Chapter 115

Hans lay silently in bed, blinking. His head pounded like he had a hangover and his memories of last night were fragmented.

The Vampire Lord had come here.

She reached out to him, and then… strangely, he had no memory after that.

Did Lucy do something to me?

He examined his body, but there was nothing wrong.

But a person of the Vampire Lord’s standing wouldn’t have come here for no reason. She must have done something.

Hans’s suspicion deepened, but he couldn’t investigate further.

He had to deal with Helia, who was lying in bed with him.

Hans looked down.

He saw Helia clinging to his side.

From Hans’s perspective, who had been possessed by Time last night, it was natural that he had no memory.

However, Helia was different. Although her memories had also been erased, her instincts remembered that her relationship with her teacher had been threatened.

Was that why?

Helia was scared. Scared that her teacher would leave her behind.

“Did you have a nightmare?”

“Teacher…!!”

“It’s okay. I’m here.”

For a moment, Helia felt a tightness in her chest.

Her teacher was smiling at her, but for some reason, she couldn’t bear to look at that smile.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

She hadn’t yet learned the emotion called guilt.

Hans, still unaware of Helia’s actions, simply tilted his head in confusion.

What’s wrong with her?

‘She’s being especially clingy today.’

He briefly thought that, but then he raised his hand and gently stroked Helia’s hair. This was how it should be.

Helia was still a young child of 13 years old. If this were the modern world, she would be just starting middle school.

Of course, in this world, you became an adult at 16, but she was still young.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Besides, she had endured so much at such a young age. Thinking about that, it wouldn’t hurt to indulge her a little.

Perhaps reassured by her teacher’s words, Helia’s trembling gradually subsided.

Relieved, she slowly closed her eyes. Even if it was just a dream, she wanted to stay like this forever.

After confirming that Helia was asleep, Hans stayed for a moment before getting out of bed.

The Commander of the Royal Knights had more to do than he thought, especially now.

“Commander, you’re here?”

“Yes.”

“Today is the real beginning.”

“There’s a lot to prepare.”

Cluna, who had arrived at the office in advance and was waiting, smiled and handed him a stack of parchments.

Most of them were already prepared, needing only his signature for approval.

“Didn’t we all rest yesterday?”

“Yes, I got plenty of rest.”

“Then when did you prepare all this?”

“Let’s see… before we went to the orcs’ territory, I believe?”

“You prepared this beforehand?”

Hans clicked his tongue.

There was a limit to how competent someone could be. Or was this natural?

Cluna was an elf who had lived for hundreds of years. Naturally, she had an unimaginable amount of experience in these matters.

“But are you really sure about this?”

“It’s the perfect time, precisely because it’s now.”

Hans checked the information on the parchment.

He was constantly reviewing information, just in case, and even using his memories from his past life. He was even seeking advice.

All of this pointed to one fact. But he had to be cautious.

Taking too much time and missing the opportunity was a problem, but rushing things was also a problem.

“The Royal Knights… no, the first expedition of the Multi-Racial Alliance.”

Until now, the Multi-Racial Alliance had only defended against the demon’s attacks.

They didn’t have the luxury of launching an expedition. It was no coincidence that the Royal Knights’ expedition had received widespread support.

If it had succeeded, it would have been the first time in history, since the demon invasion, that they had reclaimed lost territory.

Although it failed, now was an opportunity.

[Is it really necessary to push ourselves?]

[I agree. It’s not too late to do it after the situation stabilizes.]

[I also agree with Cluna.]

Cluna and Yuren expressed strong concerns about Hans’s plan.

The Royal Knights’ expedition had failed a year ago, leading to the collapse of the order and the subsequent downfall of the alliance.

What if the expedition, not just of the Royal Knights, but of the entire Multi-Racial Alliance, failed? It would give the demons an advantage.

Hans understood their concerns.

But he had a reason for launching the expedition now. He knew when the demons would regain their strength. He had seen it in the original story.

[After the collapse of the Royal Knights, the demons didn’t take immediate action. Perhaps because of that, the Multi-Racial Alliance, instead of uniting, bared their fangs at each other, even though they should have been sticking together.]

[And three years later, the demons, having recovered from their injuries sustained in the battle against the Royal Knights, launched a full-scale invasion. The Dwarf Kingdom was the first to fall, and then the 12 Tribes were completely subjugated.]

In other words, the demons would regain their full strength in three years.

They were currently weakened after losing three True Demons, but even so, they would likely recover within four years.

So, he had to strike them before then and drag them into a war of attrition. He had to weaken them as much as possible before they regained their full strength.

“The problem is, everyone else is probably thinking the same thing.”

The demon invasion was still ongoing, but unfortunately, too much time had passed.

The goal of restoring the continent to its original state had vanished. Now, they were simply trying to protect what they had left.

Hans understood their feelings.

No one wanted to take risks. Especially since their last attempt, just a year ago, had ended in failure.

It would be incredibly difficult to persuade them.

But if they continued like this, they had no future. The Holy Empires’ barrier was weakening, and the demons were growing stronger.

Ironically, thanks to the Royal Knights’ expedition a year ago, the gap had narrowed, giving the Multi-Racial Alliance a slight advantage.

Now was their chance.

How long could they maintain this advantage?

The answer to that question would determine their victory or defeat.

Hans might have forgotten his initial goal, but his instincts still craved victory for the Multi-Racial Alliance.

“Is there any way to persuade them?”

Hans readily asked Cluna for advice.

He didn’t realize it, but the very act of seeking advice showed his dignity as Commander.

At least to Cluna. She had seen countless people self-destruct due to their arrogance, clinging to meaningless pride and reputation.

Why?

Cluna thought it was probably fear. Fear of losing their position, or being looked down upon, if they relied on others.

“If you’re really going to do this, I would persuade the Human King.”

“The Human King? That’s an unexpected answer.”

“He harbors ambitions beyond your imagination. He’s also intelligent and capable. He must have made preparations.”

That was Cluna’s impression of the Human King.

He wasn’t simply content with being the central figure of the Multi-Racial Alliance. He had greater ambitions. Such as reclaiming their lost territory.

Of course, such ideals were meaningless now.

They had never succeeded in retaking land from the demons. But for some reason, it felt possible.

It was because of the man standing before her.

The man who, in just one year, revived the Royal Knights and resurrected the Multi-Racial Alliance, which had been practically scattered.

Furthermore, the Dwarf Kingdom and the 12 Tribes, indebted to him, were effectively his allies, supporting him. That support would likely continue until they lost their trust in him.

‘He’s so similar to him.’

Cluna tried to shake off the thought, but she couldn’t help but compare him to the First Hero.

She had seen the First Hero in him.

At first, she didn’t understand why. But now she finally did.

He was similar to the First Hero, yet different.

The First Hero was somewhat clumsy and incompetent.

On the other hand, the Commander was a superhuman who accomplished everything perfectly. But they had one thing in common.

They didn’t settle for the present and dreamed of a better future. And they did so without demanding sacrifices.

He was truly worthy of being called a hero.

[Translator Notes]

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