The Time-Stop Breeding Uncle Wants to Retire – Chapter 48

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Although we defeated Comprachico, the request was not over yet.

We still had to negotiate with the Dwarf Republic.

All kinds of figures of speech were exchanged between each other, but the point was whether to classify Comprachico as a low-level demon or a blood demon.

This was quite an important issue because the reward for the request varied greatly depending on the demon’s rank, like the difference between heaven and earth.

In the game, the reward could differ by 3 to 4 times.

However, unlike the game where the reward was paid immediately after completing the job, here the payment was delayed due to various reasons such as negotiations.

This is where the unique problem of the Dwarf Republic comes in.

Of course, no matter how great demons are, if a country was shaken by a low-level demon, not even a blood demon, it would be ridiculed.

Unfortunately, the other party was none other than the Dwarf Republic.

A race that didn’t care at all, beyond being insensitive, about their reputation except when it came to their technology.

That was the Dwarf Republic.

They were violated by a low-level demon?

So what do you want us to do about it?

We don’t even have money to eat and die right now.

In a word, they were telling us to stuff it.

I clicked my tongue at their shamelessness that gave me goosebumps.

Well, they ended up being destroyed early in the original story because they acted like that.

Damn it.

But sadly, we couldn’t do anything to the Dwarf Republic right now.

Because we were weak.

The name of the Royal Knights had already fallen to the ground, and the only one supporting us right now was the Human Kingdom.

The elves and beastmen, who had a bad relationship with the Dwarf Republic, were just quietly watching from a distance.

The best way was for both sides to be considerate of each other and come up with the most conscientious solution possible.

But the other party was being stubborn.

We had no choice but to back down here.

“So, you’ll just classify it as a blood demon, but receive the reward for a low-level one?”

“That’s right. I think it’s a deal that benefits both of us.”

“Well, we don’t care as long as we can save money.”

“Then the deal is done.”

Right now, money was important to us, but more than anything, regaining our lost trust was the most crucial.

In such a situation, if we succeeded in defeating not just a low-level demon, but a blood demon-level one?

Even if it was just a little, we could regain the reputation of the Royal Knights.

And if that happened, we might get more requests.

Of course, it would be hard for us right now.

But we had to endure it somehow.

Fortunately, the Dwarf Republic didn’t care about any reputation other than their technology.

If it weren’t for the dwarves, this kind of cheap negotiation wouldn’t have worked.

After all the negotiations were over and we received the reward from the Dwarf Republic, I was finally able to rest.

I tried to relax my stiff shoulders, but someone appeared behind me.

“Your shoulders seem very stiff.”

“There’s been a lot of work lately.”

“I’ll massage them for you.”

“…It looks a bit, you know.”

“Don’t mind my age.”

It was Cluna who appeared behind me.

She smiled faintly and reached out to start massaging my shoulders.

Honestly, it felt a bit awkward.

It felt like getting a massage from a grandmother…

But that guilt was short-lived.

Soon, an unimaginably refreshing sensation covered my back.

No kidding, it was much better than a massage machine.

Thanks to that, my voice trembled as it came out.

“Ugh, it’s really refreshing. Did you learn this skill?”

“When you reach this age, you can do anything.”

“Excellent. Thanks for the great help.”

“Commander, are you really okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“Aren’t you the one who lost the most?”

“…”

Cluna’s eyes were now fixed on me.

But what was in them was not suspicion, but worry.

I was happy to have gained some trust.

I pondered.

Indeed, I had lost one eye.

And my internal organs were also severely injured.

Thanks to Cluna’s treatment, my organs had recovered quite a bit.

But I needed to rest for a while.

My eye was still very uncomfortable.

But it was okay.

“If it can be resolved with just my body, it’s a small price to pay.”

Anyway, this body was not mine.

My ultimate goal was to return to my original world and get my body back.

Moreover, this body was originally a trash body that couldn’t even be used as fertilizer.

Wouldn’t it be good for everyone if it could be of even a little help like this?

Of course, from the perspective of me using this body now, it was a very inconvenient thing.

“…There’s something I’ve been curious about…”

“Hmm?”

“No, it’s nothing. Now’s not the time, I guess.”

“What are you suddenly saying?”

“It was a slip of the tongue.”

After saying that, Cluna didn’t open her mouth anymore.

What was she trying to say?

I was a bit curious, but I didn’t probe further.

I slowly got up.

“That’s it for today.”

“But there’s still a lot left.”

“We need to rest too. It’s only been 3 days since we defeated Comprachico.”

“That’s true.”

“Besides, Cluna, didn’t you spend more energy treating Commander Yuren and me?”

Cluna showed a quiet smile.

I clicked my tongue as I looked at that smile.

Her way of hiding her own difficulties and hardships looked just like a grandmother.

Anyway, it was a very undesirable thing to overwork the members.

It was not a small and medium-sized business mindset, it was just a trashy mindset.

So when you rest, you have to rest properly.

To be more honest, I want to rest.

Pendant or whatever, I worked too much today.

But that doesn’t mean I’ve given up on the small and medium-sized business mindset.

Rather, it was just the beginning.

I created a kind of company rule that Royal Knights members should follow.

One of them was to always have meals together.

In other words, no matter what work you’re doing, you must gather in one place and eat at mealtime.

Skipping meals? No way!

In the military, skipping meals is a disciplinary offense!

“It’s almost time for a meal.”

“The meal is already prepared.”

“When did you even prepare it…?”

“I prepared it little by little.”

Unlike basic chores, cooking cannot be done using fairies.

They say that the tastes of fairies and ours are very different, so the food made by fairies is literally just grass.

Of course, it was enough for elves.

Because every race has different tastes and diets. Cluna, who understood all of that, was making three meals a day by herself every day.

I was helping Cluna in the dining hall first.

Soon, the Royal Knights members who had finished training entered the dining hall.

Unlike usual, the members looked very tired.

I soon found out the reason.

Because I saw Yuren walking confidently at the center.

Come to think of it, she said she was starting rehabilitation training today, right?

“Commander Yuren, are you okay?”

“Of course. I feel like I could fly right now.”

“But don’t actually fly. You’ll really die.”

“Don’t worry. Dragons are tougher than you think.”

She said that, but according to Cluna’s diagnosis, she had definitely become much weaker than when she was intact.

Well, her heart was properly struck.

In a way, it was only natural.

Rather, it was because she was a dragon that she barely avoided instant death.

Now, let’s just be satisfied that she’s alive.

About half a year was left now.

I was thinking of handing it over to Yuren after being the commander until then.

The person who has eaten the meat knows it best.

It would be better for Yuren to lead the Royal Knights than for me to lead them.

That’s what I think.

After a while, Cluna came out to the dining hall with the fairies, carrying food.

Food suitable for the tastes of each race.

It was quite nice to see everyone gathering together and eating.

“It’s not bad to gather like this and have a meal together.”

“I thought it would be unpleasant to gather by force.”

“Didn’t the commander say we are all family? What’s wrong with family seeing each other’s faces?”

“…I, I see.”

I furtively looked around.

Ruby and Clara, who were still bickering, and Helia and Bayard, who could finally have a somewhat normal conversation…

It was progressing differently from what I had thought.

Isn’t it usually very uncomfortable to eat with your boss?

I originally intended to induce that.

No, is it just me?

But I couldn’t declare in front of everyone to feel uncomfortable with me.

So I had no choice but to put food in my mouth.

At that moment, Yuren looked at me and asked,

“Come to think of it, it seems there’s no blacksmith in the fortress.”

“I’m trying to find one now, but it’s harder than I thought to find a skilled blacksmith.”

“Of course. The world has become a place where everyone locks their doors and seeks stability rather than cooperation.”

“Blacksmith…”

“Hmm? What’s the matter?”

“Oh, it’s nothing!”

When I asked Ruby, who was muttering blankly, she was startled and quickly shook her head.

She said it was nothing with her mouth.

But there was no such thing as nothing when it was like that.

Come to think of it, even when I was counseling Ruby before, she was very reluctant to mention her past.

Could it be… related to that?

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