The Time-Stop Breeding Uncle Want’s to Retire

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Even weakened, True Demons were still True Demons.

They had managed to hold their own against the Royal Knights, who were backed by their respective armies, but their disadvantage became increasingly apparent over time.

Of the four True Demons deployed to the Dwarf Kingdom and the Human Kingdom, one in each location had already been killed, and another was on the verge of death.

The Blood Demon chuckled.

He had accepted death the moment he arrived. No one else could have bought them as much time as he had.

His only regret was not being able to hear more of the Commander’s story…

Well, it didn’t matter.

He could hear it in the afterlife, if such a place existed. The Blood Demon had no doubt that his comrades had succeeded.

“That’s enough fighting.”

“…?!”

“Shit.”

Cluna and Clara instinctively retreated, overwhelmed by the sudden, imposing presence.

Standing before them was Zaiha, the demon with the greatsword slung over his shoulder.

“How did you get here?”

Despite being rescued in a dire situation, the Blood Demon was bewildered.

From the moment this plan was conceived, the four of them had been expendable, bait.

In other words, they were not to be rescued under any circumstances. They had agreed on this.

Yet, Zaiha had come.

Even with such a soft heart, he wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything.

“I’ll explain later. The plan was a success.”

“A success? Did you kill the Commander?”

“…What?!”

The Royal Knights, who had been observing the situation, were shocked by Zaiha’s words. The Commander was dead? Their Commander?

“Don’t be ridiculous! That’s impossible…!!!”

“Believe it or not, that’s up to you. You’ll find out soon enough.”

“You bastard…!!!”

“You’re really pushing it.”

Cluna, who rarely lost her composure, drew her sword and charged at Zaiha. Her rage prevented her from thinking rationally.

“Taking the Guardian’s life as a bonus wouldn’t be bad either.”

Zaiha quickly made up his mind and swung his greatsword.

Cluna, being the Guardian of the Forest, was able to dodge the attack, but not completely.

“Ugh…!!!”

“As expected of the Guardian of the Forest. Sacrificing an arm to survive.”

“Y-you…!”

“It’s a compliment. I was aiming for your head.”

Zaiha had been serious. He had aimed for her head to ensure a kill.

Her ability to slow down the attack with her arm and escape with her life was truly remarkable.

“Didn’t I make it clear? I believe you agreed to the terms as well.”

“…”

“If you’re going to be like this, I can’t stand idly by.”

“…Alright, we’ll retreat.”

A blonde girl, her hair flowing in the wind, approached them. Clara, Ruby, and even Cluna hadn’t even sensed her presence.

Zaiha clicked his tongue.

They couldn’t afford to fight the Vampire Lord yet. They could probably handle her if all the True Demons were present, but it was too risky in their current weakened state.

They could probably win, but not without significant losses. That would be a pyrrhic victory.

Even if they won, they could self-destruct from the heavy casualties.

“Let’s go back. We’ve accomplished our objective.”

“Wait!! What do you mean the Commander is dead?!”

“It’s exactly what it sounds like. I have nothing more to say.”

Zaiha left those words and vanished with his comrades. The remaining Royal Knights stared blankly at the spot where they had been standing.

Then, Ruby spoke,

“Why are you all just standing there?”

“You’re…the Vampire Lord?!”

“Child of the Forest. It’s been a while.”

“…”

“Well, we should gather the scattered pieces first.”

Lucy smiled and snapped her fingers. A red magic circle appeared on the ground, and the other Royal Knights, including Yuren, appeared before them.

“Hey! Those bastards spread a false rumor. What was that about…?”

“It can’t be true, right? Teacher is dead? That’s impossible…!!”

“It seems the news has already reached you. Judging by your reactions.”

Lucy chuckled, looking at the enraged Royal Knights. They cherished him so much, yet why had they done such a thing?

Well…she could understand their feelings.

But a deal was a deal.

They had to accept the outcome, whatever it may be.

Lucy cleared her throat.

The Royal Knights turned their attention to her, falling silent. Satisfied with their attentiveness, Lucy smiled and said,

“Well, as they said, your Commander is dead.”

She dropped the bomb casually.

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“They were quite noisy. Well, it means he was loved, I suppose.”

Lucy chuckled.

But he couldn’t laugh. It was only natural. He had made the deal on his own, without his consent.

“Hmm, you seem to have a lot of complaints.”

“Of course I do.”

“But it couldn’t be helped. If we had continued fighting, both you and I would have died there.”

“…”

Lucy was telling the truth. Even though Hans had killed three True Demons, three more remained, and Hans was severely injured.

Lucy shrugged and said,

“Even I can’t handle three True Demons consecutively. Besides, that Zaiha guy wasn’t even fighting at full strength.”

“…”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going back. I won’t agree to such a deal.”

“…Really? Then the Vampires have no choice but to consider you our enemy.”

Hans stopped at Lucy’s words and silently stared at her.

Lucy shrugged again, looking surprisingly relaxed.

“Why…?”

“It’s the price of the deal. Otherwise, the demons wouldn’t have retreated just based on my words.”

“…”

“Glaring at me won’t change anything. This was the best way to save both you and me. And…”

Lucy tilted her head.

The smile had vanished from her face. Hans was about to respond, but his body gave way, collapsing under the weight of his injuries.

“You know now, don’t you? What they did to you.”

“…”

“Hypnosis…how cute. I understand their feelings, but it can’t be justified.”

Lucy smiled, a gray light flickering in her hand. As she said, Hans was no longer under the influence of hypnosis. And everything came flooding back.

What they had done to him while he was hypnotized. Hans quietly lowered his head. He remembered everything.

His original objective, to return home.

But he had been hypnotized and had forgotten his purpose. Hans, finally regaining his senses, glared at Lucy.

Lucy, her expression unusually serious, replied,

“Hypnosis is a form of curse. It’s nothing to a Vampire, especially one cast by a mere Blood Demon, not even a True Demon.”

“But…why would they do such a thing…?”

“How would I know? Even if I did, I couldn’t tell you.”

“…”

“Ultimately, the decision is yours to make.”

Lucy was right. It wasn’t her place to interfere.

‘How do I feel about them?’

He didn’t know. He was in too much pain.

“Your injuries are severe. You’ll die if I leave you like this.”

“…Tell me about the deal first.”

“Ah, right. I forgot to explain that.”

He couldn’t afford to make an enemy of the Vampires. He had witnessed their power firsthand. Hans gritted his teeth. He wanted to know why she had made the deal.

“The terms of the deal are simple. You can’t interfere for three years.”

“Interfere?”

“Yes. You can’t meet anyone. You can’t reveal that you’re alive. You can’t use any loopholes.”

“Why such a deal…?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Lucy smiled.

“To correct a mistake.”

Her fangs gleamed sharply.

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[Translator Notes]