The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 185

Rodwell Dimitri’s childhood wasn’t very happy.

He was born a nobleman, but his brother, Roman, kept doing things that were not allowed for their family. These things, called ‘forbidden scales,’ were old family rules that nobles should never break.

“I really don’t understand it. How are that guy and Rodwell even brothers?” someone said.

“Could they perhaps be half-brothers?” another wondered.

“What’s certain is that Rodwell is also quite pitiful. He has to live his whole life serving the vulgar Roman Dimitri as his brother. If I were in Rodwell’s position, I would demand that my father kick Roman Dimitri out of the family,” a third voice added.

One day, Roman Dimitri visited the slums.

He went to meet friends from his commoner days. After playing late into the night, he returned to the castle with clothes covered in mud and grime, smelling of stale ale and smoke.

The young nobles with Rodwell scorned him.

They whispered so that he wouldn’t hear, but their words pierced Rodwell’s heart.

Rodwell Dimitri wasn’t mature back then.

Rodwell had always lived as a nobleman. But he didn’t understand Roman. Roman was hurting the family’s honor.

‘Why does he live like that? I know he was once a commoner, but now we are nobles. Even if we try to have a life and dignity befitting that, Roman only chooses actions that invite the ridicule of others. I cannot acknowledge such a person as my brother,’ he thought.

He was angry.

No matter what he achieved, the label of being from a commoner background followed him.

All the rumors started because of Roman Dimitri, because he acted like a common person even though they were nobles. Rodwell Dimitri couldn’t bear the feeling of being an outsider.

From then on, he became greedy for the position of successor.

People said the Dimitri family would be destroyed if Roman became the leader. Because of this rumor, Rodwell worked very hard. He wanted to become the leader instead of Roman.

Each strike of the hammer was like hitting Roman. His muscles were tight with anger, and his teeth were clenched.

He understood that having once been a commoner, Roman couldn’t completely abandon that life.

But what about his younger siblings? The younger siblings, who were nobles from birth, were forcibly dragged into the memories of their commoner days because of Roman Dimitri alone.

A world they had never experienced.

People pointed fingers.

Rodwell knew how that felt, so he wanted to prevent at least his younger sibling from feeling that way.

Therefore, he had to become a proud older brother.

He worked tirelessly to become an Aura Knight and entered the Royal Academy, living a life that people looked up to.

Everything was perfect until he heard the rumor that Roman Dimitri had defeated Homerus.

Creak. Thud.

The castle gate opened.

Blood dripped from his face, staining the ground red. Deep scars cut across his eyes, making them look like they were weeping blood. Every part of his body seemed bruised and battered.

It was a wonder he was walking around alive.

The cheers sounded distant, meaningless. All he could think about was Roman. Had the rumors been true? Had Roman really become someone important?

Rodwell Dimitri suppressed the memories of the past that kept resurfacing.

Still, he couldn’t accept his brother’s existence.

Unless he saw Roman Dimitri directly, he didn’t think he could shake off the emotions that had been piling up since childhood.

Just then, people came out to greet him: Count Vandenberg, the top officials, and Flora.

Rodwell Dimitri, dripping with blood, walked up to Flora.

Rodwell, his voice hoarse, asked, “It’s done then? Everything we planned… will it work?” He looked at Flora, searching her face for reassurance.

Flora met his gaze, her voice firm and unwavering. “Yes, Rodwell. It will succeed. Absolutely.” A small, almost cold smile touched her lips. “Your part was crucial. Now, it is our turn.”

From now on, it was their turn to lure the enemies into the trap.

The defeat in the Grand Warrior battle didn’t bother Chronos.

From the moment they sent Osford out, the Grand Warrior battle was just a bit of fun for them.

Victory was expected.

Even if they lost, they didn’t think it would hurt their war plans.

Instead, they felt angry.

At the command of Count Fabio, Chronos’ commander, a line of troops stepped forward.

“Prepare the flare,” someone ordered.

“From now on, we will destroy the enemy’s walls with flares and the attacks of the wizards,” another announced.

As expected, war mages stepped forward.

From atop the wall, Flora watched them with an anxious face.

‘If the wizards move more than 300 meters away from the magic traps, I won’t be able to kill them in one blow. The power will weaken as they move away from the blast radius, and they will definitely form a shield to protect themselves in that instant after the explosion. The traps will work best if the wizards are within 100 meters. If they are further away, the explosion might not be strong enough,’ she thought.

Thud, thud.

The wizards moved.

Their location was uncertain.

It was possible to pinpoint the opponent’s location with the Grand Warrior battle, but they didn’t stand exactly on top of the magic traps.

They were about 150 meters away from the magic traps.

It wasn’t perfect, but Flora’s plan was still on track.

Count Vandenberg asked, “Flora, when are you planning to detonate the magic traps?”

“A premature explosion could give the enemies time to prepare. Magic casting is most vulnerable at the peak timing when magic is manifested. If we cause an explosion at that time, the magic will backfire and harm them,”

“I understand. You give the signal,” Count Vandenberg said.

“Yes,” Flora replied.

Her nerves were on edge.

First, she moved Cairo’s soldiers.

By ordering them to attack from a distance, she showed that the Cairo Kingdom was trying to respond in a typical way.

Pshoo-shoo-shook.

Arrows flew through the sky.

They didn’t reach the wizards.

Most of them fell without even getting close, and the arrows that did reach nearby lost their power.

Just then, the energy of mana rose around the wizards.

Until their magic reached its peak, the wizards didn’t notice the traps because of the dense concentration of mana.

Hwa-ah.

Brightly shining mana.

In that moment, Flora shouted, “Now! Detonate them!”

Just before the magic was manifested, a tremendous explosion occurred near the wizards.

Boom!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Crash!

It happened too fast to react.

Flora had set magic traps in secret places. One explosion set off another, like falling dominoes. Anyone nearby was caught in the blast.

The powerful explosions stopped the wizards’ magic from working.

The wizards coughed blood. The magic explosions were too strong. They were trapped and would die.

Flora’s plan… worked!

This plan, which began at the Great Warrior Battle, had finally removed Chronos’s powerful wizards.

But…

“You weaklings! Still fighting? Chronos soldiers, listen! Cairo is weak and fighting itself. Show these fools who think they can beat us what the Chronos Empire really is!”

“Waaah!!”

“Attack now!”

The order came.

But only the wizards were gone.

The enemy soldiers kept coming. They looked like a huge wave, and it was scary for the Western Front.

* * *

Everyone was terrified.

Soon, the Empire’s army attacked the walls. They used many ladders to climb up quickly.

“Hold them! Don’t let them through!”

“Push back the ladders!”

Cairo’s soldiers fought with all their might.

They pushed the ladders away. The ladders were covered in soldiers, like ants on a branch. Some soldiers poured hot water and shot arrows at the enemy.

It was easier to defend from the castle walls.

They killed many enemies before the Empire’s army could do much. But this battle was far from over.

The Empire’s soldiers… kept coming.

They were stubborn and kept climbing. Slowly, enemies started to reach the top of the walls.

Thud!

An arrow flew and hit an enemy soldier.

It was Flora.

She wore clothes for battle. She aimed her bow and arrow, shooting down enemy soldiers as they climbed the walls, one after another.

“Stay strong! They have no wizards now! We can win this!”

She yelled, her voice rough.

Blood was everywhere. People were dying. Screams filled the air.

Flora couldn’t tell if the screams were from friends or enemies. But she didn’t stop.

Soon after she came to the capital…

…Flora found two teachers.

One was a professor from the Royal Academy who taught war plans. The other was a normal person, but a very good archer from nearby.

She had seen war before in Lawrence.

In Lawrence, her plan, which she thought was good, failed completely because of one flare. Now, she knew it was a foolish mistake.

Why…

…had she not thought about a flare?

Even if the enemy had little money, they could still have flares. She should have known that.

So, she studied war plans.

She wanted to make smart choices in war. She also learned archery because she knew that war was about strength and power.

No matter how good a plan sounds…

…you need the power to fight and defeat the enemy.

Flora didn’t want to be a commander who just looked good. She wanted to be someone who could fight with her soldiers and win.

Her hands, once soft and pretty, were now rough and hurt.

Her fingers were cut and hard, not beautiful anymore. But she was not ashamed of her hands at all.

They were proof of her hard work.

Her arrows flew straight and always hit the enemy in the head.

Thud!

“Don’t give up! If we lose here, our families in Cairo are in danger!”

The battle was very intense.

The Chronos Empire looked like they would take the castle any minute. But slowly, they started to lose ground.

It was another smart move.

Count Vandenberg had given up the second defense line and brought all his soldiers here. Because of this, and soldiers coming from the west, they held off the Empire’s attack.

Finally…

…the Chronos Empire went back.

But it wasn’t a win in the war.

They had only stopped the first attack. The war was just starting.

The next day…

…Chronos attacked again.

They pushed hard, almost taking the walls, then they retreated again.

They were exhausted, on the edge of giving up.

They had planned to hold out for five days.

But even after stopping the wizards, the Western Front was in trouble after only three days.

But…

…the Chronos Empire didn’t attack a third time.

The reason was obvious.

Roman Dmitry’s army had arrived at the Western Front!

* * *

Only three days.

It was a miracle.

People thought it would take a long time just to stop the rebellion. But Roman Dmitry was already here at the Western Front.

The important leaders gathered.

Count Vandenberg looked at Roman Dmitry, full of respect.

“You are incredible. You stopped Marquis Benedict’s rebels in just one day! Thanks to you, we can finally relax. If you were any later, I don’t know what would have happened to the Western Front.”

Everyone agreed.

The Western Front had fought as hard as they could.

They had done everything right, but Chronos was just too powerful.

In the meeting room…

…Roman saw some faces he knew.

Flora Lawrence had her hair tied up and looked very tired. Rodwell Dmitry had bandages on his eyes.

They seemed nervous when they saw Roman Dmitry.

Every time they looked at Roman, their eyes widened. But Roman didn’t say a word to them.

He looked away.

Roman Dmitry looked at Count Vandenberg and said…

“Get the soldiers ready now.”

“…Can I ask why? The Chronos Empire probably won’t attack again. Marquis Benedict’s rebel nobles are defeated, and they failed to take the castle. They have no reason to keep fighting. They will probably leave in a day or two.”

The war was finished.

Cairo had won!

Or, not really a win.

The Chronos Empire was just leaving because they weren’t getting anything out of it.

But…

…Roman Dmitry thought differently.

“They attacked Cairo land. If Chronos thinks they can just invade, steal, and leave, they are wrong. From now on, Cairo will fight back. The King has given me full power to deal with this. So, get the soldiers ready. We are opening the gates.”

Count Vandenberg’s eyes opened wide in surprise.

Roman’s words…

…he understood.

“We will follow the enemy back to their Empire and push them away!”

This was not what anyone expected.

Everyone in the room was shocked.