The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 179

The screen flickered to life, showing the face of Roman Dmitry. Daniel Cairo leaned closer, his heart heavy with worry.

As soon as the communication connected, Daniel Cairo quickly explained the situation.

“Marquis Benedict’s faction has joined the Chronos Empire. The western front has collapsed to the second line of defense, and soon the third will fall. You know what that means. If the Chronos Empire invades, the chaos in Cairo will get even worse because of the civil war. What should we do? Stopping Benedict’s faction is important, but we can’t ignore the Chronos Empire army.”

Cairo’s western region was in danger.

If they spent too much time on the civil war, there was no telling what the Chronos Empire might do.

“[If we don’t end the civil war quickly, it will cause more problems later. Marquis Benedict knows this and has brought in the Chronos Empire. If we retreat now, we’ll be doing exactly what he wants.]”

“I know that, believe me. But Marquis Benedict has abandoned Cairo. He may not care what happens to the kingdom, but I can’t make the same choice as the King of Cairo. They’ll try to make the war last as long as possible by bringing in Chronos. And as time passes, the terror from the west will spread throughout Cairo.”

It was a difficult situation.

The king and the nobles had different goals.

If he decided to abandon the people, the royal family would lose its purpose.

“Marquis Benedict wants me to surrender. He said if I gave up the people involved in this purge, my life and throne would be safe. I refused. Not because I want to keep my power, but because if Cairo becomes a vassal state of the Empire, the people will suffer. So, I ask you, what is most important for the people now? The lives of those in the west are important, but should we tell them to suffer until the civil war is over? Or should we end the civil war as quickly as possible and fight off the Chronos Empire?”

The nobles had already been defeated once.

If they were satisfied with this and turned their attention to Chronos, they could protect the people.

Of course, Marquis Benedict would still cause trouble in the future.

Even if it wasn’t as bad as before, he would still try to betray the country whenever he could.

However, from the moment Daniel Cairo rejected Marquis Benedict’s offer, he didn’t think it was important to completely end the civil war and restore the royal family’s power.

It wasn’t just about the kingdom’s future for him. He had to choose between helping Roman Dmitry and helping his people, and he chose his people.

That was Daniel Cairo.

Even as a figurehead, he wanted to choose the best path for the kingdom with the limited options he had.

“[I understand what you mean.]”

Roman’s response was indifferent.

He didn’t agree. He simply understood. Roman Dmitry was a man who had to see things through to the end once he started.

“[Your Majesty, from the moment we decided on the purge, we knew the Chronos Empire might attack. Whether it’s because of Count Gregory or Marquis Benedict doesn’t matter. Chronos is underestimating us. They are being too bold to attack with only the forces on the western front, without even using their main army. What if we leave enemies inside who are helping them? You may think you’re only taking one step back now, but later, it will take many sacrifices to move forward again.]”

If he had been born in a peaceful time, Daniel Cairo might have been a good king.

But in this chaotic world, he still didn’t understand how cruel things really were.

“[The third line of defense on the western front has a lot of troops, unlike the previous two. And Chronos clearly hasn’t used its full power in this attack. Trust Cairo’s commanders. If they can buy enough time… ]”

A king who still dreamed of a better world.

Roman Dmitry didn’t think it was all bad. He was tired of reality, so he hoped that even a king would care about his people.

“[I will defeat all of Marquis Benedict’s faction within three days, and then go to the western front to stop the Chronos Empire.]”

Roman’s statement left Daniel Cairo speechless.

He thought he couldn’t have both, but Roman Dmitry said he would do both.

It was certain that Roman Dmitry would keep his word.

“I understand. You must punish the traitors within three days.”

It was the best choice the Cairo royal family could make.

The nobles’ last struggle was expected.

Marquis Benedict’s choice to bring in the Chronos Empire was something they had planned for.

‘We’ve been slowly cornering the nobles for the past week. If we stopped halfway, the civil war would only last longer. So, we cut off the enemy’s forces one by one, forcing them to fight to the end.’

On the first day of the siege, Roman Dmitry attacked immediately.

But instead of attacking right away, he rested his troops and chose a long-range attack.

Why?

To reduce damage?

No.

Roman Dmitry moved his troops at night.

He blocked the escape routes from Benedict Castle and waited until the castle’s magic defenses were weak.

He waited to make sure of victory. He took his time.

When the enemy’s walls were weak, he surrounded the main walls so that no one could escape.

A week of waiting was an investment for a perfect victory.

The fact that the enemies still thought they could win was the day Roman Dmitry had been planning for.

The massive attack on Benedict Castle would begin as planned tomorrow.

But that evening, an unexpected person visited Roman Dmitry.

“Commander, please put me at the front,”

said a booming voice.

It was Count Fabius.

Count Fabius betrayed the nobles and joined the royal army.

However, he couldn’t just sit still since he wasn’t being invited to important meetings.

‘I’ve heard that Roman Dmitry always rewards and punishes people fairly. If I do great things for him, he won’t ignore me.’

After a week, Roman Dmitry finally announced a massive attack.

Hearing this, Count Fabius waited for a chance and visited Roman Dmitry.

Then, in a loud voice, he said:

“Commander, please put me at the front.”

The front was a dangerous place.

Even though he knew his life was in danger, Count Fabius looked at Roman Dmitry with steady eyes.

They started as betrayers.

To quickly improve their relationship, he needed to show complete loyalty, even if it meant risking his life.

“I was a member of the nobles’ faction, but I thought their goals were wrong, so I refused their orders and chose to follow Roman Dmitry. Please give me a chance to prove my loyalty. Even if I die, I will bring honor to Roman Dmitry’s name at the front.”

His voice was sincere.

For a moment, Roman smirked.

He was an interesting man.

He was like someone who always chooses the winning side, but Roman didn’t think he was all that bad.

‘Gwoema, who was a strange man and one of Baek Jung-hyuk’s most important followers, was like that.’

Gwoema was a unique old man.

If Crazy Demon was extremely loyal to Baek Jung-hyuk, and Blood Demon wanted to become stronger, then Gwoema changed his master three times while Baek Jung-hyuk was rising to the top.

Normally, he would have been killed, but he survived and stayed with Baek Jung-hyuk, the ultimate winner.

Baek Jung-hyuk wanted a mutually beneficial relationship.

When Gwoema left his third master and came to him, he gladly accepted the oath of loyalty from the turncoat.

“You don’t need to fake a smile. Prove your worth with your ability. If you prove you’re useful to me, I won’t care what you’re thinking.”

Betrayal was an option for anyone.

Baek Jung-hyuk believed in his own ability.

Instead of demanding blind loyalty, he used his power to control people so they couldn’t betray him.

Gwoema was the same.

If he betrayed him after seeing his power, he would pay the price, but Baek Jung-hyuk didn’t think he would betray him easily like others.

As a result, Gwoema became one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

He led countless victories by commanding the battlefield without Baek Jung-hyuk, and good people feared him.

And until the day Baek Jung-hyuk died, Gwoema did not betray him.

Count Fabius.

He was a traitor from the noble faction.

Usually, people in his position would be careful and watch their backs. But Fabius was brave and bowed his head.

His judgment was correct.

Roman Dmitry had shown he was fair before. He had accepted Count Conrad, even though Conrad had a troubled past.

“It’s a dangerous task. Can you still do it?” Roman asked.

“I can do it!” Fabius replied. “This Fabius will dedicate his life to serving you!”

His expression brightened.

Count Fabius bowed his head deeply.

Fabius knew he was less important than Roman. But he didn’t care. He saw this as his chance to become powerful.

“I understand,” Roman said. “Fabius, you will be at the forefront of this war.”

This was his big chance, and he knew it.

Dawn broke.

The noble faction seemed the same as always. They acted even more proud, knowing they had the Chronos Empire behind them.

It was then.

Thud, thud.

A figure walked towards the fortress walls.

A man with his robe pulled low, hiding his face.

Something was different about this person. The soldiers on the walls looked at him, confused.

Thud.

He stopped walking.

The man looked up at the fortress walls.

‘It’s time to repay my lord’s faith,’ Felix thought.

For the past week, Felix had not used magic even once.

He only told the wizards how to power the Flares, saving his own strength. He knew everything depended on him.

From the start, he knew when he would use his power.

When the wizards had weakened the magic defense enough, and when all preparations were complete, Felix would end this war.

Whoosh.

The wind blew.

As Felix raised his mana, flames sparked to life around him.

“Summon Salamander,” he said.

Whoosh, whoosh.

Flames rose higher and higher.

They twisted together, becoming a creature made of fire. It looked like a monster, formed from pure flame.

This was a special kind of magic.

It was Phoenix’s secret technique.

“Burning.”

Flash.

Whoosh!

The circle opened.

Felix took in the Salamander’s power.

His entire body blazed with flames, and even his hair turned bright red. Felix’s master had always said that being able to accept fire was important.

If someone who couldn’t do that used Burning, they wouldn’t survive the Salamander’s fire.

“What is this?” someone shouted.

“Look at that!”

The soldiers on the fortress walls were in chaos.

They couldn’t understand what they were seeing. They were speechless as they watched the man burning in flames.

At that moment, Felix shouted,

“Fire Rain.”

Rumble.

He broke the circle’s limits.

Felix, who was only at the 5th Circle, used the Salamander’s power to reach the 6th Circle.

Flash.

Whoosh!

Flames fell from the sky.

At first, small sparks fell. Then, the sky seemed to darken as huge flames, as big as fists, rained down like mad.

Wham!

Rumble!

“Ack!”

“Raise your shields!”

It was the beginning of a massacre.

The soldiers were so stunned by the falling flames, they just watched, unable to move. Then, the fire crashed down on them. Hot flames burned them instantly. Screams filled the air.

Soldiers ran, trying to escape the fire rain, but it was everywhere. There was nowhere to hide.

The magic defenses on the fortress walls couldn’t block everything.

When the Flares attacked at the same time, they were too powerful for the magic defenses to handle.

Pop! Pop!

Rumble!

Flares and 6th Circle magic.

It was truly a disaster.

People said Phoenix was the best at firepower.

But, because only a few wizards could accept fire, they had never had more than two wizards who could use Burning.

That was why Phoenix was considered the weakest of the 13 magic towers.

Felix, the new tower lord, had used the Flame God Technique to perform Burning.

Rumble.

It was like a fire storm.

One wizard and the Flares fired from five devices caused this.

The Benedict fortress walls, once called unbeatable, were now in flames. Soldiers turned black and fell one by one.

Roman had waited a week for the right moment.

He wanted Felix to use his full power.

After weakening the magic defense with the Flares, he ended it today.

In the end.

Rumble.

“The fortress walls have collapsed!” someone shouted.

The magic defense was gone.

They put mana stones into it, but it couldn’t handle the damage and 6th Circle magic.

A hole was blown open.

From now on, the Benedict fortress walls were no longer unbeatable.

As if welcoming the enemies, someone from the royal army ran through the hole.

“Soldiers! Follow me!”

It was Count Fabius.

He didn’t just give orders from behind. He rode his horse to the front lines.

“Risk your lives and punish the terrible traitors!” he cried.

“Waaaaaah!”

His cry started the attack.

Soldiers rushed in at the same time.

The battlefield was on fire.

This all happened in just one day out of the three days that Roman had promised.