The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 186

Everyone was shocked by what they heard.

The war seemed to be ending. No one had even thought about attacking the enemy by opening the castle gates. It was just not done.

Baron Noel shook his head, his voice full of disbelief. “…That’s impossible,” he said. “We won because we used our land to our advantage. But they are stronger than us. If we go outside the castle, Cairo could be badly hurt. Even if we defeat every Chronos soldier, what good will it do for Cairo? Our kingdom is already troubled from the civil war. We need to focus on fixing things here at home.”

The leaders of the West acknowledged Roman Dmitry’s abilities.

They saw him arrive in the West in just three days, something they thought was impossible. They understood why Roman Dmitry was called the hero of Cairo.

He was a person who couldn’t be judged by normal standards.

They now respected Roman Dmitry, but they still disagreed with his plan.

Flora Lawrence, usually quiet, supported Baron Noel’s opinion.

“Over the past few days, the soldiers of the Western Front have been working very hard,” she said. “They must be tired from guarding against the enemy all night. Opening the castle gates now would be like killing ourselves.”

She looked at Roman, the man who had changed her life so much.

She knew he didn’t say things without meaning, so she emphasized how dangerous his plan was.

“The Western Front is very important,” she continued. “Our main goal isn’t to kill as many Chronos soldiers as possible, but to keep Cairo safe. Roman Dmitry, your idea doesn’t match what we need to do. Now that we’ve dealt with Marquis Benedict’s group, who helped the Chronos Empire, they have no reason to stay here. The danger will go away on its own, so why pointlessly make the problem worse and start a bigger fight?”

It was a good point.

The war was ending.

As always, it was time to clean up after the war.

However…

“Is that really the best choice we have?” Roman Dmitry asked.

He couldn’t accept the usual way of doing things.

The leaders of the West, their words, their reactions, were the same as the King’s.

On the way to the Western Front, the King, Daniel Cairo, had contacted Roman using magic and seemed worried.

[…You’re saying you’re going to attack the Chronos Empire as soon as you get to the Western Front?]

“Yes,” Roman replied.

[That’s not a good idea. Even if the Chronos Empire attacked us, it doesn’t mean we can attack them back. It’s different from just defending ourselves. If we attack them first, they will use it as an excuse to start a war between our countries. The truth won’t matter then. No matter who started it, once a war begins, Cairo’s safety is not guaranteed.]

That was the reality for a weak country.

Even if the action was the same, the result depended on who had the power.

The Chronos Empire was always crossing Cairo’s borders, even though everyone criticized them for it, and Cairo could never do anything about it.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to get revenge. They were angry every time people died, but staying quiet was how Cairo survived.

He understood.

It was a reality that a small country had to accept, but things were about to change.

“Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Cairo has suffered a lot because of the civil war. The Royal Army punished the rebels for a good reason, but the people saw the killings as cruel. We have a lot of work to do to bring everyone together. After we get rid of all the people who supported the nobles, we need to decide what to do with the Empire’s helpers. What reason will you give the people then? Will you punish their helpers but ignore the Chronos Empire, who attacked us directly? Killing people without a good reason won’t get the people’s support.”

It was a tricky problem.

The Chronos Empire had openly helped the rebellion and crossed the border for Marquis Benedict, but the Kingdom of Cairo didn’t dare to do anything about it.

So, what should they do with the Empire’s helpers?

They had a reason to punish Marquis Benedict’s group because they started the rebellion, but would it make sense to punish the helpers while ignoring the Empire, who had really started the war?

If the civil war went on for too long, the people would become even more unhappy.

The royal family wouldn’t be able to say anything to the Empire and would be seen as just killing people to keep their power.

“Cairo is at a turning point. We’ve brought everyone together by dealing with the nobles, and we won’t make the same mistakes as in the Southern Front. Now is the time to earn the people’s complete trust. We need to attack the Chronos Empire and show them that they were wrong to help in the civil war and cross the border. We need to make it clear to the world that Cairo is strong. Even if this causes problems with other countries, we won’t have many chances to show our strength like this again.”

He spoke with conviction.

Right after dealing with the rebellion, it was a chance to make a change.

Roman Dmitry knew that he had to change the kingdom’s nature with one big change, not with small steps.

He wanted to turn it from a weak, small country into a strong, united nation.

They had to show that they wouldn’t tolerate the Chronos Empire’s actions anymore.

“The Kingdom of Cairo can’t always be controlled by the Empire. Just once, if we show that Cairo has changed, the Chronos Empire will have to be careful about crossing the border. We can’t be afraid that this will lead to war. If war is going to happen anyway, now might be a good time since the Chronos Empire is fighting with the Kingdom Alliance.”

The King was silent.

Roman Dmitry was a difficult person. He always made him choose between difficult options and gave him responsibilities that were hard to handle.

A completely united country was Daniel Cairo’s dream.

Had he been influenced by Roman Dmitry?

After thinking for a long time, he made a decision for Cairo.

[You are right. For Cairo to move forward, we need to show the people that the royal family’s decision is right. The Chronos Empire crossed the border. If we just ignore them after they openly helped in the civil war, the people will think that the civil war was just a pointless killing for the Cairo royal family’s power. Roman Dmitry, I give you full power over this. Go to the West and make the Chronos Empire pay for crossing the border.]

The King showed his will.

Roman Dmitry looked at him and showed his respect as a subject to his lord.

“I will do as you command,” he said.

And now, the leaders of the West were looking at Roman Dmitry.

They looked unsure when he asked if that was the best option.

Roman said, “You who have been on the Western Front know the truth. It’s not true that there’s no point in chasing the Chronos Empire, that opening the castle gates is dangerous, or that the soldiers are tired. You all know that the Chronos Empire is focused on the South because of the war with the Kingdom Alliance, so they can’t use all their strength here. Also, they lost many soldiers in the siege battle, so they are weaker than ever.”

He revealed the truth they had been trying to ignore.

He showed the truth to those who were afraid to open the castle gates.

“There is a very good reason for this decision: the Kingdom of Cairo will no longer ignore the Chronos Empire’s actions. If we take revenge on those who helped Marquis Benedict and started the civil war, the people of Cairo can have a better life. They will believe that the Cairo royal family will protect them. We must attack the enemy for that reason.”

Roman’s words shook them.

They realized that Roman Dmitry thought differently than they did.

While they wanted to find peace and stability, the hero of Cairo was thinking about the future of the new kingdom.

Opening the castle gates was not an easy choice.

Because it had never been allowed in Cairo’s history, no one could easily support it.

Yet, their eyes began to burn with desire.

Roman Dmitry’s words ignited a fire in their hearts.

They had longed for a nation worthy of the name.

Until now, they couldn’t unite because of the different groups in power, but things were about to change.

Like Roman said, it was an opportunity.

The leaders looked at Count Vandenberg, waiting for his orders.

Count Vandenberg smiled. The rumors were true. Roman Dmitry was a man who brought change, and Cairo would face big changes because of him.

He said, “So, what do you want me to do?”

The meeting ended as Roman had planned.

When Flora heard that a team would be sent out to chase the enemy at dawn, she went outside and looked at the dark sky.

‘…Roman Dmitry,’ she thought.

He was a consistent man.

He had chosen a method that people hadn’t thought of even in the war with Barco, and he was doing the same thing this time.

Even though she had studied tactics books until they were worn out, Flora couldn’t even imagine a counterattack like Roman Dmitry’s.

Her heart was pounding, not just because of excitement.

As a person and as someone who had studied tactics, she truly admired Roman Dmitry.

‘I’ve improved a lot since then. I thought I was different from my naive days, but Roman Dmitry has grown so much that I can’t even look up to him. How can he live like that? Whenever I hear rumors about Roman Dmitry, I’m always amazed by his choices and his ability to make them happen.’

She respected Roman Dmitry.

If she hadn’t met him, she would still be living a sheltered life, but now she was living on her own and creating her own life.

People no longer called her the flower of Lawrence. They remembered her as Flora Lawrence, and she was happy with that.

She still regretted her past mistakes and her naivety back then.

But because those choices made her who she was now, she didn’t regret them.

However, she was a little sad.

She hoped that Roman Dmitry, whom she had met after a long time, would notice how much she had changed.

‘Tomorrow, we will face the Chronos Empire on the plains for the first time. Even though they are weaker, the Chronos Empire is still a strong opponent. Things might not go as we expect, and we might even be pushed back and lose the third line of defense. Tonight, I need to figure out what could happen on the battlefield. Just because we’re following Roman Dmitry’s plan doesn’t mean we should blindly trust him.’

She had a lot to do tonight.

Flora Lawrence was planning to fight in the war, and she needed to prepare carefully.

In the past, she might have made choices based on her feelings, but now she was so thorough that people called her a perfectionist.

Just then…

“……Huh?”

In the distance, she saw two men talking under the night sky.

One was Roman Dmitry, and the other was Rodwell Dmitry.