternative strategies.

He wanted to conserve his Time Stop ability and prepare for the possibility that it might not even work on the Mud Guardian.

It was always good to have multiple options.

[Translator Notes]

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