The Heavenly Demon Can't Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 175

Sunlight streamed in through the window.

A middle-aged man lay in the sickbed. He slowly opened his eyes. They were unfocused as he looked out the window.

“…Not dead,” he whispered.

His voice was rough and dry.

This man was Count Nicholas.

Pain hit him suddenly. He winced and looked down at himself, checking his injuries.

He was a mess. Bandages covered his whole upper body, showing how close he had been to dying.

“‘The bandages look bad, but Roman Dmitry didn’t want to kill me,’ Nicholas thought.

This was clear to him after checking his body.

The cut was long, from his chest down to his lower stomach. It looked terrible, but it was only skin deep. Roman had cut him, but not hurt him inside.

Roman Dmitry had clearly shown mercy.

It seemed like a big show to change leaders, but Nicholas being alive showed Roman’s real plan.

In the haze of his memory,

he recalled Roman’s last words.

“‘Don’t worry about what happens now,’ Roman had said. ‘I won’t turn against Cairo.’”

Immediately after hearing those words,

Roman’s words shocked Count Nicholas.

People thought Count Nicholas looked surprised because he was dying. But really, it was because Roman’s words in his head confused him so much.

Nicholas couldn’t understand what Roman Dmitry meant.

Everything Roman had done before showed he wasn’t connected to the Cairo Royal Family. Instead, he seemed to be friends with people like Marquis Benedict.

Roman Dmitry was like the point that kept everything balanced. If he joined the nobles, it meant the Cairo Royal Family, even with Nicholas, would be too weak to win.

Therefore,

he had entered the Open Ranking Match.

He entered the Ranking Match to beat Roman Dmitry and show everyone he was still strong and important.

The result was an overwhelming defeat.

People might think it was a close fight, but Nicholas had fought Roman himself. He knew Roman was much, much stronger – at least two levels better.

Otherwise, Roman couldn’t have been so completely in control during their fight.

Roman Dmitry had let Nicholas attack, but Roman was never pushed back. In the end, Roman even showed mercy by not killing him.

Defeat.

It was a bad result.

But he was still alive, and Roman’s last words kept him thinking.

“‘First, I need to find out what’s happening,’ he thought.”

“Ugh.”

He struggled to sit up.

He still needed time to recover, but—

But for Count Nicholas, knowing what was happening with the Cairo Royal Family was more important than his own health.

* * *

He called for Simon.

Simon saw Count Nicholas looking up from the bed. Simon looked like he was about to cry.

“…I thought you were dead, Captain. I’m so, so relieved.”

Count Nicholas—

he was Simon’s guiding star.

Nicholas saw Simon’s strong feelings for him and smiled gently.

“You’ve worked hard while I was gone.”

“No, Captain. I just did what I had to do.”

“If you hadn’t led the Royal Knights and kept everyone together, Cairo would be in even worse trouble. I’m really proud of you, Simon. Because of you, I could focus on the Ranking Match without worry.”

Half a year ago,

Roman Dmitry understood what Count Nicholas’s presence meant.

“Count Nicholas is a symbol of the military,” Roman thought. “Even though he lost to me in the fight everyone saw, he still came to support me. This showed he trusted me to lead the army. King Cairo trusted me too. In a world full of messy power struggles, they are honest men.”

Perhaps.

Roman might have been drawn to that honesty.

If he had followed Marquis Benedict, he could have easily taken Cairo, but he knew that those who were greedy and never satisfied with what they had would surely cause problems.

Like when Baek Jung-hyuk had a friendly relationship with the Emperor when he ruled the Murim world.

He hoped Cairo would play a similar role for him.

Tap.

He stood in his place, looking at the countless soldiers before him. Their faces were turned up to him, a sea of helmets and hopeful eyes. They looked tired and worried, but also eager for his words.

Roman looked at them and said in a calm voice.

“Cairo has had a chaotic time,” he began. “The aristocratic faction, including Marquis Benedict, are the kind of people who care more about their own interests than the safety of the country. Because of them, Cairo has never been allowed a peaceful life. We are going to punish the rebels now. Civil war is terrible. People from the same country will fight each other. This will cause lasting pain. But I promise you, when this war ends, I will fix all the problems in Cairo. And…”

He drew his sword.

War.

What people trembling with anxiety need is the certainty that they will win.

“I will always be at the forefront of this war,” Roman declared. “So, trust me and follow me. If I lead the way, you will follow me and seize victory!”

“Waaah!”

“Roman! Roman!”

People cheered loudly.

The most fearsome being in Cairo.

The fact that he would be at the forefront gave people blind faith.

There was no turning back now.

War.

The battle for the fate of the country had begun.

The aristocratic faction’s response was as expected.

They gathered their forces in Benedict’s territory and held a meeting upon receiving reports that the royal army was moving.

“Look, if they use the warp gates, the royal army will be here in Benedict in a week, maybe less!” one nobleman exclaimed, his voice laced with worry. “As it stands, the chances of winning a full-scale war are very slim. We must first lock the gates and look for an opportunity to reverse the situation while taking advantage of the defense.”

The aristocratic faction’s situation was not good.

At first, they thought they could sweep away the Cairo royal family at once if they gathered their forces, but Marquis Valentino’s declaration of support and Count Fabius’s betrayal were too devastating.

Of course, even if they thought Cairo was weak, they still couldn’t figure out why Marquis Valentino had a change of heart.

Baron Owen, a thin man with worried eyes, said, “Marquis Valentino has always maintained neutrality. He has been overly cautious so far, preparing for problems that might arise if he took sides with any one force. Such a person has declared that he will support Roman Dmitry. This means that the aristocratic faction is being pushed back in terms of objectively assessed power. In fact, with most of the talented individuals lost in the public ranking match, there is no way to stop Roman Dmitry.”

They also admitted it.

Roman’s plan was perfect.

They were genuinely impressed when they found out the hidden intentions of the public ranking match, including bringing in Marquis Valentino.

The problem was that such a being was the enemy.

Having heard of his exploits on the southern front, they dared not choose a full-scale war.

“Currently, the aristocratic faction is in a situation where it cannot properly utilize half of its forces,” Baron Owen continued. “To accept reality and defeat Roman Dmitry’s royal army, I think we have to accept some damage. Marquis Benedict, how about contacting the nobles who follow Chronos and Valhalla? They are worried about their future because their leaders have been captured. If we offer them appropriate incentives, they will certainly not be able to refuse our proposal.”

“…That’s not a bad idea,” Marquis Benedict nodded slowly, his face tight with stress.

The remaining three forces, excluding the royalist faction, left open the possibility of joining hands at any time.

If Gregory and Count Denver were still alive, they would have chosen to wait and see, but those who had lost their leaders had potential.

Marquis Benedict asked, speaking loudly and quickly to hide his fear, “How much time do we need to win them over?”

Baron Owen replied, speaking softly and slowly, showing he was thinking carefully, “We need at least half a month. It takes time to change their minds, but it also takes a considerable amount of time to gather and unite the troops. So, I hope we can buy time through defense first. While buying time, we can draw support from other forces, and if we try to attack from both sides with them, we can defeat Roman Dmitry’s royal army.”

“I understand. I’m leaving all of that to you,” Marquis Benedict said.

“I accept your command,” Baron Owen replied.

Even with the new measures, silence hung heavy in the meeting room. Nobles shifted in their seats, avoiding eye contact. Some stared at the floor, others nervously tapped their fingers on the table. The brave words of Marquis Benedict did little to lift the gloom.

The nobles could not be genuinely positive at the thought that the devilish Roman Dmitry would soon arrive.

The massacre in Cairos was one-sided.

The hundreds of soldiers who had been secretly called in were meaningless, and those who stood in the way of Roman Dmitry were brutally killed.

And I heard that those who could not board the warp gate were not even allowed to surrender.

The thought of all the people kneeling and begging being beheaded still made my mouth dry.

Marquis Benedict said, “The war broke out suddenly, but we have been preparing for the war with the royalist faction for a long time. Benedict has supplies for defense and a perfect defense system. With this level of preparation, we can withstand not only Roman Dmitry’s royal army but also the Chronos Empire. So, do not doubt that we will win. As always, when everything is settled, the force that will seize power in Cairo will be our aristocratic faction.”

“I understand.”

“We will do our best.”

The atmosphere was reversed.

Marquis Benedict is right.

The flames of war spread suddenly, but it is not that the aristocratic faction has not prepared for war.

Confidence arose.

Time is on the side of the aristocratic faction.

If they buy time and take the lead, they were confident that they could defeat the royalist faction.

They believed in themselves.

As always.

The aristocratic faction will remain the winner.

A week passed. Then, dust clouds rose on the horizon. The sound of marching feet and distant horns echoed through the land. Roman Dmitry’s army had arrived at Benedict.

Immediately after arriving in Benedict, Simon approached and asked.

“Commander, let’s build a base first in preparation for a long-term battle.”

Benedict Castle loomed in the distance. Its high walls, made of dark grey stone, looked like they could touch the sky. People said it was impossible to break through them, an unbreakable fortress.

Simon’s judgment was logically correct, as this was not a battle that would end in a day or two.

But.

“No, a quick victory is important in this war,” Roman replied. “The more time we allow the aristocratic faction, the more options they will have. So, we will prepare for the first attack before building a base.”

It was a bold decision.

Simon frowned slightly. *A base first would be safer,* he thought. But he knew Roman always had a reason for his choices.

If there was any damage, the soldiers had to drag their heavy bodies and spend time building the base again.

However.

“Felix, prepare for the siege now,” Roman commanded.

At Roman’s command, a robed man stepped forward.

Simon alternately looked at the robed man and Roman Dmitry with eyes that he still did not fully understand.