亚洲国产综合精品中文第一

Chapter 21

Translator: FusionX

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The Royal Knights had at least one member from every race except humans.

Even then, in the past, there had been knights belonging to the Royal Knights who were human.

The purpose of establishing the Royal Knights was to unite their strength and eradicate the adversaries threatening the continent.

However, even taking that into account, there were cases where the rift between races was deep.

A prime example was the racial conflict between elves and dwarves.

First of all, these two had fundamentally different values.

The elves had a naturalist value of preserving nature as it was.

On the other hand, dwarves believed that excavating and using the hidden gems in the earth was the right thing to do, and thus, nature was also a resource that should be used.

In other words, if this racial conflict were to be described in one sentence,

It could be said to be the confrontation between vegans and industrial disasters.

The carriage shook heavily with a thud.

It seemed that the wheels had trampled over a stone on the unpaved dirt road.

Through the window without glass, trees were passing by quickly.

We were currently aboard a carriage heading to the capital.

Helia was stuck to my side like sticky rice, but unable to endure the boring story, she had finally fallen asleep.

I silently offered my shoulder to Helia.

Her red hair covered my shoulder and arm like a beautiful thread.

That’s when Clarence, sitting across from me, opened his mouth.

“Is it alright if I continue my explanation?”

“Please do.”

“The conflict between elves and dwarves has been famous for a long time. Usually, it’s the dwarves who provoke the elves with unreasonable expansion, but…”

“Of course, there are many cases where the elves provoke the dwarves too.”

In fact, in the game, elves were portrayed as loving nature as it was and believing that it should be protected.

The problem was that their love was dangerously excessive.

To what extent, you ask?

If their territory was touched even slightly, they would immediately declare war on the dwarves.

Even in a state where more than half of the continent had been taken over by demons!

This game, unlike a typical adult game, had a management element where you managed a territory.

The problem was that the only place nearby to obtain wood, one of the important resources in the early game, was the elven forest.

Without caring about the circumstances at all, just cutting down one tree would result in the elves brazenly declaring war.

The sight of the elves was so relentless that the users nicknamed them “contract gangsters.”

[Why are you tormenting us?]

[This is an unforgivable atrocity.]

[I can’t forgive you. I will begin the punishment.]

[What the hell, these bastards go crazy even if you touch just one tree?!]

Remembering that time made me want to kill again, seriously.

I was the type who played without looking at walkthroughs in the first place.

But because of those damn gangsters, I had to retry 12 times just in the early game.

“How much further is it to the capital?”

“We will arrive soon.”

“We arrived sooner than I thought.”

“This is a hidden path that only the royal guard can use.”

“This old man can finally rest now.”

I immediately bit my tongue.

With a slightly tearing sound, the taste of bitter blood came out.

If I kept letting my guard down, the speech pattern of the Time Stop Breeding Uncle would pop out.

It might be fine in the refugee camp. But this carriage was warm, and the food was delicious, so without realizing it, my tension had loosened.

In fact, I had used the Time Stop Breeding Uncle’s speech pattern several times in the carriage.

The panting horse kept running without rest.

Emerging from the forest of old trees along the rough dirt road, the capital spread out beyond, powerfully revealing its grandeur.

“You said the Royal Knights are in the capital right now?”

“Yes, that’s right. His Majesty personally summoned them. So at least they’re fighting less now.”

“That’s good. Did you try to stop them?”

“They won’t even listen with their ears. Once they start fighting, they fight without caring about anything.”

Fortunately, it was the capital, the home ground of humans.

If it were anywhere else, persuasion or mediation wouldn’t work at all.

The moat surrounding the huge city walls was filled with muddy water.

Our carriage entered the city gate through the bridge built over the muddy water.

We were stopped for inspection, but when Clarence got out, we immediately got a free pass.

The appearance of the capital was quite different from what I had imagined.

If the refugee camp was literally a den of beggars, the capital had the typical appearance of a capital in a medieval fantasy.

“Compared to the refugee camp, this is like heaven.”

“But the financial situation of the capital isn’t very good.”

“And yet it looks like this?”

“It’s because of the extravagance of the nobles. Fortunately, His Majesty has strictly prohibited it, but…”

It seemed that the nobles didn’t want the place they lived in to become a pigsty, so they directly spent their own money to maintain the capital. And that tax was extorted from the people.

It was absurd.

Until now, they had been cursing the Royal Knights who had been annihilated while fighting among themselves.

But now that I looked at it, they didn’t even have the right to curse.

Humans were all the same.

Moreover, it was only to this extent because His Majesty the King had strictly prohibited it.

If it weren’t for that… Ugh, I don’t even want to imagine it.

Meanwhile, the carriage we were riding had already entered the royal castle.

There were three spires covered with blue roofs, and white walls connected to those three spires supported the appearance of the royal castle.

I clicked my tongue.

As expected, a castle was a castle.

“Welcome to the capital, Sir Hans.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“For now, you can unpack your luggage and rest inside…”

As if they had received prior notice, when we entered the royal castle, the knights in armor kindly welcomed us.

The original plan was to rest today and start tomorrow.

Kwaaang!

If it weren’t for the explosive sound that rang out from the courtyard.

For a moment, the huge explosive sound was enough to make one think it was an enemy attack. But neither Clarence nor the knights reacted much.

“I apologize for asking you right away when you’ve come a long way, Sir Hans. But is it alright if I request something from you now?”

“Don’t tell me they’re fighting each other right now?”

“We’re used to it now.”

“…”

If even the knights guarding the royal palace reacted like this, how much did they fight in that short time?

I couldn’t even guess.

I followed the knights’ guidance and headed to the courtyard.

Kwang!

Thud!

Just taking a step forward caused cracks in the ground.

The hammer swung like lightning struck the ground. Then, shattered fragments flew out in all directions.

I silently looked at the fragment that had come close to my eyes.

The fragment that had flown at a tremendous speed was stopped right in front of my nose.

I turned my head again and looked around.

Fortunately, no fragments had hit Helia or Clarence, but the courtyard was already a complete mess.

It looked like it had been hit by a bomb.

I shouted in horror.

“I almost died from a single fragment?!”

That’s right. Time stop was currently activated.

Moreover, it wasn’t because they directly attacked me, but because of the byproduct of their fight among themselves.

That’s when I realized the difference in level.

No matter how stupidly the Royal Knights were annihilated, they were still the Royal Knights, even if they were rotten.

If I tried to stop them half-heartedly, I could really die.

What should I do?

Should I run away now?

But if I don’t stop this, the Royal Knights will disband in the end. And if the Royal Knights disband?

I would have to endure those hellish 7 years…

I gritted my teeth.

When a person is driven to the extreme, they often show the opposite tendency.

Forcibly swallowing the fear boiling up in my chest, I walked forward.

[They won’t even listen with their ears. Once they start fighting, they fight without caring about anything.]

Based on what I had heard from Clarence in the carriage, it seemed that these guys didn’t listen to those weaker than them.

Moreover, they were out of their minds and their eyes were rolling back.

Then, what should I do here to make these guys listen to me?

In a way, the answer was very simple.

I just needed to appear very strong. Even if it was fake.

Anyway, as long as the result was good, that was all that mattered.

However, this also carried a very high risk for me.

If I made a mistake, I might be forced to take on various problems like in the refugee camp.

“But it’s better than hell.”

I had seen numerous hells while playing the game.

At that time, I just passed it off because it was a game. But now it wasn’t a game, it was reality.

A reality that I might have to experience directly.

No matter how cheat-like the time stop ability was, I didn’t think I could endure that hell.

In fact, didn’t I almost die from a single fragment just now?

But in a world where the shield called the Royal Knights had disappeared, and against numerous monsters at that, you want me to survive?

Is that even possible?

Rather than suffering later, I had to do it now.

“Hngh!”

I hung onto the dwarf’s hammer like a pull-up bar.

The hammer that had been raised above the head slowly but surely came down to the ground.

I, who had barely managed to make it touch the ground, turned my head again.

“What kind of strength is this…”

The elf was also holding a sword with both hands, raising it above the head.

It seemed they were determined to clash with each other at full power.

I reached out and moved the elf’s arm.

I shook it back and forth like a doll.

After making sure the strength had left the elf’s hand like that, I deliberately grabbed the elf’s slender wrists with one hand.

Alright, done.

At first, I thought about putting the sword between two fingers, but I gave up. What if my fingers got cut off?

Having finished the rough preparations, I collided my middle finger and index finger to make a sound.

Soon, time began to flow again.

As time started to flow again, they could finally see it.

The elf finally realized that her wrists were being held.

On the other hand, the dwarf confirmed that her hammer was being stepped on with one foot.

The gaze of the two, who had been blinded by anger, turned to me, who had intervened in the middle.

I swallowed my saliva.

“Pathetic. And you call yourselves knights?”

The die had already been cast.

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