The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 306

Marquis Valentino thought differently than most people.

While others were amazed by Roman Dmitry’s victories – beating the Cronos Empire and changing swordsmanship forever – Valentino thought like someone who collects rare things.

Think about it.

Artists need experience to make great art. Roman Dmitry had seen and done things most people can’t even dream of.

So, what amazing things could he create?

Burning down a fortress alone, defeating a huge army, and beating Sefir – these experiences would give an artist incredible ideas.

After the war, Marquis Valentino became very impatient.

He waited eagerly for news that Roman Dmitry was in his workshop, making swords. But days turned into weeks, and he heard nothing.

One day, then another day passed. The sun went up and down. Soon, a whole month was gone.

Marquis Valentino was drinking wine when he suddenly jumped up.

“I can’t wait any longer!”

People called him the “Greedy Collector” for a reason. When he got impatient, he couldn’t control himself.

Usually, important people would make appointments days ahead of time. But Marquis Valentino went to Dmitry’s house even though it was late.

The sun was going down as he traveled. He knew he was being annoying, but he felt he couldn’t sleep if he didn’t go.

He arrived and blurted out, “I tried to wait, really I did! I didn’t want to seem crazy, but when are you going to make a new sword?” He let out all his pent-up feelings.

Marquis Valentino looked at Roman Dmitry and kept talking, almost like he was complaining.

“Honestly,” he said, “I feel a bit foolish even saying this. I wanted to wait until you announced you were making a sword. But remember, during the war with Cronos, you didn’t say no! You said you’d think about it, right? I can’t sleep! I polish my sword, Blaze, over and over, waiting for a new one. Please, won’t you make a new sword? Think of it as saving me!” He was very serious.

Valentino’s serious face when he decided to come was funny compared to his lighthearted words now. Roman Dmitry smiled.

“He’s interesting,” Roman Dmitry thought. The war with Cronos was about the country’s survival, but this man was only thinking about swords!

Even in his past life, many people with money chased after Cheonma Baek Jung-hyuk for his swords. But Valentino was even more obsessed.

Thinking about it, Roman Dmitry realized Valentino was even more intense than anyone he knew from his past life.

Roman Dmitry said, “I was going to make a sword soon anyway, now that things are calmer. I need time to think about what I’ve learned recently, and I want to try some new things. Please wait one month. I can’t promise you’ll get the sword, but I will make a new one, and you will have a chance to buy at least one.”

Right away, Marquis Valentino’s face lit up. He looked as happy as if he had won everything he ever wanted.

He nodded quickly, full of energy.

“You’ve made a great choice! Thank you!”

Even though Roman Dmitry didn’t say he’d get the sword for free, Marquis Valentino kept saying “great choice!” with a huge smile all the way out of Dmitry’s house.

A few days later, Golden Bank sent the 1 million gold, just as promised.

They must have been worried that if they didn’t keep their word, all their promises would become worthless.

This was exactly what Roman Dmitry wanted. If they hadn’t sent the money, he would have used their promise to make all of Golden Bank’s deals invalid. But because they paid, he just took the money and cut ties with them.

Either way, Dmitry won. Golden Bank, known for being ruthless and called “Devils of Gold,” had their own tricks used against them by Hoffman.

Things had calmed down a bit. Roman Dmitry had dealt with the urgent problems.

He asked Chris to train the soldiers and went to the smithy.

“Hans,” he said, “I’ll be in the smithy for about a month. If anything important happens, let me know. Otherwise, you take care of everything.”

“Understood,” Hans replied, nodding. He knew what to do. He quickly made the smithy clean and ready for Roman Dmitry.

Creak went the door as Hans left. Thud – the sound of the door closing. Inside the smithy, Roman Dmitry was alone.

Roman Dmitry looked at the furnace and picked up the hammer from the anvil.

Making swords is who I am, he thought. It’s what I did until my last breath. I can show my skill as a fighter and what I believe in through each sword.

So much had happened lately. Like Valentino guessed, Roman Dmitry was full of ideas for a new sword. He was much stronger now than when he made ‘Darkness.’

He decided to spend a month in the smithy. He didn’t know how many swords he would make, but he wanted to put all his new ideas and feelings into them.

And there was something else he wanted to try: ‘The Flame of the Fire Demon.’

Whoosh! Rumble! Flames burst to life. The furnace roared, and the fire danced around Roman Dmitry, heating the smithy.

The Fire Demon’s power. If I make a sword using this incredible fire, fire I’ve never felt before, what will it be like? he wondered.

Even if Valentino hadn’t come, Roman Dmitry would have come to the smithy soon anyway. He needed to answer the questions burning in his mind.

He didn’t feel the heat. Without even using his special fire magic, Roman Dmitry felt connected to everything around him.

Rumble! Flames surrounded him completely. It was an amazing sight.

In the heart of the swirling fire, Roman Dmitry raised his hammer and struck the metal for the first time. Clang- A clear, ringing sound. The first day of his month in the smithy had begun.

At that exact moment, far away… Hoffman’s face turned bright red with rage. He slammed his fist on his desk. Wham! “Roman Dmitry!” he roared. “How dare you threaten me, you little worm?!”

Everyone knows the Golden Bank is powerful. It’s been the center of money and power for ages. Like a bright star, its money has kept it safe, even with powerful kings and empires.

But then, Roman Dmitry did something no one expected. He went too far.

Roman Dmitry had put a knife to the bank president’s neck! He did something unbelievable: he demanded a million gold coins to let the president live.

It was shocking.

No bank president before, ever, had gone through anything like what Hoffman faced.

Hoffman hadn’t worried about guards when he went to see Roman Dmitry. He thought even someone strong like Dmitry wouldn’t dare to challenge the Golden Bank.

He thought he knew how things worked.

Hoffman believed Dmitry might not be friendly, but he wouldn’t be stupid enough to attack the Golden Bank.

He was wrong. Completely wrong.

Hoffman had bowed his head to Roman Dmitry. He now understood he had been too confident, too comfortable in his power.

So, he sent the million gold.

Not because he wanted to keep his promise. No.

Roman Dmitry had known this would happen. The Golden Bank’s promises had to mean something. They couldn’t let people think they could break a promise just because they were forced to make it. It was a promise with the bank president’s stamp on it.

Even though he was forced, Hoffman had to give the money. His body shook with anger.

“Roman Dmitry,” he thought, his fists clenching. “You chose the wrong enemy. I will show you what happens when you make the ‘demon of gold coins’ angry. Starting right now.”

Hoffman called for his assistant.

The assistant knew Hoffman was in a very bad mood. He bowed low as he came in, not looking Hoffman in the eyes.

Hoffman spoke, his voice sharp, “The information I asked for – what about it?”

“It’s ready, sir,” the assistant said quickly. “We found four big companies that buy a lot of steel from the Dmitry family. They are Valentino from Cairo Kingdom, Zenith from Chronos Empire, Muriel from Valhalla Empire, and Vincent from the Kingdom Alliance. As you know, they are the biggest business people in their countries. They buy 70% of all the steel Dmitry sells. For the other 30%, smaller buyers go straight to Dmitry. And, Zenith from Chronos has almost stopped trading with Dmitry since the war started.”

70%.

That was a big number. A very big number.

Hoffman looked at the information again. His eyes narrowed, shining with anger.

“Roman Dmitry thinks he’s clever getting a million gold,” Hoffman said to himself. “But let’s see if he’s still smiling when his customers start leaving him, one by one.”

Money was stronger than any sword.

Hoffman knew this was true. He had seen it again and again. Money was everything.

“Valentino is first,” he said aloud. “Get me a warp to Cairo. Now.”

“Yes, sir,” the assistant replied.

Valentino.

He was loyal to Roman Dmitry.

But he was also a businessman. He couldn’t ignore the Golden Bank.

Hoffman smiled, a cold, cruel smile.

This was the start of his revenge.

Valentino would betray his friend. Not Chronos, not Valhalla – Valentino. That would hurt Dmitry the most.

Cairo.

Valentino’s big house.

Marquis Valentino welcomed Hoffman with a big, friendly smile.

“Welcome, Hoffman!”

“It’s good to see you again, Marquis Valentino.”

The mood was friendly.

Rich businessmen like Valentino and the Golden Bank usually got along well. Valentino and Hoffman had met many times before, just the two of them.

But when they got to the meeting room, Hoffman frowned slightly. There was someone else there he didn’t expect.

“…Who is this?” Hoffman asked, a little stiffly.

“Ah, this is Count Fabius,” Valentino said. “He was here already, and I thought it would be good for you to meet him, Hoffman. If you’d rather talk alone, I can ask Count Fabius to leave.”

Hoffman wasn’t sure what to do.

He knew Fabius was a strong supporter of Roman Dmitry. He didn’t like Fabius being there. But then, he thought, maybe it could be interesting.

If Valentino betrayed Dmitry right in front of Fabius, wouldn’t that be funny?

“No, no need,” Hoffman said, deciding to stay.

“Thank you,” Valentino said politely.

They sat down.

Count Fabius just watched quietly from the side. It was like a stage was set, with Valentino and Hoffman facing each other, and Fabius as the audience.

Hoffman started, “Marquis Valentino, I’m here because of a big problem with Roman Dmitry.”

Valentino raised his eyebrows. “…What kind of problem?”

“Dmitry has caused serious trouble. I know business can be tough, but Dmitry went too far. He threatened to kill me! Marquis Valentino, the Golden Bank and Dmitry are done. We will do anything to get back at Dmitry.”

“Ahem,” Valentino said, making a small noise. He looked a little worried.

Hoffman saw his chance and pushed harder.

“I came to you first because we have a good relationship. I could have gone to Muriel in Valhalla first to put pressure on Dmitry, but I wanted to talk to you first. I’ll be direct. Stop trading with Dmitry. If you do, I will stop charging you interest on your Golden Bank loans for ten years. But if you say no, you have to pay back all your loans right away.”

It was a deal – a reward and a punishment.

Businessmen like Valentino often used loans to run their businesses.

Borrowing money was normal, and Valentino had borrowed a lot from the Golden Bank, like many others.

Paying it all back suddenly would be very hard.

And it wasn’t just about the money. It would also hurt his future relationship with the Golden Bank.

Hoffman was sure money would win.

But then, Valentino glanced at Count Fabius and smiled strangely.

“…I’m sorry, Hoffman,” Valentino said. “But I can’t betray Dmitry. I will pay back all the money I owe the Golden Bank as soon as I can. Actually, Roman Dmitry warned me this might happen. He said anyone who wants to be friends with Dmitry in the future should not be controlled by the Golden Bank. And I choose Dmitry.”

“Marquis Valentino!” Hoffman shouted, his voice rising.

Hoffman’s eyes went wide with shock.

He was completely surprised.

He couldn’t believe Valentino would pay back all that money – thousands and thousands of gold coins – all at once!

Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind.

Could it be? Had Roman Dmitry given some of that million gold to Valentino?

If Valentino used Dmitry’s money to pay back the Golden Bank, then Hoffman’s threat wouldn’t work.

Hoffman’s face became hard and angry.

“Don’t be stupid!” Hoffman said, his voice dangerous. “If you say no to me, the Golden Bank will destroy not just Dmitry, but you too, Valentino!”

It was a clear threat.

Valentino’s friendly smile disappeared. His face twisted with anger.

“You still don’t get it, do you?” Valentino said, his voice cold. “Just leave. Or are you going to explain to Roman Dmitry why he can’t buy swords from you anymore because you made him angry? You’re finished, Hoffman. Stop being proud and just give up. Dmitry is much more important to me than you.”

Everything had gone wrong for Hoffman.

Before Hoffman could say anything back, Valentino yelled to his servants outside the room.

“The guest is leaving! Show him out! Now!”