The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 191

While a fierce battle raged, the royal palace in Cairo was very quiet.

“Cairo’s future depends on what I decide.”

Daniel Cairo.

Even after telling Roman Dimitri to attack, he kept wondering if he had made the right choice.

He knew it was the right thing to do for his kingdom.

But depending on whether they won or lost, Cairo could face great reward or terrible disaster.

If they won…

“One victory could change everything for Cairo. People would be proud they stood up to Chronos. We can fix our kingdom’s problems and deal with the rebels. Winning would give us a chance to stop being seen as a weak country, even if we still have trouble with the Chronos Empire.”

The problem was…

Failure.

Losing the battle wasn’t just about losing soldiers. They could lose much more.

“This battle is huge, using all the soldiers in the West. If we lose outside the castle, the Chronos Empire will take the chance to crush the West. If we lose important places, Chronos might attack Cairo directly, even if they are fighting other kingdoms. They already have an excuse to attack us from the last battle. Even if they got involved in our rebellion first, we are too weak to stop them.”

That would be the worst thing that could happen.

The civil war already made Cairo weak. Losing this battle would cause damage that could never be fixed.

Yes, it was. This was a terrible situation.

If only he knew what to do…

No, even if only his own life was at risk…

He wouldn’t be so worried.

“Because of my decision, Cairo is on a dangerous path. Even if I did it for the kingdom, history will blame me if we lose. Many people will die. We’ve given the Empire, who always wants to use Cairo to take over the continent, a perfect reason to attack.”

People were right about him.

He was…

Not the right king for these troubled times.

Looking at him now, alone and worried in the quiet palace, he was nothing like the strong, confident king people wanted.

He didn’t want to blame his young age. Roman Dimitri was fighting the Chronos Empire at the front, and he was also young, in his twenties.

He just wasn’t good enough.

Cairo had a king who was only fit to rule a weak country. Even if his decision was right, he couldn’t be sure it was the best thing to do.

He was still worried.

Being king…

Even one word from him could have huge consequences.

Because he knew he wasn’t strong enough, he tried to trust people who could help him.

It was then.

Tap tap tap.

From afar.

A hurried footstep was heard.

Someone was running down the hallway towards Daniel Cairo.

Soon.

The door burst open.

When he saw Simon’s face.

“Ah, thank God!”

Daniel Cairo’s face lit up, and he clenched his fist.

* * *

It was a huge win!

Count Vandenberg’s happy face appeared on the screen. He couldn’t hide his excitement.

“[Your Majesty! Cairo won! We fought a battle in the West. Count Fabio, the Chronos commander, is dead, and we captured all their soldiers!]”

In Cairo, the leaders who had quickly gathered cheered loudly.

They had been so worried. This news from the West was like finding water in a desert.

Daniel Cairo asked.

“What is the extent of our damage?”

They had survived a dangerous moment.

But the problems weren’t over.

They still needed to fix things inside the kingdom and get ready for how Chronos would react.

Most importantly, they needed to know if Roman Dimitri was safe.

“[We lost almost no one! It’s all because of Roman Dimitri. He confused the enemy with a surprise attack. While they were confused, Roman Dimitri defeated Count Fabio. That made the enemy surrender quickly. And he also defeated Gustavo, the leader of the Chronos Knights!]”

It was an amazing victory.

Even when he ordered the attack, Daniel Cairo wasn’t sure they could beat the Chronos Empire outside the castle.

Cairo was so used to losing.

Victory was rare for Cairo. They usually felt lucky just to survive against the Empire’s strong army.

But this time…

They won with almost no losses!

Daniel Cairo couldn’t help but smile.

He wanted to cheer with everyone else, even if he was the king. But he knew he had to remember something important.

“The war isn’t finished yet. Talking to other countries is also part of war. If we don’t talk to the Chronos Empire carefully, we could still have problems, even though we won this battle.”

“We don’t know how the Chronos Empire will react to this. First, make sure the prisoners are safe. Then, we need to get ready to talk to Chronos. Our main goal is clear: we need to end this peacefully if we can. We don’t want to make things worse by arguing too much. Also, remember our civil war isn’t over. Marquis Benedict’s group is gone, but we still need to deal with their followers and nobles who like the Empire.”

“[I understand.]”

The screen darkened.

Daniel Cairo took a deep breath. He knew he couldn’t relax yet, but he still felt relieved.

* * *

The Western plains.

In this empty land, a fire burned brightly.

*Whoosh.*

*Fwoosh.*

Count Vandenberg said the war had little damage. But that’s just compared to other wars. It didn’t mean that very few people died.

Hundreds of people had died in this battle.

Some cruel leaders wouldn’t even bury the dead because things were still messy. But Roman Dimitri stayed until every body was burned to ashes.

Roman knew death well. He had seen it many times before. But even though he was used to it, he never wanted to think of it as normal.

He had seen death many times in his life. Even though it happened often, he tried hard never to think of it as just normal. He never wanted to forget that each death was important.

These people had risked everything for him. He knew it was their choice to fight, but he also knew something important. A leader loses the trust of his people if he forgets their sacrifices. He must never take their bravery for granted.

Roman understood sacrifice. He remembered times in his own past when he had been forced to give up things he valued. He knew how much it hurt.

He watched the flames rise high, orange and red against the sky. The fire crackled loudly, and smoke filled the air. He stood there, quietly thinking of each person lost, paying his respects in his heart.

He turned to Chris and said, “Make sure everything here is cleaned up properly. We must respect this place.”

Chris nodded. “Understood, sir.”

As the last flames died down, the funeral was over. The soldiers began to quietly move to do their tasks.

Roman told Chris to take care of the cleanup. Then, he went back to the castle right away. He needed to see how badly the soldiers were hurt.

The hall inside the castle was huge and filled with wounded soldiers. Everywhere he looked, men were lying on makeshift beds. Groans of pain filled the air as they called for healers. Healers seemed to be everywhere, rushing from patient to patient, checking their injuries.

Before the battle, Roman had thought ahead. He had contacted Count Fabius and asked him to send healers from the capital city to the west.

Roman had promised to pay for everything. Count Fabius knew Roman always kept his word and was good at getting things done. So, he sent many, many healers – more than anyone expected.

The healers worked tirelessly, focused only on helping the wounded. They didn’t just give simple bandages. For the worst injuries, they carefully poured out thick, colorful potions that smelled of herbs and magic. These potions were very costly, but Roman had ordered them to use whatever was needed.

Other soldiers watched all of this happening. They knew it was Roman Dmitri who had made it possible. Looking around at the healers and the potions, they felt real respect and awe for their leader.

One soldier whispered, “Amazing… look at all this.”

Another replied, “Using potions like that for us common soldiers? Unbelievable.”

A third nodded, “Even if Lord Dmitri is rich, this is still his kindness. He really cares about us.”

This war…

The way people looked at Roman Dmitri had changed.

His overwhelming martial prowess inspired awe, and the way he took care of the soldiers after the war was something they couldn’t help but genuinely acknowledge.

In fact, at first, he hadn’t really understood the Dmitri soldiers’ blind loyalty.

He had thought they were foolish creatures, ready to jump into a fiery pit at Roman Dmitri’s command, but seeing their treatment with his own eyes, he realized the source of their trust.

Roman Dmitri…

He was never negligent towards his people.

He ensured they were satisfied with the present, giving them treatment they had never received anywhere else.

He had heard that if they died or became disabled in the war, he would send appropriate compensation to their families.

Following Roman Dmitri was not an easy task.

As befitting his fame across the continent, he was destined to always seek out dangerous places, but even so, he was a being worth pledging loyalty to.

Just as the treatment was nearing its end.

Someone addressed Roman Dmitri.

“Could you spare some time?”

It was the head of the Western staff, Baron Noel.

Think of the staff as the brain of an army. They are not the soldiers fighting on the front lines. Instead, they are the planners. They make the strategies and guide the army, like moving pieces on a game board, to win the battle.

This time was no different.

Though he was somewhat rigid, he presented a stable direction.

Having experienced numerous battles while serving on the Western Front, the pain he had suffered thus far did not allow Roman Dmitri’s operation in his mind, until the very end.

Baron Noel showed doubt about the operation.

Considering the strength of Chronos and Cairo, he could not guarantee victory in a battle outside the castle.

And yet…

It was a great victory.

Seeing them open the castle gates and return home in glory, Baron Noel finally faced his reality.

‘I have fallen behind.’

Flora Lawrence.

She insisted on trusting Roman Dmitri until the end.

Apart from the fact that she had already formed a relationship in the northeast, she was someone who knew how to grasp the trend and accept it.

The decision to open the castle gates, the proposal to trust Roman Dmitri and protect the forces in the rear as much as possible.

Such open-minded thinking ultimately created the most positive results.

His vision cleared.

Now was not the time to cling to advancing into the capital, but rather to develop as someone suitable for the Western Front.

To solidify his resolve, Baron Noel sought out Roman Dmitri.

Moving to a secluded place, he spoke sincerely.

“…I apologize for having viewed Roman Dmitri’s judgments negatively. I didn’t really believe it. Born in the country of Cairo, the reality I faced as a staff member of a weak country did not allow for judgments like today. I thought I had gained some experience on the Western Front, but that was just a narrow-minded thought. So, I wanted to offer my apology and express my gratitude. Thanks to you, the Western Front, the Kingdom of Cairo, could be safe.”

Baron Noel was a decent person.

The world he had experienced had forced negative choices, but he was the kind of being suitable for the Western Front.

Cairo, the country called a weak nation, was sustained by figures like Baron Noel.

For whatever reason, there were beings who shed blood and sweat on the front lines, and because they existed, Cairo maintained its existence despite foreign invasions.

Roman said.

“No. Blind trust on the battlefield is a fatal poison. It is not about blindly following my choices, but opposing opinions are also necessary. Only then can we reach a more ideal conclusion. Baron Noel has only done what he had to do, and we eventually won the war.”

“Thank you for saying that. By the way, what are you planning to do in the future? Now that we have secured Chronos’ prisoners, we have an advantage at the negotiating table.”

He changed the subject.

There was homework left to do.

The war would truly end only if the negotiations with Chronos were concluded well, and the entire leadership thought about this optimistically.

However… Roman’s thoughts were different.

“The situation is not as hopeful as you think.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

Based on past precedents, Roman Dmitri asserted Chronos’ choice.

“Even though we have secured many prisoners, the Chronos Empire will never allow negotiations.”