The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 108

This was the first plan. It had been decided an hour before.

Roman spoke to the nobles. His voice was calm, but firm.

“Hector Kingdom needs time,” he began. “They need to get help from their allies through the warp gate, or maybe even call on the Cronos Empire. To make the warp gate work well, they need at least three days. Because of this, they won’t do anything too risky. They will probably just focus on defending against our attacks.”

The air in the room was thick with tension. The nobles listened intently, their faces serious. Outside, the sounds of soldiers preparing for battle drifted in through the fortress walls.

Inside the fortress walls, Hector had retreated.

If they couldn’t break through the tall, strong walls quickly, then making the enemy come out was another idea.

“The first idea is to create a surprise. I will ask for a duel with the Hector Kingdom. I will fight as a warrior.”

“That’s reckless.”

“Hector Kingdom has Butler right now.”

The nobles did not like this idea.

Butler.

Who was he?

He was the commander of the Hector Royal Knights, a hero known as the best knight.

He was famous for his very organized way of fighting with swords and his powerful five-star energy. He had defeated many enemies. Butler, who was born without noble status, had become a Royal Knight only because of his skill.

Even though Butler was old now and didn’t go out much, he was still a famous master swordsman known everywhere.

So, when Roman asked for a duel, the nobles thought Hector’s choice was clear.

Count Fabius spoke.

“It’s not that we don’t think Roman Dmitry is strong. Ever since he defeated the Hector Kingdom with two hundred soldiers, no one can ignore what Roman Dmitry has done. But the one he will fight is Butler, right? A duel like this is risky. If we win, it will give us a big chance to crush the enemy quickly. But if we lose, we won’t be able to recover from the shock.”

“That’s right. The one he will fight is Butler. How can we beat a five-star swordsman? We understand what Roman Dmitry wants to do, but we don’t think we should take such a big risk.”

Everyone agreed.

The nobles didn’t want to lose Roman Dmitry. He was very talented. So, for the first time, all three nobles worked together to try and change his mind.

Roman smiled at their reaction.

“Because you are reacting this way, I think my first idea will work. The Hector Kingdom is just like us. They will be sure Butler will win. Because they think it’s an easy win, they might forget why they are really here and just agree to my duel. That is how the surprise will start.”

This plan was more than just a duel.

Roman spoke firmly and stopped the nobles from arguing.

“Trust me. The moment I defeat Butler, a crack will appear in Hector’s strong fortress walls.”

And now, Roman’s proposal caused a big reaction in the Hector Kingdom.

Since there was no answer right away, Roman spoke louder.

“We don’t hate each other. Or, to be exact, we have been hurt by Hector’s actions. But that’s not what’s important. I don’t want to waste any more lives, so I want to end this war completely with a duel.”

He offered them something tempting, so they would really want to react to the tempting offer.

Roman stated the reward they wanted.

“If you win this duel, we will do whatever Hector Kingdom wants. We will pay you whatever you want as payment, even if it hurts our Southern Front. But if I win, you must leave Cairo’s land right away. That is the only thing I want. We have already decided this after a meeting, and if you agree to the proposal, we will accept the result, whatever it may be.”

People started talking on both sides.

This was a completely new way to end the war, and the news of this proposal quickly spread everywhere.

Butler was Hector’s second-best swordsman and a strong opponent.

Roman had improved quickly, but a five-star swordsman was still too much for Roman Dmitry’s body.

The short fight in the mountains showed Roman how strong Butler was.

It was an opponent he could never be sure of defeating, but that only made him want to compete even more.

‘This duel is worth risking my life for.’

A warrior doesn’t want an easy life.

He needed to fight all the time. If he found someone stronger than himself, he had to beat them to feel good.

Cheonma Baek Jung-hyuk was the best in the Demonic Cult. His power came from his strong desires.

If Baek Jung-hyuk had been happy with a normal life, he wouldn’t have become so strong.

He could have avoided risks by giving in, but he didn’t want to lose his pride.

Even when he could have lived a normal life, Baek Jung-hyuk always pushed himself to do more.

It was the same now.

If Butler was strong, he would surpass him.

He would defeat him and move forward, proving his strength again.

Roman shouted.

“I know what you’re thinking. Now that negotiations with Cairo have failed, you’re trying to get help from other countries to solve your problems. The Cronos Empire, which is always watching Cairo’s land, will try to take the Southern Front even if it costs them a lot. But you need enough time to connect the warp gate. If you don’t agree to my proposal, I will be ready to take the damage and destroy your base in three days. I will kill all of you who dared to invade Cairo’s land, and torture the survivors until they beg me to kill them.”

He was being harsh, like using a whip.

He put pressure on the enemy.

He told them what Cairo Kingdom would do, and what bad things would happen if Hector made the wrong choice.

“I’ll give you exactly ten minutes. I hope you choose wisely in that time.”

He took a step back.

There was no need to rush. From now on, it was Hector Kingdom’s turn to choose.

Above the fortress walls, Hector’s soldiers were excited and nervous.

They had promised to fight to the death, but when they suddenly had a chance to survive, everyone looked at one person.

It was Butler.

When he saw everyone looking at him, Butler approached Edwin Hector and said.

“I will fight.”

“I forbid it.”

“Commander! Roman Dmitry already knows what we are planning. Now that they know we are trying to make a deal with the Cronos Empire, we don’t know what might happen. Please trust me just this once. I will cut off Roman Dmitry’s head and find a way for the Hector Kingdom to survive and return.”

His voice was strong and sure.

Butler wasn’t forced to fight. He wanted to fight.

He was truly ready to risk his life for the Hector Kingdom, and Roman’s offer was something he really wanted to accept.

Still, Edwin Hector disagreed.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, Butler, commander of the Hector Royal Knights. I believe you can definitely defeat Roman Dmitry with your skills. The problem is that you, I, and everyone here knows that. The Roman Dmitry we know is not stupid or short-sighted. We can’t understand his plans, they are too deep and dark. Roman Dmitry controlled us all night, and we lost 700 soldiers. He wants a duel because he thinks he will win. I don’t think he can beat you in a fair fight, so Roman Dmitry must have a trick.”

He didn’t know Roman’s plan.

However, he could only remember the defeat. Because he had been defeated even when he was sure he would win, Edwin Hector could not accept the obvious trap.

Butler said.

“Commander, I mean, Prince. I have served you my whole life since I became a Royal Knight. What kind of person do you think I am? Do you think I’m a coward? Would I run away because I’m afraid of losing? Would I not even try to fight because I’m worried about a trap? I know Roman Dmitry probably has a plan. But I am the commander of the Hector Royal Knights. When I fought Roman Dmitry before, he was weaker than me. I’m sure I can beat anything he has planned.”

He knelt on one knee, pleading with Edwin Hector, his voice full of fire, to let him fight.

Hearing his passionate words, Edwin Hector didn’t know what to say.

Butler’s words were right. He was old now, but Butler in his prime was more aggressive and powerful than anyone else.

He had faced many challenges and survived many dangerous situations.

Because of these experiences, Butler became a five-star swordsman and a famous strong fighter across the land.

‘Roman Dmitry can’t beat Butler in a fair fight. So, if they want to win, they must be planning a trap. If they use a trap and win, we can say they are cowards. Then we can get what we want by making them look bad.’

His head ached. The smell of burning bodies still lingered, a sharp, unpleasant smell in his nose. Remembering the moment when the soldiers were cremated, the words did not come out easily.

However, just as Butler was important to him, he also had to make a decision to save Hector Kingdom.

Edwin Hector said.

“Promise me just one thing.”

“Tell me.”

“If you sense anything strange, run away immediately. I don’t want to lose you. Can you promise me that?”

“I understand.”

Butler rose from his seat. The light seemed to fade. Butler, a huge man, spoke. His eyes were steady, even with everyone watching him.

“Then, I’ll be back.”

The fortress gate creaked open. When Butler walked out, the battlefield became completely silent. It was as if cold water had been thrown over everyone.

Step by step, Butler walked towards Roman. When he was close enough to attack, Butler spoke.

“I’ve met a lot of strange people in my life, but you are the strangest I’ve ever seen. Let me tell you now. I will fight with all my strength. I don’t know what plan you have, but if you are not serious, go back now. If you leave now, I will let you live.”

He drew his sword. Even before he was ready to fight, you could feel a cold, scary feeling coming from him.

Roman smiled calmly.

“I’ll make one promise too. To be honest, big reasons and explanations are not important to me. Ever since I faced you in the mountains, I’ve wanted to have a real fight with you, to see who would win. It wasn’t a good time to fight then, so I had to leave. But now, I’ve made sure we can fight without anyone stopping us.”

He could see the people of Hector Kingdom worrying about his proposal. He understood that it must have been hard to come forward easily after being tricked once.

But really, there is no trap.

“I only have my sword. I have no trap. I just want to fight you. So fight with all your strength. If you beat me here, you will get what you want.”

At that moment, Butler smirked. He thought Roman would be strange, but Roman was even stranger than he thought.

“Crazy bastard.”

No more words were needed. Before anyone could react, they charged at each other.