The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 146

Count Douglas was worried.

Roman Dmitry being involved was a problem. But Count Douglas could not quickly pick one of the choices Roman offered.

‘Damn it. Dmitry is participating.’

He felt very scared.

With Dmitry’s participation, victory for the North could no longer be guaranteed.

‘Having declared war, there’s no turning back. So, as Roman Dmitry says, I must choose between a melee and a duel of great warriors. Which of the two is the better choice for the North’s victory?’

A duel of great warriors?

Absolutely impossible.

Roman Dmitry had defeated Butler, who was ranked on the continent, in the war with Hector.

Almost no one in Cairo Kingdom could beat him, except maybe the Royal Knights Commander. And the other swordsmen were also very strong.

Count Douglas had heard rumors that Roman had recently held a tournament.

He sent out six of his subordinates, and they all overwhelmingly won.

Three battles.

With Roman’s victory certain, he couldn’t guarantee victory in the remaining two matches either.

Especially the presence of Chris, who was as famous as Roman, did not allow for the possibility of a duel of great warriors.

‘It’s a guaranteed defeat. If I choose that, all these soldiers will have come for nothing, and we will be defeated. The problem is, I can’t choose a melee either. The North’s forces would sufficiently overwhelm the Northeast Alliance’s power, but Roman Dmitry’s participation is a completely different matter.’

The war with Hector.

The rumors from the capital had stirred up the entire Cairo Kingdom.

Roman Dmitry had slaughtered hundreds of enemies when he was isolated in the South, and he had single-handedly opened the castle gates in the process of capturing the rear base.

That was no human feat.

People often make stories bigger in war, but Count Douglas thought the rumors about Roman were likely true.

It was certain.

The hero of the Southern Front was Roman Dmitry.

With such a monster holding out, he didn’t know what would happen if he engaged in a melee.

‘How am I supposed to handle this?’

The beast of the North.

Roman does not think about what happens after.

Even Count Douglas, who usually acts without thinking, was now unsure because of Roman Dmitry’s reputation.

He was caught in a dilemma.

Just the participation of the Dmitry family in the Northeast Alliance had completely messed up the situation.

The lords of the North were no different.

Normally, they would have been the first to encourage a choice, but now they were just watching Count Douglas’s every move, unable to say what to do.

Because of all the talk about Roman Dmitry throughout Cairo, they didn’t want to become sacrifices to his heroic achievements.

The air became heavy with silence. No one spoke, and you could hear the wind outside the tent.

Then.

“May I make a suggestion?”

Roman broke the silence.

Roman knew the opponent’s concerns.

If he offered a compromise that moderately saved their face, they might reluctantly back down.

However.

‘I don’t want peace.’

The Douglas family and the lords of the North.

They were good prey.

They were enemies from the North who were a danger to the Northeast Alliance. Roman would be the one to defeat these enemies.

This incident.

After much deliberation, the Northeast Alliance had taken Dmitry’s hand.

It’s better to say they worked with Dmitry because he seemed like a good enemy to work with to solve their problem, not because they truly followed him.

So, what process was needed to complete the final plan?

Now that the Northeast Alliance was working with Dmitry, Roman needed to show them how good it was to be on his side.

As their opponent.

The Douglas family was chosen.

The moment they couldn’t contain their anger and set foot in the Northeast, they were caught in an inescapable trap.

Roman said.

“The suggestion is simple. We proceed with the duel of great warriors, but how about I face three swordsmen at the same time?”

Instantly.

Everyone looked taken aback.

They acknowledged that Roman was strong, but they never expected him to make such an absurd proposal.

‘It will be hard to refuse this offer.’

He had set a trap.

Too tempting of an offer.

Rather than just having a melee or a duel of great warriors, a 3-on-1 handicap match seemed advantageous no matter how they looked at it.

Moreover, Count Douglas had twin swordsmen under his command who had made a name for themselves in the North.

The older and younger brothers were at the 3-star and 2-star level respectively, and their perfect teamwork had earned them recognition by defeating many strong opponents.

Roman made the statement that he would face three people, knowing that fact.

It was intentional.

He made a plan that would look good to his enemy. Then, he waited quietly for their answer.

Count Douglas.

He would be very, very angry inside.

How could someone who had lived his life indulging his temper have ever been treated like this?

Yet, he didn’t open his mouth.

The fact that Roman had defeated Butler presented an unbearable fear to be faced in a duel of great warriors.

To him.

“If you’re still hesitant, you can increase the number to five. I hope to finish this war as cleanly as possible.”

Roman did this on purpose. He said something arrogant to make Count Douglas even angrier.

They took some time.

Count Douglas moved away with the lords of the North and said with an expression that could not hide his anger.

“Let’s accept the offer.”

Roman’s intention?

He knew.

The fact that he was provoking him to bring out a duel of great warriors.

He tried to suppress his emotions as much as possible, but the moment he mentioned five people, he couldn’t make a rational decision.

“I know very well that Roman Dmitry is strong. He defeated Homerus and even won against Butler, so his strength is practically proven. But it is five people against one. Even if Roman is very strong, he can only fight so many people at once. If we send out the strong from each family, surely we can defeat just one Roman, can’t we?”

“…Still, it’s too dangerous. The fact that he defeated Butler means he has the potential of a 5-star.”

“Do you think I don’t know that? But there’s no other way, is there? Whether we have a duel of great warriors or a melee, we have to face that monster. So, I think the only way to increase our chances of winning even a little is to face the enemy in the most advantageous situation possible. I have not told anyone this before, but my twin swordsmen once beat a 4-star swordsman by fighting together. It’s true the 4-star swordsman was new to that level, but it still shows how well the twins fight together.”

“Is that true?”

Everyone was shaken.

People were talking about a rumor. It said Roman Dmitry defeated a very strong swordsman, one with four stars. If this rumor was true, then maybe they could actually win.

Count Douglas spoke, his voice strong. “I am sending the twin swordsmen to fight in the Grand Swordsman Battle. I would not do this if I didn’t believe the rumor was true. I need just three of you to agree with me. Roman Dmitry is said to be very strong. But remember, he is still young, only in his twenties. Young people with power often become too confident. He has made a foolish choice to show off, making things hard for himself. This is our opportunity! While he is acting without thinking, we can stop Roman Dmitry here and take control of the northeast.”

His eyes were bloodshot.

Count Douglas didn’t care if his plan was right or wrong. It didn’t matter anymore. Roman had gone too far. Count Douglas felt angry and restless. He had to strike back, or he would not find peace.

Finally,

“I agree,” said one noble. “I will support the Count.”

Another nodded. “I also believe Roman Dmitry is too proud. He may be strong, but to fight five of us? It is foolish.”

More and more nobles spoke, agreeing with Count Douglas. They were all sure. Roman Dmitry would soon learn how wrong he was to be so arrogant.

A noble from the central government, sent to watch, stepped forward. He was there to make sure the rules were followed. The rules were simple: Count Douglas and the northern lords would send five swordsmen. Roman Dmitry would fight them all alone. This was the agreement for the duel.

One of the five swordsmen tried to sound brave. “Hah,” he said, trying to hide his nervousness. “Don’t worry, everyone. Roman Dmitry is just a man, like us.”

The five swordsmen, chosen to represent the North, walked forward. They were strong men, armed with swords and wearing serious faces. Roman was already there, waiting in the middle of the plain. When their eyes met his, the swordsmen could not hide their fear. They looked tense and worried.

Roman Dmitry. His name was famous. For the swordsmen of Cairo, he was almost like a legend. So, facing him in person was terrifying. It was like facing a monster from stories.

However, they believed they had a chance.

Before the duel began, Benton, the elder of the twin swordsmen, told them the plan, and it was truly a strategy specialized for one-versus-many.

Benton explained the plan. “Listen carefully, everyone. As soon as the fight starts, Bentel and I will run to each side. We will attack Roman Dmitry from his left and right, where he cannot see us easily. By attacking from two sides at once, we will make it hard for him to defend. This is how we will start. While we keep him busy, the rest of you attack him from different directions. This will push him back and make him weak from the beginning.”

“After that, we will have the advantage. If Roman tries to attack, someone else should attack him from the other side. This will stop him from attacking properly. We are more of them than him. If we use our numbers well, we can beat anyone, even Roman Dmitry.”

It was Bentel, the younger brother, one of the twin swordsmen. Hearing their plan, the other swordsmen felt more confident.

“Everyone, to your positions.”

Finally, the moment arrived. They faced each other. Benton and Bentel focused their inner power, and a faint glow started to surround their swords.

‘The fight is in our favor.’

‘The opponent made an arrogant choice. If we win here, we can gain the reputation of defeating Roman Dmitry.’

It was a golden opportunity. They were confident they could beat a monster they couldn’t defeat through normal means.

One of the swordsmen felt his mouth go dry. He held his sword very tightly, waiting for the signal to begin the duel.

Then.

Flap.

The signal dropped.

Benton and Bentel. They immediately kicked off the ground.

Rumble!

The aura exploded. With the explosive force from their legs, they split to the sides as planned, aiming for Roman’s blind spots.

Neither too fast nor too slow. As identical as their appearances, they attacked Roman at the exact same time.

The three swordsmen who followed thought that their attacks would work with this timing.

But.

Flash!

“……!”

Splurt.

Blood splattered.

No one even saw what happened. The two twin swordsmen who attacked together… suddenly, blood poured from their mouths. Their chests were ripped open, their own swords broken and sticking out. They fell to the ground, their eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

Plop.

It was over.

They couldn’t raise their heads again.

Everything happened so fast, it was hard to understand. The other three swordsmen, who were running forward, stopped suddenly. They froze in their tracks.

“This is insane.”

“To kill the twin swordsmen in one blow!”

They were completely stunned. They stared at what had just happened. They swallowed hard, fear rising in their throats.

Roman ignored the other swordsmen. He looked around at everyone and spoke calmly. “When Count Douglas said he wanted war, I started to wonder. What were they thinking when they came into our land, the northeast? When the Barco family was in power, they always tried to talk things out. Why didn’t Count Douglas even try to speak with us?”

Drip, drip. Blood dripped from the sword. In the wide plain. Only Roman’s voice echoed.

“In the end, it’s a simple problem. They didn’t care about the existence of the Dmitry family at all. If that weren’t the case, there would be no reason for the lords of the North, including Count Douglas, to make such a choice. And that fact is very unsettling to me.”

Roman’s eyes, which had been looking around at everyone, suddenly stopped. He looked directly at one person: Count Douglas.

Looking at Count Douglas’s face, which was completely shocked, Roman spoke in a calm voice. “I will give you one chance to stop this Grand Swordsman Battle, right now. This fight, which was supposed to be a war watched by the central government, ended too quickly, didn’t it? So, how about we have another fight? A special kind of battle, a big brawl with many people?”

Roman finished speaking. Even though his voice was calm, Count Douglas’s eyes opened even wider at this strange offer.