The Time-Stop Breeding Uncle Wants to Retire – Chapter 69

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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From Bayard’s reaction, it was clear that Yana had intervened in the past relationship between Yuyoung and Bayard.

Of course, this wasn’t known for certain, but it seemed the intervention wasn’t positive.

Look at how she was reacting even now.

I frowned.

Before things became more chaotic here, I thought I should lure that thing away first.

So I immediately ran to the corridor.

Yana followed me right away.

It seemed she had even forgotten her original purpose.

Was this really loyalty? Or just self-satisfaction?

There was no way to know.

So please, save me.

I had forgotten.

Except for stopping time, I was literally nothing right now.

Damn it.

Of course, there was still my trump card of time acceleration, but the penalty for that was too severe.

It was a skill I couldn’t use unless I was truly on the verge of death.

I somehow managed to run out to the courtyard while avoiding Yana’s rampaging attacks.

I didn’t want to interfere with Yuyoung and Bayard’s meeting if I could help it, but…

Now my thoughts had changed.

Please, someone, anyone, help me.

With that thought, I deliberately went out to the courtyard, because the courtyard was visible from everywhere.

“What’s that?!”

“An intruder?!”

Fortunately, Clara and Ruby were in the courtyard.

Thanks to them, I could avoid facing that monster alone.

I shouted while looking at them.

“Get ready! It’s an enemy surprise attack!!”

“Got it! Commander!”

“I’ll give them a taste of my hammer!”

Clara and Ruby reacted immediately to my words.

The arrows Clara shot pierced Yana’s shoulder.

Thanks to that, Yana staggered and stopped.

Now was their chance.

Not missing that opportunity, Ruby rushed forward.

Ruby’s heavy iron hammer struck Yana’s shoulder.

A chilling sound of flesh tearing echoed out.

The blood and chunks of flesh that fell to the ground rotted and gave off a foul smell, but Yana didn’t care.

She swung her remaining hand and grabbed Ruby’s neck.

“Gack?!”

Though her neck was being choked, Ruby didn’t panic and calmly hung onto Yana’s arm while simultaneously raising her knee to break Yana’s hand and escape as Clara covered her.

Thanks to that, Ruby was able to regroup.

They had both become skilled enough that they couldn’t be ignored as low-ranking members of the Royal Knights.

That was probably thanks to the consistent training they had been doing until now.

Of course, their relationship was still not good, but it was closer to frenemies than enemies.

It wasn’t bad.

“Commander! What is that thing?!”

“Yana, a warrior from the Cat Clan. One of Yuyoung’s knights.”

“There’s a strange sword attached to her arm. It’s not a normal sword.”

“You can tell that?”

“I have my share of blacksmith experience.”

“Ruby is right. That’s a parasitic curse, one of the curses demons plant to control people.”

Completely changing a person’s personality wasn’t an easy task.

In fact, it was clearly mentioned in the original work.

So the demons chose a completely different method.

That was to subtly obscure the truth.

In the case of parasitic curses, they cleverly showed the host what they wanted and created an illusion of guiding them down that path.

It was not entirely wrong.

As you walked the illusory path shown by the curse, you would really start to think that it was the right path.

That was the truly frightening part.

I didn’t know what circumstances Yana had.

However, even if she was sincerely pledging her loyalty, if it was the wrong path, we had no choice but to stop her.

“Let’s go!!!” I shouted.

As soon as my voice fell, Clara and Ruby rushed forward.

Clara had already drawn her sword as Yana let out a roar.

“Don’t interfere with my loyalty to my lord!!!”

“No, that’s not loyalty.”

“How dare you speak as if you know anything?!”

“Anyone can see what you’re doing!”

Perhaps because her sore spot was hit, Ruby swung her hammer while Yana was enraged.

She aimed for the completely destroyed arm, but that destroyed arm sprouted again.

However, Ruby calmly avoided the regenerated blade by twisting her body.

Seemingly displeased, Ruby clicked her tongue and glared at Yana.

“Her movements are more agile than I thought.”

“But not enough to beat us.”

“Alright, let’s fight calmly.”

No sooner had those words ended than someone appeared with a booming sound from the sky.

A woman with reddish-brown hair and a huge build.

It was Bayard.

“Commander, thank you for believing in me.”

?

“Please leave this to me, Commander. I will definitely overcome this with my own hands!”

I didn’t know what she was talking about, but there was only one thing I could say.

“I always believe in you, Bayard.”

Go! Bayard! Bite!

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I received unexpected consideration.

If it hadn’t been for the Commander, I might never have been able to reconcile with Yuyoung.

I had a long conversation with Yuyoung about what we had been doing until now, how we had been living, and so on.

In fact, I knew to some extent what Yuyoung had been doing until now from what I had heard.

“Why did you start the war?”

“…I was blinded by a brilliant future.”

“That was wrong. You shouldn’t have done that.”

“I know. But I don’t intend to regret it. If I went back to the past, I would make the same choice. That’s the weight of being a ruler.”

“…So that’s why I joined the Royal Knights.”

“What?”

Yuyoung looked surprised.

I looked at Yuyoung like that and smiled bitterly.

That was the real reason why I had joined the Royal Knights.

There was a secret I hadn’t told anyone.

In the past, after suffering countless sessions of bullying during my school days and even being betrayed, I had locked myself in my room, afraid of people.

But then I heard the news that the beastmen had lost the war, and that Yuyoung would take responsibility for it.

At first, I thought it served her right, but soon I changed my mind.

I hadn’t properly heard Yuyoung’s side of the story.

So, even just once, I wanted to talk to Yuyoung properly.

[I want to apply to the Royal Knights.]

[Have you finally made up your mind?]

[…Yes.]

[That path is very harsh and difficult. Will you still walk it?]

[I have no regrets.]

Some might call it foolish.

However, that was how much I thought of Yuyoung as a friend.

So, I didn’t want to give up until I confirmed it myself.

[Face reality, will you? Lady Yuyoung has abandoned you!]

[How dare trash like you, who wasn’t even chosen by the 12 tribes, think of associating with the heir of the Rat Clan?]

[In the end, you’re just trying to curry favor with the Rat Clan to secure a position for yourself, aren’t you?]

Those words that had cut into my heart like a razor blade still lingered in my mind.

Words I hadn’t cared about at first, until I met Yuyoung directly to talk.

That was why I wanted to meet Yuyoung.

Even if her followers, including Yana, rejected me, I wanted to hear directly from her and make my judgment.

But Yuyoung didn’t show up at the place we were supposed to meet.

I thought I had conveyed the message clearly, but could it be?

Were those guys’ words really true? Was that it?

“Why didn’t you come out that day?”

I finally voiced the incident I had been avoiding.

My heart was pounding.

If it was really as those guys said, if I had been discarded because I was no longer needed…

Then what should I do?

As numerous such questions were welling up like water, an unexpected response came back.

Yuyoung tilted her head.

“What are you talking about? You’re the one who didn’t show up at that place.”

She had come to the meeting place, but I hadn’t shown up, she said.

However, we remembered different places.

I had been waiting behind the school, but…

Yuyoung said she had been waiting in the herb garden inside the school.

Hearing that story, I finally felt relieved.

We had a brief conversation, but there was no more time to talk.

The noisy sound of a large commotion had been coming from outside for a while.

I smiled and said,

“Sorry, I think I have to go now.”

“Already? But I still have so much I want to talk about.”

“I have a lot I want to talk about too. But let’s talk later.”

Because I had something I needed to do now.

Just as the Commander believed in me, I would believe in the Commander.

I was able to come this far thanks to the Commander.

So, I needed to repay that.

I threw myself out the window.

That person was right in front of me.

The one who kept bullying me before, because of those memories, I had kept fearing and avoiding her.

But not anymore, because the Commander was behind me.

As long as the Commander believes in me, I will never lose.

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