The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 40

Ten days earlier.

Lawrence was very panicked.

“The Martel family has rejected our proposal.”

“…The Bartra family as well. Even though we agreed to establish the distribution network they’ve always demanded, they’ve stated they cannot help with this matter. Lord, it seems that due to pressure from the Barco family, receiving help from those around us is virtually impossible.”

Bang!

“Bloody hell!”

Upon hearing his retainers’ report, Baron Lawrence, unable to contain his fury, slammed his fist on the table.

Before the conflict with Barco, the Martel and Bartra families had been very friendly to Lawrence, wanting to please him.

Lawrence’s fertile lands gave him power in the northeastern region, and Baron Lawrence maintained good relations with them.

Therefore, remembering those past relationships, he had asked for their help. But the heads of the two families, who had always treated Lawrence with smiling faces, now acted cold, as if they had never been friendly before.

He understood.

Recently, rumors had been spreading throughout the northeastern region.

If any forces interfered in the conflict between Lawrence and Barco, trying to stop Barco’s plans, they would surely face revenge after Lawrence lost.

Everyone knew that Barco had intentionally spread the rumors, but because it was intentional, other families had no choice but to back down.

Barco had cut off any possibility of alliances.

Now, having been given a week to prepare, Baron Lawrence felt as though his chest felt tight.

“Has there been any contact from the Golden Bank?”

“…Yes. They said they would consider a loan using his land as security, but it seems unlikely that the review will be completed within a week. The Golden Bank is not taking sides. They have invested a significant sum in the Barco family, so they seem to have judged that it is more profitable to support the Barco family rather than us.”

“Haa…”

A wave of dizziness washed over him.

The Golden Bank was not just in the Cairo Kingdom, but had a lot of money and power that affected the entire continent.

Their headquarters were said to be in the Valhalla Empire, one of the two biggest empires.

They usually valued not taking sides, but when it was about their own money, like now, they chose the side that would make them the most money.

They picked Barco because they thought Barco would win.

“In the end, does that mean there is no solution?”

For the past few weeks, Baron Lawrence had been trying everything he could to solve the problem.

The ending of his engagement with Dimitri had put Lawrence in a difficult position, and to survive, he had used old friendships and met with many people.

Asking the Golden Bank for money was a last hope, even though he thought it wouldn’t work.

If he could borrow money, he had planned to hire soldiers, just like the Barco family, but the Golden Bank did not do business that could lose them money.

He was trapped.

It was over.

In a week, Barco would attack, and Lawrence did not have the strength to stop it.

‘…I should have made Dimitri happy somehow.’

Dimitri had become a problem.

When preparing for the marriage with Dimitri, it seemed as if all problems would be solved, but by turning his back on Dimitri, even people who supported Dimitri said that they could not help.

The powerful families in the northeastern region were Barco and Dimitri.

By becoming enemies with both families, Lawrence had become alone.

He felt helpless.

In a situation where even his retainers could not speak, a woman sitting at the far end of the conference room carefully spoke.

“Father, may I say something?”

She was Flora Lawrence, Lawrence’s dear daughter.

Roman Dimitri.

Meeting him had completely changed Flora’s normal world.

‘My judgment was wrong. I looked at Roman Dimitri with prejudice, and I was the real fool, not him.’

Roman’s actions were shocking.

At first, she only knew that Roman had done something, but as time passed, she learned all the details.

Roman had killed Ben Miles, the leader of the Blood Fang, in front of many people.

It was something Roman did on his own, and what was even more shocking was why Roman did it.

He wanted to deal with the Blood Fang, who had been hurting the people in Dimitri’s land.

And knowing that Lawrence’s response was not enough, he was brave enough to act quickly, even if he might be punished.

Suddenly, Flora felt ashamed.

The eldest son of Dimitri was doing things for the family, even while being called a fool, but all she had done was put Lawrence in danger by ending their engagement.

If she could go back in time, she would have thought more about the foolish choice to end the engagement, which would make Dimitri angry.

‘I was foolish. Choosing to end the engagement without any plan to deal with the problem was a choice that would destroy the family.’

Once, she thought she was intelligent.

While finishing her hard classes at the academy with good grades, she thought of herself as a good daughter, seeing her father’s happy smile.

She didn’t know it then.

Because she had studied while being supported by the family, she knew nothing about the world. She was like a flower grown in a greenhouse, protected from the real world.

Outside the family, Barco was a dangerous animal.

They were ready to attack and very dangerous, and they did not care about Flora’s life.

After the ending of the engagement was announced, Flora locked herself in her room.

She still believed that marriage should be with someone she loved, but she did not dare to face her father because she would have to suffer because she wanted love.

Because of her mistake, her father was running around every day, begging for help.

The family’s conference room was always lit, and she didn’t dare to go to the retainers who walked out with sad faces after the meeting and tell them to cheer up.

Flora Lawrence was having a hard time. She was called the flower of Lawrence and had only seen and experienced good things.

She groaned.

She had a fever in the middle of the night, and it became normal to wake up from nightmares, sweating a lot.

As this happened again and again, Roman’s image came to Flora’s mind clearly.

‘How could he do such a thing?’

With his own strength, in a situation where no one expected anything from Roman, Roman bravely took action for the family.

It was amazing.

Just the fact that he had decided to do such a thing made him look different.

From then on, Roman began to appear in Flora’s dreams, and as she dreamed of Roman’s image, her heart gradually changed.

Then one day, Flora made a decision.

“Let’s not ignore reality, Flora. If no one helps us, just as Roman Dimitri directly defeated the Blood Fang, we must also find a way to solve the problem ourselves.”

In the dark room, Flora came out of the cave.

She tied her hair tightly so that she could move easily, and went to Lawrence’s library and took a few books.

The books were about military strategy in preparation for war.

Flora said, “We are now in a desperate situation. Barco has cut off help from those around us, and the difference in power is obvious. Therefore, some people think we should give up some land to Barco to save something, but I really don’t think we should do that.”

“Why do you think so? Surrendering might be the best choice for everyone, so innocent soldiers don’t have to die.”

Baron Lawrence asked.

Seeing his questioning eyes, Flora looked at him with a calm face.

“Barco borrowed money from the Golden Bank by using connections in the central government. According to rumors, the loan was given without anything to guarantee it, so the interest rate must be high. This war is not just for Barco’s benefit. For both Barco, who borrowed the money, and the Golden Bank, who lent the money, to make enough money, they will completely destroy this land after taking Lawrence. Half for Barco, the other half for the Golden Bank. Even then, they will not be happy until they have taken everything, and they will show that they are satisfied.”

“Ahem.”

The retainers looked uncomfortable.

It was harsh, but everyone knew it was true.

“Then what are you saying we should do?”

“There is only one way: fight to the death. That is the only way we can survive.”

“Fight to the death. Is that really the best you’re saying?”

Baron Lawrence looked empty.

For a moment, he had expectations because of Flora’s words.

He thought that her judgment, which understood the situation well, would tell him something amazing, but in the end, it was just an obvious idea.

Locking the castle gates was something anyone could think of.

However, Flora had a different idea.

“I’m not saying just hold out. Give up this year’s harvest and set fire to the fields. And collect as much food as we can and then hold out. We just need to not collapse until winter comes.”

“Just hold out until winter?”

“Yes. Barco borrowed a lot of money for this war. Although they were able to get the loan without anything to guarantee it by using connections in the central government, the Golden Bank is a huge force that affects the entire continent and cannot be pressured with just connections in the central government. If the war does not end quickly and time passes, the Barco family will be pressured by interest. The interest will be high because the loan amount is large. That is the only weakness we can use. Soldiers move with money, and that money comes from the Golden Bank. If winter comes, which is not good for fighting when trying to take a castle, they will have to give up and leave.”

“Wow!”

“To think there was such a method!”

The family’s retainers were impressed by Flora’s words.

At first, they looked suspicious, but as Flora spoke, they were completely interested in her argument.

It made sense.

This is a battle against time.

Barco’s power has no real problems, so if they endure until those real problems become clear, they will have a good chance of winning.

‘When did my daughter grow up so much?’

Baron Lawrence looked at his daughter with mixed feelings.

His only daughter.

He raised her carefully, as if she would break if he held her, and the protected flower grew into Lawrence’s flower and bloomed brightly.

And when Dimitri’s incident happened, Baron Lawrence thought that he had raised his daughter too immaturely.

However, the truth was different.

When things got really bad, Flora showed her real strength.

‘You have suffered because of your incompetent father.’

He saw Flora’s thin face late.

Her face showed shadows, showing how much she had suffered.

His dear daughter.

He did not want to see such a lovely daughter being destroyed by the Barco family.

Baron Lawrence said, “Flora is right. The Barco family is a force that we cannot handle with the family’s own power. So prepare to fight to the death right now. We will endure and endure, and continue the Lawrence family name.”

He made a decision.

He will not surrender.

He will not raise the white flag.

Even if the castle walls collapse and they die, the Lawrence family decided to fight and endure to the end.

A week later, the day of the final battle that Barco had warned about came.