Hans was fleeing the royal palace, riding a wyvern. He felt that if he stayed any longer, he would cause more trouble. Of course, having pride in where he belonged was good.
Whoosh!
But when that pride crossed the line, things got annoyingly tangled. Thankfully, the Human King managed to let things slide this time, but if things went just a bit wrong, the expedition plan could have been seriously wrecked.
Boom!
This expedition was particularly important. Even aside from the resources needed or personnel to be exhausted, it would certainly become a question of whether they could keep this momentum going.
Thump!
There’s a saying that if you just sit still, you’ll get by. That was a phrase Hans was all too familiar with. But thinking about it differently meant it could also imply that just sitting still would leave him stuck in mediocrity.
Gulp!
Hans already knew the outcome of the original story. The demons that annihilated the Royal Knights would, after regaining their strength, start breaking barriers and advancing. As a result, the continent would be pushed back significantly.
Crash!
Eventually, the situation in the original story left them barely defending the remaining territory. Then the protagonist would show up and turn things around, but that was only because the protagonist was a munchkin.
Bam!
The creators had even openly stated that the continent would originally fall entirely into the hands of the demons. In other words, staying as they were offered no hope for them.
Ugh!
‘Of course, holding out until the protagonist shows up is also a tactic…’
However, several years still remained until the protagonist arrived, and there was no guarantee that the demons wouldn’t regain their strength and attack again. So could he actually stop that assault?
Hmmm…
Honestly, Hans had no confidence regarding that question. All the knights belonging to the Royal Knights were top-tier, but their sheer power alone wouldn’t easily fend off the demons.
Clink!
Thus, Hans boldly made a resolution. He decided to seize this opportunity while the demons were weak. The first time may be tough to succeed, but once they did, the next ones would follow naturally.
Click!
After all, they weren’t a race that would just let the benefits of other races slide. If the expedition gained momentum, it would naturally diminish the demon forces significantly. That was the picture Hans envisioned.
Sketch!
Moreover, it just so happened that the Human King was also planning an expedition. Thanks to that, Hans could obtain decent information. With that intelligence, he returned and immediately held a meeting.
Rumble!
The Table of Equality.
Ding!
It was a symbol of the Royal Knights created to listen to each race’s honest opinions without discrimination and unify that will. Everyone was gathered there now.
Gather!
Hans marveled at the sight. Initially, he only harbored the thought of restoring the Royal Knights. Honestly, he wondered if he could do it.
Ponder…
The Royal Knights were heroes protecting the continent. Could he really reconstruct a group of such heroes? The answer was elusive. He just did what he could.
Thud!
His sincerity reached everyone. His selfless actions inspired all of them. Since he showed genuine care without discrimination based on race, those top-tier individuals trusted and followed Hans.
Cheers!
Of course, since Hans came from modern society, he was closer to being unbiased, but they had no way of knowing that.
Hehe!
“Everyone’s gathered. Let’s start the meeting immediately.”
Tap!
For them, gathering everyone and sharing information equally was nothing short of miraculous. Distributing information differently based on race was surprisingly common.
Whisper!
Even during the times when the Royal Knights were active, it wasn’t about everyone mingling together, but rather friendly races sticking together. They maintained relations that seemed beneficial to themselves,
Chirp!
and thoroughly rejected anything that wasn’t. It hadn’t always been like that, but at some point, that atmosphere developed naturally. And according to their words, it wasn’t a good thing.
Eh…
“I have information from the Human King. We will be deployed to Ares’ Bridge.”
Zoom!
“What’s the personnel count?”
Count!
“Everyone will participate. If we fail, there’s no going back.”
Yikes!
If this expedition failed, it would truly be the end. Opposition to the expedition would rise, and the other races, already hesitant, would become even more passive.
Uh-oh!
There was a chance that Lionheart Fortress might be attacked by monsters, but that meant asking the Beastmen and Dwarves for guard forces. There were plenty of ways to secure it.
Whew!
Going in with half-hearted thoughts about conserving power and then failing would leave no way back. Hans planned to go all-in with all his strength this time. Yuren raised her hand, showing her concern.
Wait…
“What if we fail?”
Gasp!
“That’s our role, to ensure it doesn’t happen.”
Right!
“That’s true, but…”
Uh-huh…
Yuren appeared uncharacteristically lacking in confidence. She felt as though she was staring directly at her past failures. Back then, their numbers had been greater, and they had resources in abundance.
Flashback!
Yet, the expedition had failed spectacularly. The Royal Knights had been completely obliterated because of it and still couldn’t regain that absolute influence they once held.
Oof!
Furthermore, the responsibility couldn’t be placed solely on the commander Yuren. She had been the chief leading the Royal Knights. After observing her for a moment, Hans crossed his arms and spoke.
Crossed!
“I know what you’re worried about. I understand your feelings too.”
Seriously!
“……”
Silence!
“But that’s why this is our opportunity. It’s a chance to harness our failures and move forward. What do you think?”
Think…
“……I’m sorry; I let my heart weaken for a moment.”
Hug!
It seemed she had gathered her thoughts again. The tremble in Yuren’s eyes vanished as Hans nodded at her. Now, all that remained was to determine the objective of the expedition.
Focus!
“Our target is to capture Ares’ Bridge.”
Action!
“That won’t be easy, right?”
Uh-oh!
“Yeah, the Blood Demon guarding it is the problem.”
Oh no!
“Ares’ Bridge… I’ve heard of it.”
Ohhh!
Yuren and Cluna had seen Ares’ Bridge firsthand, while the other members couldn’t recall it. In other words, it meant they had embarked on the expedition through a different route. Hans nodded and asked.
Hmm?
“Do you know anything about Ares’ Bridge?”
Curious!
“It was a fortress built by the Human Kingdom in the past. I remember the Dwarves were wary of its technology.”
Witty!
“So, it means we have to break through such a magnificent fortress.”
Gulp!
“Besides, if it’s a Blood Demon, that’s an opponent we can’t let our guard down against.”
Watch out!
Compared to the Blood Demon, its power might seem insignificant, but the Blood Demon was rare, making it very hard to encounter. The greatest threat to the Racial Alliance was none other than the Blood Demons.
Eek!
Plus, unlike the low-level beings or monsters that hadn’t even earned a name, Blood Demons possessed very dangerous abilities. The very one manipulating Yuren in chaos, Comprachico, was a Blood Demon.
Whoa!
“Luckily, we have the information we gained from the Human Kingdom. We can conduct a siege based on that.”
Plan!
“You worked hard to get that information from the Human Kingdom.”
Phew!
“Hmph, of course. How else could we have earned their cooperation without that?”
Of course!
Having suffered once from annihilation, the Royal Knights had a nonchalant attitude about such effort. While Hans was somewhat worried, he decided to ignore it and focus here.
Focus!
“I hear the Blood Demon guarding Ares’ Bridge is a notorious Mud Guardian from the past.”
Wow!
“The Mud Guardian? That’s a name I’ve never heard before!”
Surprise!
“I didn’t expect to hear that name here.”
Notes!
“Mom? You know that name?”
Eh, what?
“Yes, I’ve even fought it directly.”
Fight!
Cluna declared she had indeed battled it firsthand. Hans silently cheered inwardly. A reliable ally with a wealth of experience over the centuries…!!!
Yay!
“The Mud Guardian is a metaphorical name. It’s likened to an alligator pulling you into a muddy fight.”
Snag!
“A muddy fight? What is that specifically?”
Puzzle!
“Nothing special, but it has seven hearts. Unless all of them are pierced, it won’t die.”
Wowza!
“So we have to blast all seven hearts at once? That doesn’t sound easy.”
Yeesh!
Considering it was a Blood Demon, it would undoubtedly possess the strength befitting its name. Against such an opponent, if they didn’t burst all seven hearts at once, it would just regenerate. Hans clicked his tongue and said.
Tsk!
“Well, the current method could be Yuren’s breath attack.”
Breathe!
“True, but I don’t think a Blood Demon would simply let itself get hit so easily.”
Agreed!
“Is that so?”
Oh well…
Hans sought as many methods as possible. Not only to conserve the Time Stop Ability, but also to prepare for the possibility that it might not work, he was looking for alternatives.
Options!
After all, having plenty of options was always a good thing.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.