The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 294

The atmosphere turned icy.

The people trying out for Dmitry’s army were thinking about the fourth test. They did not expect the test was really to find spies.

As Roman Dmitry said, there was a spy among them.

When the word ‘spy’ was said, a soldier named Scott felt his heart beat very fast.

“…Damn it,” he thought, holding back the bad word.

He had been asked by the Chronos Empire to join Dmitry’s group and get information.

Everything had been going well for Scott.

He passed the third test and thought only one more thing was left. But now, Roman Dmitry was testing Scott and the other spies.

His mouth felt dry.

Dmitry said he would kill the spies.

No one doubted he meant it.

Roman Dmitry was like a monster on the battlefield.

He never gave in. Even when he caught enemies, he always wanted to kill them, not use them for politics.

Fighting Roman Dmitry meant lots of screams and death.

Even the Chronos Empire, known as the strongest in the land, was embarrassed. They had to pay 500,000 gold to try and stop Roman Dmitry.

So, he believed Roman Dmitry would not let the spies live. This was their last chance.

‘God.’

His body shook.

He thought he hid who he was very well when he joined Dmitry’s group. But people said Dmitry’s spies were very good at finding things out.

Had they found out who he really was? If so, should he trust Roman Dmitry and tell him the truth?

Roman Dmitry would kill every enemy. Even if Dmitry promised to be honorable, should Scott be silly enough to tell him who he really was?

His mind was confused.

Scott’s heart beat fast, and he gritted his teeth.

Just then, a voice from behind him asked, “…Are you really going to spare us?”

It was the bald man who had been talking to people in Adelaine. He looked pale and said, “I am working for the Valhalla Empire. I am very sorry. Please don’t kill me. I will never hurt Dmitry again. Please, just this once, let me live.”

Thud.

He knelt down.

Scott could not speak as he watched the man bow and shake. Scott felt sorry for the bald man, but also thought it was stupid to confess before Dmitry even knew who he was.

“That was a wise decision, Dushan.”

He jumped.

The bald man was surprised.

His name was Dushan.

Dushan thought Roman Dmitry knew who he was. He bowed and thanked him again and again.

Fear spread quickly.

Because Dmitry accepted Dushan’s confession and seemed to know who he was, other spies started confessing too.

“Actually, I too…”

“Please spare me!”

“I am also a spy for Chronos!”

It happened fast.

The testing ground became chaotic as people said they were spies. It wasn’t just one or two. More than ten out of 600 people were spies. The others were confused.

The spies were sent by Chronos and Valhalla.

People then understood that following Dmitry was dangerous because the empires were watching him closely.

Dmitry was against the empires.

Dmitry’s future would be difficult, going against the empires.

Step by step.

Roman Dmitry moved. Then, he stood in front of Scott, looking past him with a cold face.

“This is your last chance. One minute left.”

Scott’s heart sank.

Scott looked down. Roman Dmitry seemed to be watching him, so he didn’t dare look up.

He felt like Dmitry could read his mind if they made eye contact.

Scott clenched his fists and thought hard. But he could not tell Dmitry who he was, even if it meant he would die.

His family. They were hostages. If he didn’t do his job perfectly, his family would be badly tortured and then killed.

‘…I’m going to die like this.’

He chose death.

Time ran out.

Scott felt like his last chance to live was gone, and he closed his eyes tightly.

“The fourth test is over. Everyone except those who confessed has passed the test.”

Scott was surprised and looked up.

It was confusing.

Passed?

Did Roman Dmitry not know who he really was?

Scott looked worried, but Roman Dmitry did not say he was a spy.

However, he looked at everyone and said, ‘I know there are still spies here. I am not killing you now because you haven’t hurt Dmitry yet. You are brave to risk your lives for your job. But now, as my soldiers, you must choose what to do.’

Scott got goosebumps.

Scott felt completely exposed. Roman Dmitry’s gaze, even though it didn’t linger, felt like a spotlight suddenly shining on Scott, revealing every secret he tried to hide.

You can forget your old job and follow me, or you can still try to betray Dmitry like you planned. Depending on what you choose, I will give you clear rewards or punishments.”

He was shocked.

Roman Dmitry. He was a type of human he had never encountered before.

Scott had been a spy many times before, but he had never met anyone like Roman Dmitry. Dmitry knew about the spies but acted like it didn’t bother him.

However, he didn’t think Dmitry’s spies were bad.

Roman Dmitry looked at him quickly, as if he didn’t care, but it was a strong warning that he already knew who Scott was.

It was a feeling.

He knew that Dmitry knew who he was.

“Congratulations. Now, you are my people.”

“Accepted.”

Scott stared at the word, glowing on the screen. He had passed the test. He was in. This was what he had worked towards for so long. But instead of joy, a strange emptiness filled him. He couldn’t even manage a smile.

The test was finished. Over 500 people had passed. They were given one week of vacation to rest.

Among those who passed were spies from other groups. These spies were worried about being found out. This vacation was their chance to escape. They planned to run away and meet with Roman Dmitri. Once with him, they would have to make a big decision. Should they try to steal secrets from Dmitri? Or should they stop being spies and live in Dmitri instead? It was up to them.

Dmitri and Chris went to a quieter room. They were now alone. Chris looked at Dmitri, his face showing he was confused.

“My lord,” Chris began, “Why did you let the spies go? I don’t understand why you didn’t punish them.”

In Dmitri, everyone obeyed Roman Dmitri without question. Chris always followed orders. But this time, he was truly puzzled. He couldn’t understand why Dmitri would allow spies to live.

Roman Dmitri answered, “Chris, even if we have the best spy network in the world, we can’t stop every spy. Spies are good at hiding. Groups like Valhalla and Chronos are suspicious of Dmitri. They will try anything to get our secrets. Chris, if you were in charge, could you be sure you knew everything the Empire was planning?”

Chris thought for a moment. “No, my lord, I couldn’t.”

“Exactly,” Dmitri said. “That’s why I let the spies stay. I allowed them to be here on purpose.”

“Let me tell you a story from my past life,” Roman Dmitri continued. “In my past, I was a leader. My group took over the land. The first thing I did was open our doors to everyone. The people who had fought against us were angry and wanted revenge. I wanted to show them what my group was really like.

I showed them that we were not as evil as they thought. And I showed them how powerful I was, as their new ruler. I made everything clear and open.”

“The information the spies stole showed them how powerful I was. This made them understand why they should fear me. It was strange, because people had said that the Demonic Cult was too secretive and would make Murim worse. But I didn’t control everyone tightly.

The only change was that everyone knew I, Baek Jung-hyuk, was the most powerful person. The world was not very different from before. But as people learned more about me, they became too afraid to be my enemies. They were overwhelmed by my power.

Even the spies, who came to steal secrets, became so afraid of what they saw that they couldn’t even tell the truth about me. Instead of controlling everyone tightly, I learned that giving people some freedom, but letting them know who is in charge, is the best way to rule.”

“In the future, I will show everyone in Dmitri what we can do, instead of trying to control them completely. My goal is to be the best. Even if things like spies happen, I won’t let them stop me. Chris, if you were a spy for Chronos, could you betray me easily, after seeing what I am really like?”

It was a very arrogant thing to say.

Chun Ma Baek Jung-hyuk. He didn’t hide who he was. He didn’t want to be seen as normal. He showed everyone his true power.

This was dangerous. If he was weak, enemies would attack him as soon as they knew his real power.

But…

“No, my lord,” Chris said, shaking his head. “I don’t think I could ever betray you.”

Because Roman Dmitri’s power seemed endless. The more they learned about Dmitri, the more confused the spies would become about what they should do.

Alexander stood in a purple space. The air felt cold and electric. He raised his hands, gathering magic power.

“Lightning Punishment!” he shouted.

Flash!

Wham!

Wham wham wham wham!

Rumble!

It was as if the sky itself was angry. The purple space seemed to crack open, and hundreds of bolts of lightning crashed down.

The dry, empty land was ripped apart. Mountains that had stood tall just moments before vanished in a flash. The power was amazing, thrilling to see.

Alexander had reached the 9th circle of magic, something almost no one could imagine. The magic he used felt like it came from a god.

Rumble! The ground trembled.

Alexander looked at the destruction and sneered. “Roman Dmitri,” he muttered. “Let’s see if you can deal with power like this.”

Alexander thought about Murim. He had always thought it was just a made-up story. After thinking for a long time, he had created ‘aura,’ a kind of energy. But he knew aura had limits. That’s why he gave up his human body and turned to dark magic.

When he found out who Roman Dmitri really was, Alexander became very upset. Roman Dmitri’s actions, the power of martial arts he showed – it was so much greater than Alexander’s own power when he first came to this world.

Maybe, Alexander thought, he was just ordinary. Maybe that’s why he couldn’t be as strong as Roman Dmitri. He felt very inferior to him.

He wanted to prove to Roman Dmitri that magic was stronger. And that the aura he had created was not weak compared to martial arts.

‘My spies are inside Dmitri now,’ he thought. ‘They will find out about martial arts and tell me everything. I created aura from nothing. I will study martial arts and show everyone how weak it is. And when I prove that martial arts is limited, to show that I was right to choose magic, I will destroy Roman Dmitri with my magic.’

He felt a surge of evil intent. The magic power flowing through him made him feel incredibly confident, so confident he could forget his past failures.

Just then, a voice echoed in his mind.

[Alexander, we have a problem.]

It was Mystic.

Alexander frowned. “What is it?”

[You need to come here now.]

As soon as Mystic said that, Alexander moved. The purple space around him twisted, and suddenly he was in a dark room with Mystic. The room was shadowy and cold.

Mystic held out a piece of paper. “Dmitri sent this.”

Alexander took the paper and read.

[The Dmitri group invites the Chronos Empire to a ‘Swordsmanship Presentation’.]

Swordsmanship Presentation.

The words made Alexander’s face turn red with embarrassment. He hated swordsmanship. He thought magic was far superior. Why would Dmitri invite them to *that*?