The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 195

Everything in Cairo was changing quickly.

While Cairo changed quickly, Count Gregory, who supported the Chronos Empire, was stuck in prison.

At first, when soldiers pulled him away, Count Gregory acted brave.

He yelled that the Empire would not ignore anyone hurting him.

But as days went by, he knew things were not good at all.

“…Is it true?”

“…Yes. Everything outside is a mess. Roman Dmitry took his army to Benedict and defeated the rebels very quickly. The Chronos Empire and the nobles worked together to attack the west, but the rebels fell apart so fast that the Empire couldn’t do anything.”

“Damn.”

Inside the prison, Gregory’s man secretly delivered information. His heart sank.

Count Gregory had always fought with Marquis Benedict. He knew Benedict was very ready for the rebellion.

Benedict Castle, especially, seemed impossible to attack.

Hearing it was defeated so quickly made Gregory understand his own life was in danger too.

His last hope was the Chronos Empire. If they were to win and seize the western front, there was a chance for a reasonable deal with the Cairo royal family.

“…Big news just arrived. I can hardly believe it, but the western front didn’t just stop the Chronos Empire. They opened the gates, chased after them, and killed their leader, Count Fabio, and Gustavo, the 10th Knight Commander. What do we do now? Roman Dmitry has dealt with all the problems in the kingdom.”

Right then, Gregory felt dizzy. He fell heavily into his chair, remembering Roman Dmitry.

‘That terrifying man.’

Gregory knew Dmitry was special. Dmitry had shown so much power it was like too much water in a small cup, but Gregory never thought he would fight the Chronos Empire too. Even what Gregory thought was too much praise for Dmitry was not enough.

If the Chronos Empire went back, the rebels and the nobles who supported them were not safe. From that moment on, Count Gregory was very worried.

He didn’t know when he would be told he was going to die, so he couldn’t relax in his prison cell. His face looked tired and worn.

Then, one day, the prison door opened. With news that the king wanted to see him, the guard quietly said,

“Count Gregory, the Chronos Empire says they did nothing wrong. Instead, they want Roman Dmitry’s arm because he killed Count Fabio and Commander Gustavo.”

Hearing this, Count Gregory looked hopeful.

There was no rule that people had to die. If the Chronos Empire did not back down, he still had a way to survive.

Soldiers roughly pushed Count Gregory in front of the king. Forced to kneel, he looked up at Daniel Cairo, trying to look calm.

“Count Gregory, you secretly worked with the Chronos Empire to cause trouble in our country. Do you admit this?”

Gregory knew this question was coming. If he said yes, he would lose everything, maybe even his life.

However, he did not lose his composure. Looking directly into Daniel Cairo’s eyes, Count Gregory raised his voice.

“I admit it.”

“It is well-known that I follow the Chronos Empire. But is that wrong? Marquis Benedict rebelled and paid the price. But not me. I have not put anything into action, so why are you treating me like this?”

“How dare you. Just that is enough reason to call you a traitor.”

“Your Majesty, you are wrong. Marquis Benedict is from Cairo, so you can punish him as a traitor. But I promised loyalty to Chronos. Just because I am a noble of Cairo doesn’t mean I’m like Benedict. If you kill me, do you think the Chronos Empire will do nothing? They are like hunters. They get angry even if you kill an enemy leader in war. How angry will they be if you kill me?”

He changed his attitude. There was no way to live a life of grovelling. If he had the backing of the Chronos Empire, he needed to use it.

“The Chronos Emperor has promised to get bloody revenge. If you kill me, you will pay for it. So, why not send me to the Empire instead? If you don’t want to kill me yourself, at least get rid of a problem for Cairo. It’s better for everyone.”

He raised his head. Even kneeling as a prisoner, his eyes showed he thought he was better than King Daniel.

The threat worked. At Count Gregory’s words, Daniel Cairo’s expression twisted.

‘…He has a point.’

Fabius had come back. Daniel Cairo now knew what peace cost. He worried about Roman Dmitry but didn’t know how to help.

Could the Royal Knights protect Dmitry? No, it was pointless. The Chronos Empire was too strong, using killers even better than Count Nicholas.

Daniel Cairo felt very guilty. He believed he had done what was right for Cairo, but it was not fair that Roman Dmitry had to suffer for it. Roman Dmitry had led the war from start to finish.

If Dmitry hadn’t beaten the nobles and the Chronos Empire, Cairo would have been destroyed. But instead of celebrating Dmitry, he was now in danger of being killed.

There was no way. Count Gregory properly touched the pain of Daniel Cairo, who was spending every day in agony.

The nobles who supported the Empire. Daniel Cairo wanted to destroy them immediately. But he hesitated, worried that people might get even angrier at Roman Dmitry. He knew he was a weak king. Making a decision was hard and confusing for him.

Just then, Daniel Cairo looked at Roman Dmitry.

It was a silent signal. Roman Dmitry stepped forward and looked at the king.

“Can I speak?”

“Speak.”

“The Chronos Emperor will not change his mind. If he said he wants bloody revenge, he will send people to kill me. But it’s already happened. We have other problems now, but why be afraid just because the enemy said they will kill me? Count Fabio, Commander Gustavo – they were much more important than Count Gregory. So, make a decision and make things easier for Cairo.”

Count Gregory was flustered. Cutting off his words, Roman Dmitry raised his voice.

“From the moment you punished the betrayers, peace in Cairo ended. Your Majesty, choose what is best for Cairo. Even if people die because of it, if it’s the right choice, no one will blame you. No war happens without deaths. If you think too much about lives and forget what’s important, you can’t fix things later.”

Cairo Palace. The leaders seated here lost their words. What on earth? Was Roman Dmitry not afraid?

Even though the Chronos Empire had openly announced the assassination, there was not a bit of fear in Roman Dmitry’s voice.

Daniel Cairo took a deep breath. The weak king was still nervous, but he tried to be strong until the end.

“Cairo owes the Dmitry family so much. Even if I become a target for killers because of this choice, the Cairo royal family will always remember what Dmitry has done.”

He looked away. Looking at Count Gregory, who looked shocked, he said firmly,

“Count Gregory, you not only secretly worked with the Chronos Empire, but you even admitted it to my face, hurting Cairo’s honor. The trouble in Cairo started because we were careless once. Marquis Benedict, Count Gregory, Count Denver – from the moment we let people who only cared about themselves and not about Cairo’s safety do what they wanted, Cairo became a mess.”

“Your Majesty! What misunderstanding…….”

“Be quiet!” His face turned bright red with anger.

This was Daniel Cairo. He was no longer just a young, unsure king. Because of all the hard times and because of Roman Dmitry, Daniel Cairo had become stronger inside. He was making a king’s decision. Daniel Cairo’s eyes became cold and hard.

“Count Gregory. I sentence you, a traitor who put our country in danger, to death.”

Life was full of surprises. Cairo had suffered for a long time because power was split everywhere, but now, Daniel Cairo made one decision, and the execution was happening.

Two people would be hanged. When Count Gregory and Count Denver died, their followers were scared and didn’t dare to say anything. Cairo Square was crowded with people.

Before they were taken to the square, Count Denver looked at Roman Dmitry, his eyes empty.

“……I was so stupid. If I had seen you as a danger to the Empire from the start, instead of trying to make you join us, I would have stopped you before things got this bad. Roman Dmitry, if you weren’t here, Cairo would have fallen apart and been ruined.”

Count Gregory said nothing. Unlike Denver, who stared at the ground looking hopeless, Gregory still wanted to live.

“Pledge loyalty to the Empire even now. You might think you’ve done something amazing, but you are nothing compared to the Empire. Commander Gustavo? In Cairo, he’s very good, maybe better than Count Nicholas. But in the whole world, he’s only number 78. The Empire has so many strong people, so strong you can’t even imagine. Do you think you can fight those monsters? Can you really stop them if they try to kill you and your family?”

His voice gained strength. The king had made his verdict. But he was sure that if Roman Dmitry changed his mind, he could return alive.

“Roman Dmitry, you’re not dumb. One choice changes everything. If you stay with Cairo, everything will be hard for you. But the Empire can make you powerful. Think carefully. Even if you’ve already made enemies with Chronos, Valhalla is still an option. And if I die, Valhalla will also become your enemy.”

That was his last try to convince Dmitry. But Dmitry didn’t answer. Count Denver gritted his teeth and said angrily,

“You will regret this day. The Chronos Empire will want revenge, and so will the Valhalla Empire for my death. You stupid fool. With one choice, you’ve made both of the strongest groups in the world your enemies.”

Denver stopped walking. This felt familiar to Roman Dmitry. Losers always said the same things, then and now. They fought and fought, and when even their last hope was gone, their eyes showed they had lost everything. Like Count Gregory, who had given up. Roman Dmitry looked at Count Denver, who still thought he was right, and smiled.

“Don’t count on it.”

That was all. The last words for a loser. Count Denver was pulled away, his eyes shaking. Then, the sounds came. Thud. Clunk. That’s how he died in front of everyone.