The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 76

The next morning, Roman arrived at the Southern Training Camp, just as he was told.

This training was a basic step before going to war. Nobles, like Roman, came with their soldiers. Every noble looked unhappy. No one wanted to be there. They grumbled and sighed, clearly wishing they were anywhere else.

If they really cared about their country, they would be fighting on the Western Front, where the fighting was real. Instead, they were here in the South, which was much safer.

Then, the induction ceremony started. A man stepped forward. He was Baron Vale Frank, the commander.

Baron Vale Frank, a man with a booming voice and a forced smile, stepped forward.

“Like you all know, the Southern Training Camp is where soldiers get basic training before going to the Southern Front. You’ll train here for three weeks, then join the reserve forces, and that’s it.”

Basic training and reserve force assignment. The process was the same for both the West and the South.

However.

While the troops in the South never had to go to the battlefield after being assigned to the reserve forces, the troops in the West were constantly engaged in battles, making the reserve force designation meaningless.

So, there was a saying among the soldiers: ‘A soldier who meets a good master and goes to the South comes back fat and healthy, but a soldier who goes to the West cannot return in one piece.’

The difference was huge. You could feel it in the air at the ceremony. This was nothing like a real battlefield. Nobles yawned and looked around, clearly not interested in what Baron Vale was saying.

“Remember this while you’re here. No matter who you were before, here you’re just soldiers doing your duty. Anyone who breaks the rules or acts without permission will be punished by being sent to the Western Front.”

It was strange to call the Western Front ‘punishment.’ But the funny thing was, it worked. The nobles were scared of it.

Going from the South to the West was the last thing these nobles wanted. Maybe that’s why they started paying a little more attention to the ceremony.

Baron Vale’s speech didn’t last long. As soon as he finished, he told everyone to go.

“Everyone, go unpack in your assigned rooms. The training schedule will be announced tonight.”

So, this was it. Roman was now at the Southern Training Camp. He started to walk towards the living quarters with the others. Then, a soldier came up to him and whispered, “The commander wants to see you. Alone.”

Baron Vale. Roman had felt the commander’s eyes on him during the speech, and it wasn’t just his imagination.

As he entered the command room, the first thing that greeted Roman was Baron Vale’s bright smile, which had been nowhere to be seen during the induction ceremony.

“Welcome! Did you have a hard trip to the South?” Baron Vale asked, his smile wide.

“No, sir,” Roman replied.

“Good, good! Please, sit down.” Baron Vale quickly pulled out a chair for Roman. *Creak!* It felt like he was trying too hard to be nice.

Roman had never met Baron Vale before today. But Baron Vale was acting like they were old friends.

“Do you know how happy I was to hear you were coming to the Southern Front? Roman Dmitry! The youngest Ranker in the kingdom! Wow! I was so excited to hear about Dmitry’s rising star. Oh, would you like some coffee?”

“Yes.”

Baron Vale hummed as he made coffee. It was usually a soldier’s job. Yet, he moved himself, making a cup of coffee each for himself and Roman.

The command room was soon filled with the sweet scent of coffee.

He took a sip of his own coffee, then smiled again, this time a bit too sweetly. He put a cup in front of Roman. *Thump.*

“Please, drink your coffee,” Baron Vale said. “I wanted to talk to you alone about something. I’ve heard rumors that Marquis Benedict used his power to get you sent to the Southern Front. Is that true?”

This kindness wasn’t for no reason. Baron Vale drank his coffee calmly, acting like it was a normal chat. But his eyes, when he looked at Roman, showed he really wanted something.

He didn’t know what the intention behind the question was. As a neutral party, Roman had no reason to hide it.

“Yes. I didn’t ask him, but I heard that Marquis Benedict did so.”

“Really?” Baron Vale’s face lit up. He almost bounced in his seat.

In fact, he had already confirmed the truth to some extent. Still, he wanted to confirm it directly through Roman, and when he received the answer he wanted, he couldn’t hide his joy.

“Okay, I’ll be direct,” Baron Vale said. “I want Marquis Benedict to like me. This training camp is alright, but it’s nothing like the good life in the capital. So, while you are here – and Marquis Benedict really likes you, right? – I will make sure you have everything you want. I don’t need much in return. Just one small thing. When you see Marquis Benedict again, just mention my name. Baron Vale Frank. Say I made your time here easy. That’s all.”

He was being very obvious. Vale Frank, like the Dmitry family, was from a less important area. He really wanted to get to the central government one day.

But no matter what he did, he couldn’t get there on his own. He was just the commander of a training camp. He got requests from many nobles, but Marquis Benedict was much more important than them all.

The central government was too powerful for Baron Vale to even dream of joining. To get in, he needed a special way in.

And that special way was Roman Dmitry. ‘Marquis Benedict is really helping Roman Dmitry,’ Baron Vale thought. ‘If Roman Dmitry becomes loyal to Marquis Benedict, he could help me too. I could use my connection with Roman to get to the capital. This is my chance. A real chance to get into the central government.’

He had no intention of hiding his purpose.

It was a deal.

A deal where all he had to do was say one word in exchange for a comfortable life at the Southern Training Camp.

The Southern Front was a place where even the commander had become corrupt. Baron Vale asked for this unfair favor without any shame at all.

Roman thought, *’This is interesting.’* He smiled slightly. Marquis Benedict and Baron Vale. He wouldn’t be with them forever. But for now, if they wanted to give him favors, why not take them?

Roman said, “I understand, Baron. I will remember your kindness.”

That was all he said. He didn’t promise anything more. He just took the offer.

Roman left the command room and started walking back to his quarters. Suddenly, he heard a voice. “Well, well, look who it is!”

It was Henry Albert. The man who had caused a commotion at the inn. Unlike when he had hurriedly run away, Henry Albert spoke with an arrogant look on his face.

“The more I think about it,” Henry said, puffing out his chest, “the more I realize I don’t need to apologize to you. Let’s be honest, Dmitry is just a small barony in the middle of nowhere. I’m Henry Albert, from the Albert family! I wanted to use the inn. It’s not my fault you started a fight just because you didn’t like it, right?”

Henry hadn’t slept well last night. He was furious. He had always been treated like royalty in his family. He couldn’t believe he had been embarrassed by someone from a *nothing* barony like Dmitry.

He didn’t care that Roman was a Ranker. He had heard rumors that the Dmitry family used to be common people, with a dirty past. They weren’t *real* nobles like him.

He had been angry all night. He couldn’t wait for morning. He thought that here, at the training camp, Roman wouldn’t dare to look down on him.

Roman didn’t react at all. This made Henry even angrier. He stepped closer to Roman, his voice rising.

“You’ve picked the wrong fight,” Henry hissed. “Do you even know who my mother’s family is? The Franks! Does that name mean anything to you? Baron Vale Frank, the commander here, is my uncle! Now do you understand? Apologize right now. If you say you were wrong in front of my soldiers, maybe, just maybe, I won’t tell my uncle about this.”

This was his secret weapon. His uncle, Baron Vale. Henry thought that even if Roman Dmitry was a Ranker, he couldn’t ignore the commander’s support here at the training camp.

Henry Albert felt sure of himself. This time, he would win. But then, Roman spoke.

“So?”

Henry blinked, confused.

“Huh?”

Roman repeated, his voice cold. “What are you going to do just because your uncle is the commander here?”

“You, you don’t understand!” Henry stammered. “My uncle said it himself at the ceremony! Anyone who breaks the rules gets sent to the Western Front! And those rules aren’t just about being a soldier. It’s also for people my uncle doesn’t like. Like you!”

Henry started to panic. Roman was still calm, even after hearing about his uncle. A cold sweat ran down Henry’s back. He remembered Roman’s sword at the inn and took a small step backwards, just in case.

“I don’t think you know how bad the Western Front is. Even if you’re a strong swordsman, you can die in seconds there. You, stay right here. Don’t move. I’m going to get my uncle. Then we’ll see how tough you are!”

Henry took a step back, but he thought he was winning. He was sure his uncle would fix everything.

“Uncle!” At Henry’s appearance, Baron Vale smiled brightly.

“Oh, my nephew is here?”

Henry Albert might be a bad person to everyone else, but to Baron Vale, he was his favorite nephew. He loved him more than anything.

Especially because Henry looked just like his mother, Baron Vale’s sister. His brown hair and cheerful face made Baron Vale look at him with great affection.

“But why are you so upset, nephew?” Baron Vale asked, finally noticing Henry’s face.

As soon as Baron Vale asked, Henry started complaining loudly. “Uncle! What would you do if some baron’s family was threatening me?”

“What?! Who dared to threaten you?” Baron Vale shouted, jumping to his feet. Someone threatening his nephew? That was too much! His face red with anger, he grabbed his sword and said to Henry quickly,

“Take me to him now! How dare he touch my nephew here! I’ll make him regret it!”

“Really?!” Henry’s face lit up.

If his uncle got involved, it was all over. Here at the training camp, the commander had all the power, right?

He hurried his steps. Thinking that Roman might have run away, Henry arrived at the place where Roman was before Baron Vale.

“There he is!” Henry pointed. Roman Dmitry. He hadn’t run away, which Henry thought was stupid. Seeing Roman still standing there, waiting, Henry smiled, feeling like he had already won.

Baron Vale arrived a moment later. Then, his smile vanished. His face went stiff. He blinked, then looked from Henry to Roman, and back again. He wanted to believe it wasn’t Roman, but there was no one else there.

And then he saw Henry’s face, eager for him to punish Roman right now. Baron Vale felt his head spin for a second. *’This idiot nephew is going to ruin everything,’* he thought angrily.

Baron Vale knew what he had to do instantly. Before Henry could even speak, Baron Vale’s hand flashed out and hit Henry hard across the face. *Whack!* The sound was sharp and loud. Henry’s face, which had been so confident just moments ago, snapped to the side. Everything went blurry for Henry. He couldn’t understand what had just happened.