The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 285

Sunlight warmed a quiet place. Birds chirped softly in the trees, and a gentle breeze rustled the leaves. In this peaceful place, the soldiers of the Luna Kingdom watched Isabel pray.

It was a sacred sight.

Sunlight seemed to wrap around Isabel. Her blonde hair glowed white, showing her divine power.

Long ago, when the Luna Kingdom was almost destroyed by a long cold wave, Isabel, born with a special destiny, protected them from the cold.

Remembering the day people cheered the name ‘Isabel,’ Leo, the Royal Knight Commander of the Luna Kingdom, did not leave his post for a moment.

The prayer ended.

As her blonde hair regained its original color, Isabel rose and walked outside.

Leo asked, “Your Majesty, should you go back to Arcadia? The oracle asks for your sacrifice every time. Now that the Chronos Empire has agreed to stop fighting, you don’t need to stay here, do you?”

“No, I cannot.”

Isabel shook her head. She had heard the voice of God through prayer and decided on the direction she must take.

“Alexander destroyed Odelia’s capital using forbidden magic, very strong magic. This means the ‘restriction’ is gone. That’s why they started this big war, even though they knew we would fight back. We don’t have much time. If they get what they want by killing many people, even God’s power might not be enough to stop the darkness coming to our world.”

The Chronos Empire. They had suppressed their ambition all this time.

They were wary of Isabel’s existence, but they could not perfectly unleash their power due to an inexplicable ‘restriction’.

However, from the day the cold wave intensified, the suppressive power of the restriction began to weaken, and this continental war proved that the restriction had been somewhat lifted.

Light and darkness. Opposing forces coexisted.

Isabel gained power as much as Alexander grew stronger, but the problem was the unknown being empowering Alexander.

His advent had to be stopped.

Isabel, like Leo said, wanted to turn a blind eye to the difficulties of reality, but she was born with a destiny that prevented her from doing so.

Suddenly, Roman Dmitry came to mind. *Could he have helped?* she wondered for a moment, before pushing the thought away. Her path was different.

An existence not mentioned in the oracle. He suddenly appeared and caused a stir, defeating the beings of darkness without the help of God.

If she had received his help, things might have been easier.

However, Roman Dmitry had made it clear that he would not fight for humanity, and Isabel, who followed God, had no choice but to part ways with him.

Leo said, “As the Royal Knight Commander, I will stay by your side until the end.”

From now on, Isabel would embark on a difficult path.

People welcomed peace through the truce, but for Isabel and her soldiers, the war was not over yet.

Isabel looked at Leo. Because he was her sword.

Leo nodded firmly, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, ready to follow her anywhere. Leo and the soldiers of the Luna Kingdom shared the weight of the oracle.

“Thank you, everyone.”

She did not speak of comfort, nor did she guarantee the future. Only words of gratitude.

Knowing the arduous future, she did not give false hope to those who would have to accept sacrifice.

That was Isabel’s reason for existence. That was the life she lived.

Meanwhile, in Dmitry, Roman Dmitry was dealing with the aftermath of the battle.

On the sickbed, Henderson’s pale face was visible. His entire body was battered, and blood soaked the floor wherever he passed, leaving a dark red trail like a grim reminder of the battle.

As Roman Dmitry looked down at him, his face was calm, but his eyes held a hint of sadness. The healer cautiously spoke of what had happened.

“I used the best potions every day to help Henderson. I even asked priests to pray for him. But nothing worked. He didn’t get better at all. Actually, he was too badly hurt to recover from the beginning. Your Grace’s healing helped him live a little longer, but when he arrived here, Henderson was already too close to death.”

Immediately after the battle, Henderson was moved in a terrible state.

Normally, he wouldn’t have lasted more than a few days.

However, the healer poured money and effort into barely clinging to life, and Roman Dmitry breathed in the energy of the innate, reviving hope.

But that was it. He couldn’t open his eyes again.

Roman Dmitry’s method showed great recovery power, but he could not revive the dead.

“The cause of death was the final attack that inflicted fatal internal injuries. According to Fernando, Henderson bought 1 second to hold the enemy. That is the direct cause of death. If he had only ended up blocking the enemy’s attack, Henderson would surely have lived. But he chose sacrifice to kill the enemy, and at that time, he had already crossed the irreversible river. As a healer, I am sorry that I could not save Henderson.”

Despite the healer’s words, Roman Dmitry reacted calmly.

Listening to him sob, he calmly looked down at Henderson’s face.

One second. One second separated life and death.

When faced with the formidable Sven and spitting blood at the enemy’s sword, Henderson certainly had a way to survive.

If he had spared his body even a little, if he had not sacrificed himself for Fernando, if he had not endured for 1 second with the determination to defeat Sven even if he sacrificed himself, Henderson, who had received the energy of the innate, would have greeted him with a living face.

His own choice always took the direction for everyone, and he willingly accepted the sacrifice, knowing that he would die.

He spent a long time like that.

Without saying a word, Roman Dmitry suddenly moved his steps and said to Chris, who was waiting behind him.

“Prepare a memorial service from now on.”

“Understood.”

There were no words for Henderson. There was no action for Henderson either.

Chris felt a strange loneliness in Roman Dmitry’s back as he left. It was a loneliness that Roman Dmitry never showed, but Chris sensed it deeply.

A memorial service was held.

Since ancient times, cremation was the best way to send off the deceased, and they set fire in front of Dmitry’s people.

Crack, crack. The fire blazed, sending sparks dancing into the evening sky. The smell of burning wood filled the air, mixing with the heavy scent of grief.

The people who had recovered the bodies intact watched in front of their families and colleagues, not on the cold battlefield, as they were engulfed in flames and faded away.

People swallowed their tears.

At the sight of Roman Dmitry staring blankly at the flames, they couldn’t bring themselves to express their sadness first.

The patience did not last long.

One person started to cry.

The crying spread around, and people wept as if they could not accept any calm sadness.

The sorrow of losing a family was like that.

Someone who was precious to someone sacrificed for a matter involving national interests, and it became a sorrow that their families had to bear entirely.

Flames danced in his mind, memories flickering like firelight. Roman Dmitry remembered a time when the Mad Demon was alive. The war had ended quickly. Once they defeated the Shaolin, everything changed. The other groups, big and small, in the martial world gave up easily after the Nine Great Sects surrendered.

People in the martial world always thought it was impossible to unite everyone. Even the greatest leaders before Baek Jung-hyuk never tried to do it. But now, those who bowed down to Baek Jung-hyuk said it was the first time anyone had united the martial world. He had conquered it all.

Now that he had finally achieved his biggest dream, Baek Jung-hyuk remembered talking to the Mad Demon.

“Are you happy living your life for other people?” he had asked once. Baek Jung-hyuk himself could never live like that. He always had to be the best, the strongest. For him, conquering the martial world was just a way to show everyone who he was.

But the Mad Demon was different. Before they met, he was just a normal boy. But after meeting Baek Jung-hyuk, his life changed completely. He started living for Baek Jung-hyuk’s goals, not his own. That’s why Baek Jung-hyuk asked him the question. He couldn’t understand how the Mad Demon could be happy living like that.

The Mad Demon smiled gently.

“Don’t say ‘others,’ my lord. From the moment you helped me when I was lost and hopeless, you became my whole world. Everyone has dreams. Your dream is to unite the martial world, so that is now my dream too. I will never give up. I will live to see you achieve it, right by your side.”

His words seemed to contradict each other. He said he would watch from the side, but he always risked his life for Baek Jung-hyuk’s dream. Uniting the martial world was a huge dream, too big for a simple boy. As he followed Baek Jung-hyuk, he died for this dream he couldn’t truly control. And now, when the dream was finally real, the Mad Demon was gone.

That day, Baek Jung-hyuk started a journey. He asked around and found someone who was supposed to be the Mad Demon’s family.

“…A nephew? Maybe I had one. What’s this about?”

The Mad Demon’s family had died a long time ago. The only family left was an uncle who drank too much and gambled all the time. This uncle didn’t care about family anymore, not even when the Mad Demon disappeared.

The uncle was too clueless to even know who Baek Jung-hyuk was. But he felt something powerful and scary about him. He quickly bowed his head and shook, afraid something bad would happen. Baek Jung-hyuk just looked at this man. *Thump.* He threw a heavy bag at the uncle’s feet. The bag opened, and gold coins spilled out. The uncle’s eyes went wide with surprise.

“This is for your nephew’s life,” Baek Jung-hyuk said, his voice hard.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!” the uncle cried out happily. It was like he had won the lottery. His eyes shone as he grabbed the gold, not caring at all about the Mad Demon’s death.

This was his uncle. Baek Jung-hyuk knew the uncle wouldn’t cry for the Mad Demon. He would take the gold straight to gamble it away and waste it on drinks and fun. Even if he somehow became rich, he would forget the Mad Demon ever existed.

And yet, Baek Jung-hyuk still wanted to see the uncle and give him money. He didn’t really know why. Maybe just because *he* remembered the Mad Demon. He just wanted someone else in the world to remember that the Mad Demon had lived. Then, he turned and walked away. The time of the Heavenly Demon was starting. This was the beginning of Baek Jung-hyuk’s rule.

* * *

Days had passed. Chris watched Roman Dmitry, who still stood in front of the burned ashes. He walked over, his face worried.

“My lord,” Chris said gently. “Shouldn’t we go back now? You haven’t rested since we marched from Redford without stopping. The people of Dmitry will understand how you feel.”

“Chris,” Roman Dmitry said, still staring at the ashes.

“Yes, my lord?”

“I told you before, I want you to be ready to lead when I am not here.”

He didn’t look away from the ashes. Roman Dmitry spoke, his voice low, looking at what was left of someone who had been alive. “Being a commander means people will die because of you. When I give orders, people die. That’s the life of a commander. In my life, I never had time to worry too much about the people who died, or to feel sorry for them. But I never forgot their deaths, not even for a second. Even if this looks like just a show, it’s also how I accept their deaths and say goodbye as their commander.”

His words sounded cold. But Chris felt a deep sadness in them.

“A commander can’t be like everyone else,” Roman Dmitry continued. “If a commander shows too much feeling, the soldiers will see him as just a normal person. They might try to get closer, to become friends. People might want a commander like that. But if you want to achieve big things as a commander, you have to think carefully about everything you say and do.”

He was creating a wall between himself and others. He showed he was sad about the deaths, but he also kept everyone at a distance. Chris had been with Roman Dmitry from the start, even when people called him the ‘Fool of Dmitry.’ He had promised to follow him. But even after all this time, Roman Dmitry still felt distant and hard to understand. That distance was on purpose, Chris knew.

Every word, every action was carefully planned. He didn’t let any warmth or friendship get in the way of his role as lord. He lived like a hunter, always watching, always in control. Roman Dmitry had lived like this for so long, it was now just natural for him to act like a commander, even without thinking about it.

Chris wanted to ask him if it was hard to live like that, always keeping everyone away. But he stopped himself. He knew Roman Dmitry too well. He understood that Roman Dmitry *had* to be this way, that it was the only way he could survive and lead.

Roman Dmitry continued,

“Chris, if you are going to be a commander, remember this. You must show that you care about the deaths of your people. But the only real way to make up for their loss is to give them proper rewards.”

His voice was firm. He never ignored those who died fighting for him.

“Gather the leaders of Dmitry,” Roman Dmitry ordered. “We will have a meeting now to decide how to reward those who were hurt or lost loved ones in the war.”

“Yes, my lord,” Chris replied. ‘Clear compensation…’ Chris thought. The people would soon understand exactly what that meant.