The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 205

Dmitry Square.

A man sat on a shaded bench in the busy square, passing the time.

Chew, chew.

The man chewed on jerky.

His face, visible because his robe was pushed back, looked pale and thin. He gave off a strange feeling, but no one paid attention to him.

People came to Dmitry from all over.

There were people from poor areas, those who worked in shows, and even tough fighters called mercenaries. Because of this mix, no one really noticed Cliff’s strange feeling.

The man’s name was Cliff.

As the vice-master of the Écorché assassin guild, he calmly watched everything around him.

‘During the hour I’ve been in the square, Dmitry’s guard has appeared twice. That means Dmitry is using lots of guards for regular patrols. Normal places wouldn’t have this much security. It takes many people, and the problems the guards find are usually just small fights. It’s pointless work because it doesn’t really hurt the territory.’

It was simple logic.

Most places think it’s better to just deal with problems as they happen, instead of spending a lot of effort trying to prevent them.

But Dmitry’s security was tight.

Also, their skills seemed good.

‘The rumors from the west might be true. If normal soldiers are as good as knights… If things go wrong here, I might not make it out alive.’

He swallowed the jerky.

He didn’t seem worried.

His life had been full of more dangerous things, and he was just gathering information for the assassination.

Instead of underestimating the enemy, overestimate them.

It was a famous saying among assassins, and Cliff didn’t want to underestimate Dmitry, who had been doing surprising things recently.

Just then, a man came and sat next to him.

Looking like he belonged there, he secretly told Cliff what was happening, away from others.

“There are many skilled people within the territory. You need to be careful of them.”

Two weeks ago, members of the assassin guild had already entered Dmitry.

Cliff chuckled.

It was just as he thought.

It seemed Roman Dmitry had increased security a lot because of the Cronos Empire’s warning about an assassination.

It was funny.

The struggle to survive made him excited.

“You know, the more my target fights back, the more excited I get. When they can’t sleep because they don’t know when I’ll attack, destroying all their plans and stabbing them in the heart… the pleasure is so thrilling that I can’t even describe it.”

Just imagining it was great.

He swallowed the last of the jerky and stood up.

“Tell the informants that the plan will continue as planned.”

It was the day of the big fight.

A very dark night.

The people who had slipped in like shadows hid in the darkness when they saw the guards patrolling, even at night.

Among them, a man in a gray cloak said:

“From now on, the closer we get to the inner castle, the more guards there will be. The time between guards passing by the same place is about 15 minutes. We must enter the inner castle for sure within 15 minutes after we first deal with the guards. Remember that. Cronos will not accept failure. Even if we have succeeded in all assassinations so far by order of the Empire, one failure will destroy us completely.”

It was Cliff.

This operation was very important for the assassin guild.

The master had kept telling him to succeed no matter what, so Cliff was more focused than usual.

“I’ll go first. When you deal with the guards, get rid of the bodies quickly.”

“Understood.”

The others nodded.

Cliff checked where the guards were and then used the power of his gray cloak.

“Invisibility.”

Whoosh.

A faint light appeared.

The light from the gray cloak covered Cliff, making him invisible.

It was a magical item.

Assassins often use tools to kill stronger enemies, and the gray cloak was the most expensive one.

He tried not to make any noise.

Carefully, he went towards the guards who were moving in pairs.

‘There are only two enemies. According to the security I’ve seen, if we deal with these guys and go straight to the inner castle, we’ll only meet the guards inside once. Roman Dmitry, I don’t know what you’re like on the battlefield, but you can’t stop an assassination in the dark.’

He had killed many strong people before.

Some were even called rankers, but they couldn’t do anything about an attack they weren’t ready for.

This time would be the same.

Cliff was sure of it and followed the guard.

He could hear the guard breathing.

When he saw the guard looking around, not knowing death was near, Cliff quickly pulled out his dagger.

And just as he tried to cut his throat.

Clang!

‘……?!’

The attack was blocked.

The guard twisted his body at the last second and stopped Cliff’s attack.

Cliff was confused.

As the guard and Cliff looked at each other, the guard blew a loud whistle, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

Peeeeeeeeep-

“Enemy! An enemy has appeared!”

It was confusing.

Just a guard.

He never thought there would be a problem from the start, especially not when trying to enter the inner castle.

“Damn it. Get rid of these guys quickly!”

He shouted.

The guild members who had been hiding jumped out and attacked the guards at the same time to hide what happened.

But.

Clang!

Clang clang clang!

The guards moved very well.

They didn’t back down even when attacked strongly. The two guards protected each other, stopping dangerous attacks.

Cliff’s mouth felt dry.

At first, he thought the guard was lucky to block the attack, but now he saw that they were not normal guards.

Just then.

Peeep!

“There!”

Suddenly, Dmitry’s soldiers appeared from nowhere and surrounded the area. Cliff and the assassins couldn’t escape.

In a desperate situation, the assassins gathered around Cliff.

As assassins, they were good at ambushes but weak in direct fights. Now, there was no other way to survive.

He held his dagger tightly.

He had already lost his invisibility while trying to attack.

Cliff quickly looked around. He was in a crowded market square in Dmitri. Shouts of merchants and the smell of food filled the air, but Cliff felt tense. He knew Dmitri’s soldiers could be anywhere.

Then, Cliff saw a face he knew. His eyes went wide.

“…You?” he said, surprised. He remembered the man clearly now. It was Thomas, the friendly owner of the restaurant he visited just days ago. But Thomas was wearing a soldier’s uniform.

Cliff’s heart pounded. Seeing Thomas as a soldier, he knew something was terribly wrong with their plan from the start.

The guard who had stopped him before stepped forward.

“Cliff,” the guard said, his voice cold. “Vice-Master of the Assassin Guild, Écorché. We know you are here in Dmitri because Emperor Chronos ordered it.”

Now that Cliff looked closer, he recognized the guard. It was Lucas, the man described in the information they had gathered. Lucas must have been wearing a disguise earlier.

“Two weeks ago, we knew that Écorché assassins had entered Dmitri. You thought you hid your identities well, but we also knew you joined three days ago for a big operation. You look curious about how I found out.”

Lucas had created Hao Moon, an information network. It was made up of ordinary people in Dmitri – shop owners, workers, innkeepers. They were Lucas’s eyes and ears. Each person only saw small things, everyday things. But Lucas put all these small pieces of information together like a puzzle. This way, he could see the bigger picture.

Lucas continued, “Remember that friendly restaurant owner, Thomas? He’s one of us. The merchant selling fruit next to you in the market? Also ours. Even the innkeeper where you stayed, the blacksmith who fixed your gear, the miners working outside the city – all part of Hao Moon. They saw you. They saw strangers in disguise. They told us.”

From the beginning, Dmitri had been watching Écorché.

Knowing they were watching the area, they let them gather information. When they got reports that they were moving, they quickly reorganized the guards.

Lucas formed a team with Henderson. And in other areas, they put people in place to prepare for the enemy’s attacks.

Cliff thought their attack from the shadows was perfect, but they were just being played with by Lucas.

‘I’m going to die,’ Cliff thought, fear gripping him. He looked around wildly. He had been so sure this mission would be easy. Assassinate Roman Dmitri – get in, get out. Even if they suspected something, assassins like Écorché were supposed to be ghosts, unseen, unstoppable. But they had been seen. They had been stopped.

In the end, they had to meet people to enter the castle. No matter how much they changed their identities and covered their faces, all that information went to Hao Moon.

And Lucas didn’t miss even the smallest change. He signaled the soldiers to attack.

Lucas simply said one word: “Attack.”

Instantly, Dmitri’s soldiers moved. Cliff’s face twisted with rage.

“Attack! For the Emperor!” he roared. “Break through! To the inner castle!”

But it was too late. Assassins were masters of shadows, not open battles. The clash was brutal and quick. The sound of swords meeting daggers, shouts of pain, filled the air. *Thwack! Kraak! Keuk!* Dmitri’s soldiers, ready and waiting, were stronger. Assassins fell quickly, their surprise attack turned into a desperate fight for survival.

Cliff fought fiercely, his dagger flashing. He was fast and deadly, but it wasn’t enough. Suddenly, Lucas was there.

*Strong!* Cliff thought, his eyes widening. Lucas moved like a storm. He used two blades, a sword and a shorter dagger, moving them together with amazing skill. *Snikt!* Before Cliff could react, Lucas’s sword sliced across his chest. Cliff cried out in pain. He tried to step back, but Lucas was too quick. A sharp kick to his ankle, and Cliff’s legs gave way.

It was over.

Cliff tried to stand, but Lucas pressed the sword harder against his neck.

“Ten seconds,” Lucas said, his voice like ice. “Tell me why you shouldn’t die.”

*Swish.* The sword cut into Cliff’s skin, drawing blood. A strange smile spread across Cliff’s face. It wasn’t a happy smile. It was cold, almost mad.

“You fools,” Cliff hissed, blood trickling down his neck. “You think you’ve won? The Emperor knew you were ready for us. He sent us anyway. Because Écorché is more than just us. While you were busy with us… the *real* attack is happening now. Écorché’s true sword is already inside the inner castle.”

He grinned, a flash of cruel satisfaction in his eyes. He was dying, but he wanted to plant fear in Lucas’s heart.

This operation wasn’t just his mission. Écorché was attacking in four directions, and Écorché’s sword was moving separately.

An operation that was supposed to succeed.

He had been recognized for his leadership and experience and became Écorché Vice-Master, but he wasn’t that skilled. Just one of the baits.

The operation would eventually succeed. But…

“Is there anything else?” Lucas asked, his voice still calm. He didn’t look surprised or worried by Cliff’s words. Cliff’s confidence faltered. Seeing Lucas so unmoved, a cold dread filled him.

Lucas’s eyes narrowed.

“No more games,” he said. “You’ve said your last words.”

*Snikt.* Lucas ended it quickly. Cliff gasped, blood bubbling from his throat, and fell to the ground.

Lucas wiped his sword clean.

“Team Two, secure the area,” he ordered, his voice sharp and clear. “Team One, with me. We need to reinforce the inner castle. Now.”

He knew Roman Dmitri would handle whatever was happening inside. But Lucas was responsible for the city’s defenses, and he would not take any chances.