The Time-Stop Breeding Uncle Wants to Retire – Chapter 76

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Taking off the masks one by one wasn’t difficult.

The problem was having to do it over a hundred times.

Moreover, too much time had passed.

He had been doing this for at least 30 minutes.

That meant the cooldown was about 1 hour.

Of course, since it was 1.9 times, the actual cooldown would be shorter, but it was easier to think of it as 1 hour.

Anyway, after removing all the masks, Hans snapped his fingers to release the time stop.

The elves whose masks had been removed were looking around with bewildered expressions.

Hans inwardly cheered.

It had been worth taking off even their robes, just in case.

“W-Where are we?”

“What’s that tree?!”

“Attack! Everyone take cover!!”

The elves’ reactions varied, but at least none of them were attacking the tree.

Hans knew elves worshipped trees more than necessary.

Caught off guard by the sudden situation, Emily looked around with a flustered expression for the first time.

Soon her eyes fell on Hans.

He slowly took off his mask.

“Royal Knights Commander…!!!”

“I’ve heard your values well, Emily.”

“How on earth?! That inscription can’t be released by oneself once affected?!”

“There are no absolutes in this world.”

He countered with a casual quip that some “ta-da” guy might think of.

Emily retreated with a groan, but these women weren’t going to just stand by and watch.

There was no need for Hans to step in.

Even without him, there were two people who had business with Emily.

The first to move was Cluna.

Cluna leapt, closing the distance in an instant, and shot her bow.

Emily, who had dodged the fast-approaching arrow, tried to counter with a laugh, but she overlooked something.

“You think you fooled me?!”

“Gack?!”

The fact that Clara was also a proper member of the Royal Knights.

Of course, Hans acknowledged that Emily was an outstanding knight, but not paying attention to Clara was her downfall.

Clara wasn’t so weak that she could be ignored.

Subdued instantly by Clara and Cluna, Emily couldn’t do anything and just kept screaming.

“Let go! We need to hurry and offer sacrifices!”

“Stop it, Emily! Why can’t you give up?!”

“Because it’s better than you dying.”

“Do you think you can get away with this situation with those words?”

“No, but I’m serious, Cluna.”

Hans felt that Emily was sincere.

The idea of sacrificing others for the sake of her comrade, her friend.

He could certainly understand, but sacrificing innocent people was wrong.

“By now you know what needs to be done.”

“…I’m already prepared, Commander.”

“What are you saying? What are you going to do?”

“You can’t mean… you’re really going to kill that thing?”

Unlike Clara who knew nothing, Cluna was already prepared.

Emily realized her intention and was shocked.

It was a natural reaction.

It was similar to killing a god.

“If we kill that, we won’t be able to maintain the forest in the end…!!!”

Thud!!

“I’ve knocked her out for now, Commander.”

“R-Right. Good work.”

Apparently, she had a lot pent up.

Cluna knocked Emily out without asking or explaining.

Well, Hans would have done the same in her position.

No, he might have done worse.

She had brainwashed and controlled his only remaining daughter and other innocent elves at will.

Hans turned his head.

The World Tree that Cluna had attacked continued to writhe.

It seemed to have no intelligence.

If anything, it was similar to a beast.

The kind that wouldn’t attack unless provoked?

Thanks to that, they had some leeway.

Hans opened his mouth.

“Clara, take Emily back to the village.”

“But then the Commander and Mom will…!!”

“It’s alright, Clara. I’ll explain everything later.”

“…You have to explain everything!!”

Clara bit her lip, then quickly left the place carrying Emily on her back.

She wasn’t a child.

She was a proper member of the Royal Knights.

Of course she would understand.

That this was the best course of action in the current situation.

Hans turned his head again.

He saw the huge polluted tree stained purple.

Perhaps it would have been better if Clara had stayed instead of him.

“I don’t know how to repay this debt, Commander.”

“I only did what needed to be done.”

“No, if it weren’t for you, Commander. I probably would have had to choose one of two options.”

“…”

“And I would have regretted that choice for the rest of my life. Even knowing I had no choice.”

Cluna would probably have chosen her daughter, but she would have been tormented by guilt thinking of the elves who died because of that choice.

Because Cluna was that kind of elf.

Hans smirked.

“Then all that’s left is what to do with that thing.”

“I have a way.”

“You have a way?”

“Yes, because I’ve been pondering how to deal with it for a long time.”

“I see, then let’s hear it.”

Cluna said she had been preparing for a long time to deal with the polluted World Tree, and she had finally realized a method.

That was fortunate amidst the misfortune.

He had wondered what would happen if they had to start from scratch.

Hans listened to Cluna’s plan.

In short, he needed to buy time.

During that time, Cluna would finish preparations and completely destroy the polluted World Tree.

In a way, it was a simple plan.

Except for one problem.

Hans exclaimed in shock.

“You want me to distract it alone?”

“Yes, only you can do this, Commander.”

“Only I can do it?”

“That’s right. It was overwhelming even for me.”

An elf who had lived for hundreds of years was saying it was overwhelming.

Cluna, who was a comrade of the first hero, was saying it directly, and she wanted him to do that?

Clara! Please come back quickly!

“When I start drawing the magic circle, it will sense the threat and attack. So, Commander, you need to become a threat first.”

In other words, she was telling him to draw aggro.

W-What should he do?

He really didn’t want to do it, but he had to.

Damn it.

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The lives of innocents and the life of family.

Naturally, the scale could only tip towards the latter, but the guilt of sacrificing others for family would probably remain and torment her for life.

But even so, Cluna would have chosen the latter.

Because Clara was the only treasure left in this world.

It would be a lie to say she didn’t feel disgusted with herself, but fortunately, she didn’t have to make such a choice.

It was all thanks to the Commander.

When faced with an either-or situation, at that voice breaking through the despair, Cluna came to her senses.

At that moment, what she saw was the sight of elves throwing off their masks and robes.

Unless one was a fool, it could only be seen as the Commander’s doing in that situation…

Cluna instinctively moved her body.

She tried to quickly approach Emily and subdue her.

Though Cluna was several steps above Emily in pure combat ability, Emily was not an easy opponent either, so she thought the process of subduing her would be troublesome, but Clara, who had been right beside her, unexpectedly ambushed Emily,

Thanks to that, they were able to subdue Emily without much difficulty.

She had thought Clara was just a child, but had she now become a proper member of the knighthood?

Cluna smiled bitterly.

Children eventually become independent from their parents.

She already knew this fact, but she couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

Therefore, as a parent and as an elven comrade, she wanted to make a better world for the children to live in.

Even if it meant sacrificing her life.

She didn’t mind.

She had already lived a long life.

She no longer wanted to live this long life by sacrificing the lives of young saplings.

She would put everything she had into it, and if that failed, she would sacrifice herself after.

However, the reason she hadn’t been able to realize the already completed theory was simple.

She just couldn’t die leaving that young one behind, but now she had courage.

She was no longer a child.

She had become a proper knight, and she had reliable comrades by her side.

Though it was still early, this was enough.

On that day, when she received the letter, she had surely resolved herself.

“Then all that’s left is what to do with that thing.”

“I have a way.”

“You have a way?”

“Yes, because I’ve been pondering how to deal with it for a long time.”

“I see, then let’s hear it.”

The Commander was that kind of person.

Someone who gave hope just by being there.

Because she felt nostalgia for the past in his appearance, for the first time, Cluna had the thought that she wanted to survive until the end, and watch over the path the Commander would take.

“You want me to distract it alone?”

“Yes, only you can do this, Commander.”

“Only I can do it?”

“That’s right. It was overwhelming even for me.”

The Commander silently turned his head, and walked forward.

Though his back view was certainly unremarkable, it felt as solid as a mountain.

Cluna drew the magic circle.

It was time to end all of the unfortunate connections.

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[MILF SEDUCED *cough* SECURED]