The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 289

Flap.

He flipped through the documents.

Jonathan read the documents filled with people praising themselves. He looked confused.

Jonathan leaned back in his chair, the document rustling in his hand. “So, let me get this straight,” he said, looking at the receptionist. “You’re telling me a swordsman this skilled applied to be just a regular soldier? Not even asking to be a knight?”

The receptionist leaned forward, speaking louder. “Exactly, Sir Jonathan! We knew the last recruitment was good, but this… this is something else. I never thought people like *this* would come running just for a soldier’s job. Even though we pay well, it’s nothing compared to what a noble family would offer, right?”

Jonathan nodded slowly, thinking. *He’s right.* It was a very good point.

Even though Dimitri paid higher wages than other families, this recruitment was strictly for the purpose of enlisting soldiers.

However, the documents showed that people with completely unrelated purposes had put their names down.

[Fabir]

-Age 39. Active as a member of the ‘Knights’ in the prestigious Umberto family, and currently able to manifest a 3-star aura. I have been entrusted with many tasks supported by etiquette and skills, such as guarding nobles. The fact that I held the position of Vice Knight Commander just before leaving the Knights, I believe, proves my leadership ability. Wars experienced include… etc. When the Dimitri family recently declared war on the Chronos Empire, I voluntarily expressed my intention to participate in the war.

He was one of the men talking at the inn.

Fabir explained in detail who he was, his strengths, and his career to pass the document screening.

This was almost a guaranteed acceptance. It would be crazy to refuse someone this skilled who wanted to be a soldier.

The problem was…

[Deputy Commander of a Large Mercenary Group]

[Elite Mercenary]

[Knight]

[Aura Swordsman]

Besides Fabir…

There were various impressive resumes.

It was a moment that felt like a world away.

When Knight Commander Jonathan swore allegiance to Dimitri, his colleagues had questioned why he was going to Dimitri at all, such was Dimitri’s poor reputation.

But now, the situation was completely reversed.

The resumes of those who expressed their intention to participate through documents alone proved the changed status, and above all, he was constantly flooded with requests from old colleagues.

“My son has awakened his aura this time… Could you get him into the Dimitri Knights?”

“Jonathan! Long time no see! How are things? Everything good with you?” (Pause for Jonathan to reply) “Listen, actually, I was wondering… is there a place for me in the Dimitri Knights?”

“To be blunt. Considering our old friendship, please take me with you.”

Their calls…

People who initially asked how he was doing always ended the conversation by asking to be accepted into Dimitri.

It wasn’t that the people contacting him lacked impressive resumes.

These skilled swordsmen, called ‘aura swordsmen,’ really wanted to join Dimitri. This was because Dimitri paid well and there were recent rumors about them.

‘Chris and Kevin defeated aura swordsmen stronger than themselves in the war with Chronos. At that time, rumors spread that Dimitri used a special technique, and the interest of aura swordsmen towards Dimitri exploded. Perhaps they possess a technique that surpasses even Alexandr. The people who support Dimitri don’t care about the money they receive.’

It was understandable.

As one who had been taught it, Dimitri’s swordsmanship was worth this much attention.

He continued to flip through the documents.

He checked the basic information, and then Knight Commander Jonathan showed a surprised reaction.

“…Why is this person here?”

Inside the document…

[Fred]

-From the Chronos Empire, former Knight Commander of the Memphis family.

A single line of experience.

The person who surprised Knight Commander Jonathan was none other than Robben, who had garnered attention in Adelian.

News of Dimitri’s successful recruitment was spreading quickly, even reaching the ears of Marquis Memphis in the Chronos Empire.

It was a hectic day.

Marquis Memphis, who had been dealing with the flood of work since the end of the war, frowned at the news related to Dimitri.

“Foolish fellows. Just because they won once, they’re all flocking to Dimitri.”

Recently…

The Dimitri family’s recruitment of soldiers was a hot topic.

It wasn’t just causing a sensation within Dimitri, but a commotion broke out as people from various countries expressed their intention to take the test.

The nobles were on fire to protect their family’s swordsmen.

People who usually struggled to give even 1 silver more were now voluntarily offering 1 gold more, trying to somehow hold onto their swordsmen’s hearts.

It was absurd.

In the Memphis family, such a thing could never happen.

“How can people be so foolish? The demise of Odelia was not due to the Chronos Empire’s change of heart and betrayal, but because Odelia tried to parasitize despite being useless. Those who have the ability and can do things for the empire will always remain victors, as the history of the continent proves.”

His perspective was different.

People said that they could no longer trust Chronos because of Odelia’s demise, but he thought that Odelia, which only brought the ‘pattern’ of a kingdom alliance, deserved to be abandoned.

If Odelia had sought the consent of Umberto, Frank, and Redford and spoken of cooperation as one large force, the Chronos Empire would have used their existence and spoken of the future.

But…

What could Odelia, alone, do?

Surrounded by the kingdom alliance, they would only create a dispersion of power, and the Chronos Empire judged that it would be more efficient to occupy their territory and use it as a bridgehead for the continental conquest.

It ultimately ended in failure, but he didn’t quite understand the words of those who criticized that choice.

In the end…

Chronos would conquer the continent.

Marquis Memphis believed in the empire’s long history.

‘His Majesty the Emperor has predicted about a year for us. After that, the continental conquest will begin again. We have chosen to step back now due to complex problems, but from the moment Chronos reveals its full power, Dimitri will not be able to reverse the situation, no matter what power they possess.’

The abyss.

Demons lived there.

The war with Dimitri had only revealed a part of it.

It was then.

Knock knock.

“May I come in?”

“Come in.”

It was a knight of the Memphis family.

He cautiously opened the door, showing a strangely uncomfortable face.

“It’s not that, but Knight Commander Fred hasn’t been to work for a week.”

“Fred, who was so diligent? Something must have happened. Send someone to check what happened to Fred.”

“That’s actually… Ahem. I don’t know how to say this. I already sent someone to Knight Commander Fred’s house a few days ago. But no one was there. I didn’t report it right away because I thought he might have personal business, but today I confirmed that Knight Commander Fred used the warp gate with his family.”

He stopped moving.

Marquis Memphis’s expression slowly hardened as he looked at the knight’s face.

The knight said.

“And the destination of the warp gate was ‘Cortas.’”

Cortas.

The land that had been occupied by Roman Dimitri.

Whispers spoke of a secret place. A place with a warp gate, they said, that could open a path directly to the East.

Marquis Memphis did not understand at first. Then, the meaning hit him like a punch. His face went white with shock.

“Are you saying Fred, my Knight Commander, ran away to Dimitri?!” he shouted. This was impossible. Fred was loyal! The thought was like poison in his mind.

The series of events were reported to Emperor Chronos.

The disappearance of Odelia and the death of Baron Charlton had created a larger rift than anticipated.

Marquis Memphis spoke with fury, “This is the current situation. If things continue this way, we won’t be able to stop the empire’s talents from leaking out.”

Fred’s betrayal made Marquis Memphis want to tear him to pieces right away.

He had mocked those who lost their family knights for being foolish, never imagining that his own Knight Commander would choose to run away in the night.

Recently, Marquis Memphis had been going through truly chaotic days. He had been so caught up in the turmoil that he couldn’t even meet with Knight Commander Fred, and he never expected such a thing to happen.

Emperor Chronos listened, a small smile playing on his lips. “This is quite amusing,” he said, and chuckled softly. Inside the Emperor’s body, Alexander’s mind found the chaos caused by Roman Dimitri truly funny.

The series of events weren’t simply because Odelia was eliminated and Baron Charlton was killed.

A single defeat made people begin to realize that the Chronos Empire was not invincible.

If that was the case, there was no reason to blindly follow the Chronos Empire.

People pretended to be loyal to the Chronos Empire, even though they knew the Empire might turn on them. They weren’t truly loyal; they just had no other choice. Until Dimitri. Dimitri showed them there was another way.

“Order the Royal Knights,” Chronos commanded, his voice cold. “Kill anyone who betrays us, no matter who they are. Kill their families too. They are fools! Born in Chronos, yet they follow Dimitri and risk everything. They break the rules of Chronos. We don’t need them.”

Marquis Memphis stepped back, “I shall obey your command.”

By his command, a storm of blood would rage in Chronos. As always, the most powerful means of controlling Chronos was fear.

“Roman Dimitri,” Chronos thought. “I hear he teaches his soldiers special fighting styles, only for Dimitri.” Suddenly, Alexander felt a spark of interest. He was the one who first discovered Aura, that special power. Even though he stopped training in Aura to become a wizard, he was now very curious about Dimitri’s fighting skills.

The power he had created would certainly not be lacking. As a pioneer, he wanted to compare the power he had discovered with real martial arts to see how different they were.

Perhaps it was inferiority. Apart from his relationship with Dimitri, he wanted to be proven that the power he had created himself was also a great achievement.

Therefore, he sent his own fragments, like the Chronos Emperor. If they passed, he would be able to experience martial arts directly through possession.

Dimitri announced he was recruiting soldiers. The response was amazing. One hundred thousand people applied! Every one of them was old enough to fight with a sword. It was an unbelievable number. Even people in Dimitri were shocked. They knew Roman Dimitri was important, but they never thought one announcement could bring so many people.

The problem was there were too many people to test. Even after the initial screening, tens of thousands of people remained. Lucas and the people of the Hao Clan all pitched in to conduct simple qualification tests and background checks.

Disqualification for even the slightest discrepancy in the information provided.

And by utilizing methods such as the courage test that had been conducted before, they confirmed through various means whether they were qualified to take Dimitri’s test. This alone took a considerable amount of time.

The outcome of the test was not determined by force alone.

The tests were hard, not just about strength. Many people gave up easily, their dreams falling like dry leaves in the wind. After two long weeks of testing, they finally had a list of names for the third test.

On the day of the test, 5,000 participants who had survived the previous tests flocked together.

Roman Dimitri stated that he would select only 500 of them, and that the remaining individuals would be given the opportunity to enlist in the Dimitri army, even if they were not soldiers.

Perhaps that was why everyone was so wary. Until now, the atmosphere of competition had been weak, but from now on, everyone next to them was a competitor.

Suddenly, a stir went through the crowd. ‘It’s Chris!’ someone whispered. ‘The Flash of Dimitri!’ others shouted. People turned to see. A group pushed through the crowd, and at the front was Chris. He moved with a confident stride, reaching the front and facing everyone.

Chris spoke clearly, ‘Listen carefully. I will explain the third test.’

Chris said, “From now on, I will explain the third test method. The test method is simple. Behind me are your seniors. They have passed the same tests as you, sworn allegiance to the Lord, and have made remarkable contributions to Dimitri so far. From the order in which you are called, you will choose one of the seniors behind me and engage in a duel.”

Duel made the gazes of the people turned sharp.

Among those lined up behind Chris were well-known figures like Kevin, as well as those who were not.

‘You don’t have to win to pass this test,’ Chris explained. ‘If you win, you will go to the final test, for sure. But even if you lose, you can still pass. If you fight well and show us something special, you can still move on.’

Most of the challengers were not nervous. Since many of them had made a name for themselves, they believed that they could win against Dimitri’s soldiers. It was an interesting situation. Chris smiled and reached for the sword hanging at his waist.

“And I can also be designated as a sparring partner. No further explanation is needed, I presume. From now on, we will proceed with the third test.”

Tension rose.

A hush fell over the crowd. The air crackled with tension. Chris’s voice rang out, clear and strong. ‘First participant, Pavir, step forward.’ The third test had begun.