The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 309

Hoffman froze. Had he really heard those words?

Such rude language! Words fit for the streets, not for a meeting with the banker of the Golden Bank. Hoffman’s hands clenched into fists under the table. He fought to hide the anger boiling inside him.

“How dare you use such low words to the banker of the Golden Bank!” Hoffman trembled, barely concealing his rage. “Count Fabius, you must be mad. Following Roman Dmitry, you seem to have forgotten that just a few years ago, you were all smiles, trying to please me. You’d best shut your mouth before I tear you to pieces.”

Count Fabius and Hoffman knew each other.

Though their acquaintance was brief, Count Fabius had tried hard to impress Hoffman.

“Idiot.”

Count Fabius chuckled.

With his legs crossed, he tapped his foot and looked up at Hoffman.

“Hoffman, you’re the one who doesn’t understand the situation. Dmitry didn’t yield even to the Chronos Empire; rather, he defeated them. And who are ‘you’ to act superior to us? Don’t be mistaken. No matter how great the power of the gold coins in your hand, you know well that they cannot solve every problem in this world, right?”

Creak.

He rose from his seat. Usually, his smiling face made him unnoticeable, but his unexpectedly robust physique created a suffocating tension.

“Dmitry is handling things his own way, and he’s being surprisingly reasonable so far. If you continue to utter words hostile to Dmitry, we will have no choice but to make a decision. Just like we defeated the Chronos Empire’s forces, we will have to choose a power more terrifying than gold coins to destroy you.”

He took a step closer.

Faced with the situation right in front of them, the two stared at each other.

“I’m only saying this just in case, but you don’t actually believe in the Golden Knights waiting for your command outside, do you? Hee hee hee, that can’t be. The banker of the Golden Bank wouldn’t be that foolish, would he? Then what on earth are you relying on to act so recklessly? If Dmitry decides to assassinate ‘you,’ can the power of gold coins really stop him?”

Hoffman’s eyes wavered.

It was far from what he had expected.

He thought that raising his voice appropriately would make him back down, but Count Fabius did not retreat as if he had nothing to lose.

Moreover.

‘Fabius is right. The Golden Bank cannot stop Dmitry’s assassination.’

Dmitry.

Aside from Roman Dmitry, he also possessed formidable masters like Chris and Kevin.

There was no way to stop them with the masters he had hired with money.

Even the Chronos Empire, the strongest power on the continent, had suffered the humiliation of having Rascal and Cortas occupied because they could not stop Roman Dmitry’s guerrilla tactics.

Hoffman’s hands tightened into fists. His carefully composed face started to show cracks.

Count Fabius.

Once called the weasel of Cairo, now a man who had sworn allegiance to Dmitry.

He was not such an aggressive person.

He could not understand why someone who used to suck up to those in power was now acting so extreme.

His eyes trembled.

Pride kept Hoffman staring, but he knew he was losing.

Tap.

One more step.

At a distance close enough to feel his breath, Count Fabius glared down at Hoffman, his eyes narrowed to slits, his teeth bared in a predatory grin.

“Hey.”

People said.

Count Fabius was Dmitry’s weasel, a typical example of bullying the weak and being eager to please the strong.

“If you’re not planning to wage war against Dmitry, look away, you bastard.”

To Fabius, Hoffman was classified as weak.

Hoffman left.

Watching him retreat as if fleeing, Viscount Vincent could not easily utter a word.

‘Damn it.’

Cold sweat formed on his forehead.

His initial plan was to raise his own value through the competition between Hoffman and Fabius, but he had not expected Count Fabius to come on so strong.

His heart pounded as the situation unfolded in real-time before his eyes.

The sight of Hoffman being treated like a back-alley loan shark shocked him.

It was extreme.

Only then did he see the true face of Dmitry.

‘I chose the wrong opponent. Dmitry already possesses all the conditions to be a great power.’

Viscount Vincent felt like a small boat caught in a storm between two warships.

Viscount Vincent suppressed his presence.

Fearing that he might get caught in the crossfire, he could not even tell Count Fabius to leave with an awkward face.

However.

Tap.

Count Fabius sat back down.

As he only stared with a bewildered face, Count Fabius, who had been showing a ferocious expression until just now, smiled affably.

“Please, sit down. Now that the troublemaker is gone, how about we, the players, have a serious conversation?”

“Wh, what do you mean.”

Viscount Vincent blinked, standing awkwardly.

His mind felt numb.

He was bewildered by Count Fabius’s sudden change, and he could not understand what kind of conversation he wanted to have.

Count Fabius said.

“Dmitry is not such a harsh country. Cutting off the Golden Bank will hurt the Vincent family, so we need to talk about more than just ‘trust,’ right? Of course, we have to provide adequate compensation. Of course, if you had chosen the Golden Bank from the start, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation, but as I said, Dmitry provides definite compensation to friendly forces. We are not like those thugs who only talk big and promise a future together.”

His attitude had changed.

He was so friendly that he could not even remember the ferocious shouting from just now.

“Viscount Vincent, please tell me honestly what you want from Dmitry.”

Viscount Vincent was rather creeped out by the warm hospitality.

Dmitry’s weasel.

Knowing what kind of face was hidden behind the smiling one, Viscount Vincent thought it was really fortunate that he had not turned Dmitry into an enemy.

Hoffman returned to his base.

The splendid building and the servants who treated him with utmost respect welcomed his safe return, but he was so overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness that he could not even see the surroundings.

The banker of the Golden Bank. Living as a powerful figure his entire life, Hoffman had never experienced such humiliation as this time.

Always, people were friendly to him.

Due to the nature of the Golden Bank, which had to maintain neutrality, he did not have a noble title, but nobles from any country bowed to the name value of the banker of the Golden Bank.

The Chronos Empire was the same.

Even the strongest power on the continent acknowledged him, but it did not work at all against Dmitry.

He was angry.

This problem would not end with just one humiliation.

If rumors related to Dmitry spread, it was only a matter of time before the status of the Golden Bank would be diminished.

‘Our ancestors said if you are blocked by a realistic problem that cannot be solved with money, then check the secrets of the Golden Bank that have been passed down through generations.’ He couldn’t believe this was happening to him, the banker of the Golden Bank.

He gritted his teeth.

He felt humiliated and miserable, but Hoffman wanted to take revenge by any means possible.

Roman Dmitry and Fabius.

He would tear them to pieces and prove to the world that the Golden Bank does not forget grudges.

Hoffman felt his feet shuffle nervously on the cold stone floor.

He took a deep breath, the air in his office thick with the scent of old paper and dust. Behind the heavy wooden bookcase in his study was a secret vault, known only to a few. He reached out and turned the hidden handle. With a soft *snick*, the vault door clicked open.

Inside, resting on a velvet cushion, was the Golden Bank’s secret box. It was small and made of dark wood, worn smooth with age. This box had been passed down through generations of his family, the founders of the Golden Bank. He picked up a silver dagger from his desk. The metal felt cold in his hand. He pricked his finger, a tiny bead of blood welling up. Carefully, he let the drop fall into a narrow groove on the box’s lock.

Then…

Suddenly, a rush of air burst out. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! It sounded like wind escaping.

A bright blue light suddenly flashed. It flickered like a candle flame, but it felt cold, not hot. Hoffman’s eyes trembled as he carefully opened the box.

Inside were a short message written on parchment and a strange, magical device. It looked like it could send messages to a distant place.

Among the mysteries of the continent…

People questioned the sudden appearance of the Golden Bank.

They couldn’t understand where they had come from and how they had amassed such enormous wealth.

However…

There was a certainty that the first banker was definitely not an ordinary being.

Hoffman picked up the magical communicator.

And then…

“Alexandre, my lord… I am your servant. I have been waiting for this moment.”

The secret his family had kept for so long. The reason the Golden Bank existed.

Hoffman stared at the communicator. His heart pounded. This was it.

A month passed since then. Time flew by.

As the time Roman Dmitry had promised approached, Marquis Valentino visited Dmitry early in the morning.

7 a.m.

Marquis Valentino asked, “Has Roman Dmitry emerged from his workshop yet?”

Hans replied, “He has not yet emerged. If you would care to rest in the reception room, I will inform you the moment he appears.”

Marquis Valentino said, “I understand. You must contact me first, without fail.”

Marquis Valentino wore an earnest expression. His face, as he kept turning back, held a wistful look, as if gazing upon a first love.

8 a.m.

Marquis Valentino asked, “Has he still not emerged?”

Hans replied, “No, he has not.”

9 a.m.

Marquis Valentino asked, “Still not…?”

Hans replied, “No, he has not.”

10 a.m.

Marquis Valentino asked, “Perhaps…?”

Hans replied, “He has still not emerged.”

Every hour, Marquis Valentino sought out Hans. As time passed, his expression grew more and more disappointed, but he never gave up or considered turning back.

The month spent waiting for Roman Dmitry felt like an eternity to Marquis Valentino. It was agonizing.

He was certain that Roman Dmitry would create an amazing piece, so he had locked himself in his room every day, waiting only for this day, enduring a time of pain and patience.

Today was the day to see the fruits of his labor. He had grown thin from the long wait, but his eyes shone brightly.

Marquis Valentino said, “I can no longer wait in the reception room. I will wait in front of the workshop. Lead the way at once, so I can wait until Roman Dmitry opens the door to the workshop.”

Hans replied, “That is impossible.”

Marquis Valentino said, “No, I’m just asking to wait…”

Hans replied, “I am sorry, but I cannot grant this request.”

In front of the workshop, entry was forbidden to unauthorized personnel. Marquis Valentino had no choice but to spend his time in the reception room, and though he had arrived early in the morning, he soon saw the sun setting outside the window.

An ominous feeling crept over him. After endless waiting, the door opened, and his face, once filled with joy, was instantly replaced with disappointment.

The man who entered was none other than Hans.

Hans said, “It seems you will have to wait a few more days. If you return to Cairo, I will contact you as soon as Roman Dmitry emerges.”

Marquis Valentino said, “No! I will not return!”

He declared, “I will secure lodging in Dmitry and wait. So, contact me immediately when Roman Dmitry comes out.”

His persistent obsession ultimately ended the day without any gain.

Several days passed.

With the scheduled time having passed, Hans began to feel worried.

‘Could something have happened?’

In the meantime, Roman Dmitry had worked in the workshop several times, but there were hardly any cases where he exceeded the scheduled deadline.

It was ominous. Marquis Valentino, who visited Dmitry every day, asked about Roman Dmitry’s well-being, so the ominous imagination gradually swelled.

After about five days, judging that he could no longer wait, Hans brought Felix along to check without disobeying Roman Dmitry’s orders.

Hans said, “Felix, can you use magic to check what is happening inside the workshop?”

Felix replied, “Understood.”

Having arrived at the workshop, Felix immediately stirred his mana.

‘Sense.’

It wasn’t a special magic. It was to let the mana flow and feel the mana inside the workshop.

If there were no problems, the mana would be full of vitality, so that alone could confirm at least his life or death.

However…

Felix widened his eyes. As soon as the mana seeped into the workshop, he received a shocking sensation.

Felix exclaimed, “Wh-what is this?”

Inside and outside the workshop, it was a completely different world.

While the outside was so peaceful, an enormous amount of mana was causing a massive explosion inside.

Felix wondered, “What on earth is going on inside?”

His eyes trembled. Felix stared at the workshop, utterly stunned.