The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 45

The Flare exploded in a flash of blinding light, then crumbled into dust. It was Roman’s signal. “Retreat!” he roared, and his soldiers turned as one, running back the way they had come. Barco’s men, caught completely by surprise, were left behind, looking foolish and confused as they tried to give chase.

“Hoo, hoo,” Chris panted, his chest heaving. Every breath felt like fire in his lungs. His body screamed in protest, but he had kept pace with Roman. He had swung his sword again and again, a blur of motion, and Barco’s soldiers had fallen before the power of his aura-infused blade like wheat before a scythe. Now, his once-golden hair was heavy, matted and dark with blood – his own, or theirs, he couldn’t tell. He wiped a hand across his brow, smearing blood and sweat, and a soft chuckle escaped his lips.

‘I’m sure of it. The Lord’s way was right.’

This battle.

Chris had used his aura in a way he never had before.

In this world, most fighters believed in using aura in short, powerful bursts. But Chris, while fighting alongside Roman, had realized that this was not the answer.

So, after much deliberation, he reduced the size of his aura.

Instead, he tried to compress the aura as much as possible, and thanks to that, the consumption of mana was not significant even in the fierce battle.

He laughed.

Even though others had ignored him for following Roman, Chris was gradually finding the potential for growth.

He calmed his breathing.

Belatedly assessing his surroundings, Chris realized that his condition was relatively good.

“Huff, huff.”

“I really thought I was going to die.”

“Blegh.”

Roman’s soldiers were lying on the ground like corpses.

Only someone like Chris could keep up with Roman’s pace, but the other soldiers gritted their teeth and clung on, desperate not to be left behind.

The battle was short, but the extremely intense period had completely exhausted their stamina, and some of those who had fallen to the ground were even vomiting.

Fortunately, there were no fatalities among them.

None of the 30 soldiers had dropped out, and no one seemed to be seriously injured.

They knew the truth.

They knew Roman’s strength was the reason they were safe.

The soldiers, all with weary faces, could not take their eyes off Roman, who was surveying the surroundings alone.

‘Doesn’t he ever get tired?’

‘He really is a monster!’

Roman’s breathing was perfectly steady.

Even though he had clearly taken on the most dangerous role at the very front, Roman did not seem tired at all.

It was a sight that was hard to believe even when seen directly.

Roman had slaughtered over a dozen soldiers, and even when the leader of the Berge Mercenaries seemed to charge at him, Roman had dealt with him as easily as if he were facing a mere soldier.

Monster.

There was no other word to describe him.

They had experienced Roman’s strength in the conscript test, but today’s battle was beyond common sense.

Awe.

The soldiers looked up at Roman, who was soaked in blood.

Rather than seeing Roman as cruel, the fact that their lord was so strong made their hearts burn with passion.

When everyone had calmed down to some extent, Roman said, “Our role is over. Now, let’s return to Lawrence.”

Return.

As a hero who had sounded the victory cry, it was now time for a triumphant return.

The city gates opened.

At the sight of Roman and his soldiers entering triumphantly, the people of Lawrence, who were lined up on both sides, cheered enthusiastically.

“Kyaaaa!”

“Roman! Roman!”

“Roman! Roman!”

“The hero of Dmitry!”

The reputation had been reversed.

Looking at Roman Dmitry, once called the idiot of Dmitry, people cheered as if they were welcoming a great man.

It couldn’t be helped.

Their perception was not only based on this incident.

With the Blood Fang subjugation, Roman’s reputation had been gradually changing, at least in Lawrence, and this time, saving Lawrence from the crisis put the finishing touch on it.

The hero of Dmitry.

It was a fitting expression.

His entrance, destroying the Flare, left a strong impression on the citizens of Lawrence.

“We survived thanks to you! Thank you so much!”

“Lawrence will never forget the grace of Roman Dmitry for the rest of our lives!”

“I love you!”

The women were in an uproar.

At the sight of the women crowding into the streets and reaching out to touch Roman, Lord Lawrence smiled bitterly.

‘What a waste.’

Roman was an outstanding talent.

From the first time he met Roman, he knew that he was no ordinary man, but today’s scene of destroying the Flare proved that he had even greater talent than he had thought.

He couldn’t see it properly from a distance, but he clearly saw the scene of him slaughtering Barco’s soldiers at the very front and using a powerful aura to destroy the Flare himself.

Dmitry had raised a tiger – a dangerous and powerful force.

And if things hadn’t gone wrong, that tiger would have been his son-in-law.

He swallowed hard.

Looking at Roman Dmitry’s confident stride, he felt a thirst, but Lord Lawrence tried to ignore reality.

‘I promised to respect Flora’s life from now on. No matter how tempting and attractive Roman Dmitry is, marriage to him is a matter for Flora to choose. So, there’s no reason for me to step in.’

He suppressed his desire, and then, at the sight of Roman approaching right in front of him, he smiled brightly and welcomed him.

“The hero of Dmitry! It’s good to see you again like this!”

The welcoming ceremony was short.

The war was not over yet, and Roman walked into the building, receiving enthusiastic cheers from the people.

It was then that a familiar voice was heard from right behind him.

“…Thank you.”

It was Flora.

Her appearance was a mess from the fierce battle.

The hem of her skirt was torn and her face was blackened in several places, but Flora said without caring.

“We didn’t do a great job as bait, did we? Even if you had abandoned Lawrence, we would not have had the right to blame you, but I wanted to sincerely thank you for not abandoning us until the end and not turning a blind eye to Lawrence’s crisis.”

Her face flushed red.

Since her first meeting with Roman was not so good, she was a little embarrassed to express her gratitude in front of him.

Still, she had to say what she had to say.

If it hadn’t been for Roman’s help, Lawrence might have fallen by now.

Roman said, “I have only fulfilled my role as promised. And Lawrence has played as much of a role as I expected.”

At that moment, Flora felt a surge of emotion.

He was such an unpredictable person.

He could have just accepted her gratitude, but Roman coldly drew a line, saying that he was only fulfilling his promise.

She wasn’t angry.

No matter how Roman spoke, the fact that he had helped her did not change.

Roman was Lawrence’s benefactor, and Flora was grateful for the decision to help, whatever the reason.

“I’m glad Lawrence played as much of a role as you expected. I don’t think you need to receive my thanks, but as a person representing Lawrence, I would like to repay you for your kindness. So, if there’s anything you want, you can say anything at the meeting. Even if my father looks troubled, I will unconditionally take your side and make sure you get compensated.”

She was sincere.

While firing arrows from the ramparts, Flora knew how difficult it was to fight on the battlefield.

That’s why she was grateful to Roman for saving Lawrence from the crisis and for keeping his promise until the end, even though it must have been a difficult choice.

Roman looked down at Flora.

The height difference between them was quite large, and he gave a silly smile at the sight of Flora looking up at him.

“Let’s go to the conference room first. If you are still determined to repay me for my kindness no matter what I say, then I won’t refuse.”

Lawrence’s conference room.

The top officials gathered there.

Led by Lord Lawrence, who was seated at the head of the table, the family’s retainers, seated on both sides, raised their voices and expressed their opinions.

“We must send a messenger to Barco immediately. They will be demoralized by the defeat in the siege, and since they have lost the Flare, further sieges will be impossible. Now is the time to propose appropriate carrots and sticks to Barco and end this territorial war as it is!”

“That’s right. Barco still has a lot of troops left. Rather than causing unnecessary conflict with them and inviting a crisis, we should bury the past and seek peace. That was the only way Lawrence could survive.”

The retainers’ opinions were unified.

Peace.

They wanted the war to end.

When they thought of the moment when the ramparts were about to collapse, their legs still trembled and their mouths were parched.

Pride was not important.

Having confirmed that Barco’s forces were strong, they had to find a way to avoid the next battle at all costs.

Lord Lawrence said, “Your opinions are correct. Although we were able to win the first battle with the help of Roman Dmitry, Lawrence’s strength cannot withstand Barco’s attacks forever. So, prepare a messenger right now…….”

“May I speak?”

Roman interrupted.

It was a situation that would normally have angered the retainers, but they only showed surprised expressions at Roman’s achievements.

Lawrence’s meeting.

In fact, Roman was only attending as a matter of courtesy, and he was not in a position to interfere with what Lawrence was doing.

“Speak.”

“Thank you.”

Roman rose from his seat.

As everyone’s attention focused on him, he slowly walked around the table and opened his mouth.

“Seeing that you chose a siege against Barco, I think Lord Lawrence is accurately aware of the advantages of a long-term war. Barco is probably suffering from financial pressure. In order to repay their huge debt, they must somehow capture Lawrence, and that is no different now that the Flare has been destroyed. If you send a messenger for peace, I dare to predict that what we will receive is not a message of peace, but the head of a messenger stained with blood.”

“Ahem.”

Everyone cleared their throats.

They had tried to ignore the realistic fear, but as Roman said, the probability of Barco accepting peace was very low.

“In fact, that’s not the important thing.”

Roman’s voice changed.

A voice that sank down and tightened his breath dug into the ears of the people of Lawrence.

“Barco forged documents and attacked Lawrence. Lawrence was innocent, but countless people had no choice but to die, and even now, soldiers are carrying the bodies outside the ramparts. Don’t you feel anything even after seeing that? We must not forgive Barco. In order to live a peaceful life within the fence called Lawrence in the future, we must clearly show the people of the world what kind of revenge we take on the heinous people who touched Lawrence.”

Roman’s remarks rebuked the retainers.

He said it indirectly, but it was clearly pointing fingers at the people who were talking about peace, calling them cowards.

The bodies of the soldiers.

Why aren’t you angry even after seeing that?

At Roman’s remarks, which were filled with strong emotions, Lawrence’s retainers blushed but could not say anything.

Only one person, the head of the family representing Lawrence, was different.

“It’s not that we don’t know that. We also want to take revenge, and we also want to make Barco pay the price for touching Lawrence. But what can we do when we don’t have the strength? Barco still has hundreds of soldiers and the Berge Mercenaries, and continuing to fight them is nothing more than a suicidal act.”

It was a cold reality.

Because he was weak, Lawrence was plundered and could not take revenge even after winning.

Roman said, “There is only one way. There is a way.”

At that time, he met Flora’s eyes.

As if a drop of water had fallen on the calm water, a large ripple formed in her pupils.

“Propose a Daejeonsa battle. That is the only way to take revenge on Barco, beyond the difference in troops.”

Daejeonsa battle, a duel to decide the war, a fight between champions.

At Roman’s suggestion, the conference room was plunged into shock.