The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 183

The news arrived one day before Benedict Castle was expected to fall.

Count Vandenberg, the leader of the Western Front soldiers, got news that destroyed the calm in Cairo.

“The Chronos Empire has crossed the border! The first line of defense has already fallen, and they are leading their forces straight to the second line. Commander, please give your orders! It’s only a matter of time before the second line is breached as well!”

For days, Cairo had been in civil war.

Daniel Cairo used the King’s Army to fight the rebels, but he left the Western Front soldiers alone.

The Chronos Empire, known for its cruel armies in the lands to the west, could invade the border at any moment, so he had formed at least a minimal safety net.

The first line of defense was just a temporary defense.

Really, the first line was just to watch for the enemy. The second line and beyond were where they kept battle supplies.

Count Vandenberg spoke.

“Call the soldiers now! Cairo is already in chaos because of the civil war. If the Chronos Empire invades now, things will get completely out of control!”

The third line was the last resort, so it was necessary to try and win at the second line first.

But then,

“No. We must abandon the second line of defense and retreat the troops.”

At the far end of the table, one of the Western Front staff officers spoke up.

Count Vandenberg looked at her and asked.

“Flora, what do you mean by that?”

People’s eyes turned to Flora Lawrence.

Flora Lawrence was the only woman among the Western Front staff. She was well-known in the West. She had surprised everyone by leaving her noble family, the Lawrences, to study military strategy at the Royal Academy. Then, even more surprisingly, she chose to work at the Western Front. This caused a stir in the capital. It was very unusual for a noblewoman to do this kind of work, especially not as an officer, but as a staff member. Some people thought it was a good thing, others did not. Finally, they asked Flora’s father, Lord Lawrence, to decide. After a week of thinking it over, he sent a message saying he trusted his daughter’s choice.

It was unheard of in Cairo. No noble family had ever let their daughter, who could have had an easy and comfortable life, work as a staff officer. At first, many people in the West thought badly of Flora. They thought she was just playing at war, that she didn’t understand the real danger because she was a noble and had a choice to be there or not. People can be like that, they thought, coming to the battlefield as if it’s a game, while others risk everything. This prejudice against Flora was strong. Many in the West avoided her and spoke badly about her. But in less than a month, their opinions changed because of what she did.

Count Vandenberg willingly listened to Flora’s words.

“Flora, what do you mean by that?”

“The Chronos Empire has attacked our border many times before. Usually, it’s just to send a message, to show they are strong. They don’t really try to conquer Cairo. But this time feels different. Cairo is in civil war, and I’ve heard Marquis Benedict is losing. It’s too much of a coincidence that Chronos attacks now. I think their attack is connected to our civil war.”

“…Does that mean Chronos is working with Marquis Benedict?”

“I’m not sure exactly who is working with Chronos. Maybe it’s because of Count Gregory being in prison. Or maybe Marquis Benedict asked Chronos for help. But we know Chronos is attacking us even though they are fighting the Kingdom Alliance. That means they must have a very important reason. We can’t ignore what they really want.”

A wave of worried murmurs filled the conference room. Soldiers shifted in their seats, their faces etched with concern. The maps on the table seemed to blur as the reality of Flora’s words sank in – the civil war was not their only enemy anymore.

In a situation that was not simple, one of the staff officers asked.

“Flora, if that’s true, shouldn’t we defend the second line even harder? That’s where we have all our supplies. If we retreat, we’ll have to leave some behind.”

“Yes, that’s right. In a normal situation, it is right to use the second line of defense. But if we accept the premise that the Chronos Empire is involved in the civil war as a fact, their goal is to cross the third line of defense and invade Cairo’s territory. Moreover, the Royal Army is currently dealing with the rebels. If the kingdom’s support is not enough, we must keep in mind the worst-case scenario of facing the Chronos Empire with only the Western forces. Commander, we cannot always choose the best option. Cairo’s fate depends on one choice, so we must filter out the worst and choose the best.”

Flora put strength into her voice.

After being assigned to the West, she proved her ability on the battlefield. The moment people accepted her fully, regardless of gender and status, Flora Lawrence established herself as a key figure in the staff.

Therefore, Flora’s advice could not be ignored.

Count Vandenberg was silent, thinking hard. He considered Flora’s words. He knew retreating meant giving up ground and supplies. But he also knew Flora was usually right. After a moment of deep thought, he spoke, his voice firm.

“Flora is right. Tell the soldiers to retreat from the second line. We will make our stand at the third line. We need to be ready for the worst, in case the Royal Army can’t help us.”

The situation was as expected. The Chronos Empire was not satisfied with just the second line. They advanced beyond that place, and before long, they received a call from the Cairo Royal Family.

“[Marquis Benedict has allied with the Chronos Empire. They are planning to destroy the third line of defense and directly attack Cairo’s territory, and the Royal Army needs time to stop the rebellion. Just hold on for 3 days. If you endure that time, we will quickly stop the rebellion and send support troops to the Western Front.]”

The Royal Family’s message prompted a meeting.

The leaders of the Western Front were all together. Baron Noel, the head of staff, spoke.

“The King promised we’d get help in 3 days. But realistically, there’s no way they can stop the rebellion in just 3 days. Marquis Benedict has been planning this for a long time. We know Benedict Castle is very well defended. Roman Dimitri is leading the Royal Army, and he’s a great commander – he beat the Hector Kingdom – but we still need to prepare for a long fight.”

Another officer agreed.

“Exactly. Even if they do stop the rebellion quickly, it will take time for them to reach us. Even with warp gates, it will take a day or two. So, is it possible to defeat Benedict in just one day?”

Everyone in the room looked worried and doubtful.

West and Benedict have a warp gate, so there is no need to move a long distance on foot. But even if we consider such advantages, 3 days did not feel very realistic.

Count Vandenberg nodded.

“You’re right. If the Chronos Empire really intends to invade Cairo, we need to gather as many supplies as we can and get ready to defend. If the worst happens, and the Royal Army can’t defeat the rebels in time… then we will have to face this enemy alone. We have to be ready to fight with just our own forces.”

Just as the weight of his words settled in the room, Flora spoke again.

“I disagree.”

Flora’s voice, clear and strong, cut through the tense silence of the war room.

Baron Noel looked at Flora. “So, you have a different idea about this three-day deadline?”

Flora nodded. “Three days is tight, even I think so. But His Majesty said Roman Dmitry set that deadline. Dmitry is not someone to underestimate. Remember when he helped Lawrence win against Barco? Everyone thought Lawrence would lose. Dmitry finds a way, even when things look impossible. If he says three days, I believe it will be close to that. Maybe five days at most, including travel.”

Baron Noel frowned. “But how can you be so sure?”

Flora’s voice was firm. “Because I know what Roman Dmitry is capable of. He is not like anyone else. I trust his judgment.”

The staff of the Western Front sat around the table, their faces etched with worry and determination. Some were young, barely men, while others were veterans with lines of experience around their eyes. They were not incompetent, each possessing their own strengths from defending this place for so long. But Flora was different.

She had experienced Roman Dmitry firsthand and believed in him, even if his calculations seemed irrational.

Baron Noel, however, was more pragmatic. “But even if you are right, what do you think is the best way for us to respond?”

Flora replied, “Chronos is also pressed for time. Marquis Benedict will try to invade Cairo’s territory before he falls. They will use all their strength from the start. Even if we defend with the third line of defense, we can’t guarantee we can stop them. In the end, there is only one way.”

All attention focused on her. They needed to listen to the choice of the person who had noticed Chronos’s intentions and retreated the troops.

Flora continued, “They say the best defense is offense. I believe the best way is to strike them first, weakening their forces so they cannot defeat us in five days.”

Attack. The high command was bewildered by Flora’s statement.

It was a reverse way of thinking, and it also seemed generally impossible.

Knowing why the high command was bewildered, Flora presented the grounds she had prepared in advance. She spread out the documents, and as people’s attention focused, she calmly explained the meaning of the data.

Flora continued, pointing to the documents. “Look at Chronos’s attack patterns. When they just want to scare us, they send in soldiers for a fight. But when they really want to win, like now, they use War Mages. This data shows it. They use magic to break down walls, then send in troops. That’s their usual plan.”

“We know that!” someone interrupted. “That’s why we’re getting more mana stones for our defenses!”

“Exactly,” Flora said. “Magic against magic. But they know we’ll expect that. So, they’ll try to make their mages even stronger. Chronos has seven magic towers, they can do it. We have to deal with those mages.”

She turned the page. “Look at this. There is a certain pattern to the enemy’s attacks. The mages use magic at a safe distance from the enemy’s arrow attacks while maximizing their power. This is because they are vulnerable when casting magic, and this distance is usually around 1 km. It is a distance where arrows cannot reach, and even if they attempt long-range attacks, the accuracy is very low. If they mobilize mages, they will not deviate from this distance.”

“Around 1 km. Does that mean you have a way to use it?” Baron Noel asked.

“Yes. We can predict the location where the mages will cast and plant magic traps on that land.”

Baron Noel laughed in disbelief. “That’s impossible. It is possible to specify a distance of 1 km, but that only refers to the distance from the wall, and it is impossible to guarantee from which location they will use magic. Moreover, we cannot secure that many magic traps, and mages sense the location of traps with mana. If they feel anything strange, they will either render the magic traps useless or try to use magic from another safe location.”

“That’s right. Therefore, from now on, we need to act strategically,” Flora said, her voice commanding the audience.

She scanned the people, her mind always on the bloody battlefield, even immediately after entering the academy.

“We must propose a Great Warrior Battle to them.”

“A Great Warrior Battle?”

“Yes. In wars between nations, the Great Warrior Battle is used to suppress the opponent’s spirit. The Chronos Empire has no reason to refuse. The empire’s swordsman will surely be confident that they will win.”

Baron Noel’s eyes widened. “Even if they accept the Great Warrior Battle… Could it be?!” He realized Flora’s strategy.

Flora said, “If we take our positions in advance and propose a Great Warrior Battle, they will have no choice but to move their troops according to our location. Then, it is possible to specify the location where the mages will use magic. They will leave their troops behind and come forward to use magic, so we can greatly reduce the margin of error.”

“Then what are you going to do about sensing the mana?”

“The role of the swordsman who will participate in the Great Warrior Battle is very important. If the swordsman emits their aura to the extreme and fights, the concentration of mana around them will become denser. No matter how sensitive a mage is, they cannot penetrate that concentration and sense the magic traps. The moment they step on the magic traps with a complacent mind due to the previous battle, we can eliminate the mages, who are the enemies’ weapons.”

A series of plans. Admiration arose.

Baron Noel, who had initially viewed it negatively, nodded in admiration when the plan was concluded. He had only raised his voice because it was logically impossible, but Baron Noel was not the type to agree and then deny.

This plan was attractive. If the mages were dealt with, it would be possible to endure even if the Chronos Empire used all its strength.

Flora added, “The problem is who will step forward as the Great Warrior. Our Great Warrior must be skilled enough to prolong the match against the enemy, and they must risk their lives in this battle. No, frankly speaking, the probability of survival is slim. I don’t know which swordsman the Chronos Empire will send out, but they won’t be an easy opponent that we can defeat.”

It was a dilemma. To perfectly complete the operation, a being was needed who would sacrifice their life.

It was then that a voice, quiet but firm, broke the silence.

“I will go,” Rodwell Dmitry said.

All heads snapped towards the speaker. Rodwell Dmitry. He had been listening silently, his expression unreadable until now. A stunned silence filled the war room. Baron Noel stared at him, mouth slightly open. Flora’s eyes widened in surprise, but a flicker of something else, perhaps understanding, crossed her face. Rodwell met their gazes, his own eyes steady and resolute.