The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 153

The carriage rattled and swayed, carrying Felix closer to Dimitri.

Inside, Felix reviewed the documents he had prepared.

‘Dimitri. A place called the sacred ground of blacksmiths in the Cairo Kingdom.’

Felix remembered the whispers he’d heard about Dimitri. People called it the sacred ground of blacksmiths in the Cairo Kingdom.

The quality of Cairo steel was said to be excellent, and most of it came from Dimitri.

Actually, it wasn’t a place that Felix would normally be interested in.

Warriors seeking the finest blades often traveled to Dimitri, almost like a holy journey, but most wizards headed to Chronos.

The thirteen magic towers of the continent…

Among them, seven, including the Sky Tower, were in Chronos.

The magic towers were neutral, but because most of them were in the Empire, Chronos was seen as the sacred ground for wizards.

Even Phoenix, the leader of their magic tower, had dreamed of living in Chronos.

He only chose Franck instead because his own magical strength was not yet great enough to compete in Chronos. The magical infrastructure that Chronos had built was arguably the best on the continent.

In contrast, the Cairo Kingdom had no such advantages.

Not a single magic tower existed within the kingdom, and the institutions that trained wizards were not very good.

Without Roman Dimitri’s letter, Felix was sure he would never have come to the Cairo Kingdom for his own reasons.

‘Roman Dimitri. A genius swordsman from the Cairo Kingdom, and the youngest person to enter the continental rankings by defeating Butler. He hasn’t had a proper ranking match yet, but there is no doubt about his skill.’

Roman Dimitri’s reputation was a big deal even in Franck.

Usually, weaker countries could barely get two or three people on the continental rankings, but Roman Dimitri defeated Butler in his mid-20s.

People often said that after rank 50 in the ‘Devil’ rankings, only the powerful Empire dared to have members listed. Other, weaker countries usually didn’t even try.

Perhaps he was the first genius who could break that boundary, and the people of Franck remembered only the name of Roman Dimitri.

Felix felt the same way.

An invitation from Roman Dimitri was worth trusting.

Also, Felix had heard from other sources that the Dimitri family was very rich, even in a city like Cairo.

‘Roman Dimitri offered a staggering 1000 gold per month in exchange for sparring with him. What is he thinking? I don’t know why he contacted me, who is in a distant foreign country, but for the Phoenix Magic Tower, it’s enough to secure 6000 gold for just half a year. With that much money, we’ll have enough to keep going for a while.’

Felix sighed. If Master Elara were still here, none of this would be necessary. But Elara was gone, and the Phoenix Magic Tower was struggling. This trip, this meeting with Roman Dimitri, felt like their last hope.

Heading to Dimitri…

If the master of the magic tower hadn’t disappeared, Felix wouldn’t have had to suffer through such a long journey.

Swish.

He pulled back the curtain just in time.

Dimitri came into view.

At first, he had a negative impression of Dimitri.

A remote territory…

Since Cairo itself wasn’t that great, a remote area there would probably be sloppy in every way.

But what was this?

From the beginning, a huge fortress wall caught his eye.

“…This is Dimitri?”

The outer wall was impressive. Dimitri had used all the best builders in his family to create the strongest and tallest fortress wall in Cairo.

The gray, gleaming fortress wall overwhelmed people just by looking at it, and the magical patterns visible everywhere showed that it was ready for magical attacks.

It was too impressive for just a remote territory. Even for a famous family in Cairo, this fortress would be remarkable.

Moreover…

“Stop.”

Above the massive steel gate, Dimitri’s guards moved together, aiming their bows.

Even though it wasn’t wartime, they asked about his business with serious faces.

“Halt! State your name and business in Dimitri.”

“I am Felix from the Phoenix Magic Tower. I have come to visit at the invitation of Roman Dimitri.”

“Please wait a moment while we confirm.”

Felix got out of the carriage and showed who he was.

The wait was short.

The guards had the guest list, and after seeing Felix from a distance, they opened the outer gate of the double fortress gate.

Even if someone tried to cause trouble, they could only hope to defeat a few guards. Getting inside to harm Dimitri himself seemed impossible.

Creak.

The gate opened.

The guards inspected everything carefully.

Some checked Felix’s face again, and carefully looked for anything suspicious inside the carriage.

It was a scene that made him admire them.

Usually, in faraway territories, people are not very strict or organized. But Dimitri’s guards were watchful and careful, not relaxing at all.

Not only that…

Felix’s eyes sparkled at the way the guards moved.

‘They are not just ordinary people. They have received good training, and they have a clear system in place.’

It was unexpected.

Dimitri was known for its blacksmithing skills.

People didn’t think the Dimitri family was strong in fighting, but everything Felix had seen so far made him rethink his opinion of Dimitri.

After the short but intense inspection, Felix stepped inside and saw a neatly stretched road and different kinds of buildings on both sides.

‘Dimitri is not a family rotting away in the remote areas. The guards’ disciplined movements and strong fortress walls show they are ready for war at any time, and the inside shows how much money the Dimitri family is investing for a good environment. It’s wrong to underestimate such a family just because they are in the remote areas. Rumors are often wrong.’

Suddenly, he remembered the scenes before reaching the fortress wall.

A year ago, the slums looked shabby, but now they had changed neatly.

After investing a lot in the iron mine, Baron Romero listened to Roman’s ideas and began to improve things inside Dimitri.

To prepare for a possible war, he trained soldiers, fixed the fortress walls, and completely changed the living environment of the territory’s residents.

Baron Romero was already a good lord, but he didn’t always know how to fix every small problem. Roman’s advice showed him the best way for Dimitri to grow stronger.

In just a year, Dimitri was changing.

Felix, who had just arrived in Dimitri, thought that the Dimitri he saw now was its true form.

‘Perhaps I have underestimated Dimitri.’

The closer he got to the inner castle, the more excited Felix became.

It was just as he expected.

The moment he met Roman Dimitri, he knew that his excitement from the entrance of Dimitri was right.

“Welcome to Dimitri, Felix of the Phoenix Magic Tower. I am Roman Dimitri.”

A handsome appearance and a powerful voice…

Roman simply offered his hand to shake, but Felix was struck by Roman Dimitri’s powerful presence.

‘He is no ordinary person.’

Felix kept his face calm.

This meeting was for business.

Since they hadn’t agreed on anything yet, he didn’t want to seem too eager.

Roman said as soon as Felix sat down, “Let’s be direct. Are the things in the letter true? The offer of 1000 gold per month?”

Felix nodded slowly. That number had brought him here. One thousand gold. It was a huge amount. He looked Roman Dmitry in the eyes. *If this is a lie,* Felix thought, *I’m walking out. Right now.*

“As stated in the letter, our conditions are clear,” Roman continued. “We will pay you 1000 gold per month, a total of 6000 gold for six months, if you agree to be my sparring partner every day. If you want, we can pay you in advance on the first day of each month. 1000 gold is not a small amount, but I offer it as a sign of trust.”

“…That’s a very good condition.”

Advance payment. That built trust.

They were offering money upfront, so it couldn’t be a lie, could it?

Felix thought Roman Dmitry was serious.

Felix knew they would pay him a lot of money. But he didn’t understand why they would go so far.

“Actually, I don’t quite understand,” Felix said. “If you just want a sparring partner, you don’t need to spend so much. Many wizards would spar for around a hundred gold. Why make this offer to the Phoenix Magic Tower? Why choose me specifically, and offer such a large sum like 1000 gold?”

Roman.

He clearly wanted Felix.

Seeing Roman’s eyes, which seemed to be asking for the right answer, Roman didn’t hide the truth.

“If you really want to know, I’ll be direct. Even though the Phoenix Magic Tower is having problems now, people said Felix was one of the best wizards when the old leader was still alive. Fifth Circle at 30 years old. I heard the Phoenix Magic Tower’s fire magic is very strong. For the Magic Tower, this money is not much. But I thought I could pay for Felix’s time because the Phoenix Magic Tower is weak now. That’s all. I wanted the best wizard for a reasonable price, and that was Felix.”

It was a frank statement.

The praise was nice, but the comment about the Magic Tower’s problems made it hard to be happy.

“I don’t need you to do amazing things,” Roman said. “Just do your best. I won’t blame you if I get hurt or die. Just promise me that you will give it your all every moment. If you do that, Dmitry will never break our deal.”

Felix looked surprised.

The words ‘do your best.’

It sounded like Roman Dmitry was sure he would win.

Was that why?

“Really?” Felix asked. “You won’t regret this?”

Felix’s eyes flashed.

They moved to Dmitry’s training ground. It was a large, dusty space. Felix could hear the clang of swords from somewhere nearby.

During the move, Felix asked Roman again, but Roman still told him to do his best.

Felix thought, ‘Roman is either really serious, or he thinks wizards are weak.’

He didn’t like either option.

His magic was not something to be used casually every day for six months.

Roman said, “I will let you attack first.”

These words made Felix angry.

Felix smiled coldly. Roman would even let him attack first?

“Well, I won’t refuse.”

He gathered mana.

6000 gold. It was money needed for the Magic Tower.

But he didn’t want to sell the Phoenix Magic Tower’s pride cheaply.

*The first battle will start by breaking Roman Dmitry’s nose,* he thought.

Flames rose.

The mana Felix created turned into a powerful flame.

“Fire Lance.”

Third Circle fire magic.

A flame spear exploded.

The flame covered Roman Dmitry, but Roman moved lightly and avoided the attack, as if he had expected it.

It was a deliberate feint.

Felix’s pride meant he didn’t want to win too easily with the first attack. So, he used Fire Lance to make Roman move away, and then he started to really attack.

“Inferno.”

The surrounding flames grew stronger.

They sucked in the burning flames and spread them everywhere, making it hard to avoid.

The circle spun quickly.

Seeing Roman Dmitry move quickly to dodge the flames, Felix controlled the flames to chase Roman.

Flames moved like they were alive, coming from everywhere.

While controlling Roman’s movements, he prepared a new attack.

“Fire Wave.”

The flame exploded.

The flames surged like a wave, seeming to corner Roman this time.

Roman just barely escaped the flames.

It was amazing.

Roman Dmitry just barely dodged the magic. But Felix had even planned for that.

*This is the end,* he thought.

He unleashed the magic he had stored.

“Rune Flare.”

Fourth Circle magic.

It was a powerful attack.

Felix was sure this one attack would defeat Roman Dmitry, who seemed to have nowhere to run.

He could have used Fifth Circle magic.

But he lowered the power a little, thinking Roman Dmitry might die if he didn’t.

Boom!

Rumble!

The magic exploded.

The flames spread everywhere, and there was no way for Roman to escape.

It was over.

Even if Roman was a great swordsman, he would be hurt if this magic hit him directly.

It was the price of pride.

If he wanted Felix as a sparring partner, he shouldn’t have acted so confident.

But then.

The flames flickered.

Through the flames, Roman Dmitry charged towards Felix.