The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 148

Silence hung heavy in the large hall. Dust danced in the sunlight that came through the high windows, lighting up the serious faces of the nobles around the long wooden table. Roman leaned forward, looking at them all. His voice was calm but clear as he spoke.

“Do you all believe the Cairo Kingdom is heading in the right direction?”

This was their first topic of discussion, a sensitive issue from the very beginning.

The nobles’ faces became serious. Roman, however, didn’t seem to notice or care about their reactions.

“During the Hector Kingdom’s invasion, I was on the southern front. But what worried me most wasn’t the Hector soldiers. It was the enemy within our own kingdom – our own leaders.”

“As soon as the war started, I saw that the enemy wanted to capture the warp gate. I tried to warn the commanders on the southern front, but they wouldn’t listen. Because of this, the southern front quickly fell to the Hector Kingdom in just a few days.”

It was a terrible defeat. Because they were too relaxed and didn’t take the threat seriously, a huge area of land was lost very quickly.

You couldn’t just say it was because Cairo was weak. There was a bigger problem.

Hector wasn’t stronger than Cairo, but they were united. They worked together as one.

“But the problem is bigger than just the commanders. Even after the royal family in Cairo heard about the attack on the southern front, they didn’t act quickly. Because there were four leaders sharing power, it took them a long time to decide what to do. While they were arguing and fighting over small things, the southern front was lost, just like that.”

“And it didn’t get better afterwards. Did the royal family in Cairo send soldiers quickly? No. They sent as few soldiers as possible from the capital and instead gathered soldiers from the southern region to send as help. If my soldiers and I hadn’t changed the situation on the southern front, we might still be fighting the Hector Kingdom right now.”

“…What are you trying to say?” one noble asked. It sounded like Roman was blaming the royal family. The word ‘rebellion’ was in the air, though no one had said it.

“I’m not talking about rebellion,” Roman said quickly. “But we need to use this event to see the truth of our situation.”

‘Rebellion’ was the word the nobles feared. Since Roman said he wasn’t planning that, they felt safer asking more questions.

“Then please get to the point,” another noble said. Roman nodded.

“The Cairo Kingdom is ruled by the capital. This war showed us that the royal family can’t even move soldiers without asking the capital for permission. And even when the southern front was in danger, they chose to use soldiers from the south first. This shows they wanted to protect the power of the capital as much as possible. What does this mean for us? If Cairo gets into another war, the capital will take soldiers from our northeast region. If it’s to save the country, I will fight. But it’s clear they will use our local soldiers as shields, while they gain advantages for themselves. Even if we win, the nobles in the capital will become more powerful, while we, the local nobles, will lose everything.”

Roman thought the royal family was weak and ineffective. He didn’t want to become king himself, but he knew they needed to create a force strong enough to challenge the power of Cairo.

“Cairo is not fair to us. We pay the same taxes as everyone else in the kingdom, but we have different jobs and responsibilities compared to the nobles in the capital. How long will you just accept this unfair situation? After seeing what happened in the war, I believe we need to make a change in the northeast region.”

Finally, Roman was getting to his main point.

“The nobles in the capital have power because they are part of the central government. What if we, the nobles of the northeast, joined together to create our own strong group to protect each other? That is why I asked you all to come here today.”

Immediately, the nobles looked at each other.

They were all nobles from the northeast region, at least officially. But some of them might be spies working for the capital. They couldn’t agree too quickly.

If they said the wrong thing and angered the capital, they could get into serious trouble, like what happened to the Dmitry family – a noble family that had fallen out of favor with the central government.

He understood their reaction.

Even though Cairo was a weak kingdom, the central government was still very powerful.

“It doesn’t matter if there are spies here. Even if there are, once I start to really act, the capital won’t give me much time. That’s why I need to unite the northeast region quickly, and we need to decide fast. If the northeast region joins together and supports Dmitry, the capital can’t act carelessly. Even though it’s the central government, they are divided into different groups. Sending soldiers to fight against the whole northeast region would be difficult for them.”

His own situation was still uncertain. Unless he became a complete enemy, the powerful people in Cairo would keep trying to get Roman on their side.

“Once I control the northeast region, going back to the capital will be the start of my *real* plan.”

He looked at the nobles. They looked very worried. Joining forces sounded good, but it also created a serious problem.

“Okay,” one noble said slowly. “If we join our strengths in the northeast, we can definitely speak up more strongly against the capital. But the problem is, the northeast region is mostly poor land. Some places, like Lawrence, have good land for farming, but most of us don’t. Each region has its own way of making money. Like Dmitry, which is rich because of mining, most families here have their own ways to earn a living. We buy what we need from other places using the money we make. But if we fight the capital, they will probably stop all trade with us.”

This was a real problem. Trade was centered in Cairo, which was directly controlled by the capital.

Being cut off from the capital would cause real problems. The central government had used this control over trade to become powerful.

If they went to war with the capital, they would quickly have problems getting food. They might be okay for a year or two, but eventually, there would be big problems.

Roman said, “The way trade is set up now, it’s all controlled by the capital. Unless we break free from that system, the capital will always control us. We can’t fix everything at once. But if you decide to join me, I have a plan to solve the food problem, at least.”

Roman nodded to someone. Lucas, the head of his information network, stepped forward.

“This is our plan for the future,” Lucas said. With a soft rustle, he unfolded a large map. It showed the northeast region, and as Lucas had said, it was covered in plans and drawings. All eyes turned to Roman, waiting for him to explain.

“The northeast region has more mountains than other areas. Especially behind Dmitry, there’s a huge mountain range that seems to go on forever, almost like the edge of the world. We need to use these mountains to our advantage. Mountains are great for stopping enemies from attacking. We will build strongholds in these mountains to protect our people if there’s danger. And we plan to farm on the mountainsides and grow food, so the northeast region can feed itself in the future.”

A stout noble with a grey beard frowned, leaning forward on the table. “Reclaiming mountains? Roman, with all due respect,” he said, his voice rough, “that’s a task that has broken stronger men than us. Is it truly possible?”

But Roman Dmitry was not like those others.

“Yes, it is possible,” Roman said confidently. He remembered his past life. The Cheonma Church, where he had lived before, had been based in the Sipman Mountains – a huge mountain range that went on for miles and miles.

Before he went to the southern front, Roman had told Lucas to explore the vast mountain range.

“A mountain range like the Sipman Mountains… Could it really be a coincidence?” This new life of his was becoming strangely connected to his past life.

Just like in his past life, where he had worked with iron, he was now born into a family of blacksmiths. And behind his new family’s land was a mountain range that reminded him of the Sipman Mountains.

Was it just luck? Or was it meant to be? He wasn’t sure about this new life yet. But he knew one thing for sure: his past life had given him the knowledge to use this huge mountain range.

“The Cheonma Church had lived in the Sipman Mountains for many generations. They knew how to farm on the flat areas and hillsides. They had built a strong fortress there that could defend against attacks for many years. It’s the same here. If we use the land around us well, the northeast region can find a new way forward.”

Then, Roman said to the nobles, “As you can see in these plans, we have marked out the land we can farm. Some of it is already being cleared. It will take a long time, probably. But if we use this huge mountain range not just as something that blocks us, but as a place to protect ourselves, we can become strong enough to stand up to the capital’s threats.”

“…That’s really amazing.”

A hush fell over the room. Lord Lawrence leaned forward, his eyes wide as Roman’s finger traced lines on the large map spread across the table. Even Baron Conrad, known for his grumpy face, was nodding slowly.

Roman pointed to detailed drawings of walls and towers. Then, he moved to plans showing fields and canals. He wasn’t just showing pretty pictures. He explained exactly how each worker should dig, how each stone should be placed, and how the water would flow. His voice was clear and strong, filling the room with confidence.

Roman pointed to the mountains on the map. “The Endless Mountains are important,” he said. “If we use them for the northeast, Dimitri will become much stronger. Because Dimitri is close to the mountains, we can control them easily. When Dimitri is strong in the northeast, we can stand up to the central government.”

The Northeastern Union.

There was a reason he spared them.

If the Northeastern Union were to collapse, it would require money and manpower to fill the empty space they would leave behind.

It was a waste.

He thought it better to accept their existence and use them as a shield to protect Dimitri.

In the future, for the central government to attack Dimitri, they would have to destroy the forces including the Northeastern Union.

It wouldn’t just be a fight between the central government and Dimitri, but a battle between factions.

The dispute with Count Douglas.

Without hurting the people of the northeast, Roman attacked the northern forces to make them see the truth.

He had to.

If he attacked the Northeastern Union, it would mean that the power of the forces opposing the central government would be weakened later on.

“As time goes on, the Northeastern Union will lose the ability to betray. Separating from the central government means they will have to rely on Dimitri. To survive living close together, they will have no choice but to move as cooperatively as possible. It’s not ideal, but it’s needed. I will allow them to exist, but they will have to pay me for my help.”

A plan that started with sorting out the ranks.

If he knew that fact, Baron Conrad would have been terrified.

The nobles were watching carefully.

At first, they thought it was reckless, but with such a big plan, they thought it was okay to agree.

It was then.

“I will follow the opinion of the Dimitri family. Lawrence is willing to help Dimitri with anything,”

“The Conrad family feels the same way. We will help with anything.”

Lawrence and Conrad.

They stepped forward first.

It was already clear that Dimitri was going to be in charge.

If they had to go with Dimitri, they decided to show they were loyal to Dimitri quickly.

Lawrence was one thing.

Baron Conrad’s judgment was quick.

He had stopped being proud a long time ago, and starting with him, the nobles of the northeastern region promised to be loyal.

Opinions gathered.

The northeastern region.

They hoped that they would become one group with Dimitri as the leader.

Roman said.

“From now on, I will call the alliance of the northeastern region the ‘Dimitri Alliance.’”

Even in a single name, he gave meaning for Dimitri to be in charge.

Finally, the northeast region was now under Dimitri’s control.

Baron Romero tilted his glass.

Opposite him was Knight Commander Jonathan.

“Knight Commander Jonathan, do you think my judgment was wrong?”

This meeting was about dealing with important issues, but Baron Romero wanted Roman Dimitri to proceed, rather than taking the lead himself.

Jonathan drank his wine without saying a word. His blood was boiling, but he couldn’t say it was right in front of his leader.

“Since I became a noble, I had many worries about if I was right to be a noble. As a blacksmith by birth, I just couldn’t adapt to wearing these cumbersome clothes and acting cultured. You know that too, don’t you? What kind of person I am. At first, I thought it would be okay to live like this, but recently, when I look around, I realize how silly I was.”

“Don’t say that.”

Baron Romero laughed.

Romero’s Dimitri was unclear. He had power but couldn’t use it, and Dimitri was ignored by people.

But what about now? Everyone looked up to Dimitri, and they came to Dimitri quickly when Roman said so.

“Dimitri is now moving in the right direction. The people of Dimitri are proud to live in this land, and the nobles of the northeastern region no longer ignore Dimitri as a not important background. So I decided to take a less important role. For the future, it’s better for Roman to handle important things, not me.”

He acknowledged reality.

He was just a blacksmith.

The position of leader did not suit him, and he finally put an end to the endlessly worrying problem of who will take over.

‘I feel sorry for Rodwell, who has worked hard, but no one can replace Dimitri’s eldest son.’

It doesn’t mean he’s giving up his title now.

However, he stepped back. At least, he was going to let Roman handle everything outside Dimitri for the time being, so that he could completely take control.

He drank wine.

Feeling the wine, Baron Romero couldn’t hide his excitement.

“It’s really good.”

That day, a big change happened inside Dimitri.

The power change. Not only Baron Romero’s determination, but also the nobles who attended the meeting saw Roman as the most important person in the Dimitri family.

Dimitri Alliance.

What happened that day was not known to the capital.

As Roman expected, there were spies from the central government, but Roman was so strong and confident that they were convinced and came to the conclusion that they would join the Dimitri Alliance.

To be exact, the fight with Count Douglas had a considerable impact.

People are more afraid of danger that is close to them than danger far away, and Roman’s plan certainly made sense.

So, while Dimitri was going through a time of big changes, someone was looking for Dimitri.

“…Is this Dimitri, the famous place for blacksmiths?”

A middle-aged man with a handsome sword hung around his waist.

Marquis Valentino had arrived in Dimitri, looking for someone named Blaze.