I realized two things from the fight earlier.
First, how long I managed to stop time. I need to remember, even roughly. Otherwise, I can’t calculate the cooldown. The cooldown is a big deal.
What if that time stop was actually the cooldown? If that’s the case, I would be rolling on the ground as a cold corpse right now. And here comes the second fact.
There’s a problem with my capabilities.
Right now, the situation is like having amazing software that the hardware can’t keep up with. Thankfully, the software is ridiculously strong, so it manages to cover for it.
Of course, a limit will come eventually. What if that demon I fought earlier was immune to my sword? Or if it could easily reattach its decapitated head with an insane regeneration ability?
“Uh, am I still far off?”
“You’re being overly humble, Captain Hans.”
“…….”
I was startled by a sudden voice from behind and quickly turned around. Clarence had approached without me noticing. What the hell? When did he get here?
“I’ve finished cleaning up. That was a brutal aftermath beyond imagination.”
“Huh?”
“What do you mean? Clarence.”
“Look at this severed neck. It’s cut roughly, like it was sawn off, right?”
He showed me the severed head of the demon he was holding. Damn, I was so shocked I almost fell over. Thanks to that, I missed my chance to explain myself. Clarence continued to elaborate.
“In that brief moment, Captain Hans intentionally made the cut rough. The one on the receiving end would have felt tremendous pain.”
“I see, Captain Hans is taking revenge for Setia…”
“That’s about right.”
Oh? They’re patting each other on the back? This needs to be corrected right away, otherwise, it’ll blow up uncontrollably later.
“That’s not that great of an achievement. That guy is just a low-level demon.”
“Low-level demon?”
“To put it simply, they are like the leader of monsters.”
Margaret seemed to not know much about demons. She tilted her head. That’s understandable. Most demons couldn’t wreak havoc inside due to the barrier.
“Why can’t demons get in here?”
“Because of the barrier established by the Holy Kingdom of Barekan.”
“The Holy Kingdom’s barrier…?”
“Yes, if it weren’t for that, we would have been annihilated a long time ago.”
That day, the day referred to as the end. Initially, only demons descended upon this land. Yet they were strong enough to easily swallow half the continent.
However, the humans gritted their teeth and bought time somehow. Thanks to that, the Holy Kingdom of Barekan succeeded in erecting a barrier. They managed to protect half the continent behind it.
As a result, demons couldn’t act within the barrier. So, they created monsters. They were ridiculously weaker compared to demons but could act within the barrier.
And those monsters were still devouring countless living beings inside the barrier. The crucial point is that the demon, the Glutton Iniesta, is here.
“Demon normally can’t enter the barrier. But occasionally, there are low-level demons that can survive within it.”
“So that means…?”
“In other words, that guy is garbage.”
“No need to belittle his profession.”
Just when I thought I clarified everything, Clarence suddenly jumped in. This guy was quiet until now, but turns out he has a lot to say?
“True, he is the weakest type of demon. Even so, considering that, he can easily kill ordinary monsters. Plus, that guy is a named one.”
“Named?”
“It refers to demons or monsters that are so notorious and dangerous they get names. They are at least ten times stronger than ordinary monsters.”
“To take down such a foe in just one blow…!! You really are Captain Hans!”
“I won’t deny that it’s a significant achievement. The Glutton Iniesta alone has destroyed seven… no, now seven villages.”
“……”
I was trying to gloss over things, but Clarence’s unnecessary elaboration made Margaret’s admiration grow even bigger. No, if this was really my skill, it would be another story.
I barely won with the time stop ability, after all! It even took an hour just to behead him. This isn’t about a single slash. Here, you need to keep a good perspective on yourself to survive.
Because if you’re not careful, you can end up with a position that’s beyond what you deserve, just like now. I’m not even fit to be a captain! Damn, I need to finish this and head back. I immediately moved my feet.
Grrr.
“……”
Then I spotted a massive wolf rampaging inside Setia. It looked like a Blade Wolf, but the problem was its size. It was at least five times bigger.
“A mutant Blade Wolf, huh? If I leave this be, it could raid the refugee camp.”
“……”
“So that’s why you came to take care of that Blade Wolf! You really are the captain!”
But no, I can’t catch it because of the time stop cooldown. Even with the time stop ability, it’s impossible. When would I be able to cut that huge thing? Then Clarence stepped forward.
“You guys take a break. I’ll handle that.”
His words and actions came out almost simultaneously. Clarence quickly darted towards the Blade Wolf, drawing his sword. At the same time, a burst of blue sword energy split the wolf in half.
“Of course, Clarence is strong!”
“……By the way, you said he’s from the capital?”
“Yes! I heard he’s a candidate for the Royal Knights!”
“……”
So he’s that impressive, huh? Then why didn’t you handle that earlier guy?
You little snot.
*
Today was really dangerous.
Clarence checked his neck multiple times to ensure it was still attached. If it wasn’t, he wouldn’t have been able to come back here. Today was that risky.
He was a candidate for the Royal Knights, but that didn’t mean he was on the same level as them. There was a vast gap. They could easily slay demons, but.
For Clarence, even a slightly higher-grade monster was daunting. It’s just a pretty title. No matter how much he worked, he felt he could never catch up.
“But that doesn’t mean I can’t do anything.”
He understood the gap with the Royal Knights down to the tears. However, Clarence didn’t sit back. Instead, he chose to focus on what he could do. That was his mission.
Returning to his place, he took out a magic crystal hidden under the floorboards. This crystal could connect to other crystals and allow for communication by injecting magical power.
It was a convenient tool, but extraordinarily expensive—enough to buy an entire territory. The reason he had it was simple: for his mission.
[You contacted me quicker than expected. What’s up?]
“I’m trying to correct what I reported before.”
[No way…]
“Yes, that’s right.”
He had reported hastily before. Maybe he had unintentionally been jealous. Not wanting to admit they were different. But public and private matters must be separated.
“I found someone to recommend to the Royal Knights.”
[……You’re saying that coming from you, Clarence?!]
“His skills are solid. He took down the Glutton Iniesta in a single strike.”
[He defeated the Glutton Iniesta? That’s impressive.]
The Glutton Iniesta. Even though it was a low-level demon, its infamy was well-known in the capital. It was the worst monster that single-handedly destroyed seven villages.
[Clarence’s recommendation is growing my trust immensely!]
At least, the man connected to the crystal was sincere. Other candidates for the Royal Knights were also assigned missions in the refugee camp. Many of them reported, but.
All the talents they recommended had failed to be selected for the Royal Knights. Meanwhile, Clarence finally brought in a report. This was the first time.
[Clarence is harsher than we imagined. That makes it even more promising!]
“However, there is a problem.”
[Huh? What problem?]
“He doesn’t want the world to know about him.”
At first, he thought it was humility. But it was excessive and seemed like he was hiding too much. What could the reason be? As Clarence pondered, he soon found a clue in his words.
[That means monsters beyond our imagination are already everywhere.]
He knew everything about demons like the back of his hand. Plus, he said there were monsters beyond imagination scattered about. In other words, he had experienced numerous bloodbaths to get here.
So it made sense he would know all about demons. But for some reason, he chose to stop fighting and live in seclusion. That was what Clarence speculated about Hans’s situation.
“It seems there’s something about his past.”
[Sorry, but now isn’t the time to be concerned about that.]
“Yes, I know.”
[If we don’t fill the Royal Knights with people of other races, our positions will dwindle.]
“……”
The Royal Knights, the strongest knights chosen purely based on strength, regardless of race or nation. To be precise, it was closer to bestowing the title of knight upon those who weren’t even knights.
However…every single one of them was an absurd monster. Sadly, there were currently no humans among the Royal Knights. The man on the crystal coldly continued.
[We need a hero.]
A hero of the humans to save them.
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.