The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 114

Victory for Cairo. It was a huge win.

People in the South cheered loudly. But in Cairo, the capital city far away, things were different.

Person 1: “Have you heard the news?”

Person 2: “What news?”

Person 1: “Hector Kingdom attacked! They crossed the border in the south. Merchants say it’s really bad there. I’m worried they’ll make us join the army. Men under fifty have to fight if there’s a big problem.”

Person 2: “Oh, come on. Nothing ever happens even when the Chronos Empire attacks. Do you think they’ll really make *us* fight just because Hector attacked?”

Cairo was *supposed* to be a nation at war. People in Cairo had heard about the Chronos Empire attacking in the west before. So, they didn’t understand why this Hector Kingdom attack was a big deal. Cairo was the capital, more important than anywhere else in the country. There was an old saying: ‘To get ahead, you must go to Cairo.’ People in the capital thought of other places as unimportant. They didn’t really feel the danger in the South.

What they really worried about was… how the war might affect *them*.

“I hope they don’t raise taxes because of the war,” one person complained. “Why can’t this country ever have peace? If I was born in the Chronos Empire, I wouldn’t be so worried all the time. It’s terrible to be from a weak country.”

That was all. They complained a little, then went back to their normal day.

They couldn’t know. That the hero of Cairo was born in a terrible situation – the Hector Kingdom had attacked with ten thousand soldiers, and Cairo’s army was losing ground. If they knew Roman Dmitry had defeated Butler, a famous 5-star swordsman, they would be amazed. But the news hadn’t arrived yet. Life in Cairo went on as normal, but the storm from the South was getting closer and closer.

A buzzer sounded. “Start!” the professor yelled.

The professor’s words changed the mood instantly. William Castro and his friends grinned and bumped fists, looking sure of themselves. But Loren Dmitry, sitting by himself in the corner, went white.

William Castro. Everyone knew he was the toughest student in D-class. He was sure to move up to C-class soon. Loren Dmitry knew he couldn’t win against William. But what could he do? The professor had called their names. If Loren didn’t want to be kicked out of the academy, he had to fight.

The buzzer sounded. “Start!” the professor yelled. William Castro charged forward, like he’d been waiting for this moment. Loren Dmitry jumped back, startled, and barely blocked William’s first attack. *Thwack!* The sound of wood hitting wood echoed. *Tap, tap, tap!* William’s sword kept coming, fast and hard. It was a one-sided fight. Loren could only block, block, block. William moved easily, like he was born to fight, using all the sword skills they’d learned.

Sweat poured down Loren’s face. He was small for his age, only 165cm tall. Against William, who was 188cm, he felt helpless. William looked like a giant. Loren knew William was playing with him, making fun of him. He was pushed back and forth, exactly where William wanted him.

Then, *Whack!* “Ack!” Loren cried out as the wooden sword hit his back. The fight was over. Loren fell to the ground, holding his back, gasping in pain. He couldn’t even lift his head. William Castro looked down at him, a cruel smile on his face. “Idiot,” he muttered, just loud enough for Loren to hear. He turned away, smirking. Loren heard William and his friends laughing and cheering.

“About the fight,” the professor said coldly. “Loren Dmitry. What did I tell you last time? You don’t have the *heart* of a swordsman. You’re here to learn to fight, but you can’t even look at your opponent’s sword! You close your eyes like a scared child. It’s pathetic. If you fight like this in the real exam, you’ll be sent down to E-class. Understand?”

E-class. That was the class for kids under fifteen. If he was sent there, everyone would laugh at him – an eighteen-year-old in the children’s class. Loren’s fist clenched. He wanted to shout back, to argue. But he couldn’t. He had no courage, no power to change anything.

Sparring was finished. Loren Dmitry sat in the lounge, trying to catch his breath. He froze when William and his friends walked in. “Well, well, look who’s here,” one of them said. They smirked. William Castro started packing his bag, speaking loudly so Loren could hear. “It’s amazing, really. I saw some S-class students once, and Rodwell Dmitry was incredible. I was so impressed. I thought, maybe the Dmitry family is really something special.”

Rodwell Dmitry. Everyone in the capital knew that name. He got to S-class so fast. People started looking at Loren Dmitry, his brother, because they were from the same family.

“But wait,” William continued, pretending to remember something. “I forgot. You know, some people just can’t escape where they come from. They say Rodwell Dmitry is a miracle because he came from a nobody family. But really, it’s normal for people from families like *that* to just fail at everything, like someone we know. Isn’t it sad? He can’t do anything because of his family, but he still tries.”

Loren kept his head down, pretending not to hear. But his face burned red. It was always like this. Rodwell’s younger brother. He lived in his brother’s shadow. Loren had always been quiet, but since coming to the academy, he’d become even more withdrawn. He never knew what to say.

“This is boring,” one of William’s friends said. “Yeah, not fun anymore,” another agreed. Had they lost interest in bullying Loren? They changed the subject. “Hey, is it true that Roman Dmitry beat Homerus?”

“I bet it’s just a rumor Dmitry family made up,” William said. “They’re just a newly rich family, you know? They have to do something about that idiot eldest son of theirs. Everyone thinks he’s useless, so they’re trying to make him look good. A family can’t have two miracle kids. You can see that just by looking at Loren over there.”

The comparison again. It always came back to that.

Loren Dmitry bit his lip, holding back his tears. He was so tired of it all. Today, Loren felt completely worn out.

After class, Loren Dmitry walked out into the street. He felt like he would burst if he didn’t get some fresh air. ‘…Is Roman really telling the truth?’ he wondered. Roman Dmitry. Even in the capital, people were talking about him. Defeating Homerus at just twenty years old was unbelievable. People said a new miracle had been born in the Dmitry family.

But Loren Dmitry, who was also from the Dmitry family, just couldn’t believe it. People said Roman might be stronger than they thought, not like his bad reputation. But Loren knew Roman’s past. He knew what Roman used to be like. ‘Dmitry’s idiot.’ He hadn’t gotten that nickname for no reason. The Roman Loren remembered was a lazy good-for-nothing who didn’t care about anything.

“‘The Roman I remember wasn’t mean to me, at least,’ Loren thought. ‘But if someone asked me if Roman really beat Homerus, like William said, I couldn’t say yes. It sounds like a lie. Why would Father spread a fake rumor that will be found out so fast? Roman was drunk even the last day I was home.’ Once, Roman had been normal. He’d tried hard to please the family. But then he realized he wasn’t as talented as everyone hoped. And Rodwell’s genius became clear. That was when Roman’s place in the family dropped to nothing. Roman started to go wrong. That’s how he became ‘Dmitry’s idiot.'”

Loren understood Roman a little. He knew what it was like to be compared to Rodwell. So, he’d tried to be friendly to Roman. But he definitely didn’t want to *be* like Roman. “Haa,” he sighed. Just then, he heard a noise in the distance. People were gathering, talking loudly. *Murmur murmur.* ‘What’s happening?’ Loren wondered. He just wanted to forget his worries for a minute. He started walking towards the sound. He pushed through the crowd. As he got closer, he saw people lined up on both sides of the street, waiting for something.

“Is it really true?” someone in the crowd asked.

“It’s true!” another person said loudly. “My cousin lives in the South. The Hector Kingdom was about to take over everything, but then, somehow, they beat them and took back the south! And guess what’s even more amazing? Roman Dmitry did unbelievable things!”

“Roman Dmitry? The young fighter who beat Homerus?” someone asked.

“Yes! It’s not confirmed yet, but there’s a rumor that Roman Dmitry defeated the Hector Kingdom with only two hundred soldiers! And some people are saying he even beat Butler, a famous 5-star swordsman from Hector, in a duel. But that’s probably too hard to believe.”

Loren Dmitry’s eyes went wide as he listened to the crowd. The war with Hector. He’d heard about it. At the academy, kids from important families talked about kingdom news all the time, and he’d overheard them. But even if Roman had really defeated the Hector Kingdom, the rest of the story was too much. ‘Are they talking about *my* Roman?’ he thought. ‘Roman defeated the Hector Kingdom with two hundred soldiers? And beat Butler, a famous fighter from Hector? It’s impossible.’ The rumors were too much. He still couldn’t believe Roman had beaten Homerus either. Hearing all this news from the South, Loren was stunned. He didn’t know what to think.

“Clear the way!” guards shouted, pushing through the crowd. “Make way for the heroes of the South!” The crowd roared with cheers, like a fire suddenly bursting into flames. Loren was lost in his thoughts, his mind spinning. Then, he saw them. Guards marched ahead, and behind them… a man on a tall, strong horse rode into view. Loren’s eyes widened. He stared. ‘…Ro, Roman?’ It was Roman Dmitry. He looked so different from how Loren remembered him. He was there, in front of him, riding through the cheering crowd, a hero.