The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 19

Roman’s question was direct.

“Hans, have you ever seen me taking drugs, or have there been any circumstances that would lead you to suspect I was?”

“Pardon?!”

Hans was taken aback.

Drugs, indeed.

He had thought Roman was merely going to ask him to run errands as usual, and he couldn’t hide his bewilderment at Roman’s sudden question.

Roman saw Hans’s surprise and knew he was right to ask.

Hans knew everything about Roman’s life, even before the… possession. He would know the answer.

Roman said,

“I’m not trying to test you, nor am I trying to blame you. I simply want to take some time to think about myself. I want to see how I’ve lived, not through my own memories, but through the eyes of someone else.”

He didn’t add any excuses.

He didn’t explain about losing his memory because of being possessed.

Roman felt he didn’t need to explain himself to Hans.

A question thrown out calmly.

Now it was Hans’s turn to think carefully.

He hesitated, unlike his usual self, but then he seemed to make up his mind, his expression turning serious.

‘The young master Roman I’ve experienced recently isn’t one to speak carelessly. He must truly want to confirm the circumstances of drug use from someone else’s view, so I should tell him honestly what I know.’

“…I’ve never seen you using drugs. However, there have been times when your behavior seemed a bit strange.”

“When was that?”

“It was about two weeks ago, I believe. You went to a party after a long time. Actually, that wasn’t particularly unusual, but after coming back from the party, you seemed a bit off. Since that day, you’ve stayed in your room, and asked for a lot of alcohol every night with a lifeless face. So, I thought that you might have used drugs at the party.”

The day Roman tried to kill himself.

Hans had looked at Roman, possessed by Baek Jung-hyuk, and suspected drugs.

It was such a common issue among the nobles recently that it was reasonable to suspect the Dimitri’s fool.

However,

“Other than that, there isn’t really anything that could be considered proof. And now I know how foolish that thought was. A man as strong as you would never touch such drugs.”

But it was just a thought.

Hans trusted Roman.

The brilliance Roman had shown in defeating the Blood Fang was not something a drug addict could show.

‘A social party, eh?’

Roman was lost in thought.

Social party.

It was a familiar word.

Roman had changed after going to the social party, and not long after, he tried to kill himself.

And the bad rumors Flora had heard also started at the social gathering.

If so.

“Who hosted the social party I attended?”

The root of the problem.

That was important.

And the answer was.

“You went to the Barco family’s party.”

Barco.

It was the moment the situation changed.

The explanation was simple.

“You’ve known the eldest son of the Barco family since the beginning. Even though the relationship became strained when talks of marriage with Lawrence came up, there wasn’t anyone among the noble sons who spent time with you as often as he did. So, going to the Barco family’s social party wasn’t particularly strange. Their families were connected in many ways, so they still saw each other sometimes.”

The eldest son of Barco.

Antonio Barco, like Roman, was a man with a bad reputation.

That’s why they got along.

Coming from powerful families in the northeast, the two men with trash-like reputations often hung out and played together.

‘The two of them wouldn’t have been close friends. With similar reputations, they were probably just companions in entertainment. But that relationship became tangled around Flora. Antonio Barco wanted to marry Flora, and Roman was no different. And Roman won that fight. The Lawrence family, who ultimately rejected Barco, judged that Dimitri was better than Barco.’

Suddenly, everything made sense to Roman.

If Roman’s condition had become strange since Barco’s invitation and he had tried to kill himself, then Barco was certainly the cause.

‘In the current situation, I can reasonably suspect that Barco made Roman try to kill himself. If Dimitri becomes one with Lawrence, Barco won’t be able to take Flora, let alone Lawrence’s fertile land. And the easiest way to solve that problem is to stop the marriage from happening in the first place. According to what I heard from Hans, Barco had wanted to marry me instead of Lawrence in the past, so now the only methods left for them are to cause a breakup or create a situation where marriage is impossible.’

The picture was clear.

Roman’s death.

The Barco family benefited the most from it.

Roman didn’t know exactly *how* Barco had made him try to kill himself, but he knew they had tried to ruin him in many ways.

Spreading bad rumors to cause a breakup.

Making Roman commit suicide.

‘There are always trash everywhere.’

The truth wasn’t great.

However.

He was displeased.

Because he had decided to live Roman’s life, the name Barco bothered Roman.

It was then.

Hans said.

“…Actually, an invitation from Barco to a party arrived a few days ago. I couldn’t give it to you because you had entered seclusion, but what should I do with it?”

“Barco invited me?”

“Yes.”

Tsk.

He chuckled.

It was like Barco was mocking him!

Inviting him to a party after what they’d done?

‘Annoying.’

He didn’t like it.

The name Barco.

To truly become Roman, he needed to deal with these problems.

Therefore.

“Tell them I’ll attend the party.”

Facing the problem head-on.

That was how Roman would live from now on.

The party was two weeks away.

Having some time, Roman went to see Kevin, who had been waiting for him during his seclusion.

“What should I do from now on?”

Kevin.

He bowed his head and spoke.

Kevin had done what Roman asked, but he felt useless.

What *could* he do for Roman?

Kevin was only a teenager.

Kevin knew he was just ordinary.

He couldn’t figure out his role, no matter how much he thought about it for the past week.

So he asked.

His role.

Why he had been accepted.

Roman said.

“I want to use you as my sword. But how useful a person is isn’t decided by others. So, I will tell you three paths so you can choose for yourself.”

Sword.

It was unexpected.

To use himself, who had never even touched a sword in his life, as a sword.

It was an illogical statement, but Kevin didn’t argue with Roman’s words.

“The first is to give up being useful as a sword. If you are afraid of holding a sword and don’t want to shed blood, then become my hands and feet instead of a sword. Follow Hans, learn what Hans does, and do the safe tasks I tell you to do. Just by doing that, you can fulfill your role.”

A safe choice.

He didn’t force danger.

Forced danger creates problems, and Roman didn’t keep a weak human by his side as his sword.

“The second is to protect my side as a sword. But you are in his mid-teens and haven’t lived as a swordsman, so there is no way for you to become strong quickly. The world is not a fairy tale. To become strong later, you need a lot of will, and if you choose the second option, I will test your will with a painful trial. It’s a way to cause terrible pain, like your bones and muscles are being twisted. It’s not just a verbal decision, but proving your will as a result.”

It was chilling.

The fear from the word made Kevin’s mouth dry.

But finally.

When Roman accepted Kevin, he thought that Kevin might be able to endure the last trial.

“The third is……”

He drew his sword.

And then.

Clunk.

“Cut off your wrist directly with this sword. If you endure the pain to the end and achieve your goal even in a situation where you inflict pain on yourself, you will be able to become stronger than anyone else.”

The sword fell before his eyes.

For the first time, fear appeared on Kevin’s face, who had been showing his will until just now.

Mad Demon.

When he first met him, the Mad Demon was just an insignificant boy who didn’t know anything about martial arts, just like Kevin.

But.

How could he have grown into one of the Four Heavenly Kings?

Thanks to his natural talent?

No.

His growth came from a strong will.

‘The Demonic Cult had secret fighting styles. One of them, called the Ghostly Soul Art, was very dangerous. It was said to break the bodies of many who tried to use its dark power. The Mad Demon learned the Ghostly Soul Art to become a sword that could be used by me, and by overcoming the trials of the Ghostly Soul Art, he became a sword that I trust.’

Ghostly Soul Art.

It’s a dangerous martial art.

The moment you use the martial art, your mind is eaten away by dark power, and you exert power in extreme pain that carves up your blood vessels.

It was a pain almost impossible to imagine.

Like the last suggestion Roman made, using martial arts even in the pain of cutting off his own arm is the Ghostly Soul Art.

A world that cannot be reached with ordinary will.

So he chose the Ghostly Soul Art.

He didn’t think Kevin could really handle the Ghostly Soul Art, but he wanted to at least give him the option.

Roman said.

“For an ordinary person to go beyond their limits, that much sacrifice and will are needed. You are already my man. Whatever choice you make, I will use you well, but that usefulness is up to you to decide.”

He passed on the decision-making power.

Kevin swallowed hard.

His eyes, looking down at the sword, trembled greatly with fear, and his mouth was so dry that there was no saliva to swallow.

Cut off his own arm.

It was harsh.

How could he do such a thing?

“Huff, huff.”

His breathing became rough.

He wasn’t sure if this was the right thing to do, but at least he had a lot of trust in Roman, who was looking at him.

He believed in Roman.

Just like he had saved him.

He believed that Roman would save his life this time as well.

“I will do it.”

Grit.

He gritted his teeth.

He bit down so hard that he even felt his teeth crumble.

Clack!

Kevin snatched the sword.

And the moment he tried to plunge the sword into his arm.

‘Roman used his magic – the Illusion Demon’s Art.’

Whoosh.

Roman’s eyes flashed.

At the same time, mana swirled.

The Demonic Cult’s martial art.

As the Illusion Demon’s Art, known to have seduced the souls of many people, was unleashed, Kevin’s eyes turned hazy.

And then he collapsed to the floor.

In Roman’s world, he was face down on the floor as if dead, but in Kevin’s world, it was no different from the moment he was about to plunge the sword.

From now on, it was a world of illusion.

Soon.

Crack!

Kevin’s face contorted with pain.