The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 103

The grand mansion of the Benedict family was usually quiet, but tonight, it buzzed with urgent activity. Retainers were called suddenly to the conference room, their footsteps echoing in the long hallways. As Marquis Benedict entered, the room fell silent. Everyone stood quickly as he walked to the head of the long, polished table.

“Tell us, Marquis,” one retainer asked, his voice tight with worry, “what news do you bring from the royal palace?”

Marquis Benedict looked around at their faces, his expression grim. “I called you all here to tell you something important. Please, sit down.”

With a heavy *thud*, he sat in his large chair at the head of the table. Only when he was seated did the retainers slowly lower themselves back into their chairs, their eyes fixed on the Marquis.

Marquis Benedict leaned forward, his voice low and serious. “The negotiations with the Hector Kingdom… have failed.”

“Does this mean… war?”

“Yes. The central government has just declared war on Hector. But this might not be all bad news. Just now, a message came from the southern front under the name of ‘Roman Dmitry.’ There was a battle with the Hector Kingdom overnight, and the report stated that Roman Dmitry’s forces greatly defeated the enemy.”

“Gasp!”

“Is that truly the case?”

Everyone’s eyes widened.

A single victory.

Its significance was extraordinary.

It meant that a variable had emerged on the southern front, and if it had not been completely captured, there was a good chance of a turnaround.

One of the retainers showed an excited expression.

“That is truly fortunate! In truth, if we had continued negotiations with the Hector Kingdom, the Cairo Royal Family would have had no choice but to lay hands on the assets of the nobles. The forces of Gregory and Count Denver may not care if the Cairo Kingdom collapses, but we certainly do.”

“Your words are correct. However, what is important now is not that.”

Immediately after the meeting, Marquis Benedict had no choice but to summon his retainers. It was not to discuss the safety of the Cairo Kingdom, but entirely because of one existence: Roman Dmitry.

“Even if we lose the southern front in this war, it is not necessarily a bad thing for us. We can use that issue as an excuse to criticize the incompetence of the current royal family, which would directly lead to strengthening the power of the central government. The problem is the existence of Roman Dmitry, who achieved victory against the Hector Kingdom. The achievements he has made are by no means simple. In a sudden situation, they headed to the 5th defense line, defeated the enemies, and showed a quick response by judging that the warp gate was dangerous. And the battle in the mountains… The Hector Kingdom deliberately withdrew troops to attack Roman Dmitry, but conversely, it resulted in defeating the enemies.”

A series of situations.

A cold sweat slicked his palms as he listened to the report, a knot of anxiety tightening in his stomach.

He knew that Roman Dmitry was no ordinary person, but this battle gave him a strong conviction.

“What do you think the results mean? Roman Dmitry is not just a simple three-star swordsman. He is born with the ability as a commander to lead the war to victory, and fortunately, such a talent has shown patriotism for the Cairo Kingdom. He certainly had the time to escape. But the fact that he fought to the end means that he has not yet been swayed by Chronos or the Valhalla Empire, so we must secure Roman Dmitry’s heart by any means possible.”

He was anxious.

He had originally intended to recruit him.

However, the moment he checked the expressions of the other nobles during the meeting, he felt pressured.

A man for everyone.

Roman Dmitry was too outstanding a talent.

Seeing the nobles’ eyes gleaming with greed, Marquis Benedict spoke in a strong tone.

“The original plan was to recruit Roman Dmitry after he had completed his national defense duty. But now the situation has changed. Immediately contact Roman Dmitry and find a way to win his heart. You don’t have to be picky about the means. You can use the Benedict family’s wealth as much as you want. If there is anyone who can receive Roman Dmitry’s loyalty, I will greatly reward them.”

“Understood.”

At this dangerous time for the country, they did not hide their desires. And that was no different for the other nobles.

After finishing the meeting and returning, Count Denver could not hide his bewildered feelings in communication with the Valhalla Empire.

“…Things have turned out this way.”

[That is an unexpected result. Informant Mackin telling Roman Dmitry about the ‘signal of war’ was intended to show him favor and avoid danger, but he turned it around and led it to victory in the war. He is certainly a remarkable person.]

“His abilities are more remarkable than I thought, which has caused a problem. I wanted to use this opportunity to confirm Roman Dmitry’s abilities, but he created the absurd result of defeating the Hector Kingdom, and the nobles of the central government have completely fallen for him. Marquis Benedict and Count Gregory are probably thinking very hard to find a way to recruit Roman Dmitry right now. What should we do? Originally, I was planning to recruit him in the long term, but it seems we don’t have much time.”

The situation took an interesting turn.

Immediately after the Great Swordsman Battle, the Valhalla Empire expressed its intention to recruit Roman Dmitry through Mackin. He thought it was an extraordinary offer at the time, but Roman Dmitry’s explosive growth had set his feet on fire.

[According to the Valhalla Intelligence Agency, the person who led this war in Hector is Edwin Hector. Known as the star of Hector, he is not an easy person to defeat simply because his individual martial prowess is strong. Roman Dmitry. He is the talent that the Valhalla Empire desires. Therefore, we cannot stand idly by while other forces take him away.]

An upgrade in rank.

He re-evaluated Roman. Roman Dmitry had shown enough talent to provoke Valhalla’s thirst.

[Count Denver. I will entrust you with full authority to recruit Roman Dmitry. Contacting him after the war is too late. From now on, find a way to recruit Roman Dmitry and be sure to win his heart. The Chronos Empire is increasingly unable to hide their ambitions. In order to prepare for a war with them in the future, we need talents like Roman Dmitry.]

“Understood.”

He bowed his head.

Following Marquis Benedict, Count Denver. Count Gregory was the same.

The war with the Hector Kingdom was not over yet, but an off-field war was taking place in the Cairo Kingdom.

At that time of great commotion, Henry Albert did not know what kind of game he had created. The central government was in an uproar because of his remarks, but what was important to Henry Albert was something else.

‘It’s become clear through communication with the central government. If I survive as a member of Roman Dmitry’s group, I can also get ahead.’

Beyond the screen, he could not forget the faces of the nobles stained with astonishment. Henry Albert did not have much social experience, but he knew what that expression meant.

‘After the war, Roman Dmitry will surely enter the central government.’

A triumphant return.

He had to stick to that position where he would be welcomed by the kingdom.

The problem was, Roman Dmitry’s people hated him. Since he had shown such an impressive appearance from the first meeting, there was naturally no reason for them to like him.

‘For some reason, Roman Dmitry is spending time alone. Then, in his absence, who should I try to impress? Fortunately, I know a suitable person for that condition. A loyal subordinate of Roman Dmitry, with considerable influence. And a comrade (?) who has gone through life and death with me.’

He grinned.

With a smile that seemed so warm, he spoke to a man.

“Chris. You must be very hungry, have some of this.”

He held out jerky. It was high-quality jerky that he had brought himself, but Chris glanced at Henry’s face and immediately turned his gaze away.

“No, thank you.”

“Hey, take it? This is really delicious.”

“Do you think I don’t know your intentions? We have gained considerable merit in this war. If you prove that you were in that position, you will surely receive a reward, so you have been watching us since earlier, haven’t you? It’s no use. If you really want to receive a reasonable reward, you should not try to impress us, but become a comrade who can trust you with your back in war.”

…….

His mouth snapped shut.

It was a misjudgment. Since he had shown Chris a snobbish side, he could not win his heart with this petty bribe.

Henry Albert smiled with an embarrassed face. He could not say anything to Chris like before, and subtly turned his steps.

In his eyes, a familiar face was seen.

‘Was his name Kevin?’

Kevin. A person who still had a boy’s face. At first, he wondered why such a child was under Roman Dmitry, but his thoughts completely changed after seeing him fight.

He was truly a ghost of the battlefield. Beyond the level of mere force, he knew how to kill the opponent, and his appearance of traversing the battlefield was quite impressive.

If Chris was the second-in-command, Kevin seemed to be about the third-in-command.

The calculation was quick. Henry Albert approached Kevin with a bright smile.

“Hey, Kevin, was it? Would you like to eat some of this?”

The second son of the Albert family, used to getting his way with a snap of his fingers, was nowhere to be found now.

Peace was short-lived.

After taking a day’s rest, the Hector Kingdom immediately attacked the front-line defense positions of the southern front simultaneously.

The 3rd defense line.

Baron Vasily, the commander there, said while looking at the Hector forces approaching from afar.

“Adjutant.”

“Yes.”

“According to the contact received from the royal family, the Hector Kingdom followed Roman Dmitry’s forces to deal with them, but suffered a great defeat. What do you think about that? Roman Dmitry only has less than two hundred troops, and if they are defeated by such troops, wouldn’t that mean that the Hector Kingdom’s forces are weaker than we thought?”

The day before, he received a call from the royal family. It said that Roman Dmitry had achieved tremendous results in defeating the enemy, so he should help him and buy time. The Cairo Kingdom had decided to go to war with Hector. In about ten days, the main force of Cairo would arrive in the south.

However, seeing the royal family praising Roman Dmitry’s achievements, desire stirred in Baron Vasily’s heart.

The adjutant said.

“I think the same. Isn’t Hector a country where many people are starving due to the recent famine? They may have a large number of troops, but I don’t think they are as strong as we think.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

The two were in perfect agreement.

Not long ago, he did not think about the fact that he had been attacked by the Hector Kingdom. Baron Vasily had been unilaterally pushed back at that time, but in his head, where the happy circuit was already running, he thought that the magical defense to prepare for the flare was not properly equipped.

Roman Dmitry defeated the enemy with only two hundred troops. Rather than thinking that Roman Dmitry was great, he thought that the opponent looked easy.

‘I’ve been rotting in this backwater for three years already. Maybe this is an opportunity given to me by heaven.’

Hector. They divided their forces to attack the three defense lines. If they were remnants of soldiers who had lost their will to fight in the previous battle, he thought there would be enough chance of victory.

“Pick out the troops right now. I will also show the Hector Kingdom a lesson with guerrilla tactics.”

Even then, Baron Vasily believed that he was not much different from Roman Dmitry. Little did Baron Vasily know, he was about to make a big mistake.