The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 14

A strange feeling settled over Roman. Seeing the boy Kevin had been like a glimpse of Gwangma, and now, Chris reminded him of someone else from his past.

‘He resembles Hyulma (Blood Demon).’

Hyulma and Gwangma were Roman’s most loyal subordinates.

Gwangma’s name meant ‘Crazy for Roman’ because he was so loyal. He would have jumped into fire if Roman asked him to. Hyulma, on the other hand, had been a master who dominated the Murim world even before becoming a subordinate.

The head of the Hyulma Sect (Blood Demon Sect). Clashing with them over the power of the Demonic Path was inevitable, and the Heavenly Demon and Hyulma had fought fiercely in a wide plain. (For readers unfamiliar with the ‘Murim world’ and ‘Demonic Path’, these are terms related to martial arts and power struggles in a specific cultural context.)

The battle exploded with power.

Each stomp shook the ground, and the sky seemed to crack when a sword moved.

That day, Hyulma was defeated.

He was a historical figure who unified the Hyulma Sect, but the martial skill of Chunma Baek Joong-hyuk, whom he faced, was on a different level.

A Demonic God. Hyulma knelt.

Coughing up blood, he looked up at Chunma and said, astonishingly:

“…I have never seen such strength. I admit I am beaten. The Hyulma Sect will follow your Demonic Sect from now on. So tell me, how can I become as strong as you? I’ll be following you anyway, so it helps us both if I get stronger, right?”

He was an arrogant yet unique man.

Even with death staring him in the face, Hyulma abandoned his pride and asked how to become stronger.

At first, he didn’t like Hyulma’s approach, but Hyulma was not a man of double standards.

From then on, he blindly followed Chunma, abandoning his pride as the top of the Hyulma Sect and genuinely striving to become stronger.

Thanks to that, the Demonic Sect’s conquest of Murim was much easier.

The head of the Namgoong Clan, known as one of the three great masters of the traditional group, had his head flown off by Hyulma’s sword, not even Chunma Baek Joong-hyuk’s.

Chris and Hyulma were similar men.

His flushed face couldn’t hide his wounded pride, yet he suppressed it with his desire to become stronger.

‘Revealing desire is the most human thing.’

He liked it. Roman had always liked honest people.

Rather than those who claimed to want nothing but orchestrated schemes behind the scenes, he kept those who boldly demanded what they wanted by his side.

The purpose of desire didn’t matter. If they wanted wealth, he would grant them wealth, and those who wanted to become stronger, he would make stronger.

The stronger their desires, the less likely they were to betray him.

Why? Because they knew the consequences of betrayal.

People with strong desires were quick to face reality, and Roman was a mountain they couldn’t dare to climb.

‘What should I do with this guy?’

He was intrigued. It was obvious that Chris disliked him.

Perhaps there was some bad blood between them in the past, but what was important to him was the desire to become stronger, rather than the bad blood.

And, his talent wasn’t bad.

Chris’s frame was solid. If he had diligently trained in martial arts in Roman’s way, he would have been born with enough talent to aspire to a realm beyond first-rate by now.

However, he was not properly utilizing his talent with a trash-like method.

Roman, who had been carefully examining Chris, let out a word with a smile on his face.

“I can’t give you the answer.”

“…Then what am I supposed to do?”

“I told you, don’t blindly follow the methods passed down from someone else. Even if I could give you the answer, it would be no different from the life you’ve lived. So, if you want to get the answer, stay by my side from now on. In six months, I’m leaving for the battlefield. Watch closely how I get stronger in the process of facing countless enemies, and in what way I defeat them. If you’re still by my side in ten years…”

Chris’s eyes wavered. He looked straight at him.

And then, he said firmly.

“You will surely get the answer.”

The training was over. Chris, left alone in the place where Roman had left, looked up at the blue sky and sighed deeply.

“Haa.”

War. It was something he would have to experience someday.

He knew that it was the fate of a knight, but he had never imagined going to the battlefield with Dimitri’s fool.

It would have been better if he were the second son. If it was him, who was already famous in the capital, he would have felt proud and followed him, but he couldn’t accept the current situation at all.

‘My own way.’

Roman’s advice. It was the first time he had heard such a thing.

To him, who was called a genius for learning what had been passed down for generations, Roman’s remarks caused a stir.

At first, he tried to ignore it. He dismissed it as nonsense, feeling that the years he had worked hard were being denied, but the more he listened to Roman’s words, the faster his heart beat.

He wasn’t wrong. The knowledge passed down for generations ultimately came from the same human.

Becoming stronger as a swordsman shouldn’t be just one path, so why had he been trying to stick to their methods until now?

If he had pondered and experienced trial and error a little, wouldn’t there have been a path that suited him better?

His head was tangled in a complicated way.

If Roman was just a man of words, Chris wouldn’t have been so tormented.

However, Roman, whom he had briefly experienced, was not the kind of person who was called Dimitri’s fool.

‘The young master’s talent was real. I don’t know how he got so strong in such a short time, but the young master, who had less strength than an ordinary person two years ago, has completely changed. Solid swordsmanship and the talent to unleash aura. Unless he had been hiding his strength since he was a child, it’s clear that the young master has found his own way.’

The former possibility didn’t make sense.

There was no reason to hide his strength, and no reason to reveal it now.

Roman had become stronger in a short time. Chris gained an indescribable trust in his appearance as he looked him in the eye and spoke firmly.

That day, Chris was lost in thought.

The sun set, and the sun rose again. He, who had become haggard because he hadn’t eaten, finally made a decision and moved somewhere.

‘I want to get stronger.’

Life goal. His desire was in force.

He went to his teacher, Jonathan, the captain of the Knights, and told him honestly that he would follow Roman to the battlefield.

Then.

“…Something must have happened.”

Jonathan looked at Chris with a calm face.

In a battlefield where corpses were scattered haphazardly, Jonathan had first seen a young boy holding his mother’s body and shedding tears. That was Chris.

He was a talented child, and his desire to become stronger was so strong that he grew up quickly. And he followed him like a father.

The fact that Chris was leaving his side and saying that he would follow Roman was a sure sign that there was a special reason. Mutual trust. The two trusted each other.

Even if Chris didn’t explain the reason, Jonathan nodded.

“If you say so, there must be a special reason. From now on, you are not affiliated with the Dimitri Knights. As a bodyguard of Roman, be sure to achieve your desired purpose by his side, no matter what happens.”

“…Thank you.”

Jonathan laughed. The young child. He felt bittersweet that the dark-skinned boy had grown up and was leaving his side.

“Thanks to you, I’ve learned one thing. If the Chris I’ve experienced so far says he’ll follow, then Roman is no longer the fool people say he is. I’ll make time from tomorrow. To survive on the battlefield, you need to have at least one secret weapon.”

“…Master!”

Chris’s eyes widened. He didn’t know what days lay ahead, but Jonathan was a teacher whom Chris followed with all his heart, no matter what anyone said.

Half a year later, Roman leaves Dimitri, even against his will.

Other nobles would be crying and making a fuss, but when he thought about that time, Roman’s heart was already pounding.

‘I can’t grow up like a flower in a greenhouse. I’ll only be satisfied if I experience a lot and eventually live a life of ruling. So, for the sake of the future six months from now, I need to prepare myself from now on.’

There is no perfect preparation in the world. Changes can happen that we don’t expect.

However, preparing oneself was another matter. If he laid the foundation to overcome any adversity, he was confident that he would achieve his goal after hardship.

After breaking up with Chris, Roman visited the library of the territory.

The library was dusty and full of old books, creating a quiet atmosphere.

And then, he read various kinds of books. The Twelve Swords of the Continent. Even just looking at the information conveyed in letters, they are strong people.

If they can draw out aura that reaches tens of meters even with inefficient aura emission, they have certainly reached the top of martial power in this world’s own way.

It didn’t matter how it was in Murim’s standards, but at Roman’s current level, they were not people he could easily deal with.

And magic. It was a power that didn’t exist in Murim.

The more he read the information about the new world, the clearer it became what Roman had to do right now.

‘These people in the book may appear as my enemies someday. The probability of such trials befalling a country bumpkin from Dimitri is very low, but changes are dangerous because they are unpredictable. As I am now, I cannot perfectly respond to changes. Therefore, I must move forward whenever I have the chance.’

He closed the book. There was something he had to do now.

Roman summoned Hans. Whenever and wherever, he appeared at Roman’s call as if he had been waiting.

“Did you call, young master?”

“I have something to ask of you.”

“Tell me.”

Hans’s attitude was respectful. Blood Fang. It became an opportunity to see Roman again.

Hans was determined to risk his life for Roman in response to the statement that acknowledged him, who was merely a servant.

Some people might laugh at Hans. A word. He was a pathetic life who risked his life for it. However, everyone has different values, and Roman had become a special being to Hans.

“I need a space to train. It doesn’t have to be big, but it has to be completely isolated from the outside. Especially, the more soundproof it is, the better. Being disturbed during training is the worst.”

“I understand.”

He bowed his head. He didn’t ask back what kind of training he was doing or why such a space was needed.

If he were a person, he might have asked several questions, but Hans only ever agreed to Roman’s orders.

“And do you know the whereabouts of the boy named Kevin we met before?”

“Yes. Thinking that the young master might be looking for him, I have prepared a residence for Kevin separately.”

“Good.”

A smile appeared on his face. Reading the lord’s mind and acting in advance. Hans was a person who couldn’t help but be treated well.

“Tell me Kevin’s whereabouts. At that time, I promised that boy I would properly handle the problem he is facing through the correct process. I’ve eliminated the culprit as he wanted, so shouldn’t I go and deliver this good news in person now? And incidentally, I also have a purpose for the boy named Kevin.”

Kevin. A child who resembled Gwangma. Perhaps due to the aftermath of Chris, he wanted to see him again.