The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 173

Thud. Thud. Heavy footsteps echoed in the grand hall, bouncing off the cold stone walls and high, arched ceilings. Dust motes danced in the faint light filtering through the tall windows. Suddenly, soldiers in shining silver armor, their faces grim and hidden behind helmets, surrounded Count Denver. The metallic clang of their boots on the stone floor filled the air, cutting through the tense silence.

Seeing the Royal Guards listen to Roman, Count Denver’s face turned hard.

“Royal order?” he said, his voice shaking a little. “What is going on here?”

His eyes jumped around the room, looking for a way out. Roman Dmitry saw the fear in Count Denver’s eyes as he tried to understand what was happening. Roman spoke in a cold voice.

“Count Denver, we know you have been secretly working with the Valhalla Empire and giving them Cairo’s secrets. The King has ordered you arrested to find out the truth. Do as you are told. If you cause any trouble, we will think you are rebelling against the King, and you will be killed right away.”

“Rebellion!” Count Denver gasped. The word hit him like a punch. Rebellion. Just the word made his chest tight. He knew things were wrong when Roman Dmitry arrived, but he never thought they would accuse him of rebellion so quickly.

‘This is very bad. Everyone knows I support Valhalla. There is a lot of proof of that, but the Cairo King’s family has never tried to arrest me before. But now, right after the fight with the nobles… If I agree to this royal order, I will be trapped and helpless.’ A strong feeling of danger flashed through him. *Don’t go with them!* his gut screamed.

He could handle anything outside the palace walls, but if they took him away like this, the leader of the Valhalla group, he would be completely powerless. His mind raced, thinking of plans. He tried to keep his face calm, even though his mouth was dry with fear.

“You fools! Do you even know what you are doing?” He shouted, making his voice loud and angry. He stared hard at the Royal Guards, trying to stop them from coming closer.

“Everyone knows I work with the Valhalla Empire! Why are you arresting me now and talking about a royal order? Go back and ask the King! Does he understand what will happen if he does this? If you attack me, Valhalla will not ignore it!”

He was being openly disrespectful. Talking his way out of this was not going to work. He had to use his real power now. Count Denver was a strong man in Cairo only because Valhalla supported him, right?

The soldiers looked confused and worried, glancing at each other. But Roman stood still, not moving at all.

“Count Denver,” Roman said, his voice low and dangerous, “You should think carefully before you speak again.”

“You fool!” Count Denver yelled again.

“Lower your voice,” Roman replied calmly. “You still don’t understand. The King’s family is now at war with the nobles. A war inside Cairo is going to happen. While we are risking everything to fight the nobles, you are just going to sit back and try to get something for yourself. This fight is not just about stopping the nobles. We also need to get rid of all the traitors who follow Valhalla and Chronos, and that includes you.”

“…Crazy fool,” Count Denver muttered. Threats were useless against this man. Count Denver’s reaction showed everything. Roman knew that if he pushed Denver too far, Denver would use Valhalla as his shield.

“Cairo will live or die in this fight,” Roman continued. “Valhalla? What can they really do for you? Valhalla is far away, unlike Chronos. Even if they send soldiers to Cairo, we have already started something that cannot be stopped. This is our only chance. If we lose this fight, we lose everything. So we have to make it worth it. For Cairo’s future, we must get rid of all the problems now, instead of leaving trouble behind for later.”

Roman looked quickly at the Royal Guards, just a flick of his eyes was enough. The Royal Guards moved forward and surrounded Count Denver.

“Count Denver,” Roman said with a cold smile, “Things are about to get very difficult for you.”

When Roman said this, Count Denver’s shoulders dropped, and he sank heavily into his chair.

* * * At the exact same moment, while Count Denver was being arrested… Simon, the Vice Commander of the Royal Knights, led his soldiers to Count Gregory’s house.

“You dogs! Do you think you will get away with this? Do you think you will be safe?” When they tried to tie him up, Count Gregory fought back hard. He pushed away the soldiers’ hands, yelling and staring at Simon with eyes full of rage.

“Simon! You know what will happen if you arrest me. The Chronos Empire is right next to Cairo. If they hear that Cairo attacked me, they will definitely send their army to threaten us. So, be smart. The Chronos Empire is already trying to take over the whole continent, and they might use this as a reason to attack.”

Right away, the soldiers froze. They knew this was a serious warning. Valhalla was far away and might not be able to help quickly, but the Chronos Empire was right there, a danger at their doorstep.

‘Count Gregory is right. The Chronos Empire doesn’t just make threats; they always do what they say.’ This was dangerous. If they made Chronos angry, Cairo could be pulled into a terrible war. Simon had been very worried as he marched with his soldiers.

He wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing, but Roman Dmitry’s words to the King in the palace kept playing in his mind.

“Your Majesty,” Roman had said, “Don’t worry too much about the Empire. The Chronos Empire already crosses Cairo’s border every year for no reason. What are you afraid of? If Chronos ever decides to take over the whole continent, Cairo can’t escape a war anyway. You have to decide. Even if Chronos attacks Cairo because of this, isn’t that something that happens every year? So, instead of just dealing with problems a little bit at a time and leaving trouble behind, we need to get rid of all the bad things completely now and take full control of Cairo. That is the only way Cairo can survive in the future.”

Roman was right. Just because they were afraid of the Chronos Empire, these nobles didn’t care about Cairo. Chronos soldiers crossed the border often, and many Cairo soldiers died in the war in the West. And what did Count Gregory do then? Nothing! Even when Chronos was killing Cairo people, he lived a good life as a rich noble in Cairo.

Simon felt sick to his stomach. Some of the soldiers who died were his friends. He often talked sadly about how unfair things were in Cairo with Count Nicholas. But now, a chance to change things had arrived. Roman Dmitry said he was ready to do the hard work, and he asked Simon to help him.

‘Cairo has made a choice that cannot be turned back now. If they don’t get rid of everyone who is a danger to the King’s family, Cairo will fall apart from the inside even before Chronos attacks. So, Roman Dmitry was right. They can’t leave even the smallest problem unsolved.’ Simon clenched his jaw tightly. He looked at Count Gregory’s face, which showed he thought he had won. Simon walked up to him and grabbed his hair hard.

Wham!

“Kraaah.”

His head slammed into the rough ground with a sickening thud.

Count Gregory screamed. He looked up at Simon, his face twisted with fear and confusion. But Simon didn’t care. He pressed Count Gregory’s head harder into the ground, letting out all the anger that had been building inside him. *This is for all the trouble you and your kind have caused,* Simon thought, his jaw tight.

“Shut your mouth, you fool! This is over,” Simon growled, his voice low and dangerous. “If the Chronos Empire even thinks about crossing the border for you, I swear I’ll cut off your head and stick it on the city walls for everyone to see, even if I’m not supposed to. So don’t say another word. One more sound from you, and I’ll call it treason and end you right here.”

Simon finally exploded with suppressed emotion.

The situation was quickly brought under control.

Count Gregory and Count Denver were arrested and taken to prison. Guards dragged the struggling Counts away, down cold stone hallways towards the dark cells of the prison.

A battle alert was issued, and defenses were strengthened from the border to the areas around the capital.

Furthermore, contact was made with the nobles who followed the Empire faction. Count Gregory and Count Denver belonged to the Empire faction, nobles who supported the powerful Empire from another land.

“The arrest of Count Gregory and Count Denver is a temporary measure. Once the facts are confirmed and the situation is resolved, they will be released.”

This message was meant to prevent any rash movements. Of course, the nobles wouldn’t truly believe it was temporary, but their belief wasn’t the main point.

After all, the nobles who supported the Empire couldn’t easily start trouble unless the Empire itself moved. Despite their pro-Empire talk, they still lived in Cairo.

In a situation that could easily turn into a bloody civil war, they chose to ignore the danger. The message from the Cairo royal family gave them an excuse for their inaction.

At that moment, Roman Dmitry finished dealing with the immediate situation and met with Daniel Cairo.

“The Empire is unlikely to move right now. Valhalla is far from the border, making it difficult to send troops. Also, the Chronos Empire is dealing with conflict with the Kingdom Alliance in the south. Cairo isn’t their priority. They’re focused on gathering troops in the south, which shows resolving that situation comes before Cairo.”

This plan wasn’t based on luck. Roman had analyzed the political situation of the continent and decided it was safe to provoke the Empire faction.

Daniel Cairo watched Roman, a mix of hope and fear in his heart. *He is amazing,* Daniel thought, *but is it enough? Can anyone truly fix Cairo now?* Daniel Cairo was genuinely impressed.

Roman Dmitry was a remarkable man. In a short time, he had shown bold action and perfect planning.

However, it was too early to relax.

“We face too many enemies in a short time. Marquis Benedict’s noble faction, Count Denver’s Valhalla Empire faction, Count Gregory’s Chronos Empire faction… After eliminating them, a big void will be left in the Cairo Kingdom. The central government has been everything to Cairo. Eliminating these factions is necessary, but their absence will have consequences.”

Cairo had long been controlled by the central government. Their absence couldn’t be ignored; the country might lose its stability.

Roman said, “I know the risks of this civil war. But we’re choosing the best option. If the worst-case scenario is that forces divide the Cairo Kingdom, we must risk eliminating them. It’s a lesser evil than the worst possible outcome. If we quickly eliminate the leaders of each faction and end the civil war, we can minimize the chaos you’re worried about.”

A lesser evil than the worst. Daniel Cairo accepted the reality. Roman was right. Now that he had drawn his sword, there was no perfect solution for Cairo.

Meanwhile, Marquis Benedict wasn’t idle either. Marquis Benedict was the leader of the noble faction, powerful families who wanted more control in Cairo.

“He’s finally making his move.”

Immediately after the attack, Marquis Benedict heard reports that Roman Dmitry had visited the royal palace, joined forces with the king, and then attacked the Empire faction.

It was clear. Roman had crossed the point of no return.

Roman Dmitry had rejected his offer and shown hostility, and the king’s support showed he approved of Roman’s actions. All that remained was war with the royalist faction.

Marquis Benedict knew he would have to seize the throne eventually, but he didn’t expect things to happen so suddenly.

“Arrogant bastard.”

Marquis Benedict could never forgive Roman Dmitry. The memory of Roman’s attack burned in Marquis Benedict’s mind, hotter than any fire. It wasn’t just the pain, it was the shame. He, Marquis Benedict, had been made to look weak. Whenever he remembered Roman’s arrogant expression, Marquis Benedict ground his teeth.

He had felt so pathetic at that time. He had struggled to survive, and it had left a big scar on his pride.

Now, it was a fight to the death.

As soon as Marquis Benedict arrived in his territory, he ordered the noble faction to gather. Marquis Benedict stood in his grand hall, the tapestries on the walls seeming to watch him as he planned his revenge.

‘The noble faction makes up most of Cairo. If I summon their power, it won’t be hard to push Cairo away, even with Roman Dmitry. Roman Dmitry, you should have finished me off when you attacked. You might think you’re the strongest now that you’ve defeated Count Nicholas, but things won’t always go your way.’

He planned to lead his troops to the capital within a week at the earliest. He was confident that their overwhelming numbers would secure victory.

The situation was progressing smoothly. As the noble faction’s troops responded to the summons, he received an unexpected report from a subordinate.

“Say that again. What did you say?” Marquis Benedict’s voice roared, shaking the very air in the room.

He couldn’t understand the report, even after hearing it. The subordinate shrank back, frightened by Marquis Benedict’s roar, and repeated the message in a barely audible voice.

“…Count Fabius. He replied that he would not comply with the summons.”

Noncompliance. The word struck a nerve with Marquis Benedict.