The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 405

News of Alexandr’s death spread quickly, and Marquis Memphis knew everything had changed. He thought hard and came to a decision. “With the Chronos Empire as weak as it is now, there’s no way to stop Roman Dmitry. We have to accept that.” The alliance with Valhalla was still there, but Memphis knew it would not last.

It was simple. The problem was Roman Dmitry. If no one could defeat that monster who killed Alexandr, the war was just a matter of time, and it was clear who would win.

Also, Valhalla was in big trouble inside its own borders. Marquis Memphis did not want to risk his life and career in this dangerous fight. He was someone who used powerful people for his own gain. “Roman Dmitry is becoming the most powerful one now,” he thought. “It might be smart to join his side, just like I supported the Chronos Emperor before.”

So, he went to the Imperial Palace. After checking on the Chronos Emperor who was still alive, Memphis secretly took control of the palace.

Now that he was in control, Marquis Memphis decided to make his move. He would contact Roman Dmitry.

His voice was confident as he proposed a deal, not ashamed at all.

“Roman Dmitry, as you know, war hurts everyone. I admit that the Chronos Empire is in a bad situation, but even if you win, you will be hurt taking over all this land. Let’s make a fair deal. If you capture the Emperor, you’ll be seen as the hero who ended the Empire. I will help Dmitry take over the Empire. Just let me stay in power.”

He had a different plan.

Chronos Emperor. Alexandr.

Marquis Memphis thought that if the people who started the war were dead, he could blame them and take their place.

He smiled to himself. This was perfect. He could betray the Emperor and become powerful again, all thanks to Roman Dmitry.

He had served the Emperor like a dog, but if he was loyal to Roman Dmitry, he could become the king of a nation.

It was certain.

It was a better ending than fighting to the very end.

And if he had Roman Dmitry supporting him, he could crush the Chronos nobles who wanted his power.

“If you wish, I will officially apologize as a country that started the war on behalf of Chronos. This is the best I can do. Instead of making things difficult with a war with Chronos until the end, wouldn’t it be better for each other to solve the problem with a fair agreement? The Chronos Empire is ready to accept the new situation.”

He gave Dmitry the choice.

He didn’t think Dmitry would refuse.

Seeing Roman Dmitry try to make them give up, he was sure that Dmitry wanted this ending too.

Dmitry only had to take the opportunity he was offering.

Since Dmitry had nothing to lose, Marquis Memphis calmly waited for Roman Dmitry’s answer.

But then, a voice, cold and sharp as ice, cut through the air.

“I refuse.”

The voice from the screen shocked Marquis Memphis.

Marquis Memphis felt a flush of heat rise in his face. He couldn’t believe it. He had miscalculated. He quickly tried to think of other reasons for the refusal.

Connecting the communication, Marquis Memphis thought about several possibilities. If Dmitry was pretending to be difficult to get a better deal after the end of the war, he might not accept the offer right away.

But this was not it.

In a firm voice that did not allow for any room for negotiation, Marquis Memphis quickly replied.

“Refuse? Are you serious?”

“Is there any reason not to be serious?”

“Roman Dmitry, this is not a simple matter to consider. No matter how much Dmitry is winning, the Chronos Empire is a huge country. The war is not over yet. If Chronos chooses to fight to the very end, many of Dmitry’s people will die. Do you want to accept those losses now? Do you think you can finish this war without more deaths, even if it’s like cornering a trapped animal, no, a dangerous beast?”

It was the right thing to say.

They were in a dangerous situation.

If he gave a way out to a cornered beast, this war could be ended sooner than we thought.

Many people had already died.

If he accepted just one compromise, the soldiers following Dmitry could return to their families, and that might be the ending that both sides wanted.

But Roman Dmitry’s thoughts were different.

“As you said, accepting a compromise would be an easy and safe choice, Marquis Memphis. Before making the decision of war that would drive my people to death, I have repeatedly thought about why this process is necessary. What I want is not just a small victory. Once I have made a decision, I cannot be satisfied with a moderate result.”

“How much do you want to be satisfied? I, this Marquis Memphis! Didn’t I say I would assist you!”

“That’s what I don’t like. I want to set an example. To deal with all those who put Dmitry in danger and hurt my people. The soldiers who did not know the truth about Alexandr were given a single chance, but the story is different for people like you, who are leaders. It is not important whether you knew the truth or not. Only by dealing with you, who have had a good life with power and riches in Chronos’s life, will people in the future learn from what happened today.”

The conquest of the continent.

To rule this land, Roman Dmitry built a story.

Sufficient rewards for those who dedicate themselves to Dmitry, and punishments that do not allow any compromise for enemies who cross the line.

The stories that are piled up will make his power stronger.

When future generations take any action, they will be able to find what will happen if they do that in past history.

Therefore.

“You are a being that only has meaning if you die. Alexandr, Chronos Emperor, Marquis Memphis. Those who have been part of Chronos’s dark history must be punished, no matter what their story is. Only then will people not try to repeat the same mistakes as you. That is the ending I want. In order not to repeat the same mistakes historically, once you’ve seen blood, you have to see the end, even if it hurts me a lot.”

Marquis Memphis felt a chill. “Crazy bastard,” he muttered again, but this time with fear in his voice. Roman Dmitry wasn’t just strong; he was completely unreasonable. Memphis had dealt with powerful men before, but none like this.

“You crazy bastard.”

Roman Dmitry was a madman.

At least in Marquis Memphis’s opinion, there was no such extreme person among the powerful people he had experienced.

Originally, politics requires a fair agreement.

The people who will face Roman Dmitry in the future will try to see the end, but there was no fear in the other person’s eyes about the situation.

No matter who he faced.

He showed confidence that he would definitely win.

Faced with someone so powerful, Marquis Memphis stopped believing he could change Dmitry’s mind.

Roman Dmitry said.

“Marquis Memphis. Gather all those who agree with you and fight until the end. And finally, I promise you one thing.”

A cruel smile touched Roman Dmitry’s lips.

The enemies he had faced so far.

He spat out the words that he had repeatedly said to them, making them lose all hope.

“We will meet soon.”

Thud.

The communication was cut off.

“Damn it.”

Marquis Memphis clutched his head as if in pain.

He never thought the negotiation would end like this.

He was planning to draw an ideal result through a proper negotiation, but the other party would not agree to anything less.

“Didn’t I tell you? Roman Dmitry is not a person to compromise with.”

Marquis Memphis felt a cold breath on his neck.

“Right next to you,” a hoarse voice whispered.

Turning his head, he saw Emperor Chronos, his face gaunt.

Alexandr was dead, so the magic controlling Emperor Chronos was gone. But Chronos was still dying. He was paying the price for letting another soul into his body.

The shadow of death lingered beneath his eyes.

The figure once hailed as the greatest emperor in history was nowhere to be seen; a withered, skeletal being looked at Marquis Memphis and smiled weakly.

“Pathetic,” Chronos rasped. “A dog… you knew it was wrong, but you obeyed. Now look at you, with my power. If I was myself… you’d be nothing.”

Smack!

“Shut your mouth, you dying fool!” Memphis spat, his face contorted with rage.

He had slapped him across the face.

Blood trickled from Chronos’s split lip, staining his already pale face a gruesome red.

This was the imperial palace.

The Emperor’s residence.

Those who should have been protecting Emperor Chronos were already dead, and Marquis Memphis’s knights showed no sign of wavering even at the sight of the gruesome scene.

The Chronos Empire belonged to Marquis Memphis.

With all those who offered even a shred of correct advice to Emperor Chronos, possessed by Alexandr, now dead, there was no one in this imperial palace to put a stop to Marquis Memphis’s actions.

Marquis Memphis’s eyes flashed with a murderous glint. He wouldn’t lose everything now. He had come too far, sacrificed too much.

He was at the edge of a cliff, cornered.

With a chilling feeling gripping his heart, Marquis Memphis had no intention of meekly accepting his fate.

“Very well, let’s see this through to the end. I will show you exactly what the price is for daring to reject my compromise. Commander of the Knights.”

“Yes.”

“Issue a summons immediately. Gather all the private soldiers of the common nobles to the capital, and we will fight a desperate battle here. And order the nobles in the east, who are facing Roman Dmitry, not to retreat under any circumstances. If they raise a white flag or show any sign of compromise with the enemy, I will kill every single being related to those traitors who abandon the country. I will exterminate their entire families, and I will not spare even those who were on friendly terms with them.”

“Understood.”

He issued the order.

Marquis Memphis inhaled roughly.

He staggered as if drunk, then walked to the throne stained with blood and sat down.

“I will not end like this. Never, ever…”

His eyes gleamed dangerously.

Here, in the capital of Chronos, Marquis Memphis would burn his last flame.

Marquis Memphis sat heavily on the blood-stained throne, the Emperor’s words still ringing in his ears. Later that day, in a different part of the camp…

A visitor came to see Roman Dmitry.

“It’s Chris. May I come in?”

“Enter.”

It was Chris.

Dmitry had spent the day in the enemy’s fortress, and until recently, Dmitry’s leadership had been holding a heated meeting in a blood-soaked conference room that still smelled of iron and death, the table stained dark with blood.

Roman Dmitry had revealed Marquis Memphis’s proposal at that meeting.

There must have been those who wanted a reasonable compromise, but none of the leaders raised any objections.

Chris sat down. He admired Roman Dmitry more than anyone, but…

He cautiously opened his mouth.

“The leadership, including myself, agrees with our lord’s decision. If we were to spare people like Marquis Memphis, they would surely cause problems in the future. However… I am a little worried about this situation. Our lord does not allow even a single compromise in anything he does. That is why he was able to create Dmitry as it is today, but recently, some people have begun to feel fear at that aspect of him.”

Negotiations had failed.

It was a result everyone accepted.

Having roamed the battlefields with Roman Dmitry, they too knew why they had to see the end with Chronos.

However, this decision, our lord’s refusal to compromise, sends a message too.

The anxiety that if they made a mistake against Roman Dmitry, they might be punished regardless of their past contributions. Reverence left fear in its wake.

People were nervous not to make mistakes in front of Roman Dmitry, and that, as time went on, distanced them from those who followed Roman Dmitry.

Some individuals, people like Chris and Kevin, who blindly followed Roman Dmitry, accepted fear positively, but not everyone in Dmitry was the same.

That was what Chris was concerned about.

Due to the image Roman Dmitry was building, he was bound to become more and more isolated as time went on.

Roman Dmitry said.

“As you say, people will feel fear in a life without compromise. Let me tell you an interesting story. A long, long time ago, there were two families fighting over a region. After a fierce battle, one family emerged victorious, and the victorious family, out of the mercy of the victor, spared the defeated family’s members. What do you think happened as a result?”

“…Did the defeated family take revenge later?”

“No. They disappeared into the annals of history. Terrified, they never even looked at power for the rest of their lives.”

His past life.

It was a story from the Murim.

When Chris showed a look of not understanding, Roman Dmitry stared out the window with a nonchalant gaze.

“A single act of mercy. A single precedent. That erased fear from people’s hearts. Watching the defeated return alive, people witnessed not fear, but the fact that they would not die even if they were defeated. After that, the family faced numerous challenges. Complacent measures caused problems every time, and the problems that piled up eventually brought the family down. That is why I cannot allow compromise. If I spare Marquis Memphis, people will not applaud that mercy, but will instead develop the perception that even someone like Marquis Memphis can survive through appropriate compromise. If that happens, forces with animosity towards Dmitry will try to cause problems with a light heart in the future.”

It’s not just one problem.

It was the starting point of the next problem.

Once is always twice, three times, four times, repeating the same problem over and over again.

“What I want is a clear precedent. Through the death of Marquis Memphis, people will realize that it is impossible to violate Dmitry’s laws with a complacent mindset. Chris. It is only natural that people fear me. Those who hold the power of life and death over people, as their power grows stronger and they establish a clear system, the relationships they have had will become dull and the distance will inevitably grow.”

Little by little.

Very little by little.

The gradually increasing distance in their hearts would, at some point, make Roman Dmitry as lonely as Chris feared.

However.

“That is the only way a group can move towards the right path. Someone has to exclude human relationships and follow clear precedents and laws. That is my role. I have accepted your loyalty and sacrifice, and I am simply doing what I have to do.”

His past life was the same.

From the bottom of life.

Baek Jonghyuk, who had been alone, met countless people in the process of climbing to the top, and once he reached the top, he had no choice but to be alone again.

The people who followed him.

Because he had to present them with clear standards, the human relationships that ordinary people felt were never allowed for him.

That was the life of a ruler.

And the Murim of his past life.

In exchange for the loneliness of the absolute being, it achieved an unprecedented era of peace in Murim history.

“It is a life I have accepted. You and I, we just need to live our own lives in our respective areas.”

Why?

At those words, a ripple ran through Chris’s heart.