The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 142

Gabriel lost.

Conrad Berhardt’s heart sank.

Conrad had not thought about this possibility when he was put in the same group as McBurney. But now, he saw it happening.

“This, this isn’t real.”

His voice trembled.

Gabriel was a 3-star swordsman.

He thought he could win easily because his aura was stronger. But McBurney’s aura was like a candle in the wind; it didn’t go out even when it hit Gabriel’s aura.

Something was terribly wrong.

Conrad couldn’t believe that McBurney used aura, that his aura blocked Gabriel’s, and that a one-armed swordsman had beaten Gabriel with only his sword skills.

‘Ah.’

He felt like the world was collapsing.

This tournament was about the pride of the Northeastern Union.

They hadn’t said they wanted to win, but everyone knew the connection between the Northeastern Union and Roman.

‘It’s over. The Northeastern Union’s reputation will be ruined.’

The scene felt like a festival, because the underdog had won.

People who were once nervous around the Northeastern Union were now talking openly.

“Roman Dmitry has completely beaten them.”

“The Northeastern Union was all talk. Roman only sent six swordsmen, but the Northeastern Union sent more than a dozen and still couldn’t win even once.”

“It’s over. The Northeastern region belongs to the Dmitry family.”

Their words hurt him deeply.

He wanted to shout, but he was too shocked to speak.

‘When did the Dmitry family become so strong?’

The six swordsmen were all strong.

Even if Gabriel hadn’t used his 3-star aura, he had clearly lost to McBurney, who seemed to be the weakest.

So, how strong were the swordsmen above him?

Chris was incredibly strong, and Conrad wasn’t sure he could beat Kevin or the other swordsmen.

He felt a chill.

Those six weren’t all of Dmitry’s forces. They also had the Dmitry Knights, who hadn’t even participated.

Besides…

Roman Dmitry himself hadn’t even fought.

That was when he truly understood how powerful Roman was, the monster who had defeated Butler.

‘The Northeastern Union messed with a monster. Going against Roman Dmitry is a quick way to die. Even with the central government’s power, we could never be sure of winning a war against those monsters.’

It was all part of Roman’s plan.

He hadn’t even fought, but Conrad Berhardt realized how strong Dmitry was.

“…Conrad Berhardt, what are we supposed to do about this?”

A nobleman asked the question.

Conrad Berhardt answered, annoyed.

“Are you serious? It’s over! We lost. Let’s just get out of here.”

It was a complete defeat.

Led by Conrad Berhardt, the nobles of the Northeastern Union quickly left the arena.

The tournament was over.

Dmitry had won completely.

Roman Dmitry, who had only sent six swordsmen, won all six matches.

Rumors began to spread.

At first, people talked about the swordsmen representing Roman Dmitry.

Then, they all wondered the same thing.

“You know, Roman Dmitry’s swordsmen weren’t that strong to begin with. Chris was called Dmitry’s genius, but the other five, including Kevin, couldn’t even feel mana, let alone aura. So, it must be that Roman Dmitry is great, not that they are talented.”

It was a believable story.

One person’s success could be a coincidence.

Everyone could understand how Chris became so talented, but it was hard to believe that the other swordsmen had awakened their aura so quickly.

Pooky and Vulcan were common mercenaries, Kevin was just a boy from the slums, and Henderson was a farmer.

And then there was McBurney.

People even doubted if the one-armed swordsman could even hold a sword properly.

Clearly, these ordinary people had become completely different after following Roman to the Southern Front.

The rumors grew.

Eventually, people started to believe them.

“Famous swordsman families always have a leader, someone strong enough to make a name for themselves and train the swordsmen who follow them. Roman Dmitry is like that. He was born into a family that didn’t even know about swords, but he became a top fighter on his own. Do you know what that means? It means that Roman Dmitry is the first swordsman to make the Dmitry family famous. If you follow him, even a slum boy like Kevin can become a good swordsman. The sooner you join Dmitry, the better your future will be.”

It wasn’t hard to believe.

Families famous for swordsmanship all had a leader who gained fame and made their families prestigious, just like Roman Dmitry.

He produced amazing talents.

He was outstanding himself, and he proved he could train his swordsmen.

“From now on, people from the Northeast know what to do. If you want to be a successful swordsman, you must pledge loyalty to the Dmitry family.”

Dmitry was a blacksmith family from humble beginnings.

That was when Dmitry’s reputation, which even the nobles didn’t recognize, began to change.

After the tournament, Roman called his subordinates.

“You all worked hard.”

The past month had been difficult for everyone.

The order to win the tournament didn’t have a clear goal. The subordinates didn’t know how strong they needed to be to win, so they had to work as hard as they could for a month.

The result was a great victory.

They had completely defeated the swordsmen of the Northeastern Union without any problems.

He wanted to tell them something.

“You all decided to follow me for different reasons. Some needed my power, some admired me, and some had no other choice. The reason doesn’t matter. If you weren’t valuable, I wouldn’t have accepted you.”

He was telling the truth.

He believed in relationships based on mutual need.

When someone said they needed him, Roman accepted them if he thought they were valuable.

“I don’t like complicated relationships. Human emotions can create strong bonds, but I believe that a relationship where we both benefit is best. You want things from me, and you have gotten them. Because you will continue to want them, our relationship will continue. Even after a long time, I will always be what you desire.”

He had felt the same way about Cheonma Baek Joong-hyuk.

To survive in a world where only the strong survive, he couldn’t rely on emotions. He made relationships by exchanging clear benefits.

“Some of you may wonder why I’m saying this. After pledging loyalty to me, I heard that many of you doubt your own abilities. Some because they are from the slums, some because they have never held a sword, and some because they are missing an arm. You underestimate yourselves, even though no one criticizes you. So, I’m telling you my way. I value your desires. If I didn’t think you were valuable, I wouldn’t have let you pledge loyalty to me, even if you were aura swordsmen. You are the people I chose. I, Roman Dmitry, accepted you because I believe you are necessary.”

He believed in relationships based on need.

Even if there was a price, if Roman decided to believe in someone, he trusted them completely.

“So, don’t doubt yourselves. Today’s results prove your potential. I knew you would win, so I set up the match against the Northeastern Union. From a month ago, when the tournament was first mentioned, I never doubted you.”

The subordinates’ faces lit up.

They respected Roman even more because of what happened on the Southern Front, but they also felt that Roman Dmitry could do everything alone.

Roman didn’t bring anyone with him during the guerrilla warfare in the mountains.

That meant he couldn’t trust anyone but himself, which worried them.

But now, he was talking about trust.

The words that he didn’t doubt them and that they were needed overwhelmed them.

Roman smiled.

The subordinates’ expressions were quite a sight.

Seeing their flushed faces as they tried to hide their emotions, he didn’t feel too bad.

“Finally, I will give you all 10 gold and 3 days of vacation. I hope you enjoy being my people, not just emotionally but also materially.”

The subordinates couldn’t hold back their emotions any longer.

They shouted in unison.

“Thank you!”

“It is truly an honor to serve you, my lord!”

“I will be loyal for life!”

Today, Roman didn’t hide his smile and let his subordinates express their emotions.

The next day, Roman summoned Lucas.

“We’ve been watching the Northeastern Union, and there doesn’t seem to be any special activity. They met once after the tournament, but they didn’t make any plans, just shouted at each other. It’s as you predicted, my lord. They have given up fighting Dmitry because of the power they saw in the tournament. They probably won’t go against the Dmitry family unless they get a chance.”

The servants who brought tea and food were members of the Hoomun and gave the information directly to Lucas from Conrad Berhardt’s mansion.

The Northeastern Union had surrendered.

But Roman knew it was only temporary.

“Perfect rule is impossible. No matter how good a ruler is, there will always be people who disagree. The Northeastern Union is a necessary evil. People who disagree with me will join the Northeastern Union and build their own forces. If it were you, how would you deal with the Northeastern Union?”

“I think we should destroy them to remove any problems.”

“That’s not a bad idea. If we had enough talent and resources to replace the Northeastern Union, I might have done that. But we don’t have much time right now. We don’t know when we’ll have problems with the central government, so we need to avoid sacrifices in the Northeastern region.”

From the beginning, Roman had a plan.

Stage 1: He provoked the Northeastern Union.

Stage 2: He made them face reality.

What was Stage 3?

“Lucas, proceed with Stage 3.”

“I understand.”

He would use the Northeastern Union’s own people against them.

Roman Dmitry was planning to become the ‘barbarian’ himself.

With this plan, the Northeastern Union would rethink the Dmitry family.