The Heavenly Demon Can't Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 465

Romero Dimitri was enjoying a quiet moment in his sun-filled office, reading reports. A knock on the door interrupted him. “Your Majesty,” his servant announced, bowing slightly, “Crown Prince Roman Dimitri is here to see you.”

Romero’s eyebrows rose in surprise, but a warm smile quickly spread across his face. He stood up quickly as Roman entered, his smile widening as he greeted his son. “Roman! What a pleasant surprise.”

“So, is everything alright?”

“The same as always.”

“You are the Emperor of the Dimitri Empire. Countless lives depend on your health, so always take care of yourself first. And make sure you eat the health food your mother sends. It’s so effective, I feel like I’m getting my energy back! Haha!”

He laughed cheerfully.

The Dimitri father and son shared everyday stories.

Romero Dimitri didn’t want to waste time with his son, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, so he kept asking questions about how he had been and if there were any problems.

As the conversation went on, he carefully watched his son’s face before asking cautiously, “By the way, have you thought any more about marriage?”

Marriage was a big worry for the Dimitri family.

Even though the empire was successful, they were concerned because Roman Dimitri refused to marry.

His younger brothers were already married. Now, only Roman Dimitri was left, so Romero Dimitri wanted to know his son’s true feelings.

There was also something else on his mind.

“If you don’t want to marry because of the broken engagement… I am truly sorry for what happened back then. I shouldn’t have been so harsh just because the wedding was called off. Even I couldn’t control my anger at that moment. My son, I don’t want you to be forced into marriage. If you ever find someone you truly love, I will be genuinely happy, no matter who she is. Please, introduce her to me anytime.”

The broken engagement was a sore spot, a problem that pained him to think about.

Romero Dimitri carefully chose his words, worried that he might be holding his son back.

Roman understood his father’s feelings.

But he wasn’t avoiding marriage for the reasons his father thought.

‘I cannot do something I cannot take responsibility for.’

He couldn’t tell his father the truth, so he smiled.

Roman Dimitri looked at his father and explained why he had come. “My decision not to marry is my own choice, Father. After becoming emperor, I had time to think about my life. Each time, I felt grateful to you. Even when people criticized me, you always supported me. Thank you. I am grateful that Romero Dimitri is my father.”

Romero swallowed his words.

His son was different than usual. He didn’t usually express his feelings so directly, and his gratitude for having him as a father almost made him cry.

He felt relieved.

For the past three years, Romero Dimitri had been wondering if he was to blame for Roman Dimitri’s avoidance of marriage.

“Thank you, my son.”

He was happy.

Then, his son left.

Romero Dimitri, thinking about the conversation, suddenly felt regret.

‘I should have said how I really felt instead of just saying thank you. Just as my son found the courage, I should have told him how grateful I am to have him as my son. Even when he was called Dimitri’s fool, he was always the son I truly loved.’

But it was alright, because this wasn’t the only chance.

Romero Dimitri looked out the window and felt the warm sunlight.

After the Hector Valhalla incident, Chris stayed busy.

He showed great administrative skills and became valuable in every area.

That day was the same as usual.

After finishing his morning training and paperwork, he had an unexpected visitor.

“Your Majesty!”

“You seem quite busy.”

“Not at all, please come in.”

It was Roman Dimitri.

This was unusual.

Roman Dimitri sometimes visited when there was something important, but he had never come to Chris first.

Chris offered the best seat and looked at Roman Dimitri with a puzzled expression as the Emperor made small talk.

Then, suddenly, he brought up something strange.

“Chris, the Valhalla and Hector incident was resolved smoothly because of your quick actions. But what if… what if I didn’t exist in this country, do you think you could have prevented their conflict?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just a question. I want to hear your thoughts.”

It was a strange question.

Chris thought for a long time, then looked at Roman Dimitri and said, “This world is peaceful because you exist. If you didn’t exist, things wouldn’t be resolved as easily. But that’s all. Dimitri has built a strong foundation while serving you. Even without your influence, Hector and Valhalla cannot disobey Dimitri’s orders.”

“Yes, you’re right.”

People were wrong to think that Dimitri was all about Roman Dimitri.

The truth was different. This country had grown with Roman Dimitri and had even greater power than people knew.

Roman Dimitri said, “This country is strong. It has the power to rule the entire continent even without me. Chris, you are qualified to lead a new era. When I first met you, you were lost, but your talent was unmatched. That’s why, among those I have taught, you were the only one who had to become strong on your own. You had the ability to do so. You had a talent that allowed you to grow even under those circumstances.”

Chris’s eyes flickered.

He felt a rush of emotion.

It was the first time Roman Dimitri had recognized him like this.

“You have every right to be proud of yourself. As the Ranking Match showed, you are clearly my successor.”

His eyes widened.

The conversation ended there.

After Roman Dimitri left, Chris had a blank expression.

He couldn’t stop smiling and wondered if he had always been so silly.

‘This is what I truly wanted.’

He realized it now.

He didn’t just want to be better than Roman Dimitri.

From the moment he met him, Chris’s world had changed a lot.

From that day when he faced someone so strong, he had wanted Roman Dimitri to recognize him.

He dreamed of surpassing him.

Even though he knew it was impossible, he kept trying because he hoped that one day, Roman Dimitri would acknowledge his progress.

So he kept proving himself.

Even while fighting and being defeated, he worked hard to hear those words of recognition.

He couldn’t stop smiling.

Roman Dimitri had left, and Chris didn’t think he could work anymore that day.

Kevin fell to the floor, breathing heavily.

Ever since meeting Roman Dimitri, he had been focused on training.

Even though the world was at peace, he worked hard to be useful to Roman Dimitri.

Then, someone spoke.

“Still at it, I see.”

“My lord?!”

He jumped up.

It was Roman Dimitri.

He stood up quickly, stumbling slightly, but regained his balance and looked at Roman Dimitri.

Seeing this, Roman Dimitri said, “Kevin, why do you work so hard when you are already strong enough?”

It was a familiar question.

Months ago, Kevin had asked the same question.

He had said that he didn’t understand why Roman Dimitri kept working hard even after defeating the Demon King.

He hesitated for a moment, then spoke steadily. “I have been thinking a lot since our conversation, my lord. Even you, whom I cannot dare to compare to, constantly seek to improve, so why should I be satisfied with the present? I needed a purpose to become stronger. Not just to become stronger because there are enemies, but to become someone who can solve any problem that may arise in the future. You, my lord, my family, and everyone in Dimitri… no one can touch them. I will make sure of it.”

It was an intense desire.

Kevin had become himself again.

If any problems arose in Dimitri, the enemies would be greeted by Dimitri’s demon first.

Roman Dimitri smiled.

Among those who followed Roman Dimitri, Kevin was not the strongest.

He lost to Chris every time in the Ranking Match, and with the progress of people like Edwin Hector, there was no guarantee that Kevin would always win.

However, if asked whom he trusted the most, Roman Dimitri could say without hesitation, “Kevin, you are the one I trust the most. Because you are here, I don’t worry so much about my absence.”

The boy had suddenly grown up.

Looking at the intense gaze, Roman Dimitri felt the passage of time.

“One can never know what might happen in life. If problems arise that the people of Dimitri cannot handle, I want you to solve those problems. What I am about to tell you now is the price for the burden you will have to bear from now on.”

He was certain that with Chris and Kevin, Dimitri would last forever.

“The Heavenly Demon Sword Art… I will tell you its completed form.”

It was a sunny afternoon.

Roman Dimitri walked through the city.

Dimitri had changed a lot in the past and present.

Roman Dimitri walked through the city.

Past and present.

The city had changed completely. It used to be a place of strong, simple buildings, like a city for blacksmiths. Now, it was a grand city, fit for an Empire.

No one recognized Roman Dmitry, cloaked and hooded as he was. The townsfolk bustled about, chattering amongst themselves, their faces alight with the simple joys of everyday life.

‘The first time I walked these streets, I needed to understand this world.’

Roman Dmitry. That name felt strange now, even to him.

Seeking to adapt to this newly transformed world, he had ventured into the streets, where Roman Dmitry encountered an old man from the slums.

He remembered the slums.

They used to be shanties where your feet would sink into the mud, and a bad smell was always in the air.

Traces of the past were nowhere to be found.

Dmitry had initiated extensive renovations to improve the lives of the people, and at least in the capital of the Dmitry Empire, slums no longer existed.

It remained only as a memory of the past.

Reflecting on the remnants of where the slums had once stood, Roman Dmitry recalled the memories of what he had seen and heard in this place.

Then, quite by chance, he overheard a conversation between people who, like him, were reminiscing about the past.

“It’s really changed a lot.”

“All thanks to His Imperial Majesty, Roman Dmitry. Since he began to rule this world, nothing has gotten worse than before. People who used to beg on the streets have all found jobs, and the economy has been revitalized as they spend the money they earn. You know, I sometimes think that Emperor Roman Dmitry might be a gift from the gods. If the demons of the Demon World had attacked in a world overrun by Chronos and Valhalla, we would never have survived.”

“That’s right. People reminisce about the Demon World subjugation, but the common folk didn’t bear any of the risks.”

This was why people spoke of Roman Dmitry with such respect. Not because they knew him under his hood, but because they knew what he had done for their city.

He did not allow the crisis to feel like a crisis.

For his choice to take on the risks as a leader, people were grateful that he was the leader of this world.

He passed them by.

From the streets to the slums, and from the slums to the smithy, he recalled memories of the past.

As he was about to head to the restaurant he had visited with Hans, a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Your Imperial Majesty! You’re here.”

A man came running, panting. It was none other than Hans.

This outing had not been reported.

And even though he was cloaked and hooded, Hans had immediately recognized the cloaked figure as Roman Dmitry.

“How did you know it was me?”

“Of course, I would know! I’ve served Your Imperial Majesty for decades now, and I can recognize you instantly just by your silhouette and gait. But why did you go out without a word? Your Imperial Majesty is free to decide everything for yourself, but if you had given me a heads-up, I would have made all the preparations to avoid any inconvenience. And……”

Hans was very talkative, clearly surprised that Roman Dmitry had left without a word, and he chattered on and on.

It was a familiar scene: Hans walking ahead, and himself following behind.

It was the same back then. When they moved towards the restaurant, Hans chattered on beside him, explaining how dangerous the situation was.

The conflict with Blood Fang.

Hans stayed by his side, even knowing the danger. When Roman Dmitry left him behind, he ran to Jonathan, the commander of the Knights, and asked him to protect his young master.

“Hans.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“He said something that sounded very strange to Hans: ‘When I first came to this place, there was a person named Hans by my side. You always took your duties for granted, saying they were your assigned tasks, but in a time that could have been confusing, I was able to find stability because of your presence. So, there was something I always wanted to say to you someday.'”

“What is that……”

It was an incomprehensible statement.

Hans had been taking care of Roman Dmitry since he was young.

The remark was strange for reminiscing about childhood, so Hans stopped walking for a moment and tried to turn around to look at Roman Dmitry.

That’s when it happened.

“It was my good fortune to have met you first in this world.”

At those words, his heart sank and tears welled up in his eyes.

In a situation where he was even described as a good fortune, Hans felt emotions that he could not put into words.

He felt the same way.

People thought of Hans as just a servant, but Roman Dmitry did not regard him merely as a servant.

He was family. He took care of his life, took care of his family, and Hans received the title of nobility for simply being faithful to his duties as a servant.

The feelings were not one-sided.

Just as Roman Dmitry had said in the past that emotions are exchanged, he also felt grateful for the emotions that were returned as much as he gave.

He turned his head, looking at Roman Dmitry, he wanted to convey his sincerity.

But…

“……Your Imperial Majesty?”

He was gone.

Roman Dmitry, who had clearly been following behind him just a moment ago, was nowhere to be seen, no matter where he looked.

“Your Imperial Majesty? Your Imperial Majesty!”

Hans looked around and called out desperately, searching for Roman Dmitry.

But no matter how much he called and called, even as the sun slowly set, Roman Dmitry could not be found, not just that day, but continuously after that day as well.

Suddenly, Roman was in a place that was nothing. Just white. Pure, endless white. It wasn’t empty, exactly, but it felt like the absence of everything – no color, no sound, no air, just white stretching in every direction.

[Roman Dmitry. It’s time now.]

The past 3 years.

Roman Dmitry had a grace period.

As God had promised in the beginning, he said that Roman Dmitry had to leave for the sake of this world.

“I know.”

It was an unavoidable reality.

If he could have changed reality by cutting down God, Roman Dmitry would have gladly made God his enemy.

But he knew that was impossible. The reason Roman Dmitry could not live in this world was because of the laws of dimension.

If he insisted on not leaving this world, the world would eventually meet the same end as the Demon World, with rifts occurring due to his existence.

He could not allow that, so he accepted reality.

Because it was something he had prepared himself for from the beginning, Roman Dmitry showed a calm reaction now that he was facing God’s will.

[I have a question. The past 3 years. Why didn’t you do anything?]

He knew that someday he would have to leave, yet he didn’t do anything special.

He devoted himself to training every day, preparing for any enemy that Dmitry might not be able to handle.

He should have spread the news of his sacrifice far and wide, and been sufficiently compensated even for a short time, but he quietly kept his place.

Why?

He could not understand.

Even as a god, he could not fathom the heart of a mere human.

“There is no special reason. Even if I live for only one day, I have simply lived like a human in my position.”

Roman Dmitry.

The Emperor of the Dmitry Empire.

As a leader, he prepared for danger, and he did not make a fuss just because his life had an end.

It was a simple matter.

Even if there was no ending where he had to leave the world someday, Roman Dmitry would have lived the same life as he does now.

It was a choice to avoid leaving regrets.

Acting differently according to the future that was coming and giving up on his life was not like himself, who had lived a life of fighting to the end.

He had simply accepted reality.

Roman Dmitry was a human that even God could not understand.

[I will ask one last time. Have you ever regretted your life, even for a moment?]

The answer was already decided.

People called his choice a sacrifice, but Roman Dmitry’s thoughts were different.

From beginning to end, the life that Roman Dmitry had lived was all for himself.

“No. Not even for a single moment.”

[Is that so.]

Roman Dmitry would not know.

Isabel thought that Roman Dmitry was not active because he was worried about the dimensional rift, but in reality, God was protecting Roman Dmitry’s existence.

So that he could live sufficiently. Although his life had a set end, it was so that he would not leave even a shred of regret.

Roman Dmitry lived his daily life, and God cared for him.

That was all.

It was the only way God could express his gratitude to the being who had taken on all the problems of humanity.

[Roman Dmitry. You were the most unhuman, yet the most human being I have ever met among humans.]

Whoosh.

Woooosh.

Flames rose.

Divine power blazed, collapsing the space in which Roman Dmitry existed.

[I sincerely bless the new life you will face in the future.]

Flash.

Rumble!